Vorpal came up in our last session. I have some thoughts, but first:
The d20 (3.5) rules:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htmQuote:
Vorpal
This potent and feared ability allows the weapon to sever the heads of those it strikes. Upon a roll of natural 20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), the weapon severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from its body. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however, die when their heads are cut off. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon. (If you roll this property randomly for an inappropriate weapon, reroll.)
Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge; Price +5 bonus.
Here's the unchanged (quick guys, transpose feared and potent!) Pathfinder version:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/mag ... ies/vorpalQuote:
Vorpal
Price +5 bonus
Aura strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Weight —
DESCRIPTION
This potent and feared ability allows the weapon to sever the heads of those it strikes.
Upon a roll of natural 20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), the weapon severs the opponent's head (if it has one) from its body. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however, die when their heads are cut off. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing melee weapon. If you roll this special ability randomly for an inappropriate weapon, reroll.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge; Cost +5 bonus
And here's how you get it on a Tura gem:
Quote:
Mals (+5)
Weapon (S): Vorpal (beheads creature, killing creature that has a head or needs one)
Weapon (P): Heartseeking (strikes heart, killing creature that has a heart)
Weapon (B): Bonelocking (locks bones, causing 1d4+1 rounds of paralysis)
Armor: Heavy Fortification
Shield:
Casting: When used while casting roll a spelldie. On a 3, 6, 9, increase the caster level and save DC by 3. On a 12, increase the caster level and save DC by 5.
You'll note that the Tura needs to work regardless of weapon type it is put in. It also implies a rule (multiple damage type weapons don't get to choose, they have one chosen for them), rendering it unsuitable for publication but just fine for a house rule. The piercing one is similar- kills unless they don't have a heart- and the bludgeoning one is actually more generic in some ways (a wide variety of creatures have bones), and paralyzes instead, a much less useful trick versus a psion but entirely reasonable versus most undead.
Also note that I never decided what it should do when put on a shield, and it should probably have a "Ranged" column as well unless Heartseeking arrows are a good idea (probably not: ranged attackers have much less investment to get off a full attack, especially in my games).
So, notes on this ability:
1- At +5, it's very very expensive. Even in a game where by the end you are running around with +10 equivalent weapons, you give up a lot for vorpal.
2- The effect is final and ignores the enemy's whatever he's got. That makes it seem unfair to the victim.
3- The effect is kind of overbudget for PCs, who will go many moons without seeing the "proc" ("programmed random occurrence"). With no 20s, no heads fly, and the effect is entirely dead.
4- The effect is disruptive when it does work for the PCs on an important or dramatic character. While at high levels the wizard can point at someone and turn them into a drooling child,
he at least has to memorize that spell and then cast it. While blunt, the weapon was at least employed, and almost every "save or die" effect is "all or nothing". The vorpal sword wielder was going to attack that guy ANYWAY- just sometimes boomf, ended.
5- The math of the effect requires silly bullshit. You might logically or thematically expect that a two handed axe was your best bet for chopping a head clean off. But what really separates the heads from the bodies is whomever has the most attacks. Their accuracy is secondary- you'll give up whatever to swing again, hoping for that sweet 20.
6- Against PCs, it can seem very unfair, as the PC simply dies. But, on the other hand, fuck PCs.
Now, you guys didn't see the vorpal effect in its most classic form, nor an exploitive one: the Balor is very much designed to be super threatening on his turn, and his damage per round is not that high compared to another similar monster. You didn't see an enemy who just happens to have a vorpal sword join the fight.
I really liked the way it played out, and not just because I rolled 20, 18, then 20, 19. And not just because Alenka really lost her head over the results. But I'm not sure if I would want that on, say, one of the many enemy fighters who has done devastating damage. The x4 mercurial greatsword crits have played out pretty excellently, and also are on the same scale of hitpoints / effects / defenses, such that 100 points of damage from a single blow does have answers to it. "Your head fell off" has a lot less answers.
I think vorpal maintains its use as a flavorful and powerful trick that isn't part of the commonly seen arsenal in a campaign.
Also I'm naming my next cat Vorpal Kittypaws, but that's been decided for some time.
