Free RPG Day: The Imperishable Sorceress (spoilers)

[Netherstorm]

This thread contains spoilers for the Imperishable Sorceress....


I am about to run my group through this, and I am considering the possibility of my group making their own Imperishable bodies. I am probably throwing out the idea about the blooded PC, and allowing any hero to enter an Imperishable body. Here's the notes I have on how the bodies work:

- If the star stone makes contact with an imperishable body, can enter it
--can also will self into it if you are touching it (uninhabited body dies in d3 days)

Pseudo-flesh heals you! A flesh-colored, putty-like substance that can be smeared on wounds.

Imperishable body:
4 extra HP per level
Take damage like normal, but damage does not prevent the body from surviving. Even if head is severed, head is normal and body breathes.
Body NEVER heals catastrophic damage of any kind.
If you die within 100 miles of the Seat of Power, your spirit returns there

So I need some help here. I have a lot of questions I can't figure out the answer to:

1. Does a regeneration spell work on an Imperishable body?
2. Can they drown?
3. Will poison gas kill them?
4. What happens if you die more than 100 miles from the Seat of Power?
5. How do you make an imperishable body? (my plan right now is to let them take a dead body and use the vats to make "copies")
6. Say an arm gets cut off. Can the person still make it move? Could they sew it back on and make it operate normally?

Thanks!

[Raven_Crowking]

This thread contains spoilers for the Imperishable Sorceress....

Hi there. This is the module's author.

I am about to run my group through this, and I am considering the possibility of my group making their own Imperishable bodies. I am probably throwing out the idea about the blooded PC, and allowing any hero to enter an Imperishable body. Here's the notes I have on how the bodies work:

- If the star stone makes contact with an imperishable body, can enter it
--can also will self into it if you are touching it (uninhabited body dies in d3 days)

Pseudo-flesh heals you! A flesh-colored, putty-like substance that can be smeared on wounds.

Imperishable body:
4 extra HP per level
Take damage like normal, but damage does not prevent the body from surviving. Even if head is severed, head is normal and body breathes.
Body NEVER heals catastrophic damage of any kind.
If you die within 100 miles of the Seat of Power, your spirit returns there

NOTE: The Seat of Power can be attuned to only one character, and the character must be attuned for this to work. It doesn't matter what kind of body they are in.

The Star Stone is intended to be single-use, so if you want the group to gain a series of imperishable bodies, you will either need to change this, or have multiple star stones. Personally, I advise against this. I would force the group to quest for more star stones if they wanted extra bodies, and I would not make it easy.

So I need some help here. I have a lot of questions I can't figure out the answer to:

1. Does a regeneration spell work on an Imperishable body?

There is no regeneration spell in DCC. But, I would (1) not allow magic to heal the catastrophic damage (on the basis that this is not real flesh, nor truly "alive" in the same sense we are, and (2) I would make healing such a body a sinful act for most religions. Heck, entering such a body may also be.

2. Can they drown?
3. Will poison gas kill them?

No to both. But feel free to have the body exhibit signs of either or both. If you examine what happened to the Builder in the module (within its own imperishable body, trapped under stone for aeons), you should realize that the imperishable body is a form of long-range trap. Whoever gets into one, sooner or later, is crippled by many injuries but forced to go on forever. If your neck is nearly severed, or you suffer other injuries that should obviously have killed you, and you are still walking around, how do you even interact with anyone?

4. What happens if you die more than 100 miles from the Seat of Power?

The Seat of Power is separate from the imperishable body. An attuned character who dies more than 100 miles from the Seat of Power simply dies.

5. How do you make an imperishable body? (my plan right now is to let them take a dead body and use the vats to make "copies")

Intentionally not answered in the module, but I would make learning these secrets the subject of more than one quest before conferring immortality on all the PCs. Even if that immortality is a trap.

6. Say an arm gets cut off. Can the person still make it move? Could they sew it back on and make it operate normally?

No. But the arm is still in a sense "alive". Sewing it back on in a way to make it work might be possible for a highly advanced technological society, but should not generally be possible. But the character has all the time in the world to seek out such a society (unless his or her injuries eventually leave the character trapped like the Builder) - the arm will not rot, and continues to be "alive".

