\3.5/ Artifacts And You(r PCs)

[Deth Muncher]

So, in my "really-there's-a-method-to-my-madness-" campaign right now, the PCs are told that the Big Bad, a Drow Vamp/Lich (not both, haven't decided. Probably going Vamp, since the PCs want vamps) is basically a Planeswalker, for those of you MtG'ers. (For those who aren't, he's an interplanar traveler). And what he enjoys most is collecting items of immense power in order to enslave everyone, rule everything, destroy those who oppose him, blah blah. Y'know, evil overlord kind of thing.

So what is it the PCs need to do? They need to start a-hunting as well. They will not - and indeed, cannot - get all of the Artifacts and major items that the BBEG is hunting. Hell, they might even make it so that they don't ever really run into him, if they never go for the same one at the same time.

The issue, of course, lies in the unbalancing power of Artifacts (and even major magic items). If the PCs have access to them, it means that the PCs who physically have the items will trounce what you throw at them unless you supe the baddies up, which means that those not fortunate enough to have them will die horribly.

The other issue, then, is which Artifacts/Major Magic Items should be deemed "worthy" to be hunted for. Which ones stick out to you as "Oh, oh yeah. Definitely that one. If I was a bad guy, I'd want THAT." Can be any campaign setting, any book in the 3.5 world. (Or, perhaps, an older one that has been/can be updated easily.)

[Glimbur]

Make the artifacts have drawbacks. Sure, that sword is +7 and is bane to everything, but every time you kill something with it, someone dear to you also dies. It's a cosmic balance thing. Or that armor that gives you SR 35 also burns your mental stats by a point per hour, minimum 1.

[Xenogears]

Orbs of Dragonkind would be pretty good. Powerful but most PC's might not want them since gaining the enmity of all dragonkind forever kind of sucks.

Deck of many things could be wildly imbalancing but a smart party might not use it at all.

Sphere of Annihilation is dangerous enough to want for the villain but probably not for the PC's to carry with them.

Perhaps a Talismen of Ultimate Evil. Useful for BBEG but not for the good guys.

Oh and don't forget the celestial, devil, and demon bloods from the BoVD.....
Thats a joke by the way.

[Duke of URL]

Just because an artifact has powers doesn't mean the PC is capable of using them. Just design the artifacts to grant powers commensurate with the possessor's own power. It's only in the combining of the artifacts do they become overly powerful.

[Kallisti]

Just because an artifact has powers doesn't mean the PC is capable of using them. Just design the artifacts to grant powers commensurate with the possessor's own power. It's only in the combining of the artifacts do they become overly powerful.

This. Definitely this.

Or give the artifacts some kind of power that needs to be unlocked-- a command word lost to time, an artifact usable only by a redheaded priest of a TN god, or just the classic idea of an artifact separated into several less-powerful pieces.

[Saintjebus]

Don't forget to include the Head of Vecna.

[Deth Muncher]

Don't forget to include the Head of Vecna.

You're a bad person.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I always liked Heward's Mystical Organ--a huge pipe organ whose gigantic pipes were sounded by bound air elemental creatures and whose every note(s) caused something to happen. It's great for a BBEG but bad for the PCs if the BBEG knows what a bunch of the keys and chords do; he can use it safely while the PCs have to rely on trial and error...and though I've never known PCs who wouldn't try something insanely dangerous, a few dozen curses later they'd probably be happy to give it up. :smallwink: The only issue would be a slight problem related to moving it--namely, you can't--but you could always change that to nearly impossible for your game.

[Xenogears]

I always liked Heward's Mystical Organ--a huge pipe organ whose gigantic pipes were sounded by bound air elemental creatures and whose every note(s) caused something to happen. It's great for a BBEG but bad for the PCs if the BBEG knows what a bunch of the keys and chords do; he can use it safely while the PCs have to rely on trial and error...and though I've never known PCs who wouldn't try something insanely dangerous, a few dozen curses later they'd probably be happy to give it up. :smallwink: The only issue would be a slight problem related to moving it--namely, you can't--but you could always change that to nearly impossible for your game.

