TravelLog
2012-02-09, 05:51 PM
Inspired by Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero, I’ve decided to stat up some of the Noble Phantasms as powerful artifacts. These are meant to be used in high-power campaigns as significant MacGuffins, and should not be given out for just any reason. I have altered and/or expanded some of the abilities of the Phantasms, so please do not post anything like “But this wasn’t in the series!” I know that. This is a thematic translation, not a perfect-copy one.
Anyway, I’d love to hear what the Playground thinks. This is a work in progress, as there are a huge number of Phantasms, so I will be updating regularly. Let me hear which ones you think I should do next. The only exceptions are Ea, Enkidu, Excalibur, Ionioi Hetaroi, Unlimited Blade Works, and Gate of Babylon, which I am saving for later.
All Noble Phantasms are immune to rusting effects as well as sundering attempts, and can be summoned from the depths of their wielder’s soul as a swift action unless otherwise noted.
Rule Breaker
This jagged, lightning-bolt shaped crystalline dagger is rumored to be able to sever the bonds of companionship, and even causality. Its original wielder betrayed her brother, her father, and her nation for the sake of a lover, only to be abandoned later on. Her undying hatred and lust for vengeance is what gives Rule Breaker its power.
Rule Breaker is a +1 Banishing Keen Cursespewing Vampiric Dagger that allows its wielder to add the higher of their Intelligence or Dexterity to damage instead of their Strength score if they so choose. Twice per day, the user may, as a free action, designate any attack they make with the dagger as a touch attack. Rule Breaker has the following special abilities.
Unshackled Mind: Once per week for every five character levels, the wielder of Rule Breaker may declare an attack against any creature currently under the influence of a mind-affecting effect. If the attack succeeds, no damage is dealt and the creature is immediately freed from the influence being exerted on them.
Severed Space, Severed Time: Once per month, the user of Rule Breaker may use a full-round action to cut through either space or time itself, bringing forth a creature of their choosing as if they had cast the Gate spell. There is no associated xp or monetary cost when using this ability, and the summoned creature is fully under the wielder’s control. However, Rule Breaker demands that in exchange for this boon, the wielder must commit an act of serious betrayal against one of their most trusted friends, family, or companions. Appropriate acts include, but are not limited to, assassination, treason, the murder of a friend’s lover, etc. The most important requirement, however, is that those involved know that they have been betrayed, and by whom. Only their deepest despair will satisfy Rule Breaker’s demands.
Sever the Bonds: In exchange for permanently lowering their Constitution score by one point upon a successful melee attack, the user may wrest control of any summoned creature from its summoner. If this ability is used, the attack deals no damage and the creature will follow orders as if the wielder had been its original summoner and gains a number of benefits as a result of Rule Breaker’s unholy power. The creature gains a +5 profane bonus to all its ability scores, its hit dice are maximized, it gains the benefits of the Diehard feat and DR 5/Good, Energy Resistance 10 to all elements, as well as Spell Resistance 10+CR, and becomes immune to banishing effects. Neither the creature nor its summoner is entitled to make a saving throw, though this ability is entirely ineffective against Constructs. If the wielder prefers, they may instead sacrifice 1 point of Constitution, to be recovered a number of days later equal to the target creature’s Challenge Rating. If they choose the later option, the creature is entitled to a Will Save DC (10+1/2 level + Intelligence or Dexterity, whichever is higher). Furthermore, if they choose the later option, the wielder cannot make use of any of Rule Breaker’s special abilities until their Constitution has recovered. The points of Constitution used as a catalyst for this ability cannot be restored before the allotted time (or at all, in the case of its primary usage) by any means, even the direct intervention of a diety.
Gáe Bolg
Legend holds that this wavy-shafted blood red spear, reputedly forged from the blood of the gods and the bones of a sea monster, can unerringly find the heart of its target, dealing death in a single blow. Its original wielder was a berserker, famed for his incredible strength in battle. He once fought off an entire army single-handedly, only to later kill his own son as a result of his mad frenzy.
Gáe Bolg is a +3 Berserker Impaling Fleshgrinding Valorous Ranseur that automatically grants its user an untyped +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls. The wielder may add three times his strength modifier to damage, rather than the usual twice his strength modifier when using a two-handed weapon. Furthermore, Gáe Bolg instills its wielder with incredible skill and ability. It may be used as if it possessed reach or not, as desired. Shifting from using the weapon with reach or using it as a reach-less weapon is an immediate action, as the wielder intuitively shifts his hands along the length of the spear and alters his fighting stance to better suit his needs. Gáe Bolg has the following special abilities:
Undying Rage: The wielder of Gáe Bolg is incredibly hard to kill. Once per week, when reduced to negative hit points, the wielder may, as an immediate action, harness his powerful will and the strength given him by the spear to regain full hit points and becomes immune to death affects for one hour. If Gáe Bolg’s wielder possesses the rage class feature, he also gains the benefits (and none of the drawbacks) of the Frenzy class feature while raging, as the ability of the Frenzied Berserker prestige class. This does not, however, stack with the abilities of a Frenzied Berserker.
Heartseeking Strike: Once per day before making a melee attack, Gáe Bolg’s wielder may declare their assault to be a Heartseeking Strike. The attack is made at an additional +5 morale bonus and if successful, the target must make a DC (15+1/2 level+Strength modifier) Fortitude save or die. This is not a death effect. It is ineffective against constructs or creatures with no discernable anatomy. On a successful save, the attack instead deals 1.5x its normal damage and causes the target to take an additional 1/10th the damage for 10 rounds, as the wound gushes blood.
Spear of the Wrathful Hero: A number of times per week equal ¼ their character level, the wielder of Gáe Bolg may imbue his next attack with all of his wild rage. The attack does triple damage, and if it successfully kills the target creature, it also heals the wielder for half that amount. Furthermore, as a result of the thrill of the kill, the wielder gains a +8 morale bonus to his Strength, and a +4 morale bonus to his Dexterity and Constitution, as well as DR 10/-. He also gains the benefits of the Cleave, Great Cleave, Whirlwind Attack feats if he did not possess them. This lasts for thirty minutes. However, during this time the wielder’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all lowered by 5 as a result of his frenzied condition. For every 10 enemies he slays, the wielder is also inflicted with a cumulative 1% chance of attacking his allies.
God Hand
Unlike most Noble Phantasms, God Hand is not a weapon. Reputedly worn by the son of a thunder god, God Hand is a suit of magic armor of unequaled craftsmanship, gifted for its original owner in honor of the twelve great tasks he performed as penance for the brutal murder of his own family. His immense willpower is said to still inhabit the armor.
God Hand is a weightless +4 Ghost Touch Retaliation Heavy Fortification set of armor made of an unknown substance which also renders its wearer immune to poison, granting a base armor bonus of +10 (+14 with its enhancement), no dexterity penalty or armor check penalty, but a 100% arcane spell failure. God Hand is entirely invisible (only detectable by True Seeing) and it molds itself to the wearer’s form, making it appear as if he was wearing nothing other than the clothing underneath the armor (or no clothing, in some cases), and even if the wearer is touched, it will only feel as if he has toughened flesh, rather than some form of armor. Once donned, it cannot be taken off by any means. No other armor, gloves, gauntlets, or cloaks may be worn while God Hand is equipped. If its owner is killed, God Hand disappears, to manifest itself once more when another worthy hero comes forth into the world. It grants the wearer damage reduction equal to his hit dice, capped at 20, surpassable only by Epic weaponry. Finally, it doubles the wearer’s hit points. God Hand has the following special abiltiies:
Conqueror of Antaeus: The wearer of God Hand is gifted with immense strength and durability, reminiscent of the power that enabled its original owner to overcome Antaeus, son of Mother Earth, a man invincible as long as his feet touched the ground. Once per day, the wearer of God Hand may spend a swift action to gain the benefits of the Improved Grapple feat, be treated as Huge for the purpose of grappling, and may make melee attacks while maintaining a grapple at no penalty. Further, he may maintain a grapple with one arm, and may act normally with his other hand. He may also make an additional Strength check against his opponent at a -10 penalty. If it succeeds, then he may move as normal, carrying the grappled creature along with him. A creature so carried is unable to move, and must spend a full-round action each round attempting to escape the grapple. If it is unable to do so over the course of ten rounds, it dies as a result of being crushed by the wearer’s strength of arm.
