Yet Another Humanoid Magic Item

[Sepsis]

Collars of Obedience

There are said to be 6 of these black metal collars in existence. The evil
Humanoid power that made them has been long forgotten, but many of these
collars are still in active use today. The Collars of Obedience consist of 2
parts, one is the actual collar itself and the other is a corresponding
bracer. Each set, of collar and bracer, bears a unique raised pattern carved
all over its outer surface. This allows anyone to easily pair up the various
sets. When the collar is not in use it can be opened easily by anyone, using
a small catch in the front that allows the collar to swing open on a small
hinge located at the back of the collar. Once in place around the neck of an
intelligent creature, and "activated" the collar can only be romoved by the
being wearing the corresponding bracer. *Note:* Both collars and bracers
will only fit on Humanoid creatures ranging between 4 feet to 7 feet tall.

An "activated" collar gives the wearer of the bracer almost absolute control
over the collared being. The wearer of the bracer may Command(as per the
spell of the same name)the collared creature at will. The collared being
need only be able to hear and understand the bracer wearer for this to work.
The collared being gets no Saving Throw, and the Command lasts until the
bracer wearer removes it. The collar can also be used to block all magical
abilities. This includes any Spell-casting, Blood Abilties, Psionics, and/or
natural magic-like abilities. To do this the bracer wearer need only will
it, and like the Command it will remain in effect until the bracer wearer
lifts the restriction. But unlike the Command the Collared being does not
have to be able to hear or understand the bracer wearer. The effective range
for this ability is unlimited. It should also be noted that a collared being
can be under the influence of as many Commands(including the Magic block)as
the bracer wearer wishes to impose.

The collars can also be used to torture those who wear them. The bracer
wearer need only will the torture to start, and the collar wearer will begin
to twist in pain. There are 4 levels of torture that can be used. The collar
wearer takes 1d4 points of damage per round for each level of torture that
is used(ie. 1d4 for level 1, 2d4 for level 2, 3d4 for level 3, etc.). While
being tortured, the collar wearer makes all rolls and checks with a -1 per
point of damage(or -5% per point of damage, if applicable)penalty. Once the
collar wearer reaches 0 HPs they stop taking damage, and the bracer wearer
must wait for them to recover at least 1 HP before being able to use the
torture ability again. *Note:* This torture function dosen't leave any
physical marks on the collar wearer. Also, as with the Magic block, this
ability has an unlimited range and dosen't require the collar wearer to be
able to hear or understand the bracer wearer.

Lastly the collar has one other ability, if it is used on a Blooded
individual and the bracer wearer is also Blooded, the bracer wearer can add
the total BS score of the collared being to his own, without effecting the
derivation of thier own BL. This function can be used in conjunction with
any of the other abilities of the collar. Including the Magic block, and as
with the block this BL link has an unlimited range.

Once "activated" all attempts to open the collar(both magical and
mundane)will fail. If someone uses physical force to try and break the
collar it Saves as Hard Metal getting a +5 to its roll. If the collar fails
its save it explodes with violent force causing 10d10 points of damage to
all within 10 feet(no Save). Everything within the next 10 feet takes half
damage. If anyone is wearing the collar they take double damage(10d10x2).

Also a being may only wear 1 collar or bracer at a time. Any beyond the
first just do not function. *Note:* Using a Collar of Obedience on another
creature is considered an evil act.

Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-

BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html

[Sepsis]

At 05:33 PM 9/8/97 -0700, (tbeutler@sprynet.com)wrote:
>
>Those collars of obedience are incredibly powerful!
>

Yes they are. In fact they are in the same power catagory as the Staff of
the Magi, Cube of Force, Rod of Command, etc., and like those items PCs
should only very rarely ever own one. And only if it won't disrupt your
game. Like many items of this power level, the Collars of Obedience are more
of an NPC tool used to create and drive the main storyline. For instance,
the PCs must resuce someone held hostage by a Humanoid tribe only to find he
has been "collared", or prehaps one of the PCs find themselves in one of
these collars, and must find a way out. In short if you are running an all
Good aligned campaign these items can be great story motivators. Only with
evil PCs floating around could you run the risk of unbalancing your game.

Still if you find your PCs in possession of one of these there are a few
things to keep in mind. These are powerful items with a history, you better
believe that others will hear of it and come to claim it for themselves.
Others may be outraged by it and seek it out just to destroy it. Also others
may attempt to steal away any added bonus by slaying the captive. Or prehaps
friends of who ever has been "collared" will come to free him. Bottom line
is the master of the collar should be kept constantly looking over his shoulder.

Lastly, remember the limitations of the Command spell(one word only). Even
being able to layer Command upon Command they are most likely going to miss
something. And the captive will make use of any loop-hole he can find. With
the death of the bracer wearer the collar becomes "deactivated." Hope that
helps put it in perspective.

Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-

BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html