Director of Game Design
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RELICS OF WAR “ITEM CREATION” CONTEST
Relics of War is coming and now is your chance to unearth some of these forgotten treasures. Every week, from now until the set releases on November 23rd, we’ll post one magic item card from the set. To win all you have to do is design a magic item to go along with the card, using any currently published game system, and post it to the contest submission thread. Each week, we’ll pick the best one and the winner will receive one display box of Relics of War item cards. There will be 5 winners in all.
Entries will be judged based on originality, clarity, grammar, and adherence to the game system’s rules. Entries must be no longer than 500 words in length and must be posted before 12:00 pm PST on the day of the contest’s end. Relics of War is a set of 110 unique item cards for use with any fantasy roleplaying game.
WEEK 1
This week’s contest ends on 10/22/06.
Submit entries in this thread
To discuss the contest, see our messageboards.
Contest Rules
• Only one entry per person.
• Entries may be up to 500 words in length.
• Entries may conform to any current game system and should use the current format of that system. The name of the game system must be included in the entry.
• Entries are due at 12:00 pm PST on the final day of the contest period.
• The staff of Paizo Publishing, LLC, decides each week’s winner. All decisions are final.
• Contest winners will receive 1 display box containing 12 Relics of War booster packs.
• 1 winner will be announced each week, for a total of 5 winners at the contests end.
• All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC.
• Paizo employees and its affiliates are not eligible to win.
Sword of Ethereal Curse (Dungeons And Dragons)
This sword is a +2 keen longsword. It was crafted more than a thousand years ago by Xe’li’trin, a wizard of great power that lived in a demiplane of his own on the Ethereal Plane. The sword has a special power called Ethereal Curse: any time the wielder of this weapon scores a critical hit, the creature struck becomes ethereal, as per the spell Etheral Jaunt. Unless the creature posseses the ability to come back to the Material Plane, she will remain ethereal for 10 rounds, free to roam the Ethereal Plane but unable to affect by any means the Material. Creatures immune to critical hits are also immune to the Ethereal Curse.
Strong Transmutation; CL 17; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Ethereal Jaunt; Price: 107,565 gp
“D Blade� (3.5 D&D)
Longsword +3 (Alchemical silver, Dancing, Holy)
This +3 longsword is blessed and carefully treated with alchemical silver (bypasses damage reduction) and some gold. Has <b><i>Dancing</b></i> (Can be loosed to attack on its own) and <b><i>Holy</b></i> (bypasses damage reduction bestows one negative level on any evil creature attempting to wield it) special qualities.
Strong transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Animate Object; Holy Smite, Creator must be good; Price 162405gp; Cost 81360gp + 6484 XP; 163 days
Primary attack: d8+2 Type: Slashing, Magic (+3), Silver
Secondary attack: 2d6 Type: Good
Critical: 19-20/x2
Size: Medium Category: Martial
Weight: 5 lb Reach: 5 ft
Many years ago a mage construct his tower to study his art. He became a powerful wizard and, with arrogance, summons a devil to gain more power and knowledge. The devil and he seal a deal involving an ancient war between the Helm and the Abyss. The wizard became obsessive and reclusive in his tower until the time was right to fulfill his part of the evil pact: He summons a demon, a marilith. Then summon the barbazu and the fight begins between the devil and the wizard against the 6 armed she-demon; the trap was good, the combined power of the half elf and the barbazu equals the demon. The barbazu will be promoted in the ranks of the devils army and the wizard will have new knowledge and more power...but is not a good idea make deals with devils and the half elf knew this too late: The barbazu left alone the wizard and the marilith almost kill him. He escape and release the powers of the demon she attacks the devil and the tower became a ring of battle for devils and demons since then. Lucky for us the half elf, in his final moment, raises the defenses of the tower no creature can go in or out of it. But the defenses are weak and the local clerics find out. They forge the Longsword know by all as the "D blade" and make 12 of this swords in less than a year, raise a good-will army to fight against the evil in the Drak'norr tower. "The D war" says the bard’s histories D for Drak'norr, D for Devil, D for Demon and D for a good Day for Dying
Butcher’s Bane (Dungeons and Dragons)
This sword functions in most respects as a +1 merciful longsword. Klegore the Butcher was the scourge of the western kingdoms until he was defeated in battle by a powerful half-celestial champion. The champion spared the Butcher’s life in exchange for a vow of pacifism, augmented by a geas. Fearing for his life he begged the champion to allow him at least one weapon and was granted this one. During his life he could wield no other. Unlike most merciful weapons the longsword’s ability to deal non-lethal damage could not be suppressed. As he predicted the Butcher was soon set upon by enemies who had heard what happened. They overwhelmed him and butchered him as he had so many others. Thus the sword got its name. While the sword no longer forces the wielder to use this weapon alone it still only deals out non-lethal damage.
