Campaign of the Swords - New Magic Items
by John Calvin, Max Monas and Jens "the Stalker" SchnabelThese simple to make and yet still highly effective magical items are all shaped as long stemmed flowers. The flowers can either be permanent magical items or contain charges (depending on a particular flower's magical effect). The permanent items are made from precious woods or ivory, while those having a limited number of charges are created using actual flower specimens. Each type is created from (or in the form of) a particular species of flower bearing plant. Permanent flowers always have a continuous effect, while charged items contain up to a maximum of 6 charges. To use a charged flower, the wielder typically throws the item to the ground. Once the bud strikes a hard surface (or creature), a charge is expended (causing a single petal to fall from the flower) and the magic takes effect.
The majority of these items are created by priests in the Dark Petals Cult and are dispensed to assassins in that organisation in order to enhance their performance. The assassins are well trained in the use of these items.
Blue Tulip
This long stemmed tulip has lustrous dark petals and blood red stamen. Once activated it produces an effect identical to the bane spell on all of those who are opposed to its user.
Caster Level: 3rd Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, bane. Weight: -- (single use, use activated) Market Price: 50gp Cost to Create: 25gp + 2XP (6 charge item) Market Price: 90gp Cost to Create: 45gp + 3XP (use activated) Market Price: 2,000gp Cost to Create: 1,000gp + 80XP
Cream Orchid
The petals of a cream orchid are in a constant state of flux, and appear as a thick smoky substance. Once thrown to the ground it produces a thick layer of fog 30 ft in radius and 20 ft high. Most of these items are created as single use, use activated items because they are designed to be left behind during a quick get away.
Caster Level: 3rd Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, obscuring mists. Weight: -- (single use, use activated) Market Price: 50gp Cost to Create: 25gp + 2XP (6 charge item) Market Price: 90gp Cost to Create: 45gp + 3XP (use activated) Market Price: 2,000gp Cost to Create: 1,000gp + 80XP
Violet Poppy
This flower is beautiful, and always in pristine condition. Neither bruise nor blemish mars a single one of its petals. Once thrown to the ground, the flower produces the effect of a Silence spell (see the PHB), as cast by a 3rd level cleric. Many of these items are made as 6 charge items. They are more cost effective than single charge items, but only if the assassin succeeds. Use activated poppies continually emit silence. There is no way (short of a dispel magic spell) to dampen their effect.
Caster Level: 3rd Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, silence. Weight: -- (single use, use activated) Market Price: 300gp Cost to Create: 150gp + 12XP (6 charge item) Market Price: 864gp Cost to Create: 432gp + 34XP (use activated) Market Price: 12,000gp Cost to Create: 6,000gp + 480XP
Crimson Rose
This dark rose has petals the colour of dried blood. Once activated, the rose casts darkness in a 20 foot radius. Many of these items are made as 6 charge items. They are more cost effective than single charge items, but only if the assassin succeeds. Use activated roses continually emit darkness, and must be stored in light proof containers to allow normal lighting conditions to return.
Caster Level: 3rd Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, darkness. Weight: -- (single use, use activated) Market Price: 300gp Cost to Create: 150gp + 12XP (6 charge item) Market Price: 864gp Cost to Create: 432gp + 34XP (use activated) Market Price: 12,000gp Cost to Create: 6,000gp + 480XP
SWORDS OF WAYLAND:
This sword is a short sword +3. It is crafted of a strange black metal or alloy that no character will be able to identify. Its handle is likewise made of a strange black material, although it is different from the material used for the actual blade. The sword has its name - Lohnibbog - written on the blade, although this is not immediately obvious, since it is written with very thin magical letters that are as black as the blade itself. Characters with an unusually good touch sense may be able to feel the presence of the letters, but they cannot read them in any way. Nobody can even see that the letters are there unless a Detect Magic or True Seeing spell is used. Even then, the letters will be unintelligible unless somebody casts a Read Magic or True Seeing spell in order to read them. If an Identify or similar spell is used, or if somebody simply wields the weapon, it will appear to be identical to any unintelligent magical short sword of +3 enchantment.
