Ring of Set

SnowDog

Mongoose
I hope that this new magic item is not too like out of D&D. Anyway, all feedback is welcome.

Ring of Set
-------------

This finely crafted golden ring resembles a hooded cobra with a raised head and bared fangs that encircles the finger where it is put. Miraculously it fits to every finger...

It is obviously very valuable but it does two things.

1) It can heal lost hit points. It has maximum of 100 hit points stored in it and the reservois can be regained by causing damage with that finger in a hand that causes the damage at the 5 : 1 relation. Thus 1 hit point is added to reservoir for every 5 points of damage dealed. The ring (that means the GM) decides when the ring will use it's healing ability. It will not do so during a combat but some time after a combat (and usually only to heavily wounded). The healing is done by the ring biting the finger and injecting "venom" to the wearer.

2) Everyone who receives healing from the ring will also be affected by this less pleasant effect. It will make the user more and more devoted to Set and later forces the owner pass it on so it can infect others.

Damn. I just realised that it seems quite a bit like The ring from LotR :oops: Anyway, what do you like?
 
Significantly Conanesque for my mind. Only problem is the already existing Serpent Ring of Set so I'm thinking that it maybe two very powerful Set rings floating around might be a bit much.
Alos wondering how a player might tkae having to give up his very powerful magic item cause the DM says so!
Aaron
 
SnowDog said:
I hope that this new magic item is not too like out of D&D. Anyway, all feedback is welcome.

Ring of Set
-------------

This finely crafted golden ring resembles a hooded cobra with a raised head and bared fangs that encircles the finger where it is put. Miraculously it fits to every finger...

It is obviously very valuable but it does two things.

1) It can heal lost hit points. It has maximum of 100 hit points stored in it and the reservois can be regained by causing damage with that finger in a hand that causes the damage at the 5 : 1 relation. Thus 1 hit point is added to reservoir for every 5 points of damage dealed. The ring (that means the GM) decides when the ring will use it's healing ability. It will not do so during a combat but some time after a combat (and usually only to heavily wounded). The healing is done by the ring biting the finger and injecting "venom" to the wearer.

2) Everyone who receives healing from the ring will also be affected by this less pleasant effect. It will make the user more and more devoted to Set and later forces the owner pass it on so it can infect others.

Damn. I just realised that it seems quite a bit like The ring from LotR :oops: Anyway, what do you like?
Yes it's a good and nasty item for Conan RPG. What about a slow and painful transformation into a snake (or a snake-men) to make the worship perfect as a kind of curse?
 
Though I am a novice to the world of Conan, from the little I have read this ring does fit nicely into the genre. Most magic items have a very dark side, the whole Blood Sorcery thing, to them. What you might want to add is an accumulation of Corruption pts, that way it explains the PC passing on the ring...he has become a full servant of Set and would want the chain to continue. On the other hand this would also likely make the PC an NPC at that point, unless you want a blood thirsty follower of Set running amok in your group. :wink:
 
How is it determined when the ring seeks another host?

The healing process is a bit vague and if I were a player, I'd toss this once I foundout it healed me but only at random times, not when I really needed it or wanted it.

Am I right in assuming that damage has to be done bare handed? That would make most sense.

I'd do it this way though:
The ring absorbs life into it from living blood. The more the better. When the wearer douses his arm in blood, the ring imparts 1/4 of of the HP lost from the target as healed HP to the wearer immediately. In other words, if an enemy lost 24 HP in one round and the wearer of the ring grabed the wound, 6HP could be regained immediately. If an ememy were slain that had 80HP, the wearer could gain 20HP back from his blood.

The downside is that it is a Ring of Set and the wearer gains 1 point of corruption each time he uses the ring's ability. Insanities gained as a result must reflect the wearer's increasing blood-thirsty tendancies under the influence of the ring.

I've been thinking about the Horned Helmet worn by Goth of Baal too. I figured it would increase STR by 1/4 point for each foe slain but essentially impart Corruption as above.
 
