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Sentient Weapons - Printable Version

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Sentient Weapons - Silmanos - 12-25-2015

So I am working on something for my character and have been dropping hints to it in RP, but I wanted to get some perspective from others before I bring it into full swing. IC wise Rhela came into possession of her mother's staff which has been in their family for some time. OOC information on it is that its the Omnirod and I don't foresee me ever changing this glamor as this is creepy cool and one of a kind. So I wanted to make use of its appearance IC and make it sentient but was unsure of the lore behind such a thing minus the Anima weapons that were recently added. Just kind of looking for ideas as to what kind of being would be inhabiting the weapon and the possible origins from the lore buffs. I am slowly having Rhela awaken its power and awareness so its not anything that I need right away, but would love to get working on it.

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!

RE: Sentient Weapons - Nebbs - 12-25-2015

Not so much from a lore perspective as I know I would get some bit wrong, but more from playing one.

First this can just be your reason it has powers, so awakening the item is like making a relic. It grows as you grow and are able to tap it more.

Try not to make it a "deus ex machina" or the centre of RP plot. Yes run story lines to find out more, involve the item but make those involved the focus. Maybe even have moments when she does not have the item. Give it some weakness, make it about the character and how they need to act, perhaps even give it RP flavoured side effects.

Give it a personality, the talking sword, the haughty wand, your nagging mother in the staff. This also helps locking it into what  it will and wont do for you.

Also consider that the item is just a focus and that the real power is within your character, they just think it is the staff?

Have fun with it, use it to enhance your RP and avoid making it the centre of RP.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Vyce - 12-25-2015

Currently there is ONE sentient weapon known to the world.

The issue is that the weapon is Odin. Odin is a primal, and therefor not even a weapon but whatever primals are made of. It would not be feasible to own a weapon like that, because as wek now, Odin completely controls anyone who wields him. You character would lose her "self" to it, even if the primal isn't evil. Ramuh isn't an evil primal, but tempers his subjects all the same.


With that said,

Sharlayan magic is able to animate brooms, so it isn't impossible that you could give a weapon awareness. I would stay away from making it super smart and wise though. So far the brooms and frogs we've seen haven't been that smart or good at doing things, so I get the feeling giving them high IQs takes an unnecessary amount of aether.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Coatleque - 12-25-2015

sen·tient
ˈsen(t)SH(ē)ənt/
adjective
able to perceive or feel things.

Sentience does not mean thinking, it means feeling. It does not mean talking, it means reacting. There are many sentient objects in lore, including soulstones. They do not communicate directly, but they are able to influence their world around them via other types of reaction to stimuli. I do not think it far-fetched at all that your staff can display sentience.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Sounsyy - 12-25-2015

(12-25-2015, 09:34 AM)Vyce Wrote: Currently there is ONE sentient weapon known to the world.

The issue is that the weapon is Odin. Odin is a primal, and therefor not even a weapon but whatever primals are made of. It would not be feasible to own a weapon like that, because as wek now, Odin completely controls anyone who wields him. You character would lose her "self" to it, even if the primal isn't evil. Ramuh isn't an evil primal, but tempers his subjects all the same.

This is actually not entirely accurate. As I stated in a similar thread a few days back, the Zodiac Braves all had sentient weapons. So, there were at one point in time at least twelve living weapons in the world. The Zodiac questline has you create another sentient weapon, so thirteen. And then the new anima weapon quest has you doing the same thing, so even more. Thavnairian scholars and alchemists are all about infusing inanimate objects with souls and life, so it's not too farfetched to say that more of these objects exist in the world.

As far as Odin goes, Odin himself is actually not the primal. The sword, Zantetsuken, is the actual primal. The person who picks up the sword becomes tempered by it and becomes the next Odin. The sword actually once belonged to an Auri warrior from the Far East, so another living weapon with eastern origin. But I don't really think a primal is the route you want to take, for obvious reasons.

