Re: Magic Items and Secrets

From: Paul Andrew King <paul_at_...>
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 20:47:21 +0000

>
>I made it explicit that the players could define what the items do
>(like if someone were to take "Salt of the Earth" during character
>creation without defining it and then thought of something later). The
>player who bought the Salt said that he wants it to make it possible
>to heal wounds more than one step at a time. You rub the salt into the
>wound and then you can heal it again or something. Anyway, it would do
>what you normally need a Secret to do and make suffering defeat in
>combat relatively meaningless as long as someone is around to heal.
>
>
>What should I do? My instinct says to just say no, but in the past few
>years I've been trying to say yes to as much as possible because that
>seems to work better.

I would say, "yes, but". If I understand correctly it is effectively minor magical healing that can be used multiple times on the same wound. That makes it close to major magical healing, but not quite. It sounds like the player got rather a good deal. I wonder why the gypsy was so happy to trade it away...

If you don't want to limit the number of uses (and sound out the player on that if you think its a good idea), I'd say limit it to being used on one person at a time, and say that it takes time to work. That still means that followers can be lost, and even player characters if they are left behind.

-- 
--
"The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of 
immortality.  More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals 
in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala 
Guide to Taoism_

Paul K.