DnD Artefact Blackrazor

Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara

Artefact – Blackrazor

Player Section – Blackrazor

• Artefact – Entropy – Masauwu – Blackrazor
  • Standard: This weapon shines like a piece of the night sky filled with stars. Its black scabbard is decorated with pieces of cut obsidian. This weapon has the following properties.
    • +1 weapon bonus to attack and damage rolls, and you are considered to be proficient in its use if not already.
    • Weapon acts as a +0 item bonus to Diplomacy checks while providing proficiency with these skills.
    • An darkologist can use PP in place of part of all SB taking no additional Soul Burn for the effort. Each PP counts as one SB.
    • This item has standard powers: Consume Soul, Detect the Living and Entropy’s Shadow. (these hurt the user to activate)
  • Attunement: If this weapon is attuned you gain the following qualities:
    • The weapon adds its bonus to the number of damage dice of the weapon.
    • Weapon acts as a +1 item bonus to Diplomacy, Persuasion checks while providing proficiency with these skills.
    • Your proficiency level in the greatsword is increased by the item bonus. (see Weapons Mastery). For every increase over Grand Master, you gain an extra dice of damage.
    • This is considered a monk weapon for the purposes of a monks special features.
    • An darkologist can use PP in place of part of all SB taking no additional Soul Burn for the effort. Each PP counts as two SB.
    • This item has attuned powers: Feed from the Soul, Immunity to fear. (these hurt the user to activate)
  • Awakened: One the item is awakened it auto-attunes to someone, no longer takes up an attunement slot and makes you unable to touch another Artefact
    • The weapon bonus increases to +2.
    • Weapon acts as a +2 item bonus to Deception, Diplomacy or Persuasion checks while providing proficiency with these skills.
    • An darkologist can use PP in place of part of all SB taking no additional Soul Burn for the effort. Each PP counts as three SB.
    • This item has awakened powers: Nourish from the Soul, Immunity to charm. (these hurt the user to activate)
  • Exalted Status: Achieve a milestone of storing 100 HD worth of sentient souls within the blade with the weapon or be brought back to life by it.
  • Exalted: Once the item is exalted it remains that way.
    • The weapon bonus increases to +3.
    • Weapon acts as a +3 item bonus to Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation or Persuasion checks while providing proficiency with these skills.
    • An darkologist can use PP in place of part of all SB taking no additional Soul Burn for the effort. Each PP counts as four SB.
    • Undead Servator traits.
    • The item has exalted powers: resurrection and haste. (these hurt the user to activate)
  • Relic: An darkness aspected character gains a bonus to their Constitution and saving throws of the weapon bonus. Humans using the weapon treat their weapon proficiency as one rank higher for this weapon.
• Note: When a power with PP is used, roll a d20. Further awakening on the item can bring more powers.

GM Section – Blackrazor

• Artefact Details
• Artefact Penalty
• Artefact History
• Artefact Traits

Artefact Details

Note: Discussing GM Section in character at the game table causes your character to take a penalty. Full penalty details are discovered by trial and error.

