The Campaign Builder's Guild

The content of this post is Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d).

New Wondrous Items


Dweomer Gauntlet

This lone gauntlet is designed to deliver touch spells stored in other items.  In order to use a dweomer gauntlet, a character must be wearing a dweomer vambrace on the same limb as the dweomer gauntlet, and a wand or dorje must be stored in that vambrace.  Further, that wand or dorje must store a spell or power with a range of "Touch."

If the above conditions are met, the wielder of the dweomer gauntlet can activate the stored wand or doje as a standard action by making a touch attack with the hand wearing the gauntlet.  Doing so does not require a command word or command thought, and the touch attack that activates the item counts as the touch attack that delivers the stored spell or power.
Touching a willing creature counts as a touch attack for the purpose of activating a wand or dorje in this way.  Note that a dweomer gauntlet cannot also be activated by making an unarmed strike attack.

Moderate (no school); CL 7th; Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 7th level; Price 9,200 gp.


Dweomer Gun

This strange device appears to be a light crossbow with no string, no arms, and no lever.  In order to use a dweomer gun, a character must be wearing a dweomer vambrace on the same limb that wields the dweomer gun, and a wand or dorje must be stored in that vambrace.  Further, that wand or dorje must store a spell or power that only succeeds if its caster makes a ranged touch attack.

If the above conditions are met, the wielder of the dweomer gun can activate the stored wand or dorje as a standard action by pulling the trigger of the dweomer gun.  Doing so does not require a command word or command thought, though it does require that the dweomer gun be pointed at the intended targets of the spell or power stored in the activated item.

Moderate (no school); CL 7th; Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 7th level; Price 9,200 gp.


Dweomer Vambrace

This lone, decorative bracer is desgined with a groove that can store a magic wand or a psionic dojre.  Whenever a wand or dorje is stored in this manner, the wearer of the vambrace can activate the stored wand or dorje as though he were holding it in his hand.  Storing a wand or dorje in a dweomer vambrace is a move-equivalent action, as is retrieving a wand or dorje stored in a dweomer vambrace.

Moderate (no school); CL 7th; Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 7th level; Price 800 gp.

I like it. Building magic items to circumvent the restrictions of other magic items (specifically the ones that would otherwise need UMD checks) seems logical. Thumbs up here!
Túrin
PS How did you decide on a price?

The content of this post is Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d).

I based the price on a +20 competence bonus to a Use Magic Device check (20 x 20 x 100 gp = 40,000 gp).  Then I cut the price in half because the item only duplicates part of the functionality of the Use Magic Device skill (the activation of a wand).  Then I cut it in half again because the device can only activate a small subset of all wands.

That gave me a price of 10,000 gp.  I compared that to the cost of giving an intelligent magic item 10 ranks in a skill (+5,000 gp) and decided that it matched up fairly well (since that's 500 gp per rank given to an item, or 10,000 gp for 20 ranks in Use Magic Device).

I love this concept but it needs a much sexier magitech name. Ray gun automatically makes me think of Buck Rogers, and that's not cool...well ok it is, but not a good refelction of what this actually is. Maybe call it something like a spell launcher or a wand slinger or something better (these ideas aren't so hawt, but you get the picture I hope).

-Peace-

P.S. a glove or gauntlet would be cool too; a wand gauntlet sounds really appropriate IMO.

Unfortunately, I've already seen a wand gauntlet.  But yes, I definately need a better name.  I wanted to emphasize the 'gun' and de-emphasize the 'wand' and 'ray' aspects, but I just couldn't come up with anything cool off the top of my head.

Guess I'll have to actually put some thought into it.  (And if I come up with a cool name that has 'gun' in it, I can create the companion item that replaces 'gun' with 'cannon' and activates wands that store damage-dealing area spells.)

I really like the idea, but in a campaign without guns, wouldn't it be called the "ray-bow?"

Or, since "ballista" can also mean "crossbow," the "wand ballista."  No, that sounds lame... scepter-ballista.  Oh, I don't know.

