|
I am starting a new campaign and would like to grant my players minor re-usable or minor permanent boosts to their characters for completing tasks. I do not want anything that can break the game or give any really huge advantage to the players. Here is a list of a few ideas I am throwing around. I was hoping you guys could help me brainstorm:
Five +1 arrows appear for 1 hour - 1/wk
Darkvision 60' for ten consecutive minutes - 1/wk
Start a minor fire like a campfire 1/wk
+2 to any skill before the roll 1/wk
+10 movement for one round 1/wk
Waterbreathing for one minute 1/wk
+2 to Stealth for one check 1/wk
Find true north 1/wk
Any thoughts?
For any cantrip/orison: cast it as a SLA 1/day.
(1/day because most of what you list as 1/wk is a lot stronger than a cantrip.)
Is there an ingame explanation for where these benefits come from? Not that there has to be, but if there is one it might inspire some ideas.
|
|
We can definitely weaken anything I posted. In fact, I would prefer it.
I am going to have an undead "tattoo artist" place magical tattoos on the PCs. They will need to acquire all of the materials for the work, but he feels that he owes them because they cleared out some NPCs that desecrated his tomb. Also the PCs continue to keep unwanted NPCs away.
Each tattoo will glow when used and gift the PCs. I would really like to have a good 50 or so to choose from, but I simply cannot come up with that many.
And again, I am all about making them weaker than what I posted in my original thread. I just do not want anything stronger than what is posted.
I recommend the Rogue Genius Games Loot for Less Books a fun set of cheap but balanced magical items. Most of the ones that are not weapons or armor would work for this purpose.
By the rules a tattoo of an item would cost twice as much as the regular item which gives a fair idea of their value. Adding in limited activation periods would also reduce their usefulness and value.
I'd recommend against a 1/week mechanic. Most campaigns don't really track a week, being focused on single days (or a few consecutive days) where the adventure happens and downtime in between where adventuring doesn't happen, so more often than not 1/week is exactly the same as 1/day. 1/day will also be a lot easier to keep track of, since that is also being tracked for spell keeping purposes.
I'd also think about things that can remain useful even as a character advances. Your Darkvision is a pretty good example of that, as is the waterbreathing, but the +1 Arrows will be useless as soon as the character has a +1 Bow (and that will be first on the list for an archer character.)
Hmm. If you're concerned about things being too strong, you're probably also concerned about tattoo mini-novas. You should consider changing the general paradigm from "here are your tattoos, each works 1/wk" to "here are your tattoos, 1/day use any one." (OTOH the players might find it annoying that using one shuts out the others as they acquire more and more; perhaps the 1/day should go up a bit as they level.)
If they glow I hope the Stealth tattoo is somewhere that's typically hidden by clothing....
Let's see, "any one 0-level spell" is a good 38 options right there. (Well, some of them aren't so good.)
I'll leave the frequency of usage unspecified in these.
- Pick an attribute (str/dex/con/int/wis/cha) when you get the tattoo. You can Take 10 on a skill based on that attribute even when you normally couldn't.
- Pick an attribute when you get the tattoo. When Taking 20 on a skill based on that attribute (which is subject to all the normal rules for Taking 20!), treat the die roll as 25 instead of 20.
- Materialize one permanent non-magical (but perhaps alchemical) object whose normal market price (ignoring any discounts the PC may get for any reason) is no more than 25 gp. You can get "a key" but not "a key for this lock" or similar shenanigans. The item need not be the same each time you use this.
- Your carrying capacity is doubled for an hour. This does not stack with ant haul or other multipliers to carrying capacity.
- Pick a special material (cold iron, silver, adamantine) when you get the tattoo. For one round all your attacks ignore the corresponding damage reduction.
Magic Tattoos generally take a standard action to activate, like most magic items. Having an effect generated last for 1 round seems a bit short. At least have it say "till the end of your next round" though in the case of the extra 10' movement you'd be better off using the standard action to get a full move. You could specify that activating it takes a swift action, or as part of a move action.
In this thread I've been assuming that ones like darkvision or materalizing an object take a standard action, while ones that affect a roll/move are folded into the action they're affecting.
Kalamar had Craft Trinket. They had some nice ideas... some gave a +2 Bonus for certain skill uses... magic fishhook... magic dice... locket of a forgotten virgin... nugget of lost wealth...
|
|
Nice ideas so far guys. I have a lot to look through so far this weekend.
Meirril, I really like your ideas. That is the flavor I wanted to go for.
As for activation, I was thinking of having a random tattoo given to them. They can get more. I do not want to give them all the options at once. Also, I will consider the 1/day thing. I play homebrew though, so I do keep track of weeks - and months and years and lives.
Where do I find the Kalamar info on Craft Trinket?
More ideas (and really, you should probably have named the thread something like '1001 minor gifts to give PCs'. Those tend to get us out of the woodwork to post :) ), each 1/day:
Unarmed but Dangerous: For one minute, the user of the tattoo can 'call in' a nonmagical weapon they are proficient in of their choice. It has no special materials. Just so you can be armed for a fight if attacked at the dinner table.
Ghostly: For one round, you can interact with incorporeal objects as if you possessed the ghost touch property.
Man of Steel: Ignore all critical hit for one round. Immediate action to use this one.
Knowing of Things Arcane: Become aware of every item bearing an enchantment or under the effects of a spell within 30' of you. You don't learn more than that without using detect magic.
Knowing of Things Hidden: Become aware of every creature within 30' of you that is magically-disguised. Not how, only which ones are disguised.
More ideas (and really, you should probably have named the thread something like '1001 minor gifts to give PCs'. Those tend to get us out of the woodwork to post :) ), each 1/day:
Unarmed but Dangerous: For one minute, the user of the tattoo can 'call in' a nonmagical weapon they are proficient in of their choice. It has no special materials. Just so you can be armed for a fight if attacked at the dinner table.
Ghostly: For one round, you can interact with incorporeal objects as if you possessed the ghost touch property.
Man of Steel: Ignore all critical hit for one round. Immediate action to use this one.
Knowing of Things Arcane: Become aware of every item bearing an enchantment or under the effects of a spell within 30' of you. You don't learn more than that without using detect magic.
Knowing of Things Hidden: Become aware of every creature within 30' of you that is magically-disguised. Not how, only which ones are disguised.
Along those lines of 1/day powers.
Ghost touch, your hand up to the middle of your forearm becomes ethereal, able to manipulate objects at 50% capability for 1 minute.Psychic surge, you hear 1 word relating to the major thought of each and every creature with a mind within 60ft at once.
Diplomatic Riposte, one target of your choosing takes a -5 on their next diplomacy, or bluff check within the next hour.
Taste of magic, can consume a bit of a gem to emulate a wizard school power. Gem relates to the 1st level school power you can emulate for 1 round/minute.