Mustrum_Ridcully

I have been pretty silent the past few weeks, and I have moved to LiveJournal for blogging as mentioned earlier. Still, I presume that it's more likely that someone on EN World is interested in my game stuff then someone on the random internet, so I will post links to new articles.


The main reason I am using livejournal is that I get rich text editing there - stat blocks and power descriptions are a little difficult to write with vb code and, more importantly, I can't just copy & paste them into the text editor.

So, here is you can see why this might be helpful:
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The articles describe a new pact for the D&D 4 Warlock - the Demon Pact Warlock. This pact focuses on close and melee attacks. It's major shtick is transforming into a half-demonic creature with its daily powers, with some semblances to the Vestige Pact and the Barbarian Rages.
I also added a second variant "shtick" - the ability to summon demons instead of becoming one.
The article contains a lot of new Warlock powers, not all of them limited to the Demon Pact.

Have fun with reading (and using!) the Demon Pact Warlock.

And if you want to discuss it in more depth, I also posted a thread in the 4E house rules forum:
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For participation in the patronage project "Hall of the Mountain King" from Wolfgangs Baur Open Design, I recently joined Open Design. That it's recently is a shame, since the project is in its final phase and I basically missed all the fun. I just totally lost sight of the project due to other stuff.

Anyway, if you got an account on livejournal, you can also have a blog. After noting that livejournal has a rich text editor that allows me to copy & paste stat blocks and stuff from my notes in open office, I decided to start a blog there.
Archchancellors Thoughts

I am not sure what is to happen with this one. The neat thing with EN World is that it is closer to fellow gamers. But the presentation options aren't as great, and I think that reduces the blogs appeal - and it makes my "work" harder.

I suppose in the beginning I will use this blog to notify of updates in the livejournal, but that won't go forever.

So, head over for an Arch Chancellor Thoughts's Livejournal exclusive: A preview power of my new Warlock Pact, the Abyssal Pact!

And now for some more Truename "action".

Feats

Bonded Item (Ceremony)
Prerequisite: Truename
You can bond with any item, like a weapon, an implement, a armor, or tool, a backpack, a tent, and so on that is not larger than a 10 foot cube.
You learn and master the Drawmmij's Instant Summons, Make Whole and Detect Object Ritual. Either Ritual works only on your bonded item and you need to spend only a fifth of the usual component cost. (You can still learn the regular ritual without this limitation on the object.)
You also learn and master the rituals of Enchant Magical Item. You can only enchant the item with enchantments appropriate for this item. If you would enchant a Wand Implement, you could create a Wand of Shield, but not a Belt of Sacrifice. If you enchant a backpack, you could enchant it as a back pack, but not as a Pact Blade. Whenever you enchant the item, you only need to spend an amount of material components equal to the difference in cost of the current enchantment and th new enchantment, but you can never reduce the enchantments worth. (Unless you have other means of doing so.)
You can use all rituals even if you do not have the Ritual Caster feat, and you treat your effective level as 5 points higher than it actually is.
Special: At Paragon Tier, you can take this feat a second time for a different item. At Epic Tier, you can take this feat a third time, for a different item.
Design Note:
The Eberron Player Guide introduces feats that allow at least an Artificer to increase his effective level for Enchant Magical Item. It should not really be a problem to let all the various benefits stack - the cost of actually creating an item at the highest possible levels is ridiculously high for the respective character, essentially unpayable. Still, if you feel uncomfortable about it or have changed your magic item economy, just don't let it stack. The goal is really just to give characters an early access to this powers and keep the payable for the specific purpose of creating bonded items that are not weaker than the type of stuff they would find from looting. (Assuming you use treasure parcels.)
A Bonded Item is special!

Truename Power (Ceremony, Paragon)
Prerequisite: Truename Magic
Pick one Encounter attack power you know that targets only one creature. This power now gains the Truename descriptor.

Truenames Revalation (Ceremony, Epic)
Prerequiste: Truename Magic
If you score a critical hit with a power with the Truename descriptor, you immediately learn the creatures truename as if you had cast the Learn Truename ritual on it.


Paragon Path
Truenamer
Prerequisite: Truename Magic
You gained a seldomly achieved mastery on the secrets of Truenames. You know that the Truename is the key to the innermost desires and wishes of every creature, and learned how to manipulate them through the Truename.
Truename Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can invoke the true name of one of your allies within 5 squares. That ally can either spend a move action or make a basic attack as a free action.
Strength of the True Name (11th level): You gain a +1 bonus to all attacks with powers with the Truename keyword if you know the targets true name.
Truename Power (16th level): Pick one at-will power you know. This power gains the Truename keyword.

Design Note
The Truename aspect especially of the daily powers is very strong. Some might wonder if it is too strong. Ultimately, whether the PC can acquire the Truename of a creature is effectively entirely in the hands of the Dungeon Master. The Learn Truename ritual is not available before 15th level (except as Scrolll, of course, and it already mentions that the target of the spell might become aware of what happened, and that there are counter-rituals at work - and against some creatures, it won't work at all.
That are only two mechanically "guaranteed" way to gain a Truename - via the Learn Truename Ritual is one. It is a very expensive way, and the cost can be compared to that of a magical item - and that is the balance idea behind it.
The other "guaranteed" way requires the character to be already epic and score a critical hit with a Truename power. At this point, the Truename might not do much good, as other Truename powers might have already expended or the enemy is already close to defeat.
All other ways will be based on the nature of the campaign or adventure - NPCs that might know a Truename of a rival, allies the PCs interrogate. You could consider a Truename as worthy as a magical item, and make it part of a treasure parcel. Or you just provision some ways to gather Truenames to allow the PCs to beat foes that would otherwise be out of their League - as an important story point.

