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3 years ago ::
Nov 14, 2010 - 1:12AM
#471
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2007
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More awesome work Sanctaphrax. I've got a few paintings to add:
Painting Ensemble #3 A simple but well done 24"x36" still life of instruments, including a cello, harp and viola. 60 gp
Painting The last kiss of the night This painting depicts a handsome vampire about to passionately bite the throat of a bare breasted young maiden on a balcony as the first rays of sunlight hit the building beside them. It’s well done, but kind of gaudy. The artist likely has never seen or encountered a real vampire. 125 gp
Painting Falujji’s Audience The climactic scene of the opera Falujji, in which the hero Arastor demands that Pelor return Jeccinea, his lost love. The painting has Arastor down on his knees, raising a hand towards the heavens in a shining ray of light. Considered the most impressive of the artist Hevee De’Waltsou’s work, or perhaps the only one worth having. 500 gp
Painting Ertoil Castle A landscape dominated by the black Ertoil Castle rising from the crest of Gavel hill. A tremendous storm is tearing across the sky towards the castle. This image is meant to emulate the moments before the castle fell to the demonic forces that Lord Ittrusk secretly summoned in his bid for power. 500 gp
Painting Menagerie II A collection of colorful birds that sitting on branches of a tropical Throymorgian willow tree. There is an abjurer macaw, a fairy blue bird, a looped beak toucan, a red-winged blue beak parrot, and a striped wrinkle hornbill. Part of a sought after collection by Sigmund Throsforei, a gnomish ornithologist and artist. 800 gp
Painting Untitled A golden snow-capped mountain range glimmering in the early morning sunlight, the steep cliffs casting long shadows down the mountainside. It is painted in awe-inspiring romantic style, with expressive brushstrokes and rich colors. 250 gp
Painting The death of Telamyr A mannerist style painting depicting the hanging of the man Telamyr, who was supposedly a warlock in service of unnatural beings. His dark hanging body dominates the center of the frame though his face is hidden in shadow and he is surrounded by a dark aura. The crowd of onlookers surrounding the gallows is painted in much lighter colors, which lends gravity to the center due to the heavy contrast. It appears to be signed Telamyr but scholars debate whether this is a signature or title of the work. 1250 gp
Painting The Huntsmen A large Eladrin Renaissance painting of a huge man with a stag’s head springing from a crouch after a fox. Behind the stag man are several mounted hunters. Great detail has gone into every leaf, branch and stick, and there is a great deal of depth in the image, so much so that at first glance it might appear to be a window. 2000 gp
Painting Salvation The most famous work by fanatically devoted Pelorite Baroque artist Mollani Musqueso, Salvation is considered to be one of the great works of the age. Mollani inspiringly illustrates the transformation of pure light into the divine hand of Pelor as he grasps the wrist of a drowning man, to pull him from the water. The intense play of light and shadow and the vivid tangibility of the water creates powerful tension and many report experiencing deep emotional insights from viewing it. 10,000 gp
Painting Untitled (Victory) An elaborate modern painting of the BBEG in his most glorious splendor, raising his bloody weapon as he stands on a pile of corpses. The corpses appear to be adventurers as well as knights and other do-gooder types (possibly includes the corpses of PCs). Despite from it’s large size and extensive array of colors, the image couldn’t really be considered high art. 300 gp
Painting Feast A still life of leftovers after a dwarven feast. If you know how dwarves eat, then you’d probably be able to guess that it’s mainly crumbs and small bits of food that aren’t substantial enough to warrant scraping off a plate. 150 gp
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3 years ago ::
Nov 14, 2010 - 11:44AM
#472
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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Looks good, apart from a typo in the description of Falujji's Audience. You spelled Falujji with an I instead of the first J. Sorry to nitpick, but I figure that if we're making a compiled list then we're going to have to correct this stuff eventually. Expect props and costumes very soon.
