Black Sword Hack
Black Sword Hack _ UE _ 1.0.2
English version
- French version
6. Dark Pacts & Other Vileness
Signing a pact with immortal creatures made of deviousness, rage and hatred? You’re welcome to try. Such bargains tend to blur the line between master and servant. Whatever your original intentions, working with demons and practising magic means you’ll be serving Chaos in the end.
Use Responsibly: The game gives you rules for sorcery, demon pacts, spirit alliances, faerie ties, and twisted science. This doesn’t mean you have to include them all! Choosing only a couple will make your campaign more strongly themed. Some powers may also be mastered by NPCs only (sorcery jumps to mind here). And of course, ask your players if they have preferences!
6.1. Demonic Pacts
Characters with the Warlock background have two demons at their service (choose their types opposite). Demons are associated with Chaos but have no trouble serving someone aligned with Law or Balance.
6.1.1. Invoking a Demon Power
Roll your Doom die, with Disadvantage if it isn’t the first time you summon a demon today (this resets after a long rest). If the Doom Usage die is depleted while invoking a demon, roll on the Demon’s revenge table below. Additionally, if the Doom die rolls a 1, there is a side effect (detailed in the demon’s description).
6.1.2. DEMON’S REVENGE (D6)
- 1. You cannot invoke this demon until the next sunrise
- 2. The demon steals one of your possessions
- 3. The demon destroys a weapon belonging to one of your allies
- 4. The demon pays itself in blood: lose d6 HP
- 5. Broken pact: you cannot invoke this particular demon ever again
- 6. The demon appears and inflicts you 3d6 damage before wandering off. The pact is broken (as above)
6.1.3. Demon Manifestation
As a rule, demons are never seen, as they don’t need to appear physically to influence their targets. Demonic magic is insidious, drawing its strength from the weaknesses of its victims. The name of the summoned demon must be clearly spoken by the warlock.
6.1.4. Creating a New Pact
It is of course possible for a character to form a pact with a demon during play. It always should be arduous and the result of a dangerous adventure or quest.
6.1.5. How To Find The Demon You Seek
- 1. By killing its master, a prominent figure in this town
- 2. In a well, posing as a divining spirit,spreading awful rumours
- 3. In the queen’s secret jewel cabinet
- 4. Hidden inside a map, on the shelves of a forgotten library
- 5. Inside a small gem owned by a clueless noble
- 6. In a cup used by a cult to drug their acolytes
- 7. In the memories of an amnesiac Chaos priest
- 8. In the broken sword of a banished Templar
- 9. Trapped in the wedding ring of an undying king
- 10. In a cryptic tome, sealed by another demon
- 11. In the breastplate of a dead knight left on a battlefield
- 12. Inside a stone circle, ready to serve whoever can best it in a duel.
- 13. Haunting the castle where its last master was murdered
- 14. Enslaved by a powerful oracle
- 15. Inside the heathen reliquary that releases it once per month
- 16. Carved on the gravestone of an emperor
- 17. Inside the only toy owned by an orphan
- 18. In the liver of the Inquisitor it is possessing
- 19. Hidden in its castle, on a nightmarish demonic plane
- 20. In the mouth of a dead dragon, guarded by superstitious locals
6.1.6. Demon Types
- Abyss The target becomes monstrous, misshapen, or disfigured; an object of fear and disgust for the next d6 hours. On a roll of 1 the effect is permanent.
- Envy The target tries to take a specific object of your choosing that is in its sight, by force if necessary. On a roll of 1, the object is a piece of your equipment.
- Fear You learn your target’s deepest fear. On a roll of 1, they learn your deepest fear as well.
- Greed Creates 4d6 fake coins that will revert to their natural state (beans, rocks, whatever you had on hand) within one hour. On a roll of 1, the demon steals 4d6 coins from you (or your allies) as well.
- Hate Your target verbally abuses someone of your choosing for d6 minutes. On a roll of 1, you shout insults at your target as well.
