Shadowdeath vambraces

SHADOWTHEFT
Shadowdeath Vambraces - Revealed! 
on 6/23/2005 9:03:48 PM 
1458

The notes are gathered and (most of) the observations are complete. So here they are, Thanthyl's (lesser) shadowdeath vambraces.

Description

some black alloy arm vambraces

Show

Made of an odd sort of black alloy, the vambraces give the odd appearance of something akin to ebon water trapped under glass. Currents ebb and flow, light catching occasionally here and there causing odd variations in the shades trapped within. The large guards may be worn with adjustable straps made of the same material, but give the distinct impression that it would be difficult to get a good fit without some additional assistance. Other than the odd properties of the metal, nothing else stands out.

Verbs

Nudge

You concentrate for a moment, and everything within sight suddenly becomes basked in a dull grey pallor. Everything here shifts as a mere shadow of its former self. Before your eyes can adjust to the alien sight your vision clears once more.

Gaerit's brow furrows suddenly and swirling black ebon lines invade his eyes, turning them into flat ebon orbs. Gaerit looks around, scanning the area before his eyes suddenly return to normal.

Attend

Shadows suddenly burst forth from your body, swarming across you and settling on you with the comfort of a close friend. Gnawing dark hunger and safe security compete for your attention before the shadows slowly sink into your skin, disappearing below the surface.

Shadows suddenly burst forth from Gaerit's body, swarming across his skin and settling on him with noticeable closeness. It lasts only momentarily before sinking back into Gaerit's skin once more.

Wave (untargetted)

You extend your arms in a wide sweeping motion, thousands of snaking tendrils of shadow bursting forth creating a great arc of snapping swarming, biting shadow maws and spiked tentacles. As your arm completes the circuit, you can feel the shadows retract, like iron spikes driving into your flesh.

Gaerit extends his arms in a wide sweeping motion and thousands of snaking tendrils of shadow suddenly burst forth creating a great arc of snapping, swarming, biting shadow maws and spiked tentacles. As Gaerit's arms complete the circuit, the shadows shrink back beneath his skin.

Prod

You feel a cold knot in the middle of your stomach, but it soon fades and you're left standing with an empty feeling in your gut.

Wear

As you put the vambraces on, a sudden bone-chilling cold creeps across your body until it you feel it settle like an icy grip on your heart! Your vision clouds momentarily, but then returns to normal. (First time)

As you put the vambraces on, a sudden bone-chilling cold creeps across your body until it you feel it settle like an icy grip on your heart! Your vision clouds momentarily, but then returns to normal.

As you settle the alloy arm vambraces into place, you feel complete once more. (Every time thereafter)

Gaerit puts on his vambraces. You could swear you saw shadows writhe across his body.

Remove

You remove the alloy arm vambraces, your veins suddenly bulging under your skin. The motion of the vambraces feels as if it were your skin being peeled away. Long tendrils of shadowstuff underneath thin and snap until the vambraces is finally free in your hands. You feel a distinct sense of loss.

Gaerit removes the alloy arm vambraces, peeling it away even though it is attached by many tendrils of shadowstuff that pull and snap one by one until the vambraces are free in his hands.

Get

As you reach for the vambraces, you notice the surface ripple like a stone dropped into a pond of black liquid. A sensation of completion fills you, and somewhere in the very back of your mind, a voice whispers something just beyond comprehension.

You remove some black alloy arm vambraces from in your spidersilk cloak.

As Gaerit gets the vambraces, the surface ripples like a stone dropped into a pond of black liquid.

Gaerit removes some black alloy arm vambraces from in his spidersilk cloak.

Rub (to check charges)

Your hand hovers close to the alloy arm vambraces, and suddenly a coldness seeps deep into your bones. Your stomach clenchs tightly, and yet you feel completely satisfied, as if you had just finished a meal at a large banquet. (full)

Your hand hovers close to the alloy arm vambraces, and suddenly a coldness seeps deep into your bones. Your stomach clenchs tightly, and despite the cold, you feel surprising comfortable, as if you had recently eaten a meal. (almost full)

Your hand hovers close to the alloy arm vambraces, and suddenly a coldness seeps deep into your bones. Your stomach clenchs tightly, and then rumbles - you feel the urge for a snack. (mid level)

Your hand hovers close to the alloy arm vambraces, and suddenly a coldness seeps deep into your bones. Your stomach clenchs tightly, and hunger pangs grip you as if you hadn't eaten recently. (almost empty)

Your hand hovers close to the alloy arm vambraces, and suddenly a coldness seeps deep into your bones. Your stomach clenchs tightly, and you feel a blinding, burning hunger course through you, as if you hadn't eaten in days! (empty)

Gaerit places his hand next to some black alloy arm vambraces for a moment.