Awakening:
To awaken the powers of the sword, a character must use it to slay at least two hobgoblins, and either use it in a successful backstabbing attempt or simply have owned the sword for at least four months. If the owner is a thief, and therefore able to use the sword to sneak attack his enemies, the sword is intelligent enough to empathically make the owner understand that he should kill hobgoblins (when it can detect them) and use it when sneak attacking an enemy, although this is just a feeling that it passes to its owner - the sword has no power to command such an action.
None of the other powers of the sword will be useable until at least two of the conditions of the sword have been met.
Powers:
Once the powers of the sword awaken, Lohnibbog comes into its full potential, and it also becomes a bane to hobgoblins. It is thereafter an intelligent short sword +5, double damage vs. hobgoblins. Lohnibbog's ability scores are as follows: Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 12. It has a chaotic neutral alignment and an Ego of 17.
If a hobgoblin is unfortunate enough to be hit by this sword, he automatically suffers double damage. If the sword scores a critical hit against a hobgoblin, severity is determined as if Lohnibbog were a long sword rather than a short sword, and the hobgoblin suffers triple damage instead of just double damage (or quadruple damage, if he would normally suffer triple damage).
Curse:
The owner suffers a -2 penalty to any Fortitude saving throw roll while in possession of the sword.
Humanoid Detection:
The blade will glow with a pale white whenever a humanoid of the seven goblinoid races other than a hobgoblin (bugbear, gnoll, goblin, kobold, ogre, orc, troll, or any subspecies) are within 50 feet of the sword. The owner can command the sword not to do so, although the power will then go dormant until the owner orders it to function again.
Specific Detection:
The sword will also give off a discreet but distinct reddish-brown glow and impose a weird throbbing sensation to the owner whenever a hobgoblin is within 100 yards (300 feet) of it. If the owner does not desire the sword to glow in this way, he can command the sword not to without speaking even a single word before it starts glowing at all. The throbbing sensation, however, will not go away, unless taken beyond the range of hobgoblins, of course. If commanded not to glow, this power will cease until the owner commands otherwise.
Extraordinary Powers:
Lohnibbog's extraordinary power is most useful to thieves or persons with thieving tendencies. This power has also earned the sword the nickname of "Backstabber". The sword either improves certain thieving skills of the owner (if he is a thief, ranger, or bard) or bestows minor thieving skills upon him (if he has no thieving skills). The sword improves or bestows the following skills: * Move Silently
* Hide
* Listen
* Climb
The power of the sword is such that it will either improve each of these skills by a +2 bonus (if the character already has such a skill) or bestow the skill upon the character with a rank of 6 (as a third level rogue) for as long as the owner carries the sword around with him. The sword also bestows the rogue's ability to perform a sneak attack to any character. Characters who already possess the sneak attack ability will have it improved by +1d6, so a third level rogue who normally has a sneak attack of +2d6 will be able to make a sneak attack of +3d6 while using Lohnibbog.
Lore:
This sword can be used to discover the whereabouts of the Third Sword of Wayland, Roc. If the owner seeks to find the sword, Lohnibbog will empathically inform him that he needs to slay one hobgoblin (which Lohnibbog hates) and one orc (which Roc hates). Once this is done, the owner must also sacrifice some object he considers useful or which has personal sentimental value (any permanent magical item will do) to Wayland. Thereafter, the owner of Lohnibbog can get general directions to the current location of Roc once per day for the next 112 days (four months). If he still has not found Roc by then, he must slay another hobgoblin and another orc to make the power work for another four months, but does not have to sacrifice another valuable object to Wayland.
History:
This sword is said to have been wielded by a halfling named Belden Battlebur when the halflings revolted against the orcs that had conquered their lands (the Five Shires) at one time. However, Belden was killed in the early parts of the revolt and the sword was then lost. Other accounts of the sword seem to suggest that it has been carried across a great amount of Mystara's surface. For example, one legend says that one of the descendants of Wogar the Wolf-Lord (a goblin king and conqueror) wielded the sword at one point, while another story claims that it was wielded by Tendre, an Alphatian gnome warrior, who used it to slay a great number of hobgoblins until he was killed himself by a band of trolls. A third story claims that this sword was wielded by the halfling heroine called Holly Journeyfoot in the battles that eventually drove the Thyatians out of Ierendi, while a fourth tale claims that a Thyatian thief known only as Sneaky once wielded the sword. Other rumours of Sneaky would have it that he was actually one of the mortal incarnations of Korotiku, the Immortal of trickery, also called the Trickster or the Spider.
It has also been claimed that this sword has been successfully used to assassinate several of the Rajadhirajas of Sayr Ulan in the Kingdom of Sind.
This sword is a broad sword +2. It appears to be made completely of some sort of rock or stone that seems to be of a bluish grey quality. If someone watches the sword intently for a moment, he may be able to notice a subtle blue wave of magical energy that seems to quietly glide over the blade. Other than that, the blade looks quite plain, except for the strange runes that are inscribed on it. These can be read only through the use of Read Magic or True Seeing, which will reveal the word Roc, the name of the sword. The basket hilt or shell guard of the weapon is of exceptional quality, however, for it seems to be made of adamantite, and is therefore very hard. If Identify is used or the weapon is wielded in combat, Roc will appear to be an unintelligent magical broad sword of +2 enchantment.
Awakening:
Awakening the powers of Roc is quite easy, for the owner must have had the sword for a week and killed an orc with it (note that it must be a true orc; a half-orc will not suffice). As if this was not simple enough, the sword will itself attempt to use empathy to give the owner the feeling that he should find and kill an orc with it, although it cannot command the owner to do so.
Once the sword awakens, the owner will always feel the intent of the sword to slay any orc it senses around it, and the owner will immediately be able to use any of the powers described below.
Powers:
When Roc is awakened, it becomes more powerful and its fury towards orcs becomes obvious, as it immediately functions as a +5 sword when used against any orc. The sword is hereafter a broad sword +3, bane to orcs +5 (1d8/crit 19-20/x2). However, the awakened sword also has several other potent fighting powers (see below). Any orc hit by this sword will suffer double damage, once it is awakened. Treat this weapon as a "keen blade" with a +1 critical hit modifier when attacking orcs (1d8/crit 17-20/x3). Roc will also grant anyone attacking an orc the Improved Critical feat, as long as the wielder meets the prerequisites (proficiency with weapon - which Roc may bestow [see below], and a +8 base attack bonus or higher). Such a wielder would be able to increase the critical hit modifier by an additional +1 (1d8/crit 15-20/x4). This means that anyone attacking an orc with this weapon will have a critical hit threat range of 17-20, while a wielder meeting the prerequisites for the Improved Critical feat would have a threat range of 15-20.
Once awakened, the sword will reveal its lawful neutral alignment. It's ability scores are as follows: Int 14, Wis 10, Chr 10, and it has an Ego of 16.
Curse:
The owner suffers a -1 penalty to all skill checks that he makes while in possession of this weapon.
Humanoid Detection:
The blade will glow with a pale white whenever a humanoid of the seven goblinoid races other than an orc (bugbear, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, ogre, troll, or any subspecies) are within 30 feet of the sword. The owner can command the sword not to do so, although the power will then go dormant until the owner orders it to function again.
Specific Detection:
If the sword comes within a range of 150 yards (450 feet) of an orc, it will immediately begin flashing between green and red. This flashing is quite distinct and cannot be stopped or hidden unless the owner hides the sword somehow. The sword will not cease flashing until taken beyond the range at which it can detect orcs.