This makes me think that there might be some application for this in siege engines.  Lift the ray restriction, put the enchantment on a siege ballista, and you have a fireball-flinging apparatus of doom.

I like it, but I think some area spells should be allowed, at least in an upgraded and more expensive version. I can see a powered weapon of sorts firing something that then explodes and affects an area or the like.

It could really redefine the way medieval warfare works, taking a setting into the next age maybe :)

QuoteOr, since "ballista" can also mean "crossbow," the "wand ballista." No, that sounds lame... scepter-ballista. Oh, I don't know.

Or Raybalest.

Or Rayquebus.

There has to be something I can call this item to make it less corny, but I still can't think of it.  Maybe I should start a "What would you call this dang thing?" contest or something.  Goodness knows it couldn't hurt.

Mage's crossbow.
Arcane arbelest.
Evoker's surprise.

Something along those lines?

The idea is that the item allows non-spellcasters to activate certain wands, so naming it after mages or evokers wouldn't make sense.

Arcane arbelest on the other hand...  *strokes chin thoughtfully*  If nothing else, the word 'arbelest' is cool.

Radintortus is the closest Latin bastardization I can lower myself to make, but personally, I like Arcane arbelest better.

Another vote for "arcane arbalest."  Of course, I think to be a proper arbalest, it must be of some metal construction, but that shouldn't be a problem for a magic item.

I think having the "bow" part still there would look cool, at the very least.  Perhaps the bow could be covered in runes or something, instead of holding a string.

Acrcane Arbalest = Good
Make one that can use cones!

Quote from: RaelifinMake one that can use cones!

Good suggestion.  I'm already getting ready some items for bursts, spreads, and touch spells, but I hadn't though of cones yet.

Oh, and it seems that arcane arbalest is the favorite.  Any ideas for a generic adjective to replace "arcane" though?  There are a handful of divine rays that the 'arcane' arbalest can fire.

Also, I was kicking around the name dweomer gun, using the Wikipedia definition of dweomer (dweomer = the charge held by a magic item).  As in, dweomer gun: a gun that expends the charges stored in a wand.  Maybe not as cool as arbalest, but it is an uncannily accurate description of the item, and it preserves the gun image I was wanting to evoke.

(P.S.  My inspiration for this item was the blaster-gun thingy carried by some of the Necromonger soliders in The Chronicles of Riddick.  It was a gun whose energy blasts tossed people around the battlefield like rag dolls, a la the energy push psionic power.  I thought, "why not have an item that fires energy push powers?" and then moved on to rays in general.)

QuoteThat character can activate the wand as a standard action by pulling the trigger of the ray gun, even if he would not normally be able to activate that wand (as though he had made a successful Use Magic Device check to activate the wand).

QuoteGood suggestion. I'm already getting ready some items for bursts, spreads, and touch spells, but I hadn't though of cones yet.

Are you not effectively castrating the Rogue class by universalizing one of that class' best skills (UMD)?

Quote from: CYMROAre you not effectively castrating the Rogue class by universalizing one of that class' best skills (UMD)?

Damn straight.  *snip, snip* :)

Then again, if Use Magic Device is the deciding factor as to whether or not a given rogue has any balls, then you need to take that rogue and slap him silly, because he's doing something wrong.

I like it, and the price is decent enough. I'd kick it up to 20,000, though, and expand the restriction from rays to rays, targetted bursts (not ones centered on the user), cones, and lines. That way you could fire off fireball beads and all that.

When you compare this to what a magic bow (let's say +5 with ghost touch) with a host of good magic arrows (+1 with flaming, frost, shock, and anything else you want), you'll get something similar to this device. I don't think it's entirely out of the question at all.

Quote from: Epic Meepo

Quote from: CYMROAre you not effectively castrating the Rogue class by universalizing one of that class' best skills (UMD)?

Damn straight.  *snip, snip* :)

Then again, if Use Magic Device is the deciding factor as to whether or not a given rogue has any balls, then you need to take that rogue and slap him silly, because he's doing something wrong.

