So,
the posts continue. I may be at this for awhile, since to have the
level of detail I want with these posts, I need to make each material
have more info than I normally put in posts. This post revolves
around the mythical Solid Mercury, meaning Mercury that stays solid
at high temperatures. I have tried to make each item have certain
advantages that can only be used by certain classes. As always,
comments and suggestions are always welcome.
 |
| A renowned maker of Frozen Mercury. Art by A. Rackham |
Frozen Mercury /
Solid Mercury / Mercurius Solidus:
Mercury
had been the obsession of many alchemists from east to west. It's
symbol on the period table of elements (Hg) comes from its Greek name
of Hydragyrum. In the Chinese empire Mercury was believed to have a
number of medical benefits to improve longevity, grant immortality,
or give elderly men back their virility. Due to its water repelling
quality, the Chinese alchemist Ko Hung believed that coating the
bottoms of the feet would allow a person to walk on water. In the
west, it was believed that all metals, especially gold, were
combinations of other substances and Mercury, putting it at the
center for the search to artificially produce gold. Others searched
for a way for Mercury to keep a solid state at high temperatures,
similar to steel or even silver. Naturally, this is an impossibility
in the real world, but within magic lies the answers to many
impossibilities. The items presented for Frozen Mercury, the
preferred term for this post, are based off of legends and folklore
about Mercury or items made from Mercury.
In
Game / Fantasy Explanation:
Frozen
Mercury can either be made or found, though each path comes at great
cost for those who would seek it. Alchemists can create it through
the use of incredible pressures and by applying sudden shifts of
extreme temperatures with the work of months being required to make a
single 1 lb bar (0.45 kg). Those that go through the extreme labor of
creating such a bar generally are not want to let such a creation go
at any cost, but others might exchange one for a king's ransom. Small
amounts of the substance can be harvest from the Pineal Glands of the
idiot children of the Formorian Prince, Balor. Care should be taken
when harvesting the children of Elatha, called the Lugh, since few
survive Elatha's wrath when the Lugh begin their screams of fear and
pain. It is said that Elatha and his children reside on the far
northern island of Thule amidst the wastes of the arctic. The final
source of Frozen Mercury is to steal a spool of thread from the
Erdgeist at its loom on the isle of Brasil. Said to be weaving a
death shroud for the world, the Erdgeist enters into murderous rages
when disturbed from its appointed task.
 |
| A legendary sword. |
Frozen
Mercury Sword: Called
a Wraith's Brand for its translucent blade that is in turn reflective
as a mirror or clear as glass. Perfect balance from the material of
its creation, rather than the skill of its maker, the Wraith's Brand
is coveted by duelists and bravos alike. The unique nature of its
blade not only makes it difficult to track with the eyes, but so
incredibly light as to allow lightning fast strikes.
Game
Mechanics:
The
occasional clarity of the blade makes it difficult to react to,
resulting in a penalty of up to 3 to the target's AC. This means that
most characters will not get their Dex modifier to their AC. With
monsters, big monsters like dragons likely won't get a penalty, while
quick monsters like sylphs would. The lightness of the blade allows a
character to make an additional attack with the blade with a -5
penalty to their hit/ +5 penalty to their THAC0. Fighters are able to
make full use of the abilities of the sword. Other classes, however,
cannot make the additional attack if they moved that round unless
they are able to roll under their Dexterity with 1D20.
Drawbacks:
The
Frozen Mercury has a minor aura of madness and mental weakness that
it radiates to the wielder of the sword. Anyone wielding a Frozen
Mercury item takes a -/+ 2 penalty to resist mind effecting
phenomena. There is an additional drawback depending on the origin of
the Frozen Mercury:
Alchemical:
-/+ 1 penalty to saves versus Cold spells, since it is a
conductor/attractor of cold.
Pineal
Gland:
-/+ 1 penalty to avoid mind effecting spells due to the madness
inherent in the Lugh minds.
Erdgeist's
Thread:
-/+ 1 penalty to avoid necromantic spells since the thread was
created to woven into the world's death shroud.
 |
| A runic Frozen Mercury Ring. |
Frozen
Mercury Ring: These
rings are said to grant a cloak of invisibility to its wearer, though
such claims are slight exaggerations. The rings grant an individual a
ghostly appearance, making them difficult, if not impossible to see,
if the wearer wishes to be inconspicuous.
Game
Mechanics:
For
percentile based systems, the ring grants a +33% bonus to the Hide
in Shadows
skill, or grants a 33% rating for those who do not have the skill.
