Also known as Bloodbringer, this is the most powerful sword of Silvain Darksword, Goddess of War and Seduction (Greater Goddess). She is the wife of Thayathas (Thayathas' bow). Akasha may only be used in the nighttime; if used during the day, it must save vs. spells as a 6th level fighter or turn to ash. If this happens, the sword may be restored to its original form if the ashes are collected and mixed with nine drops of Silvain's blood in its sheath. It is of Chaotic Good alignment and has an intelligence of 17 and ego of 10. The sword speaks most languages, excepting a few rare and secret ones. Its claim to fame is that it can drain life-levels at the rate of 2 per hit if the opponent is 10th level or higher and at the rate of 1 per hit if the opponent is lower than 10th level.
The sword of King Luthon, it was broken in Luthon's fight with Sauron, when Sauron slew the King. The blade was magically repaired, some say with the life force of the deceased king himself, and has appeared in the possession of several great champions of lawful good. The sword is of true-tempered steel, except at a spot about 1/4 of the way up the blade, where a small blue line runs around the outside.
When wielding this two-handed sword +2 in a battle, the user's level is increased by two. All damage is removed from the extra hit points first, and all level drains reduce the levels granted first before affecting the character. After absorbing damage in this manner, the sword cannot grant additional levels for a period of time equal to 1 hour per hit point lost plus 1 day per energy level lost.
There are three swords created by the legendary weapon forger Baarane. They are a long sword, short sword, and bastard sword. All weapons have some properties in common:
Each blade has it's own set of additional properties.
Baarane's Short Sword: It has an intelligence of 15, ego of 8, and is of Good alignment.
Baarane's Bastard Sword: It is non-intelligent, has no ego, and is Neutral in alignment.
Baarane's Long Sword: It has an intelligence of 10, ego of 4, and is of Evil alignment.
The Good and Evil swords were created as an experiment by Baarane. Considering them too powerful, he secured them in a vault, where they were later stolen by adventurers. Outraged and angered, Baarane created the Bastard Sword in order to exact revenge on those who had stolen from him. Expecting that an adventurer's natural curiosity would do his work for him, he presented the Bastard Sword to an adventuring acquaintance as a gift. In time, he knew, someone who used the Bastard Sword would follow it's gentle tugs and... He would have his revenge!
Baarane felt that whatever powers remained in the Bastard Sword after the destruction of the other two would be suitable reward for the warrior strong enough to complete the task. (I ran an entire campaign around the theft, and eventual destruction, of these swords. They can provide a most interesting addition to any storyline... )
The origins of the Bloodblades are uncertain, as is their current number. They are shortswords, one and all, and all bear names such as Leech, Vampire, etc. To those that study the history of these blades, they seem to attach themselves to a "host" for some time, and then move onward. The history of the Four Kingdoms (my home campaign world) is checkered with their appearances and disappearances.
The Bloodblades function as +2 short swords. They have a keen intelligence (no special powers), but an even keener hunger. They demand to be occasionally sated, and will struggle with their masters if they are not. The problem is that blade will not until it has tasted blood (meaning the +2 does not come into effect). This can be accomplished one of two ways; the blood can be drawn from the wielder (causing 2 pts. of damage) or can be drawn from an opponent in normal combat. Once that taste is given, however, the blade becomes difficult to control. It will not be satisfied until it has tasted 17-22 points of blood (1d6+16 - DM determines secretly); if there are no foes present, it will force the wielder to attack friends; if there are no friends, the blade will draw from the wielder. The wielder can attempt to control the blade by sheer force of will; its effective ego is 42. If the character's ego is higher, he can force it back into the sheath even before it has had its fill. Otherwise, he is at the mercy of the blade. It will, however, leap from the sheath at the first opportunity to slash as whomever is nearest (normally the wielder) in its never-ending search for satisfaction. Many wielders have made special provisions to have the blades "bonded" to their sheaths to prevent this occurrence. The blade will need a "refill" every third day or so (this is based on DM discretion, and should not be too regular due to the capricious nature of the blades. Sometimes it may go several days or more than a week without wanting to feed; other times it might want to feed every day - again, DM's discretion).
