New Magic Items: Magic Swords I

Whip Sword - Tail of the Dragon

This longsword, acts as a normal +2 magical weapon of its type, but once activated becomes a bladed whip that stretches twice its length. When in whip-form, the wielder threatens all adjacent hexes around them, allowing them to defend an area 15 feet across, not just the normal. In whip-form, the wielder can attack opponents using reach weapons, such as halberds, as though they themselves also possess a reach weapon. 

Unfortunately, because of the sweeping, twisting motions needed to use the sword in whip-form, it can not be used with friendly combatant standing close to the user, nor in tight spaces.

In whip-form, the Tail of the Dragon does 1d8 +2 damage, and it adds +2d6 when attempting disarming, and tripping attempts. (See Swords & Wizardry; unarmed combat.)

Lantern Shield

The original lantern shields were created for use during duels fought at night, and early dawn. The light from the concealed lanterns could be un-shuttered, and used to temporarily blind opponents, giving the attacker the advantage.

This magical variant, uses a Continual Light spell for the same effect, while posing less danger to the user than an oil fueled lamp. The aperture can be completely closed to fully conceal the light within, or adjusted from a crack to fully open to control the amount of light is revealed. Fully open, the lantern will cast a beam of light out to about 30 feet.

If used in combat during darkened conditions, the light can be shown into an opponent's eyes, whereupon they must Save or be dazzled for 1-3 rounds. Dazzled opponents roll all attacks twice, taking the worse roll as the result. This lasts until they are no longer dazzled. Using the lantern in this way uses one of the user's attack actions. Attackers attacking the dazzled target roll all attacks twice, taking the better roll as their result. This also lasts until the target is no longer dazzled.

The Lantern Shield attacks and does damage as a +1 short sword, and acts as a +1 small shield. The short sword blade can be extended or retracted back into the shield, easily. Lantern Shields are considered dubiously legal at best, by authorities.

Optional Rules: Putting The Sorcery Into Swords

Fantasy stories abound with magical weapons, but none more so than the magic sword. The discovery of a magic sword is an excitement practically every adventurer has enjoyed at least once in their careers. However, all too often, the excitement wears off as the players then set their sights on more and more powerful magic weapons, abandoning their old trusty +1's for the next bigger and better deal to come along.

In our home campaign, magic swords are more than a collection of escalating magical bonuses. They have backgrounds, special properties, and many have the potential to grow with the one who wields them.

The basics:

No magical sword is ever made of common materials. There are no copper, or even bronze, magic swords. They must be made of the finest steel, meteoric iron, or other exotic material, only then can they accept the mystical properties enchanting them will bestow. Though a magic blade can not be detected as such without the use of Detect Magic, a skilled fighter can easily identify that such blades are far superior to a normal blade of its type.

Though extremely durable, no magic sword is unbreakable. Unless someone goes out of their way to damage the blade, or subjects it to tremendous abuse, a magical blade should remain functional. But should such a blade be subjected to extreme stress, or damaged magically, or attacked by superhuman power, then they can fail. i.e. Using a +1 sword as a lever to lift a wagon is not a good idea.

A magic blade with a bonus of +1 or +2 is a function of the quality of the blade itself, not its magical properties. While the base magical enchantment allows such blades to hit those creatures only harmed by magic weapons, the bonus to hit and damage is derived from the weapon itself. Such weapons are better balanced, stronger, and sharper than normal blades, allowing them to be used more effectively in combat than normal blades. Even if temporarily or permanently disenchanted, these weapons will retain their hit and damage bonuses.

A magic-user, or other spell-caster, can create a magical weapon of +1 ability, or equivalent, at 3rd level. They may create a +2 weapon, or equivalent, at 6th level. Only the most powerful weapons may be crafted by spell-casters of 9th level and higher. The mechanics and how-to of creating magic weapons will appear in an upcoming article.

A non-player character may create a +1 magic weapon for a base cost of 100 times the cost of a normal weapon of the same type, and one week's time of uninterrupted work. A +2 weapon costs 200 times the normal base weapon cost, and one month of uninterrupted work. The DM may require the Player Characters to go out and collect additional materials for the construction of these items.


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