Tap

An ice cold sensation grips your heart for a brief moment but passes just as quickly. (armor is not created because there are not enough charges)

Something twists hard and cold near to your heart as though it might burst forth. Just as you feel as if you cannot contain it anymore you sense a great feeling of resistance, and the sensation disappears. (armor is not created because you are wearing standard armor already)

You tap your alloy arm vambraces and an icy cold grip settles on your heart. The pain is almost unbearable, and you feel as though you're on the very verge of collapse when suddenly hundreds of tiny tendrils of shadow seem to burst from your skin, swirling and snapping until they settle into the form of armor type here. (armor is created and worn)

Gaerit taps his alloy arm vambraces and seems to freeze for a moment. Suddenly, hundreds of tiny tendrils of shadow seem to burst forth from his skin, swirling and snapping until they settle into the form of armor type here.

As Armor

Armor types

Some flowing black shadows (robes) A form-fitting tunic of shadows (light leather) A loose coat of shadows (full leather) A form-fitting shroud of shadows (double leather) A dense shroud of shadows (brigandine) Armor is 3x to 6x based on how many charges are left. A cold tingle runs down your spine, and you can feel the shadows suddenly shift. (armor drains a charge approximately once every four minutes)

Verbs

Inspect shadows

As you focus on the shroud of shadows, darkness suddenly obscures your vision and overwhelms you! The blackness is all-encompassing, pressing in on every side until it seems as though you are trapped deep within the darkness. Harsh, grating voices fill your ears, chanting in some long dead dialect of a language similar to elven, whispering things that although you cannot understand give the distinct impression of tremendous horror.

Rub shadows

You caress the shroud of shadows, fingers trailing through the shadows as if it were water, leaving little wakes.

Gaerit caresses his shroud of shadows, fingers trailing through the shadows as if it were water, leaving little wakes.

Tap shadows

Your fingertips touch the surface of your shroud of shadows in a tapping motion, causing ripples of darkness to spread across like a pebble dropped in water.

Gaerit's fingertips touch the surface of the shroud of shadows in a tapping motion, causing ripples of darkness to spread across like a pebble dropped in water.

Poke shadows

You poke the shroud of shadows, pushing your fingers into the bone-chilling cold shadowstuff until you cannot bear it anymore.

Gaerit pokes the shroud of shadows, pushing his fingers into the shadowstuff until he suddenly pulls his fingers back out.

Remove shadows

You reach to remove a form-fitting shroud of shadows, but your hands just pass right through it!

Gaerit tries to remove a form-fitting shroud of shadows, but his hands just pass right through it!

Armor Effects

Turn (to cycle through armor types)

You push a finger into the shadowstuff of the alloy arm vambraces and feel no resistance as the cold seeps to your finger bone. (the first of the five steps - set to robes)

You push a finger into the shadowstuff of the alloy arm vambraces and feel more resistance. (the next four steps through the armor types)

Gaerit pushes a finger into the alloy arm vambraces, the shadowstuff enveloping it.

Pull (attempt to darken the area)

Ice grips your heart, but the area doesn't grow any darker. (failure to darken the room because it is too bright)

You feel a chill grip you, but nothing seems to happen. (fail to darken the room because you're low on charges)

An icy tingle shoots down your spine. The area grows darker.

The area suddenly grows darker.

Twist (anchoring the spot to teleport to)

A cold chill grips you, but you cannot seem to make a connection here. (you can only anchor in certain rooms)

Shadows seem to pool at your feet for a moment before seeping into the ground. You feel connected to this place, now.

Shadows seem to pool around Gaerit's feet for a moment before seeping into the ground.

