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    Canonfire :: View topic - Heironeous' meersalm
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    Heironeous' meersalm
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    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:00 pm  
    Heironeous' meersalm

    The LIVING GREYHAWK GAZETTEER gives the following information about high-level clerics of Heironeous:

    "H. skin was imbued with a secret solution called meersalm that protects him from all but the most powerful weapons."

    ...

    "Many of the most powerful clerics of H. have themselves embalmed alive with meersalm to gain its protective benefits, although some have not survived the process."

    Has this meersalm stuff ever been translated into game terms?
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    Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:49 pm  

    As far as the information I have, no it hasn't. I'd like to see it and oerth blood in game stats.
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    Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:43 pm  

    I'm not aware of the application procedure being detailed, but in 1e, meersalm provided immunity to weapons under +2 in power, shattering them when they score a hit. +2 weapons only cause 25% damage, +3 weapons cause 50% damage, and +4 or better weapons cause full damage. Magical weapons that sever limbs don't do so, but they inflict full damage.

    EDIT: The Heironeous article in Dragon #354 had additional information for 3e.
    Quote:
    Although not a rare or single item, meersalm is a magical substance unique to the church of Heironeous - a portion of the same coppery liquid the Invincible's mother, Stern Alia, embalmed him in to make him invulnerable to weapons. Any creature that receives this treatment (a carefully protected secret of the church) gains similar protection. Every temple has a tiny amount of this wondrous material, used for certain ceremonies but kept within its container. A member of the church who wishes to be embalmed with it must prove his worthiness and pay for it to be manufactured in sufficient quantity for the ritual. Meersalm gives the recipient damage reduction 10/adamantine, and if a weapon's damage is completely absorbed the weapon might break (see the meersalm skin spell). This protection lasts for 1 year so long as the character upholds the tenets of Heironeous. Those who lose this protection are ostracized by the church.


    Nothing about not surviving the procedure. The Meersalm Skin spell causes 3d6 damage to a weapon if it fails a Fortitude Save. A potion-sized vial of meersalm costs 250 gp.
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    Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:13 pm  

    Good find Armitage! Meersalm is one of those things I'm surprised hasn't taken off with GH players. Who wouldn't want invulnerability?

    My guess on the 3e stats excluding any roll for survivability is the edition's knack for having magic item creation be infallible. I know if it had been statted out sufficiently in 1e/2e there'd be a system shock roll (IIRC Lich forumlae had one). How much meersalm does it take to embalm someone anyways?
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    Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:56 pm  

    mortellan wrote:
    How much meersalm does it take to embalm someone anyways?


    The article doesn't say. Since the procedure is "a carefully protected secret of the church", I guess the answer is "however much the DM wants".
    If you want to be cruel, the Meersalm Skin spell functions as Stoneskin with the added weapon damage, and requires a 250 gp vial of meersalm. Stoneskin cast at the minimum caster level for a cleric will last 110 minutes. One year is 525,600 minutes, which would be approximately 4778 applications of the spell, for a total of 1,194,500 gp. Happy
    If you assume a caster level of 20 for a minor relic, it would still be 2,628 vials costing 657,000 gp...which is actually fairly reasonable for year-long weapon invulnerability.
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    Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:55 am  

    Thank you for the great answers.

    Armitage wrote:
    I'm not aware of the application procedure being detailed, but in 1e, meersalm provided immunity to weapons under +2 in power, shattering them when they score a hit. +2 weapons only cause 25% damage, +3 weapons cause 50% damage, and +4 or better weapons cause full damage. Magical weapons that sever limbs don't do so, but they inflict full damage.


    Thanks for you research. Was this from a DRAGON also?
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    Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:21 am  

    Geoffite wrote:
    Thanks for you research. Was this from a DRAGON also?


    It was from Heironeous' statistics in the World of Greyhawk boxed set, and Dragon #67, which I believe was prior to WoG.
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    Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:45 pm  

    Armitage wrote:
    Geoffite wrote:
    Thanks for you research. Was this from a DRAGON also?


    It was from Heironeous' statistics in the World of Greyhawk boxed set, and Dragon #67, which I believe was prior to WoG.


    It was before the boxed set, but after the folio.
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    Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:27 pm  

    Of course now to stat up some 'Sleeping Saints' using the Meersalm with them. Evil Happy
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