It may not be the deciding factor, but it is a defining factor of the class...

Except for the quote from an earlier post, the content of this post is Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d).

Quote from: Xeviat TranionI like it, and the price is decent enough. I'd kick it up to 20,000, though, and expand the restriction from rays to rays, targetted bursts (not ones centered on the user), cones, and lines. That way you could fire off fireball beads and all that.

When you compare this to what a magic bow (let's say +5 with ghost touch) with a host of good magic arrows (+1 with flaming, frost, shock, and anything else you want), you'll get something similar to this device. I don't think it's entirely out of the question at all.

+5 ghost touch bow[/i] with any one item.  A +5 ghost touch bow is worth 72,000 gp, not counting the cost of the assorted ammunition that makes it so versatile, and I'm trying to err on the side of affordable.  That way, I can justify the item being fairly common amongst mid- to high-level NPCs in whatever futuristic fantasy world it calls home.

Of course, I'm not done yet, so I may yet change my mind and adopt these or other suggestions.

Which reminds me; thanks to everyone for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

P.S.  I've updated the original post to tweak my wand-powered gun and to add a wand-powered gauntlet, the first of several new wand-powered items I have in mind.

You don't make unarmed attacks with a gauntlet, you attack with the gauntlet itself.

The content of this post is Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d).

Actually, an attack with a gauntlet counts as an unarmed attack:

Quote from: SRDGauntlet: This metal glove lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes. A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed attack.

The Dweomer Vambrace sounds like the perfect way to handle this. I can already envision a fighter wearing his vambrace, with a gauntlet, and a gun at his hip, with a whole quiver of wands to choose from.

Lets him have options in combat other than his trusty sword, and makes magic more accessable for him too. I just may have to gank this idea. I'll probably stick to the Arcane Arbelast flavor and keep the arcane limitation, but that's more of a personal flavor preferance than any indication of disapproval of your creation. Well done!

-Nasty-

I too advocate anything that makes magic items more accessable. I dislike the fact that the fighter is almost nothing without their magic items, or that casters are allowed to function with relatively little items.

Also, the image of the quiver of wands is just cool. If you can have a magic arrow that explodes on contact in a ball of fiery ... flames ... why not have a wand that fires off those balls for you, with the appropriate "launcher".

Quote from: Xeviat TranionI too advocate anything that makes magic items more accessable. I dislike the fact that the fighter is almost nothing without their magic items, or that casters are allowed to function with relatively little items.

So, you want to decrease a fighter's dependency on magic items....


with a magic item...
 :rolleyes:

Quote from: nastynateI just may have to gank this idea. I'll probably stick to the Arcane Arbelast flavor and keep the arcane limitation, but that's more of a personal flavor preferance than any indication of disapproval of your creation. Well done!

If you gank it, they will come...

Wait, no.  That just sounds nasty.  What I mean to say is: if people are willing to gank it, it must be good.  So I must be doing something right: first, astrological alignment is ganked, and now this.  (Incidentally, when I finish the suite of items, I'm thinking of calling them "dweomer tech", as in: technology powered by charges stored in magic items.  Feel free to call it such when you gank it, should you so choose.)

Quote from: Elven DoritosSo, you want to decrease a fighter's dependency on magic items....


with a magic item...
 :rolleyes:

Be fair!  He's advocating decreasing a fighter's dependency on magic items...

with three or more related magic items (not just one)... :)

Quote from: Epic Meepo

Quote from: Elven DoritosSo, you want to decrease a fighter's dependency on magic items....


with a magic item...
 :rolleyes:

Be fair!  He's advocating decreasing a fighter's dependency on magic items...

with three or more related magic items (not just one)... :)

I know. I was being facetious. ;)

Quote from: Elven DoritosI know. I was being facetious. ;)

Ah, then we have something in common, at least as far as our last few posts are concerned. ;)

Quote from: Epic MeepoActually, an attack with a gauntlet counts as an unarmed attack:

Quote from: SRDGauntlet: This metal glove lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes. A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed attack.

>_< Um... Yeah.