Artha Batteries

[Kaare Berg]

Just had this idea while taking a dump (and subsequently reading to take my mind of the traumatic things happening below and behind me, too much coffee really is bad for your.)

As the rules stand today a character can invest Artha in items. this garants them certain advantages and so forth.

However at times a character, due to misfortune and harsh GMing might find himself running dangerously low of precious artha.

What I might suggest it that the Invested Artha can be released from the item.

I see two results by doing this.

one: The item is diminished and weakened but the player can extract artha from it partially (invested 5 withdrew three)

or two: the item is destroyed as the invested fate energy consumes the item. making the sacrifice not made lightly.

I prefer option two.


What do you think?

[jc_madden]

I think the concept of Artha is more like "Karma" and less like "Mana" when it is invested in an item it is "spent" and unrecoverable. The point of spending it gives a real benefit (in the form of GM prevention of bad things happening to said item within reason) and if it could later be recovered would increase the benefit of investing it in an item manyfold. Furthermore if one were to care enough about an item to invest Artha in it later sacrafticing the item to recover the Artha to me would say: "You really didn't care that much about the item."

Just my 2rp. :lol:

[Verrain]

"But just as all seemed lost, Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword." Dark Lord steps on Narsil, Isildur pulls, Narsil shatters. Artha released from Narsil to double Isildur's attack dice "And he cut the ring from the Dark Lord's finger."

That kind of thing, negilent?

I can see it working so long as the artha release is as story driven as the artha investiture.

[jc_madden]

In that situation didn't Isuldor just use 1 point of his own Artha? If his sword had Artha in it it probably wouldn't have been shattered by Sauron's grasp.

[Verrain]

In that situation didn't Isuldor just use 1 point of his own Artha? If his sword had Artha in it it probably wouldn't have been shattered by Sauron's grasp.

Well that is just the point. Imagine you are in that part of the story. You just used up all your Artha trying to survive the battle and now you suddenly find yourself up against the big bad guy himself. So you strike a deal with a GM. I'll give up my nifty Artha'd weapon for a chance at actually getting the big bad guy. The blade shatters and you get one Artha enchanced shot.

As I said it sounds workable if used sparingly.

[Thor]

In that situation didn't Isuldor just use 1 point of his own Artha? If his sword had Artha in it it probably wouldn't have been shattered by Sauron's grasp.

Well that is just the point. Imagine you are in that part of the story. You just used up all your Artha trying to survive the battle and now you suddenly find yourself up against the big bad guy himself. So you strike a deal with a GM. I'll give up my nifty Artha'd weapon for a chance at actually getting the big bad guy. The blade shatters and you get one Artha enchanced shot.

As I said it sounds workable if used sparingly.

You should ask Negligent about his Complication rules (which I believe will be optional rules in the Revision). They work much like this, except the Artha comes from the character, not the weapon. In the case of Isildur v. Sauron, the complication was probably something along the lines of: let my weapon be a spirit weapon for 1 action, and it will shatter after!

I don't like the idea of being able to take Artha from an item once invested, as that Artha is already spent. In a sense, it would allow you to spend Artha twice. Far better not to invest Artha in the weapon in the first place, and then save it for when you need it!

[Kaare Berg]

Verrain was onto the idea.

My point is that by investing Artha into an item you are saying this item is important for my character and the story.

You reap the benefits of having an artha-item [and the way I've played it is that items infused with artha overtime turn magical (sort of picking of the resonance of the hero, more on this in another thread somewhere).]

The point by allowing characters who have invested artha in an item, when in dire straits release this artha to help them survive will let you as a player sacrifice a signature item (like that ancestral sword that never could be lost) and at the same time gain goodness from doing so.

My players get a lot of Artha (much more than it seems evil stingy Luke is handing out) and subsequently get into so so deep trouble that they quickly run out. I figured this would be a cool way for them to refill at a cost.

But Verrain is right it has to be used sparringly.

Will playtest and let you all know.

Oh and Thor

ask Negligent about his Complication rules
They were originally suggested by the Maker (Luke), so though I'd love the credit it isn't mine to take. :cry: