Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Aligned Magic Items Idea

Especially if you are using the Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic alignment system, but what if every magic item was aligned, the same way all magic swords in OD&D were aligne?. Even potions. Maybe when you used a potion,for the duration your alignment changed with appropriate behavior? Or you could just take damage, or have a varying duration dependent upon alignment differences. Most magic items, ring, axes, helmets, staves and so forth, would be aligned, and possibly intelligent with attendant ego scores, psychic powers, and so forth.

It strikes me a somewhat genre appropriate...the sorcerous gear of a blasphemous warlock corrupting those who dare use their foul magic; the holy relic inspiring the bearer; an enchanted wine-cup making the owner abandon their former 'good' or 'villainous' nature for hedonism. You could emulate that by having some, many or all aligned objects follow the AD&D procedures for 'personality conflicts' and ego score for swords; and that section of the Dungeon Masters Guide does seem to conflict with the previous rules for hit point damage accrued for holding a weapon of incompatible alignment.

6 comments:

  1. This demands a whole new Miscibility Table for when you drink a Chaotic potion from a Lawful goblet. Kind of like when you take a bunch of mini-thins with Nyquil and let them fight. Assuming anyone's ever done that. *cough*

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's always amusing to come up with novel and unforeseen ways to fuck over your players when they finally get a cookie. Ha Ha.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm using aligned objects quite often. In my current Ruins of Adventures campaign, the charakters found some cool magic sword quite early - but it's a sword of Tyr, focusing on an lawfull/good alignment. The fighter who wanted to wield it is chaotic/good. Being afraid of turning into some lawfull jerk he brought it to the temple of Tyr instead of using it himself.

    The whole situation made up for some real good roleplaying...

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a pretty heavy idea...I really like it and I agree with B. Portly. :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not much for implementing more schemes "across the board" on magic - the more items seem unique the better in my book - but a spell that aligns an item to the MU who casts it, granting them some small bonus and others a small penalty, might spice up the occasional item.

    One might also use the rules for sentient weapons on a potion or rug once in a while to catch players off guard.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hmmm aligned potions?

    Dare you quaff a Chaotic Evil healing potion?

    ReplyDelete