- Isolation No one seems to care about the target: it can’t be heard or seen for d6 hours. On a roll of 1, you cannot see them either.
- Gluttony Your target attacks (randomly selected) people and tries to eat them. It stops when they have eaten 2d6 HP worth of people. On a roll of 1, the target wants to eat you.
- Nightmare The target loses sleep for the night: all attribute tests made against them have Advantage on the following day. On a roll of 1, anger takes over and tests against the target are made with Disadvantage instead.
- Oblivion The target disappears from everyone’s memories for the next d6 hours. On a roll of 1, the demon steals one Background from you as well. You will recover it after a long rest.
- Ruin Breaks a piece of equipment which can be up to the size of a cart. On a roll of 1, a piece of your own gear breaks as well.
- Sloth The target falls asleep. On a roll of 1, they never wake up.
- Suspicion Choose someone in sight as the object of your target’s suspicions. On a roll of 1 you become the centre of the target’s attention.
- Wrath The target becomes berserk and attacks everyone in sight, seeking to inflict pain rather than kill. On a roll of 1, you are affected as well.
6.1.7. Free-Form Demonism
GMs should be open to players using demon invocation in a more open-ended way, using the above effects as mere guidelines. They should just keep the following principles in mind: demons reinforce or exacerbate the worst traits of their targets. The tricky part is coming up with a backlash when the player gets 1 on the Doom roll. As a baseline, the effects of the demon’s influence become permanent (especially for innocuous powers) or they affect the warlock as well (well suited for offensive powers).
6.1.8. Demon Names
1. Beleth | 2. Abaddon | 3. Ulshedra | 4. Marduk | 5. Raum |
6. Halphas | 7. Ashurban | 8. Ordog | 9. Charun | 10. Surgat |
11. Ahriman | 12. Wissigo | 13. Furcas | 14. Keldim | 15. Gorgo |
16. Rahab | 17. Gaki | 18. Samnu | 19. Namtar | 20. Baalberith |
6.2. Spirit Alliances
The spirit world is one parallel to our own: demons don't exist there. Spirits represent the raw power of nature: animals, storms, savagery... They're not aligned with any specific power. You can find Law, Balance, and Chaos in nature. Characters who have the Shaman background have two spirits at their service. Choose them from the list below.
6.2.1. Calling a Spirit
Roll your Doom die, with Disadvantage if it isn't the first time you have summoned a spirit today (this resets after a long rest). Spirit use is more open-ended than any other type of power. Each spirit has its own guidelines; the goal is to help players make good use of their powers without going overboard.
6.2.2. Spirit Types
- Ancestor spirit The wise counsel of an ancestor gives you Advantage to one attribute test. You must possess an object that belonged to the ancestor to be able to summon them. On a roll of 1 the ancestor disapproves of your action and gives you Disadvantage instead.
- Animal lord spirit All animal species have an animal lord: a being representing all the qualities that animal possesses See them as the "ultimate" version of an animal. The animal lord's subjects come to your help (but do not risk their lives doing so) or stop attacking you. On a roll of 1 the animals flee (or attack you if they are predators).
- Disease spirit The target is plagued with a non-lethal but debilitating disease, forcing them to be bedridden until a proper cure is found. On a roll of 1 the disease is contagious. Fire spirit An existing fire can be manipulated: doubled in size, given any shape or form, moved around, etc. It can inflict d6 damage (and then Ud6 ongoing damage). A roll of 1 makes the target fire die
- Forest spirit This spirit can help you find your way, food, water, or shelter when you're in a forest (or jungle or whatever wild environment you have in your campaign). It can also summon plants that will hinder your enemies (Advantage on attribute tests against them for one turn). A roll of 1 means the spirit makes sure you have a miserable time: no short or long rest for the next two days.
- Hunger spirit The target immediately searches for food and water and will not stop until it has eaten a full meal. A roll of 1 means the shaman is affected as well.
- Pain spirit Causing pain that prevents the target from acting for one Turn is a common use of this spirit. A roll of 1 means the shaman is afflicted at the same time.
