[3.5] Elemental Cores (PEACH)

[Drakevarg]

Originally developed as vendor trash for a fetch quest, I've been mulling over this concept as an actually useful item. The "hearts" of Elementals, these Cores are concentrated magical essences that enhance a caster's power when making use of that element's energies.

My questions are as follows: how much would these items be worth, and what would be more appropriate Search DC/breakage chance?

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Kardia Fotia, Lesser
When used as an extra spell component, increases the Caster Level of a Fire Element spell by +1. Multiple Kardia Fotia do not stack. If a Lesser Kardia Fotia comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 1d6 Fire Damage.
(DC (10 + 1/2 Elemental's HD) Search Check on Fire Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
500 gp

Kardia Fotia, Greater
Carrier gains +1 Caster Level when casting Fire Element spells, but takes -1 Caster Level when casting Water Element spells. Multiple Kardia Fotia do not stack. If a Greater Kardia Fotia comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 2d8 Fire Damage.
(DC (10 + 1/2 Elemental's HD) Search Check on Greater or Elder Fire Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
10000 gp

Kardia Ourano, Lesser
When used as an extra spell component, increases the Caster Level of an Air Element spell by +1. Multiple Kardia Ourano do not stack. If a Lesser Kardia Ourano comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 1d6 Electricity Damage.
(DC (10 + 1/2 Elemental's HD) Search Check on Air Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
500 gp

Kardia Ourano, Greater
Carrier gains +1 Caster Level when casting Air Element spells, but takes -1 Caster Level when casting Earth Element spells. Multiple Kardia Ourano do not stack. If a Greater Kardia Ourano comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 2d8 Electricity Damage.
(DC (10 + 1/2 Elemental's HD) Search Check on Greater or Elder Air Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
10000 gp

Kardia Petra, Lesser
When used as an extra spell component, increases the Caster Level of an Earth Element spell by +1. Multiple Kardia Petra do not stack. If a Lesser Karida Petra comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 1d4 Force Damage.
(DC (10 + 1/2 Elemental's HD) Search Check on Earth Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
500 gp

Kardia Petra, Greater
Carrier gains +1 Caster Level when casting Earth Element spells, but takes -1 Caster Level when casting Air Element spells. Multiple Kardia Petra do not stack. If a Greater Kardia Petra comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 2d6 Force Damage.
(DC (10 + Elemental's HD) Search Check on Greater or Elder Earth Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
10000 gp

Kardia Thalassa, Lesser
When used as an extra spell component, increases the Caster Level of a Water Element spell by +1. Multiple Kardia Thalassa do not stack. If a Lesser Kardia Thalassa comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 1d6 Cold Damage.
(DC (10 + Elemental's HD) Search Check on Water Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
500 gp

Kardia Thalassa, Greater
Carrier gains +1 Caster Level when casting Water Element spells, but takes -1 Caster Level when casting Fire Element spells. Multiple Kardia Thalassa do not stack. If a Greater Kardia Thalassa comes into direct contact with a living subject, it deals 2d8 Cold Damage.
(DC (10 + Elemental's HD) Search Check on Greater or Elder Water Elemental corpse. 10% chance of it being destroyed.)
10000 gp

[Drakevarg]

Bump, possibly for Great Justice.

...c'mon, it can't be THAT boring, can it?

[Debihuman]

These look a little too incomplete to PEACH. Magic items aren't my strong point but I'll take a stab at this one. First, it is too easy to lose track of how many hits a creature takes before it is dead. As a DM, this is one more thing to have to do and that's a pain. As a PC, it this is one more burden in creating a magic item. It has no effect if the PCs buy one of these.

Here is how I would change this. Knowledge check to know about the heart [DC 10 + Monster's HD], Search DC to find the "heart" in an elemental [DC 10 + 1/2 Monster's HD]. However, this has nothing to do with item creation really.

Once you have the heart you should treat this as any other magical item. What feats and spells are needed to create this in addition, etc.

Debby

[DireSockPuppet]

When you say 'spell component' you do mean they are used up, right?

[Cheesy74]

A search DC that scales with their hit die might be more appropriate.

My thought is that carrying something that powers an entire elemental might be a tad dangerous. Without proper precautions, the raw energy contained in it would harm a being not accustomed to it. Dealing the appropriate energy damage when placed against bare skin, perhaps?

Checking the DMG, there's no price guideline for caster level bonuses. I'd recommend about 500gp value for the lesser variety and 5000 for the greater variety, but that seems a bit on the low side.

[Drakevarg]

These look a little too incomplete to PEACH. Magic items aren't my strong point but I'll take a stab at this one. First, it is too easy to lose track of how many hits a creature takes before it is dead. As a DM, this is one more thing to have to do and that's a pain. As a PC, it this is one more burden in creating a magic item. It has no effect if the PCs buy one of these.

Good point. I just didn't want them to wander into a nest of Elementals and wander out with an armful of Cores.


Here is how I would change this. Knowledge check to know about the heart [DC 10 + Monster's HD], Search DC to find the "heart" in an elemental [DC 10 + 1/2 Monster's HD]. However, this has nothing to do with item creation really.

Seems reasonable, though knowing that a small Elemental has a heart, it's easy to extrapolate that an Elder Elemental also has a heart. Seperate DCs seem a bit Fridge Logic (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FridgeLogic)-y.


Once you have the heart you should treat this as any other magical item. What feats and spells are needed to create this in addition, etc.

Thing is, these aren't meant to be "created" items. They just exist.


When you say 'spell component' you do mean they are used up, right?

Correct. Lesser Cores are consumed when used. Greater Cores give a permanent boost (and penalty) so long as you are in posession of one.


