Intelligent Weapons

[TRX850]

What if P:E had a small but diverse selection of intelligent weapons scattered throughout the land? The kind that come with distinct personalities.

 

Imagine the witty banter they might have with their wielder, or other party members, or even other intelligent weapons in the party.

• The dwarven war-axe with a Minsc-like outlook, or
  
• the bullying spiked club that attempts to intimidate the
  
• introverted dagger who is self-conscious about its size.
  

They could be a great source of comedy, or indeed tragedy, that resonates throughout the campaign.

 

Imagine if they had their own personal quests. The short sword in search of the perfect scabbard (a vanity quest). The warhammer determined to reach its rightful owner, only to find they have long passed (what happens next? A new quest?)

 

They could have all manner of conflicting character traits, similar to the NPCs in BG/BG2.

 

What would be your ideal intelligent weapon, and what would be its goal?

[Osvir]

An intelligent (or sentient) weapon doesn't necessarily have to be the case, but an intelligent weapon in it's finding and intelligently being inserted in various plots in other side-quests a la entering the bar tavern and the barkeeper yells out:

 

"THAT IS MY GRANDFATHERS GREAT-AXE! THIEF!" and will cause "Barfight"-mechanic between factions @bar and according to your reputation with factions. Maybe?

 

A tactical weapon, intelligent in its use for the player. Such as a Torch. I think this goes into here as well (Weapons that Enemies react to).

[TRX850]

I was actually thinking of the AD&D (1st Ed) rules that implied intelligent weapons had a vocal ability and a measure of ego.

 

There was a two-handed sword in BG2 with this ability. Can't remember if it was Lilarcor or one similar. It used to taunt the enemy during combat and joke around with its handler.

 

I'll see if I can find which one it was.

 

EDIT:

 

The BG2 walkthrough on gamebanshee confirms it is indeed Lilarcor.

Edited January 3, 2013 by TRX850

[Few]

I quite like some aspects of this idea. Im not so sure about having the weapon act out the part of a party member as it were and have reams and reams of sentient being like dialog.

 

However maybe having the weapon communicate in a more poetic style might be fun. Perhaps there is a sword you may happen to find at the bottom of a pool in a fey patch of forest, when you hold this sword it feels as though it is vibrating slightly in your hands and if you hold it to your ear you can hear faint verse coming from the sword itself. Maybe it recites a singular history of how it was involved in a highly emotionally charged sequence of events. Maybe this tale leads you on somewhere were you can put an end to its tale and the blade itself.

 

Something like that as "an intelligent weapon" may be nice.

[Osvir]

Or a riddle inscribed on several different weapons, leading into a great plot and scheme of things. Either unique weapons or "random loot number" (but if random loot number there's the struggle of picking up every single thing as a design. Just saying a personal "No" to the latter).

[TRX850]

I quite like some aspects of this idea. Im not so sure about having the weapon act out the part of a party member as it were and have reams and reams of sentient being like dialog.

I wouldn't want reams of chatter either. That would get old fast.

 

But the occasional quip, or piece of lore, or emotional comment could be entertaining.

 

It wouldn't replace a PC/NPC in terms of impact on the campaign. That would take away too much from any central quests or character development.

 

But as a side quest, it could fit in okay.

[TRX850]

I like the idea of a tiny weapon, like a dagger, with a "big man" complex.

 

The "Come on if you think you're hard enough!" attitude. And for some reason I'm hearing that in a Mockney accent.

 

Edited January 3, 2013 by TRX850

[Winter Wolf]

I can't help but think of the Green/White Power Rangers talking sword. That aside, sure, I think that having distinctive weaponry can add something fun to a game. In a world where magic is relatively common, I don't see why not.

[ogrezilla]

only if this is one of them

[rjshae]

I can live without 'em. The few I've seen have all been made borderline psychotic; presumably because that's the only way the developers could give an otherwise inert object a persona. Besides, there will already be enough interactions with the other party members. If they must put an intelligent weapon in the game, then I hope they make it a likeable persona without a radical agenda.

Edited January 3, 2013 by rjshae

[TRX850]

If they must put an intelligent weapon in the game, then I hope they make it a likeable persona without a radical agenda.

 

That's the crucial factor really. A personality with a great "shelf life" and replay value would be better.

 

Sarcasm is funny for a while, but could wear thin. And a wise all-knowing trait might come across as patronizing.

 

Maybe a weapon that never quite trusts its handler would be more enduring? Hard to say without play testing.

[Lephys]

It's kind of almost like a fantasy version of sci-fi's AIs. I think if they're done well, they're a great addition. I don't really see the need to have them all act like actual people, though. Much like AIs tend to not act like "people." Even when they start developing desires and emotions and all that jazz. They aren't sarcastic, sassy people with dicing problems or something.

 

I mean, that can be fun, but, I think a lot can be achieved with a very non-human personality. Like Legion in the Mass Effect games.

[TRX850]

A quick google turned up some ideas to consider, based on well known characters from fiction.

 

Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce Wayne's Butler)

- The mentor, friend, and father figure

 

Samwise Gamgee

- The dedicated "employee"

 

Indiana Jones

- The wise-cracking swashbuckler

 

Amelie Poulain

- The mischievous do-gooder

 

 

And a basic guide to creating likeable characters:

 

 

A) A regular character is a likeable character

 

B) A character that makes a good first impression is a likeable character

 

C) A character who grows is a likeable character – we root for them.

