Post by Elliot Kane on Jul 13, 2008 1:38:34 GMT
In the course of my old (Rather long) campaign, I and my friends developed a number of magical weapon properties. Most of these have a chance of activation rather similar to that of a Vorpal sword, so you have to roll an X or better on a to hit roll before the weapon performs its special function. No modifications are allowed to this die roll, so if your weapon says '18+' you have to actually roll an 18, 19 or 20.
The chance could drop as low as 14+ on a number of weapons we created, though I'd not recommend that for most campaigns. Just looking at what some of these things do should tell you that, though, I'm sure ;D
I'm writing this list for general interest, and in the sincere hope of giving a few GMs (Or their players) nightmares! ;D
I can't find a lot of my old notes, so the list is probably not complete, but hopefully you guys & gals will find it interesting anyway
Weapon Properties
The following properties require a roll of X+
Reaver - destroys the opponent's weapon
Cleaver - destroys the opponent's shield or armour
Cutter - cuts the opponent in half, either crosswise or lengthwise. Usually results in instant death.
Heartseeker - direct hit to the heart results in instant death. Well, to normal living creatures, at least. Useful for arrows. Obviously may not be used on bludgeoning weapons.
Spell Cleaver - negates incoming spells directly targeted at the wielder if a successful roll is made.
Skull Splitter - Kind of Vorpal from the other angle, you might say ;D
Stunner - stuns opponent as per Power Word Stun but with no hp limit. Useful for taking prisoners.
Crusher - the blunt weapon version of Sharpness. Shatters rather than severs a limb, but makes it unusable in similar regard.
Rotter - opponent decays rapidly to nothing.
The following weapon properties are constant and require no die roll:
Biter - deals double damage on a successful hit
Warp - weapon will pass through non-living matter as if it does not exist. This negates physical armour etc, but can be more of a curse if you are fighting, say, Stone Golems...
Discretionary Warp - only Warps hen the wielder desires. Requires an intelligent weapon.
Holding - weapon is never dropped and wielder may never be disarmed. Think of it like superglue, although the wielder can let go if they wish.
Unholy Destroyer - opposite of a Holy Avenger
Duster - opponent's body turns to dust when killed. This does not include items.
Supreme - more powerful than a normal item of its type, it negates most normal resistances against its abilities. A 'Supreme Reaver' for example would be able to destroy any weapon with 'Indestructible' on it. This property is usually found only on artifacts.
Switchblade - turns any special X+ abilities of any weapon used against the wielder back upon the attacker. Anyone with a Switchblade LOVES to be attacked by people with Vorpal swords ;D
Quickness - wielder attacks first. Two people with Quickness would roll for initiative against each other normally.
Ancestral Weapon - this weapon gains power for each generation of the same family who wields it, drawing strength from the continuity of the line, as it were. This is a great way to create a powerful weapon for your villain that becomes crap when your heroes get their hands on it ;D Any new owner starts at 'generation one' though there is no True Ownership on these weapons as such.
General item properties
These may be placed on a weapon or any other kind of magical item.
Indestructible - Item cannot be destroyed by normal means (Including Reavers)
Immutable - cannot be shape changed or otherwise transmuted.
Magic immune - will not be destroyed by magical attack.
True Ownership - the item may only be used by its owner. The owner of the item is the first person to pick it up after the last owner dies. An item with True Ownership will always find its way back to its owner and simply will not work for any other person in any situation whatsoever. This may of course be good or bad...
Bodily Strength - wearer is immune to all weapon properties that cause limb loss or other types of bifurcation. Also protects from Heartseeker.
Non-Impeded - nothing can block the properties of this item from working. There are no immunities or resistances to it (Though normal saving throws apply). Use only on serious artifacts and never at anything less than very high level. It's a game breaker, otherwise.
***
As a side note, I had an artifact scale that ran roughly as follows:
Minor - may be anything a bit out of the unusual and rare enough to count.
