Items Without Charges Part 2: Ideas

Items of Power

The following are enchanted items hidden in Rhen. Each is unique. Each has its own story. For long years they have waited for the touch of mortal hands. Tread lightly with these items and respect their power.

Weapons

Aglac- Dagger; spend power to deal extra damage; Free Realm

Anmod- Sword; gain fighter abilities; Free Realm

Scyppend- Hammer with damaging and destroying effect (ignore hardness, shape metal without heating it); Free Realm

Konok- Sword that can’t be sheathed while undead are near; Kelet

Hraezla- Sword; when turned on enemies it causes them to become shaken, fail by 5 frightened, can’t be immune; Nord Fyel

Reithi- Sword that comes alight in cold or darkness area spells and banishes them with fire; Nord Fyel

Armor

Endrthaga- Iron shield; when clanged frightens away fae; Nord Fyel

Potions

Demon’s Draught- Potion of black sludge makes you a fiend

Vial of Darkness- (sticky darkness)

Liquid Light- (doorway to Aether)

Rings

Bertalan’s Shroud- Invisible in shadows if one does not move

Valak’s Rings- Grants wearer immunity from anything with an Intuition or Dexterity resistance check.

Scrolls

Transference-A scroll that requires a spell, when cast it fills the target’s mind, which you name.

Bend Reality- Traveling spell, as you read the spell the world begins to change around you. Must roll a Concentration check to succeed finishing the spell

Havren’s Scroll- Turns you into a Havren

Staves

Oswin’s Staff-

Aliz’s Staff-

Wands

Anydros- Sphere that water won’t touch (water in 1 ft. radius). If you cast a spell with it then radius increase 1 ft. per Spell Dice result.

Tarvos- Fear effects increase one step.

Belucan- Casting dispel magic also blocks conjuration spells within the area

Hierdan- Conjured shields also block melee attacks

Adelaida’s Charm- Evocation spells affect the incorporeal

-Each time a spell is used that would activate sympathetic magic, it applies as if cast twice

-Cast all warlock powers as cantrips, but drains Will each time

-Any necromancy spell opens a portal to the Shadow Realm

-Illusion spells are more real, semisolid

-Spells cast at +1 Spell Dice (is not a cantrip, does not trigger identical dice effect; Fatigues user once ½ Power is cast, Exhausts when all Power is expended)

-Dispelling a charm or suggestion spell cast with this wand has a 50% chance of dealing d4 loss of all mental ability scores.

Objects

-A spell that makes writing indecipherable without it.

-Change the luck of items and probabilities to your desires.

-Impedes spellcasting; spells are cast at half the Power spent (maximum 2 Spell Dice).

-A puzzle; if spellcaster attempts to cast a spell on it, the spellcaster becomes trapped.

-Scepter; forces target to adhere to an oath

-Book of spells, filled with warlock spells (can be cast as sorcery spells)

-Statue that comes alive and speaks

-Mirror; when you look into it lose d4 Will. Must best your reflection to get it back. Shattering it makes it impossible to get it back.

-Instrument that bypasses spell resistance

-Ever full mug

-Key that opens any door including enchanted doors as long as there is a keyhole

-Gilded throne, those who sit on it speak with the power of suggestion

-String of Pearls that forces target to speak the truth

-Living lamp lit by a mephit

-Children’s book with rituals

-Book with imprisoned person who is the character in the book.

-Sphere that unerringly shows the desires of one who touches it.

-Fur grants wearer scent and low-light vision. The wearer becomes reluctant to take it off.

-Astrolabe moves time forwards and backward.

-Bracelets that add a mesmerizing quality to dances.

-Whetstone that makes edged weapons keen for a day.

-Spike that destroys growth. Casting a primeval spell on it increases the radius.

Enchanted Places

-Area absent of magic (antimagic field)

-Portal obelisk

-Maze-like forest

Ability Scores

The most common ability scores are strength, dexterity, constitution, charisma, intelligence, and wisdom, or some variation on them, like swapping constitution with vitality. For the Northern Realm, I began with the same ability scores but found it harder and harder to justify constitution. It seems like strength should have that covered. Could someone with a high strength really have a low constitution?

Then there's charisma. You see arguments crop up on forums about skills like bluff and diplomacy, and inevitably it becomes a shouting match between lawyers and 'What happened to role-playing!' I admit, I fall into the latter somewhat, but I'm realizing that if I want to encourage role-playing it should be built into the game. Step one, break up the mental statistics. Wisdom covered too much anyway, so I landed on intellect, intuition, and will. Second, no saves. The thought is, this will help spread out the importance of each ability score. Last, pare down the skills and associate them with players' words and actions, eg. composure.

Then there's luck. What I've noticed with alternative systems are they include things like faith, spirit, and the like. But with the underlying fairytale theme, luck felt like the natural choice, it also feels more like an inherent trait.

So next step, make all ability scores relevant for all characters- or at least useful. That means no dump stats. To make it work, the first thing to do is get rid of proficiencies. Classes already have specific abilities, they don't need to be railroaded into an archetype, right? If I want a smart fighter, why not? Next, tie each one to something important. Dexterity to attacks, initiative, and AC, strength to attacks and life, intellect to the number of spells known and important skills, including one that grants access to spells (even to non-spellcasters), intuition to cantrips, initiative, and perception, will to power and concentration, and last, luck to spell resistance and bonus dice.

It doesn't exactly make the mental stats as important for combat oriented classes, but it does make them viable. Plus, a bonus to initiative, possible spells, power for abilities, and the skills perception and engineering are still pretty damn important. And an added bonus, spellcasters are clearly the most powerful characters in all rpgs, so the very foundation of spellcasters is built on a balancing act of ability scores. All are important to them. Hopefully that means each spellcaster will come out unique without having to rely on a supermix of different classes and prestige classes.

Ultimately that's the goal, balance. The more eloquent the better. I want to avoid arbitrary rules that limit characters. Leaving it up to the players seems like the best way to do that, right?

It Begins