Madness of the Beast: A number of times per month equal to half their character level, the wearer of God Hand may spend a full-round action to voluntarily allow themselves to be overcome with a torrent of rage and hatred. In exchange for their sanity, the wearer’s Strength and Constitution scores double and they are treated as having non-applicable mental scores, effectively rendering them immune to mind-affecting abilities. The only thing on their mind is fighting, and so they treat all creatures as hostile. In the event no more creatures are present, the wearer will attempt to seek out beings to kill, attempting to destroy anything in their path on the way, including objects. They feel no pain whatsoever, and will fight no matter how injured they become, even if they enter negative hit points. The wearer is immune to death effects, paralysis, stunning, dazing, entanglement, being knocked back, fatigue, and exhaustion, as well as death from massive damage. This ability lasts for a number of minutes equal to one-quarter the character’s level and cannot be dispelled or negated by any means.
Twelve Labors, Twelve Lives: The greatest power of God Hand is that its wearer is gifted with additional chances at life. Twelve times, and twelve times only, when the wearer of God Hand would be killed, the will power and anger of the legendary hero causes him to rise again, restored to full health and free of all ill-effects. This ability will bring the wearer back from any injury, even if his physical form is separated, turned to matter other than flesh, turned to ash, even annihilated. He cannot be permanently killed by any means unless he has been affected by this ability twelve times, and then finally slain a thirteenth time.
Mono-hoshi-zao
Forged by a master swordsmith, Mono-hoshi-zao was once owned by an anonymous samurai with no purpose in life. One day, upon seeing a bird fluttering nearby, he became possessed of the desire to create a sword technique capable of cutting down a swallow mid-flight. He spent his entire life in the pursuit of this foolish dream without success. Shortly before his death, however, he succeeded, even though a swallow is a capable of feeling the movement of the air and evading any single strike no matter its speed. He had created a technique, called Tsubame Gaeshi, or "Swallow Reversal", involving three simultaneous slashes. Having succeeded in his impossible dream, the samurai died smiling.
Mono-hoshi-zao, or Washing Pole, is a +2 Keen Eager Blurstriking Coup de Grace Katana of Speed with a x4 critical modifier. Its wielder’s base speed is increased by 1.5x, and he may add twice his dexterity modifier to both attack and damage rather than his strength modifier if he so desires. The first attack made with this weapon during any given encounter is a touch-attack, and the opponent is automatically treated as flat-footed. Mono-hoshi-zao has the following special abilities:
Iai: Tsubame Ansatsu (Quick Draw: Swallow Assassination Art): Whenever the wielder would make a melee attack against a flat-footed foe as a standard action, he may instead make use of this technique to add a competence bonus to his attack roll equal to half his hit dice, ignoring any deflection bonuses to Armor Class, as well as wind effects. If the attack succeeds, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao adds a number of d8 damage dice to the total damage equal to half his hit dice. This ability is not considered a Sneak Attack or like ability, and thus can affect creatures normally immune to Sneak Attacks.
Hiken: Tsubame Mai (Concealed Sword: Swallow Dance): Three times per day, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao may initiate this technique as a full-round action in order to make a number of attacks equal to his hit dice, distributed as desired against any or all adjacent foes, such that if a tenth level character used this technique while surrounded by four enemies, he would be able to make ten attacks, any number of which may be used against each of the four opponents, so long as the total number of attacks made was equal to ten. Each attack is made at the user’s highest BAB and deals an extra Xd8 damage, where X is equal to one-quarter the user’s hit dice.
Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi (Concealed Sword: Swallow Reversal): The ultimate technique developed by the sword’s original wielder, Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi is capable of cutting down a swallow mid-flight. Once per week, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao may spend a standard action to initiate this technique. The user makes three attacks against a single target, made at twice the user’s normal attack bonus. This attack ignores miss chances, deflection bonuses to Armor Class, wind effects, Force effects, and occurs too quickly for the opponent to respond, meaning they cannot react to it using immediate action abilities, spells, items, etc; the only exception is if the opponent is another Noble Phantasm user, in which case they can only make use of immediate action abilities granted by their Noble Phantasm, if any. If the attacks succeed, they are automatically considered to be critical hits, and deal damage accordingly.
Invisible Air
Another unusual Phantasm, Invisible Air was originally a scabbard belonging to one of the world’s greatest kings, known as the King of Knights. Crafted by ancient and powerful Fae, Invisible Air reputedly allows its user to attack at great distance with incredible force. Though the sword it contained has long been lost to time, it is still an artifact of unimaginable power.
Unlike most Noble Phantasms, Invisible Air is not a weapon. Rather, its owner may use it as a sheath for any other weapon in their possession. Once placed on a weapon, the user may use that weapon to initiate melee attacks on any target within their line of sight and line of effect in a 15-foot radius. The resulting damage is treated as force damage, and ignores any intervening force or wind effects. The user may also choose to use either their Wisdom or Charisma modifiers for determining damage, rather than their strength or dexterity modifiers. Attacks are made as if the weapon sheathed within Invisible Air possessed the Holy, Illusion Bane, Parrying, and Roaring enchantments. Invisible Air has the following special abilities:
Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King: Once per day, the wielder of Invisible Air may initiate a full-attack action against a foe within a 30-foot radius, as long as that foe is within line of sight and line of effect. In addition to the normal benefits of attacking with Invisible Air, all the attacks deal an additional .25x sonic damage as a result of the assault’s incredible speed. Enemies in adjacent squares to the target must make a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + Strength or Wisdom modifier, whichever is higher) or take one-quarter of the damage. The original target must make a Fortitude save at the same Difficulty Class, or be blown back a number of feet equal one-quarter the damage dealt them. For every five feet they are blown back, they take 2d6 force damage as a result of the eventual impact.
Slipstream: A number of times per day equal to one-third their hit dice, the wielder of Invisible Air may use a standard action to initiate a charge attack against any foe within a hundred feet. The wielder uses the air generated from the Noble Phantasm to propel them forward. Any enemies in between the wielder and the target must make a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + the user’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher) or also suffer the damage of the attack made on the target as a result of the razor sharp displaced air caused by the attack’s incredible speed.
Cutting Air: Tornado Strike: Once per day, the wielder of Invisible Air may use the wind-based powers of their Noble Phantasm to generate a localized tornado. The whirlwind is centered on the user, leaving them in an island of calm extending 10 feet in any direction. Enemies beyond that range within an overall radius of 45-feet is affected by the gale, causing them to take 15d8 half-sonic, half-force damage, with a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + the user’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher) for 2/3rds damage. They must also make a Fortitude save at the same difficulty class or be deafened and stunned for a number of rounds equal to one-quarter the user’s hit dice. A successful Fortitude Save leaves them stunned for a single round, and deafened for two.
Knight of Honor/Arondight
Long ago, a boy grew to manhood and, in the course of time, came to be known as “the Perfect Knight.” In service to his king, the knight often left the realm in search of the Holy Grail. In his travels, he faced and defeated many foes, but few as difficult as Sir Phelot, who the brave knight was forced to fight with no weapon. And so, using only the items he could find nearby, the knight managed to overcome his opponent. Though he eventually fell from grace after a liaison with the queen, an affair that ended in the murder of two of his fellow knights, his innate mastery of all weaponry remains vested in his gauntlets, and pulse with power even centuries later.
Knight of Honor is a pair of Arrow-Deflecting Gauntlets of Storing that bestows the wearer with a +5 shield bonus to Armor Class, and allows the user to treat any weapon they hold as if they were proficient in its use and possessed the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats for that weapon. Furthermore, the user may treat any unattended object of medium or smaller size as if it was the weapon closest to it in design (so a table leg might be treated as a club, a fire poker as a short sword, and an oar as a quarterstaff, etc.). All weapons are also treated as if they possessed the throwing property. Finally, all weapons have their damage dice increased by two steps, if d6 or below, or one step, if d8 or above. Knight of Honor has the following special abilities:
Unequaled Prowess: The wearer of Knight of Honor gains a floating pool of enhancement points equal to half his character level. Any time he picks up a new weapon, he may reassign the enhancement points to grant the weapon special abilities whose total bonus equals no more than his total available points. This ability is considered a free action. If he so desires, he may hold points in reserve to be assigned to the weapon later. He may only hold up to half his available total in reserve in such a manner, and assigning the points later on requires a swift action (if between 1-3 points are being assigned) or a standard action (if 4+ points are being assigned). Using these points may enable the wearer of Knight of Honor to exceed the normal +10 enchantment bonus limit on non-epic weaponry.
Weapon Savant: Once per day, the wearer of Knight of Honor may select any unattended object weighing no more than 10,000 lbs. and use it as a weapon for one round. If used as a melee weapon, it deals damage equal to Xd12 where X is 1/250th its total weight. If thrown, however, it deals damage equal to 1/100th its total weight. Depending on the object’s size, this damage may or may not be dealt to multiple enemies. Enemies must all make a Reflex Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + Strength modifier) or take the damage, be knocked prone, and rendered helpless for three rounds. A successful save results in one-third damage from the resulting impact (unaffected by Evasion or Improved Evasion), and the creature being knocked prone for one round.