In addition to its combat bonus of +2, the blades also grant the wielder +1 to his Constitution score.
There are currently three blades known to exist in the Kingdoms; two of them were last seen together, in the possession of the Knights of the Order of Ibrahil, who were taking them to be destroyed at Hellforge. The Knights were never seen again.
Legend speaks of a great, many-hued blade of which the origin has been forgotten, but which was wielded by the great paladin Nord in his single-handed destruction of the Citadel of Conjurers. There he overthrew succubi and glaberzu "beyond number" with his sword Demonbane, and caused the summoned demon-lord Ndulu to flee this plane. Demonbane earned its name in this battle, but its whereabouts now are unknown. Nord vanished shortly after the fall of the citadel, and "not a stone of his keep remained at the breaking of the next dawn," or so write the sages.
With Demonbane in hand, a warrior is rendered immune to all enchantment/charm spells cast by demons, and gains a +3 bonus on saving throws vs. other magical attacks by demons. The user also becomes unusually alert, and can only be surprised with a roll of 1 on d10, regardless of other modifiers. Demonbane glows with a cold, blue light (equal to a light spell in effect) when brought within 60' of a demon, and emits no light at any other time. It can cause a demon's amulet to shatter at a touch (amulet must save vs. disintegration).
The weapon is a bastard sword with a +3 bonus to hit and damage normally, improving to +5 when used against demon-kind. Only fighters and cavaliers and good-aligned members of their subclasses may use this weapon; it falls immediately from the grasp of anyone else who tries to seize it. Naturally, this sword has earned the utter hatred of all demons and can be identified at a glance by any of them. Anyone using this sword gains the instant and permanent wrath of all demons who see him, and they communicate the sword's location and ownership to all their fellows.
The dragons' tongues were forged by a Grandmaster of Balance (in my campaign I have three orders of monks: LN-order of balance, LG-order of flowers, LE-order of darkness) to counter extremes. He wanted to keep the balance, with a powerful weapon that in itself is balanced. He sought out a huge, ancient red dragon and gold dragon and slew them both. These two dragons were the most powerful of their kind and completely, totally opposed in their ethos. With the help of a powerful wizard and Primus, God of Nirvana, he fused the tongues of the two dragons together to create a powerful, but highly unstable, instrument of neutrality. He used this two handed sword to keep the balance in his realm for five years at which point the opposed spirits within the sword split apart in a fiery cataclysm and were tossed to opposite ends of the planet. Now, only in time of great need can one of great power and representative of neutrality call upon the two swords to join together to put down an extreme.
Dragonswords have the following abilities:
Probably made during one of the Goblin Wars by an elvish smith, Glamdring has a long history of use against the goblins, among whom the sword is known as Beater. Its identity as Foe Hammer came from its use by the warrior-mage Jog-gur during the War of Alacrity between the nation-states of Cormyr and Dragoth. Glamdring has passed through many hands, never staying in the possession of one owner for an extended period. Its last owner was a bard from High-hold, who disappeared some three decades ago while on a quest.
Glamdring is an intelligent longsword +3. This chaotic good intelligent sword delights in killing enemies - the sword can cause confusion up to twice each day. In addition, it causes double damage on all hits. Glamdring communicates via empathy with its wielder, who feels joy and excitement when fighting. The sword has an Intelligence of 13 and an Ego of 12.
Due to its history and reputation, it is instantly recognizable to any goblin, hobgoblin, or orc that sees it. It causes them to check moral immediately, at a -2 penalty. The wielder of the Foe Hammer will immediately become the enemy of all goblins, should his identity become known.
The sword of the first Anti-Paladin, Gurthang was thought destroyed in the 1st Great War. It has since reappeared, wreaking great havoc and death wherever it appears. The sword is a bastard sword of a great meteorite/iron alloy, with a platinum and gem-studded pommel and guard.
