Intelligent Items
Welcome again to Masters and Minions, where I strive to give you interesting NPCs and encounters that can be placed easily into your game. This week I have an encounter and two intelligent magic items that can spice up your next treasure hoard.
This week’s encounter is with James, a commoner in his mid-thirties and the current wielder of Ivan the Conqueror. Ivan the Conqueror’s purpose is to defeat all adversaries, so it won't rest (or let its wielder rest) until it places itself above all others. James is not a skilled swordsman so he relies heavily on Ivan the Conqueror’s strength. James challenges the strongest looking member of the group to a fight to the death. James tries to sunder his opponent’s weapons before moving on to his or her shields or armor.
James (with Transformation and Rage) |
CR 15 |
XP 25,600
Male human commoner 15
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +21
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +4 Dex, +4 natural, +1 dodge, -2 raging)
hp 175 (15d6+120)
Fort +17, Ref +9, Will +13
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee Ivan the Conqueror +27/+22/+17 (2d6+17 plus 2d6 and 1d6 self/19-20)
Ranged N/A
STATISTICS
Str 28, Dex 18, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +12; CMB +21 (+31 on sunder with Ivan the Conqueror); CMD 26 (28 vs sunder)
Feats Dodge, Great Fortitude, Greater Sunder, Improved Iron Will, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Mobility, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Climb +29, Perception +21, Swim +29
Languages Common
Equipment Ivan the Conqueror and ruined rags
Ivan the Conqueror
Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 16, Ego 23 (27 when his dedicated purpose is being opposed)
Ivan the Conqueror is an intelligent berserking ruin blade* and also grants a +5 armor bonus to its wielder. Ivan’s alignment is chaotic neutral, though leaning more toward evil than good. Ivan is very straightforward about his goals of crushing all who get in his way. He is also not very picky about who his wielder is; as long as he or she is willing to further his goals, he’s happy.
Whenever Ivan is used in battle, his wielder goes berserk (gaining all the benefits and drawbacks of the barbarian's rage ability). He attacks the nearest creature and continues to fight until unconscious or dead or until no living thing remains within 30 ft. Each week 2,000 gp worth of magic items must be sacrificed to Ivan the Conqueror in order for him to continue to grant his strength to his wielder. Ivan the Conqueror has darkvision out to 120 ft, can communicate with his wielder telepathically, and has 5 ranks in Survival. When Ivan the Conqueror is in pursuit of his special purpose, he grants his wielder a +2 luck bonus on attacks, saves, and checks and can cast transformation at will. Ivan the Conqueror is worth 297,308 gp.
*You can find the ruin blade in Into the Armory.
The other two intelligent items are Clara the All-Knowing and Jeeves. Clara and Jeeves are animated in a way similar to the animate object spell and their senses aren’t limited in range like regular intelligent items.
Clara is a six inch diameter orb made of an unknown crystal. She is a stuck up know-it-all, and doesn’t take kindly to being second guessed. If someone refers to her as a crystal ball, she takes offence and begins to explain in length the difference between orbs and crystal balls. She leaves in the middle of the night if she is unable to get along with the PCs. She can read any language and speaks abyssal, celestial, common, draconic, ignan, and infernal. She also has 5 ranks in each of the following skills: Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (planes), and Knowledge (religion). Clara is worth 45,500 gp.
Clara the All-Knowing |
N Tiny construct
Init +2 Senses darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception -5
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, +2 size)
hp 5 hp (1d10)
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +1
Defensive Abilities hardness 8 Immune Construct Traits
OFFENSE
Speed n/a, fly 30 ft (good)
Melee slam -3 (1d6-4)
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 14, Con -, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 10, Ego 19
Base Atk +1 CMB -5 CMD 7
Skills Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +10, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Knowledge (geography) +10, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Knowledge (planes) +10, Knowledge (religion) +10
SQ 1 construction points
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Construction Points
Tiny animated objects have 1 construction point.
Crystal (Ex, 1 CP): The object is made of crystal. Its hardness increases to 8 and it gains a +1 increase to its natural armor bonus.
Jeeves is a halfling-sized humanoid stone statue. Jeeves is a butler; he is very good at cooking and cleaning. Jeeves is rather cynical, and though he is very diligent in his work, he can often be heard muttering complaints about his current predicament. He functions like a handy haversack in that, at his owner’s command, any item that Jeeves is holding is sent into his extraplaner storage area. Jeeves can also cast mending at will as well as being able to cast make whole three times per day. He has 5 ranks in each of the following skills: Appraise, Knowledge (nobility), Profession (butler), Profession (cook), and Sense Motive. Jeeves is worth 36,200 gp.
Jeeves |
N Small construct
Init +1 Senses darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size)
hp 21hp (2d10+10 size)
Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +4
Defensive Abilities hardness 8 Immune Construct Traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee slam +1 (1d6-2)
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 12, Con -, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 12, Ego 17
Base Atk +2 CMB -1 CMD 10
Skills Appraise +8, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Profession (butler) +9, Profession (cook) +9, Sense Motive +9
SQ 1 construction point
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Construction Points
Small animated objects have 1 construction point.
Stone (Ex, 1 CP): The object is made of stone. Its hardness increases to 8 and it gains a +1 increase to its natural armor bonus.