Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kaodi" data-source="post: 5957761" data-attributes="member: 1231">This came up in a thread I started in the Pathfinder forum, but I think it is appropriate here because the mechanic, of course, is straight from D&D. Why is it that all intelligent items seem to have this ability to control their users at least around once every twenty days? Does this not take much of the fun out of intelligent items, and especially intelligent items that disagree with their wielders? Certainly there is call for some magic items being able to take over their wielders in this way. That should probably be a specific ability though, and not a one size fits all add on to the rules. After all, intelligent items are often flavoured as not being merely artificial intelligence, but as being containers or prisons for powerful beings. And if that powerful being could dominate people when it is free, such as dragons, demons, powerful wizards, and such, there would certainly be justification for it being able to keep doing that. But otherwise, nuh-uh. I mean, how would you justify Lumiere being able to control Belle like a puppet just because he was turned into a candlestick?A different strategy I was thinking of for putting control back in the hands of players, while still keeping intelligent items as devious, manipulative force, would be to just apply penalties for actions that go against the wishes of the item. So, as an example: if you are wielding a powerful elf-slaying weapon, and you go into battle against a party of drow and their spider companions, you might get a penalty on attacks made against any opponent who is not an elf until all the elves are dead. So you, as the player, do not have control of your characters actions taken out of your hands, but rather face a substantially worse chance of success when you do not go along with an items wishes.In any case, as intelligent items are often in control of their own abilities, it seems like there is plenty of reason to treat them well, as you would any NPC who you wished to gain the aid of, rather than just giving them control of your character every time you rolled poorly on your Will save.In addition to these points, while I imagine the intelligent item rules were inspired by Elric's sword, perhaps people more widely read in this area than I could go into some of the important historical stuff on intelligent items.</blockquote>

Verification