What is Your Favorite Item?

[Tech]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Years ago (before some of you picked up your first RPG book), someone I know had an elven character fighter with a regular +1 Longsword. Finding a ring that granted a wish, the character put on the ring deciding to keep the wish for a special time. However, that character later would run into a transparent wall that seemingly couldn't be damaged. Without thinking, the character wistfully says "I wish my sword could cut through anything...". Thus was created one of the most powerful weapons in the campaign - the DM was gracious.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Years ago (before some of you picked up your first RPG book)' date=' someone I know had an elven character fighter with a regular +1 Longsword. Finding a ring that granted a wish, the character put on the ring deciding to keep the wish for a special time. However, that character later would run into a transparent wall that seemingly couldn't be damaged. Without thinking, the character wistfully says "I wish my sword could cut through anything...". Thus was created one of the most powerful weapons in the campaign - the DM was gracious.[/quote']

 

... gracious ain't the word. Wow.

[matrix3]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Years ago (before some of you picked up your first RPG book)' date=' someone I know had an elven character fighter with a regular +1 Longsword. Finding a ring that granted a wish, the character put on the ring deciding to keep the wish for a special time. However, that character later would run into a transparent wall that seemingly couldn't be damaged. Without thinking, the character wistfully says "I wish my sword could cut through anything...". Thus was created one of the most powerful weapons in the campaign - the DM was gracious.[/quote']

 

Although, depending on what the DM qualifies as "the sword" -- just the blade, or everything -- you may just take off your own hand. No scabbard would hold it, even if just the blade cut through anything, leaving you to contrive something that holds on to the hilt with a tube around the blade but not touching it to prevent accidental injury.

 

Hmm...could the sword cut through esoteric concepts? Could you cut someone's shadow? What about gaining the power of Atropos and severing a person's thread of fate? Otherwise, if is is just physical manifestations that the sword can cut through, it is powerful, but not staggering. What about ranged attacks or spells that other powerful swords can cast?

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Although, depending on what the DM qualifies as "the sword" -- just the blade, or everything -- you may just take off your own hand. No scabbard would hold it, even if just the blade cut through anything, leaving you to contrive something that holds on to the hilt with a tube around the blade but not touching it to prevent accidental injury.

 

Hmm...could the sword cut through esoteric concepts? Could you cut someone's shadow? What about gaining the power of Atropos and severing a person's thread of fate? Otherwise, if is is just physical manifestations that the sword can cut through, it is powerful, but not staggering. What about ranged attacks or spells that other powerful swords can cast?

 

Read: Phillip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. Same weapon, but thankfully much shorter. I believe it cuts through space/time. Sequel to the now movie bound Golden Compass.

[matrix3]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Read: Phillip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. Same weapon' date=' but thankfully much shorter. I believe it cuts through space/time. Sequel to the now movie bound [i']Golden Compass.[/i]

 

 

I first encountered the concept in the early 90's TMNT cartoon, in the form of a katana so sharp that it could cut doorways to other places (and, I think, times).

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I first encountered it in a GI Cartoon when they got their hands on Excalibur.

 

I win! I win!

[matrix3]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I concede! G.I. Joe beats all.

 

Another item I heard about (I love listening to gamer stories) was the Wand of Akoozab. A mad wizard had decided that a wand of fireballs was too wimpy, so he created a dozen staff-sized versions, bound them together, and set them all to the same command word. One word, twelve high-level fireballs.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Out of FH items, I really liked the 'forcewall chalk' from some earlier book. Trace outline with chalk, tah dah, forcewall.

 

In games I've been in...let's see...there's been the "Really Comfy Chair" - the world's most relaxing seat. All other chairs pale in comparison.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Out of FH items, I really liked the 'forcewall chalk' from some earlier book. Trace outline with chalk, tah dah, forcewall.

 

In games I've been in...let's see...there's been the "Really Comfy Chair" - the world's most relaxing seat. All other chairs pale in comparison.

 

"Really Comfy Chair" is an item I could really get into.

[Tonio]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Fetch... the COMFY CHAIR!!!

 

*trembles*

[JmOz]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Mine was a dagger I created for my D&D campeign YEARS ago

 

it was a glassteel Dager called the dagger of the Magi, it was extremly common with mages after level 5, it was a Dagger +1, unlimited Read Magic (You held the blade so you were reading through the blade, took a command word)

[Tonio]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Mine was a dagger I created for my D&D campeign YEARS ago

 

it was a glassteel Dager called the dagger of the Magi, it was extremly common with mages after level 5, it was a Dagger +1, unlimited Read Magic (You held the blade so you were reading through the blade, took a command word)

 

Ooh, nice. =)

 

Has the bonus of reminding me of Larry Niven's "What Good Is A Glass Dagger?", excellent story.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Ooh, nice. =)

 

Has the bonus of reminding me of Larry Niven's "What Good Is A Glass Dagger?", excellent story.

 

You mean other than it's nigh indestructible and sharp as all get out? Sorry, "Glass Dagger" is the name of the assassin squad that works for the Empire at the heart of the campaign setting that the good Lord Captain originated from.

[Old Man]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Had a character once that got hold of "the Strongsword". It was essentially unbreakable but otherwise unremarkable as a weapon. However, its wielder gained like +10 STR, CON, and BODY, and several defenses as well. The character in question was a total loser rogue/mage, who upon learning just what he'd picked up, had the thing tethered to his wrist (and often bound his hand to the hilt with leather straps as well). Many amusing situations ensued, like only ever having one hand free, trying to use its abilities in places where swords were frowned upon, and not being able to drop the sword lest he die instantly.

