| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| BeginnerDM07-06-06, 08:47 AM | I want both of my PC's to have some sort of relic. One is a family heirloom sword passed down from Chief to Eldest son, the base stats are +1 Flame Greatsword. The other is some sort of tribal item handed down from Shaman to Shaman through a tribe, no idea what this one should do. Is there any book out there that explains how it should break down? I want both items to be somewhat complementary of one another without really overshadowing one another. |
| stargate52507-06-06, 09:05 AM | I want both of my PC's to have some sort of relic. One is a family heirloom sword passed down from Chief to Eldest son, the base stats are +1 Flame Greatsword. The other is some sort of tribal item handed down from Shaman to Shaman through a tribe, no idea what this one should do. Is there any book out there that explains how it should break down? I want both items to be somewhat complementary of one another without really overshadowing one another. Weapons of Legacy. |
| Woodstock_0107-06-06, 09:48 AM | In the BoED there is a feat (forgot the name) which enables you to improve the weapon level by level. |
| josephbt07-06-06, 09:58 AM | Ancestral Relic(BoED) - never pass an oportunity to get this feat. 3rd lvl and good alignment, makes your weapon so nasty that you'll never want to play a melee char without it again. Combined with Item Familiar(UA) and Annointed Knight(BoED) and near artifact power. The best thing about the feat is that you must make sacrifices to make it stronger, but you use the full gold value of stuff sacrificed. So, if you sac a +1 longsword, you get 2370gp towards the next lvl of weapon. No selling for half nonsense. Then again when you need to pay up for your part of the treasure, you pay for the sell value and again sac for full value. P.S. You can sac everything and anything you want. so grab some bags of holding and load up with chairs, doors and other various stuff that hasnt been nailed down in the dungeon. |
| shruggar07-06-06, 10:06 AM | I'm currently abusing the Item Familiar rules. |
| Artector07-06-06, 10:18 AM | If you don't have weapons of legacy, which I don't, this idea might fit into your campaign. Rituals, say the tribe's shaman will unlock the ancestral weapon, but only if you do something for the tribe. With each mission 1 more ability may be unlocked. That way you can keep Character Wealth a little more in line with level. We don't want 3rd level chars with +2 flaming longswords. Very easy to screw up and TPK that. The ritual itself would entail an XP cost from the character and the aforementioned quest. You could have them find their ancestors skull, which will let the shaman bring the powers forth better, in this case the skull would be the appropriate component. |
| OravennasBrother07-06-06, 12:16 PM | I'm reasonably confident that a catapult launching Limburger cheese would get stronger with age. Or is that option no Gouda? |
| BeginnerDM07-06-06, 02:17 PM | All the idea's... (Well maybe not the cheese one) sound great. As for the book of exhaulted deeds... I bought it... but I wish I didn't ... the moment someone choose a monk with the feat that poverty ability ... angels cried that day... Since then its been basically outlawed. I'm going to check out Weapons of Legacy tomorrow and see what I think. |
| Mythaniel07-06-06, 07:58 PM | but can you improve a weapon without some sort of feat or special power?? lets say that you get money and you just want to improve a weapon without replacing it?! like i have a +2 vorpal greatsword and then i just want it to improve to +3 without selling it and without any wizards to improve them. can you pay to a weapon seller in the campaing and wait a couple of days and then you have the weapon?? |
| GhostStepper07-06-06, 08:11 PM | Do not buy Weapons of Legacy. Its hands down the least used book i ever bought. Theres things that dont get explain properly, forcing you to try to guess what they mean (i had to read through all the chapters to try and divine which powers on the premade weapons were lesser, least, greater for one thing) and everyone in my group that looked at the abilities wanted regular weapon enhancements or magic items instead! |
