One Drop of A Dead God’s Blood

[Palanan]

One of the odder entries in Bestiary 4 is the Immortal Ichor, a medium extraplanar ooze made of blood from a dead god. It’s smarter than most mind flayers, with a fly speed, a slam attack and a slew of SLAs. It has an innate hankering to reassert its lost divinity, and it’s a BBEG in its own right; the story just about writes itself.

I’d love to use this concept, but sadly it’s a little much for my current campaign, where the party is still second level. So what would be the attributes for a tiny quantity of this ichor, just a small vial or even a single drop? What can a drop of god's blood do?

[Keltest]

It would depend on the god, probably. In its raw state, id think it would probably just emit the energies of whatever god it belonged to. Cause plant growth, animate undead, spit out flames/ice/whatever and any other random manifestations of their portfolio you can think of.

If somebody were to get ahold of it, they could probably turn it into a mid level artifact of some sort that gives them minor power or control over the same, focus the energy and be able to turn it on and off.

[Zaq]

4e has the “Vessel of Ichor” paragon path (read: PrC) for its Invoker (read: divine Wizard) class, the fluff of which is that you had been granted the gift of drinking a single drop of a god’s blood and that it gave you new powers. The lore said that “even a drop was almost enough to kill you,” you did have to be the CON-focused build (as opposed to the INT-focused build) to qualify, and the new abilities you go focused around you being bloodied (at <50% of your max HP), for what that’s worth.

The specifics were disappointing (it wasn’t a very mechanically sound path), but I think there’s enough material there to spin that out into something else useful. A sufficiently prepared mortal who consumes a drop of the blood of a god is ravaged from the inside out by powers their weak mortal frame can barely handle but is granted abilities related to the god in question? That’s a cool concept.

If you want to not consume it, then yeah, minor artifact of some kind.

[thecrimsondawn]

You could make it like Jenova from FF7. The party keeps running into it and its getting stronger every time. Its not too hard to divide its abilities across 20 levels.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Keltest
If somebody were to get ahold of it, they could probably turn it into a mid level artifact of some sort that gives them minor power or control over the same, focus the energy and be able to turn it on and off.


Originally Posted by Zaq
…yeah, minor artifact of some kind.

So, what sort of power would be appropriate for a minor artifact?

I’ve never done anything with artifacts, neither 3.5 nor Pathfinder, so I don’t have a sense of where a minor artifact would be power-wise.


Originally Posted by thecrimsondawn
You could make it like Jenova from FF7.

I had to google this, since I had no idea what it was. Not sure how this could be adapted to what I have in mind.

[thecrimsondawn]

So, what sort of power would be appropriate for a minor artifact?

I’ve never done anything with artifacts, neither 3.5 nor Pathfinder, so I don’t have a sense of where a minor artifact would be power-wise.



I had to google this, since I had no idea what it was. Not sure how this could be adapted to what I have in mind.

Ahh, well Jenova was a life form that was attached to a meteor that crashed into the planet, and it was very enduring, and far stronger then the life forms that lived on the planet. Humans started messing around with the DNA of this creature, injecting its cells into other humans and other experiments in attempts to create super humans, but they ended up as puppets simply seeking to return to the source.
Through the game, you end up chasing after a guy who has stolen the body of this alien being and is attempting to kill all life on the world (as he too had its cells in him) and you have to fight Jenova time and time again, but it wont die due to how enduring it is. The longer the game goes on, the stronger it gets, up until the final confrontation.

Depending on what you have in mind for your game, it could be a drop of gods blood that was inert, but people started messing with it in experiments, causing problems.

Could be a thing that has recently awakened or was recently created and is simply seeking to grow and empower itself, providing a balanced CR as the party levels.

It could be creating spawns that are not at full power, or even controlling other things that come into contact with it.


Just to give a few brainstormed ideas.

[Zaq]

So, what sort of power would be appropriate for a minor artifact?

Look at printed artifacts for a starting point. There are plenty that are boring/forgettable/deserving of a “why the hell is this not a normal item?” reaction (looking at you, Tome of Books), but some of them go off into very interesting directions. Artifacts can kind of “break the rules,” as it were.

We’re being vague about what it should do for several reasons. First, gods are varied, and it feels weird for a drop of Ehlonna’s blood to do the same thing as a drop of Erythnul’s blood (I know you said that the god in question is dead, but that doesn’t necessarily change things). Second, artifacts can be crazy, and they aren’t all appropriate for every campaign. You kind of have to give us some idea of whether you want this to be a minor part of the game versus something that sets the whole arc in motion versus something in between, you know?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Zaq
You kind of have to give us some idea of whether you want this to be a minor part of the game versus something that sets the whole arc in motion versus something in between….

Okay, here’s the deal. I don’t want the droplet to be significantly powerful in itself, but it’s a key aspect of one plotline, out of several that are unfolding concurrently. This plotline is the one the party is currently involved with, and it’s the one that they’re most likely to latch onto and pursue—assuming they have the proper motivation.

So, I’d like the droplet to have some freaky innate ability of its own, but nothing that would allow the party to steamroll everything in their path; I’m looking for something insidious and unpredictable, that’s as much a liability as a benefit, but which they’ll need to thwart one set of enemies.

As for its original source, I’m thinking something monstrous and Lovecraftian, so “god” in the looser sense of “unthinkable cosmic horror.” —I know that some sort of insanity is the obvious go-to effect here, but I’ve already used that recently and would like something that has more tangible effects.

For instance:


Originally Posted by Zaq
A sufficiently prepared mortal who consumes a drop of the blood of a god is ravaged from the inside out by powers their weak mortal frame can barely handle but is granted abilities related to the god in question….