Faint conjuration; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cure light wounds Price: 8, 315 gp
Pursuit (D&D)
Balhan the Pure was a riteous champion of good who struck fear into the hearts of her enemies. Unfortunately, that meant that the fiends she fought often ran from her before she could bring them to justice. Tired of this craven tactic, Balhan had a weapon made that would keep her in the fight even if her foe turned tail. Pursuit is a +2 holy longsword with the evil-outsiders-bane quality. Additionally, once per day, if the sword is held aloft and a command word is spoken, it grants the wielder the benefit of a fly spell. Finally, once per week, it allows the wielder to teleport to the location of the last creature that was struck by Pursuit, as long as the creature was stuck within the last week. This effect is as the teleport spell, but only affects the wielder and her possessions.
Strong Conjuration; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, holy smite, summon monster I, teleport, creator must be good; price 70,665 gp; Cost 35,490 gp + 2814 xp
Fallen Angel
This cursed weapon exists to tempt those sworn to law and good away from the path of righteousness.
Description: This blessed sword is carefully crafted with silver and gold with angelic wings making up the quillions.
Activation: Wielding the sword is sufficient to activate its base qualities described below.
Effect: This sword is an intelligent weapon, inhabited by a demonic force skilled in deception and trickery. Though the sword appears to have auras of good and evil, this is in fact powerful masking magic disguising its true auras of chaos and evil. It claims that it is in fact an angel in the form of a sword, sent to the world in order to atone for various sins. Further, it asks only to be used in the cause of good, and depending on the alignment of the wielder, freedom or order.
To this ends it claims several powers, such as the detection of evil and the Holy quality, but it claims that these powers cannot be activated until the wielder proves himself. It offers its good counsel and lore, however, until it is activated.
In actuality it will use its abilities to deceive the wielder, encouraging him to attack those the sword knows to be good. Its goal is corrupt the user, however, rather than destroy the good. It will attempt to deceive the wielder for a long as possible, trying to tempt the wielder into acts that will acquire atonement or alignment shift. If the wielder finally discovers and confronts the true nature of the sword, and has not shifted to an evil alignment, it will attempt to control the wielder into committing all sorts of despicable acts, gloating over its now helpless minion.
Base abilities: +2 unholy
Mental Ability Scores: Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 17, Ego 18
Skills: Sense Motive +13, Bluff+13
Communication: Speech, telepathy
Languages: Common, Celestial, Infernal
Lesser Powers: detect evil/good at will, Bluff and Sense Motive skills
Senses: 120 ft. darkvision and hearing (Fallen Angel possesses light generation, but does not need it to see)
Special Purpose Power: Mask Alignment (This ability allows Fallen Angel to disguise its powerful auras of Chaos and Evil as Law and Good. Any caster who tries to scry or otherwise detect the true alignment of the sword must make a DC 18 Level Check. Failure indicates that the sword possesses powerful Good and Lawful auras. Success indicates the true auras of Chaos and Evil are discovered, and the angelic motifs of the sword are revealed as demonic, and the silver and gold to be corroded iron and bronze.)
Purpose: To corrupt the good.
Aura/Caster Level: Powerful Good, Law and Evocation if Mask Alignment has not been penetrated, Powerful Chaos, Evil and Evocation otherwise. Caster Level 18.
Construction: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon, mind blank, miracle, unholy aura, 106,315 gp, 4,253 XP, 107 days.
Weight: 4 lb.
Price: 212,630 gp.
Celeste's Boon (Dungeons & Dragons 3.5)
Forged in secrecy by the secret society known as the Chisel, Celeste’s Boon was most famously used to save the Free City from a raving madman who sought to unleash a horror during a popular gladiatorial tournament.