| utilitarian07-06-06, 08:31 PM | but can you improve a weapon without some sort of feat or special power?? lets say that you get money and you just want to improve a weapon without replacing it?! like i have a +2 vorpal greatsword and then i just want it to improve to +3 without selling it and without any wizards to improve them. can you pay to a weapon seller in the campaing and wait a couple of days and then you have the weapon?? Well, sort of, the problem is you've got a fallacy in your thinking about how magical weapons are made. They need MAGIC. A normal "weaponsmith" can't make even a flaming shortsword unless he has some access to magic. Now that said, you could give your existing +2 Vorpral Longsword to the appropreate npc (one with Craft Magic Arms and Armor and the appropreate spells) and pay him the difference between the +2 Vorpral and +3 Vorpral, plus his fee, wait the appropreate time and get back your improved weapon. Remeber though, it's not something any weaponsmith can do. This is magic we're dealing with. Now, if you select the Ancestral Relic feat, you can simply "offer" the appropreate value of items (doesn't even have to be cash, any combination of objects up to the appropreate value works!) and spend some time meditiating and presto-chango improved magic weapon. No need for a pesky magic weapon crafter or expensive merchant fees. Bottom line: You want to get the Feat: Ancestral Relic |
| PhaedrusXY07-06-06, 08:53 PM | Kensai (Complete Warrior) and Samurai (Oriental Adventures) both have weapons that they can improve as they gain levels. |
| Mythaniel07-07-06, 06:30 PM | Now, if you select the Ancestral Relic feat, you can simply "offer" the appropreate value of items (doesn't even have to be cash, any combination of objects up to the appropreate value works!) and spend some time meditiating and presto-chango improved magic weapon. No need for a pesky magic weapon crafter or expensive merchant fees. Then if you NEED magic to improve a weapon then how do you explain that just MEDITATING and trowing away magic items to get the necesary market price. Can you improve the weapon!?!!? What i meant is, i know i needed magic to get the special power in the weapon but the magic is already in the sword!!! what i need is improve its quality?? |
| utilitarian07-07-06, 06:57 PM | Then if you NEED magic to improve a weapon then how do you explain that just MEDITATING and trowing away magic items to get the necesary market price. Can you improve the weapon!?!!? What i meant is, i know i needed magic to get the special power in the weapon but the magic is already in the sword!!! what i need is improve its quality?? Ancestral Relic is an exception to the normal rules of weapon. Using normal weapon creation rules, you need the appropreate spells listed in the enhancement you want to add to the weapon (check your DMG). Even if your weapon is already magical, adding more enchantment to it still requires the same kinds of magics and skills that would be needed in the first place (IE, you need to be able to cast Keen Edge to make a weapon Keen, regardless of whether it's a brand new weapon you're creating or enhancing an existing weapon) Ancestral Relic is an exception to the rules. What Ancestral Relic represents is an ancient and powerful magical heirloom your character has with vast "dorment" magical power. When you meditiate and sacrifice to improve your Ancestral Relic, you are "unlocking" it's greater power which until now lay inactive in the weapon. In addition, you are not simply "throwing away" the value (in gold or items) to upgrade your Ancestral Relic. During your meditiations you perform a complex ritual in which those items are sacrificed to some ancient ancestral power in exchange for unlocking the greater powers of your Relcic. Also, go easy on the punctuation, it's one or none. |
| Mythaniel07-07-06, 07:14 PM | Ok...so what about if the person (The blacksmith) has some feat that works in the same way only that he can do it to any weapon. not just an ancestral relic. maybe by making that NPC unique can i acomplish what i want? The thing is...im looking for some metod to upgrade the items the PC's use so they wont be useless in high lv. Because my PC's are rather fond of their weapon and they dont want to sell them or something to get the same sword just a little better.Because the fighter in my group says:with this sword i defeated the dragon and brings me good luck or stuff like that. Which metod to people use to upgrade their equipment?? to they sell the old equipment for half the market price and buy a new one? |