Arondight: Once per week, the wearer of Knight of Honor may spend a full-round action to transform whatever weapon he is currently holding into the original weapon carried by the Perfect Knight. Arondight is a bastard sword engraved with magical runes, and is reputed to be perfectly attuned to the wielder’s heart. The wielder’s floating enhancement points immediately double for the purpose of granting Arondight’s special abilities. No matter how the points are distributed, Arondight always possesses either the Holy or Unholy enchantment, as well as the Anarchic or Axiomatic enchantment, depending on its wielder’s alignment (a wielder with neutral aspects of his alignment may choose between them). Arondight also emits a powerful Aura of Regret, which causes any creature that fails to make a Will Save DC (15 + ½ character level + Strength or Charisma modifier, which ever is higher), or fall to their knees helplessly, utterly consumed by guilt and grief. At this point, the wielder of Arondight may Coup de Grace any adjacent foes as a free action. This Will Save is repeated every other round. A successful save causes the creature to instead take a -1/4 levels morale penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, and armor class as a result of their intense feelings. This ability lasts for two minutes per level. The Aura is considered to be a [mind-affecting] ability.
Gordius Wheel
Drawn by two divine bulls of the Thunder God, this enormous chariot was gifted to a great general, a man conquered the entirety of the known world. The power exuded by the chariot alone is enough to cause entire armies to flee in terror. It is said that the wild spirit of its original owner can still be heard laughing as lightning flashes from the sky and earthquakes shake the world.
Another unusual Noble Phantasm, the Gordius Wheel is considered a large chariot (requiring the space of a Large Quadreped) made of an unbreakable divine metal, pulled by a pair of large bulls crafted from storm clouds by the Thunder God at the dawn of time. The bulls are held by reins made of pure lightning, and cannot be detached from the chariot for any reason. Because the chariot does not actually touch the ground, the Gordius Wheel ignores any terrain conditions or magical effects that would hinder movement. For opponents attempting to attack the rider, all attack rolls are made at a -5 circumstance penalty, and the rider is treated as having a permanent, non-magical blur effect active upon his person at all times. The Gordius Wheel has the following special abilities.
Bulls of the Thunder God: The two Bulls, Astrapi (Lightning) and Keravnos (Thunder), pulling the Gordius Wheel are no ordinary animals. Rather, they are creatures hand-created by the Thunder God himself. They cannot be baninshed, and if at any time they are killed, their bodies vanish and they simply reappear unharmed the next time the Gordius Wheel is summoned. Astrapi and Keravnos are Celestial Dire Bulls of Legend with the following combat statistics.
Celestial Dire Bull of Legend
Huge Magical Beast (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 16d10+228 (316 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 25 (+5 Dex, -2 Size, +12 Natural), Touch 13, Flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+33
Attack: Gore +29 melee (3d6+25)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Trample, Smite Evil, Breath Weapon, Galvanic Hide
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 10/Magic, Darkvision 60 ft., Energy Resistance 20 (Acid, Cold, Electricity), Low-light Vision, Scent, Spell Resistance 21, Fast Healing 5, Immunities (Electricity, Fear)
Saves: Fort +30, Ref +18, Will +14
Abilities: Str 44, Dex 20, Con 34, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +19, Spot +19, Jump +19
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Improved Natural Attack (Gore), Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Run
Alignment: Always Chaotic Good
Languages: Common, Celestial
Challenge Rating: ???
Combat
A Bull of the Thunder God’s natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Trample (Ex): As a full-round action, a Bull of the Thunder God can move up to twice its speed, crushing any creature at least one size category smaller than itself beneath its hooves. Any creature that its bulk fully covers during the move may either make an attack of opportunity at -4 against the Bull or make a Reflex save (DC 35) for half damage. Trampled creatures take 3d6+25. The save DC is Strength-based. A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.
Galvanic Hide (Su): The skin of a Bull of the Thunder God pulses with massive amounts of electrical energy. This ability converts any electrical damage that would be done to the Bull into healing. Furthermore, as a result of the energy constantly being exchanged, any time a non-magical metal weapon or piece of ammunition makes contact with the Bull’s hide, it melts as a result of the immediate influx of electrical energy. This renders the Bull immune to attacks with non-magical metal weaponry or ammunition. Furthermore, if the weapon is held when it touches the Bull’s hide, the molten liquid falls onto the wielder’s hands, dealing 1d10 fire damage for five rounds. Though molten, it can be cooled by the application of any spell with the cold descriptor. If it has not been cooled at the end of five rounds, it solidifies naturally and suddenly, entrapping the wielder’s hands and forearms, rendering them incapable of taking any action involving their hands or arms. The metal can be damaged as normal for a metal of that type, and will fall off when it reaches 0 Hit Points, allowing the wielder to act once more.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day a Bull of the Thunder God can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD (maximum of +20) against an evil foe.
Breath Weapon (Su): Every 1d4 rounds, a Bull of the Thunder God can use a breath weapon dealing 3d6 electricity damage in a 15-foot cone. A target can make a Reflex save (DC 30) for half damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fast Healing (Ex): A Bull of the Thunder God regains lost hit points at the rate of 5 per round. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow the monster of legend to regrow or reattach lost body parts.
Immunities (Ex): A Bull of the Thunder God is immune to electricity and fear.
Scion of the Thunder God: Three times per day while riding the Gordius Wheel, the user may imbue their attacks with the force of the Thunder God. On a successful melee attack, the target is affected as if struck by a chain lightning, made as if by a caster with a caster level equal to the user’s character level, which then arcs to other nearby creatures as appropriate. Targets killed by such attacks turn to ash as a result of the intense heat. Additionally, whenever this ability is used, the rider of the Gordius Wheel becomes a being of living thunder, granting them the [air] subtype for one minute. During this time, any speech or spell-casting involving vocal components fails, as the din of thunder rings out in honor of the Thunder God. Creatures within 60 ft. of the rider must make a Fortitude Save DC (10+1/2 level+Strength modifier) or be deafened for the duration of this effect.
Via Expugnatio: Once per day as a Full-Round Action, the rider of the Gordius Wheel may spur the bulls to charge in a straight line for 150 feet. This is treated as a trample attack, with the exception that the bulls hooves strike the with force of pure lightning and thunder, dealing Xd8+twice their strength modifier electricity damage to all trampled creatures, Reflex save (DC 35) for half, ignoring any and all resistance or immunity to electricity as a result of its divine origin. All affected creatures are paralyzed as the electricity courses through their veins for a number of rounds equal to one-quarter the bull’s Hit Dice. Furthmore, the bull’s incredible power results in an earthquake as the spell, localized at the mid-point of the charge. The bull’s charge is also strong enough to break through any intervening objects with less than 200 hit points.
Prelati’s Spellbook
Written on pages made from human skin, this tome of unholy magic was scribed thousands of years ago by a mad wizard with the blood of innocents. Residing on the Plain of Leng in the Far Realm, the wizard imbued the dark book with the power to summon creatures of untold darkness, malice and hatred. Legend holds that anyone who attempts to delve to deeply into the tome’s mysteries will be driven insane, mind broken by the twisting shadows.
Prelati’s Spellbook is a not a book of spells in a traditional sense. It contains no magical formulae and teaches its own no new magics. Instead, it acts as a portal to the darkness inherent in the human heart and is capable of bringing nightmares to life. The owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may sacrifice an spell slot of any level to summon a nightmarish creature. This creature may be any monster or monsters such that the total Challenge Rating of the creatures summoned is less than or equal to 1.5x the user’s level. No individual monster may have a Challenge Rating greater than the character’s level minus 2. Only one such creature may be summoned with such a high Challenge Rating. All other summons must have a Challenge Rating at least 3 below the summoner’s level. Unlike normal summoning, all such summons may be made as a standard action if desired. All summons will unhesitatingly obey the commands of the summoner, regardless of their normal disposition. Unlike most Noble Phatasms, Prelati’s Spellbook has special restrictions: it can only be used by an Evil character, and cannot be used to summon any Good creatures. Prelati’s Spellbook has the following special abilities.
Enhancement of the Utterdark: Three times per day, the summoner may select a monster he is in the midst of summoning and apply templates to it such that its Challenge Rating is increased by no more than +2. A template that would be considered CR or LA +0 is instead considered as worth +1. This allows a summoner to exceed the normal Challenge Rating limit on his summons, but by no more than a total of one (letting him summon a creature who’s overall challenge rating after the template application is equal to his level minus one). Alternatively, the summoner may forgo the application of templates and simply summon a creature with a Challenge Rating equal to his level minus one.
