How can you sever the silver cord of Astral Projection?

[Adumbration]

I've been trying to find information on this, but unfortunately it has been very scarce so far. More specifically, I've only discovered vague rumours about a githyanki silver sword or a astral dreadnought that might be able to do it.

The reason I'm asking, I want to kill a wizard. Since most wizards are apparently just astral projections, the simplest method would appear to be the severing of the cord.

[Starbuck_II]

I've been trying to find information on this, but unfortunately it has been very scarce so far. More specifically, I've only discovered vague rumours about a githyanki silver sword or a astral dreadnought that might be able to do it.

The reason I'm asking, I want to kill a wizard. Since most wizards are apparently just astral projections, the simplest method would appear to be the severing of the cord.

Only a Silver Sword (A few Githyankis have them) can do that.

[Adumbration]

Only a Silver Sword (A few Githyankis have them) can do that.

Exactly what is a Silver Sword? Artifact? Silvered weapon, wielded by Githyanki? Magical property? McGuffin?

[jmbrown]

Astral wind
Astral dreadnought
Vorpal weapon
Any sword brought into existence by the will of a gith.

[Adumbration]

Astral wind
Astral dreadnought
Vorpal weapon
Any sword brought into existence by the will of a gith.

Okay, that makes it quite simple then, thank you.

Them wizards think they can hide in their Magnificent mansions...

[The Glyphstone]

Astral wind
Astral dreadnought
Vorpal weapon
Any sword brought into existence by the will of a gith.

Do you have a source for this? Manual of the Planes states that items cannot sever silver cords unless specifically noted to do so, as in the case of the Githyanki Silver Swords. The Vorpal property makes no mention of this ability.

[true_shinken]

Do you have a source for this? Manual of the Planes states that items cannot sever silver cords unless specifically noted to do so, as in the case of the Githyanki Silver Swords. The Vorpal property makes no mention of this ability.

It's a holdover from 2e, methinks.

[AslanCross]

It's a holdover from 2e, methinks.

Aye, it is. I think back then the vorpal property severed the Silver Cord, which is why it was fatal. The 3E version has it dumbed down by simply going for instant decapitation.

[The Glyphstone]

Aye, it is. I think back then the vorpal property severed the Silver Cord, which is why it was fatal. The 3E version has it dumbed down by simply going for instant decapitation.

So...did Vorpal weapons not do anything on the Prime? Or did everyone have a Silver Cord back then even if they weren't planar travelling?

[Adumbration]

In that case, I'd still really like to know what the Silver Swords are. Any sources/page numbers/books/general information?

[jmbrown]

So...did Vorpal weapons not do anything on the Prime? Or did everyone have a Silver Cord back then even if they weren't planar travelling?

Only astrally projecting. If you project a separate body into the astral plane then you're cord is showing. If you physically plane shift then no, you're good.

In that case, I'd still really like to know what the Silver Swords are. Any sources/page numbers/books/general information?

1E manual of the planes and 1E fiend folio.

Githyanki "special silver swords" which are +5 vorpal blades that are non-aligned and have intelligence 8.

A regular "silver sword" is a +3 two-handed sword that has a 20% chance per hit to sever an astral cord.

Once upon a time Githyanki were disgusting. They've been downplayed a lot after 3E. I'd wager the reason is because 2E nerfed the demons/angels/devils so they needed to focus on a new planar enemy and 1E's gith were already beasts. 3E seemed to revel in the return of demons/angels/devils what with all the fiendish and demonic books.

[hewhosaysfish]

In that case, I'd still really like to know what the Silver Swords are. Any sources/page numbers/books/general information?

I'm afb but I'm fairly sure they're in the Githyanki entry in the MM.

[EnnPeeCee]

MM1 covers the silver swords in the Githyanki's section.

[kamikasei]

In that case, I'd still really like to know what the Silver Swords are. Any sources/page numbers/books/general information?

From Wikipedia (sorry):

Vlaakith will sometimes present powerful githyanki with an incredibly rare silver sword. These swords possess several unique properties, most notably the ability to sever the silver cords that act as lifelines to travelers on the astral plane, killing the traveler instantly. These swords are highly sought after, and a cult of githyanki knights called the Sword Stalkers is tasked with recovering any swords that fall into the hands of the unworthy, i.e. non githyanki.

Treat them as minor artifacts and don't worry about how they're crafted, essentially.

[jmbrown]

I always ruled that the intelligent vorpal silver swords were extensions of their will and vanished when killed.

[Shademan]

Once upon a time Githyanki were disgusting. They've been downplayed a lot after 3E. I'd wager the reason is because 2E nerfed the demons/angels/devils so they needed to focus on a new planar enemy and 1E's gith were already beasts. 3E seemed to revel in the return of demons/angels/devils what with all the fiendish and demonic books.

do you have pics or anything?
this interests me

[AslanCross]

So...did Vorpal weapons not do anything on the Prime? Or did everyone have a Silver Cord back then even if they weren't planar travelling?

My knowledge is entirely based on Baldur's Gate II, so I can't really say. In any case, I may have been mistaken. The item is described in the game as such:

This Vorpal Silver Sword radiates a dark aura when you examine it, and the
blade is so finely sharpened it could likely sever a head in a single blow.

It still cut off heads, but it was still used to destroy silver cords on the Astral Plane. Since BG2 was set on the Material Plane, it didn't do anything to silver cords, but it still had its instant kill effect (20% chance). (EDITED for clarity)

[Aharon]

The following is not RAW, as the conclusions I draw rely on statements from several rulebooks and aren't as clear as RAW usually is. To be RAW, the entry for Astral Projection would have to contain a sentence like "The silver cord has hardness 10, 20 hit points, and can be damaged as other incorporeal things. These facts are available, but they are found in three different books, so the more sensible approach is to assume that Astral cords aren't intended to be destroyed in that way.

I still think it's a good houserule, as it fits better with the intended use of the spell (nearly risk free travel, but not making you neigh invincible). That said, here's my argument from some time back:

The defenders of Astral Projection often do say that there are only a few specific things able to damage the silvery cord. I don't know why. It is stated in the spell description that it is incorporeal, This is a holdover from 2nd edition, where the DMG included informations on psychic winds, which could destroy Silver Cords. But the current DMG has indeed information about what can destroy incorporeal things:

An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy, negative energy, force effects such as magic missile, or attacks made with ghost touch weapons). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead, but a hit with holy water has a 50% chance of not affecting an incorporeal creature.

In the monster manual, Hardness and Hit points of the cord are stated (10 and 20, respectively). This information is found in the Githyanki entry.

The entry for the Ghost Template seems to imply that the same descriptions that are used for creatures are to be used for objects:

Ghostly Equipment

When a ghost forms, all its equipment and carried items usually become ethereal along with it.

However, the entry for etherealness does not say anything specifically about ethereal objects, so it seems logical that the same conditions apply.

That would mean that any spell that affects objects (like Chain Lightning, for example) or any magic weapon has a 50% chance to damage the cord, and that it is never missed by a ghost touch weapon.

(The discussion in which I was proven wrong about this being RAW can be found here).

[Premier]

As far as I understand, the Original Poster is facing this issue in a specific campaign. Therefore it would be worth keeping in mind that all these "by the book" answers are

A, possibly incorrect, since it might work differently in this particular game, and

B, an attempt to metagame and solve a game problem with out-of-game knowledge instead of finding the solution the proper way. Which is something universally frowned upon.

[jiriku]

MMI is the place to go for a description of the silver sword. IIRC, XPH also includes an update to the silver sword. It works extra well against psionic creatures or somesuch.

[Starbuck_II]

From Wikipedia (sorry):

Treat them as minor artifacts and don't worry about how they're crafted, essentially.

Actually, the silver swords that Gith have now are replicas of the true silver sword.
NWN 2 lets you find a true silver sword (well pieces of it).

[Douglas]

That would mean that any spell that affects objects (like Chain Lightning, for example) or any magic weapon has a 50% chance to damage the cord, and that it is never missed by a ghost touch weapon.

And yet the spell itself notes that "Luckily, very few things can destroy a silver cord." "Any spell that affects objects, or any magic weapon" is not by any stretch of the imagination "very few things."

Now, reading the Githyanki entry, it specifically notes that their Silver Swords are capable of cutting a silver cord, with the implication that this is unusual. The hardness and hp you quoted for a silver cord are specifically how the silver cord is "treated" in the context of using a Silver Sword. The full wording is:

High-level githyanki often take the Improved Sunder feat, using their silver swords to attack astral travelers’ silver cords (see the astral projection spell, page 201 of the Player ’s Handbook). The normally insubstantial cord is treated as a tangible object with the owner’s AC, hardness 10, and 20 hit points.

As written, those stats are not normal for a silver cord and are specifically for when using a Silver Sword.

[Aharon]

@douglas
As I said, I do not consider my proposal RAW, for the reasons stated. I also reread the Manual of the Planes, which states very clearly that monsters, items and circumstances can't sever a silver cord unless specifically noted. If that's the point you wished to convey, I concur.

The following answer is only important if you still want to discuss the merit of my interpretation, knowing that it is just a houserule.

