[Item] Memory Pills!

[Lysander]

This could be a useful item to keep in reserve for characters with classes stingy on skill points. Think the ingredients are too macabre?

Memory Pills

These gray oval pills are created from powdered brain matter, and enchanted to temporarily bestow the knowledge the pulzerized mind had. Memory pills last for one minute per point of INT modifier you have, and grant five ranks in a specific knowledge skill. A pill is set to a specific type of knowledge beforehand. These ranks do not stack with additional pills or with any knowledge ranks you currently have. It is most effective to swallow a pill for a subject you know nothing about because if you already know something about the subject the pill's data may be redundant. Memory pills are usually sold in doses of two (one from each hemisphere) in a tiny drawstring bag.

[Job]

These look rather interesting, and could be rather fun. As far as the ingredients being to macabre, this is actually pretty mild all things considered. Though good characters may have some questions as to under what circumstances these brains were gathered.

As I see no easy potential for abuse if used as intended, that being said, if someone over in the Wotc character optimization board saw this, we might get someone who can burn a whole through the planet or some similar BS.

[psychoticbarber]

Like many drugs, you could simply make it addictive or have properties that make use of memory pills harmful with overuse. Like "dust" in Babylon 5 (A drug that confers telepathic powers on non-telepaths, though only temporarily) it could be a controlled substance in some places, allowing for interesting plot twists.

[Icewalker]

I love it! Simple, easy to use, and access to a occasionally useful skill that few take. yoink!

[Kyace]

Something to consider: 5 ranks in a knowledge skill is enough to grant a synergy bonus. The synergy bonuses from 5 ranks in knowledge include:


* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering), you get a +2 bonus on Search checks made to find secret doors or hidden compartments.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (geography), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made to keep from getting lost or to avoid natural hazards.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), you get a +2 bonus on bardic knowledge checks.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (local), you get a +2 bonus on Gather Information checks.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made in aboveground natural environments (aquatic, desert, forest, hill, marsh, mountains, or plains).
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty), you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion), you get a +2 bonus on turning checks against undead.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (the planes), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made while on other planes.
* If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made while underground.

The +2 to spellcraft, diplomancy and turning undead might be more useful than you expected but may not be overpowered.

If you'd rather not give synergy bonuses, you can instead grant a +5 bonus to skills instead of ranks. You may also consider giving the pills limit to how many can be used per day. If the pills are not magical (you don't say), it might be possible to fabricate (as the spell) brains into these pills, allowing a near endless supply. You might still wish to make the fact the pills are magical more clear.

[Icewalker]

I dunno, sounds to me like using them for synergy bonuses would be reasonable and a really awesome idea.

Also, one idea for limited usage, is give it an overdose like drugs in the BoVD. If used more than X times in a 24 hour period you take loads of int damage, or something.

[Zeta Kai]

If these are magical, how are they constructed? What's the caster level? What's the cost per dose? It's a nice concept, but it needs to be fleshed out with statistics if it is to be used in D20 play.

[mikeejimbo]

It's....PEOPLE!

(Sorry, had to be said)

[Hazkali]

You've gotten the ingredients wrong. They should be made of dried frog...:smallbiggrin:

I like the idea of them being alchemical rather than magical; I second Icewalker's idea about having an overdose.

Now, if only I could have some Memory Pills [Physics]...

[Jalor]

Maybe some Speak Language pills too?

[Garfgarog]

If it's conferring knowledge in the form of temporary skill ranks, perhaps there would be a randomly determined chance of extra memories slipping through. I'd think that it could be handled by a save, but a percentage seems more likely. Something like an initial 15% chance to get an additional memory related to the brain in question, which would be determined mostly by what the skill bonus is, a Rogue's memory for a sleight of hand pill, so on. Taking a second pill would increase the DC by another 15% on percentile, or 25% if the effect is still active when the second pill is taken. A character could choose to fail the check and get the extra memories as well, though there would hardly be a benefit to it.

Additionally, the DM could determine ahead of time what memories the pill might contain aside from the skills and use it as an opportunity for deviousness, like a Neutral Good PC taking a predetermined Chaotic Evil brain pill and failing the roll, and getting the skill bonus, along with memories that dramatically oppose their alignment, most likely causing them to get shaken or unnerved and affect their scores temporarily. Regardless, I'd tack on a brief headache at the end of the effect as the memories fade, leaving the character at a mental disadvantage and all mental based skills and saves are damaged temporarily, say maybe 1d6 rounds.

Personally, I'd make it addictive in the sense that the character might find themselves enjoying the memories they experience under the effects of the pill, and after a period of time abusing the pills they'd develop a dormant personality of either a single person, or a gestalt of people combined from the pills. I'm not sure where I'd go with this afterwards, but if someone else wants to take this idea and run with it, go ahead. I'm new to this homebrew stuff and I don't understand the entirety of the rules to the game itself from all the books I own, so I don't really feel assured that I can make something work quite yet.

[DracoDei]

As a note, real world cannabals (most of whom I have heard just ate their relatives who died of natural causes...) would suffer from some sort of insanity if they did it too much... serritonin (sp?) poisoning or something like that from eating the brain. Might be able to adapt that.

[Kyace]

As a note, real world cannabals (most of whom I have heard just ate their relatives who died of natural causes...) would suffer from some sort of insanity if they did it too much... serritonin (sp?) poisoning or something like that from eating the brain. Might be able to adapt that.

Kuru (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_%28disease%29) maybe?

[DracoDei]

That COULD be what I was remembering, or a seperate phenominon. In either case it would seem relevant.

[Demented]

Puts a whole new meaning to donating your body to science!

Though, could you get memory pills from someone who doesn't have 5 ranks in anything? In that vein, I imagine most memory pills would be for gaining 5 ranks in Profession (Farmer). Heh.

Or could it just be anyone's brain matter, configured magically for the right ranks?

[Triaxx]

I like it. Perhaps have a version with remembers... a message. Give it to a messenger, and tell him to swallow it when he reaches his destination. There's no message to be found if the enemies catch him and if they do, he just swallows it, and poof. No more message.

[Lysander]

I think the pills would actually have to be made from the brain of someone with at least 5 ranks of knowledge in the appropriate rank. This could drive the price of pills up considerably, since (as currently written) you only get two pills out of each brain. Something like Knowledge (local) could be pretty cheaps since lots of people have that, but Knowledge (Planes) could be a pricier medicine.

[Zeta Kai]

I like it. Perhaps have a version with remembers... a message. Give it to a messenger, and tell him to swallow it when he reaches his destination. There's no message to be found if the enemies catch him and if they do, he just swallows it, and poof. No more message.

Uh... what are you trying to say? Does the messenger swallow the pill to retrieve the message, or to destroy it? If it's swallowed to destroy it, then how is the message retrieved normally?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Swallowing it dissolves the pill and lets the messenger remember the message by head.

[Triaxx]

Right. He swallows the pill, and remembers it. So if they kill him, or he kills himself, the memory is lost. If not, he can remember it as if he's repeating it back to the person who told it to him.