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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next [PEACH]Hilt of Many Blades (Wonderous Item/Weapon Artifact)



OdinTGE
2017-12-11, 08:45 PM
EDIT: I've completed (until I change my mind again) the item. Have a look, comment, etc.
On GM Binder (https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-L0XxOWedWbqnPWw-ebs)
Google Drive PDF (https://drive.google.com/file/d/18pGM5q697zH7v2Hm2zhqwS8xes0ChZCz/view?usp=sharing)

I've spent quite a while filling out this idea and it is at a point where it's "done." I'd like to get some feedback. Be warned that this is a very large item (in terms of description...the item is actually quite small :smallwink:).

Note 1: I am well aware this is a complex and overly designed item. I'm mostly looking for feedback on individual components. Is one gem too overpowered? Too Under-powered? I'd also like feedback on clarity, grammar, and potentially exploitable oversights.
Note 2: The location text in italics for each gem is where I intend the gems to be in my homebrew campaign so you can ignore that.
Note 3: The Acquisition Level entries are just for my reference as I plan out locations in the campaign, though it is relevant to the strength of the item as levels progress.
Note 4: How you doing? Good day?
Note 5: The first 3 gems are in the order I intend for them to be found. The last three are in no order as of yet.
Note 6: The Alternate appearance thing at the very bottom is likely moot. I've settled pretty well on the current appearance description(s). If you've got ideas though, why not?
Note 7: I haven't done it up all fancy on The Homebrewery yet because I'm still actively tweaking things.

OdinTGE
2017-12-11, 09:53 PM
Ok, got that whole "not enough posts to post a link" issue sorted out. :annoyed:

NYpurdy
2017-12-12, 12:54 PM
OdinTGE,

I think there are some really juicy bits in this design. The item can serve as a real driving force for dungeons/adventures interwoven into another campaign/story. The "gotta catch 'em all" feel is rewarding to a subset of players who love the aspect of collecting. The individual blades are often very evocative with fun mechanics attached.

All that said, you admit that the design is "overly designed." That really is preventing this from being a really exciting magic artifact and instead feels more "fan fiction-y". All of the notes on "dm's discretion" adds to this feel.

I think it is hard to look at what you are seeking feedback on, like whether individual components are balanced, with the design as it is.

I think if you should start by saying that each gem can be activated, that activation lasts for a certain amount of time (1 minute, 10 minutes...), all damage/activated/awakened effects occur during that time, and then you cannot activate that gem again for some period (all gems have been used, long rest, 48 hrs...). Then you can clean up the design so it would be usable for someone besides yourself. It would also let people talk about individual blades in a way that feels productive.

Best of luck!

OdinTGE
2017-12-12, 02:37 PM
I appreciate the thoughtful reply :)

The (3) parts where I mention DM's discretion are where there's really no way to write a hard and fast rule there. Any sentient weapon is going to include that aspect whether it's explicitly mentioned or not. I'm not sure there's a way to write a rule about an item attempting to force morality (or lack thereof) that doesn't involve leaving it up to the DM. I give a one word personality description for each gem. Each of those words means a certain thing to me of course, but if another DM used it and their opinion on the exact connotation of those words differed from mine there's no issue. It's their game.

If there is a time limit on Awakened effects most of them would have no impact; unless the limit is at least 8 hours. Beyond flavor the entire point of the Awakened effects is to be the trade off for the power each sword offers in combat. You can have all those benefits in combat but you have to pay for it by dealing with this nagging voice in your head telling you to burn it all down (or save all the puppies and rainbows, depending on the gem). If they only last a short time I feel like the entire thing quickly becomes extremely overpowered (if it isn't already).

It's not like all the Awakened effects are overlapping anyway. An Awakened Effect only lasts until another gem wakes up. They can't overlap. There is overlap between the currently Awakened gem and a new gem's Active Effects for the brief time until you hit something but that seems like a nice chance for RP while the Awakened gem laments your poor choices in picking this new gem etc.

