Inspired by Tenkar’s Tavern’s recent posts, I’ve gone and copied the magic sword table from ACKS (page 211) and replaced the entries with swords of a more unique or magical nature, as opposed to the standard +1 and +x versus x type of swords (not that there’s anything wrong with generic items, but this is a nice alternative I’ll be using). I’ve followed that with some random tables for creating a basic background to the item, just to add some more flavour to the items.
Use the table in replace of the book’s table; use the other tables as desired, and allow those characters with suitable proficiencies (Loremastery, Magical Engineering and the like) to know the item’s history and thus learn about the item’s powers.
Variant Swords
| 1d100 Roll | Sword | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 01 – 39 | Sword of Cleaving | Allows wielder to Cleave like a Fighter of equal Level, or +1 to a Fighter’s normal number of cleaves. |
| 40 – 44 | Sword of Chiming | Tolls like a bell when hostile enemies are within 30′; +2 attack/damage when used to fight said enemy. |
| 45 – 49 | Sting | +1 attack/damage; when maximum damage is rolled, target must save vs poison or die. |
| 50 – 53 | The Tooth Fairy | +1 attack/damage; every time the target is struck they lose a number of teeth equal to the damage dealt. |
| 54 – 57 | Haymaker | +1 attack, +2 damage |
| 58 – 62 | Determination | +1 attack/damage for every consecutive miss, restarts at 0 after attack hits. |
| 63 – 67 | The Finisher | +1 attack/damage for every consecutive hit, restarts at 0 after attack misses. |
| 68 – 75 | Nightbane | Glows 30′ when darkness falls; double-damage versus Shadows. |
| 76 – 80 | Swift-Death | Double # of Attacks, and doubles wielder’s Movement rate when drawn. |
| 81 | Eye-Gouger | +1 attack/damage; on a successful hit, target must save vs paralysation or be blinded. |
| 82 – 84 | Goblin Hewer | Double Damage versus Goblins. |
| 85 | Cos’ Stabbing Stick | Re-Roll Attack Throw 3/day |
| 86 – 89 | Jack’s Stalk-Cutter | Double Damage versus Giants and Plants |
| 90 – 91 | The Ethereal Blade | +1 attack/damage; allows wielder too ignore encumbrance when drawn. |
| 92 – 94 | Minion’s Barb | +2 attack/damage; maximum damage is a natural 20 is rolled. |
| 95 | Pulveriser | +3 attack/damage; on a natural 20, target is knocked prone. |
| 96 | Hack’n'Slash | +3 attack/damage; on a successful hit, target must save vs death or be dismembered as per the spell (ACKS Player’s Companion; essentially, roll for a permanent wound on the Mortal Wounds table). |
| 97 – 98 | Old Man Iron | Cursed; each successful attack ages the user by 1 year. |
| 99 – 00 | Relentless | Cursed; when drawn must spill blood within a turn or else wielder is driven by uncontrollable rage and will attack anyone in range, determined to kill them. In addition, with every successful hit, user must make a save vs spells or commit to killing the target and anyone who tries to stop them. |
History
Roll 1d12 for each column, or roll once and read across to create a basic backstory or to inspire your own ideas.
| 1d12 | Previous Owner | Created By | Famous For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cedric the Brave, a former paladin who met his death in a trap-filled catacomb. | The Mage Revidius the Undying, in exchange for a tower overlooking an ancient ruin. | Used against the undead horde of the Western Hills. |
| 2 | Porthus the Wizard-Chef, who retired to run a restaurant in the legendary City of Bones. | An explosion of chaos magic that imbued the sword with mystical powers. | Used to slay the dragon of the Glimmering Mountains. |
| 3 | Idni the Reckless, who never suffered a serious wound in his long adventuring life. | The Divine Cleric Omar of the Blinding Light, who took part of his soul to bind his God’s magic to the blade. | Dealt the killing blow to the infamous lich, the Wicked Carrion King. |
| 4 | Halmary the Devout, who abandoned his clerical ways to become a crusading knight. | The Goblin Artificer Globnik, in his dank cave below the friendly village of Appleby. Created by binding a demon into the blood-doused blade. | Slew the angelic Clockwork Savant atop Mount Dorthion. |
| 5 | Ungrid the Rager, a battleworn dwarf from the Stark Mounds. | The goddess Aadila, forged and gifted to her divine knights to fight chaos on the mortal realm. | Leading its former user to his death, against the dragon Glomund. |
| 6 | Zarkov the Pacifist, known for his inability to hit anything. | Forged by the demon Thu, and wielded against the angels of the Valar. | Being lost before a great battle, wherein it would have turned the tide. |
| 7 | Corvin the Light-Footed, a thief who fell to a pit trap full of poisoned spikes. | Magical osmosis, after being left in a pool of spilt potions in a ruined laboratory. | Breaking the magical blade of the Holy Knight, Celeborn of Doriath. |
| 8 | Scar, cowardly yet cunning warrior who sold his companions into slavery to escape a death sentence. | Eraendel the sailor who sailed around the world, and learnt the secret arts of forging steel imbued with the essence of the living world. | Removed the magical gemstone from the Demon King‘s Iron Crown. |
| 9 | Lorien the Fey, an elf lady from the Court of Summer. | The Elf-Lord Fingolfin of Hithlum, mightiest of Spell-Swords. | Slew a hundred goblins to allow prisoners to flee to safety. |
| 10 | Emile Autumn, the mentally-scarred and esteemed Bard, who was imprisoned in an asylum against her will. | Forged from the gathered nightmares in the Forest of Broken Dreams. | Severing the Silver Chord of the Silver Knight. |
| 11 | None. Since being forged it has remained ownerless. | An absent-minded Mage known only as the Rainbow Wizard, who dwelt in the hills that border the Bitterleaf Forest. | Becoming lost in the Howling Canyons, after being dropped from an air-ship. |
| 12 | The goddess Yevanna, who cast it aside after slaying her brethren to protect the world from their dark designs. | The Holy Priests of the Church of All-Consumption, in anticipation of the End of Days. | The weapon that forged a Kingdom out of bandit lands. |
I might end up doing more tables like this for other weapons and armour too.
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October 24, 2012 at 06:36
[...] +1 (or some alternative). Print PDF No [...]
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September 12, 2012 at 19:55
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Bridge to Cynidicea
August 30, 2012 at 05:38
[...] Unique: Determination (Cruciform Bright Steel Dragonbone Sword; +1 hit and damage; attack and damage bonuses increase by +1 every time you miss, resetting to +1 after you hit.) [...]
I Hate Swords +1 « Bridge to Cynidicea
August 29, 2012 at 21:45
[...] So, I created my own tables for magic swords, armor, and miscellaneous weapons. Here are the results. Note that several of the unique swords are stolen from Simon at The Sky Full of Dust. [...]