d20 Genjitsu Games Blades of Purpose - Sentient Items.pdf - Genjitsu Games - R5700

Blades of Purpose

SentientItemsbyNevinFlanagan

Introduction

MichaelMoorcockprobablydidn’tguesswhat

hewasstartingwhenhewroteastoryfeaturing

asentientsword,butfantasygameshavemade

abundantuseoftheideasince.Thepowerofthese

bladeshasremainedanundeniablelureforsome

people,whilethechallengeofbendingapowerful

bladetoyourwillhasattractedothers,despite—or

evenbecauseof—thepotentialdangers.

Thed20systemhasopenedupthebeneitsof

intelligencetoanykindofmagicalitem,creating

wholenewworldsofpossibility.Idecidedtoex-

plorethesepossibiltiesalittle,creatingavariety

ofaccessories,armorand—yes—weaponswith

variouspersonalitiesandabilities,suretoadd

varietytoyourgameandprovideinspirationfor

yourowninventions.

parentasthemoon’srelectiononwater.The

bladeshinesfaintly,onlyashimmerindaylight

butclearlyvisibleintwilightordarkness

(althoughitonlydimlyilluminatesthe

5-ft.-diameterareawheretheholderis

standing).

Asukamatsu,theMoon’sEdge: +2brilliant

energyfrostscythe ,overcomesdamagereduc-

tionasasilverweapon;ALNG;Int14,Wis

14,Cha10;Speech,120ft.visionandhear-

ing;Ego18.

LesserPowers: Faerieire 3/day, dazemon-

ster 3/day.

Dedicatedpurpose: Containlycanthropy.

SpecialPower: TouchofBelladonna.Onthe

threenightsofthefullmoon,Asukamatsuhas

theabilitytoattempttocurealycanthrope(af-

lictedornatural)withaspecialcoupdegrace

attempt;thismustbedeclaredbeforemaking

theattempt.Rolldamageforacriticalhit;the

lycanthropetakesthatmuchStrengthdamage

insteadofhitpointdamage.Additionally,the

lycanthropemustmakebothaWillsaveanda

Fortitudesave(DCforbothequalstheStrength

damagedealt).FailingtheWillsavemeans

thatthelycanthropecannotassumehybridor

animalformuntilthenextfullmoon;failing

—NevinFlanagan

The Items

Asukamatsu, the Moon’s Edge

Appearance: Acurvingdarkwoodhaftwitha

faintsilverysheen,sportingalong,curvingblade

likeacrescentmoonattheend,thinandtrans-

theFortitudesavemeansthatthelycanthrope

breaksitscurse(ifanaflictedlycanthrope)oris

hereaftertreatedasanaflictedlycanthrope(if

natural).(Anaturallycanthropewhobecomes

aflictedcanbecuredentirelyduringthenext

fullmoon.)

Additionally,theholdercannotcontract

lycanthropy,andanaflictedlycanthropeis

notsubjecttohiscurseaslongashecarries

Asukamatsu.

History: TheseeressSugikooriginallyuseda

divinescythetosubdueroguewerewolvesand

otherlycanthropesintheserviceofthemoon

goddess,andtokillthosewhocouldnotcontrol

themselves.Hersister,thesingerMatsuko,told

heronenightthatsheknewofadangerouswolf-

spiritlivingnearthevillageandledSugikooutto

confrontit.Matsukohopedthatno-onebuther

sisterwouldlearnthatshehadcontractedthe

curse,andfreeherofitbeforeitdestroyedher

life.Unfortunately,Sugikowastooshockedwhen

heryoungersisterbecameawolftoreact,and

wasbadlysavagedbeforesherestoredMatsuko

toherself.WhenMatsukorecoveredandsawher

sisterbleedingfromadozencursedwounds,the

twotogethercreatedasongofdivineprayerthat

gavethescytheasoulandthepowertoblock

themoon’scursefromitsholder.

Asukamatsuisnowaboutsixtyyearsold,and

haspassedthroughthreeothersetsofhands.

