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View Full Version : [3.5]The Sword of Merciful Valor [PEACH]



newbDM
2009-01-13, 05:32 AM
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/Items%20in%20my%20multiverse/535bec11.jpg]


As the chest before you suddenly and mysteriously bursts open on it's own, you are momentarily forced to shield your eyes as a flash of bright light fills the room. While your comrades who posses darkvision are still blinded, your eyes begin to adjust as the light gradually diminishes to a glow no stronger than that of your torch.

Within the chest is revealed to you a silvery blade resting atop a bed fine blue silk. It's handle is made of a polished black metal which shines like obsidian, trimmed around it's edges with no less than platinum. It's silver blade emits a radiant glow of shimmering light.

A small scarf embroiled with ancient writing is wrapped around the weapon's handle."



Info that can be obtained if you speak Common

1. If you can read the obscure language Common you discover that the writing seems to be a chant of some kind.



Info that can be obtained by skill checks

1. DC 10 Weaponsmithing:
Those skilled at smiting arms might recognize the craftsmanship and design to be that of the fading humans.

2. DC 15 Weaponsmithing:
You also realize the weapon is of a much older human style.

3. DC 15 Knowledge: (Religion):
Those able to read the obscure language Common and pass this knowledge check discover that this is a prayer to the deceased human deity Athena, from the dead human pantheon of gods known as the Olympian Pantheon.

4. DC 18 Knowledge: (Religion):
You also remember from your studies that the Olympian Pantheon is believed to have been the first human deities to come to our world. Although their influence diminished somewhat with the coming of the other pantheons, they remained until humanity's cataclysmic, at which time they faded along with nearly all the other human deities.

5. DC 26 Knowledge: (Religion):
You also remember that one of the Olympian gods is believed to still remain, but demoted before the cataclysm by the will of the cosmos and the greater of gods to serve out a sentence as a divine power to the prinnies on the Plane of Failure.



How this magic item works

1. This item functions as a +1 longsword with the silver property.


2. If an evil character wields this weapon it bestows two negative levels for as long as it is in the character's possession, and it will only ever do non-lethal damage


3. If a neutral character wields this weapon it will only ever do non-lethal damage.


4a. If a good character wields this weapon it does normal damage as default, but it can instead mentally will the item to deal non-lethal damage instead if he so chooses (a swift action). In the hands of a good character it also functions as a good aligned weapon.

4b. In addition, if the wielder chooses to show mercy to an enemy he has fairly defeated in honest combat, who is equal to the wielder's ECL or lower, and then offers it it's unconditional freedom there is a chance the sword might heighten the defeated foe's respect to the wielder to a level of admiration and loyalty.

(In this case, the defeated and freed creature makes a Will save against a Dominate spell of CL.10, but if it fails it decides becomes the character's cohort. If the PC accepts, the creature becomes the equivalent of a Thrall/Cohort using the Leadership feat. If of a higher ECL than two below the PC it does not gain XP until it is exactly two levels below the PC's ECL. The PC essentially gets the Leadership feat as a bonus feat granted by the item.)

The wielder may choose to later dismiss the cohort, who then leaves with no ill will towards the wielder, and a feeling of pride to have served the individual.

A character can only ever have one cohort in this fashion at a given time, but may dismiss them with no ill effectl to any leadership score. Once the cohort is dismissed, or dies, the character may obtain a new one.

4c. The wielder can also obtain a number of followers of no higher than ECL.1 by this method equal to what his leadership score would allow if he had the Leadership feat. The cohort and followers gained by the Sword of Merciful Valor does not interfere with those gained from the Leadership Feat (or other methods such as the Prinny Ritual), and a character can have both sets of cohorts and followers simultaneously.

In addition, feats that improve the number of followers a player can take (such as Extra Followers), feats that improve the possible level of a cohort, and similar feats may be taken by the wielder of the Sword of Merciful Valor. However, they must be taken separately for cohorts and followers gained by other means (such as by the Leadership feat).


5. In addition to the above abilities, the wielder of the Sword of Merciful Valor may choose to use the sword in one other fashion. In a selfless act of mercy and personal sacrifice, the wielder may use this legendary sword to remove a single curse (of any level, of any type). Doing so shatters the blade, and the divine weapon can never be repaired again.

5b. Any followers of cohort the former wielder may have had remain loyal indefinitely, and in fact are likely to become even more awed at their patron by due to it's action.



Fluff notes on this weapon

This weapon is in essence a symbol of the more honorable and chivalrous side of war, and the ability to show mercy even in the heat of battle.

If the players decide somehow to investigate the weapons origin, they might find inside ancient the catacombs of ancient elven or dwarven libraries the Xthians, an ancient soldier of the early humans who was ascended to a paladin by the human goddess Athena after he won her respect for striving to show his enemies mercy whenever possible. Eventually Athena had one of her clerics forge him a sword to help him on his quests. This sword was name The Sword of Merciful Valor, and based on the depictions in the ancient tome it appears to be the same weapon in the player's possession.