OdinTGE
2017-12-13, 01:10 AM
Here's a few specific things I could use some help on:

There must be a better way to word this (from Diamond):

if you are reduced to 0 hit points on your own turn you may complete the turn before falling unconscious. If you are reduced to 0 hit points on someone/something else’s turn you may complete your next turn. If you still have 0 hit points after that turn you fall unconscious as normal.
I'd like to use something like "if you are reduced to 0 hit points you may complete your current or next turn..." but that sounds ambiguous to me. The "or" implies you could opt to not complete your current turn and instead complete your next one. But in the interim you'd have fallen unconscious? Or not? I think in context the RAI is clear to a reasonable person but I like to aim for solid RAW.


Commentary on which of these two options (from Citrine) is "better." Obviously the second one is better for the user, but that doesn't mean it's the best option.

When an enemy you can see, within range of your movement speed, hits an ally, you must use your reaction to charge the enemy and make an attack with the Citrine Sword. For the purposes of attacks of opportunity against you this is considered willing movement.

When an enemy you can see within 30 feet attacks an ally you may use your reaction to punish the enemy. You become a bolt of radiant light and move instantly to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the enemy and make an attack with the Citrine Sword. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Lastly, I'm not happy with the Awakened Effect for Aquamarine. Its extremely vague and potentially not much of a cost (which is what all the Awakened Effects are meant to be with some small caveats here and there). Diamond is another one that has a fairly innocuous Awakened Effect but it at least has the potential to go horribly awry.

OdinTGE
2017-12-18, 09:50 PM
I've "completed" the item. Updated the OP with new links.

Sariel Vailo
2017-12-19, 01:29 AM
Its a cool and fun looking item

Composer99
2017-12-19, 06:15 PM
This is a really interesting and evocative item. However, it has a few issues.

Overall comments:
(1) You should probably dispense with some of the sword/blade-specific terminology, such as "fuller". I looked it up so I could write sensibly on this point, but I don't think it's reasonable to have words that people are more likely than not going to have to look up to make sense of the item's description.
(2) I'm not really a fan of how the activating/awakening features don't feel connected. At the end of the 'Awakening' part, you have a sentence about how you can't activate a previously-awakened gem, but even so, the features just don't feel put together. In all honesty, I'd just have it so that the first time you activate the gem, you awaken it, and it stays awakened for 24 hours or unless the sword deactivates for lack of use, and while it's awakened, you can activate or deactivate it using bonus actions unless it deactivates for lack of use.
(3) Although it's clear from context that you get bonuses to attack and damage rolls with the weapon when you have 1 or more gems, based on the table, it's not explicitly spelled out in the description.
(4) Although I can gather it from context, it's not explicitly clear that when a gem is active, you deal bonus damage listed in the Sword Damage Dice table of the type specified by the gem.
(5) The gem entries just don't feel all that... 5e-ish, for lack of a better term.

Apropos of point (5), I'm to going to write out a suggested re-wording of a gem entry:


When you activate this gem, it forms the Onyx Sword. The hilt and blade of the Onyx Sword are made of bone. The groove of the blade is a pit of pure darkness that swallows the light around it.
Fueled by Agony. After activating the sword, make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. You can choose to fail this saving throw automatically. On a failed save, you take 2d8 necrotic damage, which ignores resistance or immunity, and you deal an identical amount of damage to the next creature you hit with an attack using this weapon. You take no additional damage on a successful save.

While this gem is activated, your weapon attacks deal additional necrotic damage: roll a damage die defined by the type of sword you have generated, as per the Sword Damage Die table. In addition, whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack made with the Onyx Sword, you can choose to inflict 2d8 additional necrotic damage. You take necrotic damage equal to half the damage rolled. This damage ignores resistance and immunity.
Darkness Prevails. While the gem is activated, non-magical light cannot escape the sword. In a 20-foot radius from the sword, bright light becomes dim light, dim light becomes darkness, and darkness is treated as if it is magical darkness (as if created by the darkness spell or a similar effect).
The Shadow Knows. While the gem is activated, you have truesight out to 20 feet.