Well the simple solution is to move the ground its on. Or just move the universe around it. I mean really. Not that hard. What. This is DnD. Telling logic and physics to go play Patty Cake is half the fun.

[AshDesert]

I've always liked the idea that the greatest artifacts seem like mundane items that the Gods blessed after someone did something great with it (i.e. the scythe used by a farmer who rose through the military to be a great general to defend his homeland and died saving his brigade of some such thing). After the PCs find one, they need to bring it to a temple of whatever God that blessed it, and get a priest to directly speak with the God and activate it's powers.

Of course, if you want to big shiny artifacts, I would suggest having them broken and spread across the world/planes, and they have to search all over, and bring it to a legendary craftsman (maybe one that they rescue from the BBEG, and they're constantly being attacked by the BBEG trying to get him back). Of course, searching out for pieces of artifacts could lead to very long campaign, so keep that in mind.

On the balance issue, well, maybe have them get artifacts for the lower tiers before they find ones for the higher tiers (i.e. they're going to find a big frickin sword for the Fighter before the legendary staff for the Wizard). Other than that, the suggestion to have them "unlock" powers while they level up is pretty good, if a lot of paperwork.

[Dimers]

I see a huge opportunity for "So once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine" confrontations.

In Shadows of Undrentide, you start the game by searching for artifacts. IIRC, the only one that you can use to any effect in-game is the mummified hand that'll point towards the nearest other artifact. Well, aside from "using" the MacGuffin to, y'know, progress the plot and stuff. Hey, come to think of it, SoU has a "what was briefly yours is now mine" itself.

It's simple enough to say "you can't use this artifact at all" if you carefully control Use Magic Device ... intelligent artifacts can look after themselves ... nasty consequences or harsh sacrifices might keep PCs away if they know the consequences ahead of time (and if the 'sacrifice' isn't actually something important to the character, it's spent without invoking the desired effect!) ... maybe in some cases lesser powers or lesser versions of powers will work but the big stuff is off-limits.

[bosssmiley]

The issue, of course, lies in the unbalancing power of Artifacts (and even major magic items). If the PCs have access to them, it means that the PCs who physically have the items will trounce what you throw at them unless you supe the baddies up, which means that those not fortunate enough to have them will die horribly.

All artefacts have side-effects/drawbacks and destruction criteria. It's been part of their nature since 1E. Exploit these.

Other artefacts (the *s of Vecna, the Teeth of Whatsit, the Cup and Amulet of Orientalist Cliche, the Regalia of *, the Rod of n+1 Parts) have synergistic powers that only come on stream as and when you catch 'em all. Of course, the side-effects get more powerful too...


The other issue, then, is which Artifacts/Major Magic Items should be deemed "worthy" to be hunted for. Which ones stick out to you as "Oh, oh yeah. Definitely that one. If I was a bad guy, I'd want THAT." Can be any campaign setting, any book in the 3.5 world. (Or, perhaps, an older one that has been/can be updated easily.)

Give it a good enough backstory and any artefact is worth the fuss. Even something relatively weak (in terms of raw power) like the Mask of Joyndee has the potential to be the focus of an entire campaign if you take the time and effort to set it up right.

In D&D terms The One Ring itself is little more than a ring of invis being used as a Lich's phylactery.


Don't forget to include the Head of Vecna.

You mean both of them, right? :smallwink:

[Lysander]

You can also make artifacts have a very specific purpose, so that while they're powerful in plot-beneficial situations they don't make everyday encounters far too easy. For a homebrewed example:



Lichbane

This blade appears to be a good aligned +1 sword. However when attacking a lich it improves to function as a +5 sword. The wielder also gains immunity to a lich's supernatural abilities and automatically passes any will save caused by spells cast by a lich for as long as they wield the sword.

[Angry Bob]

Or, have new artifacts mysteriously turn up that are expressly for defeating your BBEG whose powers dissolve or something when used, leaving behind something less game-breaking but still awesome.