| sir_andrew_the_victorious07-07-06, 07:28 PM | The Vikings and Germanic Barbarians of the Migration Period are two cultures that put great value on old swords. They attributed other-worldly powers to old swords especially if the sword was wielded by famous warriors. They gave the swords names and the swords were supposed to be so famous that other warriors could recognize them in battle. Maybe the swords did obtain some type of power? Maybe the swords users and victims thought the swords had “mystical powers” and so gave the wielder some kind of psychological advantage over their opponents? Either way the historical record is full of famous warriors wielding famous swords, King Arthur and Excalibur being the most famous. So how to go about making an old sword more powerful? One way would be to sacrifice experience points on par with the gold value of the new power you want the sword to obtain. Another could be to look at the Animal Companion and Familiar tables and see what levels Druid and Wizard animals get more powers and give the sword new powers based on new levels gained based on that comparison. I suppose you could even let the sword earn experience points itself and calculate awarded experience points accordingly and it could earn levels. I think there were rules for “Bonded” Weapons listed in various D&D books, some WOTC and some not, (like Dragon Magazine back in the AD&D rules days and a non-WOTC Paladin guide in the 3e days) that allowed weapons to gain in power as you “devoted” more experience points and gold to the weapon. Use your imagination and I think you could come up with some good ideas just remember if you do this the sword may end up being an Artifact-power weapon. |
| utilitarian07-07-06, 07:31 PM | Ok...so what about if the person (The blacksmith) has some feat that works in the same way only that he can do it to any weapon. not just an ancestral relic. maybe by making that NPC unique can i acomplish what i want? The thing is...im looking for some metod to upgrade the items the PC's use so they wont be useless in high lv. Because my PC's are rather fond of their weapon and they dont want to sell them or something to get the same sword just a little better.Because the fighter in my group says:with this sword i defeated the dragon and brings me good luck or stuff like that. Which metod to people use to upgrade their equipment?? to they sell the old equipment for half the market price and buy a new one? They CAN get them upgraded, they just need to find a smith with Craft Magic Arms and Armor and the appropreate spells. Pay him the cost of upgradeding it plus whatever he charges for his work and presto chango better weapons. |
| Kn1ves07-07-06, 11:33 PM | I remember that Dragon Magazine did an article on weapons that grew in power with the characters so that they didn't become useless. I can't, for the life of me, remember which article it was or the issue though (don't own that one). I remember the title picture was of Ember advancing a morningstar. If anyone can remember the issue that would probably help with his dilemma. |
| Darkrose5007-08-06, 02:35 AM | I am considering adding in a house rule called Heroic Legacy in my next D&D 3.5 game. Heroic Legacy is a phenomenon that causes the items of heroes to become magical. I intend to reward Heroic Legacy in a pool, equivalent to gold pieces, rewarded as part of the treasure, that can be used to create magical items when appropriate (this would be done when appropriate for the story, after the session, or after the adventure). I would charge the standard XP cost for item creation. Heroic Legacy depending on the amount of treasure award the DM applies to this pool will effect the need for players to have item creation feats. I enjoy the idea of the items of heroes being steeped in there personal magic, and attached to items that they hold dear. Such items would need to be important, significant, or present during the adventure. Items should be items that do not have limited charges that burn out such as potions, oils, or wands. If an item has charges, then the item can be recharged by using Heroic Legacy, and XP (perhaps a heirloom bottle, that the player, and no one else, can use to change water into a potion). Characters who are not materialistic can choose to make there body magical as per the rules on tattoos (where did I see those rules). Heroic holy men, and women often are survived by the relics of there bones. I have done similar things in homebrew games, and it works well in defining a character, and linking it to the past. It is much more rewarding to carry the long sword of your father, that has slowly grown in power over the years though heroic deed, than to upgrade your sword every few levels by looting a new one, or bringing it to some mage. Also I was thinking of adding a feat that would allow a character to donate items to a church, or other heroic cause, and gain ˝ the GP value in Heroic Legacy points. |
| Mythaniel07-08-06, 11:20 AM | You see that my way of thinking sir andrew!..i totally like your idea of devoting experience points and gold to upgrade magic weapons. i think i will think of some system. Or if anyone has already came up with some system please share it with me. :D |