Any evil character may use it as a +2 bastard sword. If an anti-paladin should gain the use of this sword, its true powers are activated, for Gurthang is a Unholy Avenger +6. Its powers include: 50% magic resistance created in a 20' radius, the anti-paladin can dispel magic at up to 100' away at a level equal to his current one, inflict double damage (4d4+6 / 4d8+6 or 2d8+6 / 2d12+6) on good opponents, and cause quadruple damage (8d4+6 / 8d8+6 or 4d8+6 / 4d12+6) on lawful good opponents.
If Gurthang is handled by a non-evil character, 3-30 points of damage are received, and the character is stunned for 1-4 turns.
Juris Est is an artifact that was created by the lords of Law. It was many years in the making, and has many wonderful powers. Highly Intelligent (20), it communicates telepathically with its wielder. It has a rather forceful ego (20). Juris Est is lawfully-aligned, but the exact preference seems to be a bit of a mystery.
Juris Est is a +5 vorpal bastard sword with full disrupting powers (as per a mace of disruption). It causes triple damage to any chaotic creature it hits. It also possesses several spell-like powers:
In addition, Juris Est is capable of sharing its intellectual powers with its wielder. This comes in the form of psionic ability. When the wielder is gripping the sword, the following psionic powers are gained: 400 psionic strength points, all attack and defense modes, major psionic disciplines of telekinesis and energy control, minor disciplines of ESP, empathy, levitation and precognition. Note that these powers are cumulative with any the wielder currently has. All results from psionic combat affect the wielder. Jurist Est recovers psionic strength points in the following manner: 24 points/hour if non of its powers are used and it is not used in combat, 12 points/hour if only the protection/detection powers are used, 3 points/hour if used in combat, and none if any psionic power, lightning bolt, or resurrection effect is used.
Note that to use any powers of Juris Est, the sword's pommel must be firmly grasped.
Also know variously as "Mage Bane", "Mage Striker", "Fighters Dream", and "Tripple Forged" through its long history. It is approximately 45 inches long with a blue crystal blade embedded with 4 black opals around which runes are etched (though they are invisible to the naked eye). The hand guard is made of glass (glassteel) in the shape of a snake about to strike. The handle is made from a single (black) dragon's tooth, which magically shapes itself to fit the wielders hand. The handle is partially hollow, the gap snuggly fitting a diamond. The diamond is magical and has unknown powers. The pommel is made of the same substance as the blade and is spherical (unscrews).
There are two versions regarding the creation of this blade:
It was created by three triplets. All three were mages, one a Wild Mage, the second an Invoker, the third an arch-Mage. Made to be the bane of mages, it was given to the youngest of the three, in order to kill their father. Of the three sisters, two died trying to keep the sword a secret, leaving the youngest to carry out the deed. The runes on it though, were weakening her, much as they had her sisters, increasing her hatred for her father. The two fought, and as she struck the killing blow, he also lashed out, killing her in one foul swoop. Their gigantic contest contained so much power that the very crust of the earth was weakened and it opened up beneath them. The sword is thought lost.
It was in fact created by one of Mystra's twin daughters. This sword is meant to be wielded by her champion in order to wipe all Wizards from the realms.
The sword is equal to a bastard sword +3, +5 vs. Magic-using creatures, +7 vs. Human and Demi-human Mages. "Magic-using" includes dragons and creatures with innate magical abilities. When drawn from its scabbard, all the gems on the scabbard sparkle and glitter, and the snake hisses. A field of anti-magic comes into affect centered on, but not affecting, the wielder. It lasts as long as the blade is unsheathed. This happens up to three times every 24 hours and is equivalent to a mage casting dispel magic at the level of the wielder. Additionally, one of the following effects take place:
| d20 Roll | Spell Effect | # of uses |
|---|---|---|
| 1-8 | Gust of Wind | 5/day |
| 9-12 | Monster Summoning IV | 3/day |
| 13-15 | Great Shout | 2/day |
| 16-17 | Animate Dead | 2/day |
| 18 | Death Spell | 1/day |
| 19 | Finger of Death | 1/day |
| 20 | Power Word, Fire | 1/week |
If the number of uses has been exceeded with the time frame, roll again. All function at the level of the wielder or 20th level, whichever is higher.