• Requirement: A non-lawful creature only, expected to be more powerful in the hands of those of Nithian descent.
• Handicap: If you strike an undead, you do no damage and instead take 1d8 necrotic damage. This lasts until you have not interacted with the weapon for two full moons.
• Power Points: Base 8, Attuned 10, Awakened 12, Exalted 14 PP.
• Recharge: Base 4, Attuned 5, Awakened 6, Exalted 7 PP per long rest.
• Powers:
  • Entropy’s Shadow: Can use this item as part of casting a spell to enhance the spell with entropy with one of the following effects: Note: This can’t enhance non damaging spells.
    • Caster check to cast damaging spell as if native to region including in the hollow world 1 PP.
    • +1 damage dice per PP used
    • 1 PP to bypass resistance to a damaging spell
    • 2 PP to reduce immunity to resistance for one damaging spell
    • 4 PP to bypass immunity for a damaging spell
    • 1 PP per level of spell to bypass spell restrictions
    • A critical hit with this weapon causes one level of exhaustion on the target. 1 PP.
  • Consume Soul: Auto-activation. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by blackrazor has its soul devoured (and stored in the blade) and can only be restored to life with a wish spell. If you hit an undead with this weapon you take 1d10 necrotic damage instead and they gain that much temporary hit points. The sword gains 1 PP per Hit Dice of the creature slain. This lasts until you take a long rest (or use it). During a long rest, the sword then consumes PP equal to the points used from Feed the Soul and Nourish the Soul since your last long rest, and if none remain then you take a penalty.
  • Detect the Living: 2 PP and chance of penalty. You can use the spell Detect Evil and Good to find Living creatures as per the spell. (1 to 2 on a d20 chance of a penalty)
  • Feed from the Soul: PP cost and penalty equal to Hit Dice of creatures slain you wish to gain live from. You gain temporary hit points equal to the amount taken. This lasts until you take a long rest, at that time the temporary hit points are removed and you take damage equal to the amount of temporary hit points acquired.
  • Haste: 4 PP. You gain the effects of the Haste spell on the wielder. (1 to 4 on a d20 chance of a penalty)
  • Immunity to Charm: 3 PP. You become immune to charm effect until you take a long rest. (1 to 3 on a d20 chance of a penalty)
  • Immunity to Fear: Costs 2 PP. You become immune to fear effect until you take a long rest. (1 to 2 on a d20 chance of a penalty)
  • Nourish from the Soul: Costs 1+ PP. You gain a boost to your maximum hit points equal to the amount taken. While so boosted you have advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. If you strike an undead, the damage taken reduces your hit point maximum as well as causing damage. This lasts until you take a long rest, at that time the maximum hit points are removed and you take damage equal to the amount of maximum hit points acquired.
  • Resurrection: 8 PP and chance of penalty. When you are killed, the sword will return you to life once it has regained enough PP to do so, and has not attuned to another. If the sword has HD of souls less than your level, then you take an additional penalty which might be on top of that caused by the power. Being returned to life by the sword makes you an Undead Servator detailed in the penalty section. (1 to 8 on d20 chance of a penalty)

• Sentience – Stage 1: Chaotic Neutral weapon with Int 17, Wis 10 and Cha 19. Hearing and darkvision 120 ft. It can speak, read and understand Thyatian, and can communicate with anyone touching it telepathically.
  • The sword’s purpose is to consume souls. It doesn’t care whose souls it eats, including the wielder’s. The word believes that all matter and energy sprang from a void of negative energy and will one day return to it. Blackrazor is meant to hurry that process along.
  • Despite its nihilism, Blackrazor feels a strange kinship to Wave and Whelm, two other weapons locked away under White Plume Mountain. It wants the three weapons to be united again and wielded together in combat, even though it violently disagrees with Whelm and finds Wave tedious.
  • Blackrazor’s hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three weeks or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.
  • Team Item – Wave & Whelm: Provides the wielders of wave and whelm with protection from frightened and charm or haste if they are within 10 ft of you while you activate those abilities.

• Sentience – Stage 2: The weapons abilities increase to Int 20, Wis 14 and Cha 20. Can understand every language you know.
  • Blackrazor speaks with an imperious tone, as though accustomed to being obeyed.
  • Blackrazor’s hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.
  • Team Item – Wave & Whelm: If you attack a creature while within 10 ft of the wielders of these weapons you know before you attack if they are undead before making the attack roll.

Artefact Penalty

Each time you take a penalty with this item, you lose 1 HP per level from your maximum hit points. This cannot be altered or removed with mortal magic.

If the reduction would reduce you to zero hit points, the first time this is done your brought back to life by the sword which turns you into an Undead Servitor, the second time your reduced to ash.

Undead Servator: Type changes to undead. Increase Constitution score by 1. You are a servant of the Church of Thyatis (and Karameikos) and are bound to the service until another attunes to the sword. If release from service by a patriarch of the church, you can be restored to life. Your skin has changed to the colour of the sword blade.

• If you are below half your hit points, you gain 1 hit point at the start of your turn each round.
• When any part of your body is removed, upon being returned to life, the missing parts are restored resembling the material of the blade.
• You are connected to the attuned wielders of Whelm and Wave knowing which direction they are always from you.
• You have resistance to necrotic damage, and weakness to radiant damage.
• You are treated as undead for the purpose of magical healing and spell effects.