Sutek said:
I've been thinking about the Horned Helmet worn by Goth of Baal too. I figured it would increase STR by 1/4 point for each foe slain but essentially impart Corruption as above.
This helmet seems similar to the black sword Stormbringer which (who?) can even slay gods. An adaptation was made for the D20 systems (Dragon-Lords of Melniboné), so you can perhaps find somethng suitable for the helm.
 
How about this as a variation:

"The Kiss of Ishiti"

This bracelet was supposedly crafted by the demon-child of Set, Ishiti. It is an intricately worked golden bracelet, crafted to appear as a pair of cobras entwined together as if mating. The bracelet is beautifully enameled and very realistic.

One cobra head is wrapped around the inside of the wrist, with the fangs pressed against the wearer's veins. The other is looking out from the outer arm, fanged jaws opened wide.

The inner cobra has emerald chip eyes and the outer has rubies. Both sets of stones sometimes appear to glow with an inner light. Both sets of fangs are tiny, ivory needles.

The priceless bracelet is famous among scholars, but those that possess it take pains to conceal it. Due to it's dark nature, it often changes ownership. Many scrolls speak of the thing's mystical healing properties, but warn of a deadly, yet unspecified danger.

The bracelet can in fact heal. But it's magic is dark and as double edged as a cobra's kiss. To activate the magic, the outer cobra head must be pressed up against a living victim's flesh, as the bearer whispers a short prayer to Ishiti. (The prayer is worked into the enameled scales of the snakes, written in Old Stygian.)

When the needle/teeth break the skin, the snake's eyes glow red and the bracelet begins draining 1d10 hit points per round. The victim must also make a fortitude save (DC11, see cobra venom, pg. 311 of the Conan rules).

If the victim dies, the spell is broken and only the initial damage is drained. If the victim survives, the spell continues to drain 1d10 points per round until the victim is dead.

Once the ring is used, the inner fangs pierce the wearer's wrist, as the tiny emeralds glow. The wearer must also make a fortitude save, as sescribed above. However, the damage drained from the user is channeled into the bracelet wearer, healing him or her. The wearer can only be healed up to maximum normal hit points and any additional drained points are lost.

If the victim is unrestrained, the bearer must succeed at a grappling test to continue draining points. If the victim is unconcious, helpless, restrained, etc. then the bracelet can be used unimpeded. However the first time the wearer sacrifices someone in this manner, they gain a corruption point.
 
AZZA said:
Significantly Conanesque for my mind. Only problem is the already existing Serpent Ring of Set so I'm thinking that it maybe two very powerful Set rings floating around might be a bit much.
Alos wondering how a player might tkae having to give up his very powerful magic item cause the DM says so!
Aaron

I was not aware of the Serpent Ring of Set, so this could be called something else, or in fact to bracelets like it was proposed by Darth Mikey. Another poster proposed using Corruption and that would cause the user to pass on the item. Actually I think that the player would be somewhat relieved to get rid of the item because it corrupts. The function of the whole item is to act as a kind of vector to make Set worshippers. Once one (or more) of the PCs are corrupted it could very well lead to a campaign where PCs try to find a cure against this curse. Maybe the corrupted characters have a chance to get a clear moments in their life (Will save) and then they are free to do as they like at least for a brief time.
 
The King said:
Yes it's a good and nasty item for Conan RPG. What about a slow and painful transformation into a snake (or a snake-men) to make the worship perfect as a kind of curse?

This could very well be an end result if the character wears the ring too long...
 
