Cursed saddle artifact

[Will Doyle]

I've been thinking for a while about how to make a magic saddle.

Some recent discussion on these boards gave me some ideas, as well as a D&D article the other week about curses.

This is what I finally came up with (along with a neat picture drawn by my girlfriend!). The Rhônic Saddle is imbued with the spirit of a long-dead king: last ruler of a kingdom of boasters, thrill-seekers, and horse-masters. Those who ride it gain great power, but also suffer a terrible curse. The king's spirit whispers to them in dreams, long-forgotten by morning, but subconsciously compelling them throughout the day to perform deeds of glory and daring.

Give in to these urges, and they risk death at every turn. Deny them and the curse takes control, forcing them to act against their will. These urges manifest as powers that the player (or DM!) can use to affect the character during combat.

Anyway, I thought I'd post it here for your viewing pleasure.

 

[the Jester]

Nice work! I really like the curse powers; that's a great mechanic, and one that I will have to yoink for my own campaign.

I do have a couple of questions about elements of the saddle, though:

Property: While mounted, you and your mount gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls (maximum +5), and a +2 bonus to damage rolls (maximum +10) for each ally that is currently unconscious or dead. These bonuses are maximized if no allies are present.

As written, this seems highly problematic for a couple of reasons.

First, how close does an unconscious or dead ally have to be? What if I'm in a graveyard with a bunch of soldiers I fought with back in the war in it, do they count? Why wouldn't I do a lot of solo adventuring, since I get a +5 attack bonus and a +10 damage bonus while I'm alone?

I'd probably rewrite this something like this; note that the "dead and died this encounter" wording is made with epic pcs who come back mid-fight in mind, so that they don't contribute to the total for this purpose:

Property: While mounted, you and your mount gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls (maximum +5), and a +2 bonus to damage rolls (maximum +10) for each ally within 5 squares of you that is currently unconscious or is dead and died this encounter. These bonuses are maximized if no allies are present.

The wording on dive into doom is a little confusing regarding the area of the secondary attack. I presume your intent is something like this? (- = open squares not in the secondary targeting blast; P = PC; 1 = primary target; X = close blast squares). Note that it gets very weird, as currently worded, with larger foes.

-------
-XXX--
-XXX--
-X1X--
--P----

If I have the right idea, I think I'd rephrase part of the Effect line of dive into doom into:

...and make a secondary attack that is a close blast 3. The primary target's space must include the middle square of the edge of the blast adjacent to you.

That solves issues with 'centering' a large or huge creature and clarifies the way the blast is supposed to work (I think).

Again, this is some great work!

EDIT: Hmm, I have to spread some xp around, can someone cover me for Will Doyle? Thanks!

 

[Will Doyle]

Great feedback here. I really appreciate it!

First, how close does an unconscious or dead ally have to be? What if I'm in a graveyard with a bunch of soldiers I fought with back in the war in it, do they count?

You're right, I should have clarified this.

The problem I have is that "ally" isn't a particularly well-defined term. The power is intended to trigger from members of your adventuring party dropping - as they fall, so you grow stronger. But to my knowledge, "party member" isn't an accepted term.

You're right though: as written, its ripe for abuse. The most common hiccup probably being a fight in an urban environment - do the townsfolk count as allies? The patrons of an inn?

Why wouldn't I do a lot of solo adventuring, since I get a +5 attack bonus and a +10 damage bonus while I'm alone?

The character may be compelled to venture off alone, but without elevated hit points/defences, they should know they're going to get flattened pretty quickly (unless the DM scales encounters down, which wasn't my intention).

Still, you may be right. I'll probably ditch it.

The wording on dive into doom is a little confusing regarding the area of the secondary attack. I presume your intent is something like this? (- = open squares not in the secondary targeting blast; P = PC; 1 = primary target; X = close blast squares). Note that it gets very weird, as currently worded, with larger foes.

Well spotted, I'll change this. Actually, I think it may be simpler if you can attack any one enemy in the blast (including, potentially, the original target). That way, if the original target fills the blast, you can still plonk yourself adjacent to them.

 

[the Jester]

The problem I have is that "ally" isn't a particularly well-defined term. The power is intended to trigger from members of your adventuring party dropping - as they fall, so you grow stronger. But to my knowledge, "party member" isn't an accepted term.

You're right though: as written, its ripe for abuse. The most common hiccup probably being a fight in an urban environment - do the townsfolk count as allies? The patrons of an inn?

Actually, neutral parties do not count as allies in 4e, and anyone who isn't an ally counts as an "enemy" for targeting purposes. I don't have a cite right now, as IDHMBIFOM, but I recall finding this gem when there was some confusion about whether bystanders were targeted by some area "targets enemies" attacks or not.