'We found 'im alright' mumbled Rizz the bandit, nursing a wound below his right eye. ''e was soaked in blood, 'ead to foot. But no matter 'ow much we tried to 'urt 'im, 'e just laugh'd and kept gett'n up. I don' think 'e'll be leav'n town like ya want'd'
This ordinary looking brown cloak is strangely tough and coarse and faintly radiates magic. Without being soaked in blood it's true potential will never be known.
However, when soaked in blood it gains great resistance to damage and acts as an armour for the wearer. With every hit the wearer takes, blood from the cloak is lost (splattered everywhere) and slowly the cloak loses it's own blood supply and also it's ablility to act as armour. The cloak soaked in blood is magically always dripping (making the wearer easy to track) and fresh (the cloak is always bright red when fully loaded - no coagulation here). The wearer of a fully loaded blood cloak tends to attract vampires and other blood drinkers. The wearer will obviously be sent away from fine establishments and people who value their furniture. He/She will constantly be directed to the local hospital/healer/temple by concerned people. Adventurers who depend on the cloak will remember to soak it in the blood of their kills (which is the best way of recharging it's power). Obviously it takes a certain kind of person to wear this cloak, I'm not making any judgements.
The Mechanics of the Blood Cloak
The cloak has a certain number of hit points when fully loaded. The cloak acts as damage resistance absorbing the first bit of damage and taking it off of it's own hitpoints and the rest coming off of the wearer. Once the cloak's hit points are gone it is out of blood. When the wearer takes damage from a piercing, slashing, or hacking weapons the number of hitpoints the wearer loses are added to the cloak's hitpoints as long as that does not take the cloak above it's maximum (providing the wearer does have blood sorry warforged etc.).
A cursed version of this item might keep it's wearers wounds open (preventing natural healing) and contiue drinking the wearer's blood until they are magically healed or the curse is removed.
Well, that's my first submission. I hope it makes sense and is somewhat enjoyable.
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- 30 Alchemists Alongside Redgre linked by Redgre
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3.5....-0.5 for the stats, otherwise it would be a 4.
Just so I don't mess this up again in the future... What was wrong with the stats? Thanks.
We don't really like stats mentioned here very much.
Yep, we are a stats-free site, but you can always put into words what the effects are.
I like the item. Protection for the gore-hound :) and nice quirks on the potential drawbacks.
I wouldn't say we don't like stats at all. They can be useful in understanding the properties of an item, if used properly. Don't get discouraged, it's just a site policy (That I think some are overly zealous about) to remain system-neutral and try to make submissions able to fit into anyone's game. All in all, very nice first post. Keep them coming.
Could you put the coat on pigs and then slaughter them to charge it?
Neat item
Now, there are few grammar issues you might want to clear up.
'When the wearer takes damage from a piercing, slashing, or hacking weapons the number of hitpoints the wearer loses are added to the cloak's hitpoints as long as that does not take the cloak above it's maximum (providing the wearer does have blood sorry warforged etc.).'
I'd break that into a couple of sentences with one specifically intended to screen out beings without blood. The provision there simply does not fit as part of the current sentence.
Nice idea, developed well enough to be useful and with some nice hints about expansion. I know a few players who would really enjoy this.
I like it, too. It would be useful to have when running around dungeons and mysterious ruins. Just hope you don't run into a pack of undead. I think that a character may be well-advised to not charge it until the first creature killed outside of town, to avoid getting suspicious glances from the constabulary.
Which brings me to a question: Does the Blood Cloak always have the same amount of blood dripping from it? Or would it gradually lose liquid as the charge is used up? For instance, if you've almost run out of stored blood, might you only appear as some sort of crazed murderer with a few splatters?
Bonus points for providing a cursed equivalent.
Obviously, feel free to tailor to your uses. Here's what I had in mind: When it's fully charged, the wearer looks like they just went for a bath in a river of blood. As it looses charges, the points of impact are 'dried' and become the original brown color. So yes, I agree with your statement that the wearer of a slightly charged blood cloak would look like a crazed murderer with just a few splatters. If the wearer receives a cut, his own blood makes a big red spot on the cloak at the point of the hit just like blood would spread in normal clothes.
Thanks for the comment. After all these years you wonder if anyone looks at your old submissions anymore.