The Tear of Hope / Ilse’s Shard... trying to encourage RP via magic items.
In the campaign I am DM'ng we have a player that I'm attempting to encourage to role-play and have a bit more interaction with the group and with NPC's. When he does interact, he does well, but he's extremely shy and is obviously not confident about his role-playing abilties. Of course... practive makes perfect
. I have discussed this with him, but I don't want him to feel forced by edict to role-play. I just said it was simply something to keep in mind when he plays.
The character is a 1st level cleric of Ilmater and a 4th level monk. The character is definately very focused on doing good deeds and has a kind and gentle heart that wishes to help those around him. Since the party is 5th level now and they have yet to get any magical items, I thought that the next adventure should include a handful of interesting items (including the one below).
Anyway, I try to squeeze alot of role-playing out of my players (all the players know from the beginning that this is a major focus in my games, so they've been warned). I was giving thought to this issue and I came up with an item that will subtly and covertly encourage this player. Below is the item, complete with illustration I did in Photoshop.
I'm not sure if it's too powerful as a whole... The main thing that has me worried is making the monk's melee attacks "Holy"... +2d6 is alot of damage. Is there any previous magical ability or item that allows a monk to have a weapon bonus (ie Holy, Flaming, etc) on his unarmed attacks?
Comments, suggestions and ideas are more then welcome
The Tear of Hope / Ilse’s Shard:
This glittering shard was created by the powerful Netherese enchantress Ilse, as a gift to her paladin-husband Utho. Utho possessed the item until Baatezu assassins, seeking vengeance on the paladin, killed him. The shard was spirited to the first layer of hell and hidden away in a small keep, along with a few other powerful magical items of good. There it remained until the keep was assaulted by Selune’s Knights, a group of powerful adventurers, which returned the shard to the realms. The adventurer’s renamed the shard The Tear of Hope and it was in their possession for two years before it was lost again. Selune’s Knights traveled to the Dragonspine Mountains to slay Faesilous, a red dragon that had been harassing the Moonsea and the Dalelands area. It was a trip the Knights never returned from and the shard was never seen again.
The Tear of Hope is a small diamond shaped faceted shard that glitters with silvery-white light. When placed on the palm of a good-aligned creature it melds into the hand of the wielder leaving a stylized silver diamond mark on the back of the hand. The wielder may remove the shard, if he so wishes. The mark grants the wielder several abilities. First it gives a +5 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks. It bestows the Creature Loresight ability three times a day. It allows the user to Reform evil creatures once a day. Lastly, the mark deals an additional 1d6 points of damage against any evil outsider or undead that is struck by an unarmed attack, this is in addition to unarmed attack damage. This power makes the wielder’s unarmed attacks good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction.
Reform: The wielder has the ability to use logic, moral lessons, persuasion, and kindness to turn someone from the path of evil. After the wielder speaks with an evil creature individually for at least one hour per day, for one day per level of the creature, the creature must make a Will saving throw (Difficulty Class equals your Diplomacy skill bonus). If the saving throw fails, the creature moves one step in alignment closer to the wielder’s alignment. For example, if a lawful good cleric attempts to reform a captive chaotic evil umber hulk, a failed save results in the umber hulk’s alignment changing to either neutral evil or chaotic neutral, as the DM considers appropriate. Further successful attempts at reformation move the creature’s alignment closer toward yours. The reformed creature suffers no penalties for changing alignment. The Difficulty Class is further modified by penalties or bonuses that the DM deems appropriate. Reforming an evil human may be easier than reforming a dark elf, which may be easier than reforming a night hag. (Some creatures, like demons, may very well be impossible to reform.) Further, conditions can modify the saving throw by +/–2, depending on how well the wielder treats the creature. A character can attempt to reform only one creature at a time. A creature to be reformed must have Intelligence and Charisma scores of at least 3.
