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I was a bit disappointed with the Sword of Lust. While I understand it is level appropriate, it just does not fulfill my idea of a legendary weapon of a Rune Lord.
To me I would expect to see a weapon with +3 to +5 to hit. All who behold it must make a WIll Save (at least DC 20+) or become thralls to the wielder. Something like that. Or something with total modifiers a bit more toward the +10 side.
Honestly even artifacts seem to underwhelm me in D&D these days. I can make basic weapons up to +10 that are more impressive than most minor artifacts. And heck if I were to make an Epic weapon... shoot an Epic Weapon vs most major artifacts will leave the artifact in pieces.
An artifact should be something that grants powers above and beyond anything in the game. I don't know, how about a ring than bends EVERYONE of a given race to obey the wearer's will. Side effect though is if you do wear it you turn invisible. nah... that is just silly.
A king's crown that allows him to hear what everyone in his kingdom is thinking at all times, and he is able to understand it all...
The long sword that sucks the soul of its victim, and causes an explosion that kills everyone-no save- (but the wielder) within 100 yards, and animates their ruined bodies as undead minions for the wielder (no limit on the undead commanded by the sword).
A rod that when its base it smashed to the ground causes the earth to open and swallow a city.
All of them have negative issues, or all are intelligent and easily take over a PC. To use it you must perform a ceremony that is disgustingly evil or you must expend a tremendous amount of XP. Something like that. Or you accept the crown, but tie your own life force into the land (King Arthur) so that when you die the land dies, you grow sick the land grows sick and the people suffer.
The Eye of Vecna should let the wielder see ALL that is hidden and see what anyone, anywhere sees or has ever seen. Down side, you have to pop out your own eye and burn it in tribute to Kos and when you use the Eye, Vecna, or his avatar learns your location and comes after you himself.
And yes I know the Sword of Lust is not an artifact. If I get the chance to run the adventure I will use the rules for Legendary weapons and reveal more powers later.
I have come to find that the (Items) of Legacy and the themed magic item sets from the Magic Item Compendium to be the most compelling, appealing magical items in the game, along with the gawdly-affiliated relics and, of course, the mighty artifacts. (Which I admit are hardly as impressive in 3e as they were in previous editions.)
I am toying with the idea of implementing a campaign policy (as it were) limiting the characters' items to just legacy items, relics and themed-item sets. Well, and items that fit a theme or are distinctive, such as frostbrand weapons, garments of elvenkind, that kind of thing.
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I think there's one major factor you're overlooking - the Swords of Sin are -not- the runelord's personal weapons (they all have their polearms for that).
The swords were given out to champions for the purpose of gladitorial combat to settle disputes, so it makes sense that the swords are significantly less powerful than they might otherwise be.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I'm guessing the Runelords looked at Kas and Vecna, then looked at their champions' blades and went 'not going to fall for that trick...'
The other thing about swords and artifacts is that they are legendary by nature of their history, not always their power.
In my last game Glorious Hand of Imperial Wisdom was a adamantine psionic, sure striking, ghost touch bastardsword/katana. Not too impressive stats wise. The things that made it legendary were that it was given from the Amethyst Emperor to the captain of his body guard, and was used to defend the captial from the seige of orcs against it. The blade was 3000 years old, and while not intelligent, it remembered things around it and those memories spilled over into people's dreams. (When they found it, it needed a new hilt. The master craftsman the party commissioned for the job made the new hilt an exact replica of the original, which the party had only seen in dreams) As a symbol of the ancient empire it was a rallying point to people who knew its history.
Continuation of Diplomacy was the same way. a +3 keen adamantine greataxe, it's artifact abilites were to add +4 to the weilder's Charisma score, for leadership when the followers were orcs. It had been the weapon of the orc general who lead the final assault on the captial, and was destined to be used to raise another great orc hoard. Again, nothing spectacular, but it was the legend, and the fact that after the party gained both, the half orc kept dreaming of dying at the hands of the psychic warrior with Glorious Hand.
Other soruces besdies mine, the Book of Stasis, The Lucky coin, The Darkwood Heart and the King's Pepper Mill from the Book of Artifacts. None so reality shattering, but all artifacts