Weapons of Legacy

I find the Weapons of Legacy to be interesting and potentially powerful, if it were not for the steep drawbacks.  For my campaign, I have lifted some of the restrictions, in order to promote the use of these items.  Firstly, if you have the Weapons of Legacy book available to you, I would like to draw your attention to the sidebar entitled Summary: Discovering A Legacy Weapon on page 9.  The fifth line states that you gain the appropriate legacy feat as a bonus feat, upon performing and paying the ritual cost.  This frees your feat selection up for your character build, by not having to spend your every 3rd level feats on your item.  Spending feats just to use your legacy item is a common misconception.  Now to the changes.

On page 24, on the left hand column, you will find personal costs. 

Attack Penalty:  I believe that advancement with a legacy weapon should incur a personal cost, but not one that directly reduces the effectiveness of using the item.  I do however also believe that a Legacy Weapon, intelligent or not, will exhibit a certain amount of jealousy.  This penalty will only apply to the use of any other weapon, or form of attack, which does not include the Legacy Weapon.  This will hurt the Two-Weapon fighter more than anyone else, therefore in the case of paired legacy weapons, as is the case with Devious and Vicious, the attack penalty will be waived, as part of the complete twin synergy bonus.

Skill Check Penalty:  If I wanted to walk around with a constant penalty on skill checks, I would follow an enemy Hex Blade, and willingly fail all saves against his curse.  This penalty will only apply to the skills associated with the 2 least important abilities, of the class most closely associated with the weapon.  For example Bones of Li-Peng is obviously designed with a monk in mind.  In my opinion Intelligence and Charisma are the least important ability scores to a monk.  Therefore the penalty would only apply to Charisma and Intelligence based skill checks.  Alternatively one could apply the penalty to cross-class skills, of the class that the Legacy Item is most closely associated with. 

Save Penalty:  Read the above intro except replace Hex Blade's Curse with Black Guard's Aura of Despair.  With Caladbolg, and other weapons that reduce a specific save, there should be no change, but a hit on any, let alone all saving throws screams, "Please eat me alive, MR. Dragon!"  I believe that the hit on saves should be specific to the circumstances that one will encounter, in the completion of the legacy rituals, in order to increase the intensity of the experience.  For example, the Bow of the Black Archer requires that you go and kill drow and nasty worshipers of Lolth.  The penalty to saves, associated with the personal cost on the item should be saves versus poison.  The only elven race that can get around this is a drow, which would add quite a bit of irony and drama, to the retelling of the story.

Caster Level Penalty:  Hmm, lets take Shadow Weave Magic, and learn spells from the schools of Evocation, Transmutation, and Conjuration.  Oh yeah, make sure that you pick up all the spells with the light description as well.  This penalty should only apply to the spells from schools that you are NOT likely to use, as is the case with the above mentioned feat.  For items that incur a caster level penalty, this penalty will only apply to 3 schools.  For example, the Bright Evening Star would only cause a caster level penalty for spells cast from the schools of illusion, necromancy, and transmutation, along with spells with the darkness description.  The ring has the flavor of abjuration, conjuration, enchantment, and evocation.

Manifestor Level Penalty:  Similarly with caster level penalty, just attach a mind leech to your skull.  As above, apply the penalty to the 3 sciences that a manifestor associated with the item is least likely to use.

Hit Point Loss:  Though this might be the least favorite penalty to some players, I think that this one should remain the same.  If 3-4 hp is really going to erk you that much, take Toughness or Improved Toughness.  Alternatively a GM could allow the lost hp to be added to the hp of the Legacy item, in order to make it just a little harder to destroy.  With the potential for Legacy items to be abusive, a GM might actually have to resort to that 6 letter S word.

Skill Point Loss:  As with Hit Point Loss, this one will just have to fly.  Often times in Min/Max games, the assignment of skill points is the most tedious task in building high level characters.  This cost might actually simplify that part of character creation.  As with the above mentioned alternative, if you are founding a Legacy and take the Intelligent Legacy menu ability, a GM might allow this lost skill points to be added to the item itself.

Spell Slot Loss:  And again, spell slot loss is going to stay the same.  Alternatively a GM might allow the spell-like abilities on the item to be cast as though they were cast from a staff, utilizing the users own caster level, and applicable spell focus and spell penetration feats.

Ring of False Life

I've seen items in the past that actually boost a character's hit point pool, and are replenished with a full night's rest. The ring of False Life seems to be a staple in DDO, though finding it in a hardback source has proved challenging. I have found a close equivalent in the form of Vest of False Life from Sword and Fist, so I will use this item as a base for the creation of a set of Ring's of False Life, which will be readily usable in my current campaign. Vest of False Life grants 10 hp, though not considered temporary, and requires the bear's endurance spell. The vest requires a CL 6 for creation, three higher than the minimum requirement of CL to cast either bear's endurance or false life. The base price is 12,000 gp. I will deviate slightly from this, in order to make a reasonable conversion from 3.0 to 3.5.

