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The stuff of Legend (right, Boo?!)

MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
edited February 2015 in Off-Topic
Hi everyone,

How many of you have played D&D in your life? And how many have acted, more or less regularly, as the group's Dungeon Master? And while mastering, did you ever introduce weapons, armors, spells or any magical object of your own creation in your campaign? I guess many of you did, and likely will continue to do so. But what's the difference between a longsword +3 you used in your campaign and the one I used in mine? In my opinion, it's the story behind the item, the origin, power and ability that it has that make it, in a sense, come to life. In one word, the "flavor" of the item. That little topping that every DM has great fun with in thinking and writing about it, and that he or she shares with the group.

I thought it would be cool to open a topic in which to describe our creations, things we created as DMs or were described to us by our masters while playing this great game. I must admit I don't have much imagination, but I'm lucky my kid brother has plenty for both of us. Some 10-15 years ago when he first started acting as a DM, I asked him to keep track of his magical creations, so that we wouldn't forget about them. I later chipped in with creations of my own, but I must admit most of what I will describe here is still his stuff.

The goal is also to provide ideas for magical items or situations that you, my good reader, might find fitting for your campaign. All the items described use the 3/3.5 D&D rules, but I suppose they could be easily adapted to other settings/set of rules. Feel free to take what I post and modify it as you wish, if it fits your goals, but bear in mind that many of the creations described here are often objects of considerable power, not to be used lightly else the very fabric of meta-reality might be compromised.
I of course encourage you to share your creations, if you like.


Trimia Death-Hammer.

Trimia was a weapon-smith and cleric of Moradin that lived with his small but proud clan in the mines under the Storm Horns, not far from Skull Crag. His life was simple, divided between his faith to Moradin and his perseverance in defending his clan from the occasional attack of goblins and trolls. In 1289 DR, while he was away to solve some landmark disputes in Suzail, his clan, which he had loved and served for almost three centuries, was attacked and exterminated by elves of the Underdark. After getting back and realizing what had happened, in a moment of desperation he tighten the grip on his hammer and was about to hit the anvil on which so many times he had prayed to the Soul Forger. In that moment, a ghostly figure of an ancient dwarf appeared by his side to halt his powerful blow. "Stay your wrath, master smith", he said, "Save it for our campaign". The two, along with the other few surviving dwarves, left soon after to avenge the souls of their fallen brethren. Guided by what the dwarves believed was the spirit of Moradin, the small group tracked down and killed the drow troops in a few hours. At the end of the campaign, for his services and zeal, Trimia was rewarded with this double war-hammer of exceptional abilities.
Trimia Death-hammer is a shrieking double war-hammer of impact +5 (1d10 +5 bludgeoning +1d4 +5 piercing, 19-20/x3). The handle of the hammer is in pure adamantium, while the two heads are carved in mithral and crested by tiny black diamond tips for extra damage. Such a design makes Trimia Death-Hammer one of the most lethal weapons in the realms. Every time Trimia hits an enemy, the weapon shrieks upon impact, thus forcing the foe to save on Will (DC 20) or remain deaf for 1d4 rounds. Three times a day, as free action, the hammer can simulate upon impact the effects of the spell Shock (as Wiz 10). Finally, one time a week, Trimia is able to duplicate the effects of the spell Quake as a Cleric 20.
Post edited by Moradin on

Comments

  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    Very nice stuff! I especially enjoyed reading about Sheliak! But out of curiosity, isn't the damage way too high for that weapon?
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Thalanthyr had a daughter? Is this lore? It would definitely help me understand his grumpiness a bit better. I imagine losing a child to be the saddest thing that can happen to any parent.

    My knowledge of D&D is based solely on BG, IWD, and PS:T (and some handbooks), but your descriptions fit in seamlessly with item descriptions in the games I mentioned.
    Some of the items would also be great material for mods. There are mods that introduce items into the game with rather lousy item descriptions, but that's not something that would apply to your items. So hats off to you.
  • MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
    edited March 2015
    Fomer Strongarm

    History is full of formidable figures, heroes that inspired their generation, diplomats that working in the shadows prevented catastrophic wars, noble men and women that stood up for what was right and just. Many of these heroes might have had notoriety while alive, but most of them for one reason or another were soon forgotten once they died. Sadly, Fomer Strongarm is part of this category of legends fallen into oblivion. He was once part of the Eldritch War Sorcerers, a group devoted to bringing justice and righteousness to a land far removed in time and space. During the War of the Planes, he was leading the charge against an entire legion of golems at the orders of Akmar the archmage. It is said that the Eldritch knights fought valiantly that day, but the enemy was too strong, their numbers too many and one by one the knights started to fall. Convinced that killing the archmage would tip the balance of the battle to his side, Fomer concentrated all his powerful war magic channeling into his sword, which right then and there became an object of pure destruction. Wielding the sword, in a few seconds he was able to carve a path to advance against Akmar, but right when the two combatants were engaged in single battle, Fomer became overpowered by the devastating energy that he himself had created. He was met by a brutal death, disintegrated by a devastating conflagration of magic. He never knew that the enemy he was facing shared the same fate. What remained of the two was just a speck of dust and this sword, a reminder of the sacrifice of its creator. The weapon lost considerable power that day, but it is still an impressive creation, which only the pure of heart can wield. Although the weapon is not sentient, a residue of its creator still inhabits the sword. As such, the weapon will accept to be wielded only by LG, NG or LN characters. Upon contact with a suitable wielder, the weapon will demand a self-sacrifice to attune itself to him. If the owner accepts this sacrifice, he/she immediately loses 10 HP. This loss is permanent and cannot be brought back by anything short of a Miracle. At this point, the weapon will disclose all its secret and the story behind its creation.

