Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Talin Enwass 12-12-05, 08:57 AM	As the thread didn't raise any interest in the "what's a dm to do" forum, I'd like to repost it in here. Is the idea really that bad :embarrass ... *snip* Hi... I'm DMing a eberron group, in which there was a player/character change recently... As the characters saw the former member of their party (a warforged fighter whose player moved away) being overwhelmed by an emerald claw bataillon (he covered their retreat from rose quarry in sotlw), I now wan't to bring him back as a dominated minion of garrow... While I first thought of a "regular" encounter, I remembered that scene in the PC Game "deus ex" - in which JC knows the killswitch code of gunther and dispatches him by telling him into his face - and thought of using it for a nice effect... So I thought of implementing a "killswitch" for warforged (actually only for this one, as by the treaty of thronehold, all codes (which were given to the warforged superiors) had to be detroyed). As the warforged in question was designed by the father of the groups dwarven artificer and the two were quite close, I'd like to give the player the code (of course its "laputanermaschine" )and wait what happens... Do you think it works? How would you do it... Greets, T the E
cmanos 12-12-05, 09:22 AM	personally I don't think Warforged would have a word that would turn them off.....and if they did, only the very high members of House Cannith would know it. Granted there is one word I can think of that MAY have the effect you are looking for... Power Word, Kill.
MarkB 12-12-05, 09:24 AM	A killswitch (as seen in Deus Ex) is an extraordinary measure designed by paranoids with no conscience as a means of eliminating disloyal personnel. That being the case, the first question to ask is "does the dwarven PC's father fit the above description?" And the person to ask this of is the dwarf character's player. If you still want to go ahead, I'd suggest implementing it as a wondrous item built into the warforged's chassis, which can be activated by a command word spoken anywhere in audible range. Something like a Necklace of Fireballs, set to 'cook off' all its charges at once on command, seems reasonably in line with the concept.
Dragonmann 12-12-05, 11:32 AM	Craft Contingent Spell Feat, and some high damage effect. To make it more spectacular, you can make it a maximized 10 die fireball, which does 3X damage to the warforged since it is inside him. I know it is out of Faerun originally, but I believe it is in the spell compendium which makes it fair game.
Talin Enwass 12-12-05, 12:25 PM	Hi... thanks for your replies, but it seems like I failed miserably in making my question clear, damn nightshifts, damn meatgrinding machine we call hospital... So my original question (which I didn't mention in the original post) was: Should I just tell the situation to the player beforehand and wait how he deals with the power to kill his friend by muttering a single word, or should I implement a hidden note from the father (witch is probably not very credible)or, or, or... thx, t the e...
DragonWatcher 12-12-05, 04:37 PM	[chanting mantra: "Warforged are not robots... warforged are not robots..."] I would REALLY suggest that you don't set this precident by implimenting some kind of "killswitch" in any warforged. As living constructs, they are just as "alive" as a human PC. Even if we take that bit out of the equation, the fact still remains that if a killswitch of some kind exists for one warforged, then it should exist for all of them. Setting this precident would tell the players, "All you need to do is find the command word to defeat any warforged without an issue." IMO that's just not a good idea. It totally de-values playing a warforged PC, and can set you up to have countless hours wasted at the game table as players bicker over how to find the killswitch for the Lord of Blades (or any other uber-warforged). If you wanted it to be just for this one warforged, how are you going to justify that? Implimenting something like this for one, but not all really ruins the suspension of disbelief. After all, House Cannith really has very little to do with the particulars of creating each warforged. The creation forges handle all of that, and warforged are physically very similar (with the obvious exception of body type and ghuulra). I really think that this would be a can of worms that you don't want to open (or to be more specific, I wouldn't want to open) because it could have far-reaching repurcussions beyond what you currently see. However, if you see them and want to do it anyhow, I do wish you the best of luck. :)
jonthegm 12-12-05, 05:21 PM	Damn the mechanics. If it suits the story, then just have it happen. If it doesn't suit the story, just have it not work. Simple as that.
Crystalforged 12-12-05, 06:29 PM	You said the warforged had become a dominated minion right? Well dominated minions have been known to be rather, difficult, to control in the long term. So maybe his new master, of course wanting to use his new minion against his former allies, would embed some sort of device to ensure his "loyalty" such as the modified necklace of fireballs mentioned by MarkB. Oh and an interesting thought for how to impliment this... You could have the warforged be sent by his new master to attack the party but allow the party to "rescue" him. Now the warforged can lead the other characters to his former master so they can take him out. However since this "Garrow" guy has put the "kill switch" in the warforged when they show up he is just going to take out the warforged. That ought to be heartwrenching for your players, the friend who they thought was dead returns to them only to have him blown to smitherines shortly afterwards:evillaugh.
Raziel_Brokodar 12-13-05, 06:48 PM	[chanting mantra: "Warforged are not robots... warforged are not robots..."] hehehehe!
Edymnion 12-13-05, 08:39 PM	What about having a Necklace of Strangulation with it's powers supressed around the WF's neck, with a command word to re-activate it. Sure, the WF doesn't breath, but you crush it's neck, and it will still die.
Always-Late 12-13-05, 09:41 PM	What about having a Necklace of Strangulation with it's powers supressed around the WF's neck, with a command word to re-activate it. Sure, the WF doesn't breath, but you crush it's neck, and it will still die.That is one expensive killswitch. I'd go with the trigger a fireball tactic.
sooperspook 12-13-05, 10:52 PM	How bout a single use , command word Docent-like item that casts: Finger of Death or disable Construct or something like that.
Deadguy 12-13-05, 11:12 PM	I prefer the idea that it's an item implanted by Garrow to ensure loyalty, rather than a standard feature of the 'Forged. I can picture a scene that might be as heart-wrenching as you desire: Somehow the Warforged has learned the command word that activates the Death Option. However, as a basic element of the compulsion he is unable to say it. Instead he has carefully scratched the word into the palm of one had. When he attacks his former compatriots, he makes an effort to do a 'slam' attack with an open palm on one of the smartest folk (the Cleric?), someone who might actually say the command word out loud. And as he detonates (probably through an inflict damage spell), and Garrow screams, the Warforged manages to whisper 'Thank you'. If that doesn't move 'em then nothing will! :weep:
Edymnion 12-14-05, 12:34 AM	one of the smartest folk (the Cleric?)I'd go for the Rogue or Ranger. Its going to be a Spot check to see the word written there in such a situation, so you wanna aim for the guy with the highest spot check to make sure they see it.
Talin Enwass 12-14-05, 04:14 AM	hi... thanks for the newest batch of answers... I like deadguys idea... Of course it will be presented to the artificer, his "half-brother"... I'll let you know how it worked on saturday... t the e