Extraordinary Powers:
Roc has several extraordinary powers. Anyone wielding Roc is automatically proficient with it, since it bestows proficiency upon them itself if they are not proficient with broad swords.
The only exception to this are people who are for some reason forbidden to use a broad sword, which would, of course, include priests who are forbidden to use sharp or edged weapons or otherwise barred from using a broad sword, such as druids. Likewise, the sword cannot bestow proficiency upon a single classed wizard (unless he already has proficiency with a similar sword, such as a long sword). However, anyone else can use this weapon even if they are not usually proficient with broad swords. Roc also has fighting capabilities of its own, for it will bestow a bonus of +2 to any base attack rolls in addition to the bonuses that the owner already gets from wielding this enchanted sword. Even so, Roc has its own pride and will never have a final Attack bonus lower than +10 - if the owner does not by himself have a final Attack bonus of +10 or greater , Roc will replace the +2 bonus with a final Attack bonus of +10. The minimum Attack bonus of Roc is not cumulative with bonuses from Strength, magic (whether from the sword itself or any other magical source), any combat related feats, or racial or class bonuses of any kind. Note that Roc automatically senses if the owner is fighting orcs. If he does, the bonus to attack rolls is increased to +3 instead of +2 or the Attack bonus of the owner is improved to +12 rather than +10. Roc automatically bestows the one of these two bonuses that is more advantageous to the owner (i.e., the one that gives him the highest Attack bonus).
Furthermore, those with the Expertise feat can use the basket hilt of a broad sword to add a +1 bonus to their AC. Roc however, is a far more powerful and magical weapon. In addition to granting the Expertise feat to anyone who does not possess it, Roc will also allow the owner of the sword to add a +3 to AC twice per round, without sacrificing any of his normal attacks. The user of the sword can still sacrifice attack points (up to 5) in order to increase AC normally.
Lore:
Unlike most of the other swords of Wayland, Roc actively informs and seeks to make its owner search for Longl, the Fourth Sword of Wayland. While Roc is apparently unable to reveal the name of the Fourth Sword to its owner, it will use its powers of empathy to influence the dreams of the owner at least once every full moon. In the dreams of the owner, Roc will usually take the form of a bard or some other person that the owner would perceive as friendly and reveal clues as to the current location of the Fourth Sword of Wayland. However, this clue will always take the form of a poem or rhyme. This ability has also earned Roc the nickname of "Dream-bard" or even "Dreamsinger."
History:
Several people are believed to have wielded this sword over the years. Some dwarven legends claim that the sword played a key role in the Battle of Sardal Pass in the year BC 492, when the dwarven hero Duric Orcsbane, son of Morur, killed many orcs with it, at which time the dwarves won a major victory over the orcs and established the dwarven nation of Rockhome. The sword's extraordinary powers against orcs is also supposed to have earned it the name "Orcslayer" at that occasion.
Similarly, it is also said, that the sword was once wielded by the human paladin Oliver Attleson in the defence of the city of Corunglain in Darokin against hordes of invading orcs. When the city was eventually overrun by the orcs, the sword was lost. Later, however, it is said that the elven fighter/mage Alarrain used the sword against the humanoid hordes led by the evil human wizard, Illodious, against Alfheim. Some stories actually claim that Alarrain himself used the sword to slay Illodious, but this is uncertain.
Several unconfirmed stories also claim that the sword was wielded by a Thyatian warrior named Gaius Keldonion on many occasions. Since both Gaius Keldonion the Elder and his son, Gaius Keldonion the Younger, are well-known adventurers of the history of Thyatis, it is quite likely that the sword was wielded by both of them. However, a much more recent rumour claims that the sword had fallen into the hands of Hadric Telmar, a Merchant Prince from the Minrothad Guilds. Unfortunately, it is a well known fact that Hadric and his entire ship and crew mysteriously disappeared a couple of years ago.