Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hideous Phidias 11-23-05, 02:03 PM	I have been running a campaign based around the House Cannith and one of the characters drive to become the new head of the house and bring it back together. That party has become high level for Eberron and has sarted gathering power and wealth, so I had the player make some new characters to run a side line story in the same campaign. They are a crew of and old airship that works for the old characters. They had gone on a mission to Xen'driks to fine treaure in a drow stronghold. it did not go well for them. i was kind and let the make it out with only killling their NPCs. So now I decided to start them on a new quest in Karrnath starting in the twon of Lakeside. The basics are that they have to travel across Khorvaire to Greenheart to see the 20 level druid Oalian who lives in the Towering Wood. Then head South to Breland and Sharn to get home. What I an lacking is an artifact or item that the Order of the Emerld Claw would be trying to get from them. I was planning on using them as the main enemy for the adventure. It has to be something tied to the druidic cult of old.
ChimericalWolf 11-23-05, 02:27 PM	+5 Abberation Bane, Abberation Bane, Abberation Bane Byshk Longsword. Amulet that allows a Druid to Turn Abberations as a Cleric of their level. Item that generates a continuous Magic Circle against Abberations effect. Some regular item that was used by a hero of the Xoriat War.
xanthus 11-23-05, 03:36 PM	In my game I had a tree that once per decade has night blooming flowers. These flowers, if the petals are plucked and dried, make for powerful necromantic foci and components for spells. They would be used for a focus to apply metamagic feats to necromantic type spells with reduced or no level adjustment, for example. Also, they'd step up what various create undead spells would do (zombies would rise as wights, for example). The Claw in my game went after this. Maybe the Claw of your game heard of these flowers and wants the tree for itself, or at least a cutting of it so they can tend to it and grow one of their own? The druids would have a vested interest in protecting the tree and not destroying it for it's properties (as it's a freakin' tree, damn hippy druids). -X
Edymnion 11-23-05, 04:38 PM	Make it something that is mechanically simple, and then build up a big mystique around it. Say, a finely carved wooden figure of an orc sitting crosslegged, in meditation. It has a continual use Plant Growth effect, using the Enrichment function of the spell. Then, just for looks, let it have a once or twice per day effect of the Overgrowth function of Plant Growth, just so the players can see something flashy. Build up this big legend around it, how it makes everything rich and fertile, and makes the land healthier and more robust. Say it had been stolen from Oalian, and how the forest there is gradually dying because of it's absence. Of course, you and I know that the forest is only "dying" in that its falling back to normal growth patterns, but for everyone there, the region has been under the effects of Plant Growth for centuries, and all they know is that it isn't as alive as it always had been, so they assume it is slowly dying. But the PCs don't know that, just you and me, so bam :)
HexCore 11-23-05, 09:01 PM	I have always been partial to Druids having but great but Subtle power. I really like xanthus tree :) My first idea A fist sized rock covered with soft green moss that no matter what is done to it wont die. If placed in a Barren or lifeless spot (Desert/Mountains/Demon wastes/Mournland) The Moss will Slowly Grow out at a natural pace Restoring the Earth it grows over so that normal plant life can take root. The Claw wants to steal this item so it can corrupt the Stone so that it will grow a Fungus That Strips the life from any soil it infects
Edymnion 11-23-05, 09:28 PM	A fist sized rock covered with soft green moss that no matter what is done to it wont die. If placed in a Barren or lifeless spot (Desert/Mountains/Demon wastes/Mournland) The Moss will Slowly Grow out at a natural pace Restoring the Earth it grows over so that normal plant life can take root.But if they have the ability to make something like this, why haven't druids from across Khovaire swarmed in and started throwing as many of these things as they can make in there to heal the Mournlands? They've had three years, so its not like they haven't had time...
Ibbins 11-24-05, 11:26 PM	But if they have the ability to make something like this, why haven't druids from across Khovaire swarmed in and started throwing as many of these things as they can make in there to heal the Mournlands? They've had three years, so its not like they haven't had time... The most convenient part of Artifacts is that they're generally the product of past generations, and as such the crafters/wizards/druids/etc. don't know how to make more of them. Besides, most of the Druids probably wouldn't want to get involved with any of the Five Nations, and some of them may very well think that they deserved what they got with the Mournland(I know I do ;)).