- River spirit Water must be present and, as with a fire spirit, it can be manipulated in many ways: doubled in size, shaped, moved around, etc. On a roll of 1, the target body of water disappears.
- Wind spirit This spirit can be invoked to extinguish flames, dissipate toxic fumes, or even force humanoids to the ground. A result of 1 has the opposite effect: flames are fanned, toxic fumes move towards the shaman, etc.
6.2.3. Sacrificing a Spirit Alliance
A shaman can choose to sacrifice its relationship with a spirit to be granted a huge effect: create a firestorm, create a hurricane, summon a beast lord in the flesh. As a consequence, the shaman will be shunned by spirits of this type and denied any further alliances.
6.2.4. Creating a New Pact
If you encounter or summon a spirit, you can attempt to bind it. There will always be a price.
6.2.5. What Price Does the Spirit Ask For?
- 1. Destroy another spirit
- 2. Bind the spirit to your main weapon
- 3. Destroy a specific building (windmill, dam, sawmill...)
- 4. Make a pilgrimage in the spirit world
- 5. Bring the corpse of a shaman to hallowed grounds
- 6. Free it from another alliance
- 7. Permanently lose 1 hit point to seal the alliance
- 8. Renounce an alliance with another spirit
- 9. Imprison another spirit
- 10. Use it to kill a cult leader
- 11. Stop a creature that feeds on spirits
- 12. Let it feed on the enemies you kill
- 13. Close a gate to the spirit world
- 14. Follow a specific rule (don't eat meat, wear red, no alcohol, etc.)
- 15. Stop a disease spreading through the spirit world etc.)
- 16. Free an animal used as a pet by the local ruler
- 17. Let it possess your body for one day
- 18. Sacrifice your best weapon to seal the alliance
- 19. Give away d6x100 coins to seal the alliance
- 20. Find and kill a corrupted shaman
6.3. Sorcery
Sorcery is Chaos using humans as conduits and letting them think they’re in control. Of course, bending reality to your will has a price, but you are ready to let others pay it for you. Characters with the Forbidden knowledge background start with 4 randomly selected spells. Roll d100 on the list below.
6.3.1. Casting a Spell
Make an INT test. If the spell was already cast on the same day, roll with Disadvantage. A failure means the spell cannot be cast before the character has taken a long rest. On a critical failure, roll on the Torn Veil table:
6.3.2. Torn Veil (d6)
- 1. You cannot cast spells until the next sunrise
- 2. The spell’s energy ravages your body: lose d6 HP
- 3. You provoke an explosion of arcane energy, causing d6 damage to anyone Nearby
- 4. Your body pays the price of your hubris: permanently lose 1 HP
- 5. Your mind is shattered by the magical energies: permanently lose 1 point of INT
- 6. A tentacled monstrosity appears and takes you to another plane
6.3.3. Range and Duration
Unless otherwise stated in its description, you must be able to see the spell’s target. Spells that don’t have a duration stated in their description end at the next dawn.
6.3.4. How Many Spells Can I Learn?
You can learn a number of spells equal to your INT score.6.3.5. Spell List
- 1-2. Acid blood: You can turn 3 HP worth of your blood into acid. Does d6 damage or dissolves an item the size of a small book.
- 3-5. Animate mirror: You animate your own reflection in a mirror. It will attack anyone that passes near it (d6 damage). Lasts until dispelled or the mirror is destroyed.
- 6-7. Blood mark: You mark one of your possessions with your blood, permanently losing 1 hit point. You always know where the item is. If it is destroyed, or the mark is erased, your HP comes back.
- 8-10. Call the Id: You summon an invisible creature made of anger. It can remove a physical obstacle or inflict 2d6 damage before disappearing.
- 11-12. Curse of the mute: The target cannot speak. On a spellcasting roll of 1, the affliction is permanent.
- 13-14. Darkness: d6 targets are blinded for d6 minutes.
- 15-17. Dead man’s map: The blood of a dead creature draws a map that indicates the rough location of the murderer.