Desperation of the Shadows: A number of times per week equal to his one-quarter his level, the owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may either summon a creature as per the normal ability of this artifact as an immediate action in an adjacent square, or he may use an immediate action to trade out one of his summons within line of sight for another creature of equal CR. Creatures summoned with this ability gain a +5 profane bonus to Armor Class, and a +2 profane bonus to all ability scores, and its hit points are 1.5x normal.
Hordes of the Mad Realm: Once per month, the owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may sacrifice a piece of his sanity to summon a number of creatures such that their combined Challenge Rating is equal to no more than four times his level. The creatures follow the normal rules for individual Challenge Ratings as per the Spellbook’s normal ability. During this time, any space the creatures occupy, as well as five feet in any direction from the creatures, is treated as if under the affects of an unhallow and desecrate spell. All the creatures are treated as if healed by negative energy. Using this ability is incredibly taxing on the already fractured mind of the user, and so each time this ability is used, the summoner must permanently sacrifice a point of his Wisdom score, not restorable by any means.
First Folio
A simple notebook of cracked leather, accompanied by a beautiful ivory fountain pen, the First Folio appears to be nothing more than the scribings of a poor poet. In truth, however, it was owned by the most skilled and illustrious playwright in the history of the world. Within its pages, entire families, nations, even worlds were born. Words are things of great power, and can shape reality at their whim.
First Folio is, to all appearances, an entirely unmagical notebook and pen. No amount of arcane sight, detect magic, true seeing, or other divination can reveal its properties. In fact, the notebook itself only holds three properties of any interest. First, it can change its size to be as small as a grain of rice, or as large as a normal notebook, and everything in between. Second, it never runs out of blank pages, and the user can mentally command the book to open to any page he has previously written on. Finally, it can change its appearance and texture to mirror any type of binding, paper, or book that the user desires, with the text inside changing accordingly, making it impossible to decipher its contents. Otherwise, the notebook is indeed unmagical. Why, you ask? Because, as any true writer knows, the power, my boy, is in the pen, in its wielder. The ivory pen, which acts as the second half of the First Folio, can, as an immediate action at the will of its wielder, become a +1 Warning Lucky Wrathful-Healing Kukri. More importantly, it can be treated as a wand for a number of spell levels equal to twice the user’s character level. The user can then cast the spells from the pen as if it was a normal wand. Any time the user makes a successful melee attack that damages a creature, he may cast a spell stored in the pen as a free action. He may also sacrifice charges from the wand to restore an equal number of spell levels to his remaining spells per day. Firsto Folio has the following special abilities.
Dramatis Personae: A number of times per week equal to one-third his character level, rounded down, the user of First Folio may elect to affect any one creature’s existence by naming that creature a Dramatis Persona. This ability may be used in a number of ways. First, it may be used to effectively cast True Resurrection on any creature that could usually be affected by it following the rules for True Resurrection. Using it in this manner has no monetary or xp component, but if First Folio is used in this way, the Dramatis Personae ability cannot be used again for a full seven days. Second, this ability may be used to attempt to remove a character from the play, allowing the owner of First Folio to cast Finger of Death upon any enemy within his line of sight. For the twice the number of usages, First Folio may be used to conjure and control a Sphere of Annihilation for one full minute. Finally, First Folio may be used to be simulate the effects of modify memory, with a +5 insight bonus to the spell’s save difficulty class as a result of the Noble Phantasm’s powers.
Deus Ex Machina: Once per day, the user of First Folio may attempt to revise and rewrite reality. By spending an immediate action, he may declare that one event occurred in a different manner than it did. This ability can only be used to alter a single instant, and does not have the power to drastically alter large overarching events. It might be used to declare that an ally’s missed attack in fact was successful, and that it had managed to strike a critical blow, that an opponent’s attack was unsuccessful, that a spell was cast to no effect, or that an ally’s spell managed to inflict maximum damage on all affected targets, that an ally in fact succeeded on his saving throw or that an opponent failed one. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but is instead meant to represent reasonable usages.
All the World’s a Stage: First Folio’s ultimate ability, the user may, once per year, utterly rewrite a single aspect of reality. The user inscribes a single sentence into the First Folio, of no more than 25 words. The sentence may have no more than a single subordinate clause, and may not make use of the words “and”, “in addition”, “further” or any other word or phrase which allows the user to combine two separate wishes into their attempt to rewrite reality. The only limit on this ability is the user’s creativity. Once the sentence has been scribed, the user must place a period at the end of the sentence. The moment the ink touches the page, reality revises itself based on the user’s written desire. Because of its power, First Folio must consume a piece of its user’s life force to affect reality on such a scale, dealing a single negative level to its user, which cannot be negated regardless of immunity. The negative level also cannot be restored by any means.
*A note on First Folio: More than any other Noble Phantasm, First Folio depends on an open, working relationship between a DM and his players. Both parties are encouraged to discuss the degree to which the user’s creativity can affect the game world, and create a gentleman’s agreement to both parties’ satisfaction.
For Someone’s Glory:
A pitch black shroud seemingly spun from living shadow, For Someone’s Glory is the other remnant of that most perfect of knights. Known for undertaking quests on the king’s behalf while in disguise, the knight never sought glory or recognition for himself. His mind, his body, and soul all belonged to the king, in pursuit of his dream of peace. But with his fall from grace, the knight cast aside his cloak—given to him by the king during his knighting—leaving it lost to the mists of time.
For Someone’s Glory is a magical cloak that effectively erases its owner’s identity. It is a Gleaming Displacement Vanishing shroud that grants its wearer the benefits of a constant mind blank, nondetection, and undetectable alignment, and give off no scent. The cloak itself, uniquely among magical items, can only be seen by mundane vision. It is entirely invisible to arcane sight, true seeing, or any other forms of magical detection. At the user’s whim, as a free action, it may appear either as a normal traveling cloak, or it may manifest its true form, surrounding the wearer with twisting, twining shadows such that no discernable features of its wearer are visible. They simply appear as a humanoid shaped shadow. No divinatory magic will work on their person, rendering them a total enigma. For Someone’s Glory has the following special abilities.
Shades of Unbeing: Three per day as a standard action, the wearer of For Someone’s Glory may draw on the Phantasm’s power to transform themselves into an entity apart from reality. For up to five minutes, the user may render themselves ethereal, while still retaining their ability to interact with the material world. They may manipulate objects, interact with other creatures, attack, and cast spells as normal, as well as anything else a material creature would be able to do. When performing these actions, they do not lose their etherealness, but each time they choose to interact with the material world, the amount of time remaining during which they may stay ethereal is reduced by thirty seconds (A Full-Attack or other like action counts as only one "interaction" for purposes of this ability). This ability is one-sided however. The user may interact with the material world at their desire during this time, but material creatures, objects, and substances cannot interact with the user unless they so wish, consuming one of the thirty-second blocks that make up this ability.
No More Than A Shadow: Once per week as a full-round action, the user of For Someone’s Glory may select a creature within their line of sight with whom they have previously interacted and attempt to erase the memory of their existence from that creature’s mind. The creature is entitled to a Will Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + user’s highest mental modifier) or have the memories of the user purged from their mind. This ability is so powerful that it ignores any and all resistances or immunities to [mind-affecting] abilities. Furthermore, if successful, the subject’s mind, in an attempt to retain their sanity, automatically fills in the blank spots in their memory with appropriate substitutions. Even if other creatures inform the target creature that their memory has been altered, they have a difficult time believing it to be true. They are forced to repeat their initial save three times, and only by succeeding on all of the three saves can they restore their memories. This is incredibly damaging to their psyches, however. So, as a result, they immediately must make a Will Save DC (30 – creature’s HD) or be affected as by the insanity spell. Regardless of their success, they also take 1d6 points of Constitution damage, which can only be restored by means of a wish or miracle.
More Idea Than Flesh: A number of times per year equal to their highest mental modifier, the user of For Someone’s Glory can user their near-nonexistence to save themselves from certain doom. As a purely mental free action, they may cause the cloak’s powers to activate when they would be killed, destroyed, or otherwise removed from existence. First, any damage or negative effects they might be dealt are negated. You cannot affect that which does not truly exist in physical form. Second, the creature that targeted the wearer of For Someone’s Glory must make a Will Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + user’s highest mental modifier) or believe themselves to be the target of the damage or effects. If they fail the save, they are dealt any and all damage, status conditions, or negative effects that would have been used on the wearer of For Someone’s Glory. On a successful save, they suffer no damage or ill-effects. However, as a result of the ethereal energies used to activate this ability, that creature is immediately shunted to the Ethereal Plane, regardless of any ability, spell, item, or effect that would prevent this. Once on the Ethereal Plane, they are unable to act for a length of time such that one full week will have passed on whatever Plane they were on before they were shunted to the Ethereal.