[Old Man]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Going further back, there was also the Deck of Many Things that got turned into a weapon. After a few lucky draws we realized that we'd pulled most of the good results, leaving a deck with an 80% chance of something really bad happening to whoever pulled the next card. So there were a few instances of the cleric trying to convince certain people to "pick a card, any card." GM let us get away with it a couple of times.

[Enforcer84]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I first encountered it in a GI Cartoon when they got their hands on Excalibur.

 

I win! I win!

Marvel's version of Sif had a sword that could do that.

[Fenixcrest]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Hrm... in all seriousness- a regular ol' Greatsword. It's very satisfying for me as GM to have a PC wielding a weapon that can plausibly cleave guys right in half.

 

Super bonus points if another, foppier PC flips out and makes a bee-line for the nearest body of water whenever Greatsword-guy spatters blood on him.

[MorpheousXO]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

In games I've been in...let's see...there's been the "Really Comfy Chair" - the world's most relaxing seat. All other chairs pale in comparison.

 

Well, if you've ever watched the Tick, then you know what happens when you sit in the chair.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Honorable mention: tHe HEadpiEcE of FriNn

 

http://www.yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2005-07-18

 

The short descriptions are just wonderful.

 

Why do you want it?

a) It wants us to rescue it.

It is shiny and will enhance our nest.

c) Frinn will make more if it is absent too long.

 

Is it dangerous to handle?

a) Not at all.

It is an honor.

c) Define dangerous.

 

Will I get a saving throw?

a) It only rarely adheres to flesh.

Euclidean dice would not avail in any case.

c) We will care for you tenderly in the event of a mishap.

 

Although it gives the user some amount of power (flight, increased intelligence, spell resistance to common spells), it appears to gives dangerous delusions of demigodhood.

[The Monster]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I come up with two items that hold warm places in my heart:

 

The War Treadmill - derived from an earlier-edition Fantasy Hero Companion IIRC, the original item was a series of gears that could be cranked to create a magical effect. Slaves were used to crank the engine, providing the massive END cost to power the spell. Fromt here it was an easy jump to make it a treadmill upon which slaves were driven. Installed in a castle, various models could boost morale (Aid PRE), strengthen castle walls (Aid PD), healing, etc. A field version could be made which powered siege machines. And all by driving slaves until they literally dropped dead of exhaustion - perfect for orc armies! I've never actually used it (yet), but I always found the idea entertaining.

 

My other favorite I used in a con event (though it was Feng Shui, not HERO ). I actually forget what it was, but what it did was affect all the other members in your party by lowering their best ability by a small amount, then adding the equivalent total point value to the ability of your choice, for your own character! In the event, it actually worked fairly well, as the players worked together to share it where it was needed for any given situation.

[Markdoc]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

My other favorite I used in a con event (though it was Feng Shui' date=' not HERO ). I actually forget what it was, but what it did was affect all the other members in your party by lowering their best ability by a small amount, then adding the equivalent total point value to the ability of your choice, for your own character! In the event, it actually worked fairly well, as the players worked together to share it where it was needed for any given situation.[/quote']

 

I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned this, but one item I gave away was a medallion that drained luck for the wearer's benefit. Under 4th Ed., it was built as "1d6 Unluck usable against others, area effect, 0 END, continuous, always on" plus "6d6 Luck - only up to number of affected individuals". Today, I'd likely build it with Change Environment instead of UAA, but the basic idea remains the same: you become luckier, everyone around you becomes more likely to take a pratfall.

 

cheers, Mark

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned this, but one item I gave away was a medallion that drained luck for the wearer's benefit. Under 4th Ed., it was built as "1d6 Unluck usable against others, area effect, 0 END, continuous, always on" plus "6d6 Luck - only up to number of affected individuals". Today, I'd likely build it with Change Environment instead of UAA, but the basic idea remains the same: you become luckier, everyone around you becomes more likely to take a pratfall.

 

cheers, Mark

 

Query; was this also the effect that Longshot generated? Or was his just personal luck? I know there was an X-Files where the episode's target had this ability; he got phenomenal luck, but for his part, traded on unluck to follow (Side Effect).

[Markdoc]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Query; was this also the effect that Longshot generated? Or was his just personal luck? I know there was an X-Files where the episode's target had this ability; he got phenomenal luck' date=' but for his part, traded on unluck to follow (Side Effect).[/quote']

 

Dunno - I just recall him as being really lucky, not that others got lucky. OTOH, I'm not a reliable sopurce of info. I'd pretty much dropped out of the wolverine-crossover-verse by the time Longshot got much screen time.

 

cheers, Mark

[matrix3]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

I remembered another item I heard about but never encountered: The Mace of Healing. As I recall, it was a 2d6 HKA with a linked 2D6 of Healing per turn for every BODY done. Thus, do 6 BODY and the target will be healed 2 Body per turn for 6 turns. The PC's soon found out that one had to be careful if the target was too close to death...

 

Then there was the story of the Pebbles of Transmogrification. Used with a sling, they would do some small amount of damage, but had an 8- activation roll to transform the target into something harmless for an hour. The GM had a list of possible forms, including a slight chance that the target turned into a piece of fruit. Well, the PCs forgot about the time limit, and when one of them defeated (I believe) a minotaur, he ate the small piece of fruit as the ultimate insult to his defeated foe. One hour later, the rest of the party was showered with bits of their former team mate as the GM described in graphic detail the explosive result of a piece of partially digested fruit suddenly becoming 500 pounds of partially digested man-beef.

[Old Man]

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

 

Hrm... in all seriousness- a regular ol' Greatsword. It's very satisfying for me as GM to have a PC wielding a weapon that can plausibly cleave guys right in half.

 

If you want to go mundane, the best item is the large shield. +3 DCV with very little drawback? Sign me up!