Creature Loresight: Three times a day the wielder may learn something significant about a creature (living or dead) that they touch (Will save DC 15). Go through this list, in order, and the first bit of lore you do not know, you learn through this spell:
1. Creature’s race or type
2. Creature’s name (if none, then skip)
3. Creature’s class (if none, then skip)
4. How the creature died (if not applicable, skip)
5. Creature’s most recent, basic goal (obtain food, carry out the orders of its superior, get some sleep, etc.)
6. Creature’s attitude toward you
7. Creature that this creature interacted with most recently (other than you)
8. Creature’s most valuable possession, if any
9. Location of the creature’s home or lair, if any
10. Creature’s alignment
Multiple uses allow you to gain multiple bits of information. If you know all of the above information, this spell teaches you nothing.
To awaken the secondary abilities of the shard the wielder must be of at least a 7th level character, give 1,500 experience points to the shard and perform the Ritual of Sanctification. The Ritual of Sanctification requires that the shard be soaked in holy water that has never been exposed to darkness and was created by a good aligned divine caster of no less then 16th level or a celestial of no less then 16 hit dice. The user must then shed no less then 10 hit points worth of his own blood into the holy water. This damage may not be healed in any way except through rest. If the damage is healed any other way the ritual is ruined, and the secondary abilities are lost as are the experience points given.
Holy: The wielder’s body acts as a weapon imbued with holy power. This power makes unarmed attacks good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. Unarmed attacks deal an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of evil alignment.
Sacrifice: Once a day, via touch, the wielder may take on damage that another has suffered. The wielder of the shard suffers only half the amount of damage in turn. Thus if a comrade has lost 12 hit points due to an attack, the wielder may choose to heal 10 points of that damage, taking 5 points of damage himself. Unfortunately, this damage cannot be healed in any way except through rest.
To awaken the third set of abilities of the shard, the wielder must be at least a 10th level character, give 3,500 experience points to the shard and perform the Ritual of Equity. The Ritual of Equity simply requires that the shard taste the tears of a martyr or the tears of deepest sorrow from one that has robbed of justice.
Spell Resistance: This grants the wearer spell resistance 15 while the diamond mark is worn.
Retribution: Once a day, via a touch attack, the wielder may transfer any damage suffered from the Sacrifice ability to an evil aligned opponent. For every point of Sacrifice damage transferred, the target takes 2 points of divine damage.
If this item is held by an evil character, he immediately gains two negative levels. While these negative levels never result in lost levels, they remain as long as the item is held and cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells).
Image is in the next post.
In the campaign I am DM'ng we have a player that I'm attempting to encourage to role-play and have a bit more interaction with the group and with NPC's. When he does interact, he does well, but he's extremely shy and is obviously not confident about his role-playing abilties. Of course... practive makes perfect
. I have discussed this with him, but I don't want him to feel forced by edict to role-play. I just said it was simply something to keep in mind when he plays.The character is a 1st level cleric of Ilmater and a 4th level monk. The character is definately very focused on doing good deeds and has a kind and gentle heart that wishes to help those around him. Since the party is 5th level now and they have yet to get any magical items, I thought that the next adventure should include a handful of interesting items (including the one below).
Anyway, I try to squeeze alot of role-playing out of my players (all the players know from the beginning that this is a major focus in my games, so they've been warned). I was giving thought to this issue and I came up with an item that will subtly and covertly encourage this player. Below is the item, complete with illustration I did in Photoshop.
I'm not sure if it's too powerful as a whole... The main thing that has me worried is making the monk's melee attacks "Holy"... +2d6 is alot of damage. Is there any previous magical ability or item that allows a monk to have a weapon bonus (ie Holy, Flaming, etc) on his unarmed attacks?
Comments, suggestions and ideas are more then welcome
The Tear of Hope / Ilse’s Shard:
This glittering shard was created by the powerful Netherese enchantress Ilse, as a gift to her paladin-husband Utho. Utho possessed the item until Baatezu assassins, seeking vengeance on the paladin, killed him. The shard was spirited to the first layer of hell and hidden away in a small keep, along with a few other powerful magical items of good. There it remained until the keep was assaulted by Selune’s Knights, a group of powerful adventurers, which returned the shard to the realms. The adventurer’s renamed the shard The Tear of Hope and it was in their possession for two years before it was lost again. Selune’s Knights traveled to the Dragonspine Mountains to slay Faesilous, a red dragon that had been harassing the Moonsea and the Dalelands area. It was a trip the Knights never returned from and the shard was never seen again.
