Morphing Legacy Weapon

[MaxMahem]

?Name?

Level HP Save Pen Abilities
5th -- -1 Morphing (Standard Action)
6th -- -- Morph Composition
7th -- -- +2 Weapon
8th -2 -- --
9th -- -- Improved Criticals
10th -- -2 Morph Alignment
11th -- -- Morphing (Move Action)
12th -4 -- --
13th -- -- +3 Weapon
14th -- -- Elemental Morph
15th -- -3 +4 Weapon
16th -6 -- --
17th -- -- Morphing (Swift Action)
18th -- -- +5 Weapon
19th -- -- Planar Morph
20th -8 -4 Plane Shift 1/day * HP and save penalties are not cumulative


Morphing (Su): At 5th level ?name? gains the ability to morph it's form as a standard action. This allows the wielder to transform it into any weapon with which he is proficient. All bonus and special effects are retained. If the weapon is transformed into a ranged weapon the wielder must provide ammunition as standard. This improved to a move action at level 10, and a swift action at level 16.
Morph Composition (Su): At 6th level ?name? gains the ability to change not only form, but also its very composition when it morphs. This allows the wielder to transform the weapon into a silver, adamantine, or cold iron weapon. This requires the same action as morphing the weapons form and can be combined with such an action. Only one such enhancement may be active at any time.
Improved Criticals (Su): At 9th level ?name? becomes able to subtly morph its form to deal extra damage against its target. This effectively grants the weapon the keen, impacting, or piercing special ability, which ever is appropriate for its current damage type, doubling its critical threat range. Once acquired this ability is always active.
Morph Alignment (Su): At 10th level ?name? gains the ability to morph its very alignment. This allows the wielder to transform the weapon into a lawful, good, chaotic, or evil weapon. This requires the same action as morphing the weapons form and can be combined with such an action, as well as the morph composition ability. This enhancement can be combined with morph composition enhancement, though only one enhancement of each type may be active at any time.
Elemental Morph (Su): At 13th level ?name? gains the ability to channel the energies of the elemental planes. This allows its wielder to morph the weapon into morph the weapon into a flaming, frost, shock, or corrosive weapon. This requires the same action as morphing the weapons form and can be combined with such an action, as well as any other morphing special abilities. This enhancement can be combined with the morph composition and morph alignment enhancement, though only one enhancement of each type may be active at any time.
Planar Morph (Su): At 19th level ?name? becomes able to channel the energies of the outer planes as well. This allows its wielder to morph the weapon into a anarchic, axiomatic, holy, or unholy weapon. Any level penalties due to incompatible alignment still apply. This requires the same action as morphing the weapons form and can be combined with such an action, as well as any other morphing special abilities. This enhancement is incompatible with the elemental morph enhancement, only one such ability of either type may be active at any time. It may be combined with morph composition and morph alignment enhancements as standard.


Weider Requirements

Shapechanger subtype


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Here is another legacy weapon I'm working on form my campaign (Shackled City). This weapon will most likely go to a Fighter who fortunately been infected with the wearerat strain of lycanthropy. He loves to use multiple weapons so I thought this would be right up his ally. I'm liking how it is shaping up so far, but I need some help finishing it off.


#1. To powerful/underpowered? I think I've got it just about right, but some extra thought is appreciated.
#2. A good name for this weapon?
#3. Some sort of back story/flavor. I was thinking it should have some sort of link to the planes, but I couldn't figure out exactly what.
#4. Good associated rituals level up it's power.


Thanks for any input.

[Earthstar_Fungus]

The weapon could have started as a normal piece of metal that spent many years on different planes.

[Proven_Paradox]

The penalty to saves would probably keep me from using it, especially if I were a fighter. My will saves are already going to suck, and this is just screaming to get a character killed by any one of many save-or-dies. That said, this is a really, really powerful weapon that needs a major price to pay to be balanced, but I think taking it out of saves is a bad idea if it's intended for fighters... I dunno, maybe I'm alone in that though.

I'm vaguely reminded of Soul Caliber, from the games of the same name... But that's probably not quite what you were going for, was it?


I'd suggest making up a backstory involving some legendary martial changling. I think that kind of legacy would fit the weapon's ability well. Perhaps name it something like "<Legacy founder>'s Armory."

Query: Are the weapon's possible forms limited by size?

[Edit] I'd also suggest swithing things around a bit so that Elemental Morph comes first. Morph composition won't be as useful at low levels as Elemental Morph, I think, since the monsters with damage reduction that you'd want the different materials tend to be higher levels. The elemental enchantments are all just +1, too.

[MaxMahem]

Thanks for the replies. I think I am going to call it the "Prime Blade" and it is going to have some sort of backstory involving a powerful plane traveling dopplganger.

Thanks for the thoughts on the save penalty being to great. Looking on it now it is rather hefty. What if I applied the save penalty only to fort, and increased the HP penalty by 1 each level (ie. 3,6,9,12).

Legacy weapons as written generally cost to much for there abilities I think. At level 20 most are only slightly superior to a +10 weapon which a 20th level character should easily be able to afford. My Prime Blade for example is effectively a +5 sure striking morphing keen flaming holy weapon which makes it effectively +11 (although with some significant other advantages). This is more powerful than average, but not incredibly so. But by the base rules most legacy weapon would cost a character a level or two in HP, BAB, saves, or skills.

As for if the weapon re-sizes to fit a larger wielder, I honestly hadn't thought about it. The PC in question probably will not be enlarging himself aside from means that would normally enlarge his equipment as well. I'm inclined to say sure why not. Sizing is normally a +1 equivalent bonus, but in general terms not a very cost effective one I think, so I would allow it.

Lastly, I really don't want to switch out morph composition with elemental morph. When I designed the weapon I intended to give it a "major" effect every odd level. Morph composition is a relatively minor effect, not even worth a +1 bonus IMO, especially since when it is acquired it takes a standard action to change it's composition. Also my players have already (level 3-4 right now) encountered several monsters with composition based DR. Wererats, dretches, and other low level demons, and other monsters with templates that give them DR.

I could switch elemental morph with improved criticals, though. I think that would work well. Improved criticals is actually a fairly weak ability I think, and so putting it on a even numbered level works well. What do you think about that?

[Proven_Paradox]

I like the idea of making it apply only to fortitude saves. Even with the increased HP cost, I wouldn't heasitate to use the weapon like that.

Switching morphing with the keen morph works well too, I guess. I rarely throw anything at level < 6 characters with anything more complex than damage reduction X/magic or X/- and energy resistances, but if you've already done that then I guess it's just a difference in taste. Either way, I guess I see where you're coming from. It's just that being able to get an adamantine weapon at that level seems a little more than "minor" to me.

[MaxMahem]

I've finished putting the last touches on the "Prime Blade" as I now call it. You can find it's finished state here (http://myweb.cableone.net/MaxMahem/content/content.html) on my website in PDF form.


I rarely throw anything at level < 6 characters with anything more complex than damage reduction X/magic or X/- and energy resistances, but if you've already done that then I guess it's just a difference in taste. Either way, I guess I see where you're coming from. It's just that being able to get an adamantine weapon at that level seems a little more than "minor" to me.
Really? Because in 3.5 I've found DR of various types (silver, cold iron, ect) to be much more common at low levels then it was before. In any case, the players in question will be at least level 6 before they get access to the ability anyway. I don't get you on adamantine being that special though. All it does in a weapon is provide you with fairly uncommon DR penetration ability, and makes the weapon itself harder to sunder. Nothing to special really, cold iron and especially silver weapons would seem more valuable to me.