[Lapak]

If you can find a decent homebrew of them, Saberhagen's Twelve Swords of Power are usually the first thing I think of for this kind of artifact hunt. They're an excellent mix of utility items, combat items, and game-breakers, which gives you material for a series of hunts. Some of them come with significant drawbacks - Coinspinner, Townsaver, Farslayer and Soulcutter in particular. Works pretty well with your villain, too; I can see such a BBEG neglecting to seek out Woundhealer in search of something more aggressive, but its power might turn out to be lethal to an undead villain, and it might well bypass Shieldbreaker because it is trying to be helpful.

Since I don't have a book to recommend or a link to a homebrew, I've described them in a nutshell under the spoiler, or you can visit the relevant Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Swords_of_Power):
Coinspinner grants the user supernatural luck in all endeavors and guides him to his destination, but will eventually abandon him in a life-threatening crisis.

Doomgiver automatically reverses any hostile action against the wielder so that the attacker suffers it instead.

Dragonslicer is a dragon-slaying sword; it will deliver a killing shot if the user gets in a hit, but it does not protect the wielder.

Farslayer can be thrown from anywhere and will strike the heart of a specified target, no matter where they are. It stays embedded in them, though, so it's usually a one-shot weapon.

Woundhealer fully heals and restores anyone stabbed with it who isn't dead.

The Mindsword creates a nigh-irresistible domination effect affecting everyone who can see the blade while it is drawn. The effect does wear off eventually, but not quickly.

Shieldbreaker automatically protects the wielder from any attacks by weapon, magic, or special powers, including other Swords of Power and natural weapons. It also destroys any weapon used in such an attack, and usually kills the attacker; it does both of these things whether the wielder wants to or not. The wielder is vulnerable to non-lethal attacks, however, as it does nothing to stop them.

Sightblinder affects the minds of those around the wielder so that they always see him as some superior or ally of theirs rather than as who he actually is.

Soulcutter creates a field of absolute depression when drawn, and everyone in the area including the wielder lose all ability to act. They stay where they are until they die.

Stonecutter cuts through earth and stone effortlessly.

Townsaver turns the wielder into a ferocious engine of destruction if they are acting in defense of a group of noncombatants, allowing them to kill anyone in arm's reach along the lines of Shieldbreaker. It prevents them from dying until the battle is over, but doesn't actually protect them from attackers; it just holds off the effect of attacks until the battle is over. Since it also makes the user berserk, it's not all that safe to be using.

Wayfinder guides the user to a goal of his choice. Following its guidance will give the user a sure chance of success, as it will lead first to anything he does not have but will need in order to succeed, but it chooses the most dangerous course available in the process.

I don't think they'll be too difficult to whip up stats for, as most of them have one straightforward power. Most of them have drawbacks significant enough that they are not game-breaking, but you'd probably want to keep Doomgiver and/or Shieldbreaker out of their hands.

In terms of your villain, he'd clearly want the Mindsword, Shieldbreaker, and Soulcutter in terms of 'weapons that will allow me to rule the world.'

[Radar]

I see a huge opportunity for "So once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine" confrontations.

(...)
At least they'd get a nice fedora out of it. :smalltongue:

Sometimes it's not only about a price tag attached to an artifact. One should remember, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely (and it rocks absolutely too), so there should always be a temptation to make someone else pay the price of your power. Alternatively there is some hidden cost, that the PCs are unawere of and BBEG just doesn't care - these things are hidden for a very good reason.

For example a simple blood-thirsty dagger, that let's say converts every 10 HP damage into a charge and can give you +X CL for X charges expended for a single spell cast. Now, it might have an option of sucking out someones soul, to fuel some really fearsome yet short-lasting powers. PCs would use it obviously "for the greater good", but will they be able to come up with an excuse every single time?

Do some almost secret rolls every single time, PCs use those really powerful artifacts and scribe the results. These might be cumulative Will saves against being posessed, or just a metagaming ploy to freak the players out. :smallsmile:

Also: obtaining an Orb of Power (or something) and knowing, how to use it. PCs can find the vague information about a location of a supposedly powerful item, but not enough to operate the thing. If they learn the activation procedure, then hint heavily, that the manual is incomplete and the missing content might be seriously important.

