Today's Topic is "Describe a Magic Item You Created" as we continue our celebration of International Original Dungeons and Dragons Month!
Well the magic item I would like to discuss is the sword, specifically a Holy Sword, but to do that I have to give you some background. I have been tweaking and changing magic items and how they work for a long time, this is my 45th year of OD&D and I have tried a lot of different things. Here is what I currently do.
First is you read my earlier essay about Paladins, you know that I have Fighting Men who at 4th level can become Paladins of the Sword and in a similar fashion Clerics become Paladins of the Mace and Dwarves become Paladins of the Axe. So all three types can obtain after a Perilous Quest, respectively a Holy Sword, Holy Mace or Holy Axe all of which are intelligent.
In my campaign all magic swords are Intelligent with Ego. In OD&D these scores for both range from 1 to 12 with only swords of an INT of 7 or higher having Ego which then ranges from 1-12. My first tweak is that all Magic Swords have a minimum INT of 7 and the range is 7-16 (a range of 10).
Now while all magic swords are Intelligent, the only other magic weapons that are Intelligent are the Holy Mace and the Holy Axe as the only exception and they are treated the same as Magic Swords. All other Magical Maces and Axes are not Intelligent.
The other thing that is different about Magic Swords is that they come in three types. The first and most common is an unseasoned sword, it has never been used for anything to spark its growth and while it starts with some power, its power is mostly nascent and will grow as the character grows. So if the character gains the sword at 3rd level, by the time he reaches 10 th level his sword will have grown in power as well.
The second type of sword (1 in 100) is partially seasoned, having had one or more owners that used it well and fought some significant battles and from these things the sword under went some growth and it will start off more somewhat more powerful and will grow from there.
Magic Swords can and have been passed down in families from generation to generation growing more powerful over time. The original owner - his character and alignment must match the swords alignment and purpose in order to be able to use the sword. An un-attuned character will take 1d12 damage from handling the sword, if they continue to try to wield it, they take 1d12 damage the first round, 2d12 the second round and it escalates each round.
In each succeeding generation of the family only a worthy member of the family can use the sword and after the 3rd generation uses the sword, the sword becomes known as a True Sword and it will actively look in each succeeding generation for the True Heir which will be the MOST worthy member of the next generation. These swords pass to men or women.
The third type of sword (1 in 1000 up to 1 in 100,000) will be a sword that is or is on the verge of reaching Legendary Status being known as a True Blood Sword or a Holy Sword (depending on who has used it). All Holy Swords are of this type. These swords become independent of family ties and instead each will seek the MOST worthy person to wield it. It may if no worthy wielder can be found, it may disappear from the fabric of reality and stay hidden until a worthy wielder is found.
NOTE: This does not mean that these swords will automatically have +5 H and/or D bonuses. There powers and what makes them special may take other forms. They can also have a range of powers more extensive than that original presented in OD&D.
So I created a Holy Sword named The Golden Bell, so named for the bell tones it sings forth when in use. It is a Lawful Sword with a Triple Special Purpose. It is purposed to Defeat Chaos, Destroy Evil and to Vanquish Undead. It has a INT of 16 and an Ego of 12. It is +1 H and +1 D against all Creatures; +3 H and +3 D against Chaotic Creatures and Evil Creatures; and +5 H and +5 D and Double Damage versus all Undead. When wielding this sword a Paladin dispels Evil/Undead/Spells and such as though he were four levels higher. When wielding the sword in battle he receives for the duration of combat a bonus of 5d10 HPs and the sword will always fight until all Evil and/or Undead are Destroyed/Vanquished, the sword will also never retreat when battling Evil or Undead and will always seek to confront the most powerful foe. If the Paladin is killed, the sword immediately disappears. All other standard Paladin Holy Sword powers apply.
If a Paladin commits a Chaotic Act it will not function for him until he has completed an appropriate quest (if allowed depending on the act), if he commits an Evil Act, it will immediately attempt to slay him, after which it will disappear as it looks for someone worthy.