So again, I'd go with Near Eastern alchemy to imbue your omnirod with a soul. For more lore and know-how, I'd suggest reading over the quest text for the Zodiac questline in the Dialogue tab here.

Hope this helps! ^^

RE: Sentient Weapons - Melkire - 12-25-2015

(12-25-2015, 10:19 AM)Coatleque Wrote: sen·tient
ˈsen(t)SH(ē)ənt/
adjective
able to perceive or feel things.

Sentience does not mean thinking, it means feeling. It does not mean talking, it means reacting. There are many sentient objects in lore, including soulstones. They do not communicate directly, but they are able to influence their world around them via other types of reaction to stimuli. I do not think it far-fetched at all that your staff can display sentience.

For those who are curious, the word that refers to the ability to know and to judge is sapient. (sapience). Feeling/experiencing vs knowing/judging. Reasoning is something else entirely, but both terms are often used interchangeably in place of reason.

RE: Sentient Weapons - myahele - 12-25-2015

As another poster mentioned, Sharlayans are already giving sentience/sapience to in animate objects such as brooms and animals such as Frogs (Porogos)

Cu Sith is another such creature.

I would say that it's very possible to employ such methods on weapons ... however, weapons used in combat is another thing entirely. Since there have only been a handful of such weapons.

There are other methods that can give weapons a consciousness: Sealing a creature in it is one thing, kind of. In 1.0 an Elemental was seal within a CNJ staff. Voidsent can be sealed within different objects, too.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Verilys - 12-25-2015

There are plenty of weapons that sure do animate as though they're sentient! Like the Cognitome and the Dryad Cane.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Erik Mynhier - 12-25-2015

If my weapons all had thoughts and/or feelings, those would be some mentally damaged weapons. A sword with PTSD is a given.

Joking aside, to the OP, how much "life" are we talking here? I am by no means judging, I'm just curious. Are we talking a fully animated talking weapon, or sort of a silent servant deal?

On the Thor scale as it were....
[Image: thor+hammer+Mjo%CC%88lnir+legends+of+val...y+blog.jpg]
Or
[Image: thor2_comp_j.gif]

Both would be interesting, but like I said I'm curious.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Desu Nee - 12-25-2015

What do you mean you guys don't talk with your weapons.

I do with mine all the time. It whispers at me, commanding me to behead all those around me.

We even have a bookclub, wanna join?

RE: Sentient Weapons - Erik Mynhier - 12-25-2015

(12-25-2015, 03:41 PM)Desu Nee Wrote: What do you mean you guys don't talk with your weapons.

I do with mine all the time. It whispers at me, commanding me to behead all those around me.

We even have a bookclub, wanna join?

Mine just weeps in the corner when I get home, "Why am I cover in all this blood!?!"

RE: Sentient Weapons - Silmanos - 12-25-2015

First off I would like to thank everyone for all of the responses. Especially the mention of the Sharlyan possibility as I was working on a plot arc to have her venture to the ruins in the Hinterlands so that could make for an interesting tie in. Though the Thavnarian alchemy is also an interesting idea.

As for the questions of what level of animation and sentience I am looking for is fairly basic. So far the only planned movement I have for it is the eyes. They look about and give a sense of emotion in them. As for possible communication I was actually looking more on the line of very basic levels, such as just a feeling of emotion, sort of how it is described communing with the elementals. Mayhap even memory play, but that would be the furthest I would actually go. Not looking for anything so complex such as full telepathy or actual speech. Though to be honest it would be amusing to have a talking staff just to see how others would react.

RE: Sentient Weapons - Vyce - 12-26-2015

So, moving eyes. If you rolled an Arcanist:

[Image: anigif_enhanced-buzz-11662-1349985210-5.gif]

You could adequately RP Winnifred Sanderson.

[Image: 53784280-e44b-0131-6cfb-0aa0f90d87b4.gif]