I'm trying to rewrite Suishen with the following goals in mind:
(1) As written, it provides unlimited protection from cold for everyone, which trivialises the entire next chapter of the AP.
(2) It can cast Air Walk with a huge duration three times a day. If anyone else in the party has any flight abilities at all, that basically means the entire party will (during a normal limited 'adventuring day') never again have to bother about terrain, ground-based traps, etc.
(3) As written, it levels up four times, when you defeat "an oni of the Five Storms" but these oni are undefined. I want to make it so it can level up more often (based on GM whim, probably giving out the first couple of increases early enough to help with Kimandatsu), and it gives interesting decisions about what new powers you want.
I'm thinking of making it so that all spells come from a single pool of charges-per-day - that way, you have to consider whether you want protection from cold, air walk, or anti-invisibility, as opposed to casually having all of them.
Is this reasonable? Is the choice of new abilities interesting and somewhat balanced?
Suishen, Guardian of the Amatatsu (Minor Artifact), +2 Defending katana
Suishen can cast one spell per day (from a shared pool of spell slots) for each level of Bond you have with it. For an Amatatsu scion, it starts with a Bond level of 4 and the first ability of each Path unlocked. Each time you increase your Bond level, you gain the next ability in the Path of your choice.
Path of Slaying:
1 Flaming (+1d6 fire damage)
2 Flaming Burst (+1d10 fire damage on crit)
3 Oni Bane
4 +3 enhancement bonus
Path of Vision:
1 Spell: Daylight
2 Spell: See Invisibility (given to wielder or one ally within 5 feet)
3 Spell: Invisibility Purge
4 Spell: True Seeing
Path of Resistance
1 Spell: Endure Elements
2 Spell: Resist Energy (cold)
3 Spell: Protection from Energy (cold or fire)
4 Spell: Resist Energy (any)
Path of Mobility:
1 Spell: Levitate (given to wielder or one ally within 5 feet)
2 Spell: Air Walk
3 +5 base speed for wielder
4 +10 base speed for wielder
|
I found that Suishen is boring as written. I have renamed it Sanzuiken in my current 2e game and made it simply a hilt. If placed in a body of water, it uses that body to create a blade. It will start as a +1 weapon.
With as much water as a waterskin can provide, it will become a wakizashi equivalent; a bucket creates a katana blade; and a barrel (5 gallons or more) makes a no-dachi (or greatsword, if stats for a no-dachi are not available).
My players do not know this, but will learn that if Sanzuiken is taken to Five Thunders Mountain (going to be placed probably close to book 5) and bathed in the sacred pool under a silver moon, it regains its former glory and becomes a +3 weapon with some extra stuff that I am still working on.
Anyway, go for it! Make Suishen whatever you need it to be!!!