Again, in keeping with Appendix N fiction, the character(s) who take this Faustian bargain will eventually regret it. If they come into contact with the psychic tendrils of the Builder, they should have more than enough information to make them realize that the body might be a trap. But, players being players, and the lure of immortality being strong......

Feel free to play up the alienation from humanity aspect as well. Let sense of touch feel remote, for instance. Describe a sense of detachment, and imply that a portion of the soul is lost in the transfer. It'll be fun, even if there is no statistical change. Mention how wounds cause no pain. Make the rest of the (mortal) party a little edgy about what is happening to the (immortal) PC/s. But DO NOT make criticals or catastrophic damage happen more frequently, and do not warn the players of what will happen if they do not figure it out for themselves.

Thanks!

You're welcome!

Daniel

[Netherstorm]

Cool, thank you for responding! I am OK with a party of Imperishables because of the nature of my campaign:

We just finished a D&D Next conversion of the pathfinder path Skull & Shackles. It was awesome. This new campaign is on another world in my setting, a world which is covered in clouds. We are again using D&D Next rules. A few cities exist above the clouds on mountaintops. They trade with each other via airships and are good and happy people. Beneath the clouds is a twisted, dark, weird world. A world full of DCC RPG modules and concepts, converted to D&D Next.

The heroes are questing for 5 gems in the world under the clouds. These gems can be used to get rid of the clouds once and for all. This will cause most of the weird and evil creatures to flee underground, as they've never felt sunlight and it is painful to them. Each of the gems is deep in a dungeon from a DCC module (They just did jewels of the carnifex, other adventures will include the croaking fane and people of the pit).

This campaign is taking a lot from console rpgs. They can buy items like "mint" (healing) or "life root" (which brings the dead back to life). Most of the NPCs are archetypes found in console rpgs or on tv tropes.

Going in to this campaign, I had it in my head that the PCs aren't going to die permanently unless something really big happens. This is why I am ok with the imperishable bodies. In fact, I am very amused at the idea of an entire group known as "The Imperishables".

I set up the "hook" for the imperishable sorceress by making the court wizard an evil imperishable sorceress. I called her Mortea, but she's basically Ivrian the Undying from the adventure. Last time we played, the heroes realized she was a spy for the campaign's big bad guy and captured her.

"Whoever gets into one, sooner or later, is crippled by many injuries but forced to go on forever. If your neck is nearly severed, or you suffer other injuries that should obviously have killed you, and you are still walking around, how do you even interact with anyone?"

Can't they go back and get in to another body?

More questions:

1. Does poison affect them? Would the poison stay in the body?
2. Do they have to eat/breathe/sleep?
3. Can they have kids or get pregnant?

Thanks again!

[Raven_Crowking]

Cool, thank you for responding! I am OK with a party of Imperishables because of the nature of my campaign:

You are very welcome!

If you want a party of imperishables, you're going to have to do some rulings. Remember, go with what makes sense to you, and the judge is ALWAYS right.

Can't they go back and get in to another body?

Depends upon how easy you make this. As written, there is only one imperishable body available. Even with your campaign plan, I would still make replacing an imperishable body difficult/time consuming. Why? (1) Getting hurt will mean something, and (2) It's funny, for both judge and player. And/or adds an element of pathos.

1. Does poison affect them? Would the poison stay in the body?

Yes, so long as the effect is not lethal. Only until metabolised.

2. Do they have to eat/breathe/sleep?

No, but they will get hungry, and that hunger may certainly affect them in whatever way you wish.

No, but they naturally want to breath, and being imperishable does not let you hold your breath longer than other folks. It just ameliorates the effects when you do breathe water/poison/whatever.

Yes.

3. Can they have kids or get pregnant?

Up to the judge, but I would rule "No". The bodies are not really "alive" in that sense.

[Raven_Crowking]

Cool, thank you for responding! I am OK with a party of Imperishables because of the nature of my campaign:

You are very welcome!

If you want a party of imperishables, you're going to have to do some rulings. Remember, go with what makes sense to you, and the judge is ALWAYS right.

Can't they go back and get in to another body?

Depends upon how easy you make this. As written, there is only one imperishable body available. Even with your campaign plan, I would still make replacing an imperishable body difficult/time consuming. Why? (1) Getting hurt will mean something, and (2) It's funny, for both judge and player. And/or adds an element of pathos.

1. Does poison affect them? Would the poison stay in the body?

Yes, so long as the effect is not lethal. Only until metabolised.