When this gem is awakened, the sword gains a sadistic, neutral evil personality. While awakened, the Onyx Sword enjoys your pain. As long as your current hit point total is greater than half your hit point maximum, any effect that recovers hit point damage is halved (rounded up) when used on you. Each time you spend a Hit Die to recover hit points, you can make a DC 16 Wisdom or Charisma saving throw (your choice) to recover full hit points from the spent Hit Die.


I'll get into specifics with each gem when I can.

OdinTGE
2017-12-19, 06:52 PM
(1) You should probably dispense with some of the sword/blade-specific terminology, such as "fuller". I looked it up so I could write sensibly on this point, but I don't think it's reasonable to have words that people are more likely than not going to have to look up to make sense of the item's description.

I wanted to describe the look of the sword and using the proper terms for areas of the sword seemed the best way. The appearance descriptions aren't relevant to the mechanics of the item so if somebody truly can't take the 5 seconds to google "sword fuller" it won't impact the ability to use it.

In your edited description you replace "fuller" with "groove" and while that perhaps might indicate the same location to some people it's not actually correct and thus "groove" might indicate some other part or feature of a sword for some people. There's nothing wrong with being accurate and letting people learn something.



(2) I'm not really a fan of how the activating/awakening features don't feel connected. At the end of the 'Awakening' part, you have a sentence about how you can't activate a previously-awakened gem, but even so, the features just don't feel put together. In all honesty, I'd just have it so that the first time you activate the gem, you awaken it, and it stays awakened for 24 hours or unless the sword deactivates for lack of use, and while it's awakened, you can activate or deactivate it using bonus actions unless it deactivates for lack of use.

You're suggesting a fairly drastic change in the mechanics of the item. The swords are meant to be cycled (though you can change the order each time through) pretty much combat to combat. I don't think I understand how they're not connected. Using a gem's sword to deal damage wakes it up. It stays awake for a time or until another is woken up. Please explain the lack of connection.



(3) Although it's clear from context that you get bonuses to attack and damage rolls with the weapon when you have 1 or more gems, based on the table, it's not explicitly spelled out in the description.

This is true. I can add a line making that clear.



(4) Although I can gather it from context, it's not explicitly clear that when a gem is active, you deal bonus damage listed in the Sword Damage Dice table of the type specified by the gem.

Again, I can add a line explicitly stating this.



(5) The gem entries just don't feel all that... 5e-ish, for lack of a better term.

I did try to stick fairly close to structure and phrasing but it's certainly possible I missed the mark in places. I'm open to re-wording suggestions.



Apropos of point (5), I'm to going to write out a suggested re-wording of a gem entry:

I agree that most of your re-wording does evoke a more 5e feel. You did alter some mechanics in the process though. In my version if you choose to use the extra 2d8 damage on hit the damage to the enemy can be resisted or ignored if they're immune. It's only you that cannot avoid the damage. I chose to use the phrase "cannot be reduced in any way" because I was trying to avoid any edge cases where a character has some method of avoiding damage that isn't just resistance or immunity. There are some effects, for example, that allow one character to take damage in place of another character. I wanted it to be clear that something like that cannot protect the user. Also, in my version the user has to choose to fail the save before rolling the damage. That's a minor point but I think some players would make a different choice if if they rolled 16 instead of 3.

In addition the Onyx is the only gem that has a "on activation" effect. Because it does it made moving the "On Hit" section down into Fueled by Agony work well. The other 5 are not going to work quite as well when removing the "On Hit" section. To achieve a similar result I think each of those would need a new flavor-named entry to describe the On Hit effects. I suppose that's not a major problem but it took me longer than I'd like to admit to come up with the names I have already.

Also, I tried to avoid something like this:

While this gem is activated, your weapon attacks deal additional necrotic damage: roll a damage die defined by the type of sword you have generated, as per the Sword Damage Die table. In addition, because that exact phrase (with damage type changed), is going to appear on all 6 gems. That's not a "problem," I just don't like it.

Finally, some wording choices were made to aid in formatting. When I started this I had 0 CSS knowledge and 0 GIMP knowledge so...compromises were made.