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Old 05-10-2012, 07:00 PM   #1
Winged
 
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Default Abilities that trigger upon death.

Hi folks, lately I've been brainstorming a little for a home brew dungeon fantasy setting, and I'm not sure how I want to stat one of the ratial features I want to include.

The idea is this, Dwarves, when they die are turned to sold stone mere moments after death. So folks how would you stat this?
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:08 PM   #2
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

Sounds like a zero point feature. It's not useful to the dwarf, and it's not even combat useful for a dramatic sacrifice like exploding would be.
All in all, just a nice supernatural feature.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:09 PM   #3
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

The esteemed Rev. Pee Kitty has a good discussion of how to do such things here.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:17 PM   #4
Winged
 
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

Thanks for the input guys, 0 points it is.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:18 PM   #5
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

"If you can pull the sword from this dwarf, you are the rightful king of the land!"
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:36 PM   #6
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Winged View Post
Thanks for the input guys, 0 points it is.
If it's fast enough that you'll potentially trap a weapon that's stabbed into you, for instance, it's probably worth 1 point rather than 0.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:41 PM   #7
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

Unrelated to the mechanics, I have some flavor questions.

How rapidly do the dwarves turn to stone? Is it fast enough that you risk getting your sword stuck in one?


What kind of stone do they turn into? A specific stone for all dwarves? Granite or basalt would seem the natural choice to me, but I could see good arguments for sandstone or marble. Or does it vary, either by dwarf (maybe by clan), or by location (turning into limestone if killed in badlands or basalt in old lava fields)?

Have you considered that maybe a killed dwarf has their heart turn into some kind of gemstone? I imagine dwarves would consider it the gravest of desecration to break up a stone dwarf to get to the gem inside. Edit: Orcs do so as a matter of course.

Last edited by Wildcat; 05-10-2012 at 07:47 PM.
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Old 05-10-2012, 08:31 PM   #8
ericthered
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

actually, it could explain dwarves greed for gems. Thats not his hoard, thats his ancestry.
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Old 05-10-2012, 08:35 PM   #9
Winged
 
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

They turn slowly enough that a sword should not ordinarily get stuck. As for what kind of stone it varies from dwarf to dwarf and in game people attribute everything from linage to moral integrity as what determines one's composition.

As for the gemstone thing, I have considered that while most dwarves are made of normal non-valuable stones, some special dwarves are made of very precious materials, and that this is one of the many reasons dwarves in the setting are a bit paranoid of non dwarves.

As a side note, many dwarves believe that things made from a dwarf's body still contain a bit of the dwarf's soul. For that reason dwarves will sometimes craft masterpieces in memory of their lost ones from their lost ones, and have tremendous hate for thieves who would steal such items.
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Old 05-10-2012, 09:41 PM   #10
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Default Re: Abilities that trigger upon death.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Winged View Post
As for what kind of stone it varies from dwarf to dwarf and in game people attribute everything from linage to moral integrity as what determines one's composition.
Ooh, maybe the players end up delving the stronghold of evil slaver dwarves, all of them turning into dark basalt or gabbro when they die, except for one (who was clearly involved in the dwarves' evil scheme, but maybe reluctantly) who became pure white marble. What is the explanation?

When I return to my fantasy setting idea, you can bet dwarves who turn into stone when they die will make it in, probably combined with the gemstone heart idea. I'm inclined to say a dwarf will turn into the dominant stone of the area of birth, regardless of ancestry, moral fiber, or place of death.
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