Endless Blue - Week 38 - Enchanted Items of the Endless Blue

Archaeology

Enchanted Items of the Endless Blue

Some items fit the seas of Elqua perfectly, while others would be anachronistic at best.  Items such as books and elixirs would never survive the ravages of constant immersion in saltwater.  Others, such as the decanter of endless water, make no sense where water is plentiful.

Nautiluses & Aegises

The following Special Abilities are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Acid Resistance
Acid Resistance (Improved)
Acid Resistance (Greater)
Animated
Bashing -- Aegis only.
Blinding
Cold Resistance
Cold Resistance (Improved)
Cold Resistance (Greater)
Electricity Resistance
Electricity Resistance (Improved)
Electricity Resistance (Greater)
Fire Resistance -- Becomes Heat Resistance
Fire Resistance (Improved) -- Becomes Heat Resistance (Improved)
Fire Resistance (Greater) -- Becomes Heat Resistance (Greater)
Fortification
Ghost Touch
Glamored
Invulnerability
Reflecting
Shadow
Shadow (Improved)
Shadow (Greater)
Silent Moves
Silent Moves (Improved)
Silent Moves (Greater)
Slick
Slick (Improved)
Slick (Greater)
Sonic Resistance
Sonic Resistance (Improved)
Sonic Resistance (Greater)
Spell Resistance
Undead Controlling

The following Special Abilities for Nautiluses or Aegises are not suitable for the setting:

Arrow Catching
Arrow Deflection
Etherealness
Wild

The following specific armors exist, but the style of armor will be one compliant with the Endless Blue setting:

Banded Mail of Luck
Breastplate of Command
Full Plate of Speed

The following specific armors do not exist:

Celestial Armor
Demon Armor
Dragonhide Plate -- Possibly may exist, composed of the treated remains of a Kraken, but most like myth or at best a single item.
Plate Armor of the Deep -- In a setting where everything breathes underwater, the usefulness of this nautilus is reduced.

The following specific aegises exist:

Caster's Shield
Lion's  Shield --  Replace the image of a Lion with that of a Shark.
Spined Shield

The following specific aegises do not exists:

Absorbing Shield
Winged Shield

Ungues

The following Special Abilities are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Anarchic
Axiomatic
Bane
Brilliant Energy
Dancing
Defending
Disruption
Flaming -- Renamed Boiling, it sheathes the unques in boiling water and deals heat damage.
Flaming Burst -- Renamed Boiling Burst, it explodes with a burst of boiling water, causing additional heat damage.
Frost
Ghost Touch
Holy
Icy Burst
Keen
Ki Focus
Merciful
Mighty Cleaving
Shock -- Exists, but rarely used due to water's natural tendency to conduct electricity in unforeseeabledirections.
Shocking Burst -- Exists, but rarely used due to water's natural tendency to conduct electricity in unforeseeable directions.
Speed
Spell Storing
Thundering
Unholy
Vicious
Vorpal
Wounding

The following Special Abilities for Ungues are considered unsuitable for the setting:

Distance
Returning
Seeking
Throwing

The following specific ungues exist, but as setting appropriate weapons:

Assassin's Dagger
Dagger of Venom
Flame Tongue -- See Flaming above.  Causes heat damage.
Frost Brand
Holy Avenger
Life Drinker
Luck Blade
Mace of Smiting
Nine Lives Stealer
Rapier of Puncturing -- Can damage some creatures' ability to maintain their buoyancy.
Shatterspike -- Of particular use the rebellion against the Kraken Empire, whose tentacles can be sundered.
Sun Blade
Sword of Life Stealing
Sword of the Planes -- Does not posses the +4 ability.
Sword of Subtlety
Trident of Fish Command
Trident of Warning

The following specific ungues do not exist:

Dwarven Thrower
Mace of Terror -- The ability is inconsistent with the purposes of a weapon.
Oathbow
Screaming Bolt
Slaying Arrow
Sleep Arrow
Sylvan Scimitar

