How could I roleplay a dagger that is incredibly curious?

[Dornith]

I was looking through some magic items for a campaign I'm running and I got an idea for a material, which I've begun calling Black Steel. (If anyone has a better name I'm open)
Basically, this material would work like a sponge that absorbs magic energies around it, and begins to take on some of it's properties, e.g. you put an invisibility spell on a black steel sword, but instead of turning invisible, it starts turning anything it slashes invisible or translucent or maybe randomly turns the wielder invisible.

Well, in this world, if you have enough strong emotion, it can begin to convert into magical energy.
So for example, someone with no experience in magic could put a curse on something if he or she got supremely angry at a very specific target.

We also have a sorcerer who is incredibly curious about pretty much everything. I got the idea that after wielding this dagger for a while, it would itself begin to become curious.
The only problem is, I'm not sure how I would RP that. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Kazudo]

I like the notion of the material, I really do. And blacksteel just sounds like it'd be alright, as long as you'd differentiate the difference between blacksteel and blackened steel, which is quenched in a different kind of material to give the look.

As far as roleplaying a "curious dagger", I'd want to know how much room to move around the dagger has. Does it just have a "curious nature" about it, where it just feels lighter when pointing at something it's interested in, or does it "move about curiously" as in actually leading the person's hand? Does it speak or project thoughts as some intelligent items do? In that case, it could whisper simple thoughts like "what's that?" or "how does that work?" or "why does that look like that" or "what's that man doing", etc, which would essentially grant spot/search/listen checks which may or may not be important at all, or it could speak complex thoughts like "But what manner of man is elf?"

[Dornith]

I'd want to know how much room to move around the dagger has. Does it just have a "curious nature" about it, where it just feels lighter when pointing at something it's interested in, or does it "move about curiously" as in actually leading the person's hand? Does it speak or project thoughts as some intelligent items do? In that case, it could whisper simple thoughts like "what's that?" or "how does that work?" or "why does that look like that" or "what's that man doing", etc, which would essentially grant spot/search/listen checks which may or may not be important at all, or it could speak complex thoughts like "But what manner of man is elf?"

I was thinking it could have a variable ability to move and/or think depending on how refined it was; so it would have to be pretty near perfect to adopt a personality already. To be honest, I wasn't sure how much freedom it had (that's a good thing to keep in mind when designing magic items), but it wouldn't be able to speak; I'm saving that for something ridiculously powerful/important. I like the idea of it pulling towards something it's interested in, and I also like the idea of it changing weight.
I can just see them walking through the woods when they hear a noise off to the left. They decide to ignore it and keep walking when suddenly the dagger begins pulling in that direction.

[weckar]

Curiosity, combined with a dagger's primary interest, could express itself as being really curious as to what the insides of people/animals feel/look like :smalltongue:

[PersonMan]

If it's a quasi-intelligent item, perhaps give it a very basic mindset built around what it was made to do. A dagger stabs and cuts - whether people or other things. So a curious dagger wants to experience and learn about all sorts of things in the only way it knows how. Namely, stabbing and cutting. Owner finds an odd piece of wood? Dagger wants to cut it! Owner spots an exotic creature? Dagger wants to stab it! There's no malice, just an urge to stab and cut to learn about the world.

[Kazudo]

Or maybe the dagger was originally a very large carving knife, and it's consistently curious of wooden weaponry. Namely the craftsmanship there in. And the color of the insides of people who would wield them so recklessly. :smallbiggrin:

...But back on what you were wanting, like I said once you've set some parameters about what it's freedom is, maybe even give it a few mental stats ala intelligent weapons. What's its Intelligence? Is it smart enough to know the implications of a noise to know HOW curious to be?

(internally)"My goodness. That noise could be a rare exotic beetle indigenous to the shores of the Forbidden Continent! Or maybe an orangutan from the Southern Isles threw a stone! Or perhaps..."
vs.
(internally)"WHAT WAS THAT ZOMG I MUST KNOW TAKE ME THERE HNGGGGGGGGG"

Trust me, this matters.

If it has a high enough Wisdom, maybe it'll know that being curious of certain things (especially when paired with a high Intelligence) would make it act differently.

(internally)"We're in a graveyard. In the catecombs of a graveyard. The catecombs of an ABANDONED graveyard. There is no situation in which the sounds of dragging chains is necessarily a good thing. I wanna know what it is, but I like being in one piece more."
vs.
(internally)"OH BOY WHAT'S THAT HEAVY BREATHING IN THIS CAVE FULL OF GOLD I WANNA KNOW EXCELSIOOOOR!"

etc.

[Gildedragon]

Golemite? Spellsteel? Mage-ore?

As to curiosity:
You played portal? You remember the personality core? Yah that's it

[Dornith]

...But back on what you were wanting, like I said once you've set some parameters about what it's freedom is, maybe even give it a few mental stats ala intelligent weapons. What's its Intelligence? Is it smart enough to know the implications of a noise to know HOW curious to be?

(internally)"My goodness. That noise could be a rare exotic beetle indigenous to the shores of the Forbidden Continent! Or maybe an orangutan from the Southern Isles threw a stone! Or perhaps..."
vs.
(internally)"WHAT WAS THAT ZOMG I MUST KNOW TAKE ME THERE HNGGGGGGGGG"

Trust me, this matters.

If it has a high enough Wisdom, maybe it'll know that being curious of certain things (especially when paired with a high Intelligence) would make it act differently.

(internally)"We're in a graveyard. In the catecombs of a graveyard. The catecombs of an ABANDONED graveyard. There is no situation in which the sounds of dragging chains is necessarily a good thing. I wanna know what it is, but I like being in one piece more."
vs.
(internally)"OH BOY WHAT'S THAT HEAVY BREATHING IN THIS CAVE FULL OF GOLD I WANNA KNOW EXCELSIOOOOR!"

etc.

It would be the later for both. The dagger wouldn't actually be intelligent and think these things through, it would be more like pseudo-curiosity. It seems to be curious, but wouldn't actually be anymore than a parrot actually learns to speak human languages.

[BWR]

I can only imagine a dagger that doesn't want to be used for fear of getting nicked. Or one that doesn't like to get sticky.
"Wait no don't stick me in EEEWWW gross!"