- 18-20. Deafening scream: A horrendous scream paralyses everyone hearing it for a few seconds. Children and animals die.
- 21-22. Demon’s breath: All light sources in the same room as you are extinguished. A fire axlso starts in another room of the building.
- 23-24. Dream guardian: Animates a doll, puppet, or stuffed animal that stands guard while you sleep. It screams if it sees someone you haven’t designated as friendly. The spell does not work during the day.
- 25-27. Dream message: Send a message to someone you know through a dream. The target has to be asleep, but no line of sight is required.
- 28-29. Fading memories: The target forgets all interactions with you in the last d6 hours (or years on a roll of 1).
- 30-31. Feather crash: The target survives an otherwise deadly fall. All their equipment is destroyed.
- 32-34. Feeding the fire: Make an existing flame burst by feeding it with your anger. Inflicts d6 damage to all Nearby targets.
- 35-36. Fireflies: You call forth a swarm of fireflies that give as much light as a torch. They disappear at the slightest sign of violence.
- 37-38. Fleabag: Assume the form of a dog until sunset or sunrise (whichever comes first). You cannot end the spell early. Your abilities and HP are the same and you can bite for unarmed damage. You can’t talk but you can bark.
- 39-41. Ghost pains: The victim feels like they have lost something very important and believes the caster can give it back.
- 42-43. Gloomy lullaby: Your target loses consciousness. A result of 1 on the spellcasting roll means the target will not wake up.
- 44-46. Greedy hand: One item the target holds in its hand flies to yours. On a casting roll of 1, the object is destroyed.
- 47-48. Guiding rat: When underground, summon a rat that guides you to the nearest exit. It must be fed d4 hit points worth of of blood to do so.
- 49-51. Hellhound: Turns a regular dog into a raging killing machine (Attack 11, Dodge 11, d6 damage, 10 HP). It dies at the end of the fight whatever happens.
- 52-53. Impotent arrows: All projectiles hitting the target of the spell during the next turn do no damage. On a spellcasting result of 1, your allies’ projectiles are also harmless.
- 54-56. Inquisition: the target must be tied up. It is submitted to intense pain. It will answer d4 questions. The GM rolls the dice. If the caster asks more questions than the number rolled, the victim dies.
- 57-58. Iron ghost: Makes a weapon no larger than a sword invisible. The spell ends when the weapon is used. If the weapon does not injure anyone on the turn it is drawn, the sorcerer loses d6 HP.
- 59-61. Murmurs: The target hears strange voices whispering in their ears, revealing their darkest secrets.
- 62-63. Never-ending music: The target hears a repetitive tune in their head. All rolls against them are made with Advantage.
- 64-66. Poisonous projectile: You make a projectile or thrown weapon even deadlier. The victim dies in d6 minutes.
- 67-68. Portal: You create a portal to a place you already know. You end up totally naked on the other side. Other people must roll a d6 if they follow you: on a 6, they disappear…
- 69-70. Red trap: Make a small pool of your own blood (losing 2 HP until the spell is cancelled). Anyone stepping in the pool cannot move further.
- 71-72. Rotten fumes: Get Advantage on all tests made against those Nearby the target (human or object). The target is unaffected. Lasts d6 minutes.
- 73-75. Serpent bones: The target’s body becomes boneless, allowing them to escape any bonds or to squeeze into tight passages. Lasts d6 minutes.
- 76-77. Sharing the pain: You transfer a loss of HP caused by a wound to a companion.
- 78-79. Soundkiller: All sounds Nearby are muffled. The spell lasts 2d6 minutes and follows you around.
- 80-82. Soul-eater: You literally chomp on your target’s soul. They lose consciousness, or die if you get a 1 on your spellcasting roll.
- 83-85. Spontaneous combustion: Your target bursts into flames and suffers continuous damage (d4). If you roll a 1 on the spellcasting roll, everyone present bursts into flames.
- 86-87. Steal life: You steal d6 HP from a target you can touch. Your own HP cannot go beyond their maximum.
