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View Full Version : [Silly Alchemical Bevery] Sucker Punch



Centric
2012-01-21, 12:43 AM
This is my first piece of homebrew. Is it worth refining/organizing/changing, or more scrapworthy? Be as honest as necessary.

Sucker Punch/Tincture of Swift Forearm Extension

This cloudy pink liquid is cloyingly sweet and winy, like old grapes crystallized in honey. When swallowed, it causes one of the drinker’s forearms (drinker’s choice) to suddenly extend and retract, more swiftly than a frog’s tongue. Multiple doses may be taken at once, each one giving the resulting strike a maximum range 10 feet past the drinker’s unarmed reach. It is treated as a ranged attack at +4 to hit, being fast and highly unorthodox. The strike stops at the first obstruction it encounters, dealing the drinker’s unarmed damage plus the drinker’s Str. mod per 5 feet that it was prevented from traveling. As much Sucker Punch may be drunk as desired, but only a number of doses up to the drinker’s Con. mod take effect; the rest are wasted. Sucker Punch may also be held in the mouth, as it has no effect unless swallowed, but the flavor forces the holder to succeed on a DC 15 Fort save each round after taking the Punch, or spit it out.

Sucker Punch usually comes in graduated vials marking the 1/8 ounce doses. It has half the alcohol content of wine by volume, but is something of a dangerous and acquired taste.

Price: ?
Craft (Alchemy) DC: ?

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I guess this is the sort of thing you'd find in the accidents bin in some wizard's lab, or in the pouch of a local hooligan. I've only ever played 3.5 in any depth at all, and the crafting system is rather silly to me, but maybe other systems have a sensible way of filling in those question marks.

EdroGrimshell
2012-01-21, 03:15 AM
Seems a bit too good for a standard alchemical item, maybe give it a penalty to certain dexterity-based checks and attack/damage rolls from muscle cramps from the sudden increase then decrease in size. If you do that i can see this as a rather expensive but worthwhile alchemical item, esspecially for monks and other unarmed fighters.

Also making it less effective when in heavy armor is in order

Veklim
2012-01-21, 06:40 AM
This makes sense to me;

...maybe give it a penalty to certain dexterity-based checks and attack/damage rolls...Also making it less effective when in heavy armor is in order

Perhaps drop it to 5ft instead of 10ft for heavy armour users, and maybe consider giving them a penalty to Dexterity skill and ability checks (and Fortitude saves?) equal to -1/dose taken. Duration of the penalty is 1D4 rounds, any new use before the end of the time resets the duration of the penalty?

Centric
2012-01-22, 12:05 AM
Thanks for the suggestions! Prospective changes bolded.

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Sucker Punch acts only on living muscle and bone. Multiple doses may be taken at once, each one giving the resulting strike a maximum range 10 feet past the drinker’s unarmed reach, or 5 feet if the drinker is in heavy armor. It is treated as a ranged attack at +4 to hit, being fast and highly unorthodox. The strike stops at the first obstruction it encounters, dealing the drinker’s unarmed damage plus the drinker’s Str. mod per 5 feet that it was prevented from traveling. The drinker invariably experiences muscle cramps from the sudden, unnatural distortion, taking a cumulative -2 penalty to attack rolls, Reflex saves, and checks involving Dex for the following 1d4 rounds. If another drink is taken before this period ends, the time is reset to another 1d4 rounds, minimum 2, and another -2 penalty taken. The minimum time is increased by 1 with each prematurely taken drink.

As much Sucker Punch blahblah...

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How would this be?