Major - very rare item with a few useful properties and one or two exceptional abilities.
Lesser - utterly supreme at what it does, a Lesser Artifact is incredibly rare and incredibly scary.
Greater - don't ask. You don't want to know ;D
The chance could drop as low as 14+ on a number of weapons we created, though I'd not recommend that for most campaigns. Just looking at what some of these things do should tell you that, though, I'm sure ;D
I'm writing this list for general interest, and in the sincere hope of giving a few GMs (Or their players) nightmares! ;D
I can't find a lot of my old notes, so the list is probably not complete, but hopefully you guys & gals will find it interesting anyway
Weapon Properties
The following properties require a roll of X+
Reaver - destroys the opponent's weapon
Cleaver - destroys the opponent's shield or armour
Cutter - cuts the opponent in half, either crosswise or lengthwise. Usually results in instant death.
Heartseeker - direct hit to the heart results in instant death. Well, to normal living creatures, at least. Useful for arrows. Obviously may not be used on bludgeoning weapons.
Spell Cleaver - negates incoming spells directly targeted at the wielder if a successful roll is made.
Skull Splitter - Kind of Vorpal from the other angle, you might say ;D
Stunner - stuns opponent as per Power Word Stun but with no hp limit. Useful for taking prisoners.
Crusher - the blunt weapon version of Sharpness. Shatters rather than severs a limb, but makes it unusable in similar regard.
Rotter - opponent decays rapidly to nothing.
The following weapon properties are constant and require no die roll:
Biter - deals double damage on a successful hit
Warp - weapon will pass through non-living matter as if it does not exist. This negates physical armour etc, but can be more of a curse if you are fighting, say, Stone Golems...
Discretionary Warp - only Warps hen the wielder desires. Requires an intelligent weapon.
Holding - weapon is never dropped and wielder may never be disarmed. Think of it like superglue, although the wielder can let go if they wish.
Unholy Destroyer - opposite of a Holy Avenger
Duster - opponent's body turns to dust when killed. This does not include items.
Supreme - more powerful than a normal item of its type, it negates most normal resistances against its abilities. A 'Supreme Reaver' for example would be able to destroy any weapon with 'Indestructible' on it. This property is usually found only on artifacts.
Switchblade - turns any special X+ abilities of any weapon used against the wielder back upon the attacker. Anyone with a Switchblade LOVES to be attacked by people with Vorpal swords ;D
Quickness - wielder attacks first. Two people with Quickness would roll for initiative against each other normally.
Ancestral Weapon - this weapon gains power for each generation of the same family who wields it, drawing strength from the continuity of the line, as it were. This is a great way to create a powerful weapon for your villain that becomes crap when your heroes get their hands on it ;D Any new owner starts at 'generation one' though there is no True Ownership on these weapons as such.
General item properties
These may be placed on a weapon or any other kind of magical item.
Indestructible - Item cannot be destroyed by normal means (Including Reavers)
Immutable - cannot be shape changed or otherwise transmuted.
Magic immune - will not be destroyed by magical attack.
True Ownership - the item may only be used by its owner. The owner of the item is the first person to pick it up after the last owner dies. An item with True Ownership will always find its way back to its owner and simply will not work for any other person in any situation whatsoever. This may of course be good or bad...
Bodily Strength - wearer is immune to all weapon properties that cause limb loss or other types of bifurcation. Also protects from Heartseeker.
Non-Impeded - nothing can block the properties of this item from working. There are no immunities or resistances to it (Though normal saving throws apply). Use only on serious artifacts and never at anything less than very high level. It's a game breaker, otherwise.
***
As a side note, I had an artifact scale that ran roughly as follows:
Minor - may be anything a bit out of the unusual and rare enough to count.
Major - very rare item with a few useful properties and one or two exceptional abilities.
Lesser - utterly supreme at what it does, a Lesser Artifact is incredibly rare and incredibly scary.
Greater - don't ask. You don't want to know ;D