The Tear of Hope is a small diamond shaped faceted shard that glitters with silvery-white light. When placed on the palm of a good-aligned creature it melds into the hand of the wielder leaving a stylized silver diamond mark on the back of the hand. The wielder may remove the shard, if he so wishes. The mark grants the wielder several abilities. First it gives a +5 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks. It bestows the Creature Loresight ability three times a day. It allows the user to Reform evil creatures once a day. Lastly, the mark deals an additional 1d6 points of damage against any evil outsider or undead that is struck by an unarmed attack, this is in addition to unarmed attack damage. This power makes the wielder’s unarmed attacks good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction.
Reform: The wielder has the ability to use logic, moral lessons, persuasion, and kindness to turn someone from the path of evil. After the wielder speaks with an evil creature individually for at least one hour per day, for one day per level of the creature, the creature must make a Will saving throw (Difficulty Class equals your Diplomacy skill bonus). If the saving throw fails, the creature moves one step in alignment closer to the wielder’s alignment. For example, if a lawful good cleric attempts to reform a captive chaotic evil umber hulk, a failed save results in the umber hulk’s alignment changing to either neutral evil or chaotic neutral, as the DM considers appropriate. Further successful attempts at reformation move the creature’s alignment closer toward yours. The reformed creature suffers no penalties for changing alignment. The Difficulty Class is further modified by penalties or bonuses that the DM deems appropriate. Reforming an evil human may be easier than reforming a dark elf, which may be easier than reforming a night hag. (Some creatures, like demons, may very well be impossible to reform.) Further, conditions can modify the saving throw by +/–2, depending on how well the wielder treats the creature. A character can attempt to reform only one creature at a time. A creature to be reformed must have Intelligence and Charisma scores of at least 3.
Creature Loresight: Three times a day the wielder may learn something significant about a creature (living or dead) that they touch (Will save DC 15). Go through this list, in order, and the first bit of lore you do not know, you learn through this spell:
1. Creature’s race or type
2. Creature’s name (if none, then skip)
3. Creature’s class (if none, then skip)
4. How the creature died (if not applicable, skip)
5. Creature’s most recent, basic goal (obtain food, carry out the orders of its superior, get some sleep, etc.)
6. Creature’s attitude toward you
7. Creature that this creature interacted with most recently (other than you)
8. Creature’s most valuable possession, if any
9. Location of the creature’s home or lair, if any
10. Creature’s alignment
Multiple uses allow you to gain multiple bits of information. If you know all of the above information, this spell teaches you nothing.
To awaken the secondary abilities of the shard the wielder must be of at least a 7th level character, give 1,500 experience points to the shard and perform the Ritual of Sanctification. The Ritual of Sanctification requires that the shard be soaked in holy water that has never been exposed to darkness and was created by a good aligned divine caster of no less then 16th level or a celestial of no less then 16 hit dice. The user must then shed no less then 10 hit points worth of his own blood into the holy water. This damage may not be healed in any way except through rest. If the damage is healed any other way the ritual is ruined, and the secondary abilities are lost as are the experience points given.
Holy: The wielder’s body acts as a weapon imbued with holy power. This power makes unarmed attacks good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. Unarmed attacks deal an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of evil alignment.
Sacrifice: Once a day, via touch, the wielder may take on damage that another has suffered. The wielder of the shard suffers only half the amount of damage in turn. Thus if a comrade has lost 12 hit points due to an attack, the wielder may choose to heal 10 points of that damage, taking 5 points of damage himself. Unfortunately, this damage cannot be healed in any way except through rest.
To awaken the third set of abilities of the shard, the wielder must be at least a 10th level character, give 3,500 experience points to the shard and perform the Ritual of Equity. The Ritual of Equity simply requires that the shard taste the tears of a martyr or the tears of deepest sorrow from one that has robbed of justice.
Spell Resistance: This grants the wearer spell resistance 15 while the diamond mark is worn.
Retribution: Once a day, via a touch attack, the wielder may transfer any damage suffered from the Sacrifice ability to an evil aligned opponent. For every point of Sacrifice damage transferred, the target takes 2 points of divine damage.
If this item is held by an evil character, he immediately gains two negative levels. While these negative levels never result in lost levels, they remain as long as the item is held and cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells).
Image is in the next post.
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