Goruksblain (Item Aproval)[Aproved]

[Knight Otu]

Also, the "curse" that nonintelligent undead attack the bearer is actually an incredibly overpowered benefit in most situations, but that's a minor quibble.

Incredibly overpowered benefits are minor quibbles?

Interesting item. I'll think over it.

 

[Bront]

I like the sense option, as it's definately more of a drawback, and even potentialy non-evil undead may sense it and not like it, complicating encounters with them.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Incredibly overpowered benefits are minor quibbles?

Interesting item. I'll think over it.

Yup--overpowered does not mean it will break the game. It would just mean I wouldn't allow it even more against undead (which incidentally would suck, since it's only best against them)

 

[Patlin]

non-evil undead

They're strictly a myth! (And Deathless are a seperate creature type, too.)

 

[Rystil Arden]

They're strictly a myth! (And Deathless are a seperate creature type, too.)

Nope--there are definitely good liches who endure the negative energy that animates them to stay alive (see archlich template) and those blasted good-vampire-loner-struggling-with-the-bloodlust types.

 

[Knight Otu]

They're strictly a myth! (And Deathless are a seperate creature type, too.)

The ghost template would like to have a word with you.

 

[Patlin]

Bah! Humbug! Rules notwithstanding, they're all bad!

And those loner vampires have to be cursed by gypsies, anyway, so they hardly count!

 

[Rystil Arden]

Bah! Humbug! Rules notwithstanding, they're all bad!

And those loner vampires have to be cursed by gypsies, anyway, so they hardly count!

Whereas I say bah humbug to deathless I much prefer to keep the undead type open for nonevil restless spirits, and so trying to make it black and white by introducing deathless was a dumb idea in my book. Does it work for the Undying Court in Eberron as a special case? Yes, definitely. But "Deathless as good undead" found commonly is just dumb, imo.

 

[Knight Otu]

I think I can vote Yes to the item, with the option that the DM can have the item sleep if he prefers.

 

[Patlin]

Goruksblain has the following statistics:

+2 Cold Iron Undead Bane Warhammer (Base: 20,000 gp)
NG, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 17 with 120' Darkvision and Hearing (+9,000 gp)
Can Use Detect Magic at Will (+3,600 gp)
Can Use Faerie Fire 3/day (+1,100 gp)
Can use Cure Moderate Wounds on Wielder 3/day (+6,500 gp)
Special Purpose: Destroy Liches
Special Purpose Power: Item Can Cast Freedom of Movement on wielder (+Undefined, about 50,000)
Ego: 16

Goruksblain is good aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. (+1,000 gp?)

Goruksblain can recognize a Lich's phylactery on sight. (+2,000 gp?)

Aproximate value before cursed properties: 93,200 gp

Cursed Properties
Owner is unable to get rid of item except with the item's consent, which it will normally only grant if it is given to a more powerfull warrior of the correct alignment.
Owner recieves a -5 luck penalty on melee weapon attack rolls when Goruksblain is not in use. For the purpose of this penalty, neither unarmed attacks nor spells count as weapons.
Owner recieves a -3 circumstance penalty on charisma based skill checks.
Nonintelligent undead attack the bearer in preference to all other targets.

Item requires "magical fuel" -- If at least 5 levels worth of spells are not cast into the item each day, it "feeds" off of the owner's life force instead. This effect imposes a -5 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and attack rolls on the owner until the warhammer is properly "fed." Any spell or spell like ability can be used to feed the item, 0th level spells counting as 1/2 a spell level. For each level of spell fed to the item, the item is repaired 5 hp if it was damaged.

Why a proposal
This is a plot driven item, and as such is likely to throw off the wealth/level of whoever gets it. Proposed solution:

Fluctuating power -- Goruksblain tends to occasionally "sleep." When sleeping, it's game statistics become those of +2 Cold Iron Warhammer, cursed so as to be impossible to get rid of. All other properties become dormant. Any DM may decide whether or not the hammer is awake or asleep during his module. (Though I would sort of hope it would at least wake up if the wielder was confronting a lich! By the time that becomes a likely encounter, though, the warhammer will not be quite as obnoxiously outside the wealth guidelines.)

This post is to preserve the state of things up to this point, so I can modify the first post based on the input recieved so far.