Keeping your heart in an egg

[Dalillama]

I'm trying to update some of the templates from 3e Blood Types, using Powers to build the innate spells, and I'm having some trouble with Soul Jar. The major reason for this to appear on templates is because the vampires mythically can put their essence somewhere other than a body, and later reclaim a new body if the old one is destroyed, via Posession or the like. It occurs to me, thought, that there's a bunch of traits that would be covered by a similar type of theing: D&D liches and their phylacteries, various mythical villains who keep their life hidden elsewhere, but if that item is destroyed, they die, etc. Would that be Unkillable with Gadget and other appropriate limitations?

[David Johnston2]

Yes, its an Unkillable Gadget that can't be stolen but can be destroyed.

[Dalillama]

What limitation would you take to represent a case where if is is destroyed, you die immediately, regardless of your current state?

[Miles]

Honestly, I had a complicated an jury-rigged solution based on Dependency, but the easiest solution would be to say that the soul jar counts as the wizard's vitals. If your enemies find it unattended they can start making attacks to your vitals that you can't defend against. That, and the fact that your enemies can cast spells on you at close-range, should each qualify as a -5% limitation on Unkillable, -10% total.

Note that destroying DnD phylacteries, GURPS soul jars, and similar tabletop McGuffins won't typically kill their owners, simply render them killable. Bypassing an impossible fight is good for fairy-tales but makes for unexciting gaming.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

What limitation would you take to represent a case where if is is destroyed, you die immediately, regardless of your current state?

Terminally Ill: Mitigator is keeping your heart intact.

[Nereidalbel]

This would be the Soul Stone spell. How you get a new body if your current one is destroyed is a character/world building decision, but destruction of your soul stone instantly kills you. Better keep that thing safe!

[Dammann]

This doesn't answer the "destroy the phylactery, kill the lich" issue, but Pyramid 3-50 page 15 has a box regarding Soul Jars as advantages.

Originally Posted by Pyramid 3-50

Unkillable 3 (Gadget: Breakable, DR 2, can't be repaired, -35%; Not generally carried with him, so it can't be targeted in combat or stolen from his person; Trigger, Possessable Victim within spell-casting range, -5%; Magical, -10%) [75]

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by Miles

Honestly, I had a complicated an jury-rigged solution based on Dependency...

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Terminally Ill: Mitigator is keeping your heart intact.

I've used Dependency (Intact Heart; Rare, Constantly) in the past, modified with Reduced Time to reduce the damage rate to instantaneous (or 1-sec).

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Jerander

I've used Dependency (Intact Heart; Rare, Constantly) in the past, modified with Reduced Time to reduce the damage rate to instantaneous (or 1-sec).

Having your heart remain intact should be "Common" not "Rare" since it places no restrictions on you at all.

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by lexington

Having your heart remain intact should be "Common" not "Rare" since it places no restrictions on you at all.

I went with Rare because there's only one and it doesn't have to be with you. If it's destroyed, you're done.