Anyway, I’d love to hear what the Playground thinks. This is a work in progress, as there are a huge number of Phantasms, so I will be updating regularly. Let me hear which ones you think I should do next. The only exceptions are Ea, Enkidu, Excalibur, Ionioi Hetaroi, Unlimited Blade Works, and Gate of Babylon, which I am saving for later.
All Noble Phantasms are immune to rusting effects as well as sundering attempts, and can be summoned from the depths of their wielder’s soul as a swift action unless otherwise noted.
Rule Breaker
This jagged, lightning-bolt shaped crystalline dagger is rumored to be able to sever the bonds of companionship, and even causality. Its original wielder betrayed her brother, her father, and her nation for the sake of a lover, only to be abandoned later on. Her undying hatred and lust for vengeance is what gives Rule Breaker its power.
Rule Breaker is a +1 Banishing Keen Cursespewing Vampiric Dagger that allows its wielder to add the higher of their Intelligence or Dexterity to damage instead of their Strength score if they so choose. Twice per day, the user may, as a free action, designate any attack they make with the dagger as a touch attack. Rule Breaker has the following special abilities.
Unshackled Mind: Once per week for every five character levels, the wielder of Rule Breaker may declare an attack against any creature currently under the influence of a mind-affecting effect. If the attack succeeds, no damage is dealt and the creature is immediately freed from the influence being exerted on them.
Severed Space, Severed Time: Once per month, the user of Rule Breaker may use a full-round action to cut through either space or time itself, bringing forth a creature of their choosing as if they had cast the Gate spell. There is no associated xp or monetary cost when using this ability, and the summoned creature is fully under the wielder’s control. However, Rule Breaker demands that in exchange for this boon, the wielder must commit an act of serious betrayal against one of their most trusted friends, family, or companions. Appropriate acts include, but are not limited to, assassination, treason, the murder of a friend’s lover, etc. The most important requirement, however, is that those involved know that they have been betrayed, and by whom. Only their deepest despair will satisfy Rule Breaker’s demands.
Sever the Bonds: In exchange for permanently lowering their Constitution score by one point upon a successful melee attack, the user may wrest control of any summoned creature from its summoner. If this ability is used, the attack deals no damage and the creature will follow orders as if the wielder had been its original summoner and gains a number of benefits as a result of Rule Breaker’s unholy power. The creature gains a +5 profane bonus to all its ability scores, its hit dice are maximized, it gains the benefits of the Diehard feat and DR 5/Good, Energy Resistance 10 to all elements, as well as Spell Resistance 10+CR, and becomes immune to banishing effects. Neither the creature nor its summoner is entitled to make a saving throw, though this ability is entirely ineffective against Constructs. If the wielder prefers, they may instead sacrifice 1 point of Constitution, to be recovered a number of days later equal to the target creature’s Challenge Rating. If they choose the later option, the creature is entitled to a Will Save DC (10+1/2 level + Intelligence or Dexterity, whichever is higher). Furthermore, if they choose the later option, the wielder cannot make use of any of Rule Breaker’s special abilities until their Constitution has recovered. The points of Constitution used as a catalyst for this ability cannot be restored before the allotted time (or at all, in the case of its primary usage) by any means, even the direct intervention of a diety.
Gáe Bolg
Legend holds that this wavy-shafted blood red spear, reputedly forged from the blood of the gods and the bones of a sea monster, can unerringly find the heart of its target, dealing death in a single blow. Its original wielder was a berserker, famed for his incredible strength in battle. He once fought off an entire army single-handedly, only to later kill his own son as a result of his mad frenzy.
Gáe Bolg is a +3 Berserker Impaling Fleshgrinding Valorous Ranseur that automatically grants its user an untyped +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls. The wielder may add three times his strength modifier to damage, rather than the usual twice his strength modifier when using a two-handed weapon. Furthermore, Gáe Bolg instills its wielder with incredible skill and ability. It may be used as if it possessed reach or not, as desired. Shifting from using the weapon with reach or using it as a reach-less weapon is an immediate action, as the wielder intuitively shifts his hands along the length of the spear and alters his fighting stance to better suit his needs. Gáe Bolg has the following special abilities:
Undying Rage: The wielder of Gáe Bolg is incredibly hard to kill. Once per week, when reduced to negative hit points, the wielder may, as an immediate action, harness his powerful will and the strength given him by the spear to regain full hit points and becomes immune to death affects for one hour. If Gáe Bolg’s wielder possesses the rage class feature, he also gains the benefits (and none of the drawbacks) of the Frenzy class feature while raging, as the ability of the Frenzied Berserker prestige class. This does not, however, stack with the abilities of a Frenzied Berserker.
Heartseeking Strike: Once per day before making a melee attack, Gáe Bolg’s wielder may declare their assault to be a Heartseeking Strike. The attack is made at an additional +5 morale bonus and if successful, the target must make a DC (15+1/2 level+Strength modifier) Fortitude save or die. This is not a death effect. It is ineffective against constructs or creatures with no discernable anatomy. On a successful save, the attack instead deals 1.5x its normal damage and causes the target to take an additional 1/10th the damage for 10 rounds, as the wound gushes blood.
Spear of the Wrathful Hero: A number of times per week equal ¼ their character level, the wielder of Gáe Bolg may imbue his next attack with all of his wild rage. The attack does triple damage, and if it successfully kills the target creature, it also heals the wielder for half that amount. Furthermore, as a result of the thrill of the kill, the wielder gains a +8 morale bonus to his Strength, and a +4 morale bonus to his Dexterity and Constitution, as well as DR 10/-. He also gains the benefits of the Cleave, Great Cleave, Whirlwind Attack feats if he did not possess them. This lasts for thirty minutes. However, during this time the wielder’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all lowered by 5 as a result of his frenzied condition. For every 10 enemies he slays, the wielder is also inflicted with a cumulative 1% chance of attacking his allies.
God Hand
Unlike most Noble Phantasms, God Hand is not a weapon. Reputedly worn by the son of a thunder god, God Hand is a suit of magic armor of unequaled craftsmanship, gifted for its original owner in honor of the twelve great tasks he performed as penance for the brutal murder of his own family. His immense willpower is said to still inhabit the armor.
God Hand is a weightless +4 Ghost Touch Retaliation Heavy Fortification set of armor made of an unknown substance which also renders its wearer immune to poison, granting a base armor bonus of +10 (+14 with its enhancement), no dexterity penalty or armor check penalty, but a 100% arcane spell failure. God Hand is entirely invisible (only detectable by True Seeing) and it molds itself to the wearer’s form, making it appear as if he was wearing nothing other than the clothing underneath the armor (or no clothing, in some cases), and even if the wearer is touched, it will only feel as if he has toughened flesh, rather than some form of armor. Once donned, it cannot be taken off by any means. No other armor, gloves, gauntlets, or cloaks may be worn while God Hand is equipped. If its owner is killed, God Hand disappears, to manifest itself once more when another worthy hero comes forth into the world. It grants the wearer damage reduction equal to his hit dice, capped at 20, surpassable only by Epic weaponry. Finally, it doubles the wearer’s hit points. God Hand has the following special abiltiies:
Conqueror of Antaeus: The wearer of God Hand is gifted with immense strength and durability, reminiscent of the power that enabled its original owner to overcome Antaeus, son of Mother Earth, a man invincible as long as his feet touched the ground. Once per day, the wearer of God Hand may spend a swift action to gain the benefits of the Improved Grapple feat, be treated as Huge for the purpose of grappling, and may make melee attacks while maintaining a grapple at no penalty. Further, he may maintain a grapple with one arm, and may act normally with his other hand. He may also make an additional Strength check against his opponent at a -10 penalty. If it succeeds, then he may move as normal, carrying the grappled creature along with him. A creature so carried is unable to move, and must spend a full-round action each round attempting to escape the grapple. If it is unable to do so over the course of ten rounds, it dies as a result of being crushed by the wearer’s strength of arm.
Madness of the Beast: A number of times per month equal to half their character level, the wearer of God Hand may spend a full-round action to voluntarily allow themselves to be overcome with a torrent of rage and hatred. In exchange for their sanity, the wearer’s Strength and Constitution scores double and they are treated as having non-applicable mental scores, effectively rendering them immune to mind-affecting abilities. The only thing on their mind is fighting, and so they treat all creatures as hostile. In the event no more creatures are present, the wearer will attempt to seek out beings to kill, attempting to destroy anything in their path on the way, including objects. They feel no pain whatsoever, and will fight no matter how injured they become, even if they enter negative hit points. The wearer is immune to death effects, paralysis, stunning, dazing, entanglement, being knocked back, fatigue, and exhaustion, as well as death from massive damage. This ability lasts for a number of minutes equal to one-quarter the character’s level and cannot be dispelled or negated by any means.
