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View Full Version : Blade of Mu [An Artifact for a BBEG]



Yakk
2007-01-08, 04:23 PM
I sort of like the idea of BBEG having Artifacts. Ancient magic items that make them a threat, provide a McGuffin for players to target, and provide a clear reason why killing this guy is a good idea.

The trick, of course, it making sure that players don't pick up the Artifact and use its powers to break the campaign.

Here is the Blade of Mu.


Blade of Mu:
The Blade of Mu is a pitch-black weapon. Its exact shape varies -- it seems to shape itself into a weapon appropriate for the wielder.

The Blade of Mu contains a manevolent alien intelligence. It is uncertain what the goals or the origin of this intelligence is, but it influences and controls anyone who touches, remains near, or uses the Blade.

On the other hand, it is extremely powerful. People claim the power, and don't realize the cost until it is far too late.

Costs of the Blade:
The Blade consumes and controls it's owner and the wearers magical items. Magical items are consumed by merely being in proximity with the Blade, and the owner is slowly twisted into a puppet of the Blade.

Tthe Blade will drain your other magical items. Magical items kept near the Blade, but not touching, need to make a Will save (using their possessor's will) against DC 15+1 per hour (which accumulates) or lose all magical properties. Magical items that enchant the blade wielder don't work, as the Blade negates them (see below), but other items (like Magic Armor, other Magic weapons, etc) may work until they are drained.

As for the wielder... The stages of control are: Attraction, Addiction, Obsession, Twisting, Submission, Consumption.

There is no effect that can prevent these stages -- even creatures immune to mind-control spells and effects are eventually consumed.

A PC at or past the Obsession stage ... is no longer a PC. At best they are a player-controlled villian.

Creatures without a Will score that manipulate the Blade act as proxies for whoever "controls" or "plans" their action. It is more the mental state of being in possession rather than the actual physical possession that matters. In addition, often such Creatures are the equivilent of magical items, and as such become drained an inanimate.

The following are all Will saves:

Physical Touch: DC 15+1 for every previous touch Will save, or become Attracted.
Posession: Every hour, DC 10+1 per hour, or become Attracted.
Every Day of Posession while Attracted: DC 15+1 per day, or become Addicted.
Use: DC 20+1 for every previous use, or become Addicted.
Every Week of Possession while Addicted: DC 20+1 per week, or become Obsessed.
Kill: DC 25+1 for every previous kill, or become Obsessed.
Use while Obsessed: DC 20+1 per day of Obsession, or become Twisted.
Use while Twisted: DC 25+1 per day of Twistedness, or Submit.

Possession: Includes having someone else carry it for you, but they are also influenced. What matters is the feeling of control as much as physical posession.

Use: Any intentional or foreseeable use of the Blade's abilities.

Kill: Any death that was contributed towards by the Blade.

Attracted: You feel an attraction to touch it, hold it, possess it, use it. It seems right, as if you where destined to be together. This has no non-roleplaying effect.

Addicted: You are no longer able to choose to give it up. You can, however, maintain your alignment. You will use it in preference to any other tool -- if you draw a weapon to fight in melee, you will draw the Blade. If removed from the Blade's presence, you suffer a -2 penalty to every stat, and gain 1 negative level every week for 1d6 weeks. These levels and stats can only be regained by regaining possession of the Blade.

Addicted is the last stage in which a PC is really a PC.

Obsession: You will violate your alignment restrictions, oaths, or even a geas to continue to use the Blade. Your life revolves around keeping the possession of the Blade -- if this requires killing all of your friends, or jumping into a life-threatening situation, so be it.

Twisted: The Blade is now influencing your actions towards it's own ends. Treat this as an unresistable Suggestion, castable once for every day you have the Blade in your possession. The Blade can save up Suggestions for later use. Your alignment starts to rapidly fall towards Neutral Evil.

Submission: You are nothing more than a tool for the Blade. You will do anything the Blade wants, including give it up to a more powerful wielder. After you give up the Blade, you will continue to be it's slave.

Consumption: Once you are enslaved by the Blade, whenever you gain a level you gain two negative levels. You also gain a negative level every year you possess the Blade. These levels cannot be removed while the Blade exists.


Benefits of the Blade:
Communication: The Blade can speak telepathically to anyone who is Attracted (see below) to the Blade.

The Blade has 100' Blindsight, can always Detect Magic (caster level 30) in all directions, can Read Magic at will. On the other hand, it is communicates in a very alien way that makes it very hard to understand.

Spell Resistance: Character Level/2+20.
Continuous effects that enchant the actual wielder are negated immediately (see Negation).

Foresight: The Blade seems to be able to see the future, and can influence the wielder to defend against undetectable attacks. The wielder can dodge blows even when they have no other forwarning -- the wielder is never flatfooted unless physically restrained.

To use this ability, you must be at least Attracted to the Blade (see below).

Negation: If the Blade touches any magical effect, the effect ceases. Small and Medium sized magical effects (up to 30' in size) cease immediately. Larger magical effects warp, twist and disspiate slower, with the nearest 30' being nullified instantly, and the remainder warping towards and around the Blade. Perminate effects are nullified for at least a day from a casual touch -- longer exposure can destroy them utterly.