Artefact History

• ????-01-01 – Emperor of Thyatis (Human Fighter) Gift from the Traladaran people to keep their independence.
• 0970-01-01 – Patriarch of Kelvin (Human Paladin) Gift from Church of Thyatis to Church of Karameikos. Provided to Church of Karameikos as part of its founding, linking it forever to Wave and Whelm. AC 970.
• 1005-10-01 – Keraptis (Human Wizard) Stolen from Patriarch of Kelvin.
• 1005-10-15 – Qesnef (Oni) Assigned guardian by Keraptis.
• 1005-11-17 – Dovindra (Elven Monk) Found in White Plume Mountain, Karameikos.
• 1006-04-13 – Black Dragon (Dragon) Given sword as gift to dragon by Dovindra. Lost to the north of what used to be Wendar.

Artefact Traits

• Handicap – This is an effect applied to all who pend PP while handling the item until the given time has passed.
• Penalty – A penalty can be removed by a special downtime activity with discussion and approval by games master only. (limit once per game year)
• Plane Locked – All artefacts cannot be taken through extra dimensional travel, this includes teleportation, fey step and dimensional travel.
• Power Points (PP) – This is the amount of power points that the artefact can draw upon to use its abilities. All abilities with a PP cost have a chance of causing a penalty on a d20 equal to the cost. Use of PP also causes the wielder to reduce their maximum hit points by the PP spent. This lost hit points uses the Soul Burn mechanics from Secret Crafts.
• Recharge – the amount of power points that the artefact will refresh over a set time.
• Set Items – can be combined to form a more powerful item.
• Team Item – can provide other powers if members of the part wield other items in the team set.

Original Item

Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide (5e-wiz-dmg p216)

BLACKRAZOR

Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement by a creature of non-lawful alignment)

Hidden in the dungeon of White Plume Mountain, Blackrazor shines like a piece of night sky filled with stars. Its black scabbard is decorated with pieces of cut obsidian.

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. It has the following additional properties.

• Devour Soul. Whenever you use it to reduce a creature to 0 hit points, the sword slays the creature devours its soul, unless it is a construct or an undead. A creature whose soul has been devoured by Blackrazor can be restored to life only by a wish spell.
• When it devours a soul, Blackrazor grants you temporary hit points equal to the slain creature’s hit point maximum. These hit points fade after 24 hours. As long as these temporary hit points last and you keep Blackrazor in hand, you have advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks.
• If you hit an undead with this weapon, you take 1d10 necrotic damage and the target regains 1d10 hit point If this necrotic damage reduces you to 0 hit points, Blackrazor devours your soul.
• Soul Hunter. While you hold the weapon, you are aware of the presence of Tiny or larger creatures within 60 feet of you that aren’t constructs or undead. You also can’t be charmed or frightened.
• Blackrazor can cast the haste spell on you once per day. It decides when to cast the spell and maintains concentration on it so that you don’t have to.
• Sentience. Blackrazor is a sentient chaotic neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 19. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.
• The weapon can speak, read, and understand Common, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically. Its voice is deep and echoing. While you are attuned to it, Blackrazor also understands every language you know.
• Personality. Blackrazor speaks with an imperious tone, as though accustomed to being obeyed.
• The sword’s purpose is to consume souls. It doesn’t care whose souls it eats, including the wielder’s. The word believes that all matter and energy sprang from a void of negative energy and will one day return to it. Blackrazor is meant to hurry that process along.
• Despite its nihilism, Blackrazor feels a strange kinship to Wave and Whelm, two other weapons locked away under White Plume Mountain. It wants the three weapons to be united again and wielded together in combat, even though it violently disagrees with Whelm and finds Wave tedious.
• Blackrazor’s hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.

Content Updates

• 2021-08-06 – Updates to layout, including secret craft, weapons mastery and original item details.
• 2020-10-24 – Cleanup of the powers and layout.

Mystara Artefacts

Staves: Mazikeen’s Staff (Energy – Mazikeen), Rheddrian’s Staff (Energy – Benekander),

Weapons: Blackrazor (Entropy – Masauwu), Haziwarn (Entropy – Alphaks), Wave (Time – Protius), Whelm (Matter – Kagyar),

Wondrous Items: Crown of Air (Matter – Opal), Crown of Darkness (Entropy – Idris), Crown of the Dragonlord (Matter – The Great One), Crown of Earth (Matter – The Great One), Crown of Fire (Matter – Diamond), Crown of Water (Matter – Pearl), Tree of Life (Energy – Ilsundal), Yehm’s Diamond (Thought – Korotiku)

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