Ancient Relics [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ancient Relics [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Aleolus
08-06-07, 03:45 PM OK, I have three ancient relics I came up with, and I'm wanting to get the opinions of everyone on here about them. Be they good, bad, or indifferent, I want responses, please! OK, here they are.

The Twelve Talismans: This "relic" is actually a collection of tweleve incredibly powerful magic items, each shaped as an octagonal disk with a symbol inscribed on the front. Each symbol is one of the twelve signs of the (OOC: Chinese) Zodiac, and has a coresponding power, described below. To receive the benefit, one must be holding the talisman in their hand and squeeze it, which uses a free action.
Snake: Represents stealth and secrecy. Allows the holder to use Greater Invisibility at will, self only.
Monkey: The trickster. Can polymorph any living creature into any other living creature, or any object into any other object, at will.
Ox: The Ox grants superhuman strength. So long as the character can be considered "equipped" with it (it is mounted in one of their magic item slots or set into their weapon/armor), it grants +2 Str per character level.
Tiger: Spiritual balance. For all purposes concerning alignment, the bearer is considered to be true neutral. This does not cause them to loose class abilities, or prevent them from continuing to take levels in whatever classes they are members of. However, should the Tiger ever be broken while providing it's benefit to a character, that character will be split into two copies of himself, one which is Lawful Good, the other being Chaotic Evil. These two remain separate until the Tiger is used on them again in its broken form, then it must be repaired.
Rabbit Speed. The holder of this talisman is under the constant effect of a Haste spell, and can choose between running as normal, without the need for stamina checks, or double their run rate, using normal rules for running.
Sheep: The sheep grants the ability to send your mind to distant places. At will, the bearer can use Remote Viewing as a spell-like ability.
Rat Brings life to the lifeless. Upon being placed in an object, the Rat casts Animate Object upon that object, caster level 20th, and the effect remains until the Rat is removed.
Horse Expels foreign invaders. Using this talisman has the combined effect of a maxed out Regeneration and Heal effects.
Dog Mans best friend. Utilizing the power of the Dog has the same requirements as utilizing the Ox. When equipped in a body slot, or set into armor or a weapon, the Dog grants the wearer immortality. So long as he has the dog equipped, his age modifiers are reset to when he entered the Adult category, and from this point on, he does not age, nor does he suffer the effects of nonlethal damage. He still has to make saving throws against stuns, and other effects, but he takes no damage from them.
Rooster The Skylord. The Rooster grants it's bearer the ability to use Levitation at will, with the exception that the target does not need to be willing.
Dragon It's a dragon. Nothing more needs to be said. The bearer of the Dragon gains a 30-ft cone of fire as a special attack that can only be emitted from the talisman. This ability follows the same rules as those governing draconic breath weapons, dealing 12d8 fire damage, with a Reflex save for half damage (DC 35).
Pig Represents hidden power. At will, the bearer can send two Burning Ray's, caster level 20th, from his eyes.

The Idol of Bast: These idols were created by the Goddess Bast to help insure that her favored people, the catfolk (RotW), could continue to thrive in the world, despite the incursions and procreative habits of races like the humans. It is a life-sized statue of a cat, made out of obsidion with various colored jems for eyes, sitting down with one claw extended. Anyone who handles the cat carelessly, grabs it by the outstretched claw, or takes any other action the DM deems appropriate, must make a DC 15 reflex save. If the player should fail the save, they take one point of damage, which ignores all armor, damage reduction, and other qualities the character may have to reduce damage. Any character who takes one point of damage from one of these statues has several things change about them. First off, instantly, they get a +4 Dex, and a racial +2 on balance, tumble and jump checks. They also acquire a racial -1 on swim checks. Then, over the course of the next 3d8 hours, they are physically transformed into a feline version of their former self. They acquire the permanent version of lycanthropy, rendering them permanently in the were mode, cat basis. They acquire Feline as a subtype, and gain other transformations as the DM deems appropriate, though fur, ears, claws and a tail are the most common. This effect can be removed through the standard means of removing a curse, via a Remove Curse from a strong enough caster (the idol counts as 20th level for this purpose), Wish or Limited Wish (Limited Wish requires the same amount of time to transform back as it took to change into this form). It also can be removed if the statue that caused it is destroyed. Upon each statues destruction, a cloud of gas is emitted, which is the same color as the statue's eyes, and anyone suffering the effects of this idol within that cloud of gas instantly has the effect removed. Whenever one idol is destroyed, Bast immediately creates a new one in a random point in the world, so as to insure that her catpeople always have a supply of new, fresh members.

