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Elrond Half Elven
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
322 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Mar 2004 : 21:05:11
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After reading through some old Dragon magazines (Issue 263 to be precise) I stumbled upon an article named 'Blessings in Disguise'. This article address magical items, the way that many stories have shown them- to be fickle mainly the article introduced the idea of giving a magical item both a advantage and a disadvantage.
After brooding for a while on this idea I though it was great! Could you imagine giving a Vorpal longsword to a player which caused him to be unable to heal normally! This truly delightful idea allows you to keep the game fresh. Below I have reproduced the Articles Item Drawback table to spark of your imagination!
Item Drawback
01-05 Character is blinded
06-12 Character is Deafened
13-19 Character becomes mute
20-24 Character's senses dulled to half effectiveness
25-27 Character may not advance in level
28-34 Character Loses a racial trait (infravision, stealth, bonus to saves)
35-42 Character loses ability points (temporarily when used of held/carried)
43-48 Character becomes fatigued or exhausted when invoking the item's power
49-52 Character us paralyzed for 5-8 rounds when using a power
53-54 -1 penatly to all saving throws
55-56 -2 penatly to all saving throws
57-58 -3 saving throw penatly to one attack form (such as a medusa's gaze)
59-63 Character unable to heal normally
64-66 Character resistant to magical healing (Half effectiveness)
67-70 Character gains almost no nutrition from most foods and must constantly east to avoid starvation
71-74 Item burns or shocks character when invoking a power (50% chance for either; 1d4 points per spell level or 2d6 points)
75-79 Item teleports away 5-30 feet when its power is used (random direction, including up and down)
80-82 Item weights 5-10 times normal
83-85 Item is fragile and easily destroyed
86-88 Item's command words change every 2-8 wekks
89-90 Item disrupts or interferes with the use of other magical items (d4-1 are affected for 1-3 turns at a time)
91-93 Item causes 5% chance of spell failure and caues or adds a 10% chance of failure when the user reads a scroll
94-00 Item's main power is hidden until a contigency is met
I must confess when I first read the article it sparked the idea for my Ravenloft Campaign- In the Dread Domain, (almost) everything is corrupt. Ravenloft games are also notoriously low on the old magical items. Call me evil but i'm not going to give away magical items to the players, that would be far to easy! Instead the magic will be twisted and actually give a disadvantage to the player aswell as an advantage!
This isn't just limited to a Ravenloft Campaign, but can be used in a Realms Campaign also. As i said before to keep things fresh and release a little diabolic mischeif on your players!
Hanx
Elrond
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Once upon a midnight dreary, while i pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While i nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
-The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2004 : 21:47:40
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I remember this...
Quite nice.
Another of my favorites has to be the resurrection/raise dead variants, including you die if you stray from the priest that raised you...anyone else remember this? |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2004 : 22:26:45
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| #263 is not an old Dragon magazine. #77 is, and in it you'll find an article by Ed called "Curses!", bylined by the editor as "Greenwood at his most devious". |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 04:14:35
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Hmmm...I must have missed this. Thanks Elrond, this will prove to be quite useful, especially for campaigns running in such RL domains as Forlorn and/or Hazlan.
I do remember Ed's "Curses!" article from #77 though, because, at the time, I felt that this was the ultimate expression of a DMs power over his players in the campaign environment.
My how things have certainly evolved since then...
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 08:10:34
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Hmm . . . yes, that's pretty good. Of course, it could be easily overused. Perhaps some of these abilites could be "overcome" through roleplay?  |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 09:25:57
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| Well, the unable to heal normally might be overcome if the character spends some time in deep meditation, willing his/her own body to heal itself. Sort of like the monk ability, but it's just the body's own natural healing; there'd be no change when the item was removed. (That is, if the item were removed, the character could not heal twice as much through meditation, because that would be beyond natural ability.) |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 09:53:13
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Yes, interesting...but as you say, only some of these abilites could be "overcome" through roleplaying.
Afterall, I could hardly see such drawbacks as Character is blinded, Character is Deafened, and Character becomes mute being handled in such a like manner...
Perhaps a visit to their local cleric...?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 10:02:15
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The more important thing, of course, is that the item in question has to be good enough for the player to stick with it, despite the gameplay downside. Otherwise, it's of no use for a roleplay device.
"A +1 dagger that shocks me every other hit? Nuts to that. I'll stay with my masterwork longsword, thank you very much." |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Elrond Half Elven
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
322 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 18:32:58
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Bookwyrm, I'd agree with you however when the players are up against say Undead any magical item is useful- certian types as you know require magical items to hit and when there are comparitvely few of their going around any item will do- players will take the disadvantage... such would be its use in Ravenloft.
In the realms, the item would have to be powerful as you say- a Vorpal sword for example is nothing to be sniffed at and even with a disadvantage players will still take it.
Hanx
Elrond |
Once upon a midnight dreary, while i pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While i nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
-The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 07:52:28
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Well, I didn't mean that the players would throw it away. First, there's the issue of bypassing damage reduction, as you pointed out. Second, an unscrupulous PC might try to sell it off anyway.  And thirdly, if a player has an item (such as something granting energy resistance) then it wouldn't be a problem.
I was just pointing out that it wouldn't be attractive as a primary weapon to most players. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 08:59:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Elrond Half Elven
Bookwyrm, I'd agree with you however when the players are up against say Undead any magical item is useful- certian types as you know require magical items to hit and when there are comparitvely few of their going around any item will do- players will take the disadvantage... such would be its use in Ravenloft.
During encounters based in that alternate setting that you mention Elrond, I would think that the players would be happy just to get their hands on anything that provides a +1 enhancement bonus.
In fact the same could be said for similar areas in the Realms. We know that in dead magic zones, any non-magical enchancement bonuses still work, and while some forms of undead are unlikely to be encountered in areas of dead magic, any weapon that offers a non-magic bonus of any type would definitely be welcomed.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Gladi
Acolyte
Czech Republic
24 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2004 : 20:57:20
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Bright day
Learned Master Sage Bookwyrm- if you are so concerned about these drawbacks why not devise something beyoung them? Not damaging but interesting and twisting? Magical items with a sex change, continous speak with dead and animals, swords that sing, cloaks that are under effect of light spell. In Realms anything is poosible.
May all your days be bright.
To all present. I am sorry but most of these drawbacks do not interest me as they are to simple too straightforward. Propably only one is the nutrition one.
May all your days be bright. |
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Blessings in Disguise