    Fomer Strongarm is a +4 keen weightless great-sword of strength. It offers the wielder an enhancement bonus of +4 to strength. The weightless enchantment adds an additional +1 to to-hit roll on top of the +4 enhancement bonus; also, being weightless means it can be easily wielded even by characters that are not normally trained in the use of martial weapons.

    If wielded by characters of alignments other than the ones stated above, the weapon will withdraw all its enchantments, regressing to a simple masterwork great-sword. Additionally, the wielder will start loosing 1 HP per round till the weapon is dropped to the floor. Fomer Strongarm, +5 to hit, 2d6+4, 17-20/x2.
  • MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
    Larloch's Immediate Non-Healing (Necromancy/Evil)

    Level: Wiz/Sorc 7
    Components: V
    Casting Time: 1 standard action
    Range: touch
    Target: creature touched
    Duration: instantaneous
    Saving Throw: Will (harmless)
    Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

    The Shadow King is not known to share the spells he develops, but sometime after the Time of Troubles he was reported to have met with a handful of powerful necromancers across Faerun, describing this spell and its effects. It is said that this was one of the very first spells Larloch developed shortly after he welcomed unlife on himself. By his own words, the release of the spell is part of a deal he stroke with Mystra, goddess of Magic, in a combined effort to steer the Necromancy school away from Shar's grasps. The other end of the deal has so far remained unknown.

    Similarly to the clerical Harm spell, Larloch's Immediate Non-Healing enables the caster to channel negative energy into an undead creature (or into the caster, if the situation so requires...), to wipe away injury and restore 10 hit points of damage per level of the caster (max 200 points at 20th level). Unlike Harm, this spell can be cast by voice only, making it quite handy when it comes to battle. Allied undead have the right to a saving throw to negate the effects (Will, harmless). Creatures that are not undead are unaffected by this spell.




    Larloch's Violation (Necromancy/Evil)

    Level: Wiz/Sorc 9
    Components: V, S, M, XP
    Casting Time: 24 h/lev (see text)
    Range: touch
    Target: touched creature
    Duration: instantaneous
    Saving Throw: Will negates; Fortitude half
    Spell Resistance: Yes

    Drawing from the primitive power hidden in the negative plane, in casting this spell the wizard is able to strip the touched creature of shreds of his own experience. The target has the right to a saving throw on Will to negate the effects. If the saving throw fails, the target is not able to arrest the mental assault of the caster that, tapping into the target's abilities, is able to "steal" 1d4 +2 feats from the target and add them to his own pool of feats. The target looses the ability to use these feats for 24 hours for caster level, while the person casting the spell can use them for 10 minutes for caster level. Tapping into the negative plane has its own cost though: after the spell is cast, the caster looses 5000 XP, while the target suffers from 1d10 magical damages per each caster level (max 20d10 at lev 20). The target is entitled a saving throw on Fortitude for half the damage.

    Material component: 10 drops of virgin's blood.
    Focus: shred of undead creature with 15 or more HDs.
  • MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
    Egg-cracker
    image

    This object appears as nothing more than an unremarkable wooden hammer, similar to those that nobility of all realms fancy using to crack open freshly boiled eggs for their morning breakfast. It is about 20 cm long, 300 gr in weigh and its tapered walnut handle is crested by a gold dipped, but sturdy head. To a superficial analysis (Identify, 1 day), the hammer gives off a faint aura of Divination and Conjuration, due to its ability of identify and remove at will any poison and otherwise mortal toxins from food and beverages. When this capacity is activated, the head of the hammer shines briefly of a golden-green light. The object was enchanted in such a way to serve a powerful gnomish Pasha from Calimshan, whose name has long since been forgotten.
    To a more careful investigation (Identify, 3 days/Analyze Dweomer), the tiny hammer emanates a strong Abjuration aura due to other, more powerful enchantments. The hammer recounts that, after avoiding a poisoning attempt, the Pasha became so paranoid as to ask the hammer that saved him to be potentiated, so that it could protect him not only against mundane poisons, but also against more sophisticated attacks. Twice a day, the hammer can be hurled against an enemy as a +2 ranged weapon (range increment 15 meters). If the hammer hits, it delivers 1d2 +2 bludgeoning damages and stuns the enemy for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude negates, DC 20). The following round, the hammer flies back to its owner's hand. If the target is a magic user of any kind, the hammer is able to remove 1d4 spells of the highest level from the target's mind (lev 6 spells max; Will negates, DC 25 for the first spell, -1 for every following spell). Bards, Sorcerers and other classes that do not normally prepare spells each day instead lose spell slots of the maximum spell level they could use for the day, as if they had already used those slots. Any spells (or spell slots) so absorbed are stored in the hammer as raw magical energy. Finally, once a day, the strength of the stolen spells can be fueled to protect whomever in that moment holds the object. The spells that the hammer can replicate are: Shield, Protection from Elements, Stone Skin and Globe of Invulnerability (all as Wiz 18). The wielder of the hammer can decide which spell to activate as a free action. Absorbing a spell from lev 1 to 3 is able to power Shield and Protection from Elements, while absorbing a spell from lev 4 to 6 can power Stone skin and Globe of Invulnerability. At all moments, a maximum of 2 spells can be activated in such a manner.

