Creating Artifact

[notsoslimjim]

Hello, First post.

I am trying to create an artifact for an upcoming session this weekend. I have an Idea and need some feedback, so here we go.


"Item Name Here"

This item will allow the user to sacrifice a number of its hit points to add a spontaneous Metamagic to a spell. I imagine the the number of hit points would increase as you add a higher level MM effect to it. Possibly even using a percentage of HP.

Reading this over I dont think it would qualify as a "Artifact"

Help would be appreciated.

[Draconi Redfir]

i feel like for this you might need to go through the metamagic feats individually and set an ammount of hit points to be sacrificed for each one. if only because a "quickened" metamagic feat is quite different from a "silent / still spell" metamagic.

if you want to give it more of an artifact feel... maaybe... the user can induce temporary negitive levels on themselves in exchange for a higher "caster level" ?

Like a level five wizard could take three negative levels and be effectively level two, but either be able to cast spells a level eight wizard could cast, or more likely, have acess to spell slots a level eight wizard would have. So lets say the wizard uses a metamagic feat on one of his higher level spells.

for the sake of arguement and because i don't know what system you have. lets pretend the highest spell level a level five wizard has is level three spells. if this artifact granted spell slots, he could potentually use metamagic feats on his level three spells by using temporary level four and level five spell slots. something he normally wouldn't be able to do without the artifact.

just a thought.

[rferries]

Rod of metamagic would be a good comparison too, I think. Note the different rods cost more not only for different feats but for the level of the spell to which they apply metamagic.

[jqavins]

i feel like for this you might need to go through the metamagic feats individually and set an ammount of hit points to be sacrificed for each one. if only because a "quickened" metamagic feat is quite different from a "silent / still spell" metamagic.
While that makes sense, it sounds to me like too much effort, not just now in creation but in looking up what it costs to use with each use. So not worth it, in my opinion.


if you want to give it more of an artifact feel... maaybe... the user can induce temporary negitive levels on themselves in exchange for a higher "caster level" ?
That's not just a good idea, but practically mandatory as without some way to gain higher level slots the item is useless for a caster's most powerful spells.

So, here's a proposal, for what (little) it's worth.


Amulet of the Halfadoraminguseolis the MetaMage

This amulet grants the user two related abilities. The first is the ability to spontaneously apply metamagic feats to any spell. The user pays for this ability with hit points, the cost increasing with the strength of the feat. The hit point cost to apply a feat or combination of feats that raise a spell's effective level is (2 HP) * (level increase)^2 * (spell's base level) + (5 HP). If multiple feats are used, there is an additional cost of 10 HP cost for each feat beyond the first. For example, if two metamagic feats are applied to a third level spell that, together, raise it's level by two, the cost (2 HP) * (2 levels)^2 * (level 3) + 10 HP = 2*4*3+10 HP = 34 HP. (Note that, since arcane casters use only d4 hit dice, this is no small cost.) The hit points are lost at the moment the spell is cast.

Since metamagic applied to a caster's top level spells require higher level spell slots, the Amulet provides a way to access these. The caster may gain temporary caster levels by taking an equal number of temporary negative levels. A caster of 7th level, for example, may raise her caster level to 9th for purposes of spell slots, save DCs, and all other attributes that depend on caster level, but is reduced to 5th level for purposes of HP, BAB, save bonuses, etc. The temporary level modifications, both positive and negative, must be taken before a spell is cast that uses increased caster level. The positive and negative effects occur simultaneously.

Between the direct hit point loss and the possible loss of hit points to negative levels, it is possible for a caster to use up all of his hit points by using the Amulet. The caster will be aware of this before a spell is cast and may abort the spell. But he may choose to continue, rendering himself unconscious or even dead in a heroic final act. It is in this way that Halfadoraminguseolis died, passing the Amulet on to his heir.

(How's that last bit for being "artifacty"?)