The Dewitchery Diamond: This is a very large diamond. It was created by the apprentice to a wizard who was killed by a werewolf. The werewolf was killed as well, then, but not before spreading it's curse to the young nobleman who killed it. The apprentice agreed to do whatever he could to cure the noble, who had to be chained up at night, lest he continue as the werewolf before him had. After much study and work, he created this diamond, believing that it would cure the noble of the curse. They attempted to use it, and it worked, but not as expected. When the lord was touched with the diamond, there was a flash of light, and when they could see again, there were two nobles! One was a normal man, the other a ravening werewolf! Suffice it to say, the noble was killed by his double, and the apprentice barely survived the encounter.
What none of them realized, was what exactly the diamond did. When touched to anyone under the effect of a polymorph or transformation spell, curse or disease of any sort, it creates two exact copies of that character. One of whom is normal, and can assume the form he was "cursed" into at will, the other who is permanently under the full effect of the curse, and can spread it to others.
NthDegree256
08-06-07, 07:46 PM OK, I have three ancient relics I came up with, and I'm wanting to get the opinions of everyone on here about them. Be they good, bad, or indifferent, I want responses, please! OK, here they are.

The Twelve Talismans: This "relic" is actually a collection of tweleve incredibly powerful magic items, each shaped as an octagonal disk with a symbol inscribed on the front. Each symbol is one of the twelve signs of the (OOC: Chinese) Zodiac, and has a coresponding power, described below. To receive the benefit, one must be holding the talisman in their hand and squeeze it, which uses a free action.
Ideally, one must also be Jackie Chan, his niece, or his uncle.

Snake: Represents stealth and secrecy. Allows the holder to use Greater Invisibility at will, self only.
Monkey: The trickster. Can polymorph any living creature into any other living creature, or any object into any other object, at will.
Both of these sound good to me, but....

Ox: The Ox grants superhuman strength. So long as the character can be considered "equipped" with it (it is mounted in one of their magic item slots or set into their weapon/armor), it grants +2 Str per character level. In addition, the wearer can always take a 20 on any strength-related check, including attack rolls, without taking the time usually needed to take a 20. Taking 20 in this way is treated as rolling a natural 20 for all purposes except activating feats or enchantments.
Yipe. Taking 20 on all strength checks, including attack rolls? That's not even just deity-level power, that's Intermediate/Greater Deity-level power. I think the +2 Str/level bonus is pretty darned good already - heck, maybe just make it a flat +10 or something like that.

Tiger: Spiritual balance. For all purposes concerning alignment, the bearer is considered to be true neutral. This does not cause them to loose class abilities, or prevent them from continuing to take levels in whatever classes they are members of.
This one seems kind of weak in comparison; maybe in addition, they are immune to any effects that would magically change their alignment (apart from, say, shattering the talisman?)

Rabbit Speed. The holder of this talisman is under the constant effect of a Haste spell, and can choose between running as normal, without the need for stamina checks, or double their run rate, using normal rules for running.
Sheep: The sheep grants the ability to send your mind to distant places. At will, the bearer can use Remote Viewing as a spell-like ability.
Sounds good.

Rat Brings life to the lifeless. Upon being placed in an object, the Rat casts Animate Object upon that object, caster level 20th, and the effect remains until the Rat is removed.
Horse Expels foreign invaders. Using this talisman has the combined effect of a maxed out Regeneration and Heal effects.
Which one did they use in the show for the Stone-To-Flesh effect? It was the Horse, right?

