Brave New Planes OOC

[Serpenteye]

How many remaining charges does the rod of Absorption hold? What's its true value?

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

How many remaining charges does the rod of Absorption hold? What's its true value?

It can absorb up to five more spell levels. The true value is difficult to calculate; whether you'd rather have the spells already stored, or the absorptive capability, is subjective.

 

[Endur]

I assumed that the rod was at its maximum value since it was holding 5 9th level spells and can absorb a 5th level. If any of those spells had been burned, it would make sense to reduce the value of the rod proportionately.

It can absorb up to five more spell levels. The true value is difficult to calculate; whether you'd rather have the spells already stored, or the absorptive capability, is subjective.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

That a character may have one signature item which they may upgrade, at a cost equal to the difference in market prices of the final and current items, through a process of meditatio?

I know you already know this but I just found it. There is a feat in the Book of Exulted Deeds that hands this quite well:

Ancestral Relic (pg 39)
You own an ancestral heirloom and can invest it with increasiesg power.

Prerequisites: Any good alignment, character level 3rd.

Benefit: Choose an item you own. The item must be of masterwork quality, and it must be an item that once belonged to a member of your family. Alternatively, the item may have belonged to another person to whom you are somehow connected, such as another member of your religious order.

At any time, you may retreat to a consecrated or hallowed location and spend time in prayer in order to awaken the spirits in your ancestral relic. This requires a sacrifice of valuable items worth the difference between the market price of the magic item your relic will become and the market price of your current relic. This sacrifice does not have to be gold-you can sacrifice magic items or other goods worth the required amount, rather than selling your goods (at half value) to pay for the sacrifice. You must spend 1 day per 1,000 gp value you sacrifice. During this you must spend at least 8 hours each day in prayer or meditation, not stopping to eat or rest.

For example, a 4th-level paladin has a masterwork bastard sword she inherited from her grandfather. She makes sacrifices worth 2,000 gp and spends two days in prayer and fasting in the temple of Heironeous. When she emerges, her devotion has awakened the magic inherent in the blade, making it a +1 bastard sword. When she reaches


7th level, she once again retreats to the temple for 6 days, sacrificng items worth an additional 6,000 gp to make her weapon a +2 bastard sword (market price 8,000 gp). When she reaches 11th level, she can make it a +2 holy bastard sword by making sacrifices with total 24,000 gp (the difference between 32,000 and 8,000 gp) and spending 24 days in prayer.

A character's level dictates the maximum value of his or her Mtral relic, as shown in Table 4-2.

4-2: ANCESTRAL RELIC			

Level	Maxuim Relic Value      Level	Maxuim Relic Value
1st	1,350 gp                12th	44,000 gp
2nd	2,700 gp                13th	55,000 gp
3rd	4,500 gp                14th	75,000 gp
4th	6,500 gp                15th	100,000 gp
6th	9,500 gp                16th	130,000 gp
7th	13,500 gp               17th	170,000 gp
8th	18,000 gp               18th	220,000 gp
9th	24,500 gp               19th	290,000 gp
10th	33,000 gp               20th	380,000 gp

No character may have more than one ancestral relic.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

In essence, what I propose is that each person should have access to this ability, without the requirement of the feat.

 

[Endur]

Yes, but the feat in the BOED has a number of drawbacks for this campaign.

1) Only good characters can have it; at least one of us is neutral.
2) You have to inherit the item from your parents.
3) You have to make prayers (some of our characters don't pray).
4) You have to pray for 1 day for every 1k in price difference. For an epic item, that would require years of prayer.
5) As you yourself mentioned, feats are in short supply. Particularly if you have to choose between an Epic feat and this feat.

It would make more sense to just let every character have one signature item and to let the player decide what it will be and let the player just spend the gold difference without a time requirement. From a play-balance perspective, one signature item seems to work pretty well. Especially since we're epic characters and are expected to be "legendary."

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

1) Only good characters can have it; at least one of us is neutral.
2) You have to inherit the item from your parents.
3) You have to make prayers (some of our characters don't pray).
4) You have to pray for 1 day for every 1k in price difference. For an epic item, that would require years of prayer.
5) As you yourself mentioned, feats are in short supply. Particularly if you have to choose between an Epic feat and this feat.

I posted it so we could have some rules to base are own rules off of.

1) Easily removed.
2) Easily removed again.
3) It’s for game balanced in a normal campaign and can quickly be removed. (Besides that's nearly a years worth of fighting, prayers, etc.4) Handled with the above... and those would be some very sore knees.
5) Very short order I need all that I can get with Brystasia.

It would make more sense to just let every character have one signature item and to let the player decide what it will be and let the player just spend the gold difference without a time requirement. From a play-balance perspective, one signature item seems to work pretty well. Especially since we're epic characters and are expected to be "legendary."

In all honestly I couldn't agree more but we do need to have some type of rules for this. Is there a max you can spend at each level? This was the real reason for posting the feat even though it stops before epic level I thought it could be most helpful.

To be honest their is so many unique rules I would like to see incorporated into this game that I imagine that PA is quite scared to open his email.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Yes, but the feat in the BOED has a number of drawbacks for this campaign.

1) Only good characters can have it; at least one of us is neutral.
2) You have to inherit the item from your parents.
3) You have to make prayers (some of our characters don't pray).
4) You have to pray for 1 day for every 1k in price difference. For an epic item, that would require years of prayer.
5) As you yourself mentioned, feats are in short supply. Particularly if you have to choose between an Epic feat and this feat.

It would make more sense to just let every character have one signature item and to let the player decide what it will be and let the player just spend the gold difference without a time requirement. From a play-balance perspective, one signature item seems to work pretty well. Especially since we're epic characters and are expected to be "legendary."

Thus, the removal of the feat requirement (5), and its attendant requirements (1,2, and 3); the time can also be shortened to 1 day per 10,000 gp, or 100,000 when the abilities being added are epic.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Thus, the removal of the feat requirement (5), and its attendant requirements (1,2, and 3); the time can also be shortened to 1 day per 10,000 gp, or 100,000 when the abilities being added are epic.

Yeah I would agree with this time reduction but technically isn't level 18 and higher epic level items?

Are we going to "rebuild" what we have already or do we just designate what is our item is?

Is the above feat no longer useable? I sort of found another PrC that I really like. (Damn PrC!) Of course a near complete character redesign would really be needed so I doubt it will happen.

 

[Endur]

I don't think a rebuild would be necessary, as having the feat wouldn't have changed any of our magic items. I think you would just have to designate your signature item once you know what it is.

Are we going to "rebuild" what we have already or do we just designate what is our item is?