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View Full Version : [Eberron] The +2 Kama Conspiracy



Goober4473
2011-10-04, 12:40 PM
I want to turn a running joke in one of my games into something important:

I rolled up some random treasure a while back, and came up with a +2 Kama. No one in thep arty had any real use for it, so they unloaded it on a merchant as soon as they could. Since then, they've been encountering +2 Kamas all over the place, but no one is ever using them. Every merchant, store, etc. that deals in expensive enough items seems to be carrying a +2 Kama. They all "picked it up somewhere" or "bought it from a traveler" or "got it in a shipment of other weapons." It's either a different +2 Kama each time, or it's features can shift slightly.

So, what can I do with this? Who would be mass-producing +2 Kamas and distributing them all over? Or why would a shapeshifting +2 Kama (only into other +2 Kamas) be following the party?

navar100
2011-10-04, 12:59 PM
If it is the same +2 Kama, it is actually a persistent polymorphed astral deva who knows that one day the party will Really Need It. Using Identify only discovered the basic of being a +2 Kama. The party never bothered with Analyze Dweomer so they don't know it has a Special Ability they will need when they finally face that which the astral deva knows when they'll need him.

tyckspoon
2011-10-04, 01:20 PM
It's an intelligent (pick one) artifact/Relic/Weapon of Legacy that has fixated on one of the party as its Destined Wielder. One of its powers is obviously Disguise Self; it can use this on behalf of its wielder if anybody ever buys it again. Your choice as to what its goal is. Maybe it just wants to spread Monkness (grants the effects of a Monk's Belt, tries to compel/cajole its wielder into taking levels in Monk and/or Monk-based prestiges.)

Tyndmyr
2011-10-04, 01:34 PM
The evil kama emporium plans to take over the world through economics...see, they make all the deals for a "bunch of +2 weapons" on the cheap, then unload the kamas and skip town.


To make it worse, introduce grammar puns, using "kama" instead of "comma".

Kalirren
2011-10-04, 01:46 PM
A lich found a way to discorporate his phylactery and hides the residual evil aura underneath a stronger magical aura, like that of a weapon. All of the +2 Kamas are in fact part of a lich's phylactery. All of them must eventually be destroyed.

No one will ever find them all. Except the PCs, who eventually have to.

kamikasei
2011-10-04, 01:47 PM
It's either a different +2 Kama each time, or it's features can shift slightly.
So you're suggesting it's a... kama chameleon?

Axinian
2011-10-04, 01:48 PM
They actually have some sort of hidden trigger on them. A secret organization wants to distribute these kamas throughout the world as the foundation of some of massive doomsday spell?

GungHo
2011-10-04, 01:57 PM
Who would be mass-producing +2 Kamas and distributing them all over?
Stephen K Hayes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_K._Hayes) was a mild-mannered Earthling, but one day he stepped through the pages of a magical Scroll of Black Belt Magazine (http://ma-mags.com/Mags/BB70/BB%201977-06%20Cov.jpg) and entered into a world of dragons and fantasy, and now he is inviting the greatest warriors of the realm to learn the secrets of the Ultimate Ninja Monk (http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/corsair/Castle/Custom-Weapons/kama.jpg) through a combination of savvy advertising (http://humanoddball.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/kickin-jeans.jpg) and personal challenges (http://www.gunfist.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/magickid4.jpg).

Mastikator
2011-10-04, 02:21 PM
The Kamas are actually people!

Keld Denar
2011-10-04, 02:25 PM
So you're suggesting it's a... kama chameleon?

This from a "kama"kasei? Almost as unbearable as bear puns.

Reaper_Monkey
2011-10-04, 02:34 PM
They're just in this season. Everyone who's anyone has one!

"... What? You DONT have one??" *Draws their dual Kama slowly and flexes muscles* "Well now, we'll have to do something about that now, wont we?"

Cults/specialised warriors have moved in, cultural bias towards the weapons (local or a new trade route just opened to a distant one), new blacksmith in town/nearest biggest city who refuses to make anything but one (generally dislike swords perhaps?), legal loophole (can't carry a sword in town, but kamas are fine!) - all of these are perfectly plausible reason for a sudden surge of these items on the market.

Although I quite like the idea of a fixated artifact idea previously mentioned myself, its more interesting as an item... but a quest to dispose of cultists makes for a good story.

Kol Korran
2011-10-04, 03:08 PM
first of all, a lovely idea! i Have to steal it!

but on the subject, what aboutthe following- the Kamas all belonged to an ancient (or not so ancient) order of monk-wanna-be,(shocking i know!) that got destroyed, but not before they all bound their soul into the kamas. now someone found it (or perhaps the last survivor?) and he's "spreading the love". the Kamas whisper to people, about kung fu, flying kicks, shaolin and what not. and people all over the setting, are dreaming of being monks. there could be lots of funny things:

- facing a villain, the mighty wizard of X, who burned down cities, kidnapped Z and Y, and is known to work towards lichdom. he also holds the powerfull and terrible Mcguffin P!
Wizard: "so you have come. finally. don't think i don't know why you're here!"
party: "we have come to stop your foul deeds, no longer will you..."
Wizard: "stop the chatter, you have come for this!"
party: (suspense gasp)
Wizard: pulls a +2 Kama, assumes ninja position and launch this! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwg033Ze3Lk)

- the party faces the great mind flayer Maraxat. but all of his slaves are gone.
party: "what have you done? where are they?"
Maraxat: "i sold them, all of them...
Party: "who to? some fiend? a vampire? what foulll"
maraxat" (confused) i sold them to a merchant, for these! (pulls out r kaka +2 in his tentacles, assumes ninja poisition and launch this! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwg033Ze3Lk)

you see where i'm going with this, don't you?

gkathellar
2011-10-04, 04:55 PM
There's a dragon-cult running around spreading them, based on their (potentially false) interpretation of an ancient Sarlonan scroll that supposedly contains a fragment of the Draconic Prophecy. The name of the scroll?