Twelve Labors, Twelve Lives: The greatest power of God Hand is that its wearer is gifted with additional chances at life. Twelve times, and twelve times only, when the wearer of God Hand would be killed, the will power and anger of the legendary hero causes him to rise again, restored to full health and free of all ill-effects. This ability will bring the wearer back from any injury, even if his physical form is separated, turned to matter other than flesh, turned to ash, even annihilated. He cannot be permanently killed by any means unless he has been affected by this ability twelve times, and then finally slain a thirteenth time.
Mono-hoshi-zao
Forged by a master swordsmith, Mono-hoshi-zao was once owned by an anonymous samurai with no purpose in life. One day, upon seeing a bird fluttering nearby, he became possessed of the desire to create a sword technique capable of cutting down a swallow mid-flight. He spent his entire life in the pursuit of this foolish dream without success. Shortly before his death, however, he succeeded, even though a swallow is a capable of feeling the movement of the air and evading any single strike no matter its speed. He had created a technique, called Tsubame Gaeshi, or "Swallow Reversal", involving three simultaneous slashes. Having succeeded in his impossible dream, the samurai died smiling.
Mono-hoshi-zao, or Washing Pole, is a +2 Keen Eager Blurstriking Coup de Grace Katana of Speed with a x4 critical modifier. Its wielder’s base speed is increased by 1.5x, and he may add twice his dexterity modifier to both attack and damage rather than his strength modifier if he so desires. The first attack made with this weapon during any given encounter is a touch-attack, and the opponent is automatically treated as flat-footed. Mono-hoshi-zao has the following special abilities:
Iai: Tsubame Ansatsu (Quick Draw: Swallow Assassination Art): Whenever the wielder would make a melee attack against a flat-footed foe as a standard action, he may instead make use of this technique to add a competence bonus to his attack roll equal to half his hit dice, ignoring any deflection bonuses to Armor Class, as well as wind effects. If the attack succeeds, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao adds a number of d8 damage dice to the total damage equal to half his hit dice. This ability is not considered a Sneak Attack or like ability, and thus can affect creatures normally immune to Sneak Attacks.
Hiken: Tsubame Mai (Concealed Sword: Swallow Dance): Three times per day, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao may initiate this technique as a full-round action in order to make a number of attacks equal to his hit dice, distributed as desired against any or all adjacent foes, such that if a tenth level character used this technique while surrounded by four enemies, he would be able to make ten attacks, any number of which may be used against each of the four opponents, so long as the total number of attacks made was equal to ten. Each attack is made at the user’s highest BAB and deals an extra Xd8 damage, where X is equal to one-quarter the user’s hit dice.
Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi (Concealed Sword: Swallow Reversal): The ultimate technique developed by the sword’s original wielder, Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi is capable of cutting down a swallow mid-flight. Once per week, the wielder of Mono-hoshi-zao may spend a standard action to initiate this technique. The user makes three attacks against a single target, made at twice the user’s normal attack bonus. This attack ignores miss chances, deflection bonuses to Armor Class, wind effects, Force effects, and occurs too quickly for the opponent to respond, meaning they cannot react to it using immediate action abilities, spells, items, etc; the only exception is if the opponent is another Noble Phantasm user, in which case they can only make use of immediate action abilities granted by their Noble Phantasm, if any. If the attacks succeed, they are automatically considered to be critical hits, and deal damage accordingly.
Invisible Air
Another unusual Phantasm, Invisible Air was originally a scabbard belonging to one of the world’s greatest kings, known as the King of Knights. Crafted by ancient and powerful Fae, Invisible Air reputedly allows its user to attack at great distance with incredible force. Though the sword it contained has long been lost to time, it is still an artifact of unimaginable power.
Unlike most Noble Phantasms, Invisible Air is not a weapon. Rather, its owner may use it as a sheath for any other weapon in their possession. Once placed on a weapon, the user may use that weapon to initiate melee attacks on any target within their line of sight and line of effect in a 15-foot radius. The resulting damage is treated as force damage, and ignores any intervening force or wind effects. The user may also choose to use either their Wisdom or Charisma modifiers for determining damage, rather than their strength or dexterity modifiers. Attacks are made as if the weapon sheathed within Invisible Air possessed the Holy, Illusion Bane, Parrying, and Roaring enchantments. Invisible Air has the following special abilities:
Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King: Once per day, the wielder of Invisible Air may initiate a full-attack action against a foe within a 30-foot radius, as long as that foe is within line of sight and line of effect. In addition to the normal benefits of attacking with Invisible Air, all the attacks deal an additional .25x sonic damage as a result of the assault’s incredible speed. Enemies in adjacent squares to the target must make a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + Strength or Wisdom modifier, whichever is higher) or take one-quarter of the damage. The original target must make a Fortitude save at the same Difficulty Class, or be blown back a number of feet equal one-quarter the damage dealt them. For every five feet they are blown back, they take 2d6 force damage as a result of the eventual impact.
Slipstream: A number of times per day equal to one-third their hit dice, the wielder of Invisible Air may use a standard action to initiate a charge attack against any foe within a hundred feet. The wielder uses the air generated from the Noble Phantasm to propel them forward. Any enemies in between the wielder and the target must make a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + the user’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher) or also suffer the damage of the attack made on the target as a result of the razor sharp displaced air caused by the attack’s incredible speed.
Cutting Air: Tornado Strike: Once per day, the wielder of Invisible Air may use the wind-based powers of their Noble Phantasm to generate a localized tornado. The whirlwind is centered on the user, leaving them in an island of calm extending 10 feet in any direction. Enemies beyond that range within an overall radius of 45-feet is affected by the gale, causing them to take 15d8 half-sonic, half-force damage, with a Reflex Save DC (10 + 1/2 level + the user’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher) for 2/3rds damage. They must also make a Fortitude save at the same difficulty class or be deafened and stunned for a number of rounds equal to one-quarter the user’s hit dice. A successful Fortitude Save leaves them stunned for a single round, and deafened for two.
Knight of Honor/Arondight
Long ago, a boy grew to manhood and, in the course of time, came to be known as “the Perfect Knight.” In service to his king, the knight often left the realm in search of the Holy Grail. In his travels, he faced and defeated many foes, but few as difficult as Sir Phelot, who the brave knight was forced to fight with no weapon. And so, using only the items he could find nearby, the knight managed to overcome his opponent. Though he eventually fell from grace after a liaison with the queen, an affair that ended in the murder of two of his fellow knights, his innate mastery of all weaponry remains vested in his gauntlets, and pulse with power even centuries later.
Knight of Honor is a pair of Arrow-Deflecting Gauntlets of Storing that bestows the wearer with a +5 shield bonus to Armor Class, and allows the user to treat any weapon they hold as if they were proficient in its use and possessed the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats for that weapon. Furthermore, the user may treat any unattended object of medium or smaller size as if it was the weapon closest to it in design (so a table leg might be treated as a club, a fire poker as a short sword, and an oar as a quarterstaff, etc.). All weapons are also treated as if they possessed the throwing property. Finally, all weapons have their damage dice increased by two steps, if d6 or below, or one step, if d8 or above. Knight of Honor has the following special abilities:
Unequaled Prowess: The wearer of Knight of Honor gains a floating pool of enhancement points equal to half his character level. Any time he picks up a new weapon, he may reassign the enhancement points to grant the weapon special abilities whose total bonus equals no more than his total available points. This ability is considered a free action. If he so desires, he may hold points in reserve to be assigned to the weapon later. He may only hold up to half his available total in reserve in such a manner, and assigning the points later on requires a swift action (if between 1-3 points are being assigned) or a standard action (if 4+ points are being assigned). Using these points may enable the wearer of Knight of Honor to exceed the normal +10 enchantment bonus limit on non-epic weaponry.
Weapon Savant: Once per day, the wearer of Knight of Honor may select any unattended object weighing no more than 10,000 lbs. and use it as a weapon for one round. If used as a melee weapon, it deals damage equal to Xd12 where X is 1/250th its total weight. If thrown, however, it deals damage equal to 1/100th its total weight. Depending on the object’s size, this damage may or may not be dealt to multiple enemies. Enemies must all make a Reflex Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + Strength modifier) or take the damage, be knocked prone, and rendered helpless for three rounds. A successful save results in one-third damage from the resulting impact (unaffected by Evasion or Improved Evasion), and the creature being knocked prone for one round.