[Tyndmyr]

Most artifacts are scary dangerous as is...deck of many things? Terrible for a party to use. That thing can end campaigns.

Rod of seven parts(may actually be called somethin different) is great. Not really useful until you have all the pieces, and each leads you to the next.

[Deth Muncher]

Wow. I like all of those. (Except Saintjebus. :P)

Hm, maybe I should focus this into more of "What artifacts fit the Superbad/Superneutral/Supergood" ideas? That'd make it easier on me, I guess. Like, instead of necessarily going to stop the baddie from getting X artifact first, the PCs need to get Y artifact because it's stronger, but Good aligned. Or something.

I like the "this artifact is shattered, go find its pieces" bit too. Perhaps I could let the PCs research all sorts of badawsome artifacts, some of which still together, some not, and let them pick.

[Lapak]

Wow. I like all of those. (Except Saintjebus. :P)

Hm, maybe I should focus this into more of "What artifacts fit the Superbad/Superneutral/Supergood" ideas? That'd make it easier on me, I guess. Like, instead of necessarily going to stop the baddie from getting X artifact first, the PCs need to get Y artifact because it's stronger, but Good aligned. Or something.Probably the best fit for this descriptor is the Regalia of Might. They're in the 2E Book of Artifacts; I don't know if they were updated to 3.5. It's a Crown, Orb and Rod set for each of Good, Neutrality, and Evil.

Ooh! If you want something your players won't want to use, the Sceptre of the Sorcerer-Kings from the same book is good. It has pretty spiffy powers - automatic Spell Turning of any spell cast against the user, with damage and/or duration multiplied by 10; the ability to Heal or Harm with a touch attack; and the ability to auto-dispel/disjoin once a day.

The downside is not a downside from a BBEG's perspective, but is from a PC's: every time the thing is used, a random god is banned from influencing the material plane in any way for 10 days. They get royally pissed at whoever did the wielding.

[PlzBreakMyCmpAn]

Don't forget to include the Head of Vecna.Lol that screams editing fail.

[Anonymouswizard]

Probably the best fit for this descriptor is the Regalia of Might. They're in the 2E Book of Artifacts; I don't know if they were updated to 3.5. It's a Crown, Orb and Rod set for each of Good, Neutrality, and Evil.

Ooh! If you want something your players won't want to use, the Sceptre of the Sorcerer-Kings from the same book is good. It has pretty spiffy powers - automatic Spell Turning of any spell cast against the user, with damage and/or duration multiplied by 10; the ability to Heal or Harm with a touch attack; and the ability to auto-dispel/disjoin once a day.

The downside is not a downside from a BBEG's perspective, but is from a PC's: every time the thing is used, a random god is banned from influencing the material plane in any way for 10 days. They get royally pissed at whoever did the wielding.

And the BBEG uses it every ten days. His plan is simpily to stop pelor from granting spells while his army takes over.

[Sinfire Titan]

You're a bad person.

He's not as bad a Glimbur. Seriously, an artifact that eats your stats? Or kills your friends? That's a Cursed item, not an Artifact (BTW, I do consider the DoMT to be a cursed item).


I've used the Philospher's Stone several times in a single campaign with great effect. I usually give it to them when the party's WBL starts to lag for some reason. I've also used Legacy Items and both the BoVD and BoED as rewards for players (and they were quite content with each). I've even gone so far as to have the players gather the Black Scrolls of Ahm (FC1) on the behalf of Boccob to ensure they wouldn't be destroyed outright, and rewarded them with a Staff of the Magi (which never got used because the player's didn't want to waste charges).

[Xenogears]

Probably the best fit for this descriptor is the Regalia of Might. They're in the 2E Book of Artifacts; I don't know if they were updated to 3.5. It's a Crown, Orb and Rod set for each of Good, Neutrality, and Evil.

There is the regalia of evil in the BoVD that fits that description. There is IIRC a good version in the BoED. I think they mention a nuetral one but since there is no Book of Awesome Nuetrality it's not statted out.

