"Ring, engage the cloaking device" "Aye, aye, captain"

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If an intelligent item is treated as an NPC, and it participates in combat encounters, then it should receive a share of the XP award, right, just like if you brought an NPC fighter along?

Just like a cohort, you mean?

In all, the answer to your question depends on whether NPCs gain experience the same way PCs do.

 

[moritheil]

Unless, of course, you're summoning something that needs to be fast (like, it needs to catch up to something else).

In most situations, however, what you posit is true. However, note that a summoned Earth Elemental will never go before one which is present at the beginning of combat (barring, possibly, surprise).

Right.

"Before" in terms of overall initiative, or "before" in terms of appearing to go before it round-by-round? (And yes, I'm aware the round divider is artificial to most posters here.)

If it's the first, then anything summoned will go "after" any monster that was present at the beginning of combat, since they will be on their first turn when the monster is on its 2nd+ turn. Is this what you mean?

 

[moritheil]

Just like a cohort, you mean?

In all, the answer to your question depends on whether NPCs gain experience the same way PCs do.

I see no reason to invoke the cohort rules. The thing is treasure, and having an intelligent item with useful powers is going to eat up a significant portion of someone's gp.

My mind reels at the thought of granting a player's intelligent sword xp and allowing it to "level up."

 

[Hypersmurf]

My mind reels at the thought of granting a player's intelligent sword xp and allowing it to "level up."

Though it's one way for the DM to allow a signature item to remain as viable at 15th level as it was at 5th.

The fighter's +1 empathic longsword (Bless 3x/day) is nifty at 5th level, but it's likely to get traded in before too long. But if the item gains XP, and gradually becomes a +2 talking Keen longsword (Bless 3x/day, Detect Magic at will), it's still a decent weapon for a 10th level character, without having to specifically get it enhanced by a crafter...

-Hyp.

 

[moritheil]

Though it's one way for the DM to allow a signature item to remain as viable at 15th level as it was at 5th.

The fighter's +1 empathic longsword (Bless 3x/day) is nifty at 5th level, but it's likely to get traded in before too long. But if the item gains XP, and gradually becomes a +2 talking Keen longsword (Bless 3x/day, Detect Magic at will), it's still a decent weapon for a 10th level character, without having to specifically get it enhanced by a crafter...

-Hyp.

Well, the way I do it, it must be enhanced by a crafter and thus eats up GP. The way you're suggesting, it doesn't eat up GP, but it eats up party XP. Either way, the party is giving up something for it.

Unless, of course, you're suggesting that it simply scale with level without ever taking party XP, like a free cohort. That gets into balance issues.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If it's the first, then anything summoned will go "after" any monster that was present at the beginning of combat, since they will be on their first turn when the monster is on its 2nd+ turn. Is this what you mean?

Almost exactly.

Frex, a Summoner wins initiative over Earth Elemental, and begins casting Summon Monster Y. It's a 1 round-casting time spell.

Then, the Earth Elemental goes.

Just before the Summoner's turn, the Sumon Monster Y spell goes off, and his summoned Earth Elemental gets a full round's worth of actions.

Then, the Summoner goes.

Then, the Earth Elemental goes again.

Then, the summoned Earth Elemental.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, the way I do it, it must be enhanced by a crafter and thus eats up GP. The way you're suggesting, it doesn't eat up GP, but it eats up party XP. Either way, the party is giving up something for it.

Unless, of course, you're suggesting that it simply scale with level without ever taking party XP, like a free cohort. That gets into balance issues.

Except that as DM, if the sword is gaining in market value, you simply award less treasure, to keep the party within the expected wealth guidelines

-Hyp.

 

[moritheil]

Except that as DM, if the sword is gaining in market value, you simply award less treasure, to keep the party within the expected wealth guidelines

-Hyp.

That works as well, although it doesn't have the expected oomph of your players being conscious of spending their treasure that way. Hmm . . . actually, that's a dastardly thing to do, as you're forcing them to spend their treasure. I like it!

 

[Shellman]

I would think a Ring of Greater Invisibility or even the Intelligent Ring of Invisibility would be an Artifact only available to epic characters!

I would also consider that at epic levels, there would probably be a fair number of PC's with blindsight or something to counter invisibility.