 

D) A flawed character is a likeable character. Perfection is not.

 

E) A complex character is a likeable character

 

F) A realistic character is a likeable character

 

G) A well developed character is a likeable character

 

H) A relatable character is a likeable character

 

 

This isn't meant to patronize anyone, including the devs. Just food for thought if anyone has other suggestions.

[TRX850]

And yes, they wouldn't need to be human, necessarily. You could have an intelligent scimitar that communicates with wolf-like growls and yips.

 

Maybe it growls when "enemies of nature" are nearby, and howls excitedly during battle against favored enemies.

[Cryticus]

One inteligent weapone ala thouse in BG, or NwN ? Why not ,whole group,of such weapones? Then we would need to think how to implmenty it to not cause situation when player will find a new talking weapon and will just go "ahgg another annoying thing what is it beuty and the beast?"

For example what I would sugest is make one inteligent weapone for every weapon group, and make them part of a long quest, you kill enought people with it you get some new dialogs, you advance quest foward, weapon gets better stats, and so on and at the end of such quest you get in reward special stat boost to ability to wield that type of weapon , and special ability to use with that type of weapon

[Gfted1]

It would be interesting if such weapons had the power to take control over their users. Like maybe if the weapons intelligence was higher than the wielder or something like that.

[TMTVL]

Someone's been playing too much Ultima 7.

[GhoulishVisage]

I absolutely love intelligent weapons, and I'd be thrilled if one made an appearance in Project Eternity.

[Sacred_Path]

Amelie Poulain

- The mischievous do-gooder

 

I don't even

[TRX850]

Amelie Poulain

- The mischievous do-gooder

 

I don't even

 

Haha. I was looking for a likeable female character, and Amelie came up in a search.

 

Maybe her traits would manifest themselves in a neutral good or chaotic good weapon. Maybe a weapon that tries to convince paladins to lighten up a little.

[TRX850]

It would be interesting if such weapons had the power to take control over their users. Like maybe if the weapons intelligence was higher than the wielder or something like that.

 

Yes, and in reading through the AD&D DMG (I had to blow the dust off mine) it discusses the willpower of intelligent weapons. Using a combination of INT and EGO, it may temporarily force the handler into actions (or even avoid certain actions) depending on its alignment and agenda.

 

Obvious pairings would work in harmony, like the holy avenger in the hands of a paladin. Or a poisoned dagger and assassin combo.

 

Conversely, it would be interesting to roleplay a power struggle between incongruent pairings of weapons and wielders.

 

A ranger equipped with a cavalier-style bastard sword that insisted on adorning it with only the most rare and expensive gems. And if it was not decorated thus within a certain time period, it caused the ranger to adopt a cavalier attitude in battle, presumably targeting the most powerful enemy automatically. Like a temporary cursed state.

 

But reading that example back to myself, I'm thinking that might get thrown in the "too annoying" basket. Perhaps the tradeoff needs to be more like a "welcome disease". Temporary perks and penalties that don't overly frustrate the player.

Edited January 3, 2013 by TRX850

[Faerunner]

I rather like the idea of a sentient weapon, but I would prefer spiritual intelligence that the player can sense, rather than overt intelligent that the player can have full-blown conversations with. I rather like how "intelligent" weapons were handled in Harry Potter, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I love how the wands in Harry Potter would express their opinions that their handlers could sense rather than hear (like being easy to use for desired owners or difficult for unwanted ones). In Tolkien's books, the magic dagger Sting would glow around orcs and goblins, or Bard's family arrow that struck true when fired at a dragon's weak point in the dark, etc.

 

I think a nice way to handle a sentient weapon would be if it showed its intelligence or preference in subtle ways. For example, in cutscenes where the PC is about to use it and is able to "sense" that it wants, kind of like the shards in NWN2. Maybe it can reveal information about itself somewhat psychically, like an ancient sword that was used in a famous battle long ago, and when you hold it near your ear you can "see" or "sense" the scenes in the battle like shadows of a memory. Maybe if can fit in the narrative, like the party gets lost in a cave or corridor on their way to an enemy, and the weapon glows when you stand closer one door or path, so maybe you should go that way. Or if the character is in a a boss fight and gets temporarily blinded in a cutscene (like sludge in the eyes), but the weapon glows and is still able to find its mark (for example, the blade suddenly shoots out and cuts the enemy's throat, or the arrow shoots out and finds it mark.)

 

I like the idea of intelligent weapons, I think they have a lot of potential if done well. =)

[.Leif.]

I think one is enough. One well fleshed-out talking weapon is sufficient. It could be a bloodthirsty sword imbued with the soul of a lower planar being. It could slowly corrupt the user, eventually changing the user's personality or alignment. It should also be cursed, for I can think of no greater curse than a chatty sword.

Edited January 4, 2013 by .Leif.

[TRX850]

It should also be cursed, for I can think of no greater curse than a chatty sword.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"What about now?"

 

...

[Kaldurenik]

It would depend on how magic work within the game world. Can you even make a magical item that have a enchantment that last forever? How would it work anyway ? did someone take another persons soul and forge it into a weapon?