The blade also has the following powers, which function against certain opponents. The numbers in parenthesis indicate against which creatures the powers work - they refer to the combat bonuses detailed above. Eg. +5,+7 indicates that the power will work against magic-using creatures and mages, but not against anyone else.
* invoking these powers reduces the Charisma of the wielder by 1 permanently.
The following two powers are described full:
This magical blade was made by the wizard Cul-dradeth for use by the hero Gorgoth when he fought the vampire lord Kir. It was handed down through Gorgoth's family until it was stolen by a minion of the vampire Deh. It has surfaced occasionally since then, but only for brief periods.
Nightshade is a broadsword +2, +4 vs. vampires. Besides the extra bonus when fighting vampires, damage caused to a vampire by this sword cannot be regenerated. Also, the sword protects the user from the experience-draining effects of a vampire's touch if a save vs. death magic is made.
This elvish blade was probably constructed during one of the ancient Goblin Wars, where goblins and orcs contested with elves and men for control of the forests and meadows. To men, it is often known as the Goblin Cleaver, in honor of the hordes of goblins it has helped kill. Goblins know it as simply Biter, and hate it with a burning fear.
This is a longsword +2, +4 vs. "giant class" humanoids. The sword has the power to detect enemies within a 600-yard radius of the user. It glows with an intensity according to how far away the enemy is. This ranges from a faint glimmer at 600 yards to light equal to a continual light at distances of less than 50 yards. This glow cannot be reduced or commanded.
With effects similar to Glamdring (q.v.), Ocrist is hated and feared by goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs.
This short sword was made by the wizard Élros for an unknown hero as payment for a deed long forgotten. Although the specifics of its creation have been forgotten, the sword was known to be a potent one. It appears as a normal short sword with a particularly fine sense of balance, but with no other outstanding features to visually distinguish it. This nondescript-ness of the sword has proved difficult to sages attempting to trace its history and ownership, since few are able to identify the sword as anything extraordinary.
Ringil is a shortsword of Quickness, +2. When carrying the sword, the user leaves no trace of his passage. The wielder may also hide in shadows with a 90% chance of success.
These mighty blades are huge two-handed swords. Nine are known to exist, one for each alignment. These blades are extremely powerful, and one will only allow themselves to be used by mortals if some dire threat exists to its alignment that said mortal can somehow rectify. The blades are +7 for to hit and damage purposes. They are highly intelligent (int 25), and will only cooperate with an individual of the same alignment. The sword is too heavy to be used by anyone with a strength below 25; however, if the sword allows itself to be used, then it will bestow such strength on its wielder while being in active use. Furthermore the sword will bond with the wielder, fusing its life force with that of the wielder. This effectively gives the wielder an additional 100 hp while in contact with the blade (for damage purposes, if for example a fifty hp creature wields a starblade, every third hp of damage suffered will be subtracted from the character itself). The sword is in telepathic link with the wielder, allowing the wielder to use the 25 intelligence toward illusion-detecting purposes. Furthermore, regardless of alignment, all swords bestow the following powers upon their wielders: detect magic, detect invisible, detect evil/good, dispel illusion on touch, immunity to fear and charm/sleep-type powers and spells, infravision 120', ultravision 120', globe of invulnerability, and tongues. Then there are powers dependent on which alignment the blade is:
| Alignment of Sword |
Usable Once/Day |
Usable Twice/Day |
Usable 4/Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawful Good | Holy Word | Heal | Lightning Bolt |
| Neutral Good | Holy Word | Heal | Shocking Grasp |
| Chaotic Good | Holy Word | Polymorph Self | Shocking Grasp |
| Lawful Neutral | Prism Spray | Dimension Door | Ice Storm |
| True Neutral | Prism Spray | Teleport | Cone of Cold |
| Chaotic Neutral | Prism Spray | Dimension Door | Ice Storm |
| Lawful Evil | Unholy Word | Polymorph Other | Burning Hands |
| Neutral Evil | Unholy Word | Harm | Burning Hands |
| Chaotic Evil | Unholy Word | Harm | Fire Ball |
All effects of once per day are at 24th level, all effects of twice per day are at 16th level, all effects of four times a day are at 8th level. Should the wielder be slain while wielding the sword, thus also having depleted the sword's hit points, the sword 'dies' on this plane, and will automatically be transported to its own alignment's plane to be 'regenerated', a process that takes d10 years.
