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Brawls
2007-09-21, 11:01 PM
I am at a bit of a loss for how I should roleplay a situation I currently find my character in.

For background, he is a 6th level lawful neutral fighter. His culture and upbrining are based off the concept of an honor/shame society. He was given a specific task - returning the ancestral sword of his defeated master to the master's family - as a motivation for his adventuring in the part of the world he finds himself in currently. The sword was masterwork and just recently got vaporized by a fireball. MW weapons get no save when unattended, and it took 27 points of damage so it is toast by all the rules I've seen. So, he has failed in a task he was honor-bound to complete.

He still has an immediate mission that he must complete as well - returning some rescued villagers that were pressed into service by a local warlord. He will attempt to get them back to their village safely as a first priority. The question is how to play the fact that he has failed in his larger goal in life. Several ideas seem fairly straight forward:

killing self,
riding back to lay waste to the warlord and his minions in the hopes of being killed in combat,
questing for a wish,
seeking atonement from the family (not just the spell),
etc.

I'm hoping some of you might have some creative ideas for me to consider.

Thanks,

Brawls

Crow
2007-09-21, 11:04 PM
seeking atonement from the family (not just the spell)

I'd pick that one.

Dullyanna
2007-09-21, 11:06 PM
I'd say, first deal with the warlord intelligently (In other words, you won't be helping the villagers by charging into certain death). Then you should go for the atonement thing.

dyslexicfaser
2007-09-21, 11:06 PM
Ritual suicide is fairly routine in such societies in order to gain back honor, but if you like your character - and considering this is a magical world - I would suggest that you go looking for a magical alternative, like a wish.

View it, perhaps, as regaining honor through death to be the easy way - much harder to live a life of shame in order to atone for the loss of your master's sword.

Skjaldbakka
2007-09-21, 11:20 PM
From the SRD:

Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness.


One-handed blade 10hardness 5hp

27 fire damage should not be enough to destroy a longsword, masterwork or otherwise. It takes 30. So you're good.

Also, if you have a spellcaster in the party, I believe there are several low-level spells that can magically repair broken objects. You might also be able to repair a broken sword via application of Craft: Weaponsmithing

ImpFireball
2007-09-21, 11:35 PM
I am at a bit of a loss for how I should roleplay a situation I currently find my character in.

For background, he is a 6th level lawful neutral fighter. His culture and upbrining are based off the concept of an honor/shame society. He was given a specific task - returning the ancestral sword of his defeated master to the master's family - as a motivation for his adventuring in the part of the world he finds himself in currently. The sword was masterwork and just recently got vaporized by a fireball. MW weapons get no save when unattended, and it took 27 points of damage so it is toast by all the rules I've seen. So, he has failed in a task he was honor-bound to complete.

He still has an immediate mission that he must complete as well - returning some rescued villagers that were pressed into service by a local warlord. He will attempt to get them back to their village safely as a first priority. The question is how to play the fact that he has failed in his larger goal in life. Several ideas seem fairly straight forward:

killing self,
riding back to lay waste to the warlord and his minions in the hopes of being killed in combat,
questing for a wish,
seeking atonement from the family (not just the spell),
etc.

I'm hoping some of you might have some creative ideas for me to consider.

Thanks,

Brawls

I'd probably have him lose a few sanity points (if that exists in the game), or probably slip into a state of trying to forget his past life (if he's anything then slightly less then average intelligence, he'll try to commit suicide, otherwise he'll go for family atonement). If he's got an above average wisdom score, he'll probably see that in his free form state he can try to forget his past life and even go as far as forgetting who he once was (perhaps through alcohol, or through a meditational psychological self assessment drama-fest!). Eventually, this 'wiser' choice might have an affect on his overall sanity (even if it doesn't exist in the game, it's realistic), and he might even become seriously dissociative (common characteristics are constant and often unecessary observation of every individual social situation with symptoms such as irratical behaviour, twitches and ticks, and sometimes the inability to bond with others).

Brawls
2007-09-22, 12:45 AM
From the SRD:




27 fire damage should not be enough to destroy a longsword, masterwork or otherwise. It takes 30. So you're good.

Also, if you have a spellcaster in the party, I believe there are several low-level spells that can magically repair broken objects. You might also be able to repair a broken sword via application of Craft: Weaponsmithing

Well, ain't that the ****. I'll have to talk with the DM. Having the weapon damaged and needing to get it repaired is a lot easier than having it be destroyed, especially with respect to not derailing the overall campaign to satisfy my character's need to act honorably. Now, since the blade isn't from this region of the world, I'll have to look into magical methods for repair. That should make for some interesting negotiations and alliances. :smallsmile:

Thanks Skjaldbakka, you just made my night.