[Deth Muncher]

There is the regalia of evil in the BoVD that fits that description. There is IIRC a good version in the BoED. I think they mention a nuetral one but since there is no Book of Awesome Nuetrality it's not statted out.

There needs to be this book.

The opening statement could be as follows:
"What makes a good man go neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

[Xenogears]

There needs to be this book.

The opening statement could be as follows:
"What makes a good man go neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

Tell my wife I said....Hello.

[Glimbur]

He's not as bad a Glimbur. Seriously, an artifact that eats your stats? Or kills your friends? That's a Cursed item, not an Artifact (BTW, I do consider the DoMT to be a cursed item).

The OP wanted advice on how to let the characters collect artifacts without getting overpowered. One way to make that work is to make powerful items with significant drawbacks. It's not the best way, but it is pretty easy.

[Xenogears]

The OP wanted advice on how to let the characters collect artifacts without getting overpowered. One way to make that work is to make powerful items with significant drawbacks. It's not the best way, but it is pretty easy.

But why would the BBEG want aftifacts that disasterous? I mean the OP said that they had to get the artifacts before the BBEG did. Why would he hunt down artifacts that were basically cursed items.

[Lapak]

But why would the BBEG want aftifacts that disasterous? I mean the OP said that they had to get the artifacts before the BBEG did. Why would he hunt down artifacts that were basically cursed items.
Well, several of the suggestions thus far carry limitations that a villain might be willing to accept but PCs won't.

- The Orbs of Dragonkind make all dragons hate you. A villain who is already planning to conquer the world against all opposition might not care if it lets him enslave enough of their power.

- The Sceptre of the Sorcerer-Kings makes the gods themselves your enemy. Again, someone who is enough of a megalomaniac won't concern himself with that.

- Soulcutter is the most deadly kind of suicide device, as there is almost no hope of recovery once it is drawn. A villain might want to have that kind of threat handy in case of the most desperate need - "force my hand, and I will kill everyone in the city!" - while PCs aren't likely to be willing to deliver on such a threat.

- A homebrewed artifact might deliver epic-level spell effects but require the sacrifice of human lives to use it.

On the other hand, countering artifacts can carry curses that the PCs might accept but the villains won't:

- The Rod of Seven Parts is one that the PCs are more likely to collect than the villain. It gives them the oomph they need to stop the most horrible threats, but it WILL turn the wielder into the most implacable Lawful Neutral merciless enforcer of order given time; most parties won't want to go down that road and they'll get rid of it as soon as is safe.

- Townsaver might let a single PC hold off and defeat an entire undead horde about to storm a fortress, but he's extremely likely to die in the process. A PC might accept that tradeoff, but a villain might not. Or he might want the sword, but only so he can give it to one of his potent-but-disposable underlings. Which is one BIG advantage a BBEG has: he can let others absorb the downsides for him while still having the artifact serve his aims.

[arguskos]

But why would the BBEG want aftifacts that disasterous? I mean the OP said that they had to get the artifacts before the BBEG did. Why would he hunt down artifacts that were basically cursed items.
Cause he's the BBEG and has a way to negate the drawbacks or something? Or is going to feed them to a series of Artifurnaces and form a Spelljamming fleet? Or will sacrifice them in an arcane ritual to grant him dominion over the entire pantheon? Or is the damn BIG BAD EVIL GUY? :smalltongue:

Seriously, the BBEG always has reasons. That's not even hard to work out at all.

As for Heward's Mystical Organ, part of it's allure is that it literally cannot be moved by any means unless it moves itself through a song. Yes, you can dig the dirt out from around it, and it will remain there, cause it's an artifact, and they're like that.

Concerning the Regalia of Might, they are all listed in the Arms and Equipment Guide. The Regalia of Good/Evil are listed in the BoED/VD respectively as well.

Finally, more artifacts of awesome:
-Angelwing Razor from the BoVD is always a fun one.
-There is an AD&D book called the Book of Artifacts that has a large number of great ones in it. I like the Machine of Lum the Mad and the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O personally, though the Machine is more cursed than the Deck of Many Things, as if that was even possible!

