The Aegis
+ 1 Armour, +1 Weight
This shield is a work of art. The interior face is inscribed with the legend OCULUS GORGON. When OCULUS GORGON is invoked, the shield transforms into an image of a snarling gorgon’s visage. It is awful to behold.
– +1 to any Defy Danger rolls when the Aegis is used to defy danger, on a failure the Aegis is destroyed, but the danger does not come to pass.
– When the Gorgon is invoked, roll+CHA. On 10+, the wielder causes fear in his enemies. (They flee, fight, panic, or beg. Wielder’s choice.)
– On a 7-9, as above but the GM’s choice.
– On a 6 or less, the magic turns against the wielder. The wielder becomes the target of choice of any enemy and the OCULUS GORGON refused to be invoked until the spirit is appeased.
Thoughts, feedback?
I’d do something more awesome than a +1. In this case, i really like the flavor text, but the moves could be more awesome.
William Nichols; my setting is a low magic environment, so I’m trying to keep the items from being too overpowering. Got any ideas?
Mayyyyybe. People mean a lot of different things by low magic. What do you mean?
how do you like the barbarian move that turns the danger on itself on a 12+?
Nikitas Thlimmenos has a great idea — snatching from the advanced moves that focus on defense is a perfectly cromulent way to go. Paladin, Fighter, and Barb all have interesting choices here, each of which might make sense. I’d probably go with whichever one I don’t have as a PC, and claim the Shield is related to that class somehow.
Instead of Defy Danger, I’d modify Defend. Maybe every time you Defend with OCULUS GORGON the Wrath of the Gorgon builds (+1) and then you spend that Wrath to do awesome stuff like petrify etc. Too mechanical? … Or maybe each time you use it to Defend, it does progressively crazier things to the attacker, but finally it turns on you?
A Gorgon should turn people to stone.