Artifact Idea: Ghostbane

[Lighturtle]

Passed down into an order of Paladins (setting dependent), this gleaming greatsword acts as a flaming, moderately enchanted weapon when wielded by a Lawful Good entity.

Its true power, however, is to slay any incorporeal undead it touches. This power is absolute and irresistible. The undead disappears, leaving no remains behind. This power will not work if the sword is thrown: it must be wielded.

For every undead slain that way, the wearer takes a temporary CON penality, lasting for a few days, as the swords powers itself out of his life force. If the wielder reaches 0 CON due to this effect, he dissolves into holy water.

This sword, however, has an hidden purpose. It does not actually destroys incorporeal undead; instead, it stores them. It was originally created by a powerful, incredibly ancient lich. When wielded by this lich, Ghostbane reverts to its true form, Ghostbane turns invisible, and the blade is replaced by a compressed maelstrom of raging souls. This swords gains an enhancement bonus of +1 for every ten hit dices of ghosts absorbed. For instance, if the sword ate two banshees, it will have 52 hit dices and be +5.

When in true form mode, the lich can draw hits dices from the sword. For every dice drawn, it gains 5 temporary hp and 1 DR/-. If 10 or more dices are drawn, it is hasted. If 20 or more dices are drawn, it is under the effects of Greater Celerity. If 40 ore more hit dices are drawn, the lich benefits from a Timestop effect.
One hit dice is drawn per minute to maintain the form of the sword. If that is not possible, the sword reverts to its ""holy"" version.

Destroying the Ghostbane releases any spirits not eaten yet.

What do you think?

I'm also not sure what would the lich want the sword for. Godslaying?

[Mastikator]

The fluff, I'm not crazy about it. Why would this lich create this sword? This needs to come first. Think of the lich's agenda first, then design the function of the weapon.

The crunch:
So it's a what? +3 Flaming Greatsword of Disruption? Goes for 72k gold, equivalent of a +6 item. (and that's only when wielded by a lawful good entity, so probably even less)
And only when used by a lawful good entity. Even the Holy Avenger is a +7, and I'm not even sure it's an artifact.

Add Holy and Axiomatic to it when wielded by a good and lawful entity. Then it's a +11, an epic item.

[Tyndmyr]

Why would a lich make a weapon with benefits to LG wielders?

[Lighturtle]

The liche's plot would be to "lose" the Ghostbane, let the paladins do the work and charge it up, then wait until their order crumbles and take it back. Repeat.

Also since there is no save or SR, it's much much better than disruption.

What's that Atropal? You went etheral? Yep well screw you.

[The Glyphstone]

Ethereal and incorporeal are different effects, actually. So while it works on ghosts, Mr. Atropal can still go on his merry Ethereal way insta-death-free.

[Reaper_Monkey]

Honestly, this just seems like a way to hose players with their own weapon, once its been taken off of them too!

If it can only assume the spiritblade form when in the hands of the lich then the players can never get access to those abilities... which makes me wonder why you bothered stating up the various mechanics of "pay x to get y", once its in the hands of the BBEG its already doing something utterly different from what the players could do with it so it might as well just be handwaved imo.

It's either that or a powerful weapon for players to fear that the BBEG has now gotten, but they've only ever seen/heard of it beforehand, and never owned.
As there is no way of knowing that the 'Holy Sword of Good' becomes the 'Overpowered Sword of Evil' once the BBEG has gotten his hands on it, it's also unlikely they'll ever know to keep it from them. Which is an even worse setup really, if they don't own it and can't know to keep it away from the BBEG... then why stat it at all?
Your players will never interact with it until its already in its evil form and terrorising the countryside, at which point the idea is a cool one "oh no, that wonderful relic of good as been converted into a despicable tool of evil" but ultimately there's very little reason to stat it up still.

My suggestion is to include some means of allowing the players to unlock its cool "evil" abilities, perhaps at a cost of also being corrupted (fallen paladins make awesome lieutenants after all). Or make it a highly bipolar item, the more power it gets the more potent it gets for whom ever is holding it so long as they are either very Good of very Evil... and both parties can charge it up further.
This makes the item a questionable gambit, charge it up and use it to slay ever more powerful beings from the other side - but also risk dropping a massively powerful item into their hands should you fail... or try to hide it away and allow its power to dissipate in the hopes that if it ever does fall into the enemies hands it wont be so powerful as to have no defence against it.
If the item gets a significant "boost" once its changed sides this will make it even more questionable, it may be a +10 sword for the Good guys, but if they lose it then the Evil guys get a +15 sword!! (for a while, I'd make is so the boost effect doesn't last as long as the normal charge up does, so its a short lived extra).

[nedz]

Interesting plot driving item idea. The details probably need tweaking like giving the undead a save: intelligent ones at least; otherwise how did the Lich enchant it ? How do you stop a Diviner working out the hidden functions ? etc.

[Lighturtle]

A player undeadifying himself and using UMD or something to emulate the lich is a probable possibility (most players are engineers, so...).

They would have first to identify the real purpose of the sword (how?).

Also, using a blade powered by sentient beings trapped into eternal suffering is incredibly evil, so the party would shift alignements.
And then become unable to power it back up by themselves!

The lich itself would probably become quite pissed off if still alive, too.

That seems to open tons of plot possibilities, but I'm not good at working out the kinks.

[Chronos]

It sounds to me like something that would make for a great work of fiction, but a lousy game. No matter how you manage it, your players are going to feel like you're cheating them.

[Demonic_Spoon]

I see a lack of ghosttouch, so you would have trouble actually touching the ghosts.