Do you use Intelligent Magical Items in your campaign?

[Valen]

Intelligent Items? Sure! Intelligent Players? Well...

In a previous campaign I was in, another player had an intelligent axe that she always bickered with. I loved watching their interaction so much that as soon as I started a campaign, I gave a slight variant of the weapon to one of my players.

Its wielder is the only character that can hear the axe when it speaks. However, the player essentially treats the axe's attempts to communicate as background noise that seems to drown out the smashing of bones, when he hits things with it.

Oh well.

I am considering giving a player intelligent armor, now that would be interesting.

 

[WanderingMonster]

An intelligent and talking bag of holding with +10 Appraise and the ability to detect magic. The bad side? It yells out whatever you put in it. The players nicknamed it "Patches".

 

[Destil]

I tend to use a smattering of them. The're a bit tricky to incoperate, since each is it's own charachter, not just some loot. I really try and vary them, as well. I have an Intelegent Katana that only has semi-empathy, often giving the player a strong emotional signial as it's only responce, which has provoked some rather good role-playing when he responds, "I know frostwrath. I don't like it either" and has often given me a foil to alow some interation & get a bit more responce from someone who's a bit lone-wolfish and wonders off on his own. On the oppsite end of the spectrum is Shaladron, Agis of Minios Celendral, protector of the Sea-side runis of old Elthashar who simply won't shut up. He was a great way for me to give the players a lot of information on the area their in's history ("I was there, I remember the marching elven line in shining armour, the starlight our priests had within their weapons! Don't lecture me on history, wyrmling!") and also simply get the group into troubble from time to time, as he would NEVER back down from a fight (he sounds a lot like the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and sends out the same sort of silly threats when his wielder falls back from melee. "Hey! Get back in there! I'll bash his arms in, I will!").

 

[FungiMuncher]

I once had an intelligent sword in my campaign. It was strong willed, purely evil, and would suck souls as a special effect (inflicting negative levels). The party was fighting a half-dragon who owned it. Somehow, the half-dragon dropped it (either a fumble or a disarm - can't remember which). One of the clerics picked up. He had a good will save, so was not dominated by the sword.

However, the player totally freaked by its attempt, and immediately passed it off to one of the low-will-saves fighters, who happened to be the nearest person. Well, the sword was able to dominate the fighter, and he quickly went on a rampage. He dropped a couple characters before the party was able to subdue him. The party then ran away as the half-dragon was still around.

The players have been completely skittish with intelligent items ever since. Total fun!

FM

 

[Graf]

Virtually every serious magic item in the campaign is at least minimally intelligent. I have whole kingdoms that revolve around intelligent magic items. One of the most important myth narratives in the campaign involves intelligent magic items. Heck, the planet itself is by some myth narratives an intelligent magic item.

Dang I wish I had had the time to submit my setting.

My curiousity is piqued. Tell us more?

(haven't got anything intelligent in my game. Its a battle just to play all the NPCs people encounter properly. I think its probably pretty irritating if the DM is constantly having conversations with themselves. Lots of good ideas in the thread though. May change my mind...)

 

[BluWolf]

I use them rarely as they are usually minor artiact quality items. Well truly intellgent speaking types that is.

Most above average weapons will at most be empathic.

I only bring the speaking ones into play if I'm ready to play another NPC full time on a regular basis.

As a player I've only had three intelligent items in 20 years.

An Empathic Slaad Bane Longsword (Expatias)

An Empathic Evil bane (well 1st edition equivalent) Bastard sword named Namring

And a +3 speaking Ear ring of protection (2nd edition). That one was pretty cool.

 

[Incenjucar]

...I've occassionally considering an intelligent magical weapon that can shift into being a construct, using its own powers as a being. Sword of Dancing indeed.

 

[Chrisling]

I frequently have intelligent items. Usually, though, though, it doesn't affect the game at all and often the player has no idea whatsoever that the item they have is "intelligent."

In the current Planescape game I'm running, there's a whole category of items -- "spirit forged" -- that are all sorta intelligent, as they are forged from Outsiders.

So, that'd be a big "yes" to intelligent magic items.

 

[Haakon]

But what if they are possesive.....

One of my friend's charaters had an intelligent sword and it didn't like the fact he also had a magic axe which he used more often. It kept calling the axe "The Hussy" and was quite smugg when the axe got destroyed.

 

[Thanee]

We have one intelligent weapon found each in two campaigns.

One of them ended up being thrown into a swamp, because the wielder got tired of its neverending mockeries!

Bye
Thanee