Darkside Crystal [Augmentation Crystal]

[Angafirith]

Darkside Crystal
Price: 300 gp (least), 1000 gp (lesser), 4000 gp (greater)
Body Slot: -- (weapon crystal)
Caster Level: 9

This crystal emits a dark light that makes you feel mildly ill.

A Darkside Crystal gives a weapon the ability to deal extra damage at the expense of the wielder's health. Any attempt to affix a Darkside Crystal to a ranged weapon fails.

Least: The weapon deals 2d6 extra damage per hit to the opponent and 2 damage to the wielder on a successful hit. This effect can not be used on a weapon that deals nonlethal damage.
Lesser: The weapon deals 3d6 extra damage per hit to the opponent and 3 damage to the wielder on a successful hit. This effect can not be used on a weapon that deals nonlethal damage.
Greater: As lesser, with the ability to 2d6 damage to five creatures within 20 feet of the wielder's choice once per day. When this effect is used, the wielder takes 2 damage for each creature selected in this way. This effect can not be used on a weapon that deals nonlethal damage.

Prerequisites:Craft Magic Arms and Armor, inflict moderate wounds
Cost to create: 150 gp, 12 xp, 1 day (least); 500 gp, 40 xp, 1 day (lesser); 2000 gp, 160 xp, 4 days (greater).

Previous Crystals in the series: Crystal of Mercy

I'm not certain about the prices I chose or the balance of the effects, I mainly took the prices from the Crystal of Mercy. I wanted to mimic the darkside effect from FF games and the Vicious property.

[Nahal]

Seems a hefty cost for the benefit in terms of HP damage...

[Angafirith]

True. Do you think it would be more balanced if I changed it to deal 1/2 of that extra damage dealt to the enemy back to the wielder? That is, if they roll 1d6 and get 3, the wielder takes 1 point of damage?

[Eighth_Seraph]

Hrm...maybe, but I would never use this crystal. The reason for that being that I'm doing some minimal extra damage to each opponent I attack in exchange for some minimal+ damage to myself. The issue is that the damage to me will start racking up, an average of, what, 1.5 damage for every successful hit I inflict? If the crystal did significantly more damage, it might be useful as a last-ditch ability.

[Eldritch_Ent]

I'd suggest giving the crystal a +tohit modifier, or reduce the damage somehow. (Like, say, make it just 1 damage for least and the greater AOE, with 2 for lesser.)

[Angafirith]

As it is, the lesser crystal is similar to the "Vicious" property, and I thought I'd use that as a basis for my crystal. I want to make sure that the wielder's damage is linked to the enemy's damage as well. I suppose having it work as 1 damage for Least and 2 for Lesser would be a fair way to do that (The wielder takes 2/7ths of the damage they deal).

I may just have to play test this one; it seems rather tricky.

[jjpickar]

And I thought this would help me craft sith lightsabers... Oh well, I think its kinda cool but it doesn't d enough damage. The vicious property sucks pretty bad though so this is at least better than it.

[Angafirith]

I just cracked open the MIC and realized that the elemental crystals contained within have a slightly weaker damage progression than my own. I'm going to pump mine up by one damage die each to try to make it more clearly superior. After all, what's the point of dealing damage to yourself if you can do the same thing without it?

[Aramil Liadon]

Apparently my party kills things too quickly. The opponents sometimes don't even act before we kill it, so we do fine at 8th level without any cleric whatsoever. We have a paladin, and before that a bard.
Story over, with the minimal damage we take, it seems like a great ability to me. Not that we have a normal group, but I don't see the problem with it.

[Angafirith]

It seems to me that if you kill most things before they can act, you don't really need this item. I suppose you'd use it if you're not sure you'd kill something right off?

Just out of curiosity, why was "PEACH" removed from my thread title? I thought PEACH stood for "Please Examine And Comment Honestly", which was what I was going for in posting this thread.

[Fax Celestis]

It seems to me that if you kill most things before they can act, you don't really need this item. I suppose you'd use it if you're not sure you'd kill something right off?

Just out of curiosity, why was "PEACH" removed from my thread title? I thought PEACH stood for "Please Examine And Comment Honestly", which was what I was going for in posting this thread.

We have no need for PEACH in titles around here. It's assumed that you want assistance by posting it here.

[Edo]

I love this too much. It doesn't mimic vicious: it surpasses it entirely.

• Vicious deals 1d6 to the wielder (average 3.5 damage/hit.) A least darkside crystal does the same amount of damage as a vicious weapon and only does 2/hit to the wielder, and if my crusader can't soak that he can turn it off as a move action without attacks of opportunity.
• Vicious costs a +1 enchantment. A least darkside crystal costs 300 gp. Even with the cost for a masterwork weapon thrown in, my crusader can afford that at 2nd level with change to spare, and effectively have a +1 enchantment ready for every other melee weapon I'll use for the rest of my career.

Most of the MIC's weapon augment crystals struck me as being ho-hum. This one is the opposite: I can't think of any reason NOT to want to buy it. (Granted, I'm thinking as a crusader, but they're the only ones with enough healing to bother with vicious weapons at all.)

As a thought about balancing it, maybe have it deal damage to you per attack, rather than per hit? I'm not sure.