- 88-90. Tongue thief: You can speak up to six words through the mouth of your target.
- 91-92. Unnatural speed: The target can move to a Far distance on their Turn. On a 1, a randomly selected piece of the target’s equipment is destroyed.
- 93-95. War drums: The target is experiencing all the horrors of war. Roll a d6: on 1-4 the target panics, on a 5-6 they go berserk.
- 96-97. Wine of death: The spell affects a jug or cup of wine you touch. Those who drink this wine quickly start looking for a fight. A result of 1 on the casting roll means the drinkers try to kill each other.
- 98-100. Withering: Your target has the strength and vitality of a 90-year-old for the next d6 hours.
6.3.6. Finding and Learning New Spells
Spells are tools of power, sorcerers don’t leave them lying around. Finding a new spell is an adventure in and of itself. Once you have the spell’s formula, the item it is mystically bonded to, or a mentor to teach it to you, make an INT roll. A failure means you have to find another version of the spell and a critical failure means you can never learn this specific spell.
6.3.7. Where is That Spell?
- 1. In the hands of an entombed queen waiting to be awoken.
- 2. Hidden in a treasure map that leads to a trap.
- 3. Engraved on the bones of an ever living mummy.
- 4. In a block of ice, inside a long forgotten city waiting to rise again.
- 5. In the hideout of a bloodthirsty gang.
- 6. In an underwater temple guarded by ghost sharks.
- 7. In the bag of a sorcerer’s apprentice who murdered their master.
- 8. Half of the spell was sent to you with an invitation to a distant castle.
- 9. In a bookshop located in a besieged city.
- 10. On a sacrificial blade owned by a remorseful priest.
- 11. In the hold of a pirate ship with the rest of the loot.
- 12. In the hands of a skeleton, the latest victim of the Fanged Forest.
- 13. A voice in your head says “Spill the blood of a friend on a black stone slab”.
- 14. Engraved on top of a pillar said to reach to the heavens.
- 15. Encoded in the text of a lost play that turns its audience into monsters.
- 16. Tattooed on the backs of its conceptor’s three children.
- 17. In the cellar of a retired inquisitor.
- 18. Hidden inside your mind, revealed when you’re down to 0 HP.
- 19. Hidden in a painting that gives nightmares to most people.
- 20. On a moon, near the wreck of a strange ship.
6.4. Faerie Ties
The Changeling background lets players choose two ties with the realms of Faerie. New ties can be made during play at the GM’s discretion
- Barrow wisdom You learned some rudimentary necromancy. You can speak with the dead, provided either their body or soul is nearby. The dead are rarely cooperative. They may demand a price, but you can also attempt to force them to do something or answer a question (WIS test required, decrease your Doom die).
- Cauldron of gold You own a magical gold bezant (worth 100 coins) that always finds its way back to your purse after 1d8 dawns. It is part of a treasure of immense value towards which it could lead you, if only you knew the right charm...
- Changeling knowledge As a human adopted by the fey, you learned all about (choose two): hunting and tracking, history and myth, courtly manners and intrigue, philosophy and metaphysics, strategy and tactics, metallurgy and mining, or some other subject (with the GM’s approval). Roll with Advantage when making a test relevant to your area of expertise.
- Cold iron weapon You inherited, stole, or otherwise came into the possession of a legendary blade. It has a name and a legend, perhaps also a dark prophecy. It deals an extra d6 damage to all denizens of faerie.
- Doomed to greatness Once per day, you can roll your Doom die with Advantage. After you do so, it takes 1d3 long rests to go back to its maximum.
- Dwarf deceit You get Advantage when lying or sneaking with the intention to do harm.
- Elfin secret You learned how to (choose): speak to birds, make plants obey a one-word command, become invisible to mortals, enthral a lover, divine one’s most secret desire, make (non-aggressive) mortals tremble with fear. If you use this secret more than once per day, roll your Doom.
