[PEACH] Homebrew Phylactery

[Harboe]

Hi, people!
Say I wanted to create the classic "store my life-force in an object so I can return to life if killed"-item. How would I go about doing this?

I was thinking of an Item of Power:
Phylactery (-2)
[+1] Discount. Easily hidden.
[-1] Living Dead.
[-1] Remove 'Dude, you're Dead' from the "Living Dead" power.
[-6] Mythic Recovery
[+5] The Catch: Only activates when I'm dead, healing me completely and then disappearing.

Does this seem reasonable?
I'm partial on keeping the 'Unbreakable' part of Item of Power, so that people would have to go through a special ritual to destroy the phylactery, though this'd reduce The Catch's discount.

[Orladdin]

• Would this break the laws?  Seems like it might qualify.
• Would you have to keep this on you?  IoPs generally require you to.  If you want it to work more like the classic D&D phylacteries, you'd need to put a cost on using it at a distance.  That would cost (at least) +1, since the IoP discount is based on the fact that you can lose it/have it taken from you.

I'd also put in an objection to this item just on principle if I were your DM...  in the DV, this is heavy necromancy.  It's your table, so up to you, but might be good to keep in mind.

[Harboe]

Oh, it'd definitely be Lawbreaker. Necromancy of the highest degree
But for all the Kemmler-fans, we need a "get-out-of-death-without-becoming-a-rotting-corpse" card.

Yeah, I suppose this version would be one you'd keep on you, now that I think of it. Might defeat the purpose of it, really.
At a distance, you'd still have the risk that someone destroyed it without your knowledge, but that makes for a cr***y story if it belong to a PC and only slightly exciting if it belongs to an NPC.

I am the GM, so no worries there. I'd never use it as a player myself, because honestly, there's too many interesting powers I'd love to try out if I ever get to be a player in DFRPG that I couldn't spare the refresh
I mostly think of these things to try and work out any kinks before a player comes up with a sufficiently awesome concept that I have to allow it.

Still, would this item work (in your opinion)?

2-3 Refresh would make it available in even Feet in the Water games, which I'd be hesitant to allow.

P.S. The reason I thought of it was because I watched the TV-series of "Neverwhere" (never had the opportunity to read it, unforunately) recently, where the Maquis let himself be killed, so that he could pump his captors for information first and then return with the info he needed afterwards.
Seemed like something DFRPG should be able to do (though I suppose it could be a really odd concession).

[Becq]

I have this sudden image of a magical Get out of death free card that brings you back to life when you die, but then tears itself in half and is useless.

As to your question, perhaps it would be better to represent the effect by a 'temporary', non-IoP power with a related aspect that refers to the item that stores the life-force.  Then if the item was ... oh, say stolen or something, you get compels on the aspect (but not the discount on the cost).  Because it's a 'temporary power', it lasts until used, then the power disappears, with one last bonus compel as the item disintegrates.

I dunno, seems kind of complicated either way.  Since it's an NPC-only thing, why not just say its a plot device and hand-wave the details?

[devonapple]

I dunno, seems kind of complicated either way.  Since it's an NPC-only thing, why not just say its a plot device and hand-wave the details?

My thought as well.

That said, if you want the PCs to have a chance to discover and undo such a setup, perhaps make it an ongoing Thaumaturgical effect with the focus being the phylactery.
You could also just have it as an Aspect and bring it into play when negotiating a Concession.

[Harboe]

Alrighty, seems like aspects (probably backed up with [Necromantic] Thaumaturgy] is the way to go, adding it into a concession.

[Orladdin]

Alrighty, seems like aspects (probably backed up with [Necromantic] Thaumaturgy] is the way to go, adding it into a concession.

Yeah, sounds appropriate.  Awesome that it will be for a villain.  "But we killed him!"  Hyjinx ensue.

[Sanctaphrax]

Living Dead does this well enough alone. IoP not necessary. I quote:

No "death" result is ever permanent unless special means are used (usually as determined by your creature type).

"Special means" could be phylactery destruction.

I wouldn't charge anything for using Recovery with Living Dead.

PS: That Catch is not worth +5, not when I can shoot myself in the head whenever I feel inclined.

[Thaumologist]

I did something similar, but went the other way with it. The NPC (who my players have only met once, but don't know it) IS the IoP.

I statted up the character as per normal rules, a few aspects and such.

Then I gave the character quite a few abilities: gaseous form, domination (and whatever it was that you need to get that), modular shapeshifting, true shapeshifting (with less of a cost between the two, due to taking both), and a few scattered others. Then stick it all into an IoP, and give it physical immunity. MASSIVE fate cost, but he IS the final final boss.

The way I have this guy work is that whoever picks up the ring has to continuously take mental attack checks until they're taken out, at which point the NPC takes control of the body. He then has a several set bodies he can switch between, and thus never appear to be any different.

Simon Arron will, of course, have a catch to his physical immunity, but a plot based one, rather than anything else. So they just happen to fulfil it when he's supposed to stay dead.