Itiscurrentlycarriedbythewanderinghunter

BrimeneraAstori,afemalehalf-elfPal9/Rgr1

withhumanoid(shapechanger)asafavored

enemyandacelestialdirewolfasaspecial

mount(-2toeffectivepaladinleveltodetermine

mountabilities).

Personality: Asukamatsuisfairlyplacid,

whichisfortunateforitswielder,asitpossesses

considerabledivinepowerandcanoverpower

orrestrainmostwieldersifmovedtoit.Itsvoice

hasacool,stillqualitytoitwhenitchoosesto

speak,althoughitrarelyofferscounselunless

therearelycanthropesnearbyoritfeelsthat

thepeoplearounditaremakingrashdecisions

basedonhot-bloodedinclinations.Itconveys

aserenequalityonallproceedingsinwhichit

involvesitself,anddislikesactingintheheat

ofanypassion.

Conlicts: Asukamatsuismostlikelytoas-

sertitselfwhenitspossessorignoresrumorsof

lycanthropescausingtrouble,aswellasonthe

irstfullmoonofeachseason,whenitwillmove

itswieldertogooutatnightandhuntshape-

shiftersordangerousanimals.Italsoattempts

torestrainitsholderfromactingtooquicklyin

thethroesofpowerfulemotion;itdoesnotad-

vocateunfeelingrationality,butratherworries

thatill-consideredactionsleadtoregrettable

consequences.

indesign.Eachsportsalinkortwoofbroken

chain.Onehasasullenredundertonetoits

color,theothersportsafaintbluesheenlikea

touchofchrome.

TheBrothersofIceandFire: Bracersof

armor+3 ;ALLN/CN;Int12,Wis16,Cha

14;Speech,120ft.visionandhearing,60ft.

darkvision;Ego15.

LesserPowers: Faerieire 3/day, holdperson

3/day,10ranksinDiplomacy(totalmodiier

+12).

Special: Acharacterwearingthebracers

addstheicyburstspecialqualitytohisattacks

withoneist,andthelamingburstqualityto

hisattackswiththeotherist.Normally,the

charactercanchooseinanygivenroundwhich

energytoaddtoanygivenattack,butwhen

usedforalurryofblowsorotherunarmedfull

attack,atleastoneattackatthehighestbonus

mustbeofeachenergytype.

History: VegramohrandBalgamohrwere

twinbrothers,deeplybondedinspiritbut

alwaysatodds.Whiletheywerebothdoughty

soulsandcouldusuallyagreeonwhattodo,

howtoaccomplishitwasalwaysamatterfor

discussion.Balgamohrwashastyandenthu-

siastic,readytostrikedownanyfoewiththe

mightofhisists;Vegramohrwascontempla-

tiveanddisciplined,determinedtoindtheone

keystoneofanyproblemthatwouldunravelit

withtheminimumofrisk.Despitetheircon-

stantarguments,thetwowereinseparableand

The Brothers of Ice and Fire

Appearance: Apairofwell-craftedbut

slightlyarchaicmithrilmanacles,verysimple

togetheraccomplishedmanyfeats,including

slayingtheHawksphinxofAngradel,clearing

theblockedpassofMishvort,andfreeingthe

cityofAchasandanifromapowerfuloverlord

calledtheMindlordofMenglar(anunbodied

telepath4/thrallherd6).Itwasthislastquest

thatbegantheirdefeat,fortheywereaccom-

paniedbythespiritualistVirumal,andinthe

courseoftheirtrialsbothbrothersfellfastlyin

lovewithher.

Attractedtoboth,unabletochoose,Virumal

leftthemtosettleherheart,leavingthebrothers

wrestlingwiththeirstconlictthattheycould

notoverlook.Vegramohrboastedirst,ofhis

plantounearththelosttreasureofLunacosia

singlehandedly,butthenBalgamohr,standing

inthepublicsquareofSalagar,sworedrunk-

enlythathewouldoverthrowthecity’ssultan

andliberatehisoppressedpeople(thesultanof

Salagar,thoughpettyandlargelyunconcerned

withthewelfareofhiscommonfolk,normally

stillfellfarshortofbeingatyrant).

