Chapter Four: Vabrin’s Forge
None: The item cannot communicate in any way and cannot understand communication from others, even if it can hear and someone speaks to it. Pulse: The item can vibrate a little, just enough so that anyone holding it or touching it can tell. It understands no type of communication, regardless of what kind of perception it has. Empathy: The item only understands one-word sorts of ideas or emotions, and can convey the same. It does so only mentally, however, to anyone holding it. Speech: The item can speak audibly. It automatically knows one language (chosen by the creator). It can learn more languages by spending skill points. Telepathy: The item can mentally communicate with anyone touching it. No shared language is necessary. Super-Telepathy: The item can mentally communicate with anyone within 25 feet. No shared language is necessary.
Item Ability Scores Items have three ability scores: Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. When an item is created, roll 2d6 for each of these ability scores. Further, the creator can add bonuses to the rolled scores at this rate: Bonus +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10
Additional Creation Cost 50 gp + 1 XP 100 gp + 4 XP 200 gp + 8 XP 400 gp + 16 XP 800 gp + 32 XP 1,600 gp + 64 XP 3,200 gp + 128 XP 6,400 gp + 256 XP 12,800 gp + 516 XP 25,600 gp + 1,032 XP
Check Result 1–10 11–14
15–19
20–29
30+
49
Effect The DM determines all aspects of the item’s personality. The item has the same alignment as its creator. The DM chooses all other aspects of its personality. The creator determines the item’s alignment. The DM chooses all other aspects of its personality. The creator dictates the item’s alignment and general “purpose” (what it looks upon as its goal). The creator dictates the alignment, goals, and personality of the item.
When the DM is creating aspects of the item’s personality, she can do so randomly, or as she sees fit. She can base the item on the creator if Incorporating These Rules she wishes. For example, if the DMs may wish to substitute these rules for the rules regarding intelligent magic items found in creator were a wizChapter Eight of the DMG. At the very least, you ard, the item might may wish to use some of the elements—feats, maladies, and so on—in conjunction love wizards. Or it with those rules. might hate them.
Item Levels
The item’s final ability scores cannot exceed the creator’s. Items that can animate themselves also have Strength and Dexterity scores. Determine and increase these scores in the same way as those above. Like characters, for every four levels an item gains, it can add +1 to one ability score.
Like creatures, intelligent items have levels and can gain more. Unlike creatures, they do not gain levels based on experience or overcoming challenges. Instead, a living creature must infuse personal energy (experience points) into the item. The number of experience points required for an item to gain a level is equal to one-quarter the number of experience points needed for a character to gain a level. Anyone touching an intelligent item can infuse it with power, although a character cannot infuse an item that is higher level than he or she is; a 6th-level fighter cannot aid an 8th-level item. Also, a character cannot infuse an intelligent item with so many experience points that the character would lose a level. Unlike a character, an item does not have to start at 1st level. The creator can infuse enough experience points into an item upon creation to raise its level immediately.
Item Personalities
Hit Points
So what does an object want out of “life?” What does it fear? Does it revere a deity? What is the item’s alignment? These are questions to answer when the item is created. The creator has a great deal of influence over the item, but in the end, the item is free-willed. At the time of creation, the creator should make a caster level check, adding his Charisma bonus, and consult the following table:
An item gains an additional hit point each level.
Item Attacks Items able to animate or activate themselves have a base attack bonus. To this bonus they add a Strength or Dexterity modifier (depending on whether they make melee or ranged attacks), their own enhancement bonus (if any), and so on.
