need help with designing a poleaxe

Discussion on game mastering Earthdawn. May contain spoilers; caution is recommended!
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The_Gun_Nut
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Re: need help with designing a poleaxe

Postby The_Gun_Nut » Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:43 pm

I've found that very few items need to have a ton of ranks to be effective, regardless of their power level. One thing that I've found that helps guage between different item's potency is the Legend Point cost of the item as well as the number of ranks.

For example, a Spell Matrix object can have 15 ranks, easily (and 90% of the time they do). But since their cost is "Novice," meaning their ranks cost the same as Novice talent ranks, then they don't do much else.

Purifier, OTOH, has only 6 ranks, but they cost as much as Master talents. And few would argue that Purifier is weaker/less useful than the Spell Matrix object because it has fewer ranks.
There is no overkill.

Only "open fire" and "I need to reload."

arma
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Re: need help with designing a poleaxe

Postby arma » Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:53 pm

I've played around with some ideas I had here a bit, and came up with the item below. It's supposed to tie into the Warrior Discipline heavily, playing with its abilities, based on the originator's legend.

GM advice, though: Never give the players something you are not prepared to immediately handle if they have the opportunity, especially if it has stats or any numbers associated with it. It's usually disappointing for the players if you string them along or give them something they can't use, and you'll box yourself in with stats (for example, the item below could have been made much more interesting with more Deeds or another number of Key Knowledges) or find yourself retconning things.
It's not as bad as the one time someone asked what a 1-yard diameter solid gold sphere would be worth because he had placed that in an adventure and hadn't expected the players would be able to take it along... :mrgreen:





Troll Pole-Axe (Namegivers of Barsaive, p. 236)
Damage Step: 7 (base 9, –2 from wear)*
Size: 7
Strength Minimum: 21 (base 19, +2 from heavy axe-head)*
Weight: 13
Availability: Rare
* These are design choices going along with the item’s physical description, there’s no explicit rules for these.


Maximum Threads: 1
Ranks: 15
Key Knowledges: 7
Deeds: 2
Legend Point Cost: Warden

This large pole-axe is of pre-Scourge troll design. It features a thick shaft of black wood that shows clear signs of wear from large hands. The similarly worn axe-head is made from stone and unusually shaped, a concession to the material used. The axe-blade is dulled, the spear-tip broken off. Despite its wear, the head won’t chip any further.
~Insert legend of Osundis here, I've split it into the Key Knowledges for simplicity.~


Key Knowledge: The wielder must know the Name of the item.
Effect: The weapon is now Damage Step 14.


Effect: The weapon is now Damage Step 15.


Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn that the weapon was gifted to Osundis by the chief of a trollmoot who had good relations with the rockbrothers from Osundis’ liferock after young Osundis helped defend the moot from an army of undead sent by a Horror. The weapon carries the trolls’ magic, as well as Osundis’.
Effect: The wielder gains a +2 Rank Bonus to the Fireblood talent.


Effect: The weapon is now Damage Step 16.


Key Knowledge: After the battle at the trollmoot, Osundis set out to hunt down the Horror that had sent the army of undead. Coming close, he was wounded by one of the Horror’s constructs and afflicted by its vile poison. The poison weakened him, recovery taking him years of training, rebuilding his strength. This disadvantage proved to later turn into an advantage when wielding the weapon.
Effect: The weapon becomes easier to wield. When rolling Initiative, as a Free Action, The wielder may either reduce the weapon’s required Strength Minimum to 17 or may choose to use the Shattering Strike special ability. His decision stands until the end of the round. (If he meets the Strength Minimum of 21, Shattering Strike is always in effect.)
Shattering Strike: When he has enough room overhead to smash the weapon down on his target, the wielder gains a +3 bonus to Damage Test made against weapons, shields, or similar objects. At later Thread Ranks, Shattering Strike can be applied to other types of Tests, these bonuses stack, but all their conditions must be met!


Effect: The Rank Bonus to Fireblood is now +4.


Deed: While afflicted by the poison, Osundis had to choose his battles wisely, and prepare in advance. He wrote a short manual about his experiences and methods of preparation. The wielder must find a copy of the manual, learn from it, and make it available to the public. To learn from the manual, the wielder must know the Battle Rites ability.
Effect: When using Battle Rites, the wielder does not need to spend the 2 Strain to activate the ability, only the Karma Point. In addition, he gains the Efficient Wielding ability. This ability remains with the character even if the thread to the weapon is lost.
Efficient Wielder: The character treats any Strength Minimum or similar requirement for any item other than Osundis’ Companion as 2 lower. If he has woven a thread to the item, he treats it as 4 lower.


Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn that years after the battle at the trollmoot, Osundis defeated the Horror that had sent the army of undead. He delivered a final devastating blow to the creature, making good use of what he had learned about using his strength.
Effect: The wielder may apply the Shattering Strike bonus to Damage Tests using Crushing Blow.


Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn that after defeating the Horror, Osundis returned to the trolls to bring them the news. The moots’ Stonesmiths took in his heavily worn weapon to repair it. As the weapon was already a powerful magic item, they could not easily meddle with its physical form, but performed a mighty ritual calling to the stone of the mountain it was forged from and the weapon’s past glory.
Effect: When striking with the weapon, the axe-head is surrounded by a ghostly aura showing it in pristine condition, with an elongated sharp spear tip. The weapon is now Damage Step 19. The wielder may apply the bonus from Shattering Strike when using Setting Against a Charge.


Effect: The weapon is now Damage Step 20. The Rank Bonus to Fireblood is now +6. The wielder adds +1 Recovery Test per day.


Deed: Osundis became known as a great teacher in his time, and he sought to battle the coming Horrors to write down his experiences so others may profit from them. He found that more than just learning to wield weapons, the Warrior need be aware of his surroundings when fighting the Horrors. The wielder must find Osundis’ manual on the battlefield path, learn from it, and make it available to the public. To learn from the manual, the wielder must know Battlefield Awareness.
Effect: The wielder gains the Osundis’ Path ability, this ability remains with the character even if the thread to the weapon is severed. When Battlefield Awareness is active, the wielder may apply the bonus from Shattering Strike to any Damage Test made against a Horror.
Osundis’ Path: Battlefield Awareness requires only 1 Strain to activate.


Effect: The wielder may perform Battle Rites multiple times each day, though the first time still counts as performing his Karma Ritual. The benefits of Battle Rites changes as follows: Using the specified talent does not require Strain the first two times the talent is used, per round.


Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn that Osundis retired near his liferock, founding a Warrior Order popular among obsidimen and trolls of the time, and that the specialty of the Order was to teach fighting under unfavourable circumstances or when wounded, and how to prepare for a battle despite being wounded.
Effect: The wielder gains a +4 Rank Bonus to the Resist Pain talent.


Effect: When using Resurrect Self, the wielder gains a +6 bonus to the Life Check Test.


Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn of Osundis’ final fate. Osundis became an elder of his liferock, shortly before the Scourge hit with full force. While his brothers returned to merge with the liferock to weather the Scourge, Osundis kept defending the liferock, keeping the route open for his brothers to return. While the last of his brothers were merging with the liferock, a Horror made a final attempt at the brotherhood. In the fight, the Horror severed Osundis’ arm. Not giving any ground, Osundis swung his Companion one-handed, killing the Horror. Osundi merged with the liferock as the last of his brotherhood, but did not emerge after the Scourge. It is said that his severed arm turned to stone and can still be found near the brotherhood’s liferock.
Effect: The wielder may wield the weapon with one hand, though he is Harried while doing so. In the first round of combat an opponent witnesses this, the opponent counts as Surprised towards the wielder.
Best kaer anywhere.

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The_Gun_Nut
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Re: need help with designing a poleaxe

Postby The_Gun_Nut » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:43 pm

Too much, and too little. The rank 15 effect is the latter (can weild 1 handed but is harried is not a memorable endcap power, I'd remove the Harried condition). Thread rank 7 is the former (makes EVERYTHING easier to use, even if the thread is lost is too much). The whole thing is only Warden costed.

I think that you could cut it down to 8 ranks at Master costing by virtue of having the talents that get bonuses get a bonus equal to the rank of the thread and simply insert them throughout ranks. That would both read much easier (fewer listings to read through) and free up the listings so that the truly special abilities could be highlighted in each rank.

AMT, for example, the Weaponsmith has made his Heartblade (a Heart-warhammer, technically) into a masterpiece item. He is plotting a rank for each Circle he achieves, so that if and when he reaches 15th Circle, his masterpiece will have 15 ranks. Currently, it "only" has 8 ranks, but since he is about to get 9th Circle, it will have 9 ranks. Assuming he survives that long. The group has irritated/annoyed/angered: Ubyr, Giftbringer, and the Theran Empire (they stole a vedette, and recently trashed a kila with the help of some Stoneclaw Sky Raiders).
There is no overkill.

Only "open fire" and "I need to reload."

kevsurp
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Re: need help with designing a poleaxe

Postby kevsurp » Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:00 pm

ok when i gave them the stats the person peson told them that all he could find out was that it was 15 ranks and 7 key and 2 deeds and told them that couldn't find anything else about it cause it was more then he could do ie only learn up to u item history ranks 7 key 2 deed for 9 ranks of item history so can be more key and deeds

arma
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Re: need help with designing a poleaxe

Postby arma » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:36 pm

Best kaer anywhere.


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