Level 4 wondrous item conversion

[Pielorinho]

My players stay out!
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I'm running a homebrew adventure, and the level 2 players are about to come across one of my favorite all-time magic items: a decanter of endless water. It should be a level 4 wondrous item, and I'm thinking of giving it the following writeup:

Decanter of Endless Water
Level 4
This glass flask bubbles over with clear water.
Wondrous Item 840 gp
Power (at-will): As a minor action, the decanter can be commanded to create water. It will generate 1 liter of water per minute. Commanding it to stop requires another minor action.
Power (daily): Standard Action. By uttering the command word and pointing the decanter at a target, you cause a gout of water to burst forth.
Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence versus reflex
Hit: 1d6+Intelligence damage, and the target is knocked prone

What do y'all think? On the one hand, the ranged power is pretty weak: it's a daily power that's roughly equivalent to a wizard's 1st-level at-will Ray of Frost (except it knocks the enemy prone instead of slowing, and targets reflex instead of fort). On the other hand, it'd be a nice ranged attack for characters like fighters and warlords who don't generally have much in the way of ranged attacks.

Is it too powerful? Too weak? Too boring?

Also, there's the slight possibility for abuse of the at-will power; hopefully its very slow rate of water generation would preclude most abusive uses.

Daniel

 

[BendBars/LiftGates]

I think the game could use plenty of little items like this. They're classic and they're awesome. And I think your write-up is great. I wouldn't worry overmuch about abuse from the at-will. It's a cube of water 10 cm on a side per minute. It's true that players might use that to do things beyond fill their waterskins, but those would be small and creative enough that they're exactly what makes the game fun (beyond bashing orcs). Coming up with clever ways to use a minor item like this aren't likely to happen reliably or overpoweringly enough to even be considered "abuse."

The only thing that you might worry about is someone turning it on and leaving it on indefinitely, generating an infinite amount of water and omgz flooding teh worldses. I would change the item to say that it generates one gallon per minute (makes the item more useful), but that it automatically shuts off after five minutes (conveniently, one encounter). So, an unattended decanter will leave a noticeable pool of water, but not something stupidly diluvial.

 

[WampusCat43]

Just for giggles, have the at-will have a recharge of so that every now and then it just stops.
"What's wrong with this thing?" (looks inside) WHOOSH!

 

[Pielorinho]

Wampus: ! I might do that: if it's left on too long, it randomly stops working, then spends a round geysering, then goes back to a trickle.

It does need the ability to stay on indefinitely, since they're going to find it at the bottom of a pool that shouldn't otherwise exist. The random geyser might make that a little more interesting. And Bend Bars, I think you're right, that the potential for abuse of the trickle is small enough that if they figure out how to work it, more power to them.

Daniel

 

[TheNinjaD]

Very well done.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

You probably don't want to overcomplicate its function but there is so much fun you can have with this. I'm thinking what if instead of one geyser attack it continues to geyser forth once activated until either "turned off" or the user loses control. Loses control, you ask? How about every round you're holding it as it's geysering it attacks your own Fortitude and if it succeeds YOU'RE knocked prone by the reactive force. Once you're knocked prone, drop it, etc. it stops, which also means you can't leave it geysering forever. Even if you say it can last up to the end of an encounter, it's going to roll a 20 long before that, on average.

What if it doesn't do any damage at all but rather pushes the opponent back in addition to knocking prone?

Maybe stipulate that you cannot have other characters interposed (i.e. along the line of effect) since you shouldn't be able to geyser someone behind someone else.

Maybe instead of all the above just model it after Thunderwave? You get to attack a host of enemies and push them back but if that same attack roll beats your Fort no damage but you're knocked prone.

I like items that in the balance are useful/fun to own but have some drawback built in like that.