Judge Walker said:
Though I am a novice to the world of Conan, from the little I have read this ring does fit nicely into the genre. Most magic items have a very dark side, the whole Blood Sorcery thing, to them. What you might want to add is an accumulation of Corruption pts, that way it explains the PC passing on the ring...he has become a full servant of Set and would want the chain to continue. On the other hand this would also likely make the PC an NPC at that point, unless you want a blood thirsty follower of Set running amok in your group. :wink:

Heck I am not even a novice yet as my players decided not to try Conan this time (so, maybe in future). Otherwise I have read quite a bit of Conan stories, so the world is not so unfamiliar to me. As I wrote in another post maybe there is a way to get rid of the curse but that should be quite an adventure and obviously PCs should get rid of the item ASAP :)
 
Sutek said:
How is it determined when the ring seeks another host?

The healing process is a bit vague and if I were a player, I'd toss this once I foundout it healed me but only at random times, not when I really needed it or wanted it.

Am I right in assuming that damage has to be done bare handed? That would make most sense.

I'd do it this way though:
The ring absorbs life into it from living blood. The more the better. When the wearer douses his arm in blood, the ring imparts 1/4 of of the HP lost from the target as healed HP to the wearer immediately. In other words, if an enemy lost 24 HP in one round and the wearer of the ring grabed the wound, 6HP could be regained immediately. If an ememy were slain that had 80HP, the wearer could gain 20HP back from his blood.

The downside is that it is a Ring of Set and the wearer gains 1 point of corruption each time he uses the ring's ability. Insanities gained as a result must reflect the wearer's increasing blood-thirsty tendancies under the influence of the ring.

I've been thinking about the Horned Helmet worn by Goth of Baal too. I figured it would increase STR by 1/4 point for each foe slain but essentially impart Corruption as above.

Okay, here's some background why I invented the whole thing. I decided to design a one shot introductionary adventure to test Conan (and d20 system in general). In that adventure PCs sail to a former pirate fort, long ago abandoned to search a hidden treasure. Of course there is another party after the treasure as well and then there are the guards of this treasure. The treasure is guarded by some sort of undeads and maybe couple of traps to get good old fashioned dungeon crawl feeling. After dispatching the undead I am pretty sure that at least one of the PCs is in need of quick healing and this item is willing to give it. But since this is Conan there is no such a thing as free meal and thus the corruption part. I didn't want to make the item too powerfull so it would not be under the control of the PC but under the control of GM. And since it seems that there is not much healing magic in the game it would not be appropriate for the item to heal the character during combat. But it would heal the character after the combat if he/she is badly wounded (it's all up to DM).

The charging of the HPs could be handled like you said and it would make more sense but I thought that it would be enough if it is done in melee using a melee weapon connected to the hand where the item is. If you want to get more gore I would say that it wants a ritual sacrifice. If you want to be lenient then it recharges on it's own at the rate of 1 HP/hour for example. Up to 100 HP anyway.

I hope this cleared some things...
 
SnowDog said:
The King said:
Yes it's a good and nasty item for Conan RPG. What about a slow and painful transformation into a snake (or a snake-men) to make the worship perfect as a kind of curse?

This could very well be an end result if the character wears the ring too long...
Not necessarily; the curse could be almost immediate and the PCs would need one or several adventure to get rid of the curse.
 
True, the curse can be triggered when the item heals the character first time (as it does) and the curse will stay on it's course even when the item is no longer in the possession of the character. Obviously the cure for this curse should be quite an adventure.
 
SnowDog said:
True, the curse can be triggered when the item heals the character first time (as it does) and the curse will stay on it's course even when the item is no longer in the possession of the character. Obviously the cure for this curse should be quite an adventure.
It could be an immediate curse with slow effet, where each use of the ring would enhance the curse enough to horrify the PC: snake eyes, scaled skin, loss of the eye-lids (think of the transformation in the 1st movie). Of course, the ring can't be removed.
This imply some research in libraries, then a travel to forbidden Stygia to get rid of it or to find a way to by-pass the curse (using the ring without secondary effects) so your player don't feel totaly cheated or a pawn of destiny. On the other hand, he shall learn that no magic item is to be used slightly and that magic always implies some negative effetcs (hence the corruption).
 
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