Arondight: Once per week, the wearer of Knight of Honor may spend a full-round action to transform whatever weapon he is currently holding into the original weapon carried by the Perfect Knight. Arondight is a bastard sword engraved with magical runes, and is reputed to be perfectly attuned to the wielder’s heart. The wielder’s floating enhancement points immediately double for the purpose of granting Arondight’s special abilities. No matter how the points are distributed, Arondight always possesses either the Holy or Unholy enchantment, as well as the Anarchic or Axiomatic enchantment, depending on its wielder’s alignment (a wielder with neutral aspects of his alignment may choose between them). Arondight also emits a powerful Aura of Regret, which causes any creature that fails to make a Will Save DC (15 + ½ character level + Strength or Charisma modifier, which ever is higher), or fall to their knees helplessly, utterly consumed by guilt and grief. At this point, the wielder of Arondight may Coup de Grace any adjacent foes as a free action. This Will Save is repeated every other round. A successful save causes the creature to instead take a -1/4 levels morale penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, and armor class as a result of their intense feelings. This ability lasts for two minutes per level. The Aura is considered to be a [mind-affecting] ability.
Gordius Wheel
Drawn by two divine bulls of the Thunder God, this enormous chariot was gifted to a great general, a man conquered the entirety of the known world. The power exuded by the chariot alone is enough to cause entire armies to flee in terror. It is said that the wild spirit of its original owner can still be heard laughing as lightning flashes from the sky and earthquakes shake the world.
Another unusual Noble Phantasm, the Gordius Wheel is considered a large chariot (requiring the space of a Large Quadreped) made of an unbreakable divine metal, pulled by a pair of large bulls crafted from storm clouds by the Thunder God at the dawn of time. The bulls are held by reins made of pure lightning, and cannot be detached from the chariot for any reason. Because the chariot does not actually touch the ground, the Gordius Wheel ignores any terrain conditions or magical effects that would hinder movement. For opponents attempting to attack the rider, all attack rolls are made at a -5 circumstance penalty, and the rider is treated as having a permanent, non-magical blur effect active upon his person at all times. The Gordius Wheel has the following special abilities.
Bulls of the Thunder God: The two Bulls, Astrapi (Lightning) and Keravnos (Thunder), pulling the Gordius Wheel are no ordinary animals. Rather, they are creatures hand-created by the Thunder God himself. They cannot be baninshed, and if at any time they are killed, their bodies vanish and they simply reappear unharmed the next time the Gordius Wheel is summoned. Astrapi and Keravnos are Celestial Dire Bulls of Legend with the following combat statistics.
Celestial Dire Bull of Legend
Huge Magical Beast (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 16d10+228 (316 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 25 (+5 Dex, -2 Size, +12 Natural), Touch 13, Flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+33
Attack: Gore +29 melee (3d6+25)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Trample, Smite Evil, Breath Weapon, Galvanic Hide
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 10/Magic, Darkvision 60 ft., Energy Resistance 20 (Acid, Cold, Electricity), Low-light Vision, Scent, Spell Resistance 21, Fast Healing 5, Immunities (Electricity, Fear)
Saves: Fort +30, Ref +18, Will +14
Abilities: Str 44, Dex 20, Con 34, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +19, Spot +19, Jump +19
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Improved Natural Attack (Gore), Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Run
Alignment: Always Chaotic Good
Languages: Common, Celestial
Challenge Rating: ???
Combat
A Bull of the Thunder God’s natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Trample (Ex): As a full-round action, a Bull of the Thunder God can move up to twice its speed, crushing any creature at least one size category smaller than itself beneath its hooves. Any creature that its bulk fully covers during the move may either make an attack of opportunity at -4 against the Bull or make a Reflex save (DC 35) for half damage. Trampled creatures take 3d6+25. The save DC is Strength-based. A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.
Galvanic Hide (Su): The skin of a Bull of the Thunder God pulses with massive amounts of electrical energy. This ability converts any electrical damage that would be done to the Bull into healing. Furthermore, as a result of the energy constantly being exchanged, any time a non-magical metal weapon or piece of ammunition makes contact with the Bull’s hide, it melts as a result of the immediate influx of electrical energy. This renders the Bull immune to attacks with non-magical metal weaponry or ammunition. Furthermore, if the weapon is held when it touches the Bull’s hide, the molten liquid falls onto the wielder’s hands, dealing 1d10 fire damage for five rounds. Though molten, it can be cooled by the application of any spell with the cold descriptor. If it has not been cooled at the end of five rounds, it solidifies naturally and suddenly, entrapping the wielder’s hands and forearms, rendering them incapable of taking any action involving their hands or arms. The metal can be damaged as normal for a metal of that type, and will fall off when it reaches 0 Hit Points, allowing the wielder to act once more.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day a Bull of the Thunder God can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD (maximum of +20) against an evil foe.
Breath Weapon (Su): Every 1d4 rounds, a Bull of the Thunder God can use a breath weapon dealing 3d6 electricity damage in a 15-foot cone. A target can make a Reflex save (DC 30) for half damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fast Healing (Ex): A Bull of the Thunder God regains lost hit points at the rate of 5 per round. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow the monster of legend to regrow or reattach lost body parts.
Immunities (Ex): A Bull of the Thunder God is immune to electricity and fear.
Scion of the Thunder God: Three times per day while riding the Gordius Wheel, the user may imbue their attacks with the force of the Thunder God. On a successful melee attack, the target is affected as if struck by a chain lightning, made as if by a caster with a caster level equal to the user’s character level, which then arcs to other nearby creatures as appropriate. Targets killed by such attacks turn to ash as a result of the intense heat. Additionally, whenever this ability is used, the rider of the Gordius Wheel becomes a being of living thunder, granting them the [air] subtype for one minute. During this time, any speech or spell-casting involving vocal components fails, as the din of thunder rings out in honor of the Thunder God. Creatures within 60 ft. of the rider must make a Fortitude Save DC (10+1/2 level+Strength modifier) or be deafened for the duration of this effect.
Via Expugnatio: Once per day as a Full-Round Action, the rider of the Gordius Wheel may spur the bulls to charge in a straight line for 150 feet. This is treated as a trample attack, with the exception that the bulls hooves strike the with force of pure lightning and thunder, dealing Xd8+twice their strength modifier electricity damage to all trampled creatures, Reflex save (DC 35) for half, ignoring any and all resistance or immunity to electricity as a result of its divine origin. All affected creatures are paralyzed as the electricity courses through their veins for a number of rounds equal to one-quarter the bull’s Hit Dice. Furthmore, the bull’s incredible power results in an earthquake as the spell, localized at the mid-point of the charge. The bull’s charge is also strong enough to break through any intervening objects with less than 200 hit points.
Prelati’s Spellbook
Written on pages made from human skin, this tome of unholy magic was scribed thousands of years ago by a mad wizard with the blood of innocents. Residing on the Plain of Leng in the Far Realm, the wizard imbued the dark book with the power to summon creatures of untold darkness, malice and hatred. Legend holds that anyone who attempts to delve to deeply into the tome’s mysteries will be driven insane, mind broken by the twisting shadows.
Prelati’s Spellbook is a not a book of spells in a traditional sense. It contains no magical formulae and teaches its own no new magics. Instead, it acts as a portal to the darkness inherent in the human heart and is capable of bringing nightmares to life. The owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may sacrifice an spell slot of any level to summon a nightmarish creature. This creature may be any monster or monsters such that the total Challenge Rating of the creatures summoned is less than or equal to 1.5x the user’s level. No individual monster may have a Challenge Rating greater than the character’s level minus 2. Only one such creature may be summoned with such a high Challenge Rating. All other summons must have a Challenge Rating at least 3 below the summoner’s level. Unlike normal summoning, all such summons may be made as a standard action if desired. All summons will unhesitatingly obey the commands of the summoner, regardless of their normal disposition. Unlike most Noble Phatasms, Prelati’s Spellbook has special restrictions: it can only be used by an Evil character, and cannot be used to summon any Good creatures. Prelati’s Spellbook has the following special abilities.
Enhancement of the Utterdark: Three times per day, the summoner may select a monster he is in the midst of summoning and apply templates to it such that its Challenge Rating is increased by no more than +2. A template that would be considered CR or LA +0 is instead considered as worth +1. This allows a summoner to exceed the normal Challenge Rating limit on his summons, but by no more than a total of one (letting him summon a creature who’s overall challenge rating after the template application is equal to his level minus one). Alternatively, the summoner may forgo the application of templates and simply summon a creature with a Challenge Rating equal to his level minus one.