- Silversmith sorcerer Your master taught you how to weave spells into your jewellery. Roll for two spells from page 40. You know how to bind them to one of your creations at the cost of 1d6 x 100 coins and 3d6 days of work. The bearer of one of your items can cast the spell as if they were a sorcerer.
- Skinwalker You know the spells needed to turn into an animal while wearing a specially prepared pelt. You can own two of these pelts at any time.
- Trollish ruggedness Add +1 to the protection of any type of armour you wear.
- True faith You know how to fight the fey with fire, faith, and iron. Roll your Doom die to dispel one magical effect of fey origin.
- Witchsight You can see through the veil that hides the realms of faerie. Elves, trolls, and other magical beings are always visible to you. You may be able to see magical auras and detect illusions with a successful WIS roll.
6.5. Twisted Science
Human ingenuity can produce wonderful gadgets and terrifying weapons. A character with the Inventor background can make the world a better place or burn it to the ground.
6.5.1. Building a Marvel
Your character makes gadgets and other devices using invention points. You get as many invention points as your INT score at the beginning of the week. The cost of each marvel is indicated in brackets after its name. You must have access to a well equipped workshop to build a marvel. Your invention points reset at the beginning of each week.
6.5.2. Maintenance
Subtract half the cost of your gadgets that are still active from the invention points you get each week. The good news is you don’t need a workshop to do maintenance work.
6.5.3. Gadget Costs
You also need some materials to build your gadgets. As a rule of thumb, each marvel requires 20 coins worth of materials per invention point required. Same goes for the maintenance...
6.5.4. Usage Die
Unless they are single use items, your creations come with a Ud6. Roll it after each use (or after a fight for weapons).
6.5.5. Twisted Science Marvels
- Acid spray [2]: An enemy’s weapon damage die is automatically downgraded by one step.
- Blood-tinted spyglass [4]: The user can see any living being (with blood in their veins), even those hiding behind cover or in darkness.
- Bomb [4] [Single-use]: D8 damage to anyone Nearby. A critical failure means the bomb explodes near you.
- Firelance [6]: As the name implies, a ranged weapon that spits fire at your enemies. Add Ud4 ongoing damage to a successful attack.
- Freezing warhammer [6]: Freezes any non-living matter it hits. Frozen objects are easy to shatter. On a roll of 20, when using the warhammer, the wielder suffers d6 frost damage and the hammer is destroyed.
- Gas mask [2]: You’ll excuse us if we don’t follow the traditions of RPG writing and don’t feel the need to always state the obvious: you know what a gas mask does.
- Hallucinogenic gas [4] [Single-use]: Indoors only. Roll a d6 for every person in the room, 1-2: relaxed state making the target easy to influence, 3-5: vivid dreams, making users oblivious to anything happening around them, 6: nightmarish visions, lots of panicking and screaming.
- Image crystal [4]: A small crystal that projects a human-sized (or smaller) image of your choosing. The image must be decided when you build the crystal.
- Metal Owl [4]: An owl automaton that can follow simple orders (up to six words). It has 4 HP and can distract a foe but cannot attack.
- Prosthetic limb [10]: No Usage die needed. Works as the original. Can be sacrificed to negate the damage from one attack.
- Resurrection shot [4] [Single-use]: The target doesn’t have to roll on the Helpless table (page 18) but needs to roll a d20. On a result of 20, they die (probably in a gruesome way).
- Sleep box [4]: A music box that plunges every living creature hearing its melody into a trance. The Usage die roll tells you how long the effect lasts (in minutes).
- Targeting monocle [4]: Lets you ignore any penalties on your ranged attack rolls (including those related to your target’s level).
- Terror gas grenade [2] [Single-use]: Roll a d6 for anyone breathing it. 1-4: they flee in terror, 5-6: they go berserk and add d4 to their damage.
- Truth serum [4] [Single-use]: Once injected with the serum, they tell everything they know. Roll a d20. On a result of 15-20, the target dies before they can speak.