PS: I changed the name of Falujji's hero in the description of the tuba in my last post to fit with your description of the painting.
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3 years ago ::
Nov 14, 2010 - 8:08PM
#473
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2007
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Haha, oops... I have been mainly doing this in MS word and the little red underline that says i've misspelled a word obscures the bottom of the 'j'. I actually meant to change the hero's name back to Falujji after reading your post, but I think my computer crashed and reverted to the old version. I think Falujji is probably a better name, so I'll leave it as it is in the word document.
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3 years ago ::
Nov 15, 2010 - 4:10AM
#474
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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I've had a bunch of little things throughout my times as a DM, although they are rarely things for my BBEG. I'm also really REALLY bad with prices (IRL and in my games, my credit card hates me). I'll put up some stuff, but I would appreciate others saying how much these things are worth.
1) A jade lamp with no land shade that seems to have no way to light it that ends in a sphere of crystal. The lamp creates a soft light a few inches from the page of any open book within 15 feet of it that is only visible to the person reading the book. Can be attuned to objects other than books. Your BBEG may be a skulk who likes the dark, but his mother said reading in that dim light would ruin his eyes one day.
2) A white silk dress that floats as if suspended on invisible lines an inch away from the wearer's skin and flows effortlessly in any light breeze, but retains its rough shape in the harshest weather. Can be adjusted to reveal any level of cleavage for the wayward succubus or Lanfear impersonator.
3) An inverted bowl with dented sections inlaid with several pieces of rare metals and an accompanying set of rings. Four of the rings have small hooked hammers on the inside of them for striking the patches of different metals and one has a flat top with an inlaid cross of diamond that looks like a ring to be used as a seal. When worn the wearer can strike the metal with the hammers to produce a clear sound directed wherever the cross is pointed at (usually worn on the opposite hand from the other rings). A code within a code within a secret means of communicating. For the especially paranoid (or insane) BBEG.
4) A room sized minature castle with tiny little noble marionettes that move on their own. Each marrionette is about two inches tall and there are several hundred of them moving around the castle room doing courtly things like attending balls, having intrigue and whatnot. This is the BBEG's little girl's playrooom (fathers are BBEG, sometimes BBEGs are fathers too) and the "little marrionettes" act so lifelike because they are made from the souls of several lords and ladies torn into tiny pieces and stuffed into wooden minatures. The characters also find in a closet in another room an entire minature herd of white, gray and pink ponies that are half-animated. The BBEG is planning for Xmas already...
I'll add more later.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out hereSpoiler:
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Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here
If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here
Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
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3 years ago ::
Nov 16, 2010 - 7:07PM
#475
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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Yay! Someone new has arrived! Please, don't worry if your treasure is BBEG appropriate. We'll take just about anything here.
Anyway, this post took longer than I expected. Truth is, I wrote more than I planned to. With this, the end of the opera house treasure is in sight. It'll feel good to be done.
61a. Props
-A painted wooden rod set with glass gems that looks like the royal sceptre of the Atalian king even in a good light. Used as a prop in numerous operas. Worth 75 gp.
-A black iron cross bristling with spikes. It looks like an incredibly exaggerated version of the crosses used for crucifixion by the Monat Empire. Despite its appearance, this device is not useful for crucifixion. This is because the iron is too thin to support the weight of an adult man. Used as a prop in the climax of the opera Ballwai, where the villainous Monat Emperor threatens the hero with it. Worth 100 gp.
-A great number of knives with a dizzying variety of blade shapes. Some blades are shaped like arrows, some are shaped like fish, and some are shaped like things that we don't have words for. All are blunt and useful only as stage weapons. Worth 2 gp each.
-A large balsa wood chest with a gold-painted frame. The front is set with an impressive and quite effective lock, which is wasteful since the chest is too fragile to remain intact if so much as lifted when full. Intended for use as a prop in plays and operas about adventurers. Worth 125 gp.
