Mantles of Power
Hello everyone. Today’s Foursaken Feature focuses on an alternative to the usual loot piles typically used as treasure in a standard D&D campaign. There are lots of ways to approach alternate treasures (Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 has some excellent ideas, and is definitely worth a look if you like today’s article, as it was a major source of inspiration for today’s article), but today we’re going to focus on a new type called the “Mantle of Power.”
A mantle of power is not actually a physical mantle. You don’t wear it. It is an investiture of power and responsibility handed down from a higher being. Usually these beings are deities, but there’s absolutely no reason a character couldn’t receive a mantle from a powerful fey or demon, or from a genie or impressive devil. Even some dragons are old and powerful enough to be able to bestow a mantle of power on a PC. The exact nature of the power granted by the mantle varies depending on who is granting it, who they’re granting it to, and why. Typically speaking the powers granted by an entity’s mantle of power are linked in some way to what that entity is. For example, Svorfignaag the ancient red dragon might grant a fiery breath weapon and resistance to fire through his mantle, while Zeus, King of the Gods, might allow a particularly beloved servant access to his potent lightning bolts.
Of course, no one just goes around handing out power willy-nilly. Granting a mantle of power is a big deal, and it creates a link between the entity giving it out and the PC receiving it. It also acts as a constant drain on the power of whoever is granting that power. The drain may be minor, allowing them to maintain a great many such mantles without really feeling the effects, but if they just handed them out for free to anyone who asked they would quickly find themselves weakened. Characters who receive a mantle typically receive it because they agree to perform one or more services for the entity granting it to them. If they continue to serve well they will keep their mantle and may even gain further benefits. If they turn their back on their benefactor, however, they’ll be lucky if the only repercussion they feel is the revoking of their power and status as a favored servant.
Mechanically, mantles of power occupy a role similar to magic items. They augment a character and provide additional options, but ultimately should take a backseat to the actual character. That said, mantles of power tend to represent a greater part of a character than most magic items, if only because they both come with strings attached and typically represent a larger investment of “wealth” than most other magic items. Bonuses provided by a mantle of power are considered item bonuses, and don’t stack with other item bonuses. Additionally, using a power from a mantle of power is considered the same as using a power from an item for the purposes of how many item powers you can use before taking an extended rest. Mantles do not take up a physical slot on the body, and do not need to be held. They are intangible magical effects which surround and suffuse the character in question. Mantles cannot be sold or traded, though they can be upgraded at a later time. Unlike many alternative treasures, mantles are permanent unless they are upgraded or revoked. Except in extreme circumstances, a character cannot possess more than one mantle at any given time.
Each stage of a mantle of power has an associated item level, which serves as a guideline for how valuable the mantle is when the DM is handing them out (ie, a 9th level mantle should replace a 9th level treasure). Each stage of a mantle of power beyond the first also has an “upgrade level” which provides a guideline for the value of upgrading from the previous stage to the current one (for example, the Mantle of Zeus’ Favored (level 10) has an item level of 10 if it is granted to a player who doesn’t already serve Zeus in that capacity, but if the player already has the Mantle of Zeus’ Favored (level 5), the upgrade is only worth a treasure of level 9). Though a mantle of power technically can’t be traded or sold, a character who loses his mantle for whatever reason should be granted additional treasure to help make up for the loss—possibly in the form of a different mantle. Additionally, players may not appreciate the lack of customization a mantle causes. Consider granting the character only the first stage of the mantle, and then allowing them the opportunity to increase its power (perhaps through a ritual which requires the sacrifice of gold or a magic item equal to the level of the mantle). This prevents the player from continuing to have his treasure allotment spent on a mantle of power he doesn’t necessarily appreciate without any say. Of course, it doesn’t mean that anyone with enough gold can buy the favor of Zeus (though gold might be the only requirement to gain a more pragmatic entity’s favor).
Below are a few sample mantles of power associated with members of the Olympic pantheon. If your game doesn’t count the Olympic pantheon amongst its deities, you can create your own mantles or convert the sample mantles to similar deities from your campaign. Though the mantles presented here all have the same level pattern, other mantles might be set to improve at different levels, though typically they will still only have one entry per tier. Additionally, while most mantles of power provide one power and one property, some might exist which grant only properties or only powers.
