An 'undefined magical item' variant rule.

From: Bryan <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 22:24:14 -0000


As I read the HQ rules, you can take an item that is undefined, and later define it. After that, it does what it does, period.

Kind of boring. After all, shouldn't mysterious objects sometimes have multiple abilities to be found over time?

Inspired by Dave Dunhams's descriptions of Snapper, I had the following idea:

When you have an undefined item, and define an ability for it, you may either decide that the item is now fully defined, or you may cement that ability with a hero point, but still have undefined further abilities in it. Any further undefined abilities should be thematically appropriate to the first one.

For example, Rakos has a magical aluminum shield, with its magical ability undefined. An opponent attacks him with a spurt of fire, and he decides to define the shield's magic as resistance to fire attacks, since it makes sense for a shield made from the elemental metal of water. He could just leave it at that, but decides to cement the resist fire attacks ability with a hero point, leaving further undefined magic in the shield. After having done this, he can't decide that the shield has the ability to be a boat, that wouldn't line up at all with the resist fire ability. But he could give it another ability that plays up the theme of it being truly water, perhaps you could drink from it. With each new ability in this theme that Rakos identifies, he has to decide "is that it" or pay the hero point to keep the option for future abilities alive.

--Bryan

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