Nottoosurprisingly,bothbrotherswerein

chainsbeforemorning.

WhileVirumalcouldn’tmakeaclearchoice

betweenthetwo,shewashardlyabouttolet

thembothbeexecuted.Sheslippedintothe

palace,foundthecellthatheldthem,andurged

themtofollowherout.Thebrothers,unfortu-

nately,felltoarguingoverVirumalastheyleft,

andweresurroundedbypalaceguardsina

matterofminutes.

Despitebeingmanacledtogetheratthewrist,

BalgamohrandVegramohrfoughtback-to-back

withthegreatestvalorforseveralminutes,de-

featingoverfortyofthesultan’sforcesbefore

beingkilledwithinsecondsofeachother.The

chainthatboundtheirwristswaslaterusedto

bindtherebelMontsaionhiswaytotheblock,

butheinvokedthespiritsthathadbeenbound

withinthemetal,andescapedintotheworld

atlarge,takingthebrotherswithhim.

Personality: Therearetwodistinct

personalitiesanchoredtothemithral

shackles;Vegramarisalawfulneutral

monk,carefulandcalculatinginhis

approachtoeveryproblem,while

Balgamohrisachaoticneutral

barbarian,eagertogetinto

thethickofanychallengeand

learnbydoing.Anyone

wearing(ortraveling

withthewearerof)

these bracers must

endurelongstretchesof

incessantbickeringbe-

tweenthetwoastheydispute

thecorrectapproachtotaketo

anychallenge.

Conlicts: Thebrothersrarely

force dominance on their

wearerbutfrequentlyoffer

theirassistancewhencombat

gets heated. However, the

wearermayneedtomakeanEgocheckifhe

displaysbehaviortoomuchlikeoneofthe

brothers(excessivecautionorrecklessaction).

Ifthewearerlosesdominanceinsuchasitua-

tion,thepersonalitythatemergesisalwaysthe

brotherwiththeoppositetendency;inother

situations,thereisa50%chanceofeither

personalitycomingtothesurface.

Whileeitherpersonalityisdominant,the

otherisboundwithintheshackles,causing

bothiststostrikewiththesametype

ofenergy.WhenVegramaremerges,

thebracersaddfiredamagetothe

wearer’sfists,andthewearergains

anadditional+5bonustoACaslong

asheisabletomoveand

react.IfBalgamohrisin

control,thewearergains

a+2bonustoStrength

andConstitution,and

bothbracersaddice

damagetothewearer’s

strikes.

Whenevereitherbroth-

erhasbeenincontrolfor

iverounds,thewearermay

checktoregaindominance.

Successmeansthatherecov-

erscontrol;failuremeans

that the other brother

seizesdominancefrom

theirstone.

The Elfeater

highpriestesswhodwelttheretobetheslave

andplaythingofhistroops,theelvengoddess

ofmagiclentherpowertothegeneralBrim-

inestosLongfeather,andheslewAlboshwarg

anddispersedhishorde.

Afterivehundredyearshadpassed,when

theelvesweresystematicallydrivingtheorcs

backintotheircavesandsealingthemthere,the

orcishrangerGobrodclimbedtoAlboshwarg’s

ancientforgeinsearchofinspirationtohelpfree

hispeopleandfoundtheElfeaterrestinginthe

weaponstand,untouchedbytime.Withitshelp

hewasabletoloosentheelvenstrangleholdon

theorcsofNalbomeng,butafterheretiredit

vanishedfromhisarmory.

Sincethen,anorchasbeenabletoretrieve

theElfeaterfromAlboshwarg’seyrieaboutonce

everythreetosixhundredyears,andwielditto

raiseorcs’heartsagainsttheelvishpeople.