Desperation of the Shadows: A number of times per week equal to his one-quarter his level, the owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may either summon a creature as per the normal ability of this artifact as an immediate action in an adjacent square, or he may use an immediate action to trade out one of his summons within line of sight for another creature of equal CR. Creatures summoned with this ability gain a +5 profane bonus to Armor Class, and a +2 profane bonus to all ability scores, and its hit points are 1.5x normal.
Hordes of the Mad Realm: Once per month, the owner of Prelati’s Spellbook may sacrifice a piece of his sanity to summon a number of creatures such that their combined Challenge Rating is equal to no more than four times his level. The creatures follow the normal rules for individual Challenge Ratings as per the Spellbook’s normal ability. During this time, any space the creatures occupy, as well as five feet in any direction from the creatures, is treated as if under the affects of an unhallow and desecrate spell. All the creatures are treated as if healed by negative energy. Using this ability is incredibly taxing on the already fractured mind of the user, and so each time this ability is used, the summoner must permanently sacrifice a point of his Wisdom score, not restorable by any means.
First Folio
A simple notebook of cracked leather, accompanied by a beautiful ivory fountain pen, the First Folio appears to be nothing more than the scribings of a poor poet. In truth, however, it was owned by the most skilled and illustrious playwright in the history of the world. Within its pages, entire families, nations, even worlds were born. Words are things of great power, and can shape reality at their whim.
First Folio is, to all appearances, an entirely unmagical notebook and pen. No amount of arcane sight, detect magic, true seeing, or other divination can reveal its properties. In fact, the notebook itself only holds three properties of any interest. First, it can change its size to be as small as a grain of rice, or as large as a normal notebook, and everything in between. Second, it never runs out of blank pages, and the user can mentally command the book to open to any page he has previously written on. Finally, it can change its appearance and texture to mirror any type of binding, paper, or book that the user desires, with the text inside changing accordingly, making it impossible to decipher its contents. Otherwise, the notebook is indeed unmagical. Why, you ask? Because, as any true writer knows, the power, my boy, is in the pen, in its wielder. The ivory pen, which acts as the second half of the First Folio, can, as an immediate action at the will of its wielder, become a +1 Warning Lucky Wrathful-Healing Kukri. More importantly, it can be treated as a wand for a number of spell levels equal to twice the user’s character level. The user can then cast the spells from the pen as if it was a normal wand. Any time the user makes a successful melee attack that damages a creature, he may cast a spell stored in the pen as a free action. He may also sacrifice charges from the wand to restore an equal number of spell levels to his remaining spells per day. Firsto Folio has the following special abilities.
Dramatis Personae: A number of times per week equal to one-third his character level, rounded down, the user of First Folio may elect to affect any one creature’s existence by naming that creature a Dramatis Persona. This ability may be used in a number of ways. First, it may be used to effectively cast True Resurrection on any creature that could usually be affected by it following the rules for True Resurrection. Using it in this manner has no monetary or xp component, but if First Folio is used in this way, the Dramatis Personae ability cannot be used again for a full seven days. Second, this ability may be used to attempt to remove a character from the play, allowing the owner of First Folio to cast Finger of Death upon any enemy within his line of sight. For the twice the number of usages, First Folio may be used to conjure and control a Sphere of Annihilation for one full minute. Finally, First Folio may be used to be simulate the effects of modify memory, with a +5 insight bonus to the spell’s save difficulty class as a result of the Noble Phantasm’s powers.
Deus Ex Machina: Once per day, the user of First Folio may attempt to revise and rewrite reality. By spending an immediate action, he may declare that one event occurred in a different manner than it did. This ability can only be used to alter a single instant, and does not have the power to drastically alter large overarching events. It might be used to declare that an ally’s missed attack in fact was successful, and that it had managed to strike a critical blow, that an opponent’s attack was unsuccessful, that a spell was cast to no effect, or that an ally’s spell managed to inflict maximum damage on all affected targets, that an ally in fact succeeded on his saving throw or that an opponent failed one. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but is instead meant to represent reasonable usages.
All the World’s a Stage: First Folio’s ultimate ability, the user may, once per year, utterly rewrite a single aspect of reality. The user inscribes a single sentence into the First Folio, of no more than 25 words. The sentence may have no more than a single subordinate clause, and may not make use of the words “and”, “in addition”, “further” or any other word or phrase which allows the user to combine two separate wishes into their attempt to rewrite reality. The only limit on this ability is the user’s creativity. Once the sentence has been scribed, the user must place a period at the end of the sentence. The moment the ink touches the page, reality revises itself based on the user’s written desire. Because of its power, First Folio must consume a piece of its user’s life force to affect reality on such a scale, dealing a single negative level to its user, which cannot be negated regardless of immunity. The negative level also cannot be restored by any means.
*A note on First Folio: More than any other Noble Phantasm, First Folio depends on an open, working relationship between a DM and his players. Both parties are encouraged to discuss the degree to which the user’s creativity can affect the game world, and create a gentleman’s agreement to both parties’ satisfaction.
For Someone’s Glory:
A pitch black shroud seemingly spun from living shadow, For Someone’s Glory is the other remnant of that most perfect of knights. Known for undertaking quests on the king’s behalf while in disguise, the knight never sought glory or recognition for himself. His mind, his body, and soul all belonged to the king, in pursuit of his dream of peace. But with his fall from grace, the knight cast aside his cloak—given to him by the king during his knighting—leaving it lost to the mists of time.
For Someone’s Glory is a magical cloak that effectively erases its owner’s identity. It is a Gleaming Displacement Vanishing shroud that grants its wearer the benefits of a constant mind blank, nondetection, and undetectable alignment, and give off no scent. The cloak itself, uniquely among magical items, can only be seen by mundane vision. It is entirely invisible to arcane sight, true seeing, or any other forms of magical detection. At the user’s whim, as a free action, it may appear either as a normal traveling cloak, or it may manifest its true form, surrounding the wearer with twisting, twining shadows such that no discernable features of its wearer are visible. They simply appear as a humanoid shaped shadow. No divinatory magic will work on their person, rendering them a total enigma. For Someone’s Glory has the following special abilities.
Shades of Unbeing: Three per day as a standard action, the wearer of For Someone’s Glory may draw on the Phantasm’s power to transform themselves into an entity apart from reality. For up to five minutes, the user may render themselves ethereal, while still retaining their ability to interact with the material world. They may manipulate objects, interact with other creatures, attack, and cast spells as normal, as well as anything else a material creature would be able to do. When performing these actions, they do not lose their etherealness, but each time they choose to interact with the material world, the amount of time remaining during which they may stay ethereal is reduced by thirty seconds (A Full-Attack or other like action counts as only one "interaction" for purposes of this ability). This ability is one-sided however. The user may interact with the material world at their desire during this time, but material creatures, objects, and substances cannot interact with the user unless they so wish, consuming one of the thirty-second blocks that make up this ability.
No More Than A Shadow: Once per week as a full-round action, the user of For Someone’s Glory may select a creature within their line of sight with whom they have previously interacted and attempt to erase the memory of their existence from that creature’s mind. The creature is entitled to a Will Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + user’s highest mental modifier) or have the memories of the user purged from their mind. This ability is so powerful that it ignores any and all resistances or immunities to [mind-affecting] abilities. Furthermore, if successful, the subject’s mind, in an attempt to retain their sanity, automatically fills in the blank spots in their memory with appropriate substitutions. Even if other creatures inform the target creature that their memory has been altered, they have a difficult time believing it to be true. They are forced to repeat their initial save three times, and only by succeeding on all of the three saves can they restore their memories. This is incredibly damaging to their psyches, however. So, as a result, they immediately must make a Will Save DC (30 – creature’s HD) or be affected as by the insanity spell. Regardless of their success, they also take 1d6 points of Constitution damage, which can only be restored by means of a wish or miracle.
More Idea Than Flesh: A number of times per year equal to their highest mental modifier, the user of For Someone’s Glory can user their near-nonexistence to save themselves from certain doom. As a purely mental free action, they may cause the cloak’s powers to activate when they would be killed, destroyed, or otherwise removed from existence. First, any damage or negative effects they might be dealt are negated. You cannot affect that which does not truly exist in physical form. Second, the creature that targeted the wearer of For Someone’s Glory must make a Will Save DC (15 + 1/2 level + user’s highest mental modifier) or believe themselves to be the target of the damage or effects. If they fail the save, they are dealt any and all damage, status conditions, or negative effects that would have been used on the wearer of For Someone’s Glory. On a successful save, they suffer no damage or ill-effects. However, as a result of the ethereal energies used to activate this ability, that creature is immediately shunted to the Ethereal Plane, regardless of any ability, spell, item, or effect that would prevent this. Once on the Ethereal Plane, they are unable to act for a length of time such that one full week will have passed on whatever Plane they were on before they were shunted to the Ethereal.