Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!greipa!pesnta!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!cepu!ucla-cs!mccolm From: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Magic item origin stories Message-ID: <5672@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Fri, 24-May-85 20:34:12 EDT Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5672 Posted: Fri May 24 20:34:12 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 01:22:12 EDT References: <5122@ukc.UUCP> <28700004@ISM780.UUCP> <1085@uwmacc.UUCP> <5159@ukc.UUCP> <2013@sdcrdcf.UUCP> Reply-To: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (Eric McColm) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 36 Summary: In my campaigns (historically speaking) I always come up with a history for any speaking, spell-using, intelligent, talkative, or generally obnoxous magic item. I usually don't bother with histories for +1 knives or other such forgettable items (there's enough magic around to call the little ones marginal) but I have been known to dream up multi-page histories for some of the more major items. For the REAL MONGO items, I don't bother. They've been too many places. Probably my favorite histories for items were two swords that appeared in campaigns not long ago. The first spoke Medusian, and did I ever have a time explaining how that had happened! The second was *old*. Like it had been known throughout the Cosmos for ten thousand years. The problem was that it had been unusually busy in that time. I think the most fun of making up the sword was that the history had left "footprints" in the swords behavior. EXAMPLE: Eduard the Greatsword (it sounds more impressive in Fire Giant) was involved in the Siege of Hearthworld and Rain of Godsfire, which caused the blade to glow a light blue, and the runes on the blade glowed a deep red. The blade in motion left an aurora of pure white in its path. But when the sword was taken on the Invasion of Hellworld (somewhere in the Abyss) the aurora took on many colors, in a (you guessed it) chaotic pattern. It was also afraid of the dark. This is an extreme example, but at least one intelligent battleaxe now hates Elves, anyone with a mace, and sour wine, but that's another story. (somewhere in a vintners: "Hey! Let Go!" "Ohhh, gee....") --fini-- Eric McColm UCLA (oo' - kluh) Funny Farm for the Criminally Harmless UUCP: ...!{ihnp4,trwspp,cepu,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!mccolm ARPA: (still) mccolm@UCLA-CS.ARPA (someday) mccolm@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU "Scrabble is Peace; Link-Sausage is Slavery; UNIX is Strength."