    The magical energy derived from stolen spells remains stored in the hammer's head for up to 10 days unless utilized, after which if not used the energy is dispersed with no further consequences.
  • MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
    edited March 2015
    Saighentrel, Harvester of Souls (LN sentient primordial artifact, Int 18, Wis 28, Cha 12)

    Why is it that Man fears the dark? Some say it is because the dark is where Death hides in waiting. But who or what is really Death? Philosophers and scholars debate whether Death ever existed before the creation of the multiverse: some say it was a consequence of this creation, some go as far as to propose that Death and Ao must be the same being. The truth is, Lord Ao created Death from the same primordial essence he used to give birth to the twin goddesses Selune and Shar. In a primitive world without time, He felt it necessary to separate what it was from what it will be, so that His creation Abeir-Toril could evolve of its own volition. For this reason, He created Death not as a God, but rather as an external "entity". He then assigned to this entity the responsibility of putting an end to "what it is", and thus of separating things that have passed from those that will be. Although the Grim Reaper does not technically respond to the God of the Dead, his work is very often in sintony to Kelemvor's teachings. In any case, should there be a different God or Goddess of the Dead like it happened in the past, Death will always remain Lawful Neutral, and will continue to carry out the task assigned to him by Ao for all eternity.

    Saighentrel the Harvester of Souls was created as time began by Death himself, to help him in the task assigned by Lord Ao. It is a sentient, brilliant energy, razor-keen, undead bane scythe +5. It can be concealed at will by Death. It is capable of killing virtually anyone, deities included if their time has come and the action is coherent to its lawfulness. It appears as a large scythe, completely black safe for the blade. The material of its forge is now known, but it is similar in consistence to dark wood, with the exception that the handle seems to alter slightly its appearance every now and then. Its serrated edge is so frightening to the eye that the first time anyone looks at it, a saving throw is required to avoid dying on the spot (Fortitude DC 25, as Finger of Death, Wiz 20).The brilliant energy ability allows the weapon to strike ignoring nonliving matter between the weapon and the target (armor and shields, including enhancement bonuses), and it makes the blade shine of a tremulous light unless concealed. The undead bane enchantment allows it to strike as a +7 weapon and to add an additional 2d6 points of damage against such creatures, an insult to the very essence of Death. The razor-keen enchantment is quite unique: it allows to double the critical range of the weapon and additionally to add an extra die to damage rolls on critical hits.
    Saighentrel obeys exclusively to Death. It is Lawful Neutral in alignment and lives only to serve its master. It is said that it speaks to the Grim Reaper on occasion, through its deep and obscure voice, mentioning deeds and accomplishments of the victims whose souls it is about to take. The souls of anyone slain by Saighentrel appear shortly after death directly in front of the God of the Dead Kelemvor, for the final judgment. These souls can be brought back to life only through a Miracle or a Wish or through a direct intervention of a major deity. If this happens, Saighentrel would frown if it had a face, but will not speak against it. All things will eventually have to pass anyway.

    Saighentrel, Harvester of Souls, 2d6 + 5 (4d6 +7 against undead), 19-20/x5.
    Post edited by Moradin on
  • hisplshispls Member Posts: 166
    "Decanter of endless water". An obscure and useless bit of miscellaneous magic from the original DM guide + permanent "bless" spell (by means of a WISH) = Infinite hoser of undead.

    I let the party use it for a while since they were clever enough to break such a seemingly pointless item then took it away. I mean really, when I rolled up that bit of random treasure I thought "awesome some complete junk yet the only magical loot in the hoard LOL"

    I used to like giving out powerful items but they're always easy come-easy go. To gain audience with a king or duke a powerful item must be given. Need a temple's healing, you'd best donate. Need to barter away a powerful item for a mandatory quest item/info. Or simple theft. The party thief isn't the only cutpurse in the realms. Generally when not required for the plot I'd always stick to the stuff in the old books since they had tables to roll for treasures and treasure rolls for each monster.

  • MoradinMoradin Member Posts: 372
    @hispls : This is not a criticism, but I respectfully disagree with your view. It's the DM's responsibility to balance the game however he feels, but I don't believe in punishing gamers because they came up with an idea you as a DM did not consider. Even a simple butter-knife can be dangerous in the right circumstance, doesn't matter how many +5 weapons one has.
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