Dog Mans best friend. Utilizing the power of the Dog has the same requirements as utilizing the Ox. When equipped in a body slot, or set into armor or a weapon, the Dog grants the wearer immortality. So long as he has the dog equipped, his age modifiers are reset to when he entered the Adult category, and from this point on, he does not age, nor does he suffer the effects of nonlethal damage. He still has to make saving throws against stuns, and other effects, but he takes no damage from them.
Rooster The Skylord. The Rooster grants it's bearer the ability to use Levitation at will, with the exception that the target does not need to be willing.
Dragon It's a dragon. Nothing more needs to be said. The bearer of the Dragon gains a 30-ft cone of fire as a special attack that can only be emitted from the talisman. This ability follows the same rules as those governing draconic breath weapons, with a Reflex save DC of 35 for half damage.
How much damage, though?

Pig Represents hidden power. At will, the bearer can send two Burning Ray's, caster level 20th, from his eyes.
HEAT BEAM EYE BLAST!

I have no idea if these other two items are inspired by anything...
The Idol of Bast: These idols were created by the Goddess Bast to help insure that her favored people, the catfolk (RotW), could continue to thrive in the world, despite the incursions and procreative habits of races like the humans. It is a life-sized statue of a cat, made out of obsidion with various colored jems for eyes, sitting down with one claw extended. Anyone who handles the cat carelessly, grabs it by the outstretched claw, or takes any other action the DM deems appropriate, must make a DC 15 reflex save. If the player should fail the save, they take one point of damage, which ignores all armor, damage reduction, and other qualities the character may have to reduce damage. Any character who takes one point of damage from one of these statues has several things change about them. First off, instantly, they get a +4 Dex, and a racial +2 on balance, tumble and jump checks. They also acquire a racial -1 on swim checks. Then, over the course of the next 3d8 hours, they are physically transformed into a feline version of their former self. They acquire the permanent version of lycanthropy, rendering them permanently in the were mode, cat basis. They acquire Feline as a subtype, and gain other transformations as the DM deems appropriate, though fur, ears, claws and a tail are the most common. This effect can be removed through the standard means of removing a curse, via a Remove Curse from a strong enough caster (the idol counts as 20th level for this purpose), Wish or Limited Wish (Limited Wish requires the same amount of time to transform back as it took to change into this form). It also can be removed if the statue that caused it is destroyed. Upon each statues destruction, a cloud of gas is emitted, which is the same color as the statue's eyes, and anyone suffering the effects of this idol within that cloud of gas instantly has the effect removed. Whenever one idol is destroyed, Bast immediately creates a new one in a random point in the world, so as to insure that her catpeople always have a supply of new, fresh members.
Wouldn't having them turn permanently into catfolk rather than werecats be more appropriate to the item's purpose?

The Dewitchery Diamond: This is a very large diamond. It was created by the apprentice to a wizard who was killed by a werewolf. The werewolf was killed as well, then, but not before spreading it's curse to the young nobleman who killed it. The apprentice agreed to do whatever he could to cure the noble, who had to be chained up at night, lest he continue as the werewolf before him had. After much study and work, he created this diamond, believing that it would cure the noble of the curse. They attempted to use it, and it worked, but not as expected. When the lord was touched with the diamond, there was a flash of light, and when they could see again, there were two nobles! One was a normal man, the other a ravening werewolf! Suffice it to say, the noble was killed by his double, and the apprentice barely survived the encounter.
What none of them realized, was what exactly the diamond did. When touched to anyone under the effect of a polymorph or transformation spell, curse or disease of any sort, it creates two exact copies of that character. One of whom is normal, and can assume the form he was "cursed" into at will, the other who is permanently under the full effect of the curse, and can spread it to others.
I think my issue with this one would be that, if the true function of the diamond is discovered, it would become a pretty effective means of curing lycanthropy - tie up the guy suffering from the curse, hit him with the diamond, coup de grace the one that's all furry and angry. In addition, I feel like you should have to give up the alternate form to be rid of the curse - this is just a win-win proposition as it is now, getting to keep all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks. I think it would be more interesting if A.) the person was literally split into their cursed and non-cursed forms, and B.) had to face their cursed form alone and defeat it to cure themselves. But that's just me.
Aleolus
08-07-07, 12:41 AM Wouldn't having them turn permanently into catfolk rather than werecats be more appropriate to the item's purpose?

Well, that basically is what it does. I was told it was DM discretion if lycanthropy was transforming back and forth or being permanently in one form.