Tomorrow the seventh topic for International Original Dungeons & Dragons Month is "Tell How You Run Magic Potions."
Well the magic item I would like to discuss is the sword, specifically a Holy Sword, but to do that I have to give you some background. I have been tweaking and changing magic items and how they work for a long time, this is my 45th year of OD&D and I have tried a lot of different things. Here is what I currently do.
First is you read my earlier essay about Paladins, you know that I have Fighting Men who at 4th level can become Paladins of the Sword and in a similar fashion Clerics become Paladins of the Mace and Dwarves become Paladins of the Axe. So all three types can obtain after a Perilous Quest, respectively a Holy Sword, Holy Mace or Holy Axe all of which are intelligent.
In my campaign all magic swords are Intelligent with Ego. In OD&D these scores for both range from 1 to 12 with only swords of an INT of 7 or higher having Ego which then ranges from 1-12. My first tweak is that all Magic Swords have a minimum INT of 7 and the range is 7-16 (a range of 10).
Now while all magic swords are Intelligent, the only other magic weapons that are Intelligent are the Holy Mace and the Holy Axe as the only exception and they are treated the same as Magic Swords. All other Magical Maces and Axes are not Intelligent.
The other thing that is different about Magic Swords is that they come in three types. The first and most common is an unseasoned sword, it has never been used for anything to spark its growth and while it starts with some power, its power is mostly nascent and will grow as the character grows. So if the character gains the sword at 3rd level, by the time he reaches 10 th level his sword will have grown in power as well.
The second type of sword (1 in 100) is partially seasoned, having had one or more owners that used it well and fought some significant battles and from these things the sword under went some growth and it will start off more somewhat more powerful and will grow from there.
Magic Swords can and have been passed down in families from generation to generation growing more powerful over time. The original owner - his character and alignment must match the swords alignment and purpose in order to be able to use the sword. An un-attuned character will take 1d12 damage from handling the sword, if they continue to try to wield it, they take 1d12 damage the first round, 2d12 the second round and it escalates each round.
In each succeeding generation of the family only a worthy member of the family can use the sword and after the 3rd generation uses the sword, the sword becomes known as a True Sword and it will actively look in each succeeding generation for the True Heir which will be the MOST worthy member of the next generation. These swords pass to men or women.
The third type of sword (1 in 1000 up to 1 in 100,000) will be a sword that is or is on the verge of reaching Legendary Status being known as a True Blood Sword or a Holy Sword (depending on who has used it). All Holy Swords are of this type. These swords become independent of family ties and instead each will seek the MOST worthy person to wield it. It may if no worthy wielder can be found, it may disappear from the fabric of reality and stay hidden until a worthy wielder is found.
NOTE: This does not mean that these swords will automatically have +5 H and/or D bonuses. There powers and what makes them special may take other forms. They can also have a range of powers more extensive than that original presented in OD&D.
So I created a Holy Sword named The Golden Bell, so named for the bell tones it sings forth when in use. It is a Lawful Sword with a Triple Special Purpose. It is purposed to Defeat Chaos, Destroy Evil and to Vanquish Undead. It has a INT of 16 and an Ego of 12. It is +1 H and +1 D against all Creatures; +3 H and +3 D against Chaotic Creatures and Evil Creatures; and +5 H and +5 D and Double Damage versus all Undead. When wielding this sword a Paladin dispels Evil/Undead/Spells and such as though he were four levels higher. When wielding the sword in battle he receives for the duration of combat a bonus of 5d10 HPs and the sword will always fight until all Evil and/or Undead are Destroyed/Vanquished, the sword will also never retreat when battling Evil or Undead and will always seek to confront the most powerful foe. If the Paladin is killed, the sword immediately disappears. All other standard Paladin Holy Sword powers apply.
If a Paladin commits a Chaotic Act it will not function for him until he has completed an appropriate quest (if allowed depending on the act), if he commits an Evil Act, it will immediately attempt to slay him, after which it will disappear as it looks for someone worthy.
Tomorrow the seventh topic for International Original Dungeons & Dragons Month is "Tell How You Run Magic Potions."
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