Help needed with designing artifact

[Belphoebe]

I bought the Amber rulebook years ago, but have never done more than enjoy reading it (especially the section outlining the different versions of the characters, plenty to argue about there). Excitingly I'm about to start actually playing an online campaign. We're just about to begin creating our characters.

I've an idea for my character - based on Belphebe from Spencer's Faerie Queen, she is woodswise, good at archery and has a personal shadow full of losels, evil enchanters, knights and so on. She would have some Warfare and Endurance, but 'just' Amber rank Psyche and Strength.

I thought it would be fun for her to have a Pattern weapon (like Grayswandir, lethal to chaos creatures), but in keeping with her background and interests, this would be a bow/arrow. I wasn't sure how to describe it though. So I thought I'd ask here for ideas.

Obviously it has to be more than a one-shot weapon to be any use, but a magically returning Pattern arrow seems a bit odd. I was wondering whether a quiver which imbues arrows in it with the Pattern might work? That way she wouldn't have an infinite supply, but could easily get more from shadow. And of course if she ever lost the quiver, she could find it again in an old hollow tree.

Any thoughts or comments on this would be welcome!

The other thing I can't quite fathom is how many points such a thing would cost - Grayswandir costs 16, but I don't know how that figure was arrived at! (One rank up from deadly damage?)

Thanks in advance

Belphoebe

[Arref]

There are so many options.  Here's a few ideas.

You'd like to stop other blades once someone gets too close, so perhaps you'd like to parry with your bow?
-resistant to normal weapons - 1pt

You'd like to penetrate even enchanted armors, and perhaps set the supernatural folk on fire?
-deadly damage - 4pt
-primal damage - 8pt

You'd like to stealth around and act the sniper ....even if someone has 'danger sense' or amazing intuition? ((note that you'd have to turn this off if you wanted to use your Psyche))
-psyche barrier - 4pt
-transfer to wielder - +5pt

You'd like the 'overlarge' bow to fold up to half size and fit in the quiver with the arrows? Or attach to the quiver design? Or have the quiver and bow be a neck torq with a finger snap?
-alt form - 1pt

You'd like the silver arrows in the quiver to almost never run out?
-shadow stuff - 1pt (note that this would only work in shadow, not in Amber or Chaos) for cloning any arrows in quiver

so you can spend easily 20 pts if you really want something as tricky as a pattern blade.

[Eon Raven]

You have a fantastic idea brewing.

Starting with the basics.

1. You have a bow.
2. Arrows.
3. Quiver.

All these things you have...for FREE!

SPOILER ALERT....SPOILER ALERT....SPOILER ALERT....

Looking at Corwin's sword, let us look at how he had it made.

It is RUMORED that he had the blacksmith from Tir Na Nog'th forge it for him. And it was forged with a bit of the reflection of the Pattern in it.

What would this POSSIBLY do?

For starters, it does: PRIMAL DAMAGE TO CHAOS for 8 points.

Well, the Pattern...pretty hard to break that thing so...would it no also POSSIBLY confer:  INDESTRUCTIBLE...for 8 points. also.

total: 16 points.

You can find...some...advanced artifact idea in the base guide book (rule book)...And this is where I pull Indestructible (I do not have it next to me, but I believe it is called this-If I am wrong please correct).

So, your bow idea may be along those lines. Perhaps the bow itself contains a bit of the Pattern.  Your characters relationship with that bow (and the Pattern there in) may allow her to knowingly or unknowingly decide whether to imbue an arrow with Pattern essence before it is fired.  

Cost: 16 points (as with Grayswandir)

Remember, always talk with your GM. His/her ideas are always better for their own campaign.

[RPGPundit]

Typically, Greyswandir does "pattern damage" at 16pts, not 8.

Also, I think the idea of an arrow being a "returning" arrow, if it is imbued with the pattern, is not at all ridiculous. Far from it, since that's the kind of thing that is very typical for the pattern; wherever you shoot the arrow, you will end up having it returned to you.

RPGPundit

[jibbajibba]

Pardon my interruption but I think you are starting from the wrong premise.

You have to stop thinking of Amber like you think of D&D. A bow that lets you sneak about or gives you unlitimed arrows is a very small thing and really in Amber terms almost meaningless.

