Magic chess set (Artifact)

[Thurbane]

Need some help with fleshing out an item in my campaign: MY PLAYERS STAY OUT!

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It's a magical chess set, ancient and powerful, that the forces of good and evil (or law and chaos, not quite decided yet) will use to play out an epic game that determines the fate of the world.

Currently, the pieces and board are scattered thoughout my camapign world, with several powerful figures trying to collect them.

Each individual piece has it's own (minor) power, but as more are gathered, the powers start becoming more powerful.

I have ideas in mind for some of the pieces so far:

White Rook (2) - Stoneskin
White Bishop (2) -
White Knight (2) – Knight Move (?)
White King -
White Queen – Holy Smite
White Pawns (8)

Black Rook (2) – Fire Shield
Black Bishop (2) -
Black Knight (2) -
Black King -
Black Queen – Unholy Blight
Black Pawns (8)

Board – (?)

I’m looking for ideas for the individual pieces (not too powerful, nothing more than a 4th level spell 1/day), and powers for when all black pieces, all white pieces, and all pieces (including board) are assembled.

Cheers - T

 

[TheCrazyMuffinMan]

Need some help with fleshing out an item in my campaign: MY PLAYERS STAY OUT!

----------

It's a magical chess set, ancient and powerful, that the forces of good and evil (or law and chaos, not quite decided yet) will use to play out an epic game that determines the fate of the world.

Currently, the pieces and board are scattered thoughout my camapign world, with several powerful figures trying to collect them.

Each individual piece has it's own (minor) power, but as more are gathered, the powers start becoming more powerful.

I have ideas in mind for some of the pieces so far:

White Rook (2) - Stoneskin
White Bishop (2) - Cure Critical
White Knight (2) – Magic Circle against Evil
White King - Restoration
White Queen – Holy Smite
White Pawns (8)- Resistance

Black Rook (2) – Fire Shield
Black Bishop (2) - Inflict Critical
Black Knight (2) -Magic Circle against Good
Black King - Enervation
Black Queen – Unholy Blight
Black Pawns (8)- Touch of Fatigue

Board – (?)

I’m looking for ideas for the individual pieces (not too powerful, nothing more than a 4th level spell 1/day), and powers for when all black pieces, all white pieces, and all pieces (including board) are assembled.

Cheers - T

Does this work?

 

[Thurbane]

Does this work?

Nice suggestions, cheers!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Thurbane, if you have a game store that keeps Dragon in stok check out the current issue (#358), it has a great article in it on Chess that I think you'll like.

 

[Thurbane]

Thurbane, if you have a game store that keeps Dragon in stok check out the current issue (#358), it has a great article in it on Chess that I think you'll like.

Thanks for that, I'm heading into my FLGS tonight, I'll take a look.

 

[Ilium]

Crazy Muffin's suggestions are good. I offer this as an alternative:

The knights (both black and white) let you cast Phantom Steed. One knight gets you the spell at caster level 8, both give you caster level 12 (Air Walk ability)

 

[Shayuri]

I'm thinking that having both rooks, of the same color, could be stoneskin and fire shield... Having one might give Barkskin (white) and Body of the Sun (Black). Though...that kind of hoses black a little. Maybe that Balor spell that wreathes you in fire, but doesn't give protection from anything...

Similarly, one Bishop might give Cure (Inflict) Moderate Wounds, two could upgrade the effect to Critical.

I like the Phantom Steed effect for Knights.

Queens look good...

The King is the crucial piece....perhaps they can break the power limit a bit? Harm and Heal, perhaps?

As for pawns...what if they orbit you like ioun stones, each one giving 5 temp hit points that stack with other pawns (only)? When one's temp HP is depleted, it falls lifeless to the floor until it can be activated again. That sort of makes them similar to how they work in chess...cannon fodder, mostly...useful to block other pieces and be sacrificed, and more useful in greater numbers.

 

[Ilium]

Ooh. I like Shayuri's pawn idea. I was thinking something similar. If you could find a good low-level spell that ramps up in power with caster level, you could use that, and the caster level is equal to the number of pawns you have X2 or something.

 

[Jack Simth]

Ooh. I like Shayuri's pawn idea. I was thinking something similar. If you could find a good low-level spell that ramps up in power with caster level, you could use that, and the caster level is equal to the number of pawns you have X2 or something.

Like Vigor (Psionic Power, not a spell, I know... but it does the job)

For the board, how about a Wall spell (Wall of Ice, Wall of Stone, Wall of Iron, Wall of Force - always limited to a flat, vertical plane, even if the base spell wouldn't be - depending on how many other pieces you have)? It sets your terrain.

 

[Ferrum]

Great artifact idea, and the suggestions so far are very interesting (I especially like the ioun pawns)

Some alternate ideas:

Kings should definitely be beyond the others, but should also be weak offensively. Off the top of my head I'm thinking geas/quest for white, dominate for black (both powerful, but not directly offensive). Also, they could raise the caster level of the other pieces when possessed by the same person.

The board could be a scrying mirror. See what your enemy is plotting?
Putting a piece on the board while scrying could impart the effect upon someone being scryed?