Hello everyone
I'm designing a Talisman for an NPC character, and would like some comments on it both regarding mechanics (shape & material bonuses) and some alternative design ideas.
The item is for a Terram-specialist Magus, with a Magic Theory of 4 - Hermetic age max 10 years.
Originally i was going for a large metal hammer, but since this might be a bit too cliche (and might be outside the scope of Magic Theory 4) the concept is now based on a staff with metal bands/handle/pommel/tip etc.
Talisman
Wooden Staff (wood 2 x size 4 = 8 pawns)
Metal feature (base metal 5 x size 1)
Possible attunements:
Shape: Staff (+4 control/destroy things at a distance, +3 project bolt or other missile, +2 repel things)
Material: Wood (by type e.g. Blackthorn/Chestnut/Hickory/Hornbeam/Lilac/Orange etc.)
Material: Metal [Magnet] (+4 Rego Terram, +4 Rego Corpus, +2 Rego)
Material: Metal [Mercury] (+3 Terram, +5 Muto, +3 Aquam, +3 arts&sciences, +2 alter complex matter)
Questions
For obvious reasons the two metal materials are of interest to the character, but are they appropriate?
Are they both considered base metals? Can they be used as metal bands around the staff despite their magnetic and liquid forms?
Is there a more elegant/fun way to integrate one of these materials (if not I'll just use some other ones - plenty of good options for Terram boost)?
The Magus uses his Talisman as a 'Great Weapon' when he resorts to melee combat.
But as stated (by other users) in previous threads, some players worry about the safety of their Talisman, if constantly stressed, dented etc.
But by just enchanting the staff part, the Terram-Specialist can add a separate 'head' to the staff and use this head to take most of the beating.
This approach would also make the weapon more flexible, as the head of an Axe might make it better at cutting down trees/doors, while the head of a hammer would be good for breaking things/creatures with resistance to cuts. The smaller head of a spear might be the faster/lighter choice, possibly with an option to set for a charge.
There are some issues and drawbacks though.
Can the weapons truly change type just by changing the head (Warhammers are not excactly Quarterstaffs with a heavy heads are they?)
If the answer to the above is 'yes', remember that the character does not get to add his speciality (to more than one specific weapon type).
If each head is made and attached by mundane methods, will this actually hold?
Are sufficient mundane methods for attaching these heads, e.g. a thread, invented i mideviel times?
Alternately, if the heads are created through the use of magic, penetration will become very important (although i guess such a spell would be of a pretty low spell level anyway).
I like the idea of being able to magically fling a 'head' at an opponent as a ranged attack.
Being able to detach the heads has other advantages as well, e.g. if an opponent is immune to metal weapons.
All comments are welcome!