Notes on this item:

This item is meant to be the sword that goes in this dungeon, and is intended to cause the players to have to make an important decision:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102083
There is a but off fluff here that related to my homebrewed setting/multiverse, so please do not be confused.




Please let know know what you all honestly think. I homebrewed and simply made up a lot of this, so I know there are things which I probably messed up on.

Also, at what level would you say this would be appreciate to give to PCs. Please note that I run very low-magic and low-wealth, so even a +1 item is a significant thing in how I try to run my world.


edit:
Anyone else think the name is really bad? Can anyone suggest a better one?

Grail
2009-01-13, 06:16 AM
Please let know know what you all honestly think. I homebrewed and simply made up a lot of this, so I know there are things which I probably messed up on.

Also, at what level would you say this would be appreciate to give to PCs. Please note that I run very low-magic and low-wealth, so even a +1 item is a significant thing in how I try to run my world.


edit:
Anyone else think the name is really bad? Can anyone suggest a better one?

This sounds like it should/could be a Weapon of Legacy.

I don't like the Thrall/Cohort thing. It just seems very wrong, both from a thematic sense and also mechanically. I think that instead, it should just offer a bonus on the character's leadership skill, diplomacy, bluff, charisma or whatever.

A Good aligned character should be able to deal non-lethal damage if he wants.

As to the name, DnD is full of weapons (and items) with names like this.

newbDM
2009-01-13, 09:50 AM
This sounds like it should/could be a Weapon of Legacy.

That is an interesting idea.

However, from what little I have seen of Legacy Weapons they seem really complicated to make and balance.


A Good aligned character should be able to deal non-lethal damage if he wants.

Done. Just updated it's entry.

Thank you!



As to the name, DnD is full of weapons (and items) with names like this.

Very true. I was just worried this one sounded a bit too cliche/corny.


This sounds like it should/could be a Weapon of Legacy.

I don't like the Thrall/Cohort thing. It just seems very wrong, both from a thematic sense and also mechanically. I think that instead, it should just offer a bonus on the character's leadership skill, diplomacy, bluff, charisma or whatever.


I was originally thinking of it simply giving a +2 to the wielder's Cha score if it was of good or neutral alignment, but I wanted to try making something a bit more original. Something a bit less overused than a stat or skill boost, as per a magic item created from the DMG. Also, I wanted something the players would not expect so easily.

Fiery Diamond
2009-01-14, 12:31 AM
I like it. It is very much appropriate for the place you're putting it. Not sure how much I like the "trap," but in the context of the "trap" this is an excellent weapon.

Grail
2009-01-14, 12:42 AM
I was originally thinking of it simply giving a +2 to the wielder's Cha score if it was of good or neutral alignment, but I wanted to try making something a bit more original. Something a bit less overused than a stat or skill boost, as per a magic item created from the DMG. Also, I wanted something the players would not expect so easily.

The reason that I don't like it is that it seems like a form of slavery. And I don't think that a weapon which is good would be that way inclined. I also think that it is possibly too powerful.

How about this.
A character with this weapon may make a Standard Action to force an opponent in single combat with him to yield. This requires a Will save vs (insert DC). If the opponent fails the Will Save and yields then he automatically has his attitude to the PC raised to Friendly for a 24hr period.

That, IMO would be better. But that's just me.

Oh, and as to Weapons of Legacy, sure - they can take a bit of tinkering, but they're not that bad or hard to work out.

Devils_Advocate
2009-01-15, 04:00 AM
The thing is, if the sword's wielder offers a defeated foe "unconditional freedom", the sword then decides to be actively uncooperative about this, and brainwashes the foe instead. The weapon acts contrary to its wielder's wishes.

Now, maybe that's appropriate to the role you have in mind for this weapon, but you are aware that you've made it a dubious blessing, yes?

Heliomance
2009-01-15, 07:16 AM
Actually, that's not a problem.

"You have fought well. I will spare your life, you are free to go."
"Wow. You are the most generous man I have ever met. Permit me to follow you to learn the ways of your great mercy?"
"No, no. I'm greatly flattered by your request, but you have a family you need to get back to, I am sure. Go on, off you go."
"Very well sir. It has been an honour meeting you."

It does say you can dismiss the cohort with no hard feelings.

newbDM
2009-01-15, 09:00 AM
Well, fluffwise I was thinking the sword merely magnified the already there respect for the wielder's actions and "valor" inside the defeated for. The dominate spell part was more my attempt at having some mechanics to see the likelihood of the foe choosing to follow him, since I thought it would be better than me just deciding myself when a defeated foe would ask to follow her.


Hmm, I got a new idea. What if I used the epic diplomacy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm) rules instead? Maybe it could give like a +90 or +100 bonus to a diplomacy check if the wielder offers the enemy to join (after the same conditions as before) her, and if the PC gets it to the fanatic attitude it remains as her cohort (rather than for the x amount of days)?