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View Full Version : Weapons of the Natural Things (Minor artifacts, 3.5, PEACH)



Admiral Squish
2009-09-03, 06:27 PM
In the days of yore, there were gods and spirits in everything natural, and everything was natural. But, as mankind grew as a force, gods began being edged out. Out of desperation, many different gods of the Natural Things formed together, consolidating their powers. But mankind was stronger still. And it kept growing. The Natural Things knew that they would have to join as one to retain any foothold on this earth as it rapidly became encased in the sprawling cities. But the Natural things had crystallized their forms long ago, into substances and forces so opposed to one another, they could not stand the thought of letting another share control. And so the gods bickered, divided amongst themselves as to who should take control to maintain all things natural. Then, one of them suggested a competition. But none could agree on the type. So they decided to make it an impartial competition, giving themselves to the humans they deemed most worthy. And so, the gods made themselves into weapons, each with unique and epic powers, and bonded themselves to those most like them in mind and heart. The world will be reshaped. It's just a question of who's image it will be in when the dust settles.


First, a note on the nature of these weapons. Upon coming into contact with any of these weapons, which appear somewhere close to the wielder selected during the night, The selected wielder will gain instant understanding as to what the weapon is, its name, how it works and what they are intended to do with it. If, at any time, the wielder is more than three hundred feet from the weapon, they are afflicted by a crushing pain and a strong desire to come back to the weapon, which manifests as a -2 penalty to all checks, saves, and attack rolls. Upon reentering the area, the wielder is freed of the pain, and thus the penalty, but still compelled to find and possess the weapon. The wielder also gains a built-in sense as to the location of his weapon, as though a locate item spell was cast by them. The weapons are unbreakable, except to other weapons of this set. The chosen wielder gains proficiency with their weapon automatically. All abilities of the weapons that duplicate spell effects are considered supernatural abilities, and DCs are calculated as though their highest ability score was their primary casting ability, except where otherwise noted.

The Staff of the Forest

The Stave of the Forest is a thick and sturdy pole of wood, capped at both ends with a crown of leaves, each leaf different from the last. Walnut-sized nuts nestle among them, though they don’t resemble walnuts themselves. Treat it as a +5 quarterstaff.

Bursts of life: Each of the walnuts nestled in the branches of the staff of the forest is super-charged with growth energy. Plucking one is a swift action, and it can be thrown, or used as a sling bullet. Throwing it has a range increment of ten feet. The staff has 12 seeds on it, and these regrow within 1d4 rounds. On contact with a creature or surface, a ranged touch attack, it instantly bursts forth with a bush-sized cluster of plants of all varieties, from flowers to vines to saplings, dealing 10d6 damage as roots force themselves into the target.

After the initial contact, Treat a burst of life as an assasin vine, but with a burrow speed of 30 ft in addition to their normal statistics. If the seed struck a creature, the burst is already considered grappling and can constrict on it's next turn, unless the creature escapes. The wielder of the staff is in full control of the bursts, and is immediately aware if one is damaged, killed, or detects a creature within it's blindsight. Only ten bursts can be active at any time. As more are created, the oldest ones simply stop moving.
the wielder can create a plant growth effect 3/day.

The Staff of Filth

The Stave of Filth is an old wooden staff, pockmarked with termite holes and wrapped in ancient, tattered rags. Blood is soaked into parts of it, and the skulls of vermin and empty carapaces dangle from the ends, tied on with crude twine. Treat it as a +5 quarterstaff with the wounding property.

Trinkets of rot: Each of the vermin skulls, empty wasp hives, or hollow carapaces is powered by magic of rot and disease. Plucking off a trinket is a swift action, and they can be used as sling bullets or thrown with a range increment of 10 ft. attacking requires a ranged touch attack. The staff has ten rat skulls and ten empty hives and creature carapaces. These return in 1d4 rounds after being plucked.
A Rat skull deals 10d6 damage to it's target, and ignores hardness as it ages and decays the target. A vermin shell or wasp nest summons a swarm of spiders, beetles, or wasps where it breaks open, which is under the control of the wielder of the staff. There can only be five such swarms active at any time, though they remain under the wielder's control indefinitely. As a new swarm is created, the oldest swarm dies.
The wielder can create a cloudkill effect 3/day.