I think my issue with this one would be that, if the true function of the diamond is discovered, it would become a pretty effective means of curing lycanthropy - tie up the guy suffering from the curse, hit him with the diamond, coup de grace the one that's all furry and angry. In addition, I feel like you should have to give up the alternate form to be rid of the curse - this is just a win-win proposition as it is now, getting to keep all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks. I think it would be more interesting if A.) the person was literally split into their cursed and non-cursed forms, and B.) had to face their cursed form alone and defeat it to cure themselves. But that's just me.

Well, the first one is what happens. And, if you are alone when you use it, you do have to beat it (if it's Lycanthropy you're curing). But, you couldn't just "tie them down," because the two halves get split in opposite directions, forcing apart any bindings they may have on them. Therefore, if you use it to cure a werewolf or a werebear, then you have to beat the were form after curing the normal person.
NthDegree256
08-07-07, 01:00 AM Well, that basically is what it does. I was told it was DM discretion if lycanthropy was transforming back and forth or being permanently in one form.
Not quite; changing back and forth is based on either the circumstances (so, I suppose, DM's discretion as to whether tonight is a full moon!) or on deliberately shifting (you can take ranks in a skill for it.) The real issue is that your alignment, sooner or later, shifts to that of the base creature (Chaotic Evil for a werewolf, True Neutral for a weretiger, etc) and at that point, it might be DM's discretion as to whether or not the character becomes an NPC. At no point, however, is a lycanthrope permanently stuck in one form; the whole point is that they can change back and forth. :)

Anyway, my point was more that the weretiger doesn't have the same racial stats as a catfolk, so I was just wondering if it would make more sense to change their race to catfolk rather than apply the weretiger template. Actually, looking at your original post again, I think the simplest answer is to just toss out the reference to "lycanthropy", since there is no permanent version in the rules, and it might be misleading.

Well, the first one is what happens. And, if you are alone when you use it, you do have to beat it (if it's Lycanthropy you're curing). But, you couldn't just "tie them down," because the two halves get split in opposite directions, forcing apart any bindings they may have on them. Therefore, if you use it to cure a werewolf or a werebear, then you have to beat the were form after curing the normal person.
Fair enough. I just tend to look at things from the "well, how would a powergamey player try to use this to their advantage?"

