Reply below...
>From: Stephen Tempest <e-g_at_...>
>
> >hmm, that still doesn't give the effect I want of
> >having this ability at a low level most of the time,
> >but having it really high as a once off... will keep
> >thinking!
>
>This reminds me of Hahlgrim's sword Ironbreaker, which most of the
>time was a good quality magical iron sword, but once in the owner's
>lifetime could unfailingly kill a single opponent chosen by its
>wielder. (The 'once in a lifetime' bit being guaranteed by the fact
>that the wielder would die at the same time as the victim).
>
>In other words, could this ability be provided by a magic item rather
>than an innate talent?
Sure, why not. Generally speaking, however, there's only one mechanical way to accomplish this in HQ, and that's the "Automatic Success" rule. As it says, if the hero should not fail, he doesn't fail. If the sword can kill somebody if you give your own life, I'd say that's about the most dramatic statement one can make with a character, and failure is not an option, for both in-game and metagame reasons.
Now, what this is "worth" in terms of chargen? No idea. I probably would make such a thing only attainable in play.
Mike
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