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A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

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For those curious, an Otherbane enchantment on a Valyrian Steel weapon is as follows:

Undeadbane + Feybane + Winterbane --> 6d6+6 damage on any Other it hits, total cost of enchanting being ~3,000 IM

Needless to say this is insane. But I expect the Others to hit us hard so I'm not above cheating wherever we can.
 
Duesal said:
For those curious, an Otherbane enchantment on a Valyrian Steel weapon is as follows:

Undeadbane + Feybane + Winterbane --> 6d6+6 damage on any Other it hits, total cost of enchanting being ~3,000 IM

Needless to say this is insane. But I expect the Others to hit us hard so I'm not above cheating wherever we can.
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Since Valyrian Steel weapons have some special enchanting rules and only count as +1 weapons for the purpose of determining the costs of adding Enhancement bonuses, we can put the Undead-, Fey-, and Winter-Bane effects on a VS weapon for 3000 IM in enchanting, making them the equivalent of +4 weapons.

Damage-wise, that translates to Weapon Damage (lets use Greatswords for this example; 2d6) + 2 (VS Enhancement) + 6d6+6 (Bane Effects) = 8d6+8

That 8d6+8 is base damage, before the wielder's Strength bonus, class features, feats, etc., are applied.

Assuming a 6th level Fighter with a Strength of 18, Weapon Specialization and Weapon Focus (Greatswords), that's another +8 damage.

And then, because I'm a completionist, let's replace the VS Otherbane Greatsword's base +2 Enhancement with a temporary (20+ hours) +4 Enhancement thanks to a Magic Army spell being cast by Viserys, Lya, etc.

Now our hypothetical 6th level Fighter is going to have an Attack Bonus vs Others of +21/+16 and each successful attack will inflict at least 8d6+18 damage.

Of course, that's too much of an investment to make in a measly 6th level mook during a big battle vs the Others, but it's still a pretty neat way to show how effective stacking the enchantments would be.
 
Goldfish said:
Since Valyrian Steel weapons have some special enchanting rules and only count as +1 weapons for the purpose of determining the costs of adding Enhancement bonuses, we can put the Undead-, Fey-, and Winter-Bane effects on a VS weapon for 3000 IM in enchanting, making them the equivalent of +4 weapons.

Damage-wise, that translates to Weapon Damage (lets use Greatswords for this example; 2d6) + 2 (VS Enhancement) + 6d6+6 (Bane Effects) = 8d6+8

That 8d6+8 is base damage, before the wielder's Strength bonus, class features, feats, etc., are applied.

Assuming a 6th level Fighter with a Strength of 18, Weapon Specialization and Weapon Focus (Greatswords), that's another +8 damage.

And then, because I'm a completionist, let's replace the VS Otherbane Greatsword's base +2 Enhancement with a temporary (20+ hours) +4 Enhancement thanks to a Magic Army spell being cast by Viserys, Lya, etc.

Now our hypothetical 6th level Fighter is going to have an Attack Bonus vs Others of +21/+16 and each successful attack will inflict at least 8d6+18 damage.

Of course, that's too much of an investment to make in a measly 6th level mook during a big battle vs the Others, but it's still a pretty neat way to show how effective stacking the enchantments would be.
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Yeah, this is more something to distribute among level 10 and up champions than anything we'd give to a mook. Also, god damn, those numbers are beautiful.
 
Goldfish said:
Since Valyrian Steel weapons have some special enchanting rules and only count as +1 weapons for the purpose of determining the costs of adding Enhancement bonuses, we can put the Undead-, Fey-, and Winter-Bane effects on a VS weapon for 3000 IM in enchanting, making them the equivalent of +4 weapons.

Damage-wise, that translates to Weapon Damage (lets use Greatswords for this example; 2d6) + 2 (VS Enhancement) + 6d6+6 (Bane Effects) = 8d6+8

That 8d6+8 is base damage, before the wielder's Strength bonus, class features, feats, etc., are applied.

Assuming a 6th level Fighter with a Strength of 18, Weapon Specialization and Weapon Focus (Greatswords), that's another +8 damage.

And then, because I'm a completionist, let's replace the VS Otherbane Greatsword's base +2 Enhancement with a temporary (20+ hours) +4 Enhancement thanks to a Magic Army spell being cast by Viserys, Lya, etc.

Now our hypothetical 6th level Fighter is going to have an Attack Bonus vs Others of +21/+16 and each successful attack will inflict at least 8d6+18 damage.

Of course, that's too much of an investment to make in a measly 6th level mook during a big battle vs the Others, but it's still a pretty neat way to show how effective stacking the enchantments would be.
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I would say anyone Level 10 and above at the Wall should get one. Since they'd be able to best leverage them and survive an encounter with one.
 
In addition to Otherbane enchantments, they definitely need Soulfire Bracers, all kinds of enchantments, wards and items to boost saves, Con Items + Amulet of Tears enchantments for beefiness, so they can take the kind of risks necessary to get in melee with one without it being a guaranteed 100% suicide mission.
 