This +1 silvered undead bane longsword proved useful in that battle, but the subtle protections woven into its blade during the forging process revealed their true power while battling the vile spawn of Kyuss. Once per round, when the wielder would normally be struck by a physical ranged attack, he can make a DC 16 Reflex save. If the ranged attack has a magical bonus, the DC increases by that amount. If he succeeds, the projectile or ammunition is damaged as if he had successfully made a sunder attempt upon it. The character must be aware of the attack roll and not flat-footed. Attempting to sunder a ranged attack does not count as an action. Celeste's Boon must be unsheathed and in its wielder's hand to provide this benefit to the wielder.
Moderate evocation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bane, shatter; Price 18,315 gp; Cost 9,158 gp + 733 XP
Moderator, please delete my previous post.
Fallen Angel (Dungeons & Dragons 3.5)
This cursed weapon exists to tempt those sworn to law and good away from the path of righteousness.
Description: This blessed sword is carefully crafted with silver and gold with angelic wings making up the quillions.
Activation: Wielding the sword is sufficient to activate its base qualities described below.
Effect: This sword is an intelligent weapon, inhabited by a demonic force skilled in deception and trickery. Though the sword appears to have auras of good and evil, this is in fact powerful masking magic disguising its true auras of chaos and evil. It claims that it is in fact an angel in the form of a sword, sent to the world in order to atone for various sins. Further, it asks only to be used in the cause of good, and depending on the alignment of the wielder, freedom or order.
To this ends it claims several powers, such as the detection of evil and the Holy quality, but it claims that these powers cannot be activated until the wielder proves himself. It offers its good counsel and lore, however, until it is activated.
In actuality it will use its abilities to deceive the wielder, encouraging him to attack those the sword knows to be good. Its goal is corrupt the user, however, rather than destroy the good. It will attempt to deceive the wielder for a long as possible, trying to tempt the wielder into acts that will acquire atonement or alignment shift. If the wielder finally discovers and confronts the true nature of the sword, and has not shifted to an evil alignment, it will attempt to control the wielder into committing all sorts of despicable acts, gloating over its now helpless minion.
Base abilities: +2 unholy
Mental Ability Scores: Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 17, Ego 18
Skills: Sense Motive +13, Bluff+13
Communication: Speech, telepathy
Languages: Common, Celestial, Infernal
Lesser Powers: detect evil/good at will, Bluff and Sense Motive skills
Senses: 120 ft. darkvision and hearing (Fallen Angel possesses light generation, but does not need it to see)
Special Purpose Power: Mask Alignment (This ability allows Fallen Angel to disguise its powerful auras of Chaos and Evil as Law and Good. Any caster who tries to scry or otherwise detect the true alignment of the sword must make a DC 18 Level Check. Failure indicates that the sword possesses powerful Good and Lawful auras. Success indicates the true auras of Chaos and Evil are discovered, and the angelic motifs of the sword are revealed as demonic, and the silver and gold to be corroded iron and bronze.)
Purpose: To corrupt the good.
Aura/Caster Level: Powerful Good, Law and Evocation if Mask Alignment has not been penetrated, Powerful Chaos, Evil and Evocation otherwise. Caster Level 18.
Construction: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon, mind blank, miracle, unholy aura, 106,315 gp, 4,253 XP, 107 days.
Weight: 4 lb.
Price: 212,630 gp.
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Redeemer
+3 Holy Longsword (3.5 D&D)
This blessed sword is carefully crafted of (alchemical) silver and gold with angelic wings making up the quillions. Weighing only half as much as might be expected, Redeemer bestows feather fall on the sword bearer for any fall greater than 10 feet. The virtuous blade shines with a soft starlight glow upon command. In the presence of undead, the radiance flares unbidden, shifting to a flickering crimson hue that inflicts 1d6 points of damage per round to all such creatures in a 30-foot radius. Redeemer's greatest powers manifest when it strikes a critical hit. Against undead, such a blow requires a will save vs. disruption (as the spell disrupting weapon). Evil outsiders failing the same save face dismissal (as the spell of that name). A feathered scabbard once accompanied the blade, which bestowed the gift of flight (as a fly spell 1/day) on its wearer, but the redeemer's nest vanished in battle with a clutch of erinyes seven decades past and hasn't been seen or heard of since.