Edymnion 11-24-05, 11:32 PM	Besides, most of the Druids probably wouldn't want to get involved with any of the Five Nations, and some of them may very well think that they deserved what they got with the Mournland(I know I do ;)).I would tend to think it doesn't matter how it happened or why, a very large tract of nature got blown off the face of the planet, and in it's place is a blasted wasteland full of twisted, tortured natural remains. It would be every Druid's duty to try and repair the damage done to Mother Eberron. Its like saying Greenpeace wouldn't go clean up an oil spill and all the oil drenched animals because the oil freighter was sunk by people from Nation X. Nah, they'd be more concerned with all the innocent natural life thats being affected. Doesn't matter how it got that way, its their job to clean it up. Just IMO, anyway.
Errant 11-25-05, 02:26 AM	But if they have the ability to make something like this, why haven't druids from across Khovaire swarmed in and started throwing as many of these things as they can make in there to heal the Mournlands? They've had three years, so its not like they haven't had time... Maybe they tried but it didn't work, or worse, the effects of the Mourning twisted the normally beneficial effects into something NASTY?
HexCore 11-25-05, 02:57 PM	But if they have the ability to make something like this, why haven't druids from across Khovaire swarmed in and started throwing as many of these things as they can make in there to heal the Mournlands? They've had three years, so its not like they haven't had time... Hope Everyone had a good holiday :) My thought process was a Gatekeeper Artifact for rarity. There’s only 1 Lvl 20 Druid in the world after all (ymmv) . As to why its not been used in the Mourn land 1. Who says it has not (I had a sect of Gatekeepers working to restore it Before the Dragon shards but then changed them the WF Druids) 2. There’s only one of these things so Oalian wants to make sure it stays safe. Once he has a group of strong protectors(PC's) he will send it off. 3. The Rock was lost in the War with the Dlykar and must be recovered from Khyber. I can just see the PC's fighting through The underworld and breaching a cave wall to find a Verdant Cavern filled with Normal plant life(Land of the lost anyone?) EDIT Random Tangent I call Oalian a He but its a tree. Can it be a He/She? I'm sure theres someone that knows this!
Edymnion 11-25-05, 03:16 PM	I call Oalian a He but its a tree. Can it be a He/She? I'm sure theres someone that knows this!Trees are hermaphroditic. They all produce both seeds and pollen, meaning they have both female and male reproductive systems. Effectively, Oalian would be gender neutral, and the english language lost it's gender neutral pronoun for living things centuries ago...
Dragom 11-25-05, 03:52 PM	But if they have the ability to make something like this, why haven't druids from across Khovaire swarmed in and started throwing as many of these things as they can make in there to heal the Mournlands? They've had three years, so its not like they haven't had time... Pst! Artifact! as in no one knows how to make them anymore.
Dragom 11-25-05, 03:56 PM	But how about the bones of Vaashak or a staff cut from the limbs of Oolian? It would be easy to miss the fact the staff has any signigance at all. And the bones could easily be powder by now.
HexCore 11-25-05, 04:46 PM	Effectively, Oalian would be gender neutral, and the english language lost it's gender neutral pronoun for living things centuries ago... You know this is not the type of thing to Stumbe across well having to kill a few hours at work(Stupid Holiday shift) After Spending the last hour with the aid of Google I have decied From this day Forth that "Hos" she be my new gender neutral pronoun Go on try it out, you know you want to "Whats going on hos?" "Pardon me hos is that your baby?" "Listen up hos, this ends now!" "I just wanted to comment on that Lovely dress youre wearing hos." Or shouted in public "I love this hos!" Ok back to Excel *grumble*
Hideous Phidias 11-25-05, 07:19 PM	I like all the ideas. But I think I am going to go with the staff idea. The Rock that grows moss was a close second but i dont really think the group ready for the Mournlands yet and I dont like the idea of anything so simple changing the it back to normal.
Pinky's brain 11-25-05, 10:01 PM	An eldritch machine which creates dimensional seals?
yrogerg 11-25-05, 10:34 PM	Trees are hermaphroditic. They all produce both seeds and pollen, meaning they have both female and male reproductive systems. Effectively, Oalian would be gender neutral, and the english language lost it's gender neutral pronoun for living things centuries ago... :teach: Actually, that's not *entirely* true. Most plants are Monoecious- that is, have both male and female structures on the same individual plant, but a significant number of plants, including the ginko tree, the date palm, and some poplars, among others, are Diecious, and actually have, effectively, gendered male and female plants. The seed structures of the female ginko tree, for example, produce a fairly awful smell, and as a result, the females are not used all that often in landscaping. So, really, we'd need to know what sort of tree Oalain was, first, and then we could decide on its gender. :D