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Tor the Fallen
2007-10-08, 04:35 PM
I'm running a core game, and I've decided to give the level 4 fighter an intelligent axe that will slowly grow more intelligent the more valuables he feeds it.

He found a seep in a cavern that when he put coins in it, it would turn metallic colors and enchant a weapon dipped in it. So he poured 2000 gp in, dipped his axe in it, and ended up with a +1 greataxe. Little did he know that the seep was actually the essence of a copper dragon that had died there years before.

So now he has a dragon inhabiting his sword, that he doesn't know about. It also will have a nasty habit of devouring gold and other valuables if he isn't paying attention. Of course, once devoured, these will translate into a better axe, so for him, it may not be such a big deal. His party will likely be less enthusiastic.

However, as they often go into long dungeon crawls, turning trinkets to useful items may be good.

Right now it's semi-empathic, and will start tingling when he gets close to loot.

I'm curious, though, what abilities should I give the axe, and at what levels. Right now, it will basically be using treasure scent (from the spell compendium, I believe) all the time, and communicating it to the fighter.

I'm also wondering- should the axe
1) be weak and need to eat items or
b) be powerful, but will only let the fighter use its powers when he feeds it more items
c) it doesn't actually eat items, but just stores them in an extradimensional storage place.

The axe will also play a major plot part in the campaign.

Anyway, your thoughts.

Machete
2007-10-08, 05:43 PM
Have it actually eat items, but only actual precious metals and gems.

Treat it like an intelligent ancestral weapon from the Ancestral Weapon Feat except that it does get hungry and will deny the user use of the +? abilities if it is not fed at least 50? GP a week (which may or may not get added to the power cost +whatever total at your decision).

Mike_Lemmer
2007-10-08, 06:01 PM
...a nasty habit of devouring gold and other valuables...

Devouring gold & other valuables is alright, but a nasty habit of doing it behind his back might be pushing it a bit. D&D overdid "nasty habits of intelligent weapons" in 2nd-ed; just mention the words "talking sword" to any veteran gamer and watch for the nervous tic.

I would make the nasty habit conditional, like if it's starving. You want the fighter to enjoy having it around, even if it is a bit misbehaved at times. Have it act like a cat, not a raccoon.

Kiroho
2007-10-09, 10:11 AM
As the axe feeds on more treasure, I'd have it alter its appearance as well as any power adjustments. It could start with a slight hint of copper coloring in the blade or etchings in a dragon-scale pattern.

Doglord
2007-10-09, 10:14 AM
Try an edit of the weapns of legacy rules

BRC
2007-10-09, 10:15 AM
I say give it a decent "ground State", nothing super, but somthing decent and trusty. However, if fed valuables it grows more powerful, but unless fed a certain amount every so often it will start going back to it's ground state.

psychoticbarber
2007-10-09, 10:46 AM
I would take great care to make sure it doesn't eat anybody else's stuff. I for one would be pretty pissed off if the DM ruled that an axe ate my treasure to make itself better if the axe wasn't mine.

Tor the Fallen
2007-10-09, 03:08 PM
I would take great care to make sure it doesn't eat anybody else's stuff. I for one would be pretty pissed off if the DM ruled that an axe ate my treasure to make itself better if the axe wasn't mine.

I'm pretty fast and loose with treasure, so I see this axe as an IC mechanic to sort of reign in the WBL.

For instance, the goblin warrens they're in right now is going to have about a ton of gold and silver coins in it; far above their WBL, for plot reasons. Of course, I don't really want to see the party's WBL double, so they'll find out about both what the axe does, and not have to worry about carting 100,000 sp around.

Here's my plan:
1. Axe tingles, leads fighter to chests full of coinage. Cracks them open, axe eats coins (not all of them, if the fighter pulls the axe out in time). Everyone gets freaked out/pissed off.

At this point, I may be faced with mutiny/fighter ditching the weapon. So I'll have the weapon inform everyone who/what it is. If the fighter decides to keep the weapon, I'll have it talk to him in his dreams. Ideally, I'd like to keep it that way for a level or so.

Abilities on axe: +1, detect treasure

2. The weapon should get another enhancement soon, as the fighter will be hitting level 2. But what? A line of acid 1/day, as a wyrmling? The ability to cast spider climb on the wielder 3/day? Some cleric spell?

3. Continuation of weapon progression:
The weapon should definitely be able to use a breath weapon like ability, which will advance as the fighter gains levels/wyrm grows in age categories. At what rate should the axe advance in age categories? For every 3-4 fighter levels, bump it up an age category?
Should I use a copper dragon as my model for what powers to give the axe (cherry picked arcane spells from the cleric list, +domains), or specially selected, unique powers? And if so, what?

