Magical Item breakage and Armageddon

[RavenStormclaw]

Ok I know you will hate this idea but.. I gotta propose it anyway. One of the very entertaining and yet most devestating and memorable things I remember about PnP was when wizard wands or staves were broken. Many a good wizard, his party and generally everything else for a several hundred feet around were obliterated.

I think this should be implemented in DDO but in a more restricted manor. I realize with thecurrent death system and item breakage that implementing this full scale would cause many a party wipe and tons of complaints. What I suggest is a few choice high level wands/ arcane staves be introduced that are ubertastic but carry that one fatal flaw. If broken the released magical energy pretty much ensures a party wipe but the power of said wand/staff is such that carrying one would be very very beneficial. Would lead to some interesting choices, tradeoffs and game play strategies. I have no idea on balancing such an item as yet although I think it would be possible.

Now I'm gonna dart into my little fall-out shelter and try to weather the ensuing storm

[Lorien_the_First_One]

Hmmm....I don't recall that from either AD&D or 3.0. What version did you see that effect in?

[VirieSquichie]

With the uber gear most high-level parties carry, any time a slime eats any equipment it should cause a chain reaction that leaves a smoking pit in the landscape about the size of Stormreach.

The average capped character in DDO carries at least half a dozen items of similar power to those staves you mention. On the assumption that the power within the items, being released all at once with breakage, is what causes the detonation...yikes. The backdrop behind the city walls should be a perpetual loop of little mushroom clouds in the distance...

...not saying I'm opposed to the idea of a named item with that "feature". Thing is, people would start using it as a tactic because you can always res.

[Tyrande]

What if you have a party member, especially a noob level 16 cleric, having the skills of a level 1, don't even know where the cleric trainers are and don't even know if he or she has divine vitalities, joined the party? Who caused several party wipes and then go AFK for half of the remainder of the dungeon? All items on particular player(s) would have worn by then. Would that blow up a hole at the middle of the dungeon such that snow from outside the dungeon and fresh air would flow through?

[RavenStormclaw]

Hmmm....I don't recall that from either AD&D or 3.0. What version did you see that effect in?

Its AD&D, Magic Arcana I believe certain very powerfull wands and Staves would detonate if broken. The one I remember best was the Staff of the Magi.

[RavenStormclaw]

With the uber gear most high-level parties carry, any time a slime eats any equipment it should cause a chain reaction that leaves a smoking pit in the landscape about the size of Stormreach.

The average capped character in DDO carries at least half a dozen items of similar power to those staves you mention. On the assumption that the power within the items, being released all at once with breakage, is what causes the detonation...yikes. The backdrop behind the city walls should be a perpetual loop of little mushroom clouds in the distance...

...not saying I'm opposed to the idea of a named item with that "feature". Thing is, people would start using it as a tactic because you can always res.

I don't see it as a tatic. They would be rare, powerfull enough that loss of the item would be unwelcome and most importantly unrepairable once totally broken ie reduced to zero durability.

[Uska]

Hmmm....I don't recall that from either AD&D or 3.0. What version did you see that effect in?

Only thing I can remeber was the final strike ability staff of wizardry and staff of power had one of which had a chance to send the wizard to another plane. I think there was a dragon article doing what the op was talking about maybe I should did out my dragon disks and see if its in there somewhere.

[Uska]

Its AD&D, Magic Arcana I believe certain very powerfull wands and Staves would detonate if broken. The one I remember best was the Staff of the Magi.

Wasnt something done by accident it was on purpose and was only staff of the magi and staff of power

[RavenStormclaw]

Wasnt something done by accident it was on purpose and was only staff of the magi and staff of power

Exactly, that is why I said only certain things should have that ability and AD&D did not have the mechanics for item breakage during combat, However, here we do and a few choice staves with this ability/flaw would be interesting. Of course they should be umber powered so that there use is so tempting as to overide the fear of accidental breakage.

Example Staff of the Arcane Master:
+5Wood Quarter Staff
ArcheMage Power +400 SP
Superior Potency IX
Efficient Metamagic III Maximize
Power Store once Per rest restores between 10-70% of your total mana randomly determined (2d4-1 x 10)
Power Burst: If this itme is broken either intentially or accidently the release of pent up magical energy causes 1000hp worth of damage to everything within 100 yards. The staff will be utterly destroyed and is not able to be repaired. Due to the intricate nature of the magics of this staff even an expert will damage this staff when conducting routine repairs.
Minimum Level: 16

[VirieSquichie]

I seem to recall the ability being called Retributive Strike, the caster essentially determines that the combat is a lost cause and deliberately breaks his/her own staff. The blast kills the caster and everything nearby, but since the enemies are destroyed the "hero" posthumously wins the day.

Note that raise dead was practically unheard of back then - it was in the game, but you had to find a friendly cleric of very high level and the DM was supposed to only let the spell work if the recipient (dead guy) was important to that deity or would be required to perform some difficult task for the church afterwards. Resurrection was even more unlikely an option.

It's probably moot anyway, as the DDO devs would never allow such an item to affect red or purple names and really those are the only mobs worth even considering such a technique for.

[GlassCannon]

Its AD&D, Magic Arcana I believe certain very powerfull wands and Staves would detonate if broken. The one I remember best was the Staff of the Magi.

Since my Sorc carries 2 of such staves, if one breaks would it set the other off in a chain reaction? ..... how big would the blast zone be?



Yes, I want to see this.