Demon Bound into a shield idea

[b-dog]

I want to have some demon bound weapons and armor where the demon is bound into a weapon or armor like in the game Stormbringer or Elric. The shield I have in mind has a powerful demon bound into it and it is willful and evil. If a PC using it is evil and requests the demon to aid him then the demon can reach out a claw to strike opponents or it can reach out its head and mouth to bite an opponent. On rare occasions the demon can reach half its body out and attack with two claws and a bite. It can also sting with it tail. How is the best way to run a demon like this? Use reaction rolls to determine how helpful the demon is? Should the demon also have to exert fatigue to do this? I don’t want this power to be used continuously.

The demon also has the power to control the user of the demon weapon so how is it best to handle this?

If a good PC tried to use the weapon then the demon will claw and bite him when the time is right.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by b-dog

I want to have some demon bound weapons and armor where the demon is bound into a weapon or armor like in the game Stormbringer or Elric. The shield I have in mind has a powerful demon bound into it and it is willful and evil. If a PC using it is evil and requests the demon to aid him then the demon can reach out a claw to strike opponents or it can reach out its head and mouth to bite an opponent.

How would you determine if a PC is evil? Their religion? Certain disadvantages? Actions taken? Self-definition?

On rare occasions the demon can reach half its body out and attack with two claws and a bite. It can also sting with it tail. How is the best way to run a demon like this? Use reaction rolls to determine how helpful the demon is? Should the demon also have to exert fatigue to do this? I don’t want this power to be used continuously

You could say the demon has a certain amount of FP (or ER or whatever you want to call it) and various attacks or actions cost different amounts. So if you want it to only "rarely" do the big triple attack, then that could use up all or most of its FP. Single claw attacks might use a single point. In effect, this would be an item with charges that slowly recharge over time. Or, instead of time, you could require a ritual or the blood of enemies or something like that.

Alternately, you could tie this to the PC's FP. The PC has to exert effort to channel the demon's power. This would make the item more of an extension of the PC rather than its own separate entity.

The demon also has the power to control the user of the demon weapon so how is it best to handle this?

This reminds me of the old intelligent swords in AD&D. (I'm guessing they were meant to emulate Stormbringer among others.) They had an ego score that was pitted against a PC somehow. In DFRPG, I would go with Will for that. Give the weapon a Will score. Maybe its Will even rises and falls depending on how much the PC "feeds" it or does what it wants. If you go with the first FP model above, then the control ability might also cost FP.

If a good PC tried to use the weapon then the demon will claw and bite him when the time is right.

Or it could attempt to control the good PC and try to have them do something despicable.

[Andrew Hackard]

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[khorboth]

This might be more bookkeeping than you want but:

The shield starts in a dormant, starved state. Every battle gives it one point of abilities. If it's fed blood, it gets physical abilities. If not, it gets mental abilities.

Then give it a progression.
3 points of mental - can communicate
6 points mental - can see
9 points mental - first will save
10 points mental - grants dark vision
Etc

3 points physical - bonus to block
6 points physical - shield bash does cutting damage
Etc.

And then make it lose one point every week it sees no battle. So it starts to whine or cajole or bargain or....

[Apollonian]

IIRC, the D&D adventure Descent Into Avernus has a demon bound into a shield; you might look at that for ideas (or things to avoid in case you don't want to unconsciously imitate it).

[Black Leviathan]

I'd apply a condition/disadvantage or just create a card for the condition of demonic influence. Something that makes the player more likely to react in anger/jealousy/intolerance.