-A heavy oak desk that looks like the sort of thing you would find in any office. The only interesting thing about it is that it contains an empty space large enough for a person to hide in. This piece was commissioned by the Duke Don Paulo Ortega Memorial Hall for use in the opera Ballwai. Worth 150 gp.
-A dead tree with the leaves stuck to the branches with tiny beads of wax. A thin coating of wax is also present on the wood itself, preventing water damage. This item is useful as a background element for a play or opera. Worth 20 gp.
-A long piece of snow-white wood carved with bogus occult runes. There is a large chunk of red glass on one end that looks like a source of limitless arcane power. If you ever need to pretend to be a wizard, use this. Worth 200 gp.
-A life-sized painted ceramic statue of an animal. Up close, it clearly isn't alive. But from a distance in a dark room, it looks quite realistic. Until you realize that it isn't moving, of course. Worth 60 gp.
62a. Costumes
-Ragged grey clothes like those worn by prisoners on death row. There are numerous tears in the fabric, all of them placed strategically to show off the muscles of the man wearing it. Despite (or because of) its worn appearance, this outfit is the best "escaped convict" costume that money can buy. Worth 400 gp.
-A shiny suit of full plate so heavily ornamented that you can't raise your arms while wearing it. This costume has been used in so many performances at the Duke Don Paulo Ortega Memorial Hall that regulars shout out catcalls whenever someone comes onstage wearing it. Worth 1300 gp, mostly because of how famous it is.
-A simple metal disk enchanted so that it will glow and float behind your head. Very useful if you are playing the role of Pelor in the opera Falujji. Worth 500 gp.
-An extremely large pair of sunglasses. Used in some operas to show that a character is mysterious and foreign. Often paired with a business suit, which looks about as weird to your average peasant as an outfit from a Renaissance Faire looks to us. Worth 40 gp for the glasses, 200 gp for the suit.
-A wig made of human hair. Every theatre company has at least a dozen of these. Worth 10 gp each.
-A fancy robe that looks pretty ratty up close. This was once a fashionable outfit belonging to a rich man, but he threw it away long ago. It has been pressed into use as a "rich person" costume at an opera house. Worth 8 gp.
-A striped fur jumpsuit with cat ears, worn by the actor playing the tiger that eats Jeccinea in the opera Falluji. Although it doesn't make you look remotely like a tiger, it is quite beautiful. And since most of the audience of an average opera has never seen a tiger, beauty is preferred to realism. Worth 600 gp.
-A black cloak with a black mesh covering the facial area. Used to represent wraiths on stage. Worth 5 gp.
-An odd costume used in opera. It consists of a cloth-covered suit of armour sized for an ogre that has been repainted to resemble the skin of an earth elemental. This is possibly the least comfortable costume ever worn by an opera performer, so it is generally given to low-ranking apprentices. Worth 700 gp.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 19, 2010 - 6:40PM
#476
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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Looking back at my recommended prices for opera treasure, I realize that I've completely ignored them in providing specific examples. The thing is that once I make up an elaborate description, everything sounds more valuable. Ah well. The tradition of ignoring my own price recommendations continues in this post.
66a. Mirrors
-A palm-sized steel disk that opens up to reveal a silvered glass mirror of exceptional quality. If you need a portable mirror, this is the best you'll get without magic. Worth 300 gp.
-A tall, wide stone pillar with a coating of polished brass that acts as a mirror. The curvature of the pillar creates small but noticeable distortions in the reflected images. These pillars are often found in the dressing rooms of theatres, large clothing stores, and other places where large numbers of people need to see themselves. Worth 150 gp.
-A polished silver wall mirror with an ornamental darkwood frame. Said frame has been carved to resemble thousands of tiny skulls and bones. Each carved skull has two shiny silver beads for eyes. Worth 250 gp.
-A large mirror of silvered glass mounted on a rotating frame of gilded iron. This sort of mirror is popular among high society ladies and successful actors because it provides a clear reflection of the whole body from an adjustable angle. Worth 600 gp.