2. Do they have to eat/breathe/sleep?

No, but they will get hungry, and that hunger may certainly affect them in whatever way you wish.

No, but they naturally want to breath, and being imperishable does not let you hold your breath longer than other folks. It just ameliorates the effects when you do breathe water/poison/whatever.

Yes.

3. Can they have kids or get pregnant?

Up to the judge, but I would rule "No". The bodies are not really "alive" in that sense.

[Raven_Crowking]

Cool, thank you for responding! I am OK with a party of Imperishables because of the nature of my campaign:

You are very welcome!

If you want a party of imperishables, you're going to have to do some rulings. Remember, go with what makes sense to you, and the judge is ALWAYS right.

Can't they go back and get in to another body?

Depends upon how easy you make this. As written, there is only one imperishable body available. Even with your campaign plan, I would still make replacing an imperishable body difficult/time consuming. Why? (1) Getting hurt will mean something, and (2) It's funny, for both judge and player. And/or adds an element of pathos.

1. Does poison affect them? Would the poison stay in the body?

Yes, so long as the effect is not lethal. Only until metabolised.

2. Do they have to eat/breathe/sleep?

No, but they will get hungry, and that hunger may certainly affect them in whatever way you wish.

No, but they naturally want to breath, and being imperishable does not let you hold your breath longer than other folks. It just ameliorates the effects when you do breathe water/poison/whatever.

Yes.

3. Can they have kids or get pregnant?

Up to the judge, but I would rule "No". The bodies are not really "alive" in that sense.

[Netherstorm]

Our heroes should get to "try on" their bodies tonight. I put the star stones in the new Lamentations of the Flame Princess Adventure ("F*** for Satan") and it's been quite an awesome challenge. Tonight they'll finish that up, mess around with the bodies, and then hopefully start The Croaking Fane. If you don't mind, if questions come up I may post here some more.

Thanks again!

[Raven_Crowking]

Why would I mind?

[Zargon]

Is this free level 1 adventure available as a download? I don't have a participating store near me but I'd still like to be able to conduct the imperishable sorceress for my group. Thanks

[Raven_Crowking]

Is this free level 1 adventure available as a download? I don't have a participating store near me but I'd still like to be able to conduct the imperishable sorceress for my group. Thanks

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/115939/DC ... G-Day-2013

[Netherstorm]

Is this free level 1 adventure available as a download? I don't have a participating store near me but I'd still like to be able to conduct the imperishable sorceress for my group. Thanks

It's just a couple bucks and there is a ton of cool stuff in it!

My group took longer than I thought to finish F*** for Satan (which is a fantastic dungeon!). They got back to their home (Cleft Mountain is now their home, they travel to and fro in the adamantine mole).

We left off with the group wizard excitedly preparing to spend three months experimenting and creating an imperishable body. The other two heroes are a little wary but I'd guess at least one of them will try it too.

I have one question:

If an imperishable is swallowed by a giant monster, when do they "die"? Do they go through agony until almost all of their matter has been digested? How long would it take to digest an imperishable?

[Raven_Crowking]

I have one question:

If an imperishable is swallowed by a giant monster, when do they "die"? Do they go through agony until almost all of their matter has been digested? How long would it take to digest an imperishable?

(1) That is three questions.

(2) Never.

(3) They go through agony, but their matter is not natural and is not fully digested. Just run damage as normal, with the same results as normal. If the Imperishable would be reduced to 0 hp, take a permanent point of Strength, Agility, or Stamina, and the Imperishable survives.

(4) They don't; they just pass.

In the event that something disintegrated or completely destroyed the body, the Imperishable would die. In the event that something completely destroyed the soul, the occupant of the body would die, but the body would live on.

Use your best judgement; the judge cannot be wrong.

[Netherstorm]

Last friday, our heroes made their bodies. "Copies" of humanoids they put in a vat:

- 12 year old fat kid (copy of the party wizard)
- female halfling
- A goblin

The party wizard is now an imperishable female halfling. His real body died after three days. They are keeping it in a vat, preserved.

SPOILERS for The Croaking Fane below, turn away!!








The skin of his hand was eaten off by flesh-eating tadpoles. It cannot be repaired.

He is planning on using the spawning pool on the second level of the dungeon to mutate the body into a toad-person body! I am fine with this, unless I am missing something.