The Snapdragon

[Besyanteo]

So, I had an idea just a little bit ago. I didn't realize that this idea had already more or less been put to work some time ago in a game called Ogre Battle when I thought of it, but someone told me it has there so the thread gets named after it. For those who don't know:

Suppose that there's this magic artifact. It's shiney and it sits there and for the moment does nothing. It has lots and lots of potential, but it currently does nothing. Then you have a group of people, anyone you want. Finally, you have this big asshole evil guy you want to overcome, but just aren't powerful enough to manage on your own. Now, if someone from your group of people willingly uses the item mentioned before, knowing in advance what it does and choosing to do so anyway, it kills them. However, for their sacrifice, some powerful item is produced, it's design and purpose based on the nature and abilities of the person who sacrificed themself for it to be made. This is not necesarily a weapon. On the contrary, there's lots of people in the world, and in fantasy worlds and series all over. Infinite possibilities, infinite things that could be produced.

That said: Being able to pick anyone, absolutely anyone you like, who do you choose to have use the Snapdragon, what do they make, what does it look like and what does it do?

My hope is that we come up with various things for Gaera, enchanted objects we could consider adding to the setting that really are, mostly, ours. If you have more than one idea, please feel free to make bunches and bunches.

An example, to get the ball rolling:
Jake Clawson, from the Hannah Barbera cartoon series "Swat Kats". The item I expect he's most likely produce would be a magic pistol, almost valthi-style in appearance, but more streamlined; Dark blue with bright red detail work, with a well polished sheen to it. This gun takes no clip, and does not have an opening chamber. Instead, it fires several different types of magical rounds of the gunner's choosing: Eletricity burst, Tanglefoot goo, a net large enough to ensnare a single medium sized (by DnD standards) creature, fire balls, sonic blasts, or knockout gas. This gun is self maintenancing, recharging itself over the course of a night to full capacity; It has some limited number of charges a day to spend among any of these rounds, and won't fire when it's run out of them. If destroyed/sundered, the item will repair itself within one week's time. Gives the gunner a bonus to aim/accuracy/whatever it is in that system.

... So, thoughts? Stuff? <p><hr /><div style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:xx-small;">Heart!</span></div></p>

[Roose Hurro]

Homer Simpson...

... he'd leave behind a lump of some unidentifiable, doughy substance, somewhere around the size of a baseball (or maybe bigger -- hard to tell). It would smell like armpit BO, but would actually taste pretty good. Very filling, and you wouldn't have to eat much of it to keep going. Oh, and it would taste like different things to different people, depending on the time of day. In the morning, most would find it tastes like donuts, and maybe coffee, too. Midday, maybe like hotdogs or something... well, truthfully, like something Homer himself had ate sometime before his "passing". Funny thing is, it stays fresh forever, and as long as you don't eat the whole lump in one go, you could pull a million chunks or more off it, and it won't get any smaller. In essense, a lump that could feed an army!

Of course, there would be a few side effects. Eat too much, and you would not only grow fat, but stupid, too... in equal measure to how much you ate. Yes, you have been warned!

Edit: Never, ever eat the whole lump at once!


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Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=roosehurro>Roose] at: 12/21/06 19:38

[NamagomiMk0]

Zengar Zanbolt (Sanger Zonvolt as per the "official translation") of Super Robot Taisen fame...

...He would leave behind what is, in effect, a massive sword; probably larger than feasible by normal human standards, having length more comparable to large polearms than to a sword, even, but in fact, feels particularly balanced, and even light enough to use, to anyone accustomed to a two-handed sword. The blade itself has an impeccable silver sheen, with the center of the blade on each side being dull black instead. The weapon itself is extremely hard, sharp, and nigh-indestructible as well, able to cut through practically anything if swung hard enough. Even more significantly, the weapon has a slight degree of fluidity, and can alter the form of its mass, even allowing the weapon to be thrown feasibly--if so thrown, it returns unless physically prevented from doing so. If it is broken somehow, it can be repaired simply by touching the fragments together; they would meld back into the sword, reforming it flawlessly.

However, there is a significant drawback to the weapon; the wielder must be willing to abandon all other methods, and use nothing but that specific sword. The moment the wielder dares to use another weapon, or even magic to attack, it becomes incalculably heavy; so much so, that it would literally be unable to be wielded by anything short of a god. <p>"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT US? OUR TREASURE MAY BE HEAVY, BUT WE ARE LIGHT AS WIND. ONLY MAGICS MAY HURT US, BUT ONLY WE KNOW WHICH ONES." --Omoikane, Digital Devil Saga 2</p>

[Animala]

Hm, this is a bit of a predicament.

While every member of my...organization would love for the big asshole evil guy to be a thing of the past, we all have plans to be around in this brave new world.

Significant plans.