If you want non-game shattering artifacts, you can use what I call a "forging system". Basically, you take a bunch of mystical objects that don't do much individually, bring them to a master smith, and he forges something awesome from them. For example, you can use the diamond heart of the Dao King, a longsword blade made from blue ice that was forged in the blood of a demon prince, and a hilt made from the breastbones of a great wyrm dragon. Together, these objects that do nothing alone make an amazing weapon.

[KillianHawkeye]

Awesome link, Lapak! I think I just found a primary goal for my campaign idea with an "Artifact Collector" BBEG.

[Deth Muncher]

Ok, so far for premade artifacts, we've got:

The Orbs of Dragonkind: They're good, in that if you catch 'em all you can effectively rule everything forever (and if you've got the Golden one, you can rule other people who steal other orbs from you). The bad part is that is also makes all dragons hate you forever. Such is life, I suppose. They're iffy for a BBEG to use: One person can only be so powerful (unless they're a kobold), and generally they realize that while something awesome may come of an Orb, they're gonna have infinite dragons come breathing down their necks afterwards, literally. The PCs might not be keen on using them since, y'know, domination. One PC is that crazy Green Dragon Elf thing from Dragon Magic though, so there's that.

Heward's Mystical Organ: I like this a lot, although that might just be my music nerd showing. The fact that there's a bard in the party makes this better, since if this gets introduced she could make use of it. It'd be interesting as a location event thing. Where are the rules for this? Or are there?

Mighty Servant of Leuk-O: Is that the first warmech thing? The one that looks like the front of a ship with legs, actually cursed by a demon? They updated that to 3.5, sort of. It's kinda using d20 Modern rules...I'd thought about using it (assuming it's the same as what I'm thinking). I feel like it'd be harder to use, though, since the demon wouldn't be able to corrupt the bad guy, and if the good guys used it...well, they'd go evil. Might be interesting.

Other artifacts from 1ed - If someone feels like revamping the rules up to 3.5, I'd appreciate it greatly.

Stuff from BoED/VD - I just perused these again yesterday, and these certainly fit the ultimate evil/good thing. I'll probably use some (I like that Angelwing Razor too). Plus, use of BoVD lets me bring in Kythons for gits and shiggles too. :D

Other stuff I looked at:
Lost Empires of Faerun: Has some neat things, especially the scrolls that give you +1 level in a casting class, plus a superbonus depending on which you read.

The DMG: Obviously, it's a good source of artifacts. Staff of the Magi is fun. :D Actually, any of the superStaffs are cool.

MiC: Also a good source for artifacts, but many require some sort of divine connection. :/

Any other suggestions?

[dsmiles]

Take a look at the AD&D 1e DMG for some heavy drawbacks for artifacts.

[Telonius]

Way back near the dawn of time, I wrote up a campaign involving a invasion of a combined army of devils and demons into the material realm. The players were flung into the future (a la Samurai Jack), and had to find three artifacts in order to set things right: The Bell, the Book, and the Candle.

They were game-breakingly powerful, but they needed to be. The players were going to fight Asmodeus (they'd be about level 25) at the end. The Bell dealt ridiculous sonic damage, and had a continuous Freedom of Movement effect on it. The Book was an intelligent spellbook with every spell in the game written in it, and gave +20 to all Knowledge checks. The Candle had a continuous Zone of Truth and Hallow effect on it. Upon command, it would change into a Vorpal Holy Avenger. They had resonance effects as well. And if all three of them were activated at once, it would automatically destroy (or send back to their native plane) all Evil Outsiders within a 1000-mile radius. (Usable only once).

The plot was going to be that Mephistopheles aids the party to try to overthrow Asmo, but (like a good little Starscream) he can't avoid the blast. Asmo does, of course, leading to the BBEG fight.

[Deth Muncher]

Take a look at the AD&D 1e DMG for some heavy drawbacks for artifacts.

