So I am working on a Magic Sword for a sea campaign, but I need some input on it. Help please?
The Item is
Buccaneer's Friend
CL13 (its price should be around 97,00 gp). Aura strong varies
This +4 one handed Falchion (use basic Falchion stats, no penalties for being used one handed) can bond with a single ship as part of a 24 hour ritual allowing the user to seemingly bring the very ship alive under their control. Mechanically this allows the user to operate the entire ship through thought (sails, ropes, rudder, ship weapons exedra). In addition, the sword has 10 charges that can be spent to activate the fallowing effects (these charges recharge every Sun Set)
Animate Rope (1 Charge) ( if used on rope belonging to the bonded ship 0 charges needed)
Gust of wind (1 charge)
Fog cloud (1 charge)
Grease (1 Charge)
Control Weather (3 Charges)
All user and ally Profession Sailing checks on the bonded ship gain a +2 bonus,
The biggest advantage to wielding the Buccaneer's Friend is that it passively alters the environment around the bonded ship lessening the harshness of storms (reduce the penalty from weather effects by one step) and subtilty altering wind and tide to increase the waterborne speed by 10%
Umm, you might want to go back and rework the pricing on that item. Here is why:
+4 weapon: 32,300gp (min)
Staff of Weather: 84,066gp [closest match to your weapon's abilities]
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116,366 gp
Now, add Self-recharging [staff]: ?????? gp cost
You are going to need to go through the spells and reprice this item as charges per day, rather than as a staff.
Then, you'll need to figure out how much subtly altering the environment around the ship would run you, though a discounted continuous Control Weather spell might be appropriate.
And after all that, you need to decide on what kind of action operating the ship through thought is going to be. Free? Swift? Move? Standard? Full Round?
By the time you can get this sword the 1-charge effects are mostly insignificant. Decorative but not really useful, though I suppose a non-spellcaster might have a use for a fog cloud they can call up without getting out another item.
So basically it's a +4 sword with control weather 3/day, +2 to a skill for the user and their allies, 'weather effects' reduced one step - it's obvious what this means for wind, but maybe not obvious for rain or fog - and +10% speed to one ship.
+4 sword: 36.3K
control weather 3/day: 7*13*1800*3/5 = 98.3K
(it might be worth reducing this to 1/day which would make it 32.8K)
+2 to a skill: 400, maybe x3 for the mass usage = 1.2K
the calming weather effect: not really comparable to anything existing. Maybe 10-20K?
+10% speed to a ship: also not really comparable, maybe 10K?
Since none of the extra effects really gain any bonus from being on a single item I'd just add the prices I decided on for these effects together.
My $0.02 on pricing.
Thanks for the responses and calling attention to the price, I had completely skimmed over that. After talking to a friend that knows the crafting system better than me, a more accurate price might be 1,536,000 gp.
The Math he gave me is
Spell level: 6
minimum level to animate a colossal object: 32
Base Gold per level: 2,000
Round multiplier: 4
6x32x2,000x4
If this is accurate then the item would be near impossible and unreasonable for a player to want. Should I find away to rework this item or should I just scrap it altogether?
The 1.5 million gp would be for an item which could animate a different colossal animated object each round so you have a flotilla of colossal constructs following you. That's not what you want here I think? For an item which confers minor benefits on a single ship I stand by my suggested pricing above.
A +4 sword which has control weather 1/day, animate rope at will, +2 profession (sailor) to those on your ship (probably a competence bonus), reduce wind effects by one level on your ship's deck and +10% speed to your ship would be about 92K by my count. This is a hefty cost but not impossible for a high level character.
Ok. So besides the price is there anything else that I should change? You mentioned that Gust of Wind, Fog cloud, and Grease are of very little use to a PC high enough level to get a +4 sword right? If so, should they be replaced with more useful spells that could benefit a group of sailors?
Animate rope is little use there too, I included it for appearances only.
If you're after possible useful effects - unseen crew conjures unseen servants which act as ship crew. Control water and control winds could be useful, and might substitute for the control weather and the reduce wind effects at a lower overall price. Wood shape could be used to repair a ship. There's a variety of divination effects which might be useful, storm sight or read weather or commune with nature most obviously.
Should turn this into a Lesser Artifact? That would remove the need to worry about price, while allowing for more flexibility on what it can and cannot do.
Buccaneer's Friend
Minor Artifact
CL13. Aura strong varies
This +4 one handed Falchion (use basic Falchion stats, no penalties for being used one handed) can bond with a single ship as part of a 24 hour ritual allowing the user to seemingly bring the very ship alive under their control. Mechanically the ship to function as if its necessary amount of crew is 1 as it allows the user to operate the entire ship through thought (sails, ropes, rudder, ship weapons exedra). The day to day operations of the ship merely require a move action every hour to function, more complex ship actions may require more demanding Maneuvers at GMs discretion. In addition, the sword has 20 charges that can be spent to activate the fallowing effects. These charges recharge at a rate of +1 every Sun Set, or if the sword is buried in a chest contain (10,000gp) worth of treasure for 24 hours all charges are restored.
