BoVD woes

[Crothian]

Had there been any artifacts in the game before this event took place? If not, the DM is being at least somewhat arbitrary in how this situation came about. The elimination of fun without checks and balances is not good DMing.

It is all about trust. I don't want a DM I have to hold accountiable. I want a DM that I don't have to worry about those things because I can trust him to always provide the fun. And there is nothing wrong with artifacts being used the PCs didn't know about. The PCs don't know everything that goes on in the world.

 

[Sejs]

Now you have to figure who this dead guy is and why he had such a hate-on for you that he was willing to give his own life to gain some vengeance.

Frankly, who cares? Damage is done.

He got his vengeance, and there was nothing you could do to stop him, because he existed under the radar until the bomb went off.

Finding out who he was would be a pretty pyrric victory.

The guy has already won. Kingdom is in ruins and there's nothing you can do to stop, prevent, or reverse it.

 

[Sejs]

It is all about trust. I don't want a DM I have to hold accountiable. I want a DM that I don't have to worry about those things because I can trust him to always provide the fun. And there is nothing wrong with artifacts being used the PCs didn't know about. The PCs don't know everything that goes on in the world.

*nod* You pretty much nailed it.

 

[Crothian]

The guy has already won. Kingdom is in ruins and there's nothing you can do to stop, prevent, or reverse it.

There is always time travel.....

 

[Shadeydm]

Stop, you're breakin' my heart.

The long and short of it comes down to accountability. Players are limited to what resources they are known to have; a PC without an artifact cannot cast the spell, and he is fully subject to the effects because he's under scrutiny. A DM isn't - he can just say ...uh, yeah, of course he has this, and this, and this, because I say so.

Had there been any artifacts in the game before this event took place? If not, the DM is being at least somewhat arbitrary in how this situation came about. The elimination of fun without checks and balances is not good DMing.

Ok so the DM is supposed to submit a list of artifacts to players when the campaign starts Puuleees.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Ok so the DM is supposed to submit a list of artifacts to players when the campaign starts Puuleees.

Characters with high ranks in Knowledge (arcana, religion, or history), or bardic knowledge, should at least have a good idea about "what legendary items have existed in this world and where they were used." Characters with access to Legend Lore should be able to get more of a bead on where such items might be now. And yes, I would say that the DM should have a list of all artifacts in the world with Knowledge or bardic lore DCs to know about each of them, and he should make secret checks to see which ones the PCs know about. Same for high-level NPCs. A bardic knowledge DC of (40-NPC level) is probably fair to have heard something about them. Knowledge (religion) for NPC high priests, (arcana) for archmages, (local) for any local ones, and (nobility/royalty) for rulers and generals.

It's possible, though unlikely, that an artifact could be so obscure that no legends speak of it. And it's possible, though unlikely, that a 17th-level caster could exist but have had so little impact on the world that he had no reputation (perhaps if he was a recent arrival from another plane).

 

[Sejs]

Ok so the DM is supposed to submit a list of artifacts to players when the campaign starts Puuleees.

Hyperbole. Cute.

 

[javcs]

There is always time travel.....

What book is that in?

 

[Crothian]

What book is that in?

Mongoose has a book on a Chronomancers. There have been two PDFs on time travel I've read and reviewed I believe (Blood and Time; and Temporality : Time Travel). Plus there was a time traveling Wizard prestige Class in Advanced Players Guide. There might be more then that, but those are the only d20 sources I know of that have time travel.

 

[Bad Paper]

the ability damage is part of the Corruption component for the spell; in order to cast a spell, a caster must provide all of the components (or find a way of substituting them, like with a Metamagic feat). I would argue that if a creature cannot pay the component cost, they cannot cast the spell. As undead are immune to ability drain and damage, they cannot provide a critical component for this spell, and thus, cannot cast it.

good point. Didn't think of that.