Talk:Blade of the Ruined King (5e Equipment)

About the extra damage

Is there a reason the hit points spread out across such seemingly unusual numbers? It seems like it would be easier to use this item if they were at more even increments, such as 25 -> 50 -> 100 -> 200 -> 400 -> 800 or more. No creatures in the SRD have 1000 or more hit points, and even epic homebrew monsters usually have extreme forms of damage reduction instead of something like thousands of hit points, so about half the table would not realistically see use...

To a lesser extent, there's also the problem that in a typical campaign, this would give the player explicit information about creatures' hit points (unless the DM rolls damage for every hit with this weapon). In my experience that's considered metagaming knowledge. - Guy (talk) 18:06, 4 December 2017 (MST)

I have redone the damage table. The point of this weapon wasn't necessarily for player usage as the drawbacks are drastic. And about the information gained from the bonus damage, the nature of how damaged a creature is in relation to death/ unconsciousness is represented by Hit Points. How well the creature is standing is information apparent to the characters at all times. I see it as a more physical "viewing" of the imaginary enemy. My players/ party members get annoying with the "How's it looking?" question since we can't physically see the thing we're fighting.

As for the changes and origin of the item concept, I added the copyright disclaimer for the original item from League of Legends. Because so much of League doesn't translate to tabletop, much less 5e DnD, there is a lot you have to exchange out.

Its core ability is doing bonus physical damage equal to 8% of the target's current health as an on-hit effect. The lifesteal you have, which the item also grants, applies to that bonus damage. That's a unique thing for two reasons.

1) It's one of the few damage calculations based on current health rather than maximum health.

2) Lifesteal applies to the physical damage you do from your autoattacks. On-hit effects are not a part of an autoattack; they're just triggered by them. This is the only case where you heal from an on-hit effect. (And no, lifesteal is not an on-hit effect. More like a static passive than an effect).

As such, I added a temp hit point mechanic based on the numbers rolled for the bonus damage. I gave it as an option due to how temp hit points erase any you had upon receiving new ones.

Because calculating a percentage off a number you can't see is idiotic at best, I created a table of ranges. I honestly can't remember what math I did for the original numbers. And you were right, there was no need for such staggering digits.

I also added more progression (or regression?) into madness with more prolonged exposure to the weapon. It effectively makes whoever wields it as lost and forgotten as the Ruined King. Getting rid of that effect would mean erasing the conditions that make the Ruined King...ruined. A king isn't a person just like their castle isn't a house. They are an incorporation. What they do is all for the benefit of the kingdom. To mess with a king would be to discredit their name, which just puts a damper on business to whatever degree. To ruin a king would be to make everything they are and influence no more. They are their kingdom. I've always taken that to mean their name is lost not because of time but because of the curse they brought. This buried the information of who they were and everything about them and their kingdom. You would have to recreate that information from nothing, something only the wish spell can do.

As far as the "cured" weapon statistics, I made it a basic legendary weapon. Extra attack, extra damage, but not as much, and improved the enhancement bonus.

--GD-Psycho (talk) 17:23, 29 December 2018 (MST)

i like the idea of this item, but since it appears to be unique, i think it would be even better as an artifact.--Doctor Dee (talk) 06:52, 25 February 2019 (MST)