Battle Standard of the Hungry Blade

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Firstly, is this overpowered for a Level 9 Magic Item Encounter power? Should it be a Daily? Or does it just sound better than what it actually says it does?


Battle Standard of the Hungry Blade

This black pennant bears the symbol of the hungry blade: an axe head with a toothy maw that resembles the silhouette of a dragon’s head. Level 9 Price 4,200 gp Power (Encounter * Zone) Standard Action. When you plant this battle standard in your space or an adjacent square, it creates a zone in a close burst 3. Enemies within the zone when it is created or within the zone at the start of your turn are pulled 2 squares toward the battle standard and slowed until the start of your next turn.The zone lasts until the end of the encounter or until the battle standard is removed from the ground. Any character in or adjacent to the battle standard’s square can remove it from the ground as a standard action. If an enemy attempts to remove the standard, it provokes opportunity attacks from you and your allies. Dragon Magazine 381

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Sounds fine to me - so long as, like other standards, removing it from the ground stops the effect.

After all, it uses a standard action, its a fairly small zone (as standards go), and it pulls and slows people on the beginning of your turn, rather than theirs. Plus, if its really bothersome for the monsters, they can simply pull it up (after all, they'll be right there to do so) - though there is a pretty significant opportunity cost (a standard action, and usually an attack or so back) for doing so.

 

[KarinsDad]

The look on a player's face when an Orc on the other side of the standard from the PC not only pulls it out of the ground with no OA, but also runs away with it the following round. Priceless.

"Hey Grok. There are some adventurers in the front cave handing out magic items!"

 

[Turtlejay]

Man, is there a battle standard that does this backwards? I picture an Invoker of Ioun planting a standard with his God's symbol on it and roaring a challenge, only to have his enemies repulsed from him every round through sheer Divine power.

Man, I love this game.

Jay

 

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

The look on a player's face when an Orc on the other side of the standard from the PC not only pulls it out of the ground with no OA, but also runs away with it the following round. Priceless.

"Hey Grok. There are some adventurers in the front cave handing out magic items!"

Well, given that it is a standard, someone (an ally) should be close by, or it deserves to be taken.

 

[KarinsDad]

Well, given that it is a standard, someone (an ally) should be close by, or it deserves to be taken.

Agreed.

But unless a PC is standing in the exact same square where an OA would be automatic (unlikely for an entire combat due to how much movement occurs), it might be difficult to keep it protected. It would be worth it for a semi-intelligent monster to take it, especially if it could move in and do so without an OA.

And while the melee PCs are moving around taking advantage of the standard, does a monster really care if the Wizard protects it and OAs the monster?

All in all, this item is ok, but not spectacular for a level 9 item. Think about it. The most it does is a) use up a standard action of the PC, b) use up a standard action of an intelligent monster to take it (on the exact same round possibly), c) slow some monsters for a short while, and possibly d) result in an OA.

And if the PC doesn't bring the monsters in right next to the standard, then each monster can use a single slow move to get out of the zone. He has to bring them right next to the standard square in order to ensure that they need to use 2 move actions to get out of the zone.

If the monsters are really dumb, it does more. But for the most part, all it does is bring the monsters in on round x so that they are clumped together and it costs a standard action to do that. Not much different than Come and Get it except that the PC does not get multiple attacks. If the DM doesn't have an intelligent monster pull it out, then the DM is not running his intelligent monsters intelligently.


And since there are no longer any Disarm rules, the monster that does take it can effectively play keep away. You want your magic item back, you have to move past the two big Brutes to get it. In other words, there are a lot of ways for the DM to take advantage of this item once an NPC gets its hands (paws, claws, whatever) on it. I'd have an enemy scarf it up and run away with it every once in a while.