The Soul of a sword. advice needed

[Krazzman]

Hello fellow playgrounders.

I am currently DMing a solo campaign (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?353833-Solo-Campaign-Idea) (Pathfinder, E6-ish) with my wife and have gotten some ideas that I would like your Input on and built deeper into the Campaign.

I basically want to ditch the whole Magic weapons and enchanting system and replace it, somewhere I saw someone doing that but google draws nothing really good. Maybe I am searching wrong... if you know something or have ideas for it please pitch it, as I am not sure how to approach this.

Another point is that every Weapon has it's own soul that I would like to get a good way of doing on additionally to the change of the lesser Spirit Totem Rage Power my wife uses in that campaign. (Instead of spirits that deal 1d4+Charisma Mod. negative energy damage she get's spiritual extra attack with her main hand weapon [a longsword deals 1d8+Cha Mod untyped damage against a target in the weapons range]).

Also I want to create custom weapons from other media (Inuyasha's sword or Abarai Renji's [Bleach] Zabimaru for example) as items where she seeks certain Items.

Staying with the Tessaiga example for it she needs the Fur of a Good creature (Llamasu or something like that) and a fittingly big tooth of a Demon. As well as certain other things.

Hope this is clearer now.

Old Post:
She is playing a Totem Warrior Barbarian//Heretic Inquisitor with a custom race and has a Faible for everything that has a blade.

She asked me about the lesser spirit totem rage power if she could make it effective against undead as that are the main foes she will encounter.

My plan now is, that instead of just some violent spirits I want it to use the spirit or soul of her weapon. She also encountered my Dhampyr/Jiang Chi Smith/Blood mage duo. And had enough resources for a custom Blade and sealing it in her "soulspace". Said blade is Zabimaru for which I'll post the stats later.

The world is a mix of Golarion (Inner Sea) Biohazard/Resident Evil and some other influences like Naruto/Soul Eater/Kill Bill/Fairy Tail and similar.

It is supposed to be an E6 style game where she can advance after level 6 only through DM fiat.

I'd now would appreciate your input on an alternative weapon enchantment system (Masterworked and better balanced or similar). Along with quests for special weapons like Inuyasha's Tessaiga or Tensaiga and similar weapons. Except for Zabimaru and Inuyasha's sword she doesn't know what else she could get but is open to advice and recommendations.

Thanks in advance, I'll post more information if necessary and later if I again have access to my PC.

EDIT:
About the Seals:
To Seal the weapon into the "Soulspace" Sengan (the Jiang Chi), needs a small amount of blood. With this he mixes the necessary Ink together and let's Matthäus (Matt the Dhampir Smith) reforge the blade to fit the Seal in. Then Tattoo's and carves the corresponding symbols into Weapon and Wielder. This costs 500 for One-Handed Weapons and double for Two-Handed Weapon or Double Weapons.
They also sell "Storage Seals" that work like Bag of holding but are cheaper (costs 60%) and is better (20 more mass and weight) and works similar to a handy harversack. Also is only destroyed if the seal itself is cut.
And later Armor Seals to store and summon armor and other stuff.

Zabimaru:
Reach: 10ft., Deadly, Distracting and True Silver (like alchemical Silver but without lessening the damage.
1d8 18-20/x2, Slashing and Piercing.

[Gildedragon]

I'd suggest weapons of legacy
But those start getting abilities at 5...

Also... What in blazes is that about seals and soulspaces? I couldn't make heads or tails of what it was supposed to mean or how it was of bearing to your question

[Krazzman]

I'd suggest weapons of legacy
But those start getting abilities at 5...

Also... What in blazes is that about seals and soulspaces? I couldn't make heads or tails of what it was supposed to mean or how it was of bearing to your question

Hmm ok, I don't think I have the book with the Weapons of Legacy...

The Soulspace thing and seals is one of the influences from various Anime/Manga stuff... I would like for her to have a moneysink in the form of weapons that she can bind into her soul, being able to call and dismiss them as a move/free action. So far she can do that with Zabimaru as she didn't have enough money for anything else.

The bearing was that it works similar to a Glove of Storing but instead is stored via Seal magic into her very being. (reference for that is either Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail or Unlimited Blade Works (http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Unlimited_Blade_Works))

Hope this helps to make it clearer.

