TapirusAugustus
2017-07-20, 10:45 PM
I'm running a home-brew campaign set (amongst other places) in a kind of Polynesian islands analogue. Last session saw a partial-party wipe-out, and ultimately three of the four players decided to role up new characters which they are all super excited about.
All three new characters are at 7th level, and I suggested they use the DMG wealth guide to outfit their characters with level-appropriate items. Now, one of the players is really starting to get into the roll-playing groove, and said he preferred to introduce his character with a bare minimum of gear in order to better match his backstory as the teenage son of a small-time tribal chief. Instead, he asked me to pick out some items, and put them in the path of his character pretty early on in the story.
So, story-wise, I'm planning on having the party do a shortish dungeon-crawl through the abandoned temple of an extinct tribe of islanders. Within this temple, they'll come upon a pit where the bones of sacrificial victims were thrown. If they manage to correctly interpret some carvings and other clues, the party will discover that many of the victims were part of this Sorcerer's tribe for a century or so back. Once the party defeats the temple guardians, they will be able to release the souls of the victims from their torment in the temple, and the souls will then bestow a blessing on their descendant. Here's the text I have for that blessing so far:
This blessing has come as the result of a one-time supernatural phenomenon wherein a character has received a massive influx of Mana derived from the remains of his ancestors. The blessing grants the affected character a +4 inherent bonus to Charisma and a +2 bonus to Strength.
Furthermore, the affected character gains a +12 bonus to Knowledge (history) but only on checks pertaining the history of his tribe. Physically, the affected character appears no different, except when he is casting or has recently cast a powerful spell. Upon beginning to cast a spell of 3rd level or higher, a luminous green Moko, or face tattoo, burns itself into the caster’s face causing 1d4 damage.
The tattoo will continue to glow brightly for 2 rounds per spell level after the spell has been successfully cast or cancelled. During this time, the tattoo glows brightly as a candle, and grants the character +4 to intimidate and -6 to hide checks. After this initial period of time, the tattoo fades, unless the character casts another spell (of any level) or succeeds on a DC 14 concentration check to keep the tattoo glowing for 6 more rounds. The affected character may continue extending the tattoo’s effects in this manner, though the DC increases by 2 on each subsequent attempt.
So, my question is, is this a game-breaking ability for a 7th level character to have? The charisma bonus is obviously hugely significant for a sorcerer, but the strength bonus isn't going to have nearly the gameplay effect that it would have on a martial character. And the "curse" aspect, while hardly debilitating, will certainly be a hassle in some situations. I should also add, that I tend to space out treasure dumps a little more than most DMs, so this might well represent the only magic "item" that the character has for a couple levels.
All three new characters are at 7th level, and I suggested they use the DMG wealth guide to outfit their characters with level-appropriate items. Now, one of the players is really starting to get into the roll-playing groove, and said he preferred to introduce his character with a bare minimum of gear in order to better match his backstory as the teenage son of a small-time tribal chief. Instead, he asked me to pick out some items, and put them in the path of his character pretty early on in the story.
So, story-wise, I'm planning on having the party do a shortish dungeon-crawl through the abandoned temple of an extinct tribe of islanders. Within this temple, they'll come upon a pit where the bones of sacrificial victims were thrown. If they manage to correctly interpret some carvings and other clues, the party will discover that many of the victims were part of this Sorcerer's tribe for a century or so back. Once the party defeats the temple guardians, they will be able to release the souls of the victims from their torment in the temple, and the souls will then bestow a blessing on their descendant. Here's the text I have for that blessing so far:
This blessing has come as the result of a one-time supernatural phenomenon wherein a character has received a massive influx of Mana derived from the remains of his ancestors. The blessing grants the affected character a +4 inherent bonus to Charisma and a +2 bonus to Strength.
Furthermore, the affected character gains a +12 bonus to Knowledge (history) but only on checks pertaining the history of his tribe. Physically, the affected character appears no different, except when he is casting or has recently cast a powerful spell. Upon beginning to cast a spell of 3rd level or higher, a luminous green Moko, or face tattoo, burns itself into the caster’s face causing 1d4 damage.
The tattoo will continue to glow brightly for 2 rounds per spell level after the spell has been successfully cast or cancelled. During this time, the tattoo glows brightly as a candle, and grants the character +4 to intimidate and -6 to hide checks. After this initial period of time, the tattoo fades, unless the character casts another spell (of any level) or succeeds on a DC 14 concentration check to keep the tattoo glowing for 6 more rounds. The affected character may continue extending the tattoo’s effects in this manner, though the DC increases by 2 on each subsequent attempt.
So, my question is, is this a game-breaking ability for a 7th level character to have? The charisma bonus is obviously hugely significant for a sorcerer, but the strength bonus isn't going to have nearly the gameplay effect that it would have on a martial character. And the "curse" aspect, while hardly debilitating, will certainly be a hassle in some situations. I should also add, that I tend to space out treasure dumps a little more than most DMs, so this might well represent the only magic "item" that the character has for a couple levels.