Personality: TheElfeaterisspitefulandrevels

intheweaknessofothers.Itloathesthedelicate

strengthoftheelvesandtheirworks,preferring

thestraightforwardpowerandbrutallypureex-

istenceofthehalf-wildorc.Whileighting,it

snarlswordsofdespiteatitstargets,andwhen

usedtoattackanelf,thesewordsareilledwith

messagesofhateandcruelpromisestocarryout

dreadfultorments.

Conlicts: Anynon-orcishcreaturethatpicks

uptheElfeatersuffersonenegativelevelfor

aslongasitcarriestheweapon;thisnegative

leveldoesnotresultinactuallevelloss,but

cannotbeovercomewhiletheweaponisin

thecreature’spossession.Ifthiscreatureisan

elf,theElfeaterwillalsotargetitwithits conta-

gion poweronceanhour,attemptingtoinlict

theelvishcarrierwithilthfever;unlikemost

casesofcontractingadiseasemultipletimes,

multipleinfectionsstack,requiringmultiple

savingthrowsadaytoavoiddamage.

Otherwise,personalityconlictsarisewhen

anon-orcishcreatureirstpicksuptheweapon

(theweaponwillattempttomaketheholder

relinquishit);whenawielderignorestheplight

oforcsfacingexileorextermination(insisting

thatthewielderhelp);orwheneverthewielder

attemptsapeacableinteractionwithanelfof

anykind(theaxewillattempttoforcethe

wieldertodestroytheelves).

Appearance: Asturdywalnutwoodstaff

supportstwodouble-sidedaxeblades.Oneis

amurkyblack;wroughtfromcold-forgediron,

eachlatsideofthisbladesportsanengraving

oftheorcgod’sbalefuleye,centeredarounda

brightredjacinthembeddedinthemetal.This

headisanonintelligent+1unholycoldiron

weapon.Theotherbladeiscraftedofsteel,and

eachhalfofthebladelooksliketheproileof

anorcskull.Thisbladebearstheweapon’s

personality,andthefeaturesoftheorcfaces

sometimesshifttorelecttheweapon’sfeelings

orintentions.

TheElfeater: +2elfbaneorcdoubleaxe ;AL

CE;Int10,Wis17,Cha17;Speech,telepathy,

120ft.darkvisionandhearing;Ego18.

LesserPowers: majorimage 1/day, holdper-

son 3/day,10ranksIntimidate(+13bonus)

Dedicatedpurpose: Deileelvesandtheir

works.

SpecialPower: Contagion.

History: TheElfeaterwascreatedbyAlbosh-

wargtheRed,apowerfulorcwarriorshaman,

astheancientenmitybetweenelvesandorcs

irstbegantosolidify,asagestureofhonorto

hisgod.Withthebladeinhand,heledanor-

cishhordeagainstseveralelvishsettlements,

tearingdowntheirhousesandartworkand

despoilingtheirbodies;butafterherazedthe

elventownshipofMyrmiliaandcastdownthe

Esquiv’s Whirling Blades

Appearance: Twodozenthrowingimple-

mentscraftedfromwhiteadamantine.Each

onelookslikethreecrescentmoonsinterlock-

ingaroundacommoncenter,withtheoutside

curvesofthecrescentsrazorsharpandthe

insidesdullerforhookingorcatching.Thelat

sidesofthecrescentsarescribedwithknotwork

designs.

Esquiv’sWhirlingBlades: 24 +1dancing

defendingreturningadamantineshuriken ;AL

CN;Int10,Wis14,Cha14;Speech,empathy,

60ft.visionandhearing;Ego20.

LesserPowers: Spot10ranks(+11), daze

monster 3/day.