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aleolus 08-06-07, 03:45 PM	OK, I have three ancient relics I came up with, and I'm wanting to get the opinions of everyone on here about them. Be they good, bad, or indifferent, I want responses, please! OK, here they are. The Twelve Talismans: This "relic" is actually a collection of tweleve incredibly powerful magic items, each shaped as an octagonal disk with a symbol inscribed on the front. Each symbol is one of the twelve signs of the (OOC: Chinese) Zodiac, and has a coresponding power, described below. To receive the benefit, one must be holding the talisman in their hand and squeeze it, which uses a free action. Snake: Represents stealth and secrecy. Allows the holder to use Greater Invisibility at will, self only. Monkey: The trickster. Can polymorph any living creature into any other living creature, or any object into any other object, at will. Ox: The Ox grants superhuman strength. So long as the character can be considered "equipped" with it (it is mounted in one of their magic item slots or set into their weapon/armor), it grants +2 Str per character level. Tiger: Spiritual balance. For all purposes concerning alignment, the bearer is considered to be true neutral. This does not cause them to loose class abilities, or prevent them from continuing to take levels in whatever classes they are members of. However, should the Tiger ever be broken while providing it's benefit to a character, that character will be split into two copies of himself, one which is Lawful Good, the other being Chaotic Evil. These two remain separate until the Tiger is used on them again in its broken form, then it must be repaired. Rabbit Speed. The holder of this talisman is under the constant effect of a Haste spell, and can choose between running as normal, without the need for stamina checks, or double their run rate, using normal rules for running. Sheep: The sheep grants the ability to send your mind to distant places. At will, the bearer can use Remote Viewing as a spell-like ability. Rat Brings life to the lifeless. Upon being placed in an object, the Rat casts Animate Object upon that object, caster level 20th, and the effect remains until the Rat is removed. Horse Expels foreign invaders. Using this talisman has the combined effect of a maxed out Regeneration and Heal effects. Dog Mans best friend. Utilizing the power of the Dog has the same requirements as utilizing the Ox. When equipped in a body slot, or set into armor or a weapon, the Dog grants the wearer immortality. So long as he has the dog equipped, his age modifiers are reset to when he entered the Adult category, and from this point on, he does not age, nor does he suffer the effects of nonlethal damage. He still has to make saving throws against stuns, and other effects, but he takes no damage from them. Rooster The Skylord. The Rooster grants it's bearer the ability to use Levitation at will, with the exception that the target does not need to be willing. Dragon It's a dragon. Nothing more needs to be said. The bearer of the Dragon gains a 30-ft cone of fire as a special attack that can only be emitted from the talisman. This ability follows the same rules as those governing draconic breath weapons, dealing 12d8 fire damage, with a Reflex save for half damage (DC 35). Pig Represents hidden power. At will, the bearer can send two Burning Ray's, caster level 20th, from his eyes. The Idol of Bast: These idols were created by the Goddess Bast to help insure that her favored people, the catfolk (RotW), could continue to thrive in the world, despite the incursions and procreative habits of races like the humans. It is a life-sized statue of a cat, made out of obsidion with various colored jems for eyes, sitting down with one claw extended. Anyone who handles the cat carelessly, grabs it by the outstretched claw, or takes any other action the DM deems appropriate, must make a DC 15 reflex save. If the player should fail the save, they take one point of damage, which ignores all armor, damage reduction, and other qualities the character may have to reduce damage. Any character who takes one point of damage from one of these statues has several things change about them. First off, instantly, they get a +4 Dex, and a racial +2 on balance, tumble and jump checks. They also acquire a racial -1 on swim checks. Then, over the course of the next 3d8 hours, they are physically transformed into a feline version of their former self. They acquire the permanent version of lycanthropy, rendering them permanently in the were mode, cat basis. They acquire Feline as a subtype, and gain other transformations as the DM deems appropriate, though fur, ears, claws and a tail are the most common. This effect can be removed through the standard means of removing a curse, via a Remove Curse from a strong enough caster (the idol counts as 20th level for this purpose), Wish or Limited Wish (Limited Wish requires the same amount of time to transform back as it took to change into this form). It also can be removed if the statue that caused it is destroyed. Upon each statues destruction, a cloud of gas is emitted, which is the same color as the statue's eyes, and anyone suffering the effects of this idol within that cloud of gas instantly has the effect removed. Whenever one idol is destroyed, Bast immediately creates a new one in a random point in the world, so as to insure that her catpeople always have a supply of new, fresh members. The Dewitchery Diamond: This is a very large diamond. It was created by the apprentice to a wizard who was killed by a werewolf. The werewolf was killed as well, then, but not before spreading it's curse to the young nobleman who killed it. The apprentice agreed to do whatever he could to cure the noble, who had to be chained up at night, lest he continue as the werewolf before him had. After much study and work, he created this diamond, believing that it would cure the noble of the curse. They attempted to use it, and it worked, but not as expected. When the lord was touched with the diamond, there was a flash of light, and when they could see again, there were two nobles! One was a normal man, the other a ravening werewolf! Suffice it to say, the noble was killed by his double, and the apprentice barely survived the encounter. What none of them realized, was what exactly the diamond did. When touched to anyone under the effect of a polymorph or transformation spell, curse or disease of any sort, it creates two exact copies of that character. One of whom is normal, and can assume the form he was "cursed" into at will, the other who is permanently under the full effect of the curse, and can spread it to others.