During the Azithian Race wars, four of these blades were known to have been in use. The Chaotic Good blade was in the hands of the brilliant general Sarpedon of Cron Shander. Cron Shander sided with Piraz the Mad, and was leveled in the final days of the war, when Piraz was already deaded. Azith Dengg is rumored to have been personally responsible for the kill. The Lawful Neutral blade was wielded by the sorcerer Szartax VI, descendant of the warrior to whom is named the armor. He used it to great effect in the defense of the Capital of Szartax. He killed Anchises, when his strike team, by then grown into a veritable army of drow, goblins and human thugs, attempted a too bold stroke of torching the cities grain supplies. Due to the sword Szartax VI saw through their covering illusions, not one in ten of Anchises' band survived the trap laid for them. The Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil blades were used to great effect by the great drow and ogre generals Phaedra and Megaera. The current locations of none of the blades is known, though the lawful evil sword is most likely in the hands of the Royal House of the Drow. Both Szartax VI and Sarpedon were members of the Council of Twelve.
Several thousands of years ago, a city named Palaodrin existed at the center of the Prime Material Plane. It was inhabited by being of lawful neutral, neutral, and chaotic neutral alignments only. And these beings fought for the purpose of Neutrality, i.e. to maintain the balance between good and evil. Although their work was done subtlely and secretly behind the walls of Palaodrin, it was sometimes necessary for the citizens to take up arms.
Many of the inhabitants were poor warriors, and the citizens themselves were few in number. So it was that they recognized the need for a weapon of great power as their defense. Since good beings tended to recognize a form or law of balance, the citizens decided that it would be best to make the sword more powerful against evil than good. For centuries and millennia, Palaodrin stood as an island amidst the struggle for power, and the Sword, as well as other relics they created, defended the city against all invaders. But when news spread, some of the good beings wondered if such power was evil. The forces of evil saw this doubt spreading its way through the forces of good and took advantage of it. Through trickery and deceit, evil was able to join good in a combined crusade against their common enemy. But, while Good hoped to destroy the power of Palaodrin, Evil sought to gain it. The city was overwhelmed by the combined forces, unable to defend against both Good and Evil at the same time. Palaodrin fell. During the fighting, Mephistopheles searched for the sword which was not a difficult task. With its power he could overthrow Asmodeus and defeat Good, but when he went to take the sword, he found himself wounded and the Sword gone. Although Good had thought the Sword had been destroyed, there have been those who have felt that the Sword of Palaodrin used its power of teleportation to escape both Good and Evil, and none have been able to find it since.
The Sword of Palaodrin is a lawful neutral longsword +5. It has an Intelligence of 17 and an Ego of 21. It speaks the following languages: Lawful Neutral, Elvish, Dwarvish, and True Neutral. It creators imbued the Sword with the following special abilities:
The Sword of Palaodrin has two special purposes: Slay Evil and Slay Good. Its main power is to sever the neck on a natural to hit roll of 16 or higher (victims up to 10' tall). However, it does differing amounts of damage against each:
| Good | Double Damage (no modifier) |
|---|---|
| Evil | Triple Damage plus modifier |
When the Sword is used, the following effects on the wielder's personal attributes occur:
DM's suggestions:
