The edge of fire

From Stormravengaming

The edge of fire is a magic, leveled greatsword carried by "Shining Talon" Mandus. The weapon was left with Aralae, Mandus's human mother, by his father, a gold dragon in disguise, following his tryst with her. When she realized she was carrying a child from the union, she kept the sword to pass down to her son as a legacy of his father. It is now Mandus's only clue to his long-absent father's identity.

Description

The crossguard, hilt and pommel of the edge of fire are naturally-colored steel. The hilt is wire-wrapped, and the crossguard and pommel are etched with symbols, possibly a form of writing in an unfamiliar script. (They look like Japanese or Chinese characters.) The symbols are red and glow mildly as though the swordsmith, in etching the steel, had revealed an underlying layer of metal still hot from the forge. (Neither the sword nor the symbols radiate heat.) The blade of the sword, too, is mildly-glowing red steel, blending to white at the edges. Writing like that on the hilt, but here in gold, decorates both sides of the blade. The edges of the gold symbols appear to shimmer and dance as though distorted by the superheated air of the forge. Closer examination of the gold symbols on the blade reveals that they're made up of smaller symbols, and under a magnifying glass, those smaller symbols also appear to be made up of even tinier symbols. The blade also does not radiate heat (unless its flaming ability is activated – see below), but it gives light equivalent to a candle while unsheathed.

Abilities

The edge of fire acts as a +1 keen greatsword. Over time, a wielder may awaken some of the sword's deeper powers by investing experience points into it. The wielder must be of a minimum level to awaken each ability of the edge, and the abilities must be awakened in the order shown on the following table. If a new wielder acquires the edge of fire, its deeper powers are not awakened for him until he achieves the required levels and invests the required experience, regardless of any previous wielders' investments.

Heat of the forge: After being awakened to 3rd level, whenever the edge of fire strikes a confirmed critical hit, the target is affected as if by the spell heat metal. Any metal armor and equipment the target is wearing or carrying heats from within, dealing fire damage to the target. Targets not equipped with any metal items are unaffected by this ability (but still take the greatsword's slashing and fire damage normally). There is no saving throw to avoid this effect.

If the edge of fire strikes another critical hit while the target is still under a previous heat of the forge effect, the effects do not stack. Instead, the duration of the effect is modified as follows:

Strong evocation; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, heat metal and either flame blade, flame strike or fireball; Price 29,950 gp; Cost 15,150 gp + 1184 XP; Weight 15 lb.

Elemental gem

The elemental gem is a gold-hued teardrop crystal that was made to enhance the edge of fire. When touched to the greatsword, the gem melts and flows into an inconspicuous setting where the blade joins the hilt, where the gem hardens and becomes one with the sword. The gem cannot thereafter be removed without destroying it.

Once united with the edge of fire, the weapon gains the ability to add energy damage to its other damage. Once per day, the wielder of the edge of fire may speak the name of one of the four elements (earth, water, air or fire) in Draconic. For the next ten minutes, the greatsword does 1d6 energy damage of a corresponding energy type, as shown on the following table, on a successful hit in addition to its regular damage.

If earth is chosen, the elemental gem turns black and the sword hums and trembles, emitting a deafening screech on a successful hit. If water is chosen, the elemental gem turns blue and the sword becomes wrapped in frosty vapors. The resulting die of cold damage does not interfere with the fire damage of the greatsword's flaming ability (if awakened); the target will take both 1d6 cold damage and 1d6 fire damage. If wind is chosen, the gem turns white and the blade of the sword is sheathed in crackling arcs of electricity. If fire is chosen, the gem turns red and the blade is engulfed in flame. The resulting die of fire damage stacks with the fire damage from the greatsword's flaming ability (if awakened), increasing the fire damage to 2d6.

Strong evocation; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blindness/deafness, either call lightning or lightning bolt, either chill metal or ice storm, and either flame blade, flame strike or fireball; Price 1100 gp; Cost 550 gp + 44 XP; Weight –.