New weapon. Sword of Balance

[Seffbasilisk]

Sword of balance.

Sword of Balance: This Cold Iron, +1, Holy, Unholy, Anarchic, and Axiomic longsword can only be weilded by a neutral-neutral creature. It bestows two negative levels for each alignment difference (-2 for N-G, -4 for L-G). A neutral creature weilding the sword gains the use of the feat Weapon Finesse and counts the sword as a light weapon while holding it, and gets a +4 to dexterity and strength. At will a Neutral-Neutral creature can act as if under the spells "Detect Evil/Detect Chaos/Detect Good/Detect Law." 3/day a Neutral-Neutral creature weilding it can use the sword in a smite attack of thier choice (Smite Good, Smite Evil, Smite Chaos, Smite Law) for a +10 to damage. A creature hit by a smite attack by this sword takes a negative level. One day after being struck, subjects must make a DC 16 Fortitude save for each negative level or lose a character level. A non-neutral creature who attempts a smite attack with this sword must make a DC 28 Fortitude save or take a negative level, 2d6 fire damage, and be forced to drop the sword. After which this creature must make the save each time they try to pick up the sword. A successful fortitude save allows the creature to hold the sword, and not lose a level, but it still takes 2d6 fire damage.

For all non neutral-neutral creatures weilding this, it counts only as a +1 Cold Iron longsword that causes the loss of two levels while held.

[Frojoe21]

Actually, I created an artifact called balance. It was a double scimitar with one side Unholy Anarchic Icy Burst, and the other Holy Axiomatic Flaming Burst. The Holy side could use Daylight 3/day, and the Unholy side could use Darkness 3/day

[Rawhide]

The Equalizer Sword ("The Sword of Neutrality") - A very powerful sword that players must create by assembling three seperate pieces throughout BGII (and then having the item forged by a singularly skilled smith). This one first appeared in the Greyhawk Adventures Hardcover (page 87 to be precise) as the Equalizer of Gran March. The Equalizer longsword does no damage to true neutrals, and increasing damage against those of more extreme alignments. It also protects against charm and confusion.

[Seffbasilisk]

bloody hell. Guess I'll have to change it a bit.

[Democratus]

Per SRD, a weapon can't be both silver and cold iron.

The alchemical silvering process can’t be applied to nonmetal items, and it doesn’t work on rare metals such as adamantine, cold iron, and mithral.

[Prince_Azar]

So if you wield this Blade of Evil, when your strength is above 35, what happens?

[Prince_Azar]

All things considered, the alignment of the enemies plays a significant role in this as well.

What I mean is that people start to treat Good and Evil as just two different colors, rather than ideals, you know, like Axiomatic and Anarchic, not actual ideas, or beliefs, but just Quality 1, Quality 2, Quality 3, etc...

[Seffbasilisk]

Yes, but thats what 'know alignment' is for. The idea is that you can know the alignment, and smite it. I'm thinking of using this 'artifact' as a way of showing the beauty of neutrality to a party of people who are mostly the extremes (the C-E one killed peasants, burned them alive, stabbed babies, and laughed the whole while through)

[MisterRaziel]

Anarchic... Axiomatic...

I wouldn't have liked to see the explosion when that sword was made.

"Hmm, a positron and a neutron... what happens when I put these together..."

[idksocrates]

I have a god of neutrality, and one property of her quarterstaff is that the properties (Holy, Unholy, Axiomatic, Anarchic) of each side can be changed as a free action each round. Once side can have up two two properties applied at once, but not opposing alignments (not Axiomatic/anarchic, but Holy/Anarchic or Holy/Axiomatic if fine). A side that has Holy also has Disruption, a side that has Anarchic has Speed, Unholy has wounding, and Axiomatic has Defending.

[Ellisthion]

"Hmm, a positron and a neutron... what happens when I put these together..."

Probably nothing. A positron is an anti-electron, whilst a neutron has no charge. Although there may be a Weak Force interaction between the quarks in the neutron and the positron...


Sneffbasilisk, you've said that your sword grants Weapon Finesse... unless you're an ogre, that's pretty pointless, 'cause you can't wield a longsword as a light weapon. Do you perhaps mean Weapon Focus?

[MisterRaziel]

Aaand this is why I'm not a physics major.

I'm sure I meant electron. but the point is moot.

Now, godly weapons are a different proposition altogether, since they're tangible representations of concepts.

The point is, I don't see how something can have obviously contradictory attributes active at the same time. Forget magic - it's simple logic. (A ^ -A) = contradiction.

[Democratus]

I checked the 3.5 SRD and there isn't a spell called Know Alignment.

Are you playing a different version of D&D?

[MisterRaziel]

Man, that's an AD&D spell, if memory serves.

I think they made the spells more specific - Detect [good, evil, law, chaos].