There should be tiers of weapon enhancement we provide based on the ability of those wielding them. For example, 5th to 7th level get VS with Undeadbane, 8th to 10th get VS with Undeadbane and Winterbane, and 11th+ get the trifecta.
Crake said:
In addition to Otherbane enchantments, they definitely need Soulfire Bracers, all kinds of enchantments, wards and items to boost saves, Con Items + Amulet of Tears enchantments for beefiness, so they can take the kind of risks necessary to get in melee with one without it being a guaranteed 100% suicide mission.
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That's not really practical for large scale deployment. We can manage it for champions and important people, but Soulfire alone costs us 5000 IM.

There are alternatives for those who don't rate full enchanted gear.

We already have Defense Trees, which can provide significant Temp HP/emergency DR, +5 AC, and +5 weapon enhancement, but we could start growing another type to provide Death Ward, Resist Energy (Cold), and Barkskin. That's equivalent to another +5 AC, the protection from Soulfire bracers, and 30 points of Cold Resistance. All three effects would be extremely hard to Dispel and would last 200 minutes.

We can also purchase or craft a bunch of single-use charms of spells like Death Ward, Aid, and Resist Energy (Cold). They would be quite cheap and we could stockpile them in large numbers. Or Mass Aid and Mass Resist Energy.

For example, for the cost of a single pair of Soulfire Bracers we could make 22 single-use Death Ward charms which would each last 90 minutes upon activation. For a large battle against the Others and their minions, that's much more economical.
 
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Goldfish said:
There should be tiers of weapon enhancement we provide based on the ability of those wielding them. For example, 5th to 7th level get VS with Undeadbane, 8th to 10th get VS with Undeadbane and Winterbane, and 11th+ get the trifecta.

That's not really practical for large scale deployment. We can manage it for champions and important people, but Soulfire alone costs us 5000 IM.

There are alternatives for those who don't rate full enchanted gear.

We already have Defense Trees, which can provide significant Temp HP/emergency DR, +5 AC, and +5 weapon enhancement, but we could start growing another type to provide Death Ward, Resist Energy (Cold), and Barkskin. That's equivalent to another +5 AC, the protection from Soulfire bracers, and 30 points of Cold Resistance. All three effects would be extremely hard to Dispel and would last 200 minutes.

We can also purchase or craft a bunch of single-use charms of spells like Death Ward, Aid, and Resist Energy (Cold). They would be quite cheap and we could stockpile them in large numbers. Or Mass Aid and Mass Resist Energy.

For example, for the cost of a single pair of Soulfire Bracers we could make 22 single-use Death Ward charms which would each last 90 minutes upon activation. For a large battle against the Others and their minions, that's much more economical.
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I think something as expensive as Mithril Soulfire Bracers (+1) can be limited to people level 13 and up -- the seriously effective PCs in our arsenal, the ones who losing would really hurt.
 
Duesal said:
I think something as expensive as Mithril Soulfire Bracers (+1) can be limited to people level 13 and up -- the seriously effective PCs in our arsenal, the ones who losing would really hurt.
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We're starting to stockpile them as best as can, so they should be available for everyone who needs them. We're picking up a commissioned order of 29 pairs in just a few days.
 
Btw, Rodric definitely should get a Mindblank from the batch we'll be getting from Vialesk this month.
And probably an Erynie guard added on a rotation, leaving us with 23 "unassigned" Erynies outside of said rotation.

What other Lords are super-important to us not getting really fucked by a sudden yet inevitable shitshow if something happens to them on a nat1 random event-roll?
@Crake?
We only have a few Mindblanks tho', so they better be really important Lords, too.
:/
 
egoo said:
Btw, Rodric definitely should get a Mindblank from the batch we'll be getting from Vialesk this month.
And probably an Erynie guard added on a rotation, leaving us with 23 "unassigned" Erynies outside of said rotation.

What other Lords are super-important to us not getting really fucked by a sudden yet inevitable shitshow if something happens to them on a nat1 random event-roll?
@Crake?
We only have a few Mindblanks tho', so they better be really important Lords, too.
:/
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Doran, Yohn and Monford, by virtue of the fact that they are all the leaders and organizers of our loyalists and subject to sensitive information, so they are thus the only people able to retain that information and make plans in such a manner that directly divining intent is difficult since the plot is distributed in pieces.
 
Maybe we could whip up an extra special sword for Jeor, as a badge of office to be inherited by future LCs.

And for the VS golem, its magic immunity could have clauses like:

1. Cold magic slows the golem for three rounds.
2. Magic fire breaks slows and heal the golem
3. Spells that target blood deal 1d6(?) per spell level.
 
Two things:

1. The notion that a Terminus could be a route for invasion is exceedingly weird for me. It's a delicate magical device that does only one thing. Act as a focus for Planeshift.

If the physical device is damaged, it fails immediately, as opposed to a Gate that cannot be shut down without a lot of effort. At the same time, the Terminus couldn't let in more then a tiny invasion force before it becomes noticeable, unless we talk about long-term infiltration, in which case it's no more a risk then any kind of trade at all.

The real worry should be a dozen Moonchasers shifting in, disgorging a bunch of plants and assaulting the city with little to no warning. Which has nothing to do with the Terminus at all.