Area of effect spells can do some damage before the Blade negates them. No-save spells do 1/2 of a single round's effects. Save-based damage spells treat everyone as if they had improved evastion -- 50% damage on a failed save, 0% damage on a successful save. Burst spells don't work on anyone further from the effect source than the Blade.

Ranged Touch spells twist towards the Blade and are swallowed up. Any Ranged Touch that passes within 20' of the Blade simply misses. Effects that are within 100' of the Blade are at -10 to hit. Once aware of the effect, a caster may attempt to compensate for the Blade's twist by taking a -40 to their to-hit roll.

Parry:
If successfully attacked by a melee or ranged attack, the wielder may consume his or her next round's attacks to Parry the blow. Roll a to-hit against an AC of the attackers to-hit roll. On a success, the Blade parries the blow (negating any enchantments in the attacking weapon for 1 day per parry).

In addition, this deals damage to the attacking weapon (or arrow). Remember that the Blade ignores hardness.

Sharpness:
Armor is little barrier to the Blade of Mu. Consider the attacks to be touch attacks. Magical attacks that boost your AC directly don't work -- however, indirect bonus's (such as bonus's to Dex, which provide AC) do work.

Damage done by the Blade first attacks the mundane armor of the target. Each point of mundane armor soaks 1 point of damage, and then is discarded -- the Armor no longer grants AC, until repaired. Armor Check/Arcane Spell Failure/Max Dex penalties continue to apply until the remnants of the armor is removed (which usually takes a significant amount of time).

In addition, on a successful hit, all enchantments currently applied to the target and/or the target's armor cease to work for 1 day per hit. New enchantments can be provided, but magical items that provided continuous enchantments don't work.

The Blade ignores the hardness and DR of any object. It can even cut through adamantium using the Blade's hilt. Together with the Animation power, this means attempting to disarm and/or restrain the blade is not all that effective, so long as the Wielder continues to live.

Stats:
The Blade of Mu is usually a +5 Keen Ghost Touch Speed weapon of a type appropriate to the wielder. In addition, it always confirms crits.

It does an extra 1d8 cold damage on every hit.
On a critical hit, the cold damage is multiplied like the normal damage.

The Blade can shape itself into a +5/+5 Double Weapon of Speed Ghost Touch with no Keen or auto-crit effect that deals 1d6 cold damage per hit. Note this is weaker, in exchange for being a double weapon.

Animation:
The user may cause the Blade to animate. This requires the same amount of effort as using the Blade manually, but the Blade can fly. It can also be used if you are restrained, disarmed or unable to move. It cannot, however, parry attacks against the owner if it is not near the owner.

To use this ability, you must be at least Addicted to the Blade.

Fold:
Dimension Door, as the spell. As an immediate action, character level/2 times per day. Spells that attempt to prevent dimensional travel, naturally, consumed by the Blade's presence.

To use this ability, you must be at least Obsessed with the Blade, and have the Blade in your grasp.

Note that as an Immediate action, you can use this to avoid being hit.

Arbitrarity
2007-01-08, 04:34 PM
Mmmm... evil. On the other hand, no matter how good your saves are, that thing will get you in battle after about 20 kills. Actually, that makes sense.

I like it. Give your BBEG an incredible weapon, have the PC's pick it up... myyyy... preciousss.

amanodel
2007-01-08, 05:35 PM
May I present my own creation for the same purposes:

The medalion of the infernal worlds.

The BBEG may acquire these medalions by making deal with a devil. The medalion carries the essence of the devil, granting the Special Attacks and Special Qualities of the demon to the BBEG as long as he's alive. It changes the alingment of the wearer LE, and is impossible to remove without the aid of a wish, miracle or similar spell.

Once a day the devil within may try to act. The wearer must succeed on an opposed charisma check or the devil takes control of his body entirely for 2d4 rounds.

The exact type of the medalion depent on the devil who made the deal.

jlousivy
2007-01-08, 07:09 PM
I like the idea for the weapon how PC's wont really use it, but ... im just trying to think of how a party is suposed to take on someone who is using this.

Arbitrarity
2007-01-08, 07:55 PM
Depends, what level is the party? I'd guess this would be an item for an epic BBEG... K, touch spells work, and any AOE, ranged touch, or enchantment does not. it basically always hits, super-sunders, dancing, can avoid any sort of danger, likely 10 times. It's easily a major artifact, so no disjuration...

Looks like no save, AOE, grid intersection hits. Blaster mages?

True strike and elemental orbs would work... almost.

How fast, and what manuverability does the blade have?

Yakk
2007-01-09, 12:04 PM
Yes, the Blade is intended to be something that any intelligent player will avoid like the plague. Even intelligent BBEG, if they realized the bargain, would probably run away screaming.

Like a person moving. In essence, the user gives up their own movement and/or attacks to move/attack with the Blade. Practically it wouldn't work outside of the vision of the wielder, because of the communication bottleneck, and not having the Blade in your possession removes alot of it's defensive powers.

This Blade is designed to make a pure-melee BBEG tough enough to cause serious harm to a party. Note that the Blade cannot be aquired by a BBEG before the BBEG becomes powerful -- the Blade cannot power up a slave. All it can do is enslave a being, and then try to pass onto a more powerful potential slave.

I suspect the Blade, in the hands of a L 8 fighter, might be a match for a L 11 party. And unless the Party is careful, they'd lose their fighter character to the Blade's corruption. Which is exactly what the Blade wants. :)