Yeah, about that...is there any way to legally obtain those anymore? I mean, I know that the PDFs were sold legally online for a while, but I also remember WotC putting their foot down.

[Lapak]

Yeah, about that...is there any way to legally obtain those anymore? I mean, I know that the PDFs were sold legally online for a while, but I also remember WotC putting their foot down.If you want a physical copy, there are a number of them available on eBay (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=1st+edition+AD%26D+dungeon+master%27s+guide&_sacat=See-All-Categories) and similar sales sites.

[arguskos]

The Organ is pretty easy to handle. It's a giant steam organ that you can play songs on, can't be damaged or moved, and playing a song badly does bad things. Each successful complete song produces a magical effect. Each incorrect song produces a catastrophe of some kind. That's... the long and short of it.

[JaronK]

Don't forget to include the Head of Vecna.

A joke which isn't NEARLY as funny when your stupid PCs were Necropolitans already.

JaronK

[arguskos]

A joke which isn't NEARLY as funny when your stupid PCs were Necropolitans already.

JaronK
Are you kidding? It's MORE amusing, since they can sew the head on and claim they're wearing the Head of Vecna!

[Deth Muncher]

The Organ is pretty easy to handle. It's a giant steam organ that you can play songs on, can't be damaged or moved, and playing a song badly does bad things. Each successful complete song produces a magical effect. Each incorrect song produces a catastrophe of some kind. That's... the long and short of it.

That's kind of spifftacular. I could imagine this turning into a huge "Dueling Pianos" btwn the party bard and a hired bard for the baddie.

[arguskos]

That's kind of spifftacular. I could imagine this turning into a huge "Dueling Pianos" btwn the party bard and a hired bard for the baddie.
I like making the Bard actually play his piece. :smallamused:

[Deth Muncher]

I like making the Bard actually play his piece. :smallamused:

If I felt that the girl playing the bard knew how to play the piano, I would do this. So hard.

And if this DOES happen, I'll start playing piano music in the background. Hell, THAT's a thread in its own right: What IRL songs should produce what effect when played on Heward's Mystical Organ? But it's a thread for another time.

[Glimbur]

If I felt that the girl playing the bard knew how to play the piano, I would do this. So hard.

Piano? Pshaw. Go borrow time on an organ. Lots of churches have one, just ask around. It might end up costing IRL money, but it also has potential.

Excalibur's Scabbard is a pretty sweet artifact in its own right.

[Deth Muncher]

Piano? Pshaw. Go borrow time on an organ. Lots of churches have one, just ask around. It might end up costing IRL money, but it also has potential.

Excalibur's Scabbard is a pretty sweet artifact in its own right.

As I recall, you actually have to be certified to play an organ IRL. If you fool around on it, you can really mess it up, and it takes lots of effort to keep it in tune.

Or so I remember from my band days in highschool.

But then, where we'll be playing is ALSO a stone's throw from a HUGE Catholic church...they probably have an organ... *plots*

:( I need this book o' artifacts. Or, y'know, some of the AD&D books. Wikipedia lists them, but I still need the data on how they work.

[arguskos]

Most cannot be transferred well, since AD&D mechanics don't always transfer well to 3.5.

Another good book to pick up would be Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. It's a AD&D Realms book, and amongst it's amazing content, it has a number of awesome artifacts, such as the Magical Chessmen of Ultham-We and Zardazil, the Ghost Sword, and lots of others.

[Deth Muncher]

Most cannot be transferred well, since AD&D mechanics don't always transfer well to 3.5.


Ragesigh.

I guess I'll go look back through the books more.

[arguskos]

Ragesigh.

I guess I'll go look back through the books more.
Well, it's not THAT bad. Gimme a bit to work things out, and I'll see what I can whip up for ya. :smallwink:

[Deth Muncher]

Well, it's not THAT bad. Gimme a bit to work things out, and I'll see what I can whip up for ya. :smallwink:

You would, in fact, be the awesome.

[arguskos]

Sent you a PM with something you'll enjoy Deth. Hope that sorta thing is what you're lookin' for.