Rings

The following Rings are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Animal Friendship
Blinking
Chameleon Power -- Called Ceph Stealth, but otherwise identical.
Counterspells
Elemental Command -- Water elementals only.
Energy Resistance
Evasion
Feather Falling -- Called Buoyancy, it activates as per the original item any time the wearer's buoyancy changes from neutral.
Force Shield
Freedom of Movement
Friend Shield
Invisibility
Mind Shielding
Protection
Ram -- Renamed Porpoise, but otherwise the same.
Regeneration
Spell Storing (Minor)
Spell Storing
Spell Storing (Major)
Spell Turning
Telekinesis
Three Wishes
Wizardry
X-Ray Vision

The following Rings are deemed not suitable for the setting:

Climbing
Climbing (Improved)
Djinni Calling
Elemental Command -- Anything other than water elementals.
Jumping
Jumping (Improved)
Shooting Stars
Sustenance
Swimming
Swimming (Improved)
Water Walking

Rods

The following Rods are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Absorption
Alertness
Cancellation
Immovable
Lordly Might
Metal and Mineral Detection
Metamagic
Negation
Python -- Becomes a sea snake, otherwise same as original item.
Rulership
Splendor
Viper
Withering

The following Rods are seen as unsuitable for the setting:

Enemy Detection
Flailing
Flame Extinguishing
Security
Thunder and Lightning
Wonder

Staff

The following Staves are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Abjuration
Charming
Conjuration -- No unseen servant ability.
Defense
Divination
Enchantment
Evocation
Fire -- Produces heat damage equivalents.
Frost
Healing
Illusion
Illumination
Life
Necromancy
Power
Size Alteration
Swarming Insects -- Summons aquatic vermin.
Transmutation -- No baleful polymorph ability
Woodlands -- Called Coral Reef

The following Staves do not exist in the Endless Blue setting:

Earth and Stone
Passage

Wondrous Items

The following Wondrous Items are suitable for the Endless Blue campaign setting:

Amulet of Health
Amulet of Mighty Fists
Amulet of Natural Armor
Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location
Bag of Tricks -- The ball inside feels slick to the touch, like fish scales.
Bead of Force
Belt (Monk's)
Belt of Giant Strength -- Called Belt of Behemoth's Strength
Boots of Elvenkind -- Called Flippers of Silence
Boots of Speed -- Called Flippers of Speed
Boots of Teleportation -- Called Flippers of Teleportation
Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals -- Reverse the effects for salt and fresh water.
Bracelet of Fiends
Bracers of Armor
Brooch of Shielding
Cape of the Mountebank
Chaos Diamond
Chime of Interruption
Chime of Opening
Circlet of Blasting (Minor)
Circlet of Blasting (Major)
Circlet of Persuasionz
Cloak of Charisma
Cloak of Displacement (Minor)
Cloak of Displacement (Major)
Cloak of Elvenkind -- Called Cloak of Silence
Cloak of the Manta Ray
Crystal Ball -- Rare items, made from the eyeballs of Kraken
Cube of Frost Resistence
Darkskull -- Size of skzull determines the size of unhallowness.
Drums of Panic
Dust of Dryness -- An alchemical capsule that when broken removes all water from an area.  Usually employed in small, sealed containers to extract elements and compounds for alchemy.
Dust of Tracelessness --  Another alchemical concoction that blocks currentsense when released into the current.
Elemental Gem -- Water elemental only.
Eyes of Charming
Eyes of Doom
Eyes of the Eagle -- Called Eyes of the Flounder
Eyes of Petrification -- Effect turns victim into coral, but otherwise exactly as original item.
Figurines of Wondrous Power -- All figurines are of aquatic species.
Gauntlets of Orcan Power
Gem of Brightness
Gem of Seeing
Gloves of Dexterity
Goggles of Minute Seeing
Goggles of Night
Hand of Glory -- Must be the hand of a Mer.
Hand of the Mage -- Must be the hand of a Chelon.
Harp of Charming
Hat of Disguise -- Called Headband of Disguise
Headband of Intellect
Helm of Brilliance
Helm of Comprehend Languages and Read Magic
Helm of Telepathy
Helm of Teleportation
Horn of Blasting
Horn of Blasting (Greater)
Horn of Fog -- Creates a cloudy current, but otherwise exactly as original item.
Horn of Goodness/Evil
Horn of Valhalla -- Called Horn of Narwahl, summons barbaric Narwahl Orcans
Horseshoes of Speed -- Just as Flippers of Speed.
Lens of Detection
Lyre of Building
Mantle of Faith
Mantle of Spell Resistance
Mask of the Skull
Medallion of Thoughts
Mirror of Life Trapping
Mirror of Mental Prowess
Mirror of Opposition
Necklace of Fireballs -- Creates boiling equivalents.
Pearl of Power
Periapt of Health
Periapt of Proof against Poison
Periapt of Wisdom
Periapt of Wound Clousure -- Very useful to help prevent stalking by creatures with bloodscent.
Plylactery of Faithfulness
Plylactery of Undead Turning
Pipes of Haunting
Pipes of Pain
Pipes of the Sewers -- Summons aquatic vermin, but otherwise exactly like original item.
Pipes of Sounding
Robe of Blending
Robe of Bones
Robe of Eyes
Robe of Scintillating Colors -- Becomes less effective the deeper under water you go.
Rope of Entanglement
Salve of Slipperiness -- An alchemical salve
Scabbard of Keen Edges
Scarab of Protection
Sovereign Glue
Stone of Alarm
Stone of Good Luck
Stone Salve -- Works on coral petrified creature.
Strand of Prayer Beads
Unguent of Timelessness
Universal Solvent
Vest of Escape
Vestment (Druid's)

