Artifact Critique meet.

[CrackedChair]

Righto, next question on the agenda... I have now gotten to the point that with my current crowd of PC's playing a campaign I am running, that I will include an Artifact as a quest item.

Now, people of the playground, I'd really appreciate it if you could look over the below artifact and tell me if it's balanced enough for use, please?

-----

Durandal
Weapon (greatsword), Artifact (requires attunement by a Fighter, Paladin, or Barbarian)
This mighty greatsword was said to be the weapon of choice of the legendary human hero, whose name was forgotten to all but the most long-lived of races in the world. It was said that this massive sword, when carried by this hero, repeled the legendary Tarrasque, and put him to a long slumber under the earth. After the battle, it was stained by the blood of this titan, infusing it with might both righteous and terrifying. As years passed, the hero lived, maintaining the very blade. But even he could not escape death, but very much wanted the world to be saved should the Tarrasque return to wreak destruction. He consulted a great sage who could make his soul one with the sword, and thus remain connected to the world and see how it changes, while still being around to help the next hero who could eventually save the continent he was born on. After the ritual was completed, his soul was bound to this sword, as his lifeless body then was buried and preserved.

Magic Weapon, Durandal is a Magic weapon that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls with it. It also functions as a sword of sharpness, Vorpal Sword, and Mantle of Spell resistance.

Random Properties: The Greatsword has the following randomly determined properties:
-1 Minor beneficial property
-1 Major beneficial property
-1 minor detrimental property

Insurmountable Sword: Unless you have a strength score of 20+, and you hold the sword, you have disadvantage on attack rolls with it. If you are a small creature and you have a strength score of 20+ or less, this massive blade is impossible to wield. A large or bigger creature does not need to have a strength score of 20+ to use this sword.

Elemental Drive: If you are holding the sword, you can make a strength check against a surface to swing the sword straight to the ground in a attempt to split it. The DC is 11 for dirt, sand, or any other soft ground, DC 16 for stone, paved or rugged, DC 20 for any metal floor, and DC 23 for Adamantine or mithral. Should you drive the sword into the ground, you can select an cylindrical area of 15 feet in diameter and reaching 60 feet upwards, reaching upwards from the ground as your point of origin and select these effects. The saving throw for each effect is 12 plus your strength modifier, plus your proficiency bonus. After using this property, you cannot use it again safely until you finish a long rest. You can still use this feature again, but doing so greatly taxes you. If you use this feature before finishing a long rest, make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, you gain one point of exhaustion.

-A spire of stone springs up from the point of origin and mows through any creature in the way. Each creature in the point of origin must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the victims of the effect take 10d8 Bludgeoning damage and 10d8 piercing damage on a failed save and be pushed 30 feet from the origin, or simply take 10d8 bludgeoning damage on a success, and get knocked back only 15 feet.
-A huge burst of volcanic energy erupts from the ground, and then shoots upwards in a bright stream of fire. Each creature in the point of origin must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the victims of the effect takes 16d10 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. The fire ignites all objects not currently being worn or on hand.
-A glacial spike of great size springs up from the ground. Each creature in that point of origin must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 8d10 cold damage as well as 10d8 piercing damage on a failed save, or take half that much damage on a success. After the attack, any creature who failed on the save has it's speed currently reduced by 10 feet until the start of the user's next turn.
(Note: I got earth, fire, and somewhat water down. Not too sure what to do with wind, if anybody has an answer, it would be appreciated. )

Sentience: Durandal is a Lawful good weapon with a Intelligence of 16, a Wisdom of 14, and a charisma of 17. It has hearing and vision up to a range of 120 feet, and truevision up to a range of 30 feet. The weapon can speak, read, and understand common, and can communicate with it's wielder telepathically. It's voice is kindly, but commanding. While attuned to it, Durandal understands every language you know.

Personality: Durandal speaks with a kindly voice, as though it fully understands it's wielder. Unless the person holding it is a human however, it's voice is instead sharp and commanding, as if it does not fully trust the wielder and pushes it to prove it's worth.
Durandal believes that it and it's wielder will play key events in the near future, and wishes for the success of the wielder and his allies. It believes that any other artifact, save for it, is inferior to it, and urges the wielder to veer clear of other artifacts. It only merely tolerates the presence of other artifacts that the user's allies hold, if any.

Destroying the Sword: The sword was said to be forged from the very hammer of a Empryean whom made this sword for the hero. Should it be returned, this Empryean could destroy the sword. Any other attempt to destroy it does not seem to work.

-----

How does it look? Be sure to leave a comment of what you think I could change, if anything. Thanks.

[SharkForce]

this is clearly not an artifact. it doesn't have a horrifically awful drawback that makes you want to skip straight ahead to the "how to destroy it"section rather than use it for anything.

[CrackedChair]

Hmm... true... got any ideas of what I could give it to make there be a reason to destroy it?

[Naanomi]

Hmm... true... got any ideas of what I could give it to make there be a reason to destroy it?
Clearly once someone attunes it, the Tarrasque will raise to face him in 4d100 days... Continuing the cycle of
Ancient battles between it and the champion of the blade for all eternity. Hope you can continue the winning streak, and not too much of the world is destroyed while it unerringly tracks you down from its resting place

Or destroy it, making it possible to put the beast down for ever

[krugaan]

you should make the swords personality strongly lawful. And then increase the demands of the sword all the time, until it starts interfering with the wielders life. And then the parties life. And then the countries life. And then the world's life. And then the plane's life. And then all of existence.