If the PC would know the Truenames of all members of a bataillion of enemy soldiers, they could use truename encounter powers to overcome them a little easier. If they know the Truename of a powerful enemy, the Truename Curses and Power of the Name might give them at notable head start in any fight against him - but are far from guaranteeing a success...

Truename Magic
Truename Multiclass Only Class
The following powers are only available via multiclassing into the Truename class.

Design Note
The encounter powers for the Truename multiclass usually use the word “Fate” in them. The idea behind this that every use of these is slightly “manipulating” the targets fate – and showing his fate to him. If you know its truename, that is a lot easier for you. Therefore you don't expend the power if you have the truename.
The Daily powers are generally called Curses. You curse the very soul of the creature to suffering, and knowing its truename grants you a lot more power.
The Utility Powers are generally called something with “The Named” and are mostly benefitial to allies whose truename you know. A common assumption in Arcana Evolved and the Diamond Throne was that adventurers would eventuall share each others truename – especially important since it was a prerequisite for raising someone from the dead.
I reserved Domination related powers to the Truename Paragon path.

While this is a multiclass only class, I don't actually have powers for every level of the class, just for every tier at the moment. Maybe that will change later.

Truename Magic
The Diamond Throne use the concept of truenames. All creatures and even objects have truenames. Knowing the true name of a creature can give you incredible power over it.

Truename magic is interesting not just for the Diamond Throne, but can be an interesting element in every setting. In Arcana Evolved, some spells required you to know the creatures truename to work, like the equivalent of Dominate Person. This was in a way a strong limitation, but it totally fitted the concept of truenames. For my conversion, I didn't want to go “that” far – no power should require you to know a creatures truename. But knowing a truename should be of benefit.

Truenames are used for more than just spells, of course. The people in the Diamond Throne know countless of ceremonies and rituals, some mere supersitition, some actually powerful. A lot of them benefit, and the more powerful might even require, a truename.

But not everyone had a truename. The Arcana Evolved rules allowed you to decide to be Unbound. A unbound creature does not have a truename. It can't be raised from the dead (at least not with the weaker magic) and it cannot attain certain “Ceremony” feats, but it can also never be subjected to the powers of a truename. (And being a Unfettered or Warmain unaffected by Dominate Person is certainly not bad...)

FEATS

Unbound (Bloodline)
Prerequisite: None
You do not have a true name. Your soul is unbound.
You can no longer gain feats with the Truename or Ceremony descriptor, nor use rituals that require you to have a Truename.
You gain a +1 feat bonus to all saving throws.

False Name (Bloodline)
Prerequisite: Unbound, Level 11+
You adopt a false name that works as a true name in certain situation. Whenever a power requires your Truename, an ally can use your false name instead. Whenever anyone tries to learn your Truename, he learns your false name instead (believing he knows your Truename but actually gaining no benefits of it.)
In addition, whenever an Heroic tier feat requires you to have a Truename, you can consider to have a Truename. At Epic level, this also applies to feats from the Paragon tier.
You gain a +1 feat bonus to Will defense.

Truenames Bargain (Ceremony)
Prerequisite: Level 21
You shield your truename from your enemies. Whenever a creature learns your Truename, you also learns its truename as if you used the Learn Truename Ritual. When the creature gains the opportunity to learn your Truename, it becomes aware that you will know it and can choose to not learn it.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will Defense.

Truename Magic (Ceremony, Multiclass)
Prerequisite: Cha13+
You can master and perform rituals with the Truename keyord ieven if you normally can't use rituals. You gain Invoke the Name as an Encounter power.
You gain a +1 bonus to all sill checks and attack rolls made for rituals involving truenames and powers with the truename descriptor. This bonus increases to +2 at 15th level and +3 at 25th level. You can also use the Novice, Acolyte and Adept feats to gain powers described in the Truename Multiclass-Only class.
RITUALS
Learn Truename
Some say it is the most powerful thing to know about an individual. Some say it is the name of the soul. It defines an individual. Once you emerge from your meditation in the Akashik Memory, a truename will be revealed to you.
Level 15; Category Scrying
Market Price: 5,000 gp; Component Cost: Special
Time: 1 hour; Duration: Instantenous
Key Skill: Arcana; Requires no Truename

This ritual allows you to learn a creatures truename, regardless of where it is or whether it desires to do so. To perform this ritual succesful, you must make an Arcana check against a DC equal to 15 + the level of the target whose truename you wish to know. The creature makes an Insight check against your result. If succesful, it is aware that someone performed this ritual to learn its truename (and whether the attempt was succesful.)
You gain a bonus to the check of +5 if you use a hair locket, blood or a living blood relative of the creature as focus, and you also reduce the component cost to half.
The component cost depend on the level of the target.
Level 1-10: 2,000 gp; Level 11 to 20: 10,000 gp
Level 21-30: 50,000 gp; Level 31+: 250,000 gp

If you attempt to use this ritual to learn the truename of a God, an Archfey or an Primordial, the the creature immediately becomes aware of this and learns your truename and the ritual fails, and all components are lost.

If you attempt to use this ritual to learn the truename of an unbound, you do learn the fact that he is unbound and the ritual fails, but no components are expended.

Other creatures may use rituals to hide their truename from others.