67a. Carpet
An extremely boring but extremely valuable carpet. To the untrained eye, it's just an ordinary grey wool carpet. To the trained eye, it's an 800 year old Aktan Empire prayer mat made from eight different varieties of grey wool from eight different extinct sheep breeds woven together with the fiendishly difficult Assmu-Dathop weaving technique in a pattern defined by a mathematical equation of great scientific significance. Worth 7500 gp.
69a. Sculptures
-An unpainted life-sized marble bust of the great composer Rael, who drowned in wine after a king's attempt to congratulate him on the success of the opera Falluji (which Rael composed the music for) went terribly awry. Worth 400 gp.
-An unpainted life-sized marble bust of great playwright Makak Shaan. Shaan was extremely ugly and terribly ashamed of his appearance, and so campaigned to have all images of his face destroyed. As such, statues of him are rare and quite valuable. Worth 1050 gp.
-A fine wooden diorama showing the opera Gintad in progress. That's what it says on the plaque, anyway. It's impossible to tell if it's true, since there is no known opera named Gintad. Worth 120 gp.
-A life-sized painted marble statue of the BBEG. His arms are outstretched as if to embrace the world. Superficially attractive, but upon closer inspection shows a deeply flawed impression of human bodily proportions and bone structure. Worth 50 gp, which is less than the value of the stone used to make it. For some reason, low-quality self-glorifying statues of terrible evil people don't sell very well.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 20, 2010 - 9:35PM
#477
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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This is the last of the opera treasure. Feels great to have that off my back.
70a. Really Nice Fountain Pen
An incredibly fancy, incredibly overadorned fountain pen made mostly out of gold. The cap is engraved with the monogram of Sallak Vi Demna, a powerful noble who disappeared years ago. The Vi Demna family would very much like it back, and they're willing to pay 4000 gp for it.
71a. Blueprints
Blueprints for an elaborate winch and pulley system currently in use at the Duke Don Paulo Ortega Memorial Hall. Said system is extremely sophisticated and its design would be very interesting to any engineer. Worth 3500 gp.
72a. Blackmail Material
Papers proving that the youngest daughter of House Denna once took to the stage as an actress. If these were made public, it would be somewhat damaging to the reputation of her house. These papers are worth about 6000 gp either to House Denna or one of their rivals.
73a. Scripts
Ragged pieces of low quality paper with the scripts of operas written on them. Each page contains everything that a single performer needs to know and no more. Despite their poor condition, these papers are protected jealously by the theatres that possess them. One of the main ways that opera houses compete is by stealing or one-upping each other's acts, so scripts are like weapons in the battles between the theatres. Each page is worth about 200 gp, although more than one is required to get the entire script of an opera.
74a. Musical Scores
Ragged pieces of low quality paper with the scores of opera music written on them. Each page contains everything that a single performer needs to know and no more. Despite their poor condition, these papers are protected jealously by the theatres that possess them. One of the main ways that opera houses compete is by stealing or one-upping each other's acts, so pieces of music are like weapons in the battles between the theatres. Each page is worth about 200 gp, although more than one is required to get the entire script of an opera.
75a. Legal Documents
These pretentious forms declare the ownership of the Duke Don Paulo Ortega Memorial Hall. They also contain a complete record of that famous place's finances. While the person who holds these papers is technically the owner of the entire hall, players who try to claim it legally will likely run into trouble. They would probably be better advised to sell them for 2000 gp or so.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 22, 2010 - 4:19PM
#478
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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Now that I'm done with the opera house stuff, I can get back to the underlined items written by other people. The first of those is a collection of nonmagical knives. It lacks descriptions of individual items and a gp value. My job, of course, is to fix that.
