Martial Practice : Blood Demand

[Garthanos]

Debt Curse....Arguably but not necessarily A fae warlock style version of this.... You owe me now and I will call upon this debt at a later time if you prove dishonorable the fates themselves will tear you down

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Debt Curse....Arguably but not necessarily A fae warlock style version of this.... You owe me now and I will call upon this debt at a later time if you prove dishonorable the fates themselves will tear you down

Sounds like a disease track is in there somewhere

 

[Garthanos]

Sounds like a disease track is in there somewhere

That is basically the generic for an Affliction isn't it. Though for the Faelock it might like I will steal away your beauty to match your inner hideousness (people make con saves against nausea interfering with any social checks ) or turned to stone... for those who want a blatant result.

I think I have decided any non minion target the subject has to be bloodied for the affliction to take unless we postulate lesser affliction rules.

Yup its classic fae which is perfect as I want some of these mp/rituals to very much evoke Fae.

That Edict of ownership one will be Dragon flavored just like the Pendragons.

 

[Jhaelen]

Many magic items of myth could only be used by their "rightful" wielder and those of their bloodline ie to me its very much a bloodline / heritage magic. Its basically an ownership claim and the nobility are super huge on ownership... it was a magical thing to them.

Yep.
This actually touches one a pet peeve of mine:
For a lot of D&D's magic items it doesn't make any sense at all that they can be used by anyone. It's particularly unbelievable for items like 'Tomes of Clear Thought' and their ilk. There's absolutely zero chance anyone would ever find one of these simply lying around somewhere. These things would _always_ be created to order or for personal use.

And it's a simple safety precaution to only allow the intended user(s) to actually use magic items. In other RPG systems, e.g. Runequest and Ars Magica that's the default.
Of course it doesn't really fit the common, although rather non-sensical idea of 'magic shops' in D&D.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yep.
This actually touches one a pet peeve of mine:
For a lot of D&D's magic items it doesn't make any sense at all that they can be used by anyone. It's particularly unbelievable for items like 'Tomes of Clear Thought' and their ilk. There's absolutely zero chance anyone would ever find one of these simply lying around somewhere. These things would _always_ be created to order or for personal use.

And it's a simple safety precaution to only allow the intended user(s) to actually use magic items. In other RPG systems, e.g. Runequest and Ars Magica that's the default.
Of course it doesn't really fit the common, although rather non-sensical idea of 'magic shops' in D&D.

Well, D&D's magic system is rooted in being a reward mechanism. Obviously if every time you found an item you couldn't use it, then it wouldn't be a very useful subsystem.

Beyond that though, I think there's PLENTY of precedent in myth and legend for items that can be used by whomever picks them up. However, these stories are so different in character from D&D adventures, that the whole character of the thing is just not the same at all. Anyone MIGHT wield the sword that Beowulf uses to kill Grendel, but heroes are unique, they aren't made by having a certain sword. The sword is just a token or plot device in the story, its not meant to be read as being a commodity.

Obviously there are plenty of items that ARE special to their owners as well, but I never saw that as being really a difficult thing to handle in D&D. There are 2 ways to think about it. One would be to have versions of actual items that you give to the bad guys, or whomever, that just don't work for anyone else. Another way would be to simply explain the supra-mundane abilities of an NPC or monster as being the result of having some kind of unique personal item. You can see this later technique at work with Githyanki and Death Knights, who have special swords.

I'd say 4e is pretty well suited to dealing with this stuff. You can even allow for such items as a form of treasure that can be disenchanted to produce useful residuum. Its just color, but it is a nice touch.

 

[Garthanos]

If a bloodline "ends" unless it is a very special binding which will reach across reincarnations alah Excalibur then any Edict of Ownership might reasonably fail. Then a new wielder might need to attune/bind it to themself.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

If a bloodline "ends" unless it is a very special binding which will reach across reincarnations alah Excalibur then any Edict of Ownership might reasonably fail. Then a new wielder might need to attune/bind it to themself.

Yeah, I'd call Excalibur an artifact. It was associated with the Pendragon kings, and with the end of that line it simply faded out of circulation. However, D&D artifacts have a tendency to reappear when and where needed. It might once again rise out of the lake to grace the hand of a new King, or the promised return of Arthur might bring it back into the world, etc.

You can see this with the classic D&D artifacts, like the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, which appears now and then to buttress some dwarven community against the forces of arrayed against it. Generally these kinds of items are assumed to be 'story items' and not things that are common or, even in 4e, attained by PCs as normal rewards. I really like the whole concept of 'concordance', though I am not sure the mechanics were all that workable.

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, I'd call Excalibur an artifact. It was associated with the Pendragon kings, and with the end of that line it simply faded out of circulation. However, D&D artifacts have a tendency to reappear when and where needed. It might once again rise out of the lake to grace the hand of a new King, or the promised return of Arthur might bring it back into the world, etc.

I like the concept that with something like an Edict of Ownership rite in place it points to the underlying legend and world magic where such mythic things exist... It may not be a here are the rituals to make an Artifact but have the Edict work across a cycle of reincarnation when done by a Demi-god player sort of rings more than a little awesome.

Speaking of making the Edict of Ownership "practical" or have a tactical value I like the idea that this is the enchantment responsible for thrown magic weaponry returning to its owners hand

It could also cause the weapon to cling to its owners grip making disarming impractical .

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I like the concept that with something like an Edict of Ownership rite in place it points to the underlying legend and world magic where such mythic things exist... It may not be a here are the rituals to make an Artifact but have the Edict work across a cycle of reincarnation when done by a Demi-god player sort of rings more than a little awesome.

Speaking of making it "practical" or have a tactical value I like the idea that this is the enchantment responsible for thrown magic weaponry returning to its owners hand

Sure, going to the lake could be seen as being a ritual. I don't remember exactly how its described, but my guess is you could find a version in which there's praying or something like that going on.

So, that could be a form of the Enchant Item ritual, you go to a place of power where you can assert your right to wield a specific item. I think the whole concept of 'enchanting' things (as well as item upgrades) is entirely flavorable in any convenient way. This is another pathway for the DM to obviously allow a player to access Rare items.

In terms of artifacts it would be more like your 'Blood Oath' ritual, but its kinda potato vs potahto. I always liked the ritual/practice system just because it IS so fuzzy.

 

[Garthanos]

In terms of artifacts it would be more like your 'Blood Oath' ritual, but its kinda potato vs potahto. I always liked the ritual/practice system just because it IS so fuzzy.

It could in some cases almost be explicitly connected ie you use the artifact to cut your palm and it bonds with you just as those allies, its about establishing allegiance not ownership... yeh I see what you mean wrt to sentient weapons