Dhavaer
2007-09-02, 02:10 AM
The minds of the vashar are alien to mortal races. While they trade, eat, fight and love as all peoples do, they have an innate, overwhelming hatred for the outer planes and everything on them that is startling in its intensity. Since a time before elf saw tree or dwarf knew stone, they have stood as shadowy sentinels over the Prime Material, hunting down fiend and celestial alike.
With their uncommon mastery over shadowstuff the vashar have shaped and forged many powerful weapons to wield against their otherworldly foes, the greatest of which was the sword Truthteller.
The vashar concept of truth is famously (or notoriously) twisted; they have one word that refers to what is, and one to what should be. The phrase 'vashar's truth' in many human or halfling lands refers to an impossible, wishful dream. Truthteller was created to make that dream a reality; to slay every god and cut the outer planes from the multiverse.
Unfortunately, Truthteller's great powers were never successfully replicated, although many lesser versions were created. These lesser swords, each given to vashar champions, were named the Scions of Truth.
Truthteller was lost two thousand years ago; flung across the Prime after the death of Erythnul, god of slaughter, at the hands of the vashar champion Isshaethyr. The vashar have been searching for it ever since.
Truthteller
Truthteller strikes as a +10 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. Like a sun blade, however, its wielder may wield it as though it is a short sword, applying feats and abilities that apply to either type of weapon. Its bane ability applies to all outsiders.
More importantly, Truthteller renders its wielder and everything within 60ft. of it entirely immune to salient divine abilities. Any deity struck by Truthteller loses their divinity and all accompanying abilities as long as Truthteller remains attuned to them with its shadowstriking ability. Any deity slain by Truthteller is captured by its thinaun blade, and thus prevented from rejuvinating in its divine realm. Truthteller automatically destroys any deific essence it captures, granting its wielder the benefits of a heal and greater restoration spell, and also generally releasing an enormous blast of energy with uncertain but far reaching effects.
A non-vashar wielding Truthteller wields it as a -10 bastard sword until they fail a save against a dominate monster effect (DC 23) that commands them to return the sword to the vashar. They must make this save once a day.
As a major artifact, Truthteller cannot be destroyed by normal means. It loses its invulnerability when there are no longer gods in the multiverse.
Scion of Truth
This sword is the size of a bastard sword. However, a scion of truth is wielded as if it were a short sword with respect to weight and ease of use. (In other words, the weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard sword, and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword.) Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a short sword with proficiency is proficient in the use of a scion of truth. Likewise, Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword apply equally, but the benefits of those feats do not stack.
In combat, the dark blade of a scion of truth is equal to a +2 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. The bane property is normally applied to either good or evil outsiders.
A lesser scion of truth is equal to a +1 shadowstriking thinaun bastard sword. A greater scion of truth is equal to a +3 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. The outsiderbane property of a greater scion of truth is normally applied to good and evil outsiders, although some are attuned to lawful and chaotic. The wielder of a greater scion of truth is constantly under the effect of a protection from evil and protection from good (or law and chaos, if the scion of truth is attuned to those outsiders).
Any ideas on pricing?
With their uncommon mastery over shadowstuff the vashar have shaped and forged many powerful weapons to wield against their otherworldly foes, the greatest of which was the sword Truthteller.
The vashar concept of truth is famously (or notoriously) twisted; they have one word that refers to what is, and one to what should be. The phrase 'vashar's truth' in many human or halfling lands refers to an impossible, wishful dream. Truthteller was created to make that dream a reality; to slay every god and cut the outer planes from the multiverse.
Unfortunately, Truthteller's great powers were never successfully replicated, although many lesser versions were created. These lesser swords, each given to vashar champions, were named the Scions of Truth.
Truthteller was lost two thousand years ago; flung across the Prime after the death of Erythnul, god of slaughter, at the hands of the vashar champion Isshaethyr. The vashar have been searching for it ever since.
Truthteller
Truthteller strikes as a +10 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. Like a sun blade, however, its wielder may wield it as though it is a short sword, applying feats and abilities that apply to either type of weapon. Its bane ability applies to all outsiders.
More importantly, Truthteller renders its wielder and everything within 60ft. of it entirely immune to salient divine abilities. Any deity struck by Truthteller loses their divinity and all accompanying abilities as long as Truthteller remains attuned to them with its shadowstriking ability. Any deity slain by Truthteller is captured by its thinaun blade, and thus prevented from rejuvinating in its divine realm. Truthteller automatically destroys any deific essence it captures, granting its wielder the benefits of a heal and greater restoration spell, and also generally releasing an enormous blast of energy with uncertain but far reaching effects.
A non-vashar wielding Truthteller wields it as a -10 bastard sword until they fail a save against a dominate monster effect (DC 23) that commands them to return the sword to the vashar. They must make this save once a day.
As a major artifact, Truthteller cannot be destroyed by normal means. It loses its invulnerability when there are no longer gods in the multiverse.
Scion of Truth
This sword is the size of a bastard sword. However, a scion of truth is wielded as if it were a short sword with respect to weight and ease of use. (In other words, the weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard sword, and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword.) Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a short sword with proficiency is proficient in the use of a scion of truth. Likewise, Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword apply equally, but the benefits of those feats do not stack.
In combat, the dark blade of a scion of truth is equal to a +2 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. The bane property is normally applied to either good or evil outsiders.
A lesser scion of truth is equal to a +1 shadowstriking thinaun bastard sword. A greater scion of truth is equal to a +3 shadowstriking outsiderbane thinaun bastard sword. The outsiderbane property of a greater scion of truth is normally applied to good and evil outsiders, although some are attuned to lawful and chaotic. The wielder of a greater scion of truth is constantly under the effect of a protection from evil and protection from good (or law and chaos, if the scion of truth is attuned to those outsiders).
Any ideas on pricing?