Mantle of Zeus’ Favored
The King of the Gods lends you some of his own cosmic power. The symbol of a lightning bolt appears on the back of your hand, and occasionally your skin glows with a faint golden light. Zeus grants you exceptional stamina and grants you the use of his coveted lightning bolts.
Lv 5 1,000 gp
Lv 15 25,000 gp (upgrade Lv 14/20,000 gp)
Lv 25 625,000 gp (upgrade Lv 24/500,000 gp)
Mantle of Power
Property: At the beginning of each encounter, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution or Charisma modifier (the ability score is determined when you first gain the mantle and cannot be changed later).
Level 15: Gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution or Charisma modifier +5
Level 25: Gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution or Charisma modifier +10
Power: Zeus’ Lightning Bolt (Daily * Divine Lightning) Standard action. Ranged 10, Dexterity vs Reflex; 2d6 + Constitution or Charisma modifier lightning damage.
Level 15: Increase damage to 3d6 + Constitution or Charisma modifier
Level 25: Increase damage to 6d6 + Constitution or Charisma modifier
Mantle of Poseidon’s Chosen
The god of the seas has favored you as his champion. Your eyes change to a bluish-green shade which changes to a deep blue with the tide, and you are constantly surrounded by the smell of saltwater. Poseidon guides your step as you move through the water, and allows you to call ferocious torrents of water down on your foes.
Lv 5 1,000 gp
Lv 15 25,000 gp (upgrade Lv 14/20,000 gp)
Lv 25 625,000 gp (upgrade Lv 24/500,000 gp)
Mantle of Power
Property: You gain a +5 item bonus to all athletics checks involving swimming or treading water.
Level 15: Increase the item bonus to +10
Level 25: You automatically succeed on all athletics checks involving swimming or treading water, and can breathe water as easily as air.
Power: Torrent of the Angry Sea (Daily * Divine) Standard action. Burst 1 within 10; Wisdom vs AC; 1d6 damage and each creature in the burst is pushed 1 square from the center of the burst.
Level 15: Increase the damage to 2d6.
Level 25: Increase to Burst 2 within 20. Affected creatures are pushed 2 squares from the center of the burst. Increase the damage to 3d6.
Mantle of the Underworld
Hades, god of the dead, has taken an intense interest in you. No matter where you are light never seems to touch your face, and you are constantly wreathed in the scent of incense and funeral offerings. Hades grants you the ability to drain life from mortals with a touch, and allows you to speak with the recently deceased.
Lv 5 1,000 gp
Lv 15 25,000 gp (upgrade Lv 14/20,000 gp)
Lv 25 625,000 gp (upgrade Lv 24/500,000 gp)
Mantle of Power
Property: You learn the ritual Speak with Dead, and can use it even if you don’t have the ritual caster feat. Once per week, you may ignore the component cost.
Level 15: You gain a +5 item bonus on your Religion check when determining how many questions you can ask.
Level 25: You gain a +10 item bonus on your Religion check when determining how many questions you can ask, and may ignore the component cost as often as once per day.
Power: Touch of Death (Daily * Divine Necrotic) Standard Action. Melee attack; Dexterity vs Reflex; 2d6 + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage.
Level 15: Increase damage to 4d6 + Wisdom modifier
Level 25: Increase damage to 6d6 + Wisdom modifier
Mantle of the War God
Ares, the god of war, has entrusted you with his interests in the world. His symbol is burned into your forehead like a brand, and any armor or weapon you hold or wear becomes instantly polished and bright. Ares allows you to be a master of any weapon you hold, as well as to overwhelm your foes with your sheer martial prowess.
Lv 5 1,000 gp
Lv 15 25,000 gp (upgrade Lv 14/20,000 gp)
Lv 25 625,000 gp (upgrade Lv 24/500,000 gp)
Mantle of Power
Property: You are considered proficient with all military weapons and with cloth and leather armors.
Level 15: You gain a +2 item bonus to Intimidate checks and are also considered proficient with all superior weapons.
Level 25: You are also considered proficient with all armor and shields, and your bonus to Intimidate increases to +5.
Power: Ares’ Wrath (Daily * Divine) Minor Action. Until the end of the encounter you gain a +1 item bonus to attack and damage rolls for powers with the weapon descriptor.
Level 15: The bonus increases to +2.
Level 25: The bonus increases to +3.