Animate Rope (0 Charge)
Fog cloud (1 charge)
Read Weather (2 charge)
Control Wind (3 charge)
Control Water (3 Charge)
Control Weather (11 Charges) (this takes only 5 minutes to cast and 5 minutes to manifest)
All user and ally Profession Sailing checks on the bonded ship gain a +2 competency bonus. Possibly the biggest advantage to wielding the Buccaneer's Friend is that it passively alters the environment around the bonded ship lessening the harshness of storms (reduce the penalty from wind, fog, and rain type effects by one step) and subtilty altering wind and tide to increase the waterborne speed by 10%
If The Buccaneer's Friend is taken 100 miles inland and buried in desert sands it turns to water and is destroyed.
Once again thank you all for the advice. This is probably the finished product. Have a good game.
The "Buccaneers Friend" as it is generally called by sailors is a mystical blade that has passed from hand to hand over many years, by force or by luck. The Buccaneers Friend has a rather hazy origin, earliest known accounts of it come from the stories of famous pirate Edward McShane whom is the first recorded user of the sword. Where or how he acquired it from is unknown.
Buccaneer's Friend
Minor Artifact
CL20. Aura Strong, Various: Transmutation, Conjuration, Divination,
This +4 one handed Shocking Burst, Seaborn Falchion (use basic Falchion stats, no penalties for being used one handed) can bond with a single ship as part of a 24 hour ritual allowing the user to seemingly bring the very ship alive under their control. The ship functions as if it was under the effects of a constant Unseen Crew, with the exception that the Unseen Crew can operate the bonded ships siege weapons and always provides the needed amount of Unseen Crew to operate the ship and siege weapons. In addition, the sword has 20 charges that can be spent to activate the fallowing effects. These charges recharge at a rate of 1 charge every sun set, or if the sword is taken to the sea shore and buried in a chest containing (10,000gp) worth of treasure for 24 hours all charges are restored. (What counts as "treasure" is to be agreed upon by GM and Player).
Animate Rope (0 Charge)
Fog cloud (1 charge)
Read Weather (2 charge)
Control Wind (3 charge)
Control Water (3 Charge)
Control Weather (11 Charges) (this takes only 5 minutes to cast and 5 minutes to manifest)
All user and ally Profession Sailing checks on the bonded ship gain a +2 competency bonus. Possibly the biggest advantage to wielding the Buccaneer's Friend is that it passively alters the environment around the bonded ship lessening the harshness of storms (reduce the penalty from wind, fog, and rain type effects by one step) and subtilty altering wind and tide to increase the waterborne speed by 10%
Destruction Method.
If The Buccaneer's Friend is taken 100 miles inland and buried in desert sands it turns to water and is destroyed.
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I was wrong, THIS is probably the finished product. Enjoy.
Buccaneer's Friend
Minor Artifact
CL20. Aura Strong, Various: Transmutation, Conjuration, Divination,
This +4 one handed Shocking Burst, Seaborn Falchion (use basic Falchion stats, no penalties for being used one handed) can bond with a single ship as part of a 24 hour ritual allowing the user to seemingly bring the very ship alive under their control. The ship functions as if it was under the effects of a constant Unseen Crew, with the exception that the Unseen Crew can operate the bonded ships siege weapons and always provides the needed amount of Unseen Crew to operate the ship and siege weapons. In addition, the sword has 20 charges that can be spent to activate the fallowing effects. These charges recharge at a rate of 1 charge every sun set, or if the sword is taken to the sea shore and buried in a chest containing (10,000gp) worth of treasure for 24 hours all charges are restored. (What counts as "treasure" is to be agreed upon by GM and Player).
Animate Rope (0 Charge)
Fog cloud (1 charge)
Read Weather (2 charge)
Control Wind (3 charge)
Control Water (3 Charge)
Control Weather (11 Charges) (this takes only 5 minutes to cast and 5 minutes to manifest)
All user and ally Profession Sailing checks on the bonded ship gain a +2 competency bonus. Possibly the biggest advantage to wielding the Buccaneer's Friend is that it passively alters the environment around the bonded ship lessening the harshness of storms (reduce the penalty from wind, fog, and rain type effects by one step) and subtilty altering wind and tide to increase the waterborne speed by 10%
Destruction Method.
If The Buccaneer's Friend is taken 100 miles inland and buried in desert sands it turns to water and is destroyed.
Change the destruction method
If you are in a forest or on a mountain and it is buried it means that it is not destroyed additional if I take it further than the distance it would still work or the effect on the ship ends
Zepheri wrote: Change the destruction method
If you are in a forest or on a mountain and it is buried it means that it is not destroyed additional if I take it further than the distance it would still work or the effect on the ship ends
I used that destruction method because as far as I can tell Minor Artifacts have destruction methods that are doable but very inconvenient, having to leave the ocean to go 100 miles into the desert is double but very inconvenient without magic. In an addition, in a thematic sense the desert is opposite of the ocean. I do not fully know what you mean for the rest of you question.