The Kama Sutra. (http://instantrimshot.com/classic/?sound=rimshot)

pasko77
2011-10-05, 05:38 AM
They were the sacred weapons of an order that has been destroyed (probably because of the inefficiency of their sacred weapons...) Only collecting them (at least one per PC), the PCs will have access to the secret temple blah blah blah.

BlackestOfMages
2011-10-05, 05:54 AM
They're actually the true storage device for the means to the plane of the gods, only by gathering them together will the PC be able ascend to true godhood, after passing the 1063 chalanges of the sacred Kama...

or the guy who's in charge of making magical weapons got really, really confused as to the setting...

Zeta Kai
2011-10-05, 06:03 AM
So you're suggesting it's a... kama chameleon?

Damn, I was gonna be the one to be vilified for using a terrible pun. Kudos.

At any rate, each one is a different one, & their all manufactured by a mad artificer who is a conduit of the Far Realm. For reasons known only to them, an unspeakable eldritch horror known as the Whisper Wight (AKA Murmur, AKA Gxuj-Mlaaqr, AKA the Little Voice) is attempting to infect adventurers, specifically monks, in order to use them en masse for some future objective. Already, thousands of monks across the continent, from all different creeds & styles, have begun to use these kama to improve their martial prowess.

The kama grant each monk a special power, which they can get from no other source (IE magical enhancements & spell-like abilities). The kama only work for adventurers, & only grant powers to non-casters. No one is yet aware of any of this, but merchants are beginning to question where the kamas come from, & monks from all over the land speak of a recurring dream about a lonely tower in the middle of nowhere, as well as a compulsion to go there...

Mr.Bookworm
2011-10-05, 06:13 AM
The cult of the Mockery was expecting high recruitment numbers for the last fiscal year and so ordered equipment in anticipation of the demand.

Unfortunately, the actual numbers fell far short, most citing a perceived lack of "skin" (the PR department is currently working on the problem). The cult then sold off several shipments of ordered equipment in hope of regaining some of the loss. This has yet to show any significant gains.

gkathellar
2011-10-05, 07:18 AM
The cult of the Mockery was expecting high recruitment numbers for the last fiscal year and so ordered equipment in anticipation of the demand.

Unfortunately, the actual numbers fell far short, most citing a perceived lack of "skin" (the PR department is currently working on the problem). The cult then sold off several shipments of ordered equipment in hope of regaining some of the loss. This has yet to show any significant gains.

Are you suggesting, sir, that for the Cult of the Mockery to flourish they need to show a little skin?

Cespenar
2011-10-05, 08:56 AM
It's all just groundwork for the +3 Kama, which will really sweep the market.

Goober4473
2011-10-05, 10:36 AM
It's all just groundwork for the +3 Kama, which will really sweep the market.

That would actually be an artifact in this game (it's E6), so I imagine it would sell pretty well. :smallcool:

Great ideas so far. I think I'm going to say there's some powerful weapon or spell that polymorphs people into +2 kamas. Someone is going around using it, and ending up with a lot of +2 kamas... That should get a good "oh, snap!" reaction.

Keld Denar
2011-10-05, 01:59 PM
It's all just groundwork for the +3 Kama, which will really sweep the market.

And once everyone is hooked on the new +3 Kamas, Steve d'Jobs of house Apple will psych everyone up for the new +4 Kamas, only to instead reveal the new +3GS Kama - same shape, but faster and with a longer battery life.

CodeRed
2011-10-05, 02:15 PM
This thread is golden. Much like this +2 Kama in fact. Wait, where did that come from?

kamikasei
2011-10-05, 02:16 PM
And once everyone is hooked on the new +3 Kamas, Steve d'Jobs of house Apple will psych everyone up for the new +4 Kamas, only to instead reveal the new +3GS Kama - same shape, but faster and with a longer battery life.
I'm holding out for one with an aloe strip.

erikun
2011-10-05, 02:46 PM
I'm holding out for one with an aloe strip.
+2 Aloe? There's a Kama for that!

I think that either attaching a prophecy to the single Kama ("It shall be found by the destined heroes to save the world!" which is why they keep running into it) or there being a crafting guild that is trying to monopolize the weapons market, and Kamas just happen to be the easiest weapon to mass-produce. After all, it's less material than a longwords, but far more distinctive than basic daggers.

Cespenar
2011-10-05, 02:49 PM
And once everyone is hooked on the new +3 Kamas, Steve d'Jobs of house Apple will psych everyone up for the new +4 Kamas, only to instead reveal the new +3GS Kama - same shape, but faster and with a longer battery life.

I was trying to be a little less heavy-handed with the joke, but... :smalltongue:

Telonius
2011-10-05, 02:56 PM
Somewhere in the realms, a Level 9 Risen Martyr is playing for time. :smallbiggrin:

Douglas
2011-10-05, 03:01 PM
Somewhere in the realms, a Level 9 Risen Martyr is playing for time. :smallbiggrin:
Reminds me of the "random junk magic items" explanation about high level Githyanki desperately trying to avoid hitting the Lich Queen's execution threshold.:smallamused: