My players just killed themselves a nice fancy dragon with the help of a small army and some intuition, so as a reward they got to pick it clean of resources, well the party mage asked me "do the scales have any magical properties?" and i took a page from dark souls and said the scales have life magic, in the sense that they are a powerful ingredient to make health spells or potions, or if turned into an armor would grant healing. They're trying to decide wether to make armors for all of them, or sell it and get rich.
But it got me thinking, what else could work like this? what other things could you harvest from magical creatures that have special effects? Do phoenix feathers cure illness? does fairy dust help you fly?
what have you done in your games like this?
>>47452782
No, because I don't want the characters becoming walking butcher's shops. That's what's going to happen if you reward collecting monster parts for later use.
The tip of a unicorn horn is infinitely sharp, handle with care.
>>47452782
dragon scales are fireproof
unicorn horns boost magic
phoenix feathers boost fire power
fairy dust grants flight (only when thinking happy thoughts)
keep things obvious
>>47452883
I think it is a nice reward for the survival/crafting characters.
>>47452782
Poison glands of venomous giant vermins count as [CR] x 10 gp materials to craft poisons and antidotes. If 50% or more of the value comes from a gland, reduce craft time by 50%. If 100% comes from glands, reduce craft time by 75%. If all the glands match the kind of poison, reduce craft time by an additional 25%.
Plus, we're using this chart.
>>47452982
Are they good at insulation or just non-flammable?
Dragon scales are vulnerable to lightning.
Sell them to the local bitch for mad money.
>>47452782
Dragon scales are a source of organic iron, very useful in forging blades and armor.
>>47452782
Well in 5e I would allow someone with leatherworking kit proficiency to craft leather armor of elemental resistance to the dragon's element with 20 days of successful DC10 crafting checks and 250 gold worth of materials
If the crafter succeeds on the daily checks for 10 consecutive days the armor is +1, 15 days for a +2 and every day for a +3
As for unicorn horn a player with alchemist's supplies proficiency could grind it into a dust that when inhaled provides +1 to spellcasting ability modifier for an hour at the cost of 1 hit die (10 charges)
Or distill it into a potion that can only be ingested by someone with a constitution or strength score of 16 or more that grants resistance to all magic for 1 hour
If a weaker character attempts to ingest the potion they also get the effects but their HP is halved
>>47453204
So is blood, anon. You're going to have to step up your technobabble.
>>47452782
The horn is an aphrodisiac
Phoenix feathers make for some spicy, authentic Hellfire Gyoza.
>>47453229
Blood is a very low-density source though. One guy ran the numbers and it would take a fairly large number of humans to get enough iron for a sword.
>>47452782
Speaking from a D&D perspective, depending on the type of dragon you kill, the armor gives you elemental resistance to that dragon's breath weapon element type but you are vulnerable to the element they are weak to. For example a red dragon armor would give you fire resistance but makes you weak to cold, while white dragon armor would do the opposite.
In 3.5 if you got a unicorn horn it can be used to make a (healing) spell that normally only has touch range, turn into a 30ft cone so it's able to heal all the characters in that area's effect; enemies get heals too though. However if you killed the unicorn, the horn would lose it's magical effect after it died.
>>47453274
Okay but if you're just smelting all the iron out of it why does it need to be organic?
>>47453274
i know i made it a big point that this is exactly what someone did to create a blood drinker sword in my game, to top it off a guy created angel killing sigils and inscribed them into the blade
>>47452782
I know that i usually have a magical property directly related to the creatures powers, such as a Basilisk will grant poison blood, a Mermaid grants water breathing scales
OP here, maybe i should have made the topic just magical materials and not mentioned unicorn horns at all.
But since I'm here, anyone got ideas for what they might recover from a hydra? I'm going to be having one of those coming up soon
and >>47452883 they enjoy harvesting from big baddies, it allows them to wear their amazing victories and remember the effort they actually had to put in to succeed, they just seem to like it better than finding a random +3 chain mail in a dungeon
>>47452883
My players do it anyway. One motherfucker just collects guts. One has a pair of legs. One's got a hand, and a bunch of skins and bones.
>>47453963
what you got yourself is the makings of a necromantic golem
>>47453927
Hydra hide and teeth
I would also allow a character with alchemist's supplies to harvest some of it's blood to distill a potion of regeneration, which can also be crafted with troll blood or that of any other regenerating creature
>>47454080
They're all martials though.
>>47453678
Alchemy, potions, Damascus Steel, etc.
>>47453274
How many we talking here? This could be a good plot hook for a bbeg
>>47454488
400 according to >>47453678
>>47453927
I would guess that hydra venom could be used as a poison of some sort
>>47454895
Probably not, but you might be able to use it as a venom.
>>47453678
A steel longsword weighs 400 tacks? That sounds like bullshit.
>>47454286
A shitty necromantic golem.
>>47452782
You never played AD&D 2nd Edition, did you? No?
It had the best monster catalogues of any fantasy game ever.
Here:
http://www.lomion.de/cmm/_contents.php
>>47455309
You can have longswords as light as a kilogram.
>>47455499
But can you make kilograms as light as a longsword?
CHECKMATE ALCHEMISTS
>Aranea Silk is especially good at absorbing and holding on to magical energy, providing an excellent starting point for any magically enhanced clothing
>Dragon Scales repel flames or cold (depending on what the Dragon in question breathed)
>Ground Unicorn Horn has restorative properties and is essential to making powerful healing magic
>Will-o-Wisp ectoplasm is an excellent medium for potions, making them much easier to create
>Imp Blood is caustic, and makes for an exceptional way to etch runes into metal, making it cheaper to create magic weapons or armor.
>>47453229
Actually their is a snail which creates an iron shell by living near iron rich volcanic vents. It's pretty tough material for a deep sea dwelling crustacean. I'd say it's as accurate as anything. As a dragon ages it's scales get harder than iron as its scales get denser, harder, and heavier.
Do we make a transition to an ancient adamantine alternative or just say it's heavier so better.
Hmm.
Would dragons consume metallic ore in order to harden their scales in this case?
>>47453550
Well, it's useless if smelted but "organic iron" might have unique crystallization patterns and other materials mixed in to alloy it stronger.
>>47452782
The Alicorn (the horn of a unicorn or the material of which it is made, now often used as the term for winged unicorns) has it worse. The name began in Latin, passed into Arabic, and then into English. The definite article in Arabic (al) was added to the word when it cam into English, and the definite article in Latin (li) was added when it came into Arabic, so it can be translated as "The The The Horn".
Why say Horn of a unicorn when there is a word with a far funnier story just waiting for you to use it?
>>47457383
Thats cool, i can see a dragon doing that
Players get wind of a great dragon raiding vaults and stealing gold, but also raiding armories and taking weapons.
They track down its lair, as always expecting to slay the dragon and loot the hoard. maybe get some cool weapons
When they enter they see the dragon feasting on the weapons and gold by the handful.
Players both collectively shit themselves at a super armored dragon, but also feel the disappointment of no loot at the end of this.
>>47452883
I want exactly this, and therefore do exactly that. At the beginning of the campaign, I had my players run across an old druid whose cottage was covered in drying racks full of pixies. He would ground the dried pixies into pixie dust, which when inhaled would allow you to fly. And get you high as a kite.
It was mostly good for long-distance travel, making sure that your trip would be both fast and entertaining.
The players got into the spirit of things very quickly.
>>47459445
And in case anyone doesn't get it, the 'high as a kite' part is where the happy thoughts come in.
>>47452782
Dragonscale codpieces and unicorn powder sexual stimulant.
>>47454531
>>47453678
>>47453274
There's 2.5-3g total iron in a person, which is mainly distributed throughout the body in cytochrome complexes. Maybe a half to a quarter of that is found in the blood. A medieval longsword weighs 1.25-1.5 kg. You're looking at somewhere north of a thousand humans to make a sword, then you have to find a way to turn that hemoglobin into elemental iron.
>>47459493
What if we forge it with lightning strikes too, increase the badass level by 10,000.
>>47459486
>unicorn powder sexual stimulant
Magic horse cock powder? Sign me up.
>>47459493
>>47459493
That would make for an epic quest to forge an evil weapon
>>47459983
>>47460035one of my BBEG's lieutenants has a pair of them, quenched in demon blood, stabbed through a unicorn's heart, and prayed to by a large congregation for 33 days each
>>47460164
He killed enough demons to forge two swords out of them. impressive.
What does stabbing a unicorn do for an item? i understand the praying probably gives it a holy facet or damage bonus. What other powers is it benefiting from?
>>47460262
Traditionally, killing a unicorn is in the same territory as killing an innocent (only more so). So extra cursed?
That brings up a good question: Does evil have diminishing returns? If so, at what rate?
>>47453550
Elves and fey can wield it since its not cold iron from the depths of the earth. Organic iron swords, plus metal from meteors is the only materials elven smiths can work with. That's why elven weapon craftsmanship is so good : Every ounce of useable metal counts.
>>47460029
Magical horse viagra spreads across the land, even has a slogan "Make love like a stallion".
Selling for exorbitant prices, people are going wild over it, creator is rich.
But in order to keep up he has to hunt down more unicorns for the powder.
Druid approaches the party and says that unicorns are almost gone, they were already dwindling before and that he needs them to stop the the man creating viagra for everyone.
Thus begins the quest to kill everyones boners
>>47452782
I'm sure there's a haughty noble somewhere willing to pay top dollar for genuine dragon scales and unicorn horns. Not to mention alchemists who think they might be able to use ground unicorn horn mixed with phoenix spittle to turn lead into gold or something.
If they don't want to sell it, let them keep it as a trophy. They can impress people later by showing it to them.
>>47460262
Eh, the guy used a lot of dwarves as filler, since they have a lot of metal in their blood.
The unicorn was mostly to prevent the weapons themselves from becoming demons, and the praying was to reinforce their power.
>>47452883
How do you do it then? How do you solve the looting issue?
>>47452782
Boner pills.
Half the endangered species in the world are going extinct because someone thinks that their horn/gall bladder/toenails are going to allow their tiny, withered dick to get up one last time.
I'm looking at you, China.
>>47455353
It doesn't say anything about what you can do with monsters part though.
>>47459983
Had an idea like this a while ago. Make my artificer spend several days in the Elemental Plane of Air working with an elder Storm Elemental to create a bolt of Not!Uru.
I never got around to deciding if it would be a sword, a spear, a dagger, or a wand, then the campaign dropped, so I never got to do it.
>>47459458
yeah, we get it, DUDE WEED LMAO
After reading the thread, here are some ideas:
Core of a Hydra
>A large, pulsating sac. Hydras posses remarkable regenerative properties, and the core of a freshly slain hydra is a prominent ingredient in creating "reactive" metals. "Reactive" metals are light, flexible materials that harden in response to physical contact. Examples include spectacular leather armor, whip swords capable of solidifying on contact, and various occult trinkets.
Dragon Scale
>Harvested from a dragon. These scales seem awfully brittle, but when ground and applied, they are capable of creating eternal fires that can coat and linger on various materials.
Heart of a Dragon
>A dense, muscular clump, far heavier than appearances suggest. It's said that when cooked correctly, people who consume the meat are capable of inhuman feats of strength, perception, and luck. These benefits come at a cost. Without a steady supply of meat, users are prone to violent and irrational outbursts. Heavy users have been seen with visible Dragonosis, the first step in becoming a dragon.
>>47453245
But only when the whole thing is up your butt
>>47461087
" and various occult trinkets." totally made me think of dishonored
>>47452782
>what have you done in your games like this?