Moderate evocation (good, light), transmutation, abjuration; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor; holy smite, celestial brilliance, dismissal, disruptive weapon, feather fall; creator must be good; Price 82,605 gp; Cost 41,303 + 3,326 XP.
History: Redeemer first appeared a little more than a century ago. When good men began dying of a wasting sickness that seemed to strike them in their sleep, Lord Nerod Heartfell made a pilgrimage to the mysterious oracle of dreams, a celestial shrine high in the Everdawn Mountains. A paladin of some small renown, Nerod sought a way to battle the spirit haunting these men. The priests of the shrine burnt incense and prayed over the young paladin as he passed into enchanted slumber. In his dreams, he was visited by a celestial ghael who tested him with many questions. Convinced of the man's virtue and conviction, the ghael bestowed the sword Redeemer on him. Thus armed, Nerod stalked his barony under the cloak of dreams until he discovered his foe, the night hag Pyrlessa. The battle was long and bloody. The priests at the shrine were appalled to see bloody slashes burst from the young man's body as he tensed and screamed beneath the silken sheets they had placed him in. They feverishly applied healing ointments and wards of protection upon Nerod. By dawn the battle had ended and Nerod slept peacefully. He awoke with Redeemer girded to his side. This was only the first of many great adventures Nerod and Redeemer would share as the paladin grew into a champion of the people. The sword passed on to others after his death and has been lost for a time, but may soon turn up in a dusty catacombs or ancient battlefield as part of some forgotten hoard, and a new legend will begin.
Sword of the Peaceful: This +1 merciful longsword "deals an extra 1d6 points of damage, and all damage it deals is nonlethal damage. On command, the weapon suppresses this ability until commanded to resume it" (http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/MagicItemsII.rtf).
Clearly, I'm using the d20 SRD as my source ;)
The Sword of the Peaceful typically is wielded by devotees of pacifist creeds. Paladins and divine champions may earn such a weapon upon completion of a test of faith, such as subduing a powerful foe without drawing blood.
Faint conjuration; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cure light wounds; Price 8,315 gp; Cost 4,315 gp + 320 XP.
Angeltongue (aka Kendrick's Voice)
(Built for Dungeons & Dragons - the Marshall class is found in the Miniatures Handbook)
400 years ago, just before the founding of the Empire, dozens of warring nations scarred the land. Kendrick was the warlord bard known far and wide as "The Singing General". On the eve of the Battle of Goatsford, Kendrick's scouts found the opposing warlord had hired an army of gnolls, outnumbering Kendrick’s forces five to one. He prayed to the gods saying, "Grant my army courage and I will unite the land in peace."
The gods heard him and sent help in the form of an angel with golden wings. Kendrick spent all night in his tent with the angel. Nobody knows the details of the deal they struck that night. In the morning, Kendrick was everywhere on the battlefield at once, shoring up morale and never letting his men believe that they could be defeated. Gnoll shamans cast their spells but the magical flames always died down around Kendrick and his army. Finally the angel revealed himself and turned the battle’s tide toward Kendrick.
After the battle Kendrick had a silver sword made with golden angel wings for quillons. He spent two weeks in his tent enchanting the blade after it was forged. Some say he stole the angel's tongue and infused it into the weapon. When he finished, Angeltongue never left his side. He used it to unite the land and form the Empire. Kendrick died during the final battle, but by that point he had convinced all but one of the warlords to unite and name an emperor to govern them all.
Angeltongue is a +2 Silvered Longsword of Speed which sheds a golden light out to 60’ as the daylight spell and makes a wordless angelic singing noise when swung in battle. Its wielder enjoys a +30’ bonus to base land speed, a +2 bonus to charisma, and a +5 bonus on any attempt to rally troops. Angeltongue allows an additional attack at the wielder’s highest bonus when using the full attack action. The wielder and all allies within 60’ gain a +1 sacred bonus to all saves.
In a bard’s hands, Angeltongue allows the wielder to double the range of all bardic music effects and double the number of targets affected by Inspire Greatness and Inspire Heroism.