[Gildedragon]

WoL is a 3.5 book but has interesting mechanics for weapon enhancements that grow with the character.
However these take into account item levels and WBL to some extent which is why adapting ten to E6 may be tough.
Not sure if wealth or item power is somehow capped in E6 (or in your game)
If it isn't... Well some items will be far more powerful than a character

Now other ideas: the ancestral relic feat (3.5)
Soulknives (make a feat that accesses the class feature)

[Hiro Quester]

Now other ideas: the ancestral relic feat (3.5)


+1 to that. Book of Exalted Deeds p. 39. Check it out.

The mechanic of praying and sacrificing valuable items (that are useless to you) at 100% of their value (rather than selling them for 50%) to improve the relic by "awakening the spirits in the ancestral relic" can be quite fun to play for both of you.

[Extra Anchovies]

As mentioned above, Weapons of Legacy (exactly what the title says) might be good; Tome of Battle expands some on the idea and gives a few new legacy weapons, if I remember correctly. Ancestral relic could work, too; additionally, there's something in the Expanded Psionics Handbook that could be an interesting starting point for adaptation. It's a weapon ability called "Psionic"; the basic effect is that it gets more powerful if the wielder has more power points. 1-4pp, 5-29pp, 30-79pp, 80-129pp, and 130+pp make it a +1 to +5 weapon, in that order. With some adaptation it could work for what you've described; however, I'm wholly unfamiliar with about half of the nouns you used, so I probably have no idea what I'm saying (Zabimaru? Golarian? Dhampyr?) :smallbiggrin:

[Krazzman]

WoL is a 3.5 book but has interesting mechanics for weapon enhancements that grow with the character.
However these take into account item levels and WBL to some extent which is why adapting ten to E6 may be tough.
Not sure if wealth or item power is somehow capped in E6 (or in your game)
If it isn't... Well some items will be far more powerful than a character

Now other ideas: the ancestral relic feat (3.5)
Soulknives (make a feat that accesses the class feature)

Sadly I don't have that book. Ancestral Relic would be useful but it's not what I am searching. Same for Soulknives but it is similar in the way I want to do it. Fluffwise it could work but her Character isn't that religious.


+1 to that. Book of Exalted Deeds p. 39. Check it out.

The mechanic of praying and sacrificing valuable items (that are useless to you) at 100% of their value (rather than selling them for 50%) to improve the relic by "awakening the spirits in the ancestral relic" can be quite fun to play for both of you.

see above


As mentioned above, Weapons of Legacy (exactly what the title says) might be good; Tome of Battle expands some on the idea and gives a few new legacy weapons, if I remember correctly. Ancestral relic could work, too; additionally, there's something in the Expanded Psionics Handbook that could be an interesting starting point for adaptation. It's a weapon ability called "Psionic"; the basic effect is that it gets more powerful if the wielder has more power points. 1-4pp, 5-29pp, 30-79pp, 80-129pp, and 130+pp make it a +1 to +5 weapon, in that order. With some adaptation it could work for what you've described; however, I'm wholly unfamiliar with about half of the nouns you used, so I probably have no idea what I'm saying (Zabimaru? Golarian? Dhampyr?) :smallbiggrin:

Zabimaru (http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Zabimaru_(Zanpakut%C5%8D_spirit)) is the Sword (called Zanpakuto in the Bleach universe) of Renji, a Shinigami that basically works like a swordwhip.
Golarion or the Inner Sea is the Pathfinder campaign Setting. But I just use it for the maps and locations. She is currently going to Isarn (the Main City in Galt, a region similar to france during the revolution).
Dhampyr is a race. Half Vampire's basically. Chiang Ji are Asian Vampires.

What I thought was more different mundane enhancements and throwing the normal enhancement structure out of the window to give it a more generic way of doing and Ideas what swords or ingredients for swords I could let her have or hunt.

Hope this helps clarify things again.

EDIT:
Also she has this Rage Power (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/rage-powers/paizo---rage-powers/spirit-totem-lesser-su) which we changed. Instead of dealing 1d4+ charisma-modifier they deal the same Weapon Base damage + charisma modifier (i.e. a Greatsword deals 2d6+2 [her Cha mod] untyped damage).
That's the reason why I thought about unique boni while this is active with certain weapons.

[Krazzman]

Bump + changed Opening Post.

Clarifying what I wanted, thanks for the replies so far. I'll probably later ask about some other housrule changes or E6 stuff (pricing of feats or similar).