A search DC that scales with their hit die might be more appropriate.

Sounds reasonable. DC (10 + Elemental's HD) seem good?


My thought is that carrying something that powers an entire elemental might be a tad dangerous. Without proper precautions, the raw energy contained in it would harm a being not accustomed to it. Dealing the appropriate energy damage when placed against bare skin, perhaps?

I like this idea. I'd consider scaling it based on what elemental you got it off, but that would involve alot of bookkeeping. Though Greater Cores should deal more damage than Lesser Cores.

What sort of damage would Kardia Petra deal, though? :smallconfused:


Checking the DMG, there's no price guideline for caster level bonuses. I'd recommend about 500gp value for the lesser variety and 5000 for the greater variety, but that seems a bit on the low side.

That'd be the main reason I posted it here in the first place. :smallwink:

[ericgrau]

The ioun stone to boost caster level cost 30,000 gp. This is less powerful, but it stacks with the ioun stone, but elemental spells don't get a huge benefit from +1 caster level, especially by the time you can afford one of these. So... I dunno. Okay, second method of balancing items: "Just cheap enough to make them want it and not a penny less". I'd make them difficult to afford before level 10 when you really could get a lot of use out of them. That would peg them somewhere around 10,000-15,000 gp each for the re-usable greater version. The expendable lesser version is worth 1/50th as much, so 200-300 gp.

I don't see why an elemental taking 10 weak hits is more likely to have its core damaged than one taking 1-2 strong hits. I'd give the core a flat % chance of being destroyed in battle. Also helps for balancing treasure because you know exactly how often it'll drop.

[Morph Bark]

*snippity*

Hence prolly why Psycho has mostly had them as trash loot - at least when he first started bringing elemental hearts up. The lesser versions prolly aren't very much in circulation as they're so easily used up and an adventuring party taking on elementals prolly has a caster that could use them.

Also, if you're going to have them deal damage under certain conditions, how about bludgeoning for Petra? Though, since you only wondered about that one, I presume you're set for electricity for fire elementals and acid or cold for water elementals (acid I say because there are also cold elementals - perhaps you need to add a heart for those with Cold subtype?). So yeah, bludgeoning I guess. Or just make it sonic for some reason or another.

[Drakevarg]

Hence prolly why Psycho has mostly had them as trash loot - at least when he first started bringing elemental hearts up. The lesser versions prolly aren't very much in circulation as they're so easily used up and an adventuring party taking on elementals prolly has a caster that could use them.

True enough. Chances are any Lesser Cores are going to be either used by the magi who obtained them in the first place, or sold to the Mages Guild for research. They're not particularly prevalent as sold goods.


Also, if you're going to have them deal damage under certain conditions, how about bludgeoning for Petra? Though, since you only wondered about that one, I presume you're set for electricity for fire elementals and acid or cold for water elementals (acid I say because there are also cold elementals - perhaps you need to add a heart for those with Cold subtype?). So yeah, bludgeoning I guess. Or just make it sonic for some reason or another.

Electricity for Air Elementals, actually. Cold for Water Elementals, yes. For Petra... oh, I've got a mean one. :smallamused: It's actually the one type you CAN hold in your hand... because it acts like Rusting Grasp. Because honestly, I can't think of a good reason an inanimate object would bludgeon you when you held it in your hand.

[Drakevarg]

Updated the OP based on the suggestions given.

[Morph Bark]

Electricity for Air Elementals, actually.

D'oh. Of course I meant air elementals. At first I intended to start with "fire for fire elementals" but that was so obvious that I changed the first fire to electricity and apparently forgot to make the second one into air...

Also, what counts as "direct contact"? If someone is wearing gauntlets, does that count? If not, what about just gloves?

[Drakevarg]

D'oh. Of course I meant air elementals. At first I intended to start with "fire for fire elementals" but that was so obvious that I changed the first fire to electricity and apparently forgot to make the second one into air...

Also, what counts as "direct contact"? If someone is wearing gauntlets, does that count? If not, what about just gloves?

Requires skin contact, since it's reacting to your own life force.

Which, in retrospect, makes the "rusting grasp" idea kinda stupid. Really I can't think of any logical means for a Kardia Petra to react. :smallsigh:

[Epsilon Rose]

Perhaps acting like a lode stone for a time after contact (or at least placing someone under a similar effect [halve movement i believe])?

[Drakevarg]

Perhaps acting like a lode stone for a time after contact (or at least placing someone under a similar effect [halve movement i believe])?

While logical, it simply doesn't have the "DON'T TOUCH ME FOO'" effect that the other ones have. :smalltongue: It should be something that becomes instantly apparent and would cause any reasonable person to drop it reflexively.

[Epsilon Rose]

May haps force then? If you interpret it as a wave of kinetic force it would make sense, but it might be a bit over powered.

[Morph Bark]

May haps force then? If you interpret it as a wave of kinetic force it would make sense, but it might be a bit over powered.

Making it just 1d4 force would work in that place then, since it would deal less. Spells are balanced similarly.

[Drakevarg]

Updated accordingly.

[ericgrau]

Subscribed for easy stealing later, if I remember.

[Drakevarg]

Subscribed for easy stealing later, if I remember.

I'm flattered. :smalltongue: No one's tried to use my stuff before.

[ericgrau]

Well I dunno, but I like to keep my options open. What would be really nice is if we could raise money for a moderator or someone to keep maintaining the homebrew index so stuff like this could be in a nice big list. Then whenever setting up an encounter or campaign the DM could leaf through it and pick and choose whatever they find appropriate to their setting.