Sword of Damocles

Known for its troubling effects on men throughout spoken history, the sword of Damocles has left an indelible mark on the stories that frighten children. The sword itself is a cursed long sword of leadership -2 (attack, damage, and leadership rolls).

It is said that this weapon finds a way to lead the wielder into peril, and causes those led by the wielder to behave less faithfully. This sword is also deceptive; the wielder believes she is receiving bonuses rather than the hindrances.

Craft Wondrous Item; CL 11; Curse; Price: 15,000.

"Three Strikes"

This longsword +2 has been passed down from generation to generation of elves, first discovered by Kiyarniar Buentiejal, famed founder of the wood elves Trangull Drevo. Rumors say that it was given to Kiyarniar by Corellon Larethian.

The owner can go below 0 hit points twice wielding this weapon, but on the third time her hit points reach 0, she finally dies, skipping stabilization attempts, etc.

This sword is also imbued with wounding.

Hammer of Deafening

This +2 hammer, when slammed to the earth deafens those within 15 feet. A DC 20 is required to avoid this effect within 5', a DC 18 for those within 10' and a DC 16 for those within 15'. Those wielding the hammer are immune to this effect, though they tend to be a bit hard of hearing after a few uses.

Minor Evocation; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, sound burst, caster level 7; 10,000 gold

The Sorrow of Ard Shurel (Magic Item)

The fragments of legend that can be pieced together in regards to this blade are few and scattered. It is whispered that Ard Shurel was a great Warlord, rising to power during the dawn of mankind. Little is known of his path to glory, but myths allude to his gentle spirit, compassionate heart, and endless ferocity.

Having gathered his brothers to his breast, Ard mastered the savage land he found around him. Slaying those who opposed him, and embracing those who would head his wisdom. Long was the struggle with the fel creatures of the night, but gradually a fragile balance was achieved and for a time he was at peace.

The mythos claims that his heart was captured by a beautiful maiden, and that he made her his bride. Fair and pure she was, tall and slender of neck. As all such things go, they were content for a time. Sadly, their happiness was short lived, for a demon of great power had been watching Ard, gnashing it's great teeth in readiness for the day when it could strike him down.

Undar'gesh was a denizen of the shadows, a whisperer of lies. His minions lurked in darkness at fire's edge, lusting for blood to quench their never ending thirst. For years they had hurled themselves upon Ard Shurel and his men, crashing down in endless waves upon them. Defeat had left Undar'gesh with a powerful thirst for revenge, and Shurel's happiness was just another mortal weakness upon which to prey.

Each night the gloom demon would visit the beautiful bride, and whisper in her ear, casting long shadows of doubt in her mind. Her head and her heart became full of glass menageries, brittle and untrue. It was not long as demons measure time before Ard's sweet wife was lost to her own madness.

The fierce heart of Ard Shurel was sundered. The gentle spirit, and just heart grew bitter and cold with grief. In a fit of rage, he took up his great blade and slew his beloved with a single blow. As he looked upon his dying love, her eyes were cleared of their madness and she had only kind words on her lips for her champion.

Going mad with the horror of what he had done, Shurel turned his blade on his own men, drowning his sorrow in their blood. As darkness stole across the land, and the sunlight bled beyond the horizon, Ard Shurel fell upon his own blade. The last light fled, and there upon the floor lay pulsing blood red blade, a faint sound of laughter echoing in the distance.

The Sorrow of Ard Shurel
+2 wounding man-bane bastard sword
Chaotic Evil - Ego Score: 15
Int: 14, Wis: 14, Cha: 10
Speaks common and abyssal
120 ft. vision and hearing
Powers: minor image 1/day, locaete object 3/day
Special Purpose: to destroy love wherever it is found
Dedicated Power: when the sword is around those who love each other (platonic or romantic) it can use song of discord at will.

Strong Mixed Auras; 135,000 gold

Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians

It is sung in The Deed of Barael:

... we crossed the burning wasteland
sought out forgotten tomb
within a shattered chamber
beneath a broken moon
we looked amongst the ruins
where cities once did rise
from graves of fallen kings there
what doom shall rise
...
old legends tell of weapons
wielded by kings of old
crafted by evil wizards
unholy to behold
we seek the fire lances
led to the ancient grave
the world where they were masters
now lays in waste
...
let us live the prophecy
all you know will cease to be ...

It is said that long ago the lands that are now the Middle Kingdoms were ruled by a band of friends; warrior lords who called themselves the Hyperzepharians. It is said that they wielded these weapons as they swept across the planes on steeds who flew with magic horseshoes.