The Ocean’s blade

The ocean’s blade is a longsword with transparent features. It’s guard is shaped like crashing waves, it’s handle a spiraling vortex, tipped with a small sphere, holding a school of miniscule iridescent fish. It’s blade is long and thin, and crystal-clear, and bitterly cold to the touch. Treat it as a +5 longsword with the icy burst ability.

As a standard action the wielder of the ocean's blade can make a single swing every 1d4 rounds, summoning a bitterly frozen wind that deals 12d6 cold damage in a 60 ft cone, or a 120 ft line. Fortitude DC 20 half.
The wielder also can breathe underwater, has a swim speed equal to their base land speed, does not take penalties for attacking with a slashing weapon underwater, and is immune to cold damage.

The Axe of the Dragon

The Axe of the Dragon is composed nearly entirely of gold, but is as strong and unyielding as titanium. It's covered with the finest of detailed scales, and the grip is red leather. Its single blade is shaped and sculpted to appear as a dragon's head from the side, while still retaining its wicked edge. Treat it as a +5 battleaxe with the flaming burst ability.

The wielder can, as a standard action every 1d4 rounds, make their weapon's dragonlike blade open it's mouth and breathe a massive gout of flame that deals 15d6 fire damage to all creatures in a 60 ft. cone or a 120 ft. line. Reflex DC 20 half.
The wielder is immune to fire damage.

The Shield of the Stones

The Shield of the Stones is a large, circular shield forged of smooth stone, slightly curved to mirror the curvature of the planet. It is unbreakable in its toughness, and weighs well over three hundred pounds, though to its wielder, it seems to weigh almost nothing. Treat it as small shield for the purpose of wearing and wielding, but have it offer the AC bonus and cover options of a +5 tower shield, with the damage of a +5 spiked heavy shield for shield bashes.

As a standard action, the shield of stones can form a protective globe or earth around it's wielder. This functions as resilient sphere, with a 5 or 10-foot diameter, at the wielder's option. The wielder cansee perfectly though this sphere, and it can be maintained for as long as the wielder wishes it to be.
The wielder gains tremorsense 60, and can create a wall of stone effect 3/day.

The Fans of the Gale

The Fans of the Gale are a pair of small folding fans, decorated with silk and golden thread. They fold easily and flick open with almost no effort. Their surfaces are stiffened and tipped with a razor-sharp edge. Treat them as +5 Short swords, with the shocking burst property.

The fans of the gale grant their wielder two-weapon fighting, improved two-weapon fighting, and greater two-weapon fighting. They do not gain the benefits of these feats unless their BAB would allow them to take them normally. The wielder of the fans is effectively under the effects of a protection from arrows spell as the wind around them stirs to harmlessly deflect any projectile aimed at them.
The wielder can, as a standard action, produce the effects of a gust of wind spell, but treat creatures in a the range as one size smaller for the effect on them. The wielder also gains a fly speed equal to twice their base land speed with good maneuverability. The wielder can create a wind wall effect 3/day.

The Jawbone of Death

The Jawbone of death is made of the age-worn bone of a long-extinct creature, wrapped in black silk held on by blood-colored leather, massive, dagger-sharp teeth poking through along its length. The bone is easily three feet long and as dense as steel. Treat it as a +5 morningstar with the unholy property.

The wielder of the jawbone can use animate dead at will, without a need for onyx. Any creature slain by the jawbone is affected as though by create undead cast by the wielder, and is automatically under his control, though they count against his limit of undead controlled.

The Scythe of the Lady

The Scythe of the Lady is fashioned of pearl and ivory, sculpted and colored into the shape of a woman standing on a long, thin pedestal, holding silver scales in one hand, her long, golden hair flowing out behind her as the blade. Its surface is perfectly smooth and clean, and no dirt or befoulment sticks to it, not even blood. Treat it as a +5 scythe with the holy property.

The scythe of the lady grants its wielder fast healing 5. The wielder can also, as a standard action, create a mass cure light wounds effect, substituting character level for caster level.