Brawls

Edit: no sanity points in our campaign. If he goes crazy it would be all roleplaying. Frankly, I'm not ready for that amount of involvement.

Caewil
2007-09-22, 02:04 AM
Don't forget that fire only deals half damage to objects. If he forgot that, the sword may only need a little repairing.

Mike_Lemmer
2007-09-22, 02:13 AM
I was going to say, in addition to those rulings, it makes no sense for a fireball to vaporize a sword. First, all of a character's equipment/clothing usually survive fireballs unscathed. Second, the sword would've been subjected to hotter temperatures than that while being forged. No way a fireball should've vaporized it; at worst, it would've melted it quite a bit, but still salvagable in a world of magic.

I'd definitely go with "it was very damaged, but repairable" and not only RP trying to get it repaired, but taking other preventative measures to protect the sword (from, say, rust monsters), and possibly doubts about his honor/shame system. I assume it was very easy for the sword to almost get vaporized and he really couldn't do anything about it; I can see him questioning whether it's worth tossing his life away for failing a goal when a fluke chance like that could destroy it.

I'd say if it comes down to it, a crisis like that should change your character, not destroy him. And the change should eventually be for the better (although getting there can be painful). Save the self-destruction for the NPCs.

tannish2
2007-09-22, 03:07 AM
well, barring the fact that you accept/can go back and say that it WASNT destroyed by a 27 point fireball...

1. wish
2. make whole
3. illusion+returning the dust, tehnically you returned it AND they will be happy that you returned it, also leave a note on the dust.... oh, wait, wasnt desentigrated so
4. craft(weaponsmithing)
5. repair moderate damage
6. limited wish
7. wish
8. miracle
9. ninja to the family. do a little melting on their bodies (you DO have a wizard right) and then return the melted sword.
10. have you character go insane and suddenly be CN, he wont care anymore.

Rad
2007-09-22, 03:15 AM
Suicide is not the only option to regain honor and, as pointed out, some cultures can view it as cowardice and so not an honorable choice at all. So if your character is "having" to commit suicide is entirely up to you.
I'm not that fresh with the rules, but when you want to sunder a weapon you have to burn its HP to make it nonfunctional, not to vaporize it. If the sword lost all its HP (and it looks like it hasn't) there would still be a damaged object which could not be used as effectively (but could even be a suitable improvised weapon) but is definitely a valid target for

Make Whole
Transmutation
Level: Clr 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One object of up to 10 cu. ft./ level

This spell functions like mending, except that make whole completely repairs an object made of any substance, even one with multiple breaks, to be as strong as new. The spell does not restore the magical abilities of a broken magic item made whole, and it cannot mend broken magic rods, staffs, or wands. The spell does not repair items that have been warped, burned, disintegrated, ground to powder, melted, or vaporized, nor does it affect creatures (including constructs).
So your honor is within a 3rd level cleric reach!

ranger89
2007-09-22, 05:52 AM
OP: A hearty second for any of the ideas above. Depending on the direciton you want to take your character, the previous posters have given you really good advice. Personally, I'd opt for becoming deeply shamed/depressed, saving the villagers, and then seeking atonement/performing acts to regain your honor. That has the potential for outstanding role playing which is why I think it would be a shame to just have the PC kill himself or go on suicide missions. Even if the sword's destruction is reversed and/or it is mended or repaired, this story gives your character some great motivations.

Hecore
2007-09-22, 06:04 AM
Make Whole
Transmutation
Level: Clr 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One object of up to 10 cu. ft./ level

This spell functions like mending, except that make whole completely repairs an object made of any substance, even one with multiple breaks, to be as strong as new. The spell does not restore the magical abilities of a broken magic item made whole, and it cannot mend broken magic rods, staffs, or wands. The spell does not repair items that have been warped, burned, disintegrated, ground to powder, melted, or vaporized, nor does it affect creatures (including constructs).



I think it sounds like a great opportunity for a quest hook -- your character now needs to find out who made the blade originally and attempt to track them down. While the original creator may be long dead you can always attempt to find one of their decendents or maybe a pupil of theirs. Even if magic could make it right your personal honor prevents you from taking the easy way out.

leperkhaun
2007-09-22, 07:09 AM
IF the DM still rules that the sword is broke you have a couple options

1) as another poster suggested quest until you have the resources to get the sword back (wish and such)

2) Take whats left and YOURSELF reforge a better sword (although masterwork is the best you can technically get, that doesnt mean that you cant make a rp wise better sword)

3) Obtain a magical sword and donate that.

