Sunday, February 28, 2016

The Rune Inscribed Plutonium Scythe of the Despot (Cursed? Magic Item for DCC)


     My random magic item generator spat out "The Rune Inscribed Plutonium Scythe of the Despot" yesterday.  I liked the name, so I decided to illustrate it and write it up just for fun.

The Rune Inscribed Plutonium Scythe of the Despot

    The Rune Inscribed Plutonium Scythe of the Despot is an artifact from an ancient kingdom whose history is lost in the mists of time.  The scythe is an unstable and dangerous weapon for both friend and foe alike.  Its blade is made from a shimmering greenish metal, and the crimson runes which adorn it are of an alien origin, resembling no known language.  A deep violet aura surrounds the blade providing an eerie light equal to that of a torch.

     The scythe acts as a magical polearm and requires two hands to wield.  It deals 1d10 + 3 damage on a successful hit, but the cutting damage of the blade is only the beginning.  Upon a successful hit, the target must make a Willpower save or suffer additional terrible effects.  If the target fails their save, they must roll on the effects table below.  Regardless of the target's save results, they still suffer the weapon's normal damage.

     If the target makes their saving throw however, the power of the scythe will be channeled back to the wielder, and the wielder will be required to make a Willpower save to avoid the scythe's baleful effects.  Failure to save requires a roll on the table below.

Effects Table (d100):

01-25 : Victim is stunned for 1 round and all attacks against them are made at +1

26-50 : Victim is blinded for 1d4 rounds

51-70 : Victim must roll once on Table 5-3: Minor Corruption (All results are permanent)

71-85 : Victim must roll once on Table 5-4: Major Corruption (All results are permanent)

86-95 : Victim must roll once on Table 5-5: Greater Corruption (All results are permanent)

96-99 : Victim is engulfed in a flash of green radiation and obliterated

00 : Bothe the wielder and the target are obliterated by the scythe's radiation

     Of course, no one in their right mind would use this thing, but I can imagine it causing a bit of fun in a zero level funnel...

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