In times long past, beset from the west by raiding gnoll tribes from the badlands, the beleaguered lords of that land traveled north to the temple of Baccob to beseech the mages there for aid defending their peoples. Unknown to them, the head clerics there had been seduced by the promises of Vecna, God of Secrets. After making a terrible bargain with the Priests of Secrets the warriors of the Hyperzephyrins were given these burning lances. At that time a prophecy was pronounced stating that the kings would defeat their enemies, but that upon their passing all that they knew would cease to be.

So great was the power of these weapons that all who faces them on the battlefield were laid low, and soon the gnolls were driven back. Emboldened by their power and their fearsome reputation, the kings of the Hyperzepharins made war on their neighbors, and took other's lands for their own. After years of felling all who stood against them, they entered a long age of peace, and growing old, hid their magic lances and horseshoes and saddles for their sons to use if the need came.

But their subjugated neighbors never forgot that they were once free men, and under the banner of a rebel warlord from the east, they rose up and in a lightning war that swept the Hyperzepharian's royal line from the land.

The secret of the resting place of the fire lances died with them, or so it was thought until recently....


Fire Lance

These +2 heavy lances are enchanted such that, upon the speaking of a command word, they are sheathed in flames, dealing an additional 1d6 points of damage on a successful hit. In addition, they are imbued with the power to unleash bolts of fire from their tips three times a day. Striking a target with a bolt requires a ranged touch attack, and deals 12d6 points of fire damage, no save.

Were the location of any of these weapons known, their market value would be considerable.

Strong transmutation and evocation; CL: 11; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, scorching ray; 68,000 gold


And once again, thanks to The Sword for inspiration - lyrics to "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" copyright 2008 The Sword, used without permission but with total respect and admiration.

Discus of Annihilation

This metallic disc soars up to 120 feet away, striking targets for 3d8 dmg and returning to the wielder's hand. Unfortunately, it has a limited number of strikes (usually around 10 charges) before it annihilates itself. Without specific training, it is difficult hard to be accurate with the discus. Wielders are required to have martial or exotic proficiencies to avoid penalties.

Variants that do not annihilate themselves include a sonic disc (1d8+1d6 sonic damage), flame disc (1d8+1d6 fire damage), holy discus (1d8+1d6 holy damage), etc, etc.

Craft Magic Arms, return to sender; permanency; Cost 12,000 gp. The only magic given off by the standard version is the return to sender spell. Alternate versions also give off the enchantments that provide each bonus.

Spear and Shield of the Heavens

"...[he] Was moving toward the shore; his ponderous shield Ethereal temper, massy, large and round, Behind him cast; the broad circumference Hung on his shoulders like the Moon, whose Orb
Through Optic Glass the TUSCAN Artist views At Ev'ning from the top of FESOLE, Or in VALDARNO, to descry new Lands, Rivers or Mountains in her spotty Globe.

His Spear, to equal which the tallest Pine Hewn on NORWEGIAN hills, to be the Mast Of some great Ammiral, were but a wand, He walkt with to support uneasie steps..."

-Milton, Paradise Lost

These items are from a scene in the adventure-in-development "The Endless Road" from Unicorn Rampant Publishing. In it the party, while attempting to escape from the abyss on foot, come upon these items.

This spear and shield were carried by a famous archon in battle into the depths of hell, where it was used to slay a terrible fiend. There, in a blasted crater, it remains, clutched in the charred dead hands of that angel, plunged into the dead heart of the demon he slew, thereby dying.

In the aeons that have followed, the abyss has recoiled from these holy items, like an irritating grain of sand lodged in the fibers of it's being. The blasted crater formed by the balor's death has deepened and expanded, and bebelith have spawned in the blasted, lifeless lands around it.

The spear is a +2 cold iron holy longspear for medium sized creatures, or a short spear for a creature of titanic proportions.

The shield has a faint glow and a pearly luminescence about it, and is a +2 ghost touch shield that grants cold resistance 10 to it's bearer.

Blades of Glass

Researched for years by Malthalious the Inquisitive in an attempt to craft the ultimate weapon, eventually he invented a difficult and costly alchemical process through which an amalgam of diamond and adamantium is created. When used for the blade of a weapon, this material holds an edge keener than any other. Additionally the blades have a transparent quality: they appear to be made from glass or crystal of some type, with wide variations in hue and clarity depending on the quality of the work and imperfections in the materials.

Properties of weapons with Blades of Glass

• Have the Keen property, though they are not magical
• Must be masterwork, and cost an additional 5,000 gold to produce
• Have a hardness of 3, much lower than steel or wood, and so are vulnerable to being sundered. Blades of Glass have 20 HP per inch of thickness, so a light blade has 1 HP, a one-handed blade has 3 HP, and a two-handed blade has 6 HP.
  
• A DC 40 craft: metalworking and spellcraft check is required to produce the material
  

Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune

To be or not to be, that is the question—
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. -- some bard

The slings are hewn of fine wood and a ruddy leather and are of masterwork quality, are magically enhanced +2, and have the power of seeking. The arrows are also masterwork and +2 seeking, and bear the mark of two white feathers with two red stripes and one red feather with two white stripes. The use of the sling or the arrows leaves dark red marks on the two fingers or the hands of the wielder.

Cost: 18,300 for the sling, 500 apiece for the arrows

Barael's Blade: the first Witch-blade

Forged by the Crow Mage from shards of darkness, infused with the finest dwarven steel, and honed by his half-breed apprentice to near-vorpal sharpness, this blade was wielded by Barael, the famous bastard child of King Elespor Galdius.

It is said that it takes a warrior's hand and a wizard's mind to wield this blade and those crafted in it's image. The original Witch-blade has many special properties, and is a demon-bane +2 hand-and-a-half sword. It has the same dispelling and counterspelling properties that all witch-blades share. In addition, it is an sentient weapon with a deadly thirst for the blood of those who lead the worship of abominations, such as the Spider Priests of the Shona'qua dark elves whom Barael led a vicious crusade against.

As its fame grew, the cultists of Shan'n'nur attempted to wrest this blade from Barael's possession in order to learn the secrets of it's construction. For many years the cult hounded him and would send agents after him whenever his travels brought him to the middle kingdoms.

The cult was never successful in subduing Barael or eliciting his cooperation, though they nearly succeeded once, when he was seduced by one of their agents. Eventually the leaders of the Shan'n'nur decided to abandon their efforts, as it was too great a drain on the organization's mediocre resources.

Years of research later, the Shan'n'nur duplicated the witch-blade effect with the help of Barael's old foe Faduardo Gantonín and began enchanting their long knives and swords with the property.


The Witch-blade: all witch blades share this property. They are ensorceled such that they may be used once a day to either remove or counter magical effects, but only in the hands of an arcane spellcaster. This property adds an additional 4,200 gold to the magic weapon's cost and is the equivalent to an additional +1 enhancement for purposes of determining maximum weapon enchantment.

Eldritch Parry: As a standard action, they may be used to counterspell. When used in this way they function exactly as though the wielder had cast dispel magic to counterspell. All caster level checks use the wielder's arcane caster character level.

Sever Spell: As a standard action they may be used to perform a targeted dispel magic. The blade must touch the target of the dispel, be it a creature, object, or continuing area spell. As with the counterspell ability, the blade uses the wielder's arcane caster level when making the caster level check.

Moderate abjuration; CL 5th; must be a bladed weapon, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, dispel magic; Price 4,200 gold.




Author's note: The Priest of Doom would like to thank The Sword for inspiration.

Cut-less Cutlass

This cursed blade makes it harder (-2 to attack rolls) to hit enemies. Otherwise, it is normal.

The adornments on the hilt of the sword hint at lands where volcanoes loom overhead and coconuts and pomegranates contitute a portion of the local diet. The sword is unique, the result of a craft wondrous item gone wrong. It has been in the hands of a unknowing pirate for many years now, a pirate whose battles have left him increasingly scarred and broken.

Activity Spike

This magic item is activated whenever the activity in the room grows too active, at the DM's discretion, of course. The spike then enlongates from 3 inches to 3 feet and deals 2d6 on a successful hit from the sharp end. Unfortunately, since the large spike is unwieldy, unless the wielder has an exotic weapon feat, he or she will suffer a -2 penalty to hit.

The spike can also be used as a club, and deals damage as a, you guessed it, club.

This item could also be used creatively to many humorous (and deadly) ends. Think about it.

This item radiates a minute amount of magic.

Price: 1,500gp

Axe of Dismemberment

In addition to being a +1 axe, this deadly weapon deals critical hits, removing limbs like a vorpal sword. It does not sever heads, merely other body parts, such as limbs and digits. Still, it's pretty nasty. It's been known to render warriors useless in battle, their arms sundered from their corporal beings.

This nasty item and the magic that powers it was developed by orc mages in the Northern Reaches, but has been strongly adopted by all the demi-human races in the Fjordlands.

On a successful critical hit, roll a d6. On a one, the DM chooses a limb that is severed.

Due to the tainted nature of the item, this axe cannot work for a day after a restoration or repair spell is cast upon it. In these cases it acts as a normal axe. It also needs to taste blood before the special dismembering power is activated.

Oh, and you don't want to fumble wielding this item -- critical failures mean you roll 1d6 on yourself. On a one, you lose something!

This weapon has left many a knighly warrior shouting, "Come back and fight -- I'll bite your legs!" and other sad taunts.

Moderate necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, wither limb, keen edge; Price +4 bonus: 32,000 gp.