Make it utterly domineering and impossibly good, so much so that it twists around to evil. It will start demanding death for the slightest infractions of the law and of it's honor. It will ignore laws it deems unfit and demand you get the laws changed, and perhaps kill the king who refuses to do so. Because, obviously, anyone who wields it must be more good, more worthy, more wise and just and fit to rule than anyone else.

Because ultimate good is the ultimate goal.

And woe be unto any who stand in my way.

(I mean, our way.)

/sinister music

You might want to make it a necessary plot object to slay some ancient evil or something, but as it dies you might want to have it whisper some cryptic warning about the sword like "you wield the light, hero, thinking it has saved you, but it shall burn you and yours to cinders, just as it has meeeeee.... auuuuuggggghhh" /expire

[SharkForce]

Clearly once someone attunes it, the Tarrasque will raise to face him in 4d100 days... Continuing the cycle of
Ancient battles between it and the champion of the blade for all eternity. Hope you can continue the winning streak, and not too much of the world is destroyed while it unerringly tracks you down from its resting place

Or destroy it, making it possible to put the beast down for ever

honestly, once you get a certain amount of character resources that's basically just a minor nuisance.

[Naanomi]

honestly, once you get a certain amount of character resources that's basically just a minor nuisance.
Maybe, but how many countries between you and it have you angered for 'awakening the beast' by playing with a sword that should have been left alone?

And how obnoxious is it when a Tarrasque stomps into your camp while you sleep for the third time? How long until the party is sick of a Tarrasque appearing in the middle of already challenging fights?

[FlourescentKing]

... as his lifeless body then was buried and preserved.

Hmm....Let's go off of that.

As the blood of the Tarrasque seeped back into the earth, the very same blood that stained and infused Durandal inexplicably made its way hundreds, thousands of miles to the nameless hero's resting place. Deep in a tomb beneath the earth, a singe drop of crimson blood dripped onto the preserved hero's brow. There was a sudden hush, as if the world itself was gasping in anticipation of what was about to happen.....
And the hero's eyes opened.

Basically, the body of the hero has been infused with the essence of the Tarrasque. Empty of emotion, compassion, or anything tying him to his past life or humanity, the only thing he knows is that he feels an inexplicable call to the sword....his sword. Passing through earth as though it were air, and molding it to his will, he will not stop until he has finally recovered his precious blade. He is nigh-invincible - his skin shrugs off the mightiest of blows, and the most explosive of spells fail to make him pause in his unerring path. Should he be damaged, the blood of the Tarrasque calls the earth to heal him (totally stolen from Percy Jackson btw :smallbiggrin:), and dirt or sand springs to his wound and heals him within seconds.

But should he regain his blade, the reunion of body and mind will cause the Tarrasque to awake once more....

[SharkForce]

Maybe, but how many countries between you and it have you angered for 'awakening the beast' by playing with a sword that should have been left alone?

And how obnoxious is it when a Tarrasque stomps into your camp while you sleep for the third time? How long until the party is sick of a Tarrasque appearing in the middle of already challenging fights?

the tarrasque is not a subtle enemy. if it stomps into your camp, you'll know about it long before it shows up. the odds of the tarrasque showing up in the middle of challenging fights is absurdly tiny; there are 14400 rounds in a day, and about 30 of them might reasonably be combat (less than that most likely is in challenging combat). if it happens regularly, that's not the described drawback, that's the DM deliberately screwing you over. if the tarrasque doesn't spawn from its old corpse, then it won't stomp through any countries between you and it, since it's drawn to you it should spawn near you. if it does spawn from the old corpse, then you can just pretty much move it's corpse someplace convenient, ideally a place that will take care of matters for you (for example, if you place the tarrasque at the bottom of the ocean in a deep trench, the crushing pressure will likely kill it as soon as it revives, and if not, the tarrasque is neither aquatic nor water breathing, and didn't have any air in its lungs when it reanimated. alternately, you can always place the tarrasque's remains hidden on the opposite side of an enemy base you would like to see destroyed, wait for it to reanimate, and then launch your assault on that stronghold at the same time as the tarrasque arrives from the other side).

i mean, nobody is going to invite you to come into their city unless you've literally just killed the tarrasque once they know how the sword works, but for many characters that isn't even really a drawback.

[Envyus]

I would use my buffed Tarrasque.

Here are the extra abilities of my tarrasque you can just add them on to the current one and it becomes much more worthy of it's feared reputation.


Immutable Form. The Tarrasque is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Weapons. The Tarrasque's weapon attacks are magical.

Regeneration. The Tarrasque regains 30 hit points at the start of its turn.

Immortality. The only way to ensure the Terrasque's defeat is to reduce it to 0 hit points, and before it's regeneration activates use a specifically worded Wish spell to keep it from regenerating. The Terrasque will then slump to the ground and sink deep into the earth and begin it's slumber for an unknown number of years.
I would say your artifact can bypass the need to use a worded wish spell and will instead just cause it to sink into the earth and slumber if it lands the final blow.

Boulder. Ranged Attack: +10 to hit, range 600 ft., one target. Hit 7d10+10 damage, if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 25 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Legendary Action Boulder Throw (Costs 2 Actions). The Tarrasque makes one boulder attack.
Also a burrow speed of 30 ft.

Combined with all the other stuff it already has this beast is going to be hard to take down.