6.5.6. Creating New Objects
Steampunk novels, movies and animes are a great source of twisted science gadgets. Take 19th century and early 20th century items then add a dash of madness: X-ray goggles, two-way radios communicating with the dead, trench lightning gun, flashbang marbles, etc.
6.6. Runic Weapons
Runic weapons are very powerful and extremely dangerous. They should be extremely rare, probably no more than two in your whole campaign world. These sentient weapons relish the pain they inflict to others but enjoy the suffering of their wielder even more.
From the above, it should be obvious that runic weapons are usually associated with Chaos, though exceptions may exist in your world. Legends say that runic weapons are the result of the fusion of a blade and its wielder, often a champion of Chaos, Law, or Balance. Followers of Law and Balance usually dislike the idea of becoming immortal, even in such a way.
A runic weapon has an Intelligence score (rolled the same way it is for characters, see p. 10). The GM makes an INT test for the weapon at the beginning of each session. If successful, the weapon will kill the character if they ever become helpless during that session. At the GM’s discretion, the weapon can take the life of an important NPC instead.
6.6.1. The... of... (roll on each column)
1. Warhammer | 1. Eternal | 1. Soul |
2. Rapier | 2. Devouring | 2. Oblivion |
3. Bastard sword | 3. Bringer | 3. Skull |
4. Cleaver | 4. Decaying | 4. Winter |
5. Lance | 5. Silent | 5. Crow |
6. Scimitar | 6. Flaying | 6. Shadow |
7. Dagger | 7. Hunter | 7. Death |
8. Long sword | 8. Withering | 8. Storm |
9. Axe | 9. Past | 9. Horde |
10.Naginata | 10. Splitting | 10. Light |
11. Flail | 11. Everlasting | 11. Dust |
12 Scythe | 12. Last | 12. Curse |
Example: I roll 3, 8 and 10. Behold the Bastard Sword of Withering Light! (Or Witherlight, or the Witherer of Light...)
6.6.2. Runic Weapons Properties
A runic weapon can talk to its wielder through telepathy. The GM can do it but if the table agrees, a player can play the role of another’s weapon. Players cannot “act” with the weapon in any way, but they can speak to the wielder now and then. The goal is to make sure the weapon has a personality that contributes to the story, not to make your friends’ lives miserable.
The weapon inflicts damage equal to one of the wielder’s attributes, which gives a hint about the weapon’s personality.
- 1. STR (brutal, always calling for action)
- 2. DEX (vicious, often mocking the wielder)
- 3. CON (patient, treating the wielder as a child)
- 4. INT (cunning and distrustful, encouraging suspicion)
- 5. WIS (judgemental, always second guessing the wielder’s decisions)
- 6. CHA (prideful, pushing the wielder to be more ambitious)
The weapon seems to be made of.... (d12)
- 1. Bone
- 2. Obsidian
- 3. Quicksilver
- 4. Rusted metal
- 5. Engraved steel
- 6. Cold iron
- 7. Glass
- 8. Shell
- 9. Bronze
- 10. Stone
- 11. Coral
- 12. Mix two results
When an enemy is killed the weapon... (roll or pick according to the weapon’s name)
- 1. Devours their soul
- 2. Absorb their memories
- 3. Grants d6 HP back to the wielder
- 4. Turns their body to ashes
- 5. Their face appears as a tattoo on the wielder’s body
- 6. Makes their body explode messily
The weapon can be found...
- 1. in the dead hand of a king
- 2 in the ashes of a funeral pyre
- 3. hidden in a monastery
- 4. in the hands of a young thief
- 5. inside a shipwreck
- 6. in the dreams of a poet
- 7. in the tomb of a priest
- 8. on a plague ship
- 9. in a forgotten asylum
- 10. on a floating island
- 11. in a monster’s belly
- 12. on the moon
- 13. inside a maelstrom
- 14. in a buried necropolis
- 15. in a secret library
- 16. in one’s own nightmares
- 17. at the emperor’s side
- 18. on a haunted battlefield
- 19. in the forge of dead gods
- 20. in a forbidden museum