126. Knife Collection
A set of four large glass-faced display cases, each containing dozens of carefully labeled knives. The variety in this collection is astonishing, although none of the knives are magical. The cases, with all their contents, are worth 9500 gp. Some examples of what the cases might contain are:
-A thin stilletto made entirely out of dragonbone, with rubies set into the handle. Very fancy, and actually quite suitable for an assassin. Worth 700 gp.
-A masterwork kukri knife with a blade of the finest, sharpest, Damascus steel. An excellent blade for warriors who don't have access to magical weapons. Worth 550 gp.
-A cheap kitchen knife made of sharpened wood. Knives like this are used as cutlery by peasants. Worth 1 sp.
-An iron dagger with a fish-shaped blade that ends in a forked tail. This sort of knife originates in far-off Lulneni, where they are used by the priesthood in rites involving human sacrifice. Worth 130 gp.
-An ancient butcher knife with a rusty square blade that is edged by a dozen sharp teeth. Probably comes from some dungeon. Worth 5 sp.
-A high-quality medical scalpel made from adamantine that cuts through flesh and bone with disturbing ease. Too small to be used as a weapon, but counts as a masterwork tool for any skill check that involves precise cutting. Worth 400 gp.
-A small bronze blade with intended for cutting paper and opening envelopes. Its sides are etched with runes that no-one can read. Worth 2 gp.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 24, 2010 - 6:43PM
#479
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2010
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127. Throne Of Skulls
A nine foot tall throne carved out of obsidian. The armrests are exquisitely sculpted to resemble a pile of skulls. The skulls at the top front of the armrests are vastly larger than the others and have massive pearls for eyes. The tob of the throne's backrest has been formed into the shape of a huge, demonic-looking horned skull with extremely sharp teeth. The upper jaw of the horned skull hangs over the rest of the seat. Large, upward-curving spikes extend from the back and sides of the throne, making it dangerous to stand nearby.
Although it looks terribly impractical, this throne is both comfortable and functional. The seat is covered with cushions of the finest, most expensive materials. Wyvern hide, Muskeval skin, and Rakshasa fur cover those cushions, creating an incredibly soft seat. Some of the skulls on the armrests are hollow, and can be used to conceal weapons and other useful things. All that, and it can be yours for just 25 000 gp.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 24, 2010 - 8:25PM
#480
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Whoever resurrected this thread ought to be awarded a new avatar - the picture of a T-Rex skeleton captioned "Animate Dead".  Item: an electric powered forklift. (Can be recharged with say 50 HP of lightning attack placed on just the right spot). Any BBEG worth his salt is gonna have so much stuff - or some individual thing(s) - you just CAN'T move by hand. Stays in his huge treasure room because it's too big to get through the doors.
Best complements I have yet received: Spoiler:
Show
Making it up as I go along:
{BRJN}
If I was writing the Tome of Lore, I would let Auppenser sleep. But I also would have him dream.
In his dreaming he re-activates the innate powers of (some) mortal minds. Or his dreaming changes the nature of reality - currently very malleable thanks to Spellplague &c. Or whatever really cool flavor text and pseudo-science explanation people react positively to.
{Lord_Karsus}
You know, I like that better than the explanations for the Spellplague.
My plot device: http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/ … #489880509 (The reaction is the next post.)
Prepped ahead of time:
I started the thread "1001 Failed Interrogation Results"
{ADHadh}
These are all good and make sense! I just can't come up with something that's not covered here and is not completely ridiculous.
My characters: Spoiler:
Show
Active Characters:
LFR Half-elf StarLock6 Gondolin Nightstar
AoA Dwarf Guardian Druid6 Narvik from House Wavir
Character A-building:
Neverwinter Dwarven Invoker / Heir of Delzoun / worships Silvanus (!)
"Truenamer" - speaks Words of Creation
Concepts I'm kicking around:
"Buggy" Wizard - insect flavor on everything
Halfling Tempest Fighter - just because nobody else is doing it
Shifter Beast-o-phile Druid - for PoL campaign
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