If it matters, the spirit that inhabits the axe is that of a copper dragon that sacrificed its life to chain a green dragon (who will return as a dracolich) deep beneath the earth, in the age before man arrived. The dragon was only bound, not destroyed, since it had recently achieved lichdom, and they hadn't found the phylacteries yet. Destroying it would have only released the creature to reform in 1d10 days. Adventuring parties were dispatched to find the phylacteries, but men arrived, and began a wholesale slaughter of the continent. The search for the phylacteries ended as the adventuring kobolds and whatnot turned their attentions to the invaders. Eventually, the natives of the continent, and their proud civilizations were pulled down. The bound dracolich, and the threat he posed to creation, remain forgotten.

Until now.

4. Personality for the weapon:
I'm thinking the thing starts out young, with only vague memories of who or what it was. It likes tricks, jokes, bards, adventure, treasure. Basically it will play along with the fighter and his buddies as they go loot ancient places. As it advances age categories, it will remember more and more, and begin trying to get them to go find phylacteries. Of course, if the party doesn't want this, they can ditch the axe. The only problem there is the gold invested in the axe.

5. Spending gold on the axe:
I'm thinking for valuable trinkets and coinage that are fed to the axe, the fighter can add whatever mods he so chooses, at a 1-to-1 ratio. So if he stuffs 6k down the things throat, it will go up to a +1 flaming axe, or whatever. Additionally, however, if he wants to keep it functioning/sharing its powers with him, he must give it 10% of his loot. Does that seem fair? Should it be more? 15% or 20%?


As the axe feeds on more treasure, I'd have it alter its appearance as well as any power adjustments. It could start with a slight hint of copper coloring in the blade or etchings in a dragon-scale pattern.

Definitely the plan.
I'm actually thinking the whole head will slowly turn into a giant copper scale.

Lord Tataraus
2007-10-09, 04:19 PM
Abilities on axe: +1, detect treasure

2. The weapon should get another enhancement soon, as the fighter will be hitting level 2. But what? A line of acid 1/day, as a wyrmling? The ability to cast spider climb on the wielder 3/day? Some cleric spell?

3. Continuation of weapon progression:
The weapon should definitely be able to use a breath weapon like ability, which will advance as the fighter gains levels/wyrm grows in age categories. At what rate should the axe advance in age categories? For every 3-4 fighter levels, bump it up an age category?
Should I use a copper dragon as my model for what powers to give the axe (cherry picked arcane spells from the cleric list, +domains), or specially selected, unique powers? And if so, what?

It's +1 and has detect treasure at first level?! That's a little powerful. I would suggest not having it increase in power too much until level 4 or 5. Maybe give it one minor ability that is activated when feed a certain amount of wealth. Like give it the corrosive ability for the next successful hit within 1d4+1 rounds.


5. Spending gold on the axe:
I'm thinking for valuable trinkets and coinage that are fed to the axe, the fighter can add whatever mods he so chooses, at a 1-to-1 ratio. So if he stuffs 6k down the things throat, it will go up to a +1 flaming axe, or whatever. Additionally, however, if he wants to keep it functioning/sharing its powers with him, he must give it 10% of his loot. Does that seem fair? Should it be more? 15% or 20%?

I'd go with the 20%, and you want a +1 corrosive axe, not flaming.

Tor the Fallen
2007-10-09, 04:39 PM
It's +1 and has detect treasure at first level?! That's a little powerful. I would suggest not having it increase in power too much until level 4 or 5. Maybe give it one minor ability that is activated when feed a certain amount of wealth. Like give it the corrosive ability for the next successful hit within 1d4+1 rounds.

Well, since the item would technically be an NPC, it's under my control. The fighter would only know about treasure when the item (me) told him.



I'd go with the 20%, and you want a +1 corrosive axe, not flaming.

I don't know what corrosive is; and he'd choose the abilities that are based on weapon enhancement (+1 or bane and so on), not me.

Yeril
2007-10-09, 05:41 PM
I think it would be good to have it not physicly eat stuff, but eat its Value.

One night, he awakens to a faint jingling of coins, but theres nothing there, he go's back to sleep.

The next morning he heads off to town, enters the tavern but when he go's to pay for his drink, his coins are... Distorted, burned out husks of coins, nothing more than valueless shoddy iron.. but how? why? and why is his axe suddenly feel shiner?

Yeril
2007-10-09, 05:44 PM
I don't know what corrosive is; and he'd choose the abilities that are based on weapon enhancement (+1 or bane and so on), not me.


Corrosive is exacly the same as say, Flaming or Frost, but deals acid damage.

Tor the Fallen
2007-10-09, 05:54 PM
Corrosive is exacly the same as say, Flaming or Frost, but deals acid damage.

Ohhh, that d4 threw me off.

Chronos
2007-10-09, 06:35 PM
If this thing is the spirit of a copper dragon, then don't let the player choose how it upgrades. Give it abilities corresponding to the dragon. For a copper dragon, this would be acidic abilities, slowing abilities, and stone-related abilities (plus generic things like more enhancement bonus).

Also, remember that copper dragons are chaotic good, so it's not going to do anything too nasty to the party. Its sense of humor might not correspond to the humanoids', though.