GreaterPower: Bladeswarm 3/day;the

entirecollectionmaybeloosed,whirlingand

orbitingthrougha5-ft.space,abletomoveand

attackatthewielder’sdirectionortheirown

whim.Exceptforthefactthatitoccupiesonly

asinglespace,treatthiseffectasaswarmwith

thefollowingstatistics:

Esquiv’sBladeSwarm: DiminutiveConstruct

(Swarm);HD4d10+3(25hp);+6initiative;

Speedly40ft.(perfect);AC20(touch16,lat-

footed18);BA/Gr+2/—;Attackswarm(1d6

adamantineslashing);Sp/Re10ft./0ft.;SA

distraction(DC12),doubledamagetolawful

creatures;SQimmunetoweapondamage,con-

structtraits,hardness22,halfdamagefromire

andelectricity,one-quarterdamagefromcold,

swarmtraits;Fort+1,Ref+3,Will+2;Str2,

Dex15,Con—,Int10,Wis13,Cha13;Skills:

Listen+6,Search+4,Spot+6;Feats:Improved

Initiative,Toughness;ALCN.

Reducingtheswarmto0hp(whichdoesnot

representdamagetotheindividualshuriken)

dispersesitandleavestheshurikeneffectively

nonmagicalfor1d6rounds.Theswarmalso

loses5hpafteritsactioneachround,butifit

reaches0hpinthismannerthebladesgener-

allyreturntotheirwielderbeforebecoming

inactive.Thewieldercanalsoattempttocall

theswarmbackbeforeitends.

Special: Beingcraftedfromadamantine,

thewhirlingbladesarenotdestroyedorlost

simplybybeingthrown,asmostammunition

orshurikenwouldbe.

History: TherogueEsquivArdlachterfavored

weaponsofthisdesignoriginally,sometimes

forassassinationsbutmostlyfortheirutilityin

severingropes,openingbags,partingbelts,and

otherinventiveapplicationsofasharpedge.

However,herapidlytiredofreplacingthem

wheneverheusedone,andhadtheseblades

wroughtoutofthehardestmetalhecould

ind,topreventthemfrombeingdamagedin

use.However,itwasthemysticMailangStill-

walkerwhoimbuedthebladeswithsentience

afterEsquiv’sdeath,usingtheresiduesofhis

possessivenesstofaciliatetheenchanments

heplacedonthem.Mailangwalkedforthree

yearsthroughlandsbesetbyplagueandfamine,

layingeachthrowingbladeonthebreastofa

dyinginfantsothatasliverofitssoulwould

passintotheblade.

Personality: Thebladesseeminnocentand

childishforthemostpart,fondofimpulsive

actionandthethrillofwhirlingthroughtheair.

Theyspeakwithslightlydifferentvoices,often

inchorus,butoccasionallyfullofdissentand

bickering.

Conlicts: Whilethecollectivewillofthe

bladesisnormallyfun-lovingandfairly“laid-

back,”asbeitstheirchaoticnaturetheyoc-

casionallytakeawhimintotheirmind,which

theywishtoseeindulged.Theymightwantto

exploresomewhere,visitsomeonetheymetbe-

fore,or“tease”aparticularcreatureormonster

theysee,andwhentheygetanotiontheyare

quitepersistentinseeingitthrough.Theywill

startbywheedling,butifignoredtheywillat-

tempttodominatetheirwielderinordertohave

theirdesirefulilled.

Gormel the Witherer

Appearance: Ashort,straighthandleof

mahoganysportsacurvingbladeofengraved

steelatrightanglestothehaft.Ashorthookoff

thebackofthebladehasasmall,sharpened

notchforpruning.

GormeltheWitherer: +2lamingplantbane

kama ;ALLE;Int14,Wis10,Cha14;Speech,

120ft.visionandhearing;Ego14.

Lesserpowers: Diminishplants 1/day, warp

wood 3/day.

DedicatedPurpose: Subjugatenatureand

restrainunbridledgrowth.

SpecialPower: Insectplague .

History: WhentherepublicofGolgociatried

tosubduethenearbytheocracyofAngradel,

theyrapidlyfoundthemselvesheldbackbythe

naturalmightofthepreviouslyunassumingdru-

ids.Golgocia,whichhadasquad-basedmili-

tarycontainingmanyrangersandmonks,bent

thetalentsoftheirartiicersonforgingGormel

andeightotherfast,lightweaponswithpowers

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