* at least 100 miles
I think it's obvious the desert is the requirement.
Not mountains or forest, that's the point.
Ah, I see what you mean now.
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I would cast about for a few different name options. "Buccaneer's Friend" is just very vague and bland.
"Exdrasil, Typhoon's Heart". "Bluerazor". "Cutlass of the Swells and Squalls". You've got such a vivid and specific item. It should have a name to match.
Zepheri wrote: Change the destruction method
If you are in a forest or on a mountain and it is buried it means that it is not destroyed additional if I take it further than the distance it would still work or the effect on the ship ends
How about this?
Destruction Method.
If The Buccaneer's Friend is taken 100 miles inland of a desert and buried in its sands, it turns to water and is destroyed.
Quixote wrote: I would cast about for a few different name options. "Buccaneer's Friend" is just very vague and bland.
"Exdrasil, Typhoon's Heart". "Bluerazor". "Cutlass of the Swells and Squalls". You've got such a vivid and specific item. It should have a name to match.
The name could be better I agree. How about one of these?
Ocean's Claw, Sea's Wrath, Ocean's Plunder, Seashard, Chithys's Fang, Neptune's Gift, Cetus The Sea King's Blade.
I will admit names are a week point of mine.
It's tricky, because it's a minor artifact, so I assume there is more than one, right? So it's got to be something more like a "Deck of Many Things" versus "the Eye of Vecna".
And while it would obviously be very effective for a seafaring character, most of it's abilities are tied to a ship. So this isn't the weapon of anyone who dwells beneath the waves. And it doesn't grant a swim speed or water breathing. So it's not a *water* sword or an *ocean* sword, it's a *sailing* sword.
Maybe these swords are like the "heart" of a ship, and the ship that used one of these to the most notable effect was some captained by some famous pirate? I feel like awesome ship names are pretty easy to come by, and "Queen Anne's Heart" or some such would be a decent moniker.
So would Queen's Blade would be appropriate? The back ground I gave it was that its earliest known wielder was called Edward McShane, captain of the Queen's Revenge. Yes it is a Blackbeard ripoff.
Hrm...well, if you were going to shorten the ship's name, it would be "the Revenge". The Heart of Revenge? Spirit of Revenge?
Captain's Wrath, Edward's Fang, Heart's Revenge?
I can imagine a supposedly haunted ship pulling into port. There is a captain and no crew. Just the person to hire to take you to a cursed adventure island.
Like a ghost ship in the night I drifted back to this bit of homebrew and decided on a few changes that I wanted to share and get feed back on. My ability to name anything is still poor, so if anyone has better suggestion please share.
Supposedly (but not confirmed) one of several ancient swords wielded by various mariners across the ages, the most well known being the Queen's Fang wielded by Edward McShane better known as Captain Hellmane, captain of the Infernal Queen, a pirate that sailed the seas before the birth of the Eye of Abendego.
Queen's Fang
Minor Artifact
CL20. Aura Strong, Various: Transmutation, Conjuration, Divination,
This +4 one handed Shocking Burst, Seaborn Broken-back seax can bond with a single ship as part of a 24 hour ritual allowing the user to seemingly bring the very ship alive under their control. The ship functions as if it was under the effects of a constant Unseen Crew, with the exception that the Unseen Crew can operate the bonded ships siege weapons and always provides the needed amount of Unseen Crew to operate the ship and siege weapons. In addition, the sword has 20 charges that can be spent to activate the fallowing effects. These charges recharge at a rate of 1 charge every sun set, or if the sword is taken to the sea shore and buried in a chest containing (10,000gp) worth of treasure for 24 hours all charges are restored. (What counts as "treasure" is to be agreed upon by GM and Player).
Animate Rope (0 Charge)
Fog cloud (1 charge)
Read Weather (2 charge)
Storm Sight (2 charge)
Control Wind (3 charge)
Control Water (3 charge)
Make Whole (4 charge)
Control Weather (11 Charges) (this takes only 5 minutes to cast and 5 minutes to manifest)
All user and ally Profession Sailing checks on the bonded ship gain a +2 competency bonus. Another advantage to wielding the Buccaneer's Friend is that it passively alters the environment around the bonded ship lessening the harshness of storms (reduce the penalty from wind, fog, and rain type effects by one step) and subtilty altering wind and tide to increase the waterborne speed by 10%
Destruction Method.
If The Buccaneer's Friend is taken 100 miles inland of a desert and buried in its sands, it turns to water and is destroyed.
Rule wise I have no comment. Artifacts are rather campaign specific and the term "artifact" removes any pricing concerns. I'd just review the number of powers and scope to make sure you are in the right ballpark.
The destruction method needs to have some drama attached as it is a plot device/macguffin (the reason Frodo loses a finger and Gollum goes down with the ring). So I'd add a prayer to a deity with the destruction domain or token thereof. Just say "within the deep desert (100 miles from water)" or name a specific place like the Spellscar Desert.
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