Teleporting

Scream

You start to open your mouth to scream, but your guts suddenly wrench and feel as though they're going to leap right out of your throat! You open your mouth in pure agony and black shadow pours out to cover your world and turn it all to a dark grey. Your surroundings shift, the world around you is streaming shadow and blackness. Things speed by at a dizzying pace, and you seem to be walking...somewhere. Ahead. A bright, piercing light, as full as the noon sun and blistering with heat, you grow nearer and nearer until... (you enter the room)

Gaerit looks as he might scream, but instead of a scream writhing tendrils of shadow pour forth from his mouth! They cover Gaerit completely before suddenly fading into the surrounding shadows! (leaving the room you are currenty in)

Hundreds of tendrils of shadow suddenly burst forth from the surroundings, writhing and swirling as if they were alive. They quickly combine into a shadowy shape of Gaerit that evaporates away, leaving him standing there! (entering the room you've anchored to)

You scream but nothing happens. (failure when you don't have enough charges)

Touch target (to pull a charge from a corpse)

Ravenous tendrils of shadow burst forth from Gaerit's body, streaking towards the storm giant to consume it in a gory feast of toothy shadow maws and barbed tentacles! (no treasure or gear is left behind, but you get experience as normal)

Ravenous tendrils of shadow suddenly burst forth from the darkness, streaking towards the storm giant to consume it in a gory feast of toothy shadow maws and barbed tentacles! (from hiding or invisible)

Ravenous tendrils of shadow burst forth from your body and streak towards the cold guardian, writhing and snapping furtively before returning! (failure if the critter is undead, a player character, or some odd magical entity that doesn't have a substantial form)

Various notes

• The vambraces have certain restrictions for some of the abilities. For example, you can not make a room darker with the 206 effect if the room is extremely bright. The logic behind this is that it's more easy to make a low-lit room darker than it is to make a well-lit room darker. The more light there is, the fewer shadows there are to manipulate.
• You also can't anchor anywhere you please for the teleport ability. I haven't gone hopping around from town to town to discover all of the locations, but I believe you can anchor in the majority of the major nodes and fog spots. If one of those areas is too bright, you can not anchor to it.
• Teleporting pulls random charges from the vambraces and has a varying roundtime of 5-15 seconds.
• Unlike the shadowdeath weapons, charges are gained and drained on a non-varying scale (except for when teleporting drains charges). This means that it's possible to count how many charges are in each "hunger" level. I started to work on this, but stopped since I really didn't care that much.
• The majority of the grammatical and syntax errors have been bugged. I've found some more since my initial testing of Thrassus' set, but Thanthyl wanted me to hold off on bugging any new ones until fixes rolled in.
• All of the mechanical bugs (that I've discovered) have been bugged. The most interesting is the bug that causes a suppression of the ATTEND verb. When wearing the vambraces, you can ATTEND them and watch people blink at you when the shadows go all nuts.
• However, you can not attend any other item you wear unless you take them off. Fixes will roll in whenever.
• No, you don't scream AT the vambraces to teleport. You just scream. =D
• Future additions may consist of a loresong and bug fixes. A greater set will be released with an additional super awesome power.
• Because the vambraces are symbiotic in nature, removing them causes your Constitution score to drop by -5. This penalty lasts for approximately fifteen minutes, or until you put the vambraces back on again.
• The vambraces have the same level regulation when it comes to obtaining charges. In other words, Great Lords can't recharge on roltons.
• I'm hoping Warden allows some other ideas I've suggested through (like having the armor flare like the weapons since it isn't padded). However, other than the loresong and bug fixes, I think the vambraces are pretty much done.
• As you can see, there's a lot too them. I'm still astounded by the sheer volume of actions and abilities any time I tinker with 'em. And the fact that they're vambraces on a small weapons user really seals the deal for me (I've wanted vambraces in game for a long time).
• For those of you who don't know what vambraces are, they're a type of arm guard used to actively parry blows from an opponent's weapon - unlike regular arm guards which are meant to absorb blows from a weapon to lessen the severity of damage taken in case you happen to be struck on the arm. An example of this can be seen in Batman Begins, or the final episode of the Kenshin OVA.
• Unfortunately, game mechanics do not support the proper use of vambraces, and the shadowdeath vambraces don't inspect as armor.
• Further questions, comments, or concerns can be sent to my play.net address.

Gaerit, Everything Shadowdeath