The following Wondrous Items are unusable in the Endless Blue setting:

Amulet of the Planes
Apparatus of Kwalish -- This amazing device is a major artifact.
Bag of Holding
Belt of Dwarvenkind
Boat (Folding)
Boccob's Blessed Bookz
Boots of Levitation
Boots of Striding and Springing
Boots of the Winterlands
Boots (Winged)
Bottle of Air
Bracers of Archery
Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals
Broom of Flying
Candle of Invocation
Candle of Truth
Carpet of Flying
Censer of Controlling Air Elementals
Cloak of Aracnida
Cloak of the Bat
Cloak of Etherealness
Cloak of the Manta Ray
Cubic Gate
Daern's Instant Fortress
Decanter of Endless Water -- Mythical artifact that is said to be the source of all water.
Deck of Illusions
Dimensional Shackles
Dust of Appearance
Dust of Disappearance
Dust of Illusion
Efreeti Bottle
Elemental Gem -- Except for Water elemental.
Elixir of Fire Breath
Elixir of Hiding
Elixir of Love
Elixir of Sneaking
Elixir of Swimming
Elixir of Truth
Elixir of Vision
Eversmoking Bottle
Gauntlet of Rust
Gloves of Arrow Snaring
Glove of Storing
Gloves of Swimming and Climbing
Golem Manual
Helm of Underwater Action
Heward's Handy Haversack
Horn of the Tritons -- This fabled horn is a major artifact.
Horseshoes of the Zephyr
Incense of Meditation
Ioun Stones
Iron Bands of Bilarro
Iron Flask
Keoghtom's Ointment
Lantern of Revealing
Manual of Bodily Health
Manual of Gainful Exercise
Manual of Quickness of Action
Mattock of the Titans
Maul of the Titans
Murlynd's Spoon
Necklace of Adaption
Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments
Orb of Storms
Pearl of the Sirines
Portable Hole
Quaal's Feather Token
Quiver of Ehlonna
Ring Gates
Robe of Stars
Rope of Climbing
Scarab (Golembane)
Shrouds of Disintegration
Silversheen
Slippers of Spider Climbing
Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals
Stone Horse
Tome of Clear Thought
Tome of Leadership and Influence
Tome of Understanding
Well of Many Worlds
Wind Fan
Wings of Flying