You have to establish the bow as an archetype. If you want a magical bow then that needs to be a part of your character. It is no coincidence that Erick chose to make items part of the character generation process. They should be integral to the character not an adjunct.

So Julian is an archetypal Hunter - his hounds and stead support that concept.
Bleys is an archetypal rake his fingers drip with jewels
Brand is the archetypal trickster, he is by parts good and bad, the Dayblade thus epitomises that duality.
Corwin is a warrior poet, the nightblade has that element of mystery romance and its a sword of course.

Anyway ... to cut the jungian crap... if you want to have a magical bow then make that part of your character. Don't just play Dave the Amberite that specialises in IT systems and business but also has a magical bow..if you see what I mean.

On to the detail....

Personally I would make the Bow "interesting" because a bow is a defining choice. It both sets a technology level and set out how your PC fights.
Start with the basics

Do you want it to do lots of damage? if so how do you want it to do that?
Does the Bow blast holes through steel plate? DOes it fire arrows like a machine gun? Does it fire lightning bolts? Does it do vast damage but only because it imbues its missiles with a heinous venom?

So when you pick Damage (2) - Deadly Damage decide how it does it - lets go for a venomous bow (Artimis's bow could deliver a disease)

Next to tie the bow into the character. What is the archetype? Is the PC a robin hood outlaw type? An artimis Huntress? An Odysseus? Identify the Archetype that ties to a bow.

How to reflect that?
Artimis's bow surely would affect her hunting. Able to Mould shadow reality ? Maybe even better an ability to trace creatures through shadow.

Shadow movement (2) - follow shadow trail


Now we are moving through shadows kind of a hunter archetype but rather than the Julian Hunter on a steed with hounds, the Wild Hunt theme, we are going down more of a sneak and hunt route. The tracker, hunter, assasin kind of route.
Well expanding on it the Bow would need to adapt to different shadows. We can give it an alternate form but maybe more interesting if we give it limited shapeshift.... it could become a rifle, a blowpipe, a pistol, in fact it could even becoem a spear a dagger or whatever  whever suits the shadow. Take the Ninja coda 'my weapons are everything that exists' to 'my weapon can be anything that exists'

Limited Shapeshift (4)

That should do....

Deadly Damage (2) - The bow inflicts a venom on the subject that is lethal to Chaosite and will cause problems for an Amberite.
Shadow Movement (2) - The bearer can follow a path through shadow hunting its prey
LImited Shapeshift (4) - the bow can become any weapon

That gives you an 8 point item (you could up damage to 4 or even 8 points ....). A harsh GM might insist that shadow movement needs a confer ability cost of 10 to give the bearer the ability but I think that would be OTT.

You might want to explain the how of bow how. Why is it this powerful? Maybe it was made from a limb of Ygg? Maybe it was imbued with a bit of Pattern? Maybe it was carried through the Logrus? The origin needs to fit the PC again.
Was it a gift? Did they make it themselves? an heirloom?

The important thing is that as you go through the process you don't think 'how can I equip my PC to be a hardass' you think 'what suits the archetype that this PC is riffing off.'

[Evermasterx]

Excellent perspective, JibbaJibba!

[Eon Raven]

Beautiful Jibbajibba.  Well said.
I am going to print that out and hand it to my players. I honestly think that is the best way I've ever heard it put.

Thank you.

[Belphoebe]

Thanks for all the great ideas - really helpful!

I want Belphoebe to be the archetypal archer huntress - Diana, or Artemis (or of course Spencer's Belphoebe) - which is why I thought it would be fun to have a special bow just for her, rather than just being a dude who was a good shot.

We ahven't quite started playing yet, but are nearly there!

[jibbajibba]

Thanks for all the great ideas - really helpful!

I want Belphoebe to be the archetypal archer huntress - Diana, or Artemis (or of course Spencer's Belphoebe) - which is why I thought it would be fun to have a special bow just for her, rather than just being a dude who was a good shot.

We ahven't quite started playing yet, but are nearly there!

Good choice.

[RPGPundit]

That does sound good and archetypal.  I certainly went that direction in designing Lords of Olympus.

RPGPundit