@very few things
This is clearly fluff. There aren't specifics given. There are undoubtebly very few ancient dragons around in any given campaign setting, and yet high level adventurers will manage to meet many of them.

@Silver Cord only has these properties when hit by a Silver Sword
I disagree. I think the sentence you quoted means that the sword-wielder treats the cord as a tangible item with hardness 10 and 20 hit points instead of an insubstantial item with hardness 10 and 20 hit points.

Insubstantial is used interchangeably with incorporeal in the D&D terminology.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'm AFB right now, but I'm almost certain that there's a sidebar in MotP that covers everything you want to know about the githyanki silver swords. I wanna think it was in the section on PC races under the githyanki entry.

[Adumbration]

As far as I understand, the Original Poster is facing this issue in a specific campaign. Therefore it would be worth keeping in mind that all these "by the book" answers are

A, possibly incorrect, since it might work differently in this particular game, and

B, an attempt to metagame and solve a game problem with out-of-game knowledge instead of finding the solution the proper way. Which is something universally frowned upon.

Well, actually I'm looking for pure RAW answers at the moment - this isn't part of any campaign, but rather part of an attempt at assassinating the infamous Schrödinger's wizard in his Magnificent Mansion while under the effects of Astral Projection.

At the moment I'm doing surprisingly well - I've already penetrated Magnificent Mansion, and with the Silver Sword, Astral projection shouldn't be much of a problem. Worst case scenario, I'll have to be Githyanki with levels in Stoneblessed - otherwise I'll just fluff the sword as stolen, but part of the WBL.

Next up, dealing with contingencies.

[Kislath]

Oh, there's gonna be a contingency, alright. If you try to go around with a silver sword, then a pack of super-nasty Githyanki assassins called Sword Stalkers are gonna be on you like white on rice.

[Adumbration]

Oh, there's gonna be a contingency, alright. If you try to go around with a silver sword, then a pack of super-nasty Githyanki assassins called Sword Stalkers are gonna be on you like white on rice.

Eh, 20 feet aura of telepathic static that blocks divinations should foil them for long enough to shank the wizard. Mindblank and Nondetection can't hurt either, plus a few other choice UMD'd scrolls.

[Grommen]

You all beat me to it. I was going to say

"Big Hedge Clippers"

Ya a Silver Sword, made by the Githyanki will do the trick. Their are a few problems with this however. They don't part with them ever and if you manage to kill one and take his sword. His buddies will hunt you down and take it back. And I don't think trying to explain to them that you, "Were borrowing it." will suffice.

Being lazy and takeing a break from writeing an adventure at the moment in mind. I wonder if Modicanen's Disjunction (or just plane Disjunction) would also pooker the pooch's silver cord?

Silver Swords appeared in the Never Winter Nights two game, along with the Githyanki. Thankfully you can come to terms with the fact that you happen to have a silver sword. They agree to stop attacking you, and you agree to stop killing them. Worked for me.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Though it seems to have been settled, 3.5 rules for the Githyanki Silver Sword are found in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, page 167.

Summarized, a Silver Sword is any weapon forged with alchemical silver, with the Githyanki Silver Sword abilities applied to it. They are traditionally greatswords, but are not required to be. They force a DC 17 Fortitude save for any creature struck, or else that creature loses all psionic abilities for 1d4 rounds. Additionally, they allow the creature wielding it to attack the silver cord of an astral traveler, forcing a DC 13 Fort save or be forced to return to its body. If the cord is severed, the creature dies instantly. Cords have the owner's AC, hardness 10, 20 HP. Cost to create is 25,530 GP + 2000 XP, weapon must be a melee weapon made of alchemical silver, psionic banishment required power. Cost to purchase 50,530 GP. Figures given for a greatsword.

[Adumbration]

Though it seems to have been settled, 3.5 rules for the Githyanki Silver Sword are found in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, page 167.

Summarized, a Silver Sword is any weapon forged with alchemical silver, with the Githyanki Silver Sword abilities applied to it. They are traditionally greatswords, but are not required to be. They force a DC 17 Fortitude save for any creature struck, or else that creature loses all psionic abilities for 1d4 rounds. Additionally, they allow the creature wielding it to attack the silver cord of an astral traveler, forcing a DC 13 Fort save or be forced to return to its body. If the cord is severed, the creature dies instantly. Cords have the owner's AC, hardness 10, 20 HP. Cost to create is 25,530 GP + 2000 XP, weapon must be a melee weapon made of alchemical silver, psionic banishment required power. Cost to purchase 50,530 GP. Figures given for a greatsword.

Thank you! This helps immensely, the description in MM1 didn't have a listed cost so getting that would've been down to DM fiat. Not anymore.