Post/Author/DateTime	Post
nytemare3701 02-13-08, 10:38 PM	http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#marvelousPigments "The user can create normal weapons, armor, and any other mundane item (including foodstuffs) whose value does not exceed 2,000 gp." That's a pretty big umbrella. My uses so far are: Doodling weapons, armor, and trinkets to enchant. Drawing solutions to common dungeon puzzles. Any other ideas? :)
Artector 02-13-08, 10:50 PM	Rope. Patatoes. Enough of either and you can do anything. Though they would have been useful at the start of 1 game... we faced about 50 goblins at 1st level with 20 commoners who were only equipped with rocks. Some weapons for them would have been nice.
nytemare3701 02-13-08, 11:02 PM	Rope's a good choice, but it's a bit too cheap for me. The pigments cost 4k, remember.
Pathanus 02-13-08, 11:08 PM	If you are in a desert, you can create water. Converting 1000 cubic feat of space to gallons is 7480.519 gallons worth. Quite a bit.
MrWildman 02-14-08, 01:45 AM	Siege Engines! Battering rams and ballistae, siege towers and tower shields, trebuchet lobbing rocks. Flaming rocks , if you can get away with it (our DM said no to painting "fire" but allowed [eventually!] "something on fire"). Floors are canvases awaiting pit traps and caltrop mazes. After battle, you can create bandages and splints, and stretchers to carry the wounded to the chariots you painted up earlier.
nytemare3701 02-14-08, 02:28 AM	Fire is a fun idea... another for the list: Any elaborate defense that you have trouble explaining to the DM, you can just draw blueprints of and say "THIS is what we have."
pigknight 02-14-08, 03:13 AM	How much does a person cost?
nytemare3701 02-14-08, 03:55 AM	0_0... A CLONE. The material components for a Clone cost 1k, and the focus costs 500 gold... Self portraits are my new favorite use for MP
Roelandt 02-14-08, 05:56 PM	You can't make a clone with Marvelous Pigments. Hehe. The best use I've found with the spell is paint a Door to get around the trapped door. Paint a cage around the unconsious enemey. Paint a trapdoor in the ceiling or floor to hide in. Paint a hole in the prision wall.
nytemare3701 02-15-08, 10:27 AM	You can't make a clone with Marvelous Pigments. Hehe. awww...I was looking forward to having crayon-copies... the other ideas are nice though, although I don't know if the RAW allow you to paint a hole, since that would require REMOVING something... :(
Loren Pechtel 02-15-08, 02:08 PM	Utter idiot DM who had a major problem with not understanding the treasure rules. He started us out at mid-level with *NOTHING*. The first encounter he rolled for treasure and rolled these up. I was the only one (including the DM!) who knew what they were so there wasn't the slightest objection to my taking them. We settle in for the night, come morning I hand out the best weapons and armor people's classes permit. Just about gave the DM a heart attack. (This was simply one evening at a meeting, I certainly wouldn't have continued to play with so ignorant a DM.)
mvincent 02-15-08, 03:03 PM	Create a pit fiend, Balor or Marilith skeleton, which (thanks to Desecrate) a 5th level cleric could animate to serve as the party's tank.
MC_Templar 02-15-08, 03:31 PM	I tried to build a 10X10 magician's lab on the inside of a horse-drawn carriage..... ... DM Vetoed the idea.... carriage fell over and crashed once the drawing was complete as the 'room' suddenly extended into existance on the outside of the carriage too and came crashing down to a horrible end. Turns out those pigments were quite as "marvelous" as I had hoped.
Loren Pechtel 02-16-08, 02:16 PM	I tried to build a 10X10 magician's lab on the inside of a horse-drawn carriage..... ... DM Vetoed the idea.... carriage fell over and crashed once the drawing was complete as the 'room' suddenly extended into existance on the outside of the carriage too and came crashing down to a horrible end. Turns out those pigments were quite as "marvelous" as I had hoped. I wouldn't have allowed it, either. The pigments create mundane material--draw a room off the side of a carriage and you'll get a real room sticking off the carriage, of course it falls over.
Decinious 02-16-08, 03:58 PM	I can see starting chars off at mid level with nothing provided there was some kind of backstory. Though you should let them gain gold quick like after that to get them up to where they are supposed to be... If the DM lets you use the item multiple times as long as the total made only adds up to 2000, it is handy to have as a low str char just to have all the random EQ you possibly need.
Loren Pechtel 02-17-08, 03:33 PM	I can see starting chars off at mid level with nothing provided there was some kind of backstory. Though you should let them gain gold quick like after that to get them up to where they are supposed to be... If the DM lets you use the item multiple times as long as the total made only adds up to 2000, it is handy to have as a low str char just to have all the random EQ you possibly need. This wasn't a case of backstory, this was a DM who didn't know how to keep the party from becoming overpowered. Note: He rolled random treasure at the time of the encounter and gave out an item he didn't understand because that's what the dice said. He was letting the dice utterly rule him.
Roelandt 02-18-08, 04:40 PM	I wouldn't have allowed it, either. The pigments create mundane material--draw a room off the side of a carriage and you'll get a real room sticking off the carriage, of course it falls over. I would, according to the item description...but it would depend on what your Craft (Painting), or Profession (Artist) skill is. I can easily draw or paint a quite realistic room, but if my friend Bill did, it would look like a weird dog! Hehe. I believe painting a door or hole is an example in the item description...or maybe from my AD&D days. As a DM with a trifle common sense, I would certainly allow someone to make a skeleton of a pit fiend, but would be rather surprised if someone were to try and animate it...since it's not a dead object. Niehter is the skeleton sculpture you carved out of stone. Despite what less educated d20 authors may or may not have stated, your skeleton is not an object in m game. Its a matter of common sense vs potential abuse.
mvincent 02-18-08, 05:04 PM	I believe painting a door or hole is an example in the item descriptionCreating on-going magical effects (like extra-dimensional spaces) is not within the abilities of the pigments. However, removing matter from an area (to create an actual, non-magical hole) is. Despite what less educated d20 authors may or may not have stated, your skeleton is not an object in m game. To my knowledge, all of the core d20 writers have agreed that corpses and (non animated) skeletons are handled as objects in D&D. Are you saying that the original writers of the current D&D rules are all less educated about D&D than you? While I mostly agree with you about disallowing the drawing of animate-able balor skeletons (the suggestions was actually said in jest) it doesn't mean that allowing such would be unreasonable. Consider: a) You could use Polymorph any Object to turn a lizard into a dragon b) You could similarly use Polymorph any Object to turn a lizard skeleton into a dragon skeleton (that could be animated). c) You could similarly use Polymorph any Object to turn a pile of rocks into a dragon skeleton (that could be animated). d) Anything created by the pigments is theoretically real e) Animated skeletons do not require the soul of the original creature The real unbalance is in allowing 5th level clerics to animate 20hd skeletons, not in the availability of such skeletons.