Endless Blue – Week 19 – Nautilus and Aegis

Combat

Of Nautiluses and Aegises

Life has devised myriad methods to aid the never ending burden of survival on the world of Endless Blue.  Perhaps the most prolific adaption has been the adaption of thickened skin or chitin into armor.  Right behind that, chasing like a predator keyed in on its prey, is the adaption of lengthened keratin and dentin into weapons.  This tit-for-tat dance of evolutionary one-upmanship is primal in the primitive quest to stay alive, and the intelligent races of Elqua have heightened their competition with the application of  advanced tools and technological innovation.

Taking cues from natural development, pisceans have developed their own protection and armament with the creation of the nautilus, the aegis, and the unguis.

Nautilius

Nautiluses are the armor the races of the Known World have developed to cover the soft, vulnerable parts of their bodies from the teeth, jaws, and claws of very hostile monster that swims the seas.  They cover at least the arms and upper torso of the piscean, with various adaptations to help protect the tail.  Swimming in the piscean form places extreme emphasis on the tail of the body, requiring its flexibility and freedom of movement to accomplish the task evolution honed it for -- mobility.  Thus rigidity would be a hindrance to engaging or escape, and attempts to remedy this paradox have had mixed results.

Using armor breaks up the hydrodynamic curves of a swimmer, causing what is known as drag.  Instead of water flowing easily along the contours of a swimming body, its flow is impeded and jumbled by uneven surfaces.  This interruption of flowing water slows down a swimmer dependent on the type of nautilus worn.

The more esoteric and textured a nautilus, the more drag it incurs.  Further, the bulkier the nautilus, the more restricted the movement and the more difficult it becomes to move the body in the systemically timed manner to achieve sustained swimming.  Light armor slows down a swimmer by 1/4th their swim speed, Medium armor slows down swimmers by 1/3rd their speed, and Heavy armor by one-half.  Spikes can be added to nautiluses to help protect against close-range dangers, but these will increase a nautilus' drag by 5 feet (applied after the halving/thirding/quartering of swim speed).

Aegis

Aegises are a supplemental system of protection equivalent to shields.  They are held by the hand or strapped to the body on the forearm, chest, or back.  They compound a nautilus' amount of drag, and are usually only beneficial on a situational basis.  For example, an aegis strapped on the forearm cannot protect  the body if the arm is being utilized to swim. and an aegis on the back provides no benefit against a spear thrust at the ribcage.

Aegises increase drag, usually reducing swim speed by 5 feet (after nautilus penalty has been applied), and are cumulative.  Using two aegises will reduce swim speed by a total of 10 feet, and only one aegis is ever useful at a time -- there is no significant benefit to covering your body with multiple aegises, as the skill in using them depends on moving the aegis to block.  Further, adding spikes will cumulatively add drag to aegises just as it does for nautiluses, and can effectively make some combinations too bulky to swim in.

Light Nautiluses
Woven Kelp -- This is the most primitive kind of armor, and serves as the base form that all other light nautiluses are derived from.  It is a system of padding woven from harvested kelp.  The padded segments are tailored to the wearer, and a re-laceable system of cording keeps the pads tied together and on the individual.
Woven Cartilage -- Woven cartlidge nautiluses are the same woven kelp pads as the above, but have strips of cartlidge interlaced between the weaves in strategic place to help harden the armor.  The spongy elasticity of cartilage helps absorb impacts from blows that might damage the wearer otherwise.  The primary source of cartilage used in these nautiluses comes from sharks.
Woven Bone -- Exactly like a woven cartilage nautilus, but relies on the more resilient and rigid bone inserts harvested from slaughtered domesticated livestock instead of cartilage from predatory sharks.
Hardened Kelp -- This woven kelp nautilus is treated in an alchemical bath derived from the catalystic properties of acari.  It stiffens the fibrous plant material into hard plates which are then corded together.  The stiffened kelp requires a tight yet flexible weave, making the acari process incompatible with cartilage or bone inserts that depend on the friction of kelp ties to keep the insterts in place.