For the X out of 6 skill system, the ring grants a +2 bonus, meaning
those without points in the skill would have a 3 out of 6 skill.
Rogues / Specialists are able to take greater advantage of this ring
than others, by allowing those classes to attempt to hide even when
being watched.
Drawbacks:
The
Frozen Mercury has a minor aura of madness and mental weakness that
it radiates to the wearer of the ring. Anyone wielding a Frozen
Mercury item takes a -/+ 2 penalty to resist mind effecting
phenomena. There is an additional drawback depending on the origin of
the Frozen Mercury:
Alchemical:
2 extra damage taken from Cold effects, due to Frozen Mercury being a
conductor/attractor of cold.
Pineal
Gland:
Mind effecting spells last 1 round longer due to the madness inherent
in the Lugh minds.
Erdgeist's
Thread:
The wearer is more apt to attract the attention of the Undead, which
also means that the bonuses granted by the ring are only +17%/+1
versus attempts to hide from Undead.
 |
| A serpent Frozen Mercury Talisman. |
Frozen
Mercury Talisman: As
Mercury repels water, it can protect the wearer from it and grants
them a level of freedom from the dangers and perils of water. Frozen
Mercury Talismans are highly sought after by sailors and those who
work near water.
Game
Mechanics:
Those
that wear the talisman always float in water, no matter the weather
conditions or the currents. The wearer can never be pushed below the
water for longer than a few moments no matter the strength of the
force, or creature, holding the wearer below. Wearers are also
unimpeded by water, giving them a swim speed as fast as their land
speed. Rangers can take special advantage of the powers of this
talisman. Rangers wearing the talisman are able to walk or run across
water as if it were dry land.
Drawbacks:
The
Frozen Mercury has a minor aura of madness and mental weakness that
it radiates to the wearer of the talisman. Anyone wielding a Frozen
Mercury item takes a -/+ 2 penalty to resist mind effecting
phenomena. There is an additional drawback depending on the origin of
the Frozen Mercury:
Alchemical:
2 extra damage taken from Cold effects, due to Frozen Mercury being a
conductor/attractor of cold.
Pineal
Gland:
Mind effecting spells last 1 round longer due to the madness inherent
in the Lugh minds.
Erdgeist's
Thread:
The wearer is more apt to attract the attention of the Undead,
meaning that undead will target the wearer first before others around
them.
 |
| Queen Titania and her Frozen Mercury Virge. Art by A. Rackham |
Frozen
Mercury Virge: Mercury
is renown for its speed, and virges made from Frozen Mercury grant
its speed to spells cast through them. These virges are sought by
spell-casters who require the utmost speed when casting their spells.
Game
Mechanics:
If the system used for spell casting uses casting times that modify
initiative, then the casting time of spells cast is reduced by 5 to
minimum of 1. Casting times listed in rounds are reduced to a casting
time of 9. (e.g. A spell with a 1 round casting time would be changed
to a 9 initiative modifier. A spell with a casting time of 2 rounds
would go into effect on their next initiative with a 9 modifier to
the initiative.) For systems that do no use casting time initiative
modifiers, the virge provides a -/+ 4 bonus to their initiative when
the wielder casts a spell. The greatest advantage that the virge
provides is the ability to quickly cast a lower level spell the
caster has memorized without expending effort, meaning that they can
cast an additional spell on their turn. This ability is greater the
higher the level of the user:
Level
1 – 6: Quick
Casts Per Day: 1 Max Level: 1
Level
7 – 12: Quick
Casts Per Day: 2 Max Level: 2
Level
13 – 18: Quick
Casts Per Day: 3 Max Level: 3
Level
19+: Quick
Casts Per Day: 4 Max Level: 4
Drawbacks:
The
Frozen Mercury has a minor aura of madness and mental weakness that
it radiates to the wielder of the virge. Anyone wielding a Frozen
Mercury item takes a -/+ 2 penalty to resist mind effecting
phenomena. There is an additional drawback depending on the origin of
the Frozen Mercury:
Alchemical:
-/+ 1 penalty to saves versus Cold spells, since it is a
conductor/attractor of cold.
Pineal
Gland:
-/+ 1 penalty to avoid mind effecting spells due to the madness
inherent in the Lugh minds.
Erdgeist's
Thread:
-/+ 1 penalty to avoid necromantic spells since the thread was
created to woven into the world's death shroud.
No comments:
Post a Comment