I need advice on how to play Artus Cimber in ToA, or rather, the Ring of Winter I should say. I haven't read the 1992 novel and I'm not an FR buff so I don't know all the lore about Artus and the Ring. I'm just looking at the mechanics for sentient items provided in the DMG and I'm just trying to figure out how to go about this.
The ring is CE and Artus is CG. The ring will try to dominate its wearer, especially if said wearer is good-aligned I guess, and make him do its bidding. Based on the mechanics for this, Artus will often fail his CHA check, which is at +4, against the DC of the ring which is at 15. In fact, he needs an 11 or better, so he will fail 50% of the time.
So, how come this is not even mentioned in ToA? In the aforementioned lore, is Artus often dominated by the ring? Does he fool the ring by doing things that appear to serve the ring's motives, so the ring doesn't try to dominate him?
Chris Perkins, in the last Dice, Camera, Action episode, indeed played Artus Cimber possessed by the Ring of Winter.
In the end, it is up to the DM to decide how to play the Ring of Winter. If I am not mistaken, in the novel, the Ring only once attempt to possess Artus. Keep in mind that the Ring does not necessarily want to possess the wielder. The description of the Ring of Winter indeed says that some properties are suppressed. So, I guess it is your call to decide when and how another attempt of possession is made.
So the ring is not bent on controlling Artus then.
What confused me is that in ToA the ring is described as trying to take control of the creature that wields it. I figured it would be on a constant basis. In the DMG, it says that such an attempt may occur each time there is a conflict between what the ring wants its wielder to do and what the latter wants. I guess if the ring is CE and Artus is CG, conflicts may arise often.
In ToA, it is said that Artus will not let go of the ring because he is afraid that it will control a wielder with a weaker will. I thought that implied that the ring had not been able to control him, which I find pretty odd based on the aforementioned game mechanics.
Anyhow, I'm considering having Artus be a rollercoaster of a character, one day CG and one day CE. Not someone to be around, a bit crazy from his long exposure to the ring's dominance and evil, and best left to his own devices.
But still, if someone has more on his history with the ring, I'd be interested in knowing how he avoided the ring's control for 100 years.
Apologies for casting raise dead on this thread, but I thought I'd chime in with how I'm handling it.
I'm making Artus roll for control on a dawn when the rings gains 10 or more charges back. So he has to be careful not to utilize the ring too much in any given day.
Dear fellow DMs,
I need advice on how to play Artus Cimber in ToA, or rather, the Ring of Winter I should say. I haven't read the 1992 novel and I'm not an FR buff so I don't know all the lore about Artus and the Ring. I'm just looking at the mechanics for sentient items provided in the DMG and I'm just trying to figure out how to go about this.
The ring is CE and Artus is CG. The ring will try to dominate its wearer, especially if said wearer is good-aligned I guess, and make him do its bidding. Based on the mechanics for this, Artus will often fail his CHA check, which is at +4, against the DC of the ring which is at 15. In fact, he needs an 11 or better, so he will fail 50% of the time.
So, how come this is not even mentioned in ToA? In the aforementioned lore, is Artus often dominated by the ring? Does he fool the ring by doing things that appear to serve the ring's motives, so the ring doesn't try to dominate him?
Thanks for your help!
Chris Perkins, in the last Dice, Camera, Action episode, indeed played Artus Cimber possessed by the Ring of Winter.
In the end, it is up to the DM to decide how to play the Ring of Winter. If I am not mistaken, in the novel, the Ring only once attempt to possess Artus. Keep in mind that the Ring does not necessarily want to possess the wielder. The description of the Ring of Winter indeed says that some properties are suppressed. So, I guess it is your call to decide when and how another attempt of possession is made.
Thanks a lot for your comment!
So the ring is not bent on controlling Artus then.
What confused me is that in ToA the ring is described as trying to take control of the creature that wields it. I figured it would be on a constant basis. In the DMG, it says that such an attempt may occur each time there is a conflict between what the ring wants its wielder to do and what the latter wants. I guess if the ring is CE and Artus is CG, conflicts may arise often.
In ToA, it is said that Artus will not let go of the ring because he is afraid that it will control a wielder with a weaker will. I thought that implied that the ring had not been able to control him, which I find pretty odd based on the aforementioned game mechanics.
Anyhow, I'm considering having Artus be a rollercoaster of a character, one day CG and one day CE. Not someone to be around, a bit crazy from his long exposure to the ring's dominance and evil, and best left to his own devices.
But still, if someone has more on his history with the ring, I'd be interested in knowing how he avoided the ring's control for 100 years.
Apologies for casting raise dead on this thread, but I thought I'd chime in with how I'm handling it.
I'm making Artus roll for control on a dawn when the rings gains 10 or more charges back. So he has to be careful not to utilize the ring too much in any given day.
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Thanks for the idea! I'll probably use it.