The Gauntlets of the Beast

This is not so much a gauntlet as a bracer of hide with a set of long horns extending past the knuckles. The straps that hold them in place are fastened with bone clasps of fang and joint. Treat them as +5 spiked gauntlets.

The weilder of these gauntlets gains the shapeshifting ability of a druid of their level. (PHBII, pg. 39). The ehnacement bonus of the gauntlets stacks with the enhancement bonus provided by the class feature. In addition, the wielder can, as a standard action, create the effect of a bull's strength, bear's endurance, cat's grace, fox's cunning, owl's wisdom, or eagle's splendor spell.

The Glasses of Knowledge

The Glasses of Knowledge are a pair of simple, wire-framed glasses, completely inauspicious, though obviously of high quality. These Glasses cannot be used as weapons. These represent humanity's entry in the great contest.

The wearer of the glasses of knowledge gains blindsight 60, and can duplicate the effects of any divination spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list with a spell level equal or less than 1/2 your character level at will, Calculating DC as though int was your primary casting ability.

The Neoclassic
2009-09-03, 07:22 PM
If, at any time, the wielder is more than three hundred feet from the weapon, they are afflicted by a crushing pain and a strong desire to come back to the weapon. Upon reentering the area, the wielder is freed of the pain, but still compelled to find and possess the weapon. The wielder also gains a built-in sense as to the location of his weapon, as though a locate item spell was cast by them.

Does this crushing pain and desire have any game effects? Perhaps a penalty to checks, saves, etc?


The Ocean’s bladeAs a standard action the wielder of the ocean's blade can make a single swing every 1d4 rounds, summoning a bitterly frozen wind that deals 12d6 cold damage in a 60 ft cone, or a 120 ft line. Fortitude DC 20 half.

For the line, there's no Reflex save? I'm just thinking of one being able to jump out of the way... Is it Fortitude because it's such a miniscule fraction of a second for the effect to happen that it is literally impossible to get out of the way?


The scythe of the lady grants it's wielder fast healing 5

Should be "grants its wielder."

Overall, pretty nifty. :smallsmile:

Admiral Squish
2009-09-03, 07:30 PM
Does this crushing pain and desire have any game effects? Perhaps a penalty to checks, saves, etc?



For the line, there's no Reflex save? I'm just thinking of one being able to jump out of the way... Is it Fortitude because it's such a miniscule fraction of a second for the effect to happen that it is literally impossible to get out of the way?



Should be "grants its wielder."

Overall, pretty nifty. :smallsmile:

I may edit that in.

Hmm, I was just making it fortitude because A)It's cold damage, and typlically, cold and fortitude saves go together, and B) It's a gust of wind, so it's both really fast and not easy to see coming.

Also, as a side note, you've broken the record for view/post ratio, in a good way. Often, it's 50 views before I get any comments.

Admiral Squish
2009-09-04, 04:41 PM
Seriously, people? Getting an opinion on these forums used to be at least realtively easy, nowadays it's like pulling teeth. If there's nothing else wrong with it, tell me so I can stop agonizing!

Melayl
2009-09-04, 10:00 PM
It seems to me that the Shield and the Jawbone are more powerful than the others.

Admiral Squish
2009-09-04, 10:24 PM
It seems to me that the Shield and the Jawbone are more powerful than the others.

What do you think would bring them back into balance?

Would lowering the undead limit to 4 HD/level on the jawbone and removing earth glide do it?

Melayl
2009-09-04, 10:29 PM
What do you think would bring them back into balance?

Would lowering the undead limit to 4 HD/level on the jawbone and removing earth glide do it?

I think that would do, yes. Otherwise they look pretty darn cool. Powerful, but hey, they're artifacts.

Admiral Squish
2009-09-05, 01:47 PM
Thanks!

Anyone else have anything to comment on?

The Mentalist
2009-09-05, 04:20 PM
How many trinkets on the staff of filth, also do they replenish?

Admiral Squish
2009-09-05, 04:51 PM
How many trinkets on the staff of filth, also do they replenish?

Aha! Knew I forgot something. While I was adding that, I also made the seeds and the rat skulls into touch attacks.