Dervag
2007-09-22, 08:48 AM
I was going to say, in addition to those rulings, it makes no sense for a fireball to vaporize a sword. First, all of a character's equipment/clothing usually survive fireballs unscathed. Second, the sword would've been subjected to hotter temperatures than that while being forged. No way a fireball should've vaporized it; at worst, it would've melted it quite a bit, but still salvagable in a world of magic.Or even in a world of no magic; I assume that if the sword were truly broken melting it down and reforging it would be acceptable.

After all, swords do sometimes get chipped or rusted through plain old misfortune.

Brawls
2007-09-22, 11:39 AM
Thanks for all the replies.

A couple points of clairification.


My use of the term "vaporize" was an exageration. WE had assumed that the fireball was sufficient to destroy the item entirely. More likely, it would have been melted, warped, or some other high heat-related damage.
Now that it looks like it may have survived, though very damaged, it has much more quest-worthy elements.
Suicide was never really much of a consideration, since it would break the adventure mid-campaign. Our games don't tend to go through a lot of characters, unless we do something really stupid.
Since I will be multi-classing to warblade next level, I can use the adaptive style feat (I think that is the correct name) and transfer all my weapon focus/specialization feats to another weapon and remain effective to the group:smallbiggrin: .


Again, thanks for all the replies. I think I will be sseking a master sword maker to repair the blade. Magic seems like it would be a too much of a shortcut for this guy, but we'll see how things develop.

Cheers,

Brawls

PlatinumJester
2007-09-22, 11:43 AM
You could get it fixed or buy a replica.

Citizen Joe
2007-09-22, 11:45 AM
Your task was to return the sword NOT to protect it. If you were the monks assigned to protect the blade, and it got destroyed, then suicide may be a way to regain your honour. But you were merely assigned to return it.

Broken or not, your honour is not bound to the sword, mere to its return. Bring the sword back, present it, and state "My honour be done." If they question your honour with regards to the state of the sword, get uptight and ask if they are questioning your honour. Then state that the sword failed in battle, if anyone's honour is in question, it would be that of the sword maker.

Crow
2007-09-22, 12:39 PM
Your task was to return the sword NOT to protect it. If you were the monks assigned to protect the blade, and it got destroyed, then suicide may be a way to regain your honour. But you were merely assigned to return it.

Broken or not, your honour is not bound to the sword, mere to its return. Bring the sword back, present it, and state "My honour be done." If they question your honour with regards to the state of the sword, get uptight and ask if they are questioning your honour. Then state that the sword failed in battle, if anyone's honour is in question, it would be that of the sword maker.

"We have to get those hostages out of there!"

"We'll take care of it."

*BANG BANG*
*RATATATATATATAT*
(screaming)
*BANG*
*TAT TAT TAT*

Citizen Joe
2007-09-22, 12:57 PM
"We have to get those hostages out of there!"

"We'll take care of it."

*BANG BANG*
*RATATATATATATAT*
(screaming)
*BANG*
*TAT TAT TAT*

And that is why samurai are not used for hostage negotiations.

Crow
2007-09-22, 01:02 PM
And that is why samurai are not used for hostage negotiations.

ah, touché.

Citizen Joe
2007-09-22, 01:31 PM
Actually, at the end of WWII it was considered a horrible dishonor to be captured by the enemy. So, honorable soldiers would believe it was their duty to kill the hostages to save them from their own dishonor.

Brawls
2007-09-22, 07:35 PM
You could get it fixed or buy a replica.

Fixed = yes. Replica = dishonorable, so no.


Originally Posted by Citizen Joe:
Your task was to return the sword NOT to protect it. If you were the monks assigned to protect the blade, and it got destroyed, then suicide may be a way to regain your honour. But you were merely assigned to return it.

Broken or not, your honour is not bound to the sword, mere to its return. Bring the sword back, present it, and state "My honour be done." If they question your honour with regards to the state of the sword, get uptight and ask if they are questioning your honour. Then state that the sword failed in battle, if anyone's honour is in question, it would be that of the sword maker.

Actually, I would assume that "return" meant in the condition I received them, which was undamaged. I'm not that much of a literalist to try to dodge my responsibility.


Originally Posted by Citizen Joe:
And that is why samurai are not used for hostage negotiations.
And that is why he is just a fighter who happens to use a katana (well used until recently) and has an honor/shame upbringing, because the samurai PrC is pretty lame.

Brawls