Crash Test Magic – The Southern Blade
Don't hold it by the pointy end.
Crash test magic took a week off due to the holiday, but now it’s back. This week, we step away from Magic: the Gathering card ideas and take a look at a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons artifact called the Southern Blade. It can be very difficult to balance powerful magic items, especially when it’s intended for characters in the heroic tier.
In the previous edition of Crash Test Magic, we took a crack at a red creature enchantment called Jealous Rage. Killer strategies were devised by ggodo and morose (morose’s third turn 6/6 Slippery Bogle was particularly devious), then robbit stopped in to offer an even nastier suggestion: slap the enchantment onto a cheap double strike creature. Harsh. We also discovered that a pair of Jealous Rages tended to outweigh each other’s drawbacks, and that in a pinch the card could be used for creature removal. Good job!
Now, on to the Southern Blade. This is an artifact I devised as the end goal of a recent dungeon crawl. It has a juicy backstory that I won’t delve into here beyond the brief outline included, since we’re focused on rules (and how to abuse them). Suffice it to say it doesn’t like demons much. I also haven’t included the concordances for this artifact, just the base abilities. If we can balance this artifact’s powers, I’ll present the whole thing in a future post.
The Southern Blade
Heroic Level Artifact
The Southern Blade was used by the Faithful within Gardmore Abby to take their own lives and end the demonic influence that was corrupting them. It was a powerful item even before the paladins and clerics there imbued it with new powers, and when Sir Erethain used it to take his own life, some portion of his spirit took residence in the blade itself. Now the Southern Blade shares Erethain’s eternal need to purge the world of demonic and undead influence.
The Southern Blade is a bastard sword +2.
Property: All damage dealt by the Southern Blade gains the Radiant type in addition to its other types.
Property: +2 damage against creatures with the undead or demon subtypes.
Power (Daily, Divine, Weapon): Standard Action. You can use Enmity’s Reach (Avenger level 3 – PHB2, page 36).
Power (Daily): Standard Action. Close burst 3. You and all allies within the burst gain resist 5 against all attacks by demons or undead until the end of your next turn.
Power (At-Will): Minor Action. Give one creature damaged by the Southern Blade this turn Vulnerability: Radiant 5 until end of encounter.
Remember, the point of Crash Test Magic is to pick this apart. Too strong? Too weak? Part of a horribly abusable combo? Have at it, Vikings.
Related posts:
June 1st, 2009 5:22 PM
What level are you going to give this out at? Remember – artifacts are supposed to move on after 2-3 levels.
That said, Radiant damage is easy to exploit – either by Multiclassing Warlock and critting on a 18 with all Weapon or Implement powers, or by having a Morninglord around to give everyone Vulnerable:radiant. (Or both)
You should be explicit about whether the Minor Action vulnerability stacks with other vulnerabilities to radiant damage. Since undead all already have vulnerable: radiant 10.
Consider typing the bonus damage as well (A +2 power bonus / item bonus / artifact bonus).
Also, I’m still not totally clear on how daily item powers work, but I know at lower levels you can only use 1 a day.
The way it stands now, that sword’s swinging for 1d10 + abil + 10 (5 vulnerable, 2 enhancement, 2 untyped, 1 versatile) vs Demons & Undead. Assuming vulnerable stacks, it’s +15 vs undead. If you’re an avenger/morninglord, or if you’ve got a morninglord in the party? It’s +25.
So an avenger/student of caiphon with a morninglord in the party is going to be rolling 2d20, crit on an 18, for 1d10+25+whatever else. As an at will.
June 1st, 2009 5:30 PM
See, these are the little things that add up to broken powers/magic items. Great comment, iconoplast!
In the DMG, they don’t give specific levels beyond the tier each artifact is aimed at. I gave this out around 4-5.
Without looking it up, I don’t believe vulnerabilities stack ever, so undead would just stay at 10. The sword is more interested in killing demons than undead, so I guess that’s ok in the end.
As per the DMG, artifact daily item powers are not subject to the 1/day limits of other magic items, so you could use both Enmity’s Reach and the burst resist power in the same day.
Some very powerful combos pointed out there, and I was actually thinking this one might be UNDERpowered.
June 1st, 2009 6:40 PM
I don’t know enough to get extremely in depth, especially since I tend to play classes that don’t use swords, but it seems like giving radiant vulnerability to everyone you meet is a good thing, and one that will make the blade a bit more useful against the living and the not as demonic. as it stands, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with against all manner of unholy creatures but swinging a slightly prettier sword than most against anything else. Iconoplast’s combos are crazy awesome, but in my experience my DMs have tried hard to keep the plots of campaigns hidden until after character creation with minimal world building details especially if undead feature prominently so we don’t all run holy nukers to break the world with our power combos.
June 1st, 2009 6:47 PM
I’m almost scared to post since this is my sword (at least at the moment), BUT . . .
the vulnerbility granting power requires that you first hit a target (and cause damage) so that +5 isn’t available until a the second round or an action point is spent. However, that vulnerability does stick around for the rest of the fight so it can be pretty mean and helps other party members with radiant damage pound on the target as well.
As for the specific character classes and their power levels, I don’t see that as a particular problem. This isn’t like a magic dack where you can select cards to work well with other cards. This is an item that will be found by adventurers. The DM will already know what classes they are so if he is aware of possible breaks before handing it out, he can limit game balance upset if any.
Though Ed, this did remind me of your eventual displeasure over Petronas’s Holy Greatsword +3. So I did fear that it might prove too powerful. Also, I thought it was a Zweihander when we originally found it, not so? That’s what I’ve been using it as . . . oops . . .
June 1st, 2009 7:17 PM
This is what I like about 4e; unlike previous editions, you can’t break it wide open that easily. Even Iconoplast’s rather specific, Insider-heavy class combo isn’t that crazy.
I know your players are snooping, but do you have the “It loves me/It loves me not” powers worked out?
June 1st, 2009 7:42 PM
I haven’t done the concordances yet, mordicai, I’ll post the whole thing with all the flavor when I do.
khovaros, you’re right, it was a great sword, wasn’t it? Well, really, a DM can make it any kind of sword. Or a hammer, whatever.
As far as it being too powerful in the long run, 4E artifacts aren’t really meant to stick around too long, they have their own agendas and other mortals to hang out with. The Southern Blade has unfinished business to attend to.
June 2nd, 2009 7:29 AM
I’m thinking– this sword as it stands looks like it wants to SKIRMISH the demonic. The vulnerability encourages a striker to run around & hit EVERYONE once. Not to finish the job so much as start it.
June 2nd, 2009 7:33 AM
ggodo : Last time we had a Undead-nuker was the 3rd ed Ravenloft. First, that module claimed everybody’s character, TWICE, except mine. I played, of all things, a Dwarf Ninja/Paladin. I did, I made that character. He was…hilarious. But lived! Even as dudes with deathward armor were killed by two death effects in an encounter, etc. ANYHOW, the Radiant Servant of Pelor was great; until, you know, a slime or whatever killed him.