So, here's what we do. We find some particularly noble yutz, earnest but not too bright. Fill him with stories about this item and how it's the only way to defeat the Big Asshole Evil Guy. We'll rent a dungeon, put some fairly impressive traps and the like along the way. We are not without our resources.

And then in the chamber with the artifact, I'll put up some runes explaining its purpose, and that the power of the item produced is directly proportional to the purity of heart and will of the one who sacrifices himself.

Now, my...companions and I may be well-intentioned, but we are far from perfect. So the choice will obviously fall to him. We might want to emphasize how IMPORTANT it is that someone, ANYONE strike down the evil asshole. Don't want to deal with any pesky alignment restrictions, after all. And suggest that such a powerful item, regardless of intent could eventually be a temptation towards evil if it continued to function after its purpose was served.

So, boom. One dead idiot, one evil asshole destroyer which hopefully anyone will be able to use and which will hopefully cease to exist after the asshole's gone. A freely available Evil Asshole Destroyer isn't necessarily the sort of thing that's good for business, if you understad.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be very grateful. I'm sure we'll even be able to fit a statue into the budget once the dust settles in the new world. Very tasteful, very heroic with a fitting tribute.

To The Hero: He Made It All Possible. <p><hr />to make the pain go away
i cut the universe
with ribbons
because that makes perfect sense.</p>

[Idran1701]

Wait, but it's based on the nature and abilities of the person, Mike, not their preconceptions about the nature of the artifact. Nice piece of writing, though; enjoyed it.

My contribution, based on Garak (DS9): This item at first appears to be a simple sewing needle. However, when used by someone of the correct...inclination, and in the proper manner, it causes the recipient of the wielder's talents to speak freely about whatever subject the wielder possesses.

Of course, it does have a minor curse, in that the wielder is no longer able to speak truthfully about his own background. <p><hr />
"Never let your morals get in the way of doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
</p>

[PriamNevhausten]

Allow me to muck things up a little by turning it backwards.

What sort of items do you think would be conjured if the person sacrificed were Bill O'Reilly? Penn Jilette? Colin Powell? Colin Mochrie? Shigeru Miyamoto? Cecil Adams (famed for The Straight Dope)? Bill Gates? Jack Thompson? et cetera, et cetera.

I'd be sorely tempted to turn this into a forum game, except I know people would suggest only 'silly' ideas a short ways in, and I rather enjoy this concept as something to be really thought about. <p><span style="font-size:xx-small;">"It's in the air, in the headlines in the newspapers, in the blurry images on television. It is a secret you have yet to grasp, although the first syllable has been spoken in a dream you cannot quite recall." --Unknown Armies</span></p>

[Idran1701]

Hate to break it to you, Priam, but there is no Cecil Adams. It's a conglomerate of writers for the Boston Gazette (or whatever paper it's from) that all contribute to the column under that pseudonym. <p><hr />
"Never let your morals get in the way of doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
</p>

[PriamNevhausten]

Even better, then. <p><span style="font-size:xx-small;">"It's in the air, in the headlines in the newspapers, in the blurry images on television. It is a secret you have yet to grasp, although the first syllable has been spoken in a dream you cannot quite recall." --Unknown Armies</span></p>

[Besyanteo]

In response to Priam: I was actually ohping people would attempt such things as well.

Pen and Teller, The Mythbusters guys, Maybe even someone's pet dog. Whoever you think you'd like to do something for. o.o <p><hr /><div style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:xx-small;">Heart!</span></div></p>

[Nakibe]

Lets see... if I kick Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender into the device, what would brew up would likely be a mask. Both sides have a creepy grin on them, but depending on which side you attach to your face you get different powers. One of the two sides is the "compasionate" side. It grants its user the supernatural ability to make people feel safe and comfortable around them. Being with the user is like being with an old friend or someone you trust implicitly. The other side is the "manipulative" side. With it, you can look at a person and instantly know their greatest fears and weaknesses. Exploiting them is another matter, of course.

The other thing is that both sides look the same when the thing is worn. People that aren't feeling the effects of the thing can't tell which side is which. <p><span style="font-size:small;"><hr />
Currently idolizing - Roger Bacon, Shadow Hearts
Likes : Forbidden magics, Determined people, His teacher
Dislikes : Stupid people, Church officials, People that prey on the weak
Method of Destroying the World : Feh. God can do it for me. >:{
Becomes Super Powerful When : ... well F***. When ISN'T he?</span>

"Lunatic? The sages of EVERY age were called that! Let HISTORY decide whether my actions were good or bad. For now, we must forge ahead!"</p>

[KingOfDoma]

Pam Anderson.

This artifact would take the form of a beautiful bracelet, and the wearer of this bracelet would instantly be able to garner a sense of caring and appreciation for all the animals of the earth. One affected by this relic would be inclined to not eat meat and help end cruelty to farm animals and lab specimens across the globe!

The downside to this power of compassion? The affected are unaware of the power it invokes, and take you, the wearer, far less seriously than would normally occur. <p><hr />
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