Something like this, but not resulting from direct consumption—simply holding the container is enough to trigger the effect.

This is something that their antagonists will be carrying when it’s first encountered, so I don’t want it strong enough to wipe out the party, but still powerful in a random and deeply disturbing way.

[thecrimsondawn]

Okay, here’s the deal. I don’t want the droplet to be significantly powerful in itself, but it’s a key aspect of one plotline, out of several that are unfolding concurrently. This plotline is the one the party is currently involved with, and it’s the one that they’re most likely to latch onto and pursue—assuming they have the proper motivation.

So, I’d like the droplet to have some freaky innate ability of its own, but nothing that would allow the party to steamroll everything in their path; I’m looking for something insidious and unpredictable, that’s as much a liability as a benefit, but which they’ll need to thwart one set of enemies.

As for its original source, I’m thinking something monstrous and Lovecraftian, so “god” in the looser sense of “unthinkable cosmic horror.” —I know that some sort of insanity is the obvious go-to effect here, but I’ve already used that recently and would like something that has more tangible effects.

For instance:



Something like this, but not resulting from direct consumption—simply holding the container is enough to trigger the effect.

This is something that their antagonists will be carrying when it’s first encountered, so I don’t want it strong enough to wipe out the party, but still powerful in a random and deeply disturbing way.


Well if we are going with lovecraft here, then it will almost certainly be mind affecting. The question will be will it effect a single players mind (effecting his memory and his perception of the world around him) or warp the minds of everyone BUT him. I could also see the power being dream related - the party member who is effected has a dream he can or cant remember (dice roll perhaps?) and the dream is events that he does himself, even tho he has no control over his dream. This would make it quazi dream/nightmare, and by the time the party finds out that the dreams are not dreams but are in fact real - the damage may already be done.

[Jack_Simth]

Okay, here’s the deal. I don’t want the droplet to be significantly powerful in itself, but it’s a key aspect of one plotline, out of several that are unfolding concurrently. This plotline is the one the party is currently involved with, and it’s the one that they’re most likely to latch onto and pursue—assuming they have the proper motivation.

So, I’d like the droplet to have some freaky innate ability of its own, but nothing that would allow the party to steamroll everything in their path; I’m looking for something insidious and unpredictable, that’s as much a liability as a benefit, but which they’ll need to thwart one set of enemies.

As for its original source, I’m thinking something monstrous and Lovecraftian, so “god” in the looser sense of “unthinkable cosmic horror.” —I know that some sort of insanity is the obvious go-to effect here, but I’ve already used that recently and would like something that has more tangible effects.

For instance:



Something like this, but not resulting from direct consumption—simply holding the container is enough to trigger the effect.

This is something that their antagonists will be carrying when it’s first encountered, so I don’t want it strong enough to wipe out the party, but still powerful in a random and deeply disturbing way.

Let's start with "Grants not-quite control of undead" and "Makes you more like them". Possibly something like....

Evening Glory's Blood (replace the name ... or not; she's a pretty creepy one)
In this surpisingly mundane looking sealed vial, there's a small drop of blood. It slowly seems to stir itself; climbing the walls of the vial and not quite staying at rest. You feel a chill as you hold it...
This vial contains just a very small drop of blood from Evening Glory. While holding it, any spell with the Charm descriptor that you cast affect undead as though they were the living being they once were (so a skeleton of a dwarf would be affected by Charm Person, despite being a mindless undead at the time). Whenever you successfully talk an undead so affected into doing something for you, it always replies with "Anything for you, My Lady" regardless of the caster's appearance. Additionally, while holding it, you gain a +4 bonus on saves against anything to which an undead creature would be immune (such as Mind-affecting effects, Fatigue, Exhaustion, or fort save effects that do not affect objects), but suffer a -4 penalty to Constitution.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Jack_Simth
Let's start with "Grants not-quite control of undead" and "Makes you more like them". Possibly something like....

Evening Glory's Blood

This is very much in line with the power level I was hoping for—reasonably strong for low levels, but not overwhelming.

The particular effects aren’t quite suited for my campaign, since there’s not much in the way of undead, and I don’t think anyone in the party can cast Charm Person. But this is a great starting point for the overall feel.


Originally Posted by thecrimsondawn
I could also see the power being dream related….

There may be some room in here for dream effects, although I want the main abilities to be in the vein of what Jack described.

[Jack_Simth]

This is very much in line with the power level I was hoping for—reasonably strong for low levels, but not overwhelming.

The particular effects aren’t quite suited for my campaign, since there’s not much in the way of undead, and I don’t think anyone in the party can cast Charm Person. But this is a great starting point for the overall feel.



There may be some room in here for dream effects, although I want the main abilities to be in the vein of what Jack described.

Well, what sorts of critters do you plan to have a lot of coming up? If the blood is useful for controlling some type of creature (and the artifact that can maybe be made from it more so), the antagonist would want a lot of them handy, and thus would be in an area full of them.

[Biguds]

Hello guys.

May I recomend a look at the Nahyndrian Elixir (an elixir made with the crystalized blood of a dead Demon Lord).

[Ninjaxenomorph]

It's based on the Prince of Darkness film; you can still feature it by using its minions. Juju zombies may be a bit too strong, but charmed minions or cultists could work.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Jack_Simth
If the blood is useful for controlling some type of creature (and the artifact that can maybe be made from it more so), the antagonist would want a lot of them handy, and thus would be in an area full of them.

Well, I’m thinking less control of critters and more along the lines of a bonus to saves and certain immunities, but with a penalty to one or more stats, along the lines of what you laid out in your example.

I also like the idea of the droplet radiating energies that have some random effect (withering trees, toxic air, etc.), and possibly some extra benefit to the holder, such as becoming unseen to aberrations or something like that.