I'm not a fan of neutrality - especially Chaotic Neutral. Players always take it as "so I can do whatever I feel like, whenever I feel like."

That ticks me off because it's not heroic or villainous - it's apathetic. Why would they even bother questing?

[Seffbasilisk]

Fixed! And chaotic neutral characters could get smote by this sword. One weilding it would get -2 levels and the sword would only be a +1 Cold Iron longsword.

[Ojoxsofeta]

Couple of things:

1- I don't see a price on this- it would be interesting to see what it would cost.
2- Instead of saying 'neutral-neutral,' it might be easier to say 'true neutral.'

I had a weapon like this once when I was a cleric of the Greyhawk hero-deity Kelenarn.

Pendulum - +1 Anarchic Axiomatic Holy Unholy longsword (Kelenarn granted the war and travel domains, and his favored weapon was Swords).

[Everyman]

My...I mean...but...wow.

Seff, there is no way in the 9 levels of Hell that I would ever allow your sword. This is due to several reasons:
1) It's has a total of +9 bonus. That isn't bad within itself, but that plus the cold iron forging means that this sword has a a base cost of 164,630 gp. Note that this cost is BEFORE all your other additions.
2) It boosts your stats. A sudden +4 to STR and DEX is worth at least another 30,000-40,000 gp in my mind.
3) It gives you SMITING! SMITING FOR THE LOVE OF PELOR! THREE TIMES EVEN! And since you can literally smite ANYTHING with any sort of non-neutrality, and you'll always know because you can detect that stuff at will. That's a bonus that deserves another 50,000 gp at minimum.
4) It drains levels with no save. That just seems so wrong. I don't even know how much that would cost, but I'm guessing its probably a tad more than every other custom feature thus far.

Based on my calculations, your sword (considering all it can do) would cost well over 300,000 gp. With everything it can do, I'd stop calling it a weapon and start calling it a freakin' ARTIFACT!

[Seffbasilisk]

That was the idea. Its an Artifact Weapon.

[Ellisthion]

1. You can't create artifacts
2. Only deities etc create artifacts
3. Are there actually any True Neutral deities?
4. Why would a Deiy BOTHER creating this?

[coredump]

Sword of balance.

So, is this suposed to be a minor or major artifact?

And level drain has always played out as an evil trait, not neutral.

[Seffbasilisk]

What do you mean I can't create artifacts?

And the Idea is that a neutral epic fighter was trying to be swayed to the side of good or evil. So he held up his sword. The good one blessed it with law and good, the evil one blessed it with chaos and evil. They somehow swirled together to give candy-cane stripes on the sword. Black and white. Both gods, realizing they'd helped the fighter (who remained neutral) worked together to strike him down. Then the sword was lost... or so it was thought..

[bingo_bob]

People, I believe the level drain occurs to non-TN weilders using the sword, not victims of it.

But maybe you already knew that...

[Seffbasilisk]

(victims of the smite get a neg level....i might scrub that though)

[Adghar]

I can see any TN fighter taking this sword and absolutely owning any non TN creature s/he attacks. At its current state, it's incredibly overpowered. Last time I saw it, it was kinda balanced, but now you've included the detect spells, +4 to dex and str (why?!), dex for attack rolls if better, and permanent level loss. In my opinion, this weapon needs way more restrictions. I think, after a certain smite ability, you need to use the opposite smite ability within one hour or the sword explodes. Also, only one smite per round.

[idksocrates]

Well, seeing as how it is a Major Artifact weapon (it would have to be) its not particularly far feteched. Just make sure that no character of less than level 30 or so could ever get their hands on it. Maybe put it into the hands of a super powered neutral outsider of some sort, or an evil outsider who keeps it hidden so it can't be used against him.

[Seffbasilisk]

The idea is that Gods and such don't even like the sword. But because they worked together to make it, they'd have to work together to unmake it...and they really don't want to work together.

A TN fighter COULD kick ass with this. Thats the point. Chaos hammer, Order's Wrath. Blasphemy, and its opposite too. They thwack the one opposite them, BUT also hurt neutrals. Neutrals are underpowered and most people tend to swing to the extremes. The idea is that it could blast down a C-E Fighter just as easily as a L-G Paladin. It was never intended to be made, but was. And the Gods dont want to work together to scrub it. The idea is its on a big pedistal and an insane gnome is trying to seize it and destroy all people of extremes (blaming the world's problems on them). The party has to fight thier way in (past all the traps he slipped past) and fight him for control of the sword. What they do with it then is up to them. But seeing as most party members will be of an alignment...and if you're not true neutral it doesnt tell you what it does...they'd be taking a level drain for a +2 Cold Iron longsword. So they'd probably ditch it. Or try to sell it. And orders of Paladins would attack them while they had it, as well as Drow and necromancers.