NthDegree256 08-06-07, 07:46 PM	OK, I have three ancient relics I came up with, and I'm wanting to get the opinions of everyone on here about them. Be they good, bad, or indifferent, I want responses, please! OK, here they are. The Twelve Talismans: This "relic" is actually a collection of tweleve incredibly powerful magic items, each shaped as an octagonal disk with a symbol inscribed on the front. Each symbol is one of the twelve signs of the (OOC: Chinese) Zodiac, and has a coresponding power, described below. To receive the benefit, one must be holding the talisman in their hand and squeeze it, which uses a free action. Ideally, one must also be Jackie Chan, his niece, or his uncle. Snake: Represents stealth and secrecy. Allows the holder to use Greater Invisibility at will, self only. Monkey: The trickster. Can polymorph any living creature into any other living creature, or any object into any other object, at will. Both of these sound good to me, but.... Ox: The Ox grants superhuman strength. So long as the character can be considered "equipped" with it (it is mounted in one of their magic item slots or set into their weapon/armor), it grants +2 Str per character level. In addition, the wearer can always take a 20 on any strength-related check, including attack rolls, without taking the time usually needed to take a 20. Taking 20 in this way is treated as rolling a natural 20 for all purposes except activating feats or enchantments. Yipe. Taking 20 on all strength checks, including attack rolls? That's not even just deity-level power, that's Intermediate/Greater Deity-level power. I think the +2 Str/level bonus is pretty darned good already - heck, maybe just make it a flat +10 or something like that. Tiger: Spiritual balance. For all purposes concerning alignment, the bearer is considered to be true neutral. This does not cause them to loose class abilities, or prevent them from continuing to take levels in whatever classes they are members of. This one seems kind of weak in comparison; maybe in addition, they are immune to any effects that would magically change their alignment (apart from, say, shattering the talisman?) Rabbit Speed. The holder of this talisman is under the constant effect of a Haste spell, and can choose between running as normal, without the need for stamina checks, or double their run rate, using normal rules for running. Sheep: The sheep grants the ability to send your mind to distant places. At will, the bearer can use Remote Viewing as a spell-like ability. Sounds good. Rat Brings life to the lifeless. Upon being placed in an object, the Rat casts Animate Object upon that object, caster level 20th, and the effect remains until the Rat is removed. Horse Expels foreign invaders. Using this talisman has the combined effect of a maxed out Regeneration and Heal effects. Which one did they use in the show for the Stone-To-Flesh effect? It was the Horse, right? Dog Mans best friend. Utilizing the power of the Dog has the same requirements as utilizing the Ox. When equipped in a body slot, or set into armor or a weapon, the Dog grants the wearer immortality. So long as he has the dog equipped, his age modifiers are reset to when he entered the Adult category, and from this point on, he does not age, nor does he suffer the effects of nonlethal damage. He still has to make saving throws against stuns, and other effects, but he takes no damage from them. Rooster The Skylord. The Rooster grants it's bearer the ability to use Levitation at will, with the exception that the target does not need to be willing. Dragon It's a dragon. Nothing more needs to be said. The bearer of the Dragon gains a 30-ft cone of fire as a special attack that can only be emitted from the talisman. This ability follows the same rules as those governing draconic breath weapons, with a Reflex save DC of 35 for half damage. How much damage, though? Pig Represents hidden power. At will, the bearer can send two Burning Ray's, caster level 20th, from his eyes. HEAT BEAM EYE BLAST! I have no idea if these other two items are inspired by anything... The Idol of Bast: These idols were created by the Goddess Bast to help insure that her favored people, the catfolk (RotW), could continue to thrive in the world, despite the incursions and procreative habits of races like the humans. It is a life-sized statue of a cat, made out of obsidion with various colored jems for eyes, sitting down with one claw extended. Anyone who handles the cat carelessly, grabs it by the outstretched claw, or takes any other action the DM deems appropriate, must make a DC 15 reflex save. If the player should fail the save, they take one point of damage, which ignores all armor, damage reduction, and other qualities the character may have to reduce damage. Any character who takes one point of damage from one of these statues has several things change about them. First off, instantly, they get a +4 Dex, and a racial +2 on balance, tumble and jump checks. They also acquire a racial -1 on swim checks. Then, over the course of the next 3d8 hours, they are physically transformed into a feline version of their former self. They acquire the permanent version of lycanthropy, rendering them permanently in the were mode, cat basis. They acquire Feline as a subtype, and gain other transformations