2. Place steam cannons on the wall. Multiple kilometers of range.
 
Azel said:
Two things:

1. The notion that a Terminus could be a route for invasion is exceedingly weird for me. It's a delicate magical device that does only one thing. Act as a focus for Planeshift.

If the physical device is damaged, it fails immediately, as opposed to a Gate that cannot be shut down without a lot of effort. At the same time, the Terminus couldn't let in more then a tiny invasion force before it becomes noticeable, unless we talk about long-term infiltration, in which case it's no more a risk then any kind of trade at all.

The real worry should be a dozen Moonchasers shifting in, disgorging a bunch of plants and assaulting the city with little to no warning. Which has nothing to do with the Terminus at all.

2. Place steam cannons on the wall. Multiple kilometers of range.
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The thing is without that planeshift beacon you cannot planeshift large objects or significant numbers of troops within Vialesk, you have to take on their defenders.
 
DragonParadox said:
The thing is without that planeshift beacon you cannot planeshift large objects or significant numbers of troops within Vialesk, you have to take on their defenders.
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Yet the point that the Terminus could be disabled before a foothold could be established rather easily, or that infiltrators would be a concern for anyone with or without direct access since they only serve a use when they have had time to get a cover and alibi set up well-ahead of time, something anyone trickling in from a caravan from somewhere within the same Plane could do and probably even more effectively, remains the same.

The Terminus is only a security concern in the sense that the unwary might allow another to gain unwarranted influence overtly through in-the-open negotiations, and over a long period of time through soft methods, in which case they deserve what's coming to them for being so lax on internal security and intelligence gathering.

The Council as you've portrayed them definitely aren't "unwary", but a technically detailed explanation of its capabilities would probably have someone with more military knowledge than the silk traders scoffing at all the panic that it would be a viable invasion method.

And setting up a Gate isn't something trivial, either, and you probably have graver concerns if your very expensive and extensive wards were taken out to such an extent that you've got entire armies Doctor Strange portal-ing in from everywhere like you're in a MCU final battle.

And as pointed out, the former concerns about soft influence being used to gain a foothold is a battlefield for silk merchants, not generals, or admirals as the case may be.
 
DragonParadox said:
The thing is without that planeshift beacon you cannot planeshift large objects or significant numbers of troops within Vialesk, you have to take on their defenders.
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And I could achieve the same by renting a flat and being creative with Undead, Constructs and folded spaces.

You can't stop a surprise attack from occurring and as a bridgehead, the Terminus sucks. That's the reason I pushed for that setup instead a extremely vulnerable Gate.

All they need is a decent security force, which they need anyway due to customs. Also, there is no reason to not have the Terminus on the outskirts if they are that needlessly paranoid.
 
Azel said:
And I could achieve the same by renting a flat and being creative with Undead, Constructs and folded spaces.

You can't stop a surprise attack from occurring and as a bridgehead, the Terminus sucks. That's the reason I pushed for that setup instead a extremely vulnerable Gate.

All they need is a decent security force, which they need anyway due to customs. Also, there is no reason to not have the Terminus on the outskirts if they are that needlessly paranoid.
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Probably why the OV and Armun Kelisk were so chill with us setting ours up in the first place. They probably have a Rapid Reaction Force with our number punched right in, if our relations on a personal level with high-level officials weren't so fucking great our own security forces would basically be under a constant "so you have chosen death" aura.

As it is not polite to scare the hapless mooks of someone you are friendly with, their elite execution force is politely hidden from plain sight rather than openly menacing the primitive screwheads.
 
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Azel said:
And I could achieve the same by renting a flat and being creative with Undead, Constructs and folded spaces.

You can't stop a surprise attack from occurring and as a bridgehead, the Terminus sucks. That's the reason I pushed for that setup instead a extremely vulnerable Gate.

All they need is a decent security force, which they need anyway due to customs. Also, there is no reason to not have the Terminus on the outskirts if they are that needlessly paranoid.
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The outskirts solution will certainly be proposed, the issue there is that there are no anchor points beyond Vialesk, just... water. They tend to keep random floating rocks away from the city
 
Crake said:
Probably why the OV and Armun Kelisk were so chill with us setting ours up in the first place. They probably have a Rapid Reaction Force with our number punched right in, if our relations on a personal level with high-level officials weren't so fucking great our own security forces would basically be under a constant "so you have chosen death" aura.

As it is not polite to scare the hapless mooks of someone your are friendly with, their elite execution force is politely hidden from plain sight rather than openly menacing the primitive screwheads.
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Pretty much.

You know how it is. Mobility wins wars, not static installations.
DragonParadox said:
The outskirts solution will certainly be proposed, the issue there is that there are no anchor points beyond Vialesk, just... water. They tend to keep random floating rocks away from the city
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Duct tape.

*nods*
 
@Goldfish, how many portable holes could we get on short notice? And how many Enveloping Pits or other folded spaces that are larger then the hole?

Asking for no particular reason and especially not to plan assaults on Efreeti cities or something.
 
But, hypothetically, assume that is something we would like to do. In theory.
 
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