At CL 6, assuming that the variable 1d10 granted a value of 4, the result was exactly 10, thus granting the value posted on the item. By applying the empower spell feat, then the maximize spell feat, and finally both feats in item creation, I have come with an appropriate progression in bonuses granted by market price, for a series of Rings of False Life. Lastly I applied the intensify spell feat to create an epic version of the Ring of False Life, and of course was required to set the minimum Cl at 20th, though the actual spell level was only 9th. The series of items would appear as follows:

Ring of False Life: This ring is a pale thin band. It is usually made of ivory or some other kind of animal bone. The ring grants the wearer +5 hp, +10 hp, +15, hp, +20 hp, or +25 hp. When you take the ring off, you immediately lose the bonus hit points.
Moderate necromancy; CL 6th, Forge Ring, false life, creator's level must be at least 3/5 times the ring's bonus; Price 6,000 gp (+5), 24,000 gp (+10), 54,000 gp (+15), 96,000 gp (+20), 150,000 (+25).

Ring of Epic False Life: This ring is a pale thin band. It is usually made of ivory or some other kind of animal bone. The ring grants the wearer +30 hp, +35 hp, +40 hp, +45 hp, or +50 hp. When you take the ring off you immediately lose the bonus hit points.
Strong necromancy; CL 20th, Forge Epic Ring, false life, creator's level must be at least 3/5 times the ring's bonus; Price 2,160,000 gp (+30), 2,940,000 gp (+35), 3,840,000 gp (+40), 4,860,000 gp (+45), 6,000,000 gp (+50).

Campaign Back History

The Pangaeic War began in the middle continent of Aesurai, but quickly spread, to encompass all nations of the known world.  The war truly began when Clan Suddeth, ascended the political rungs, and became the dominant political force of an impoverished nation known as Pitzarany.  The young and charismatic half-orc Flthare Idol, unified the nation, under the grim banners of Hextoran reform and racial purification.  Yialt, a country on  the southern peninsula, held a similar vision of reform. Emperor Luiso Nims, the supreme ruler of Yialt, believed steadfastly in Banenite (the Yialt parallel of Hextorism) dominance.  Luiso had been patiently kindling patriotism, in the once proud Imperial State, promising a revival of her one time glory.  Luiso was not so concerned with the racial purification of his mongrel people of giant lineage, but was supremely confident in his nations social identity.  Flthare's brewing political storm in the north, catalyzed Luiso's patriotism in the south, and the two rulers formed an alliance. 

Flthare's vision of Pitzarany became reality, when the ultimate fighting force was bred, from the cunning of goblins, the power of orcs, and the ambition of humans.  Hobgoblins spilled forth, from the boiling kettle of Pitzarany, and began their atrocious campaign in the northern neighboring Apnold.  The Hextoran conquest met true resistance only from the elven nation of Sarusi, and the North-Eastern Island fortress of Bintari. As the gears of war turned in Aesuria, a small island nation on the far eastern coast of the continent seized opportunity.  Sapanjee, a small island nation of goblins, mostly isolated throughout its history, was already engaged in a small scale war with her mainland rival, Hanic.  Emperor Otho Rhii of Sapanjee allied with Pitzarany and Yialt, and the three formed a vice around Aesurai.  While Pitzarany and Yialt devastated Aesurai's mainland, Sapanjee swallowed up her the Eastern coastline, in an effort to assimilate as many resources as possible.  Sapanjee was slowly closing in on the final and total victory over her nemesis, Hanic.  However Sapanjee drew the neutral continent nation of Titandeustes into the war, by viciously assaulting her mid-oceanic island outpost at Rel-Harpbora.  This assault marked the beginning of the end for the Hexoran/Bananite conquest.  Titanduestes, who had previously only lent support to the resistance,  now was destined to play a drastic role in the war.  With her help, decisive victories were made by the resistance at Mynorand, on the coast of occupied Cafren, and Pinasa a newly acquired Sapanjee outpost. The Hextoran campaign is slowly grinding to a halt now, with Yialt now joining the side of the resistance, and total victory over Pitzarany all but secure.  However Sapanjee forces are still barricaded in numerous island strongholds.  Amongst those occupied, nations is the Island of Hiliphinsteppe.

In the fifth year of the Pangaeic War, the island nation of Hiliphinsteppe is still occupied by goblinoid forces, from the nation of Sapanjee.  Zierden Sept Quon, the former ruler of Hiliphinsteppe, and Vicereine Mesona, have fled across the ocean, to the continent nation of Titandeustes, where they have established a government in exile.  The party will be landing by ship on the shores of the Yin Glean Gulf, a Coastal region of the province of Zulon, where they will march towards the capital of Manali, 100 miles inland.  Reports from inland have revealed that the bulk of the enemy forces are barricaded in the Tiran Muros Citadel (a shrine named after a folk-hero dedicated to the Deity Apolake).  Along the way, the party is to locate and rescue Ojeda Surrell, steward of Hiliphinsteppe.  The party should also be on the look-out for an individual named Art Lucius, the leader of the guerrilla resistance.  Though infamously reckless, he may be of aid.