[Thread Item] Everlight Bow

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Tattered Rags
Posts:374
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:04 am
[Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by Tattered Rags » Wed Jul 03, 2019 5:26 pm

I have a player who was looking for a light quartz elven warbow to, I don't know, paint a target on himself. I'm sure he wanted a weapon with the dual utility of a torch, but I denied it to him for now. That said, I kinda wanted to give him mostly what he was asking for as his first thread item.

Thoughts? Mostly on power level and costs.

Everlight Bow
Maximum Threads: 2
Mystic Defense: 12 Tier: Journeyman
Everlight Bows are intricately carved bows of any style, though most typically elven warbows. Set into the tips of each limb are carefully carved light quartz, notched to allow the bowstring to attach. The string is made of finely drawn Orichalcum wire interwoven with True Air. True Fire is used to melt living crystal, allowing it to flow into the carvings along the limbs of the bow, connecting the light quartz to the grip. The grip ranges from a simple leather wrap to more costly materials depending on the desires of the enchanter. The bow must be made in the dark with the only light coming from the light quartz and the forge where the living crystal is melted.
With no threads attached, it functions as a normal bow of its type.

Thread Rank One
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the bow.
Effect: The bow's damage step is now 1 higher for its type (6, for elven warbow)
Effect: As a simple action, the owner can cause the light quartz on both ends to glow. This provides light equivalent to torchlight. The owner can stop the glowing with a simple action, as well.

Thread Rank Two
Effect: +1 to Attack tests made with the bow

Thread Rank Three
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the first owner of the bow.
Effect: For the cost of 1 strain, the owner may activate the Tracer Arrow ability. The owner adds a +3 to the next Attack test made with the bow. The light quartz flare, and a mystical glow rapidly travels along the living crystal infused patterns towards the grip. Light coalesces at the tip of the arrow and arcs towards the intended target mere moments before the owner releases the arrow.
Effect: For 1 strain, the owner may activate the Flare ability. The arrow now glows, and it can provide light for two rounds wherever it is fired, as well as along the path it flies. The effect looks similar to Tracer Arrow, except that the whole arrow glows instead of light arcing towards the target.
The owner cannot use both effects in the same round.

Thread Rank Four
Effect: The bow is now 1 additional damage step higher. (Damage step 7 for elven warbow)

Thread Rank Five
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the Weaponsmith who crafted the bow.
Effect: +2 to Attack tests made with the bow.

Thread Rank Six
Deed: The owner mist provide a new string for the bow, made from finely drawn Orichalcum wire and True Air. While they do not have to make the string themselves, they must restring the bow in the same dark location as where the bow was crafted. They must also do so only by the light of the bow's light quartz.
Effect: On a successful hit with a missile attack made with the bow, the owner may spend 1 strain to activate the Illuminating Target ability. For 1 round, the target struck by the arrow now glows with the light of a campfire. As well, while the target glows like this, all attacks targeting physical defense against the target gain a +1 to the attack step. The excludes attacks made by this bow.
Adventure I'm running:
Under the Stars

Adventure GM post-mortem:
Under the Stars Postmortem

Tattered Rags
Posts:374
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:04 am

Re: [Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by Tattered Rags » Wed Jul 03, 2019 5:28 pm

My big questions are as follows:

(1) Is it too much to provide those simple utility abilities alongside more basic boosts? (Torchlight at rank 1 and Flare)

(2) Should the rank 6 ability cost more? Provide a bigger bonus?
Adventure I'm running:
Under the Stars

Adventure GM post-mortem:
Under the Stars Postmortem

ChrisDDickey
Posts:1011
Joined:Sun Nov 27, 2016 10:02 pm

Re: [Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by ChrisDDickey » Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:38 am

I like it, it all seems OK to me.

I think that the torchlight ability is minor enough to coexist with the other rank 1 effect.

I was going to mention that having two rank 3 effects might be a bit much, but then I saw that you said only one could be done per round, so I think that might be OK. I will warn however that the 2nd ability probably should not be named Flare. There is a Missile Weapon Knack of that name in the companion that archers might pick up, so it could cause some confusion.

I will not say that there is anything wrong with your powers, but I notice that they only illuminate the target for 1 or 2 rounds. While really that is probably fine for 98% of the fights that most archers get into, I personally would have had one of the powers be something like...
Effect: The owner may spend one strain when firing the arrow, The arrow glows brightly for 10 minutes. If it hits a target well enough to beat both the targets PD, and MD, it imposes a -3 penalty to any attempt by the target to hide, conceal, or remain unseen. This penalty is doubled in darkness. This penalty lasts for 10 minutes, or until the arrow is removed (which takes 3 standard actions). Furthermore, the arrow gives a plus 4 bonus to the owner in attempts at Tracking, Mystic Pursuit, or similar divination on the target for 10 minutes, or until any wound suffered when the arrow hit is healed, whichever is longer.

The main advantage I see in this alternate power is that it lasts for longer than just a round or two.
Last edited by ChrisDDickey on Thu Jul 04, 2019 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

Tattered Rags
Posts:374
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:04 am

Re: [Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by Tattered Rags » Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:58 am

Great suggestions! I'm glad you like it!

The main purpose of "Flare" (I'll rename it) is to provide a nice utility power for outside combat more than anything. "What's down this dark cave?" "Hold on, I'll shoot a light arrow."

I hadn't thought out too much about the knock-on effect of making the target glow, but, the idea isn't to prevent hiding or running away. The theme of this bow is more using light to make it easier to hit things. The more I think about it, the more I'm unsure about leaving out your making it harder to hide suggestion. Pretty sure I'm going to have to at least roll it into another item.

I have to think about increasing the duration of flare. Maybe tack on "using flare again while another flare is active will extinguish the earlier arrow" and make it last 10 rounds.
Adventure I'm running:
Under the Stars

Adventure GM post-mortem:
Under the Stars Postmortem

Slimcreeper
Posts:1061
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Re: [Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by Slimcreeper » Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:35 pm

"If anyone tries to steal the bow, the light crystals burst, spraying the would-be thief with glowing ink that doesn't fade for a week per rank woven."\

Tattered Rags
Posts:374
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:04 am

Re: [Thread Item] Everlight Bow

Post by Tattered Rags » Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:45 pm

Slimcreeper wrote:
Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:35 pm
"If anyone tries to steal the bow, the light crystals burst, spraying the would-be thief with glowing ink that doesn't fade for a week per rank woven."\
Hahaha!
Adventure I'm running:
Under the Stars

Adventure GM post-mortem:
Under the Stars Postmortem

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