In the hands of a marshall or any other character that can manifest auras, the radius of each of the wielder’s manifested auras is doubled to a maximum bonus of +60’. Angeltongue also allows the wielder to manifest one additional aura above the maximum normally allowed, but it loses its +1 sacred bonus to saves while the additional aura is manifested.
A character with levels in both marshall and bard can use both of Angeltongue’s special abilities simultaneously.
Strong Transmutation and Enchantment, CL 15, daylight, eagle’s splendor, expeditious retreat, greater heroism, haste, resistance, sculpt sound, creator must be a bard, 136,315 gp.
Flügel des Ruhmes (Call of Cthulhu)
In the later stages of World War II Germany dominated the majority of Europe in its relentless efforts to exert its will upon its neighbours. It was rumoured widely that the Nazi Party fostered members of dangerous sects, occultists and neopaganists, all which held court with dark forces, demons and even the Devil himself.
The Führer, Hitler, held no such interest in such religious followings, though he did focus many of his resources to the spread of "Positive Christianity", his own version of the Christian Faith.
In his search for ancient relics that would place the favour of God on him, several of his Protestantistic brethren discovered an ancient sword in an abandoned French nunnery, the tomb's entrance carved with the words 'Ailes de gloire'.
Within lie the body of a badly burnt woman, and though her death was recorded on her stone coffin as ‘1424 Mai 30’, her badly scorched flesh showed only a recent internment.
The return of Flügel des Ruhmes to Germany evoked a powerful response from Hitler, privately announcing that they had discovered “Heiliger Catherine Klinge”, the blade wielded by Joan des Bogens herself.
Hitler believed that with the blade in his possession, Europe would swiftly bow to his will, and the will of God himself. He re-named the sword Flügel des Ruhmes to show that it was a gift from God, blessing his actions.
Flügel des Ruhmes appeared only days before the invasion of Russia, and though it was never seen in his possession, the blade was always present in the background during important meetings. With the discovery of Hitler’s body, none thought much of the blade, they knew not of its importance to the man.
Flügel des Ruhmes may not the sword of the Sainly Joan of Arc, but it is not a blessing from Heaven. The blade hungers for death, feeding off the entropy created by war and the slaughter that it brings. It is an avatar of Nyarlathotep, an intelligent object whose sole purpose is to assist the downfall of humanity.
When it allows an investigate to wield it, it may add 5 magic or POW points to any resistance roll, as well as being treated as a magical weapon to defeat mythos creatures. It no doubt has other powerful abilities benefiting an Outer God, but none have been witnessed in decades.
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The Angel With Broken Wings-D&D
Long ago, magic worked differently, more potently.
A certain Chieftan's son, whose name and tribe are lost to the eons, needed a blade capable of protecting his people from the
werebats that menaced his tribe.
He got it from a witch who crafted it for him on the condition that he grant her a boon when he was done. He agreed. She made him a silver sword that gave him the power of flight.
So the prince made war in the sky with the werebats, and smote them down. His victory recognized, the witch called in her favor. He was to go against a cunning giant who had cheated her and put him to the sword.
The prince did not think this too much, so off he went.
He swooped down upon the giant like an eagle striking a rabbit and thrust the sword home into the giant's skull. He lost hold of the sword and fell to the ground, his power of flight lost once the sword left his hand. He looked up in wide-eyed amazement at the giant with a sword sunk in his skull to the pommel, bringing a massive oaken club down in a murderous arc to crush him.
The giant survived for 200 years with the sword stuck in his head.
Over the centuries, the sword stewed in the giant's brains. A great melancholy turned to hatred, well basted in the behemoth's vile thoughts and whims. The sword lost the power of flight, and gained a murderous rancor for the giant and all his ilk.
The sword was ultimately reclaimed by a clever gnome who drew it forth from the giant's skull while the wicked creature slept, opening up an artery and causing the brute to bleed to death.
Angel with Broken Wings:
giant bane alchemical silver long sword +1h +0dmg/+3h +2dmg. versus giants, +2d6 damage versus giants, moderate conjuration, CL8th, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, summon monster I Price: 8,405 g.p.
I don't have an entry, but I love all the blades so far, especially the stories!