Medium Nautiluses
Hide -- This is the base form of all medium, and subsequently also heavy, nautiluses.  It employs the same corded interlacing as woven kelp nautiluses, but uses the alchemically tanned skins of animals as the plating.  Bone and cartitlage are both used to support the hide plates, but add nothing exceptional to the overall level of protection the nautilus affords.
Shagreen -- Shagreen is a special kind of hide nautilus made from shark skin.  The tanning process is not a thorough for shagreen nautiluses, resulting in an armor that is not as protective but preserves the natural nap of shark skin, excellent in deterring grappling foes.
Shell -- Shell nautiluses employ patterns of small, overlapping shells to cover the wearer's body.  The shells are pierced a few times along their hinge, then cord is fed through and tied to the hide plating.  The sheer variation of shell shape, color, and size can from mosaics in the nautilus, and a skilled craftsman can increase the nautilus' value many times over though just the sheer artistic expression of these shells.
Nacre Chain -- With an extremely expensive procedure to create,  nacre (or pearl) chain nautiluses are the province of the wealthy and powerful.  Small, interlocking rings are first carved from coral, rock, or other hard material.  These are then inserted into domesticated oysters as an irritant.  Placed under the fleshy body, the animal reacts by secreting an substance called nacre.  This nacre slowly builds up, covering the offending irritant in a layer of beautiful irridescence.  The rings are harvest before too much nacre solidifies and plugs up the ring, and then the rings are assembled into a continual fabric of links.
Xanthellae Coral -- Exclusive to the Chelon, this coral breastplate is literally grown on the body of the wearer.  This nautilus is especially beneficial due to its porous nature, allowing it to completely cover the gill slits along the ribs where other types of nautiluses must leave some space open for circulating water.

Heavy Nautiluses
Echinodermal -- An archaic form of nautilus that fell out of popular use millennia ago, it basically uses live giant echinoderms like starfish as a form of living armor.  In a symbiotic relationship, these over-sized starfish latch onto the flesh of the wearer with their suckers, leaching sustenance from the host in exchange for bodily defense.  The dietary demands of the echinoderms are manageable, and rarely has a host died from the relationship short of extended fasting or wounding on the battlefield.  They were used in mating pairs: one latched onto the host's chest, the other clinging to the back.  Fuller nautiluses used the offspring to cover the limbs and tail of the host.
Shellback -- Used mostly by Sahaguin, Kouton, and the more savage Narwahl Orcans, these nautiluses are literally the exoskeletons of Chelon or Lumulus killed in combat and then scavenged from the corpse.  Its use is utterly reviled among the civilized races, and those that wear it without regard in populated areas may soon find themselves attacked by offended pisceans.  Despite this, there are those so enamored with the deep luster and vibrancy of shellback shells that they will pay a premium for a prize they can only admire in private.
Abalone Plate -- Much like its nacre chain cousin, abalone plate is based on the nacre-like excretions of shellfish.  Whereas nacre chain coats inserted rings, abalone plate is carved from the outer shell of mollusks.  A very specialized craft, portions of shell are chipped and grooved to promote increased creation of abalone.  When sufficient thickness has been achieved, the craftsman severs away portions of the outer shell from the animal without harming it (and hence allowing it to produce more abalone).  These cut-away pieces are then further refined, carved, engraved, and polished into full nautiluses of mythic quality.

Piecemeal Nautiluses -- Not actually a type of nautilus, these methods of armoring are comprised of parts of different kinds of armor, almost as if kit-bashed together from a junkyard.  Only nautiluses of the same class (light, medium, heavy) can be piecemealed because each class is dependant on the previous to work -- medium nautiluses have woven kelp and bone supporting it, and heavy nautiluses have hide linking their parts together.  Average the scores of the two types of nautilus (rounding down) to determine their effectiveness.