as the DM deems appropriate, though fur, ears, claws and a tail are the most common. This effect can be removed through the standard means of removing a curse, via a Remove Curse from a strong enough caster (the idol counts as 20th level for this purpose), Wish or Limited Wish (Limited Wish requires the same amount of time to transform back as it took to change into this form). It also can be removed if the statue that caused it is destroyed. Upon each statues destruction, a cloud of gas is emitted, which is the same color as the statue's eyes, and anyone suffering the effects of this idol within that cloud of gas instantly has the effect removed. Whenever one idol is destroyed, Bast immediately creates a new one in a random point in the world, so as to insure that her catpeople always have a supply of new, fresh members. Wouldn't having them turn permanently into catfolk rather than werecats be more appropriate to the item's purpose? The Dewitchery Diamond: This is a very large diamond. It was created by the apprentice to a wizard who was killed by a werewolf. The werewolf was killed as well, then, but not before spreading it's curse to the young nobleman who killed it. The apprentice agreed to do whatever he could to cure the noble, who had to be chained up at night, lest he continue as the werewolf before him had. After much study and work, he created this diamond, believing that it would cure the noble of the curse. They attempted to use it, and it worked, but not as expected. When the lord was touched with the diamond, there was a flash of light, and when they could see again, there were two nobles! One was a normal man, the other a ravening werewolf! Suffice it to say, the noble was killed by his double, and the apprentice barely survived the encounter. What none of them realized, was what exactly the diamond did. When touched to anyone under the effect of a polymorph or transformation spell, curse or disease of any sort, it creates two exact copies of that character. One of whom is normal, and can assume the form he was "cursed" into at will, the other who is permanently under the full effect of the curse, and can spread it to others. I think my issue with this one would be that, if the true function of the diamond is discovered, it would become a pretty effective means of curing lycanthropy - tie up the guy suffering from the curse, hit him with the diamond, coup de grace the one that's all furry and angry. In addition, I feel like you should have to give up the alternate form to be rid of the curse - this is just a win-win proposition as it is now, getting to keep all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks. I think it would be more interesting if A.) the person was literally split into their cursed and non-cursed forms, and B.) had to face their cursed form alone and defeat it to cure themselves. But that's just me.
Aleolus 08-07-07, 12:41 AM	Wouldn't having them turn permanently into catfolk rather than werecats be more appropriate to the item's purpose? Well, that basically is what it does. I was told it was DM discretion if lycanthropy was transforming back and forth or being permanently in one form. I think my issue with this one would be that, if the true function of the diamond is discovered, it would become a pretty effective means of curing lycanthropy - tie up the guy suffering from the curse, hit him with the diamond, coup de grace the one that's all furry and angry. In addition, I feel like you should have to give up the alternate form to be rid of the curse - this is just a win-win proposition as it is now, getting to keep all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks. I think it would be more interesting if A.) the person was literally split into their cursed and non-cursed forms, and B.) had to face their cursed form alone and defeat it to cure themselves. But that's just me. Well, the first one is what happens. And, if you are alone when you use it, you do have to beat it (if it's Lycanthropy you're curing). But, you couldn't just "tie them down," because the two halves get split in opposite directions, forcing apart any bindings they may have on them. Therefore, if you use it to cure a werewolf or a werebear, then you have to beat the were form after curing the normal person.
NthDegree256 08-07-07, 01:00 AM	Well, that basically is what it does. I was told it was DM discretion if lycanthropy was transforming back and forth or being permanently in one form. Not quite; changing back and forth is based on either the circumstances (so, I suppose, DM's discretion as to whether tonight is a full moon!) or on deliberately shifting (you can take ranks in a skill for it.) The real issue is that your alignment, sooner or later, shifts to that of the base creature (Chaotic Evil for a werewolf, True Neutral for a weretiger, etc) and at that point, it might be DM's discretion as to whether or not the character becomes an NPC. At no point, however, is a lycanthrope permanently stuck in one form; the whole point is that they can change back and forth. :) Anyway, my point was more that the weretiger doesn't have the same racial stats as a catfolk, so I was just wondering if it would make more sense to change their race to catfolk rather than apply the weretiger template. Actually, looking at your original post again, I think the simplest answer is to just toss out the reference to "lycanthropy", since there is no permanent version in the rules, and it might be misleading. Well, the first one is what happens. And, if you are alone when you use it, you do have to beat it (if it's Lycanthropy you're curing). But, you couldn't just "tie them down," because the two halves get split in opposite directions, forcing apart any bindings they may have on them. Therefore, if you use it to cure a werewolf or a werebear, then you have to beat the were form after curing the normal person. Fair enough. I just tend to look at things from the "well, how would a powergamey player try to use this to their advantage?"