Wonderous Items

[Glorelendil]

Two thumbs up, Erik.

So...what's the Ranger's valor?

[Ferretz]

The Rangers Valour is still 1. But he won't know about the Curse, and he will start increasing his Valour, which increases the number of Orcs his sword must slay.

Eirik

[Glorelendil]

Does he have to know about the curse before orcs start counting?

Also, what's the fluff behind the Hope loss? That part will be fun.

[Ferretz]

He won't know about the kill count, but when Hope starts going away, he'll be suspicious enough to take it to a Lore-master.

The Hope-loss is because of the tragic story with the Numenorean Captain who broke his oath to kill Orcs in that important battle. So in some ways its the sword sheath of an Oath-breaker, and it will push the bearer to kill Orcs, punishing him with feelings of anguish if he doesn't.

Say, would gaining a Shadow point be a better solution?

E.

[Glorelendil]

By fluff I meant what are you going to tell the owner? "Subtract one Hope from your character sheet"? Or something with more flavor?

Shadow is probably better than hope. It's already an involuntary mechanic, unlike Hope, and there are more options for restoration.

I'd also give him a wisdom test to avoid it each time. But two points on an eye.

[Beran]

First Age Numenorean? No wonder the original owner is unknown. Rare indeed.

I was thinking about how they broke up magic weapons in Dec's LotR rpg. One of the ways was by history...the weapon had a storied past and when recognized could effect targets negatively just because of the history of the weapon. No actual powers, I've always like that.

[Ferretz]

Ah, I thought you meant history and background. Well, since the Ranger in question is a Slayer (Orcs), I'll describe it as he feels a sadness or anguish as he sheaths his sword, or the feeling that he is supposed to do something.

I think I'll go with Shadow, and a Wisdom check after a fight he didn't kill any Orcs is a good idea.

E.

[Rich H]

Not posted in this thread much but I'm really enjoying reading the ideas. Beran et al, please keep it up!

[zedturtle]

Not posted in this thread much but I'm really enjoying reading the ideas. Beran et al, please keep it up!

Agreed, this has given me ideas for other cursed magic items. Good work!

[Glorelendil]

What do you all think about using one quality of a Famous Weapon or Armor to also make it a Wondrous Artefact? That is, give it a lesser or greater blessing in addition to it's combat bonuses?

For example, a weapon could combine Gleam of Terror with an Awe blessing.