I've always done up the "Butcher the monster" as opposed to "It spits out some money and an item".
All the hours of Monster Hunter grinding have conditioned me.
>Dragons/Wyverns: Scales, Hide, Fur, Meat: Neck, Stomach, Tail. Organ: Fire Gizzard
The Scales are durable as steel or iron, but at the same time flake off the creature constantly. They're fire resistant, but not "insulating", so don't think you're safe.
The Hide & Fur are insulating and immune to fire- use THEM to provide the fire immunity, not the scales. Both the hide, fur and scales can be worked with a very basic acid rub to keep them soft enough to work like regular leather- vinegar, piss, etc.
The best meat is on the stomach, neck and tail respectfully: Dragon/wyverns have no parasites, but you should still cook the meat. It's best smoked.
The Fire Gizzard is the organ the dragon uses to create flame- you can find it between their lungs. The Gizzard can be used to store dry goods as the flesh of the organ is semi-permeable absorbing "humidity" to keep the dragon from exploding.
>Unicorn: Hide, Horn
The Horn of a Unicorn is NOT magical once it's dead; it's regular ivory no better than any other creatures ivory. Magic Unicorn Horns are a Myth to sell Ivory.
The Hide or Pelt of the Unicorn however is smooth & luxurious, but also EXTREMELY resistant to both arcane and divine magic. Often made into coats, vests, shawls, or apron-like skirts- if you're short you could make a tunic or robe. Offers no physical protection or resistance against nature magic.
Everything else about a dead unicorn is mundane.
>>47454286
A really macabre puppet show.
>>47452782
While dragon scales do have excellent protection against fire or piercing attacks, unicorn horns have +5 placebo effect and thus are highly sought after by medicine men and wizards.
>>47452883
>don't want the characters becoming walking butcher's shops.
My DM and one of the players would agree with you, the other five (including myself) have butchered, harvested, and eaten just about every non(usually)-humanoid we have killed.
Its just fun for us, we ended up buying a flying street vendor and serving up beholder eyestalk kebabs and dragon fried rice. We also built the black market of monster parts.
The DM has begrudgingly joined us in this because we do still follow the story, the remaining player just pouts until he gets to bounce around in combat.
>>47463486
Right now my players are trying to do this with normal animals like Deer and Bears, but being that they're converted murdehobos none of them have any skill in any hunting, skinning, forging, or trade.
so far it ended in bloody torn up hides that they mangled but i let them salvage meat they use to eat every night, I'm debating hooking them up with a hunter npc who agrees to skin and sell their kills in exchange for 50/50
>>47462748
>Weekend at Krastator the Unholy's
>>47452782
My DM let me skin the dragon and turn the scales into armor. We had a fighter smith and he made one set of full plate and one set of half plate with the scales. It was a black dragon, so the DM said the armor had acid resist as a natural property, so we could enchant something else over it (but not another resistance)
I'm new to /tg/ both the board and the games. How does the game master manage the loot? does he just invent a number for skinning and shit or is it actually in the books? Thanks guys.
>>47463486
Your group sounds fun as fuck, I've been wanting to play a kind of 'chill' campaign where there's no world ending shit happening. Maybe just hunt monsters and set up a food place like in your post. I guess most people wouldn't find that exciting enough though.
>>47452883
>not wanting to play Monster Hunter: the tabletop
>>47463838
i know i just make it up based on how i judge the difficulty, but thats because my system doesn't have anything in place for this.
Most other systems (D&D/Pathfinder) have rules in place for loot tables, difficulties for harvesting things, and what the harvested things do.
I would only give monster parts special properties if the monsters themselves were rare and/or those parts are used for attacking and such.
>>47463486
Sounds like you're in a Dungeon Menshi style party.
>>47463841
It really helps to have a goofy group in this kind of thing, our previous campaign was Gurps Discworld so we are already in the mood for being Dibblers and oddballs.
>>47464412
I will not deny that being an inspiration, at the time though only the first chapter was translated.
