Quick viewing(Text Mode)

27999-Sample.Pdf

27999-Sample.Pdf

Sample file

620_17862_Chp1.indd 1 4/19/05 3:50:57 PM CREDITS

DESIGN SENIOR ART DIRECTOR, D&D BRUCE R. CORDELL, KOLJA RAVEN LIQUETTE, STACY LONGSTREET TRAVIS STOUT COVER ARTIST ADDITIONAL DESIGN HENRY HIGGINBOTHAM JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES INTERIOR ARTISTS DEVELOPMENT TEAM STEVEN BELLEDIN, DENNIS CRABAPPLE, ANDY COLLINS, BRUCE R. CORDELL, JEFF EASLEY, , FRED STEPHEN SCHUBERT HOOPER, , DAVID MARTIN, JIM NELSON, WILLIAM O’CONNOR, EDITORS , WAYNE REYNOLDS, JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES, CHRIS SIMS DAN SCOTT, MANAGING EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS CHRIS THOMASSON DEE BARNETT, KARIN JAQUES EDITING MANAGER CARTOGRAPHER MIKE SCHLEY DESIGN MANAGER GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER PERKINS ERIN DORRIES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER IMAGE TECHNICIAN JASON WILEY DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D PRODUCTION MANAGERS JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS

Special Thanks: Andre “Ziggy” Byrne, Barbara Liquette, Andy Poon, Richard Stephenson. Resources: Complete Adventurer by Jesse Decker; by Richard Baker; by Andy Collins, David Noonan, and Ed Stark; Campaign Setting by Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt; by Andy Collins and Bruce R. Cordell; Expanded by Bruce R. Cordell; Faiths and Pantheons by Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona; Campaign Setting by , Sean K Reynolds, Skip Williams, and Rob Heinsoo; Player’s Guide to Faerûn by Richard Baker, Travis Stout, and James Wyatt; by David Noonan, Jesse Decker, and Michelle Lyons; by Skip Williams; Unapproachable East by Richard Baker, Matt Forbeck, and Sean K Reynolds; by Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick.

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. and , and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision.

This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.

U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Caswell Way P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwent NP9 0YH Renton WA 98057-0707 GREAT BRITAIN +1-800-324-6496 620-17862000-001-EN Please keep this address for your records 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN-10: 0-7869-3688-6 First Printing: July 2005 ISBN-13: 978-0-7869-3688-5

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, , Weapons of Legacy, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional Sampledistributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by Holtzbrinck Publishing. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributedfile worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the USA. ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd

620_17862_Chp1.indd 2 4/19/05 3:51:00 PM Fiendkiller’s Flail ...... 83 General Legacy Ritual Examples . . . . . 182 Variant: Greater Legacy Abilities Assigning Legacy Abilities ...... 183 Contents for Fiendkiller’s Flail ...... 84 Behind the Curtain: Introduction ...... 4 Flamecaster’s Bolt ...... 86 XP Costs for Founding Rituals . . . . . 183 More than Meets the Eye ...... 4 Flamecaster’s Bolt in Faerûn ...... 89 Omens ...... 184 What’s Inside ...... 4 Flay ...... 90 Legacy Abilities ...... 184 What You Need to Play ...... 4 ’s Wrath ...... 93 Setting Costs ...... 184 Full Moon’s Trick ...... 96 Sample Cost Progressions ...... 184 Chapter 1: The Legacy ...... 5 Full Moon’s Trick in Eberron ...... 98 Example Legacy Item Design ...... 187 What Is a Weapon of Legacy? ...... 5 Ghostfolly’s Gloves ...... 99 Legacy Ability Menus ...... 188 Why Use Items of Legacy? ...... 6 Guurgal ...... 103 Omen Menu ...... 188 Items of Legacy in Your Game ...... 6 Hammer of Witches ...... 106 Ability Menu A (Least) ...... 188 Introducing Legacy Items ...... 6 CONTENTS Infi ltrator ...... 109 Ability Menu B (Least) ...... 190 OF TABLE Artifact or Legacy Item? ...... 6 Lorestealer ...... 112 Ability Menu C (Least) ...... 192 Designing Legacy Adventures ...... 7 Mau-Jehe ...... 114 Ability Menu D (Lesser) ...... 193 Wielding an Item of Legacy ...... 9 Mau-Jehe as a Mind Blade ...... 115 Ability Menu E (Lesser) ...... 195 Summary: Discovering a Merikel ...... 117 Ability Menu F (Lesser) ...... 197 Legacy Weapon ...... 9 Mindsplinter ...... 120 Ability Menu G (Greater) ...... 199 Legacy against Legacy ...... 11 Notched Spear ...... 124 Ability Menu H (Greater) ...... 201 A Legacy Defeated ...... 11 Planeshifter’s Knife ...... 126 Ability Menu I (Greater) ...... 203 Enhancing an Item of Legacy ...... 11 Quickspur’s Ally ...... 129 Chapter 5: Optional Rules ...... 205 Chapter 2: Heroes of Legacy ...... 13 How to Handle a Joust ...... 132 Alternatives to Knowledge (History) Legacy Feats ...... 13 Rod of Trimeg ...... 133 Checks ...... 205 Channel Legacy ...... 13 Scales of Balance ...... 136 Other Knowledge Skills ...... 205 Curative Legacy ...... 14 Scarab of Aradros ...... 139 Bardic Knowledge and Lore ...... 205 Empower Legacy ...... 14 The Scarab of Aradros in Eberron . . . . . 140 Magical Divination ...... 206 Greater Legacy ...... 14 Shishi-O ...... 141 Mutable Legacy Items ...... 206 Least Legacy ...... 14 Simple Bow ...... 144 Designing a Mutable Item ...... 206 Legacy Focus ...... 15 Zen Archery ...... 145 Using Variable Components ...... 207 Lesser Legacy ...... 15 Skull Lash ...... 147 Dual Legacy Items ...... 208 Master Legacy ...... 15 Sling of the Dire Wind ...... 150 Designing a Dual Legacy Item ...... 208 Quicken Legacy ...... 15 Useful Feats for Sling Wielders ...... 153 Sharing a Legacy ...... 208 Swift and Immediate Actions ...... 15 Staff of the Torrent Moons ...... 154 Monsters of Legacy ...... 210 Transfer Legacy ...... 16 The Twin Tides Monastery ...... 156 Ironheart, Servant of Fire ...... 210 Spells of Legacy ...... 16 Stalker’s Bow ...... 158 Livonia Darktongue ...... 211 Spell Lists ...... 16 Steadfast ...... 160 Shuluth ...... 212 Legacy Psionic Powers ...... 18 Halfl ing Outriders and Steadfast ...... 161 Vhuuksssh the Destroyer ...... 214 Prestige Class: Legacy Champion ...... 19 Stormchaser’s Cudgel ...... 163 Creating a Monster of Legacy ...... 215 Thanifex ...... 166 Chapter 3: Items of Legacy ...... 23 Standard Magic Items Treebrother ...... 169 Reading the Legacy Item Entries ...... 23 as Items of Legacy ...... 216 Treebrother in Eberron ...... 172 Reading the Statistics Block ...... 25 Converting Standard Magic Items Treebrother in Faerûn ...... 172 Legacy Item Descriptions ...... 28 to Legacy Items ...... 216 Ur ...... 173 Bloodcrier’s Hammer ...... 29 Sample Item Conversions ...... 217 Alternative Histories of Ur ...... 175 New Feat: Monkey Grip ...... 29 Legacy Holy Avenger ...... 217 Wargird’s Armor ...... 176 Bones of Li-Peng ...... 33 Legacy Staff of Power ...... 217 Bow of the Black Archer ...... 36 Chapter 4: Founding Legacies ...... 179 Epic Legacies ...... 218 Shevarash, the Black Archer ...... 38 Founding Legacy Items ...... 179 Epic Legacy Rituals ...... 219 Bright Evening Star ...... 40 The Decision ...... 180 Assigning Epic Legacy Abilities Bullybasher’s Gauntlets ...... 43 The Founding Event ...... 180 and Costs ...... 219 The Streetfi ghter and Summary: Founding Legacy Items . . . . 180 Epic Legacy [Epic, Legacy] ...... 219 Bullybasher’s Gauntlets ...... 46 The Candidate Item ...... 181 Epic Legacy Ability Menus ...... 220 Caladbolg ...... 47 Designing Founding Rituals ...... 181 Example Epic Legacy Weapon: Caput Mortuum ...... 50 Behind the Curtain: Legacy Item Bloodcrier’s Hammer ...... 221 Alternative Progression Founding Restrictions ...... 181 for Caput Mortuum ...... 51 Celdoriath’s Clarion ...... 53 Coral’s Bite ...... 57 Variant: Greater Legacy Abilities for Coral’s Bite ...... 58 Crimson Ruination ...... 61 Desert Wind ...... 64 Devious and Vicious ...... 67 DivineSample Spark ...... 72 file Durindana ...... 75 Dymondheart ...... 78 Exordius ...... 80 Amulet of Death’s Calling ...... 82 3

620_17862_Chp1.indd 3 4/19/05 3:51:09 PM Introduction Evening Star, whose radiance illuminates the darkness The raging red eye wept hellfi re tears. and sears its enemies. And who wouldn’t trade a +1 Aedwar, called He of the Steely Heart, gazed into crossbow for the chance to wield Flamecaster’s Bolt, that the heart of the inferno. The fiery portal returned storied weapon prized for its lethal sway over fi re? the look—undaunted, uncaring. Finding these items of legacy, forged in the heat of Chanting fiends surrounded and bolstered the momentous events and wielded by legendary heroes, portal’s appalling intrusion. Summoned by the Dire is just the fi rst step. Prospective wielders must also Cabal, the demons were immune to the threats of learn how to unlock their powers before using them mortal steel and magic. With each syllable they to their fullest capacity. repeated, the searing aperture yawned wider. But Aedwar had something that the Dire Cabal WHAT’S INSIDE had not reckoned on. Weapons of Legacy describes magic items that are more He of the Steely Heart flipped back his cloak, than what they seem, granting great power to those INTRODUCTION revealed in grip a dull black blade, scribed with who can discover their nature. runes of grim promise. Once a blade of storied The fi rst chapters present the basic rules for items guile and soul-swallowing repute, it was now a of legacy, as well as information for adding them to blade redeemed. your campaign. They also detail a variety of options It was Exordius. available to characters who wield legacy items, from White light streamed from Exordius’s edges, and feats to spells to a new prestige class. rays of brilliant clarity fl ooded from the jewel in The book then offers forty-nine fully detailed its pommel. The demons fl inched, and their chant items of legacy, including swords, staffs, and won- faltered, but resumed a moment later. After all, what drous items. Full histories of each item are included, need had they to fear a mortal blade? While they along with rituals to unlock their mysterious powers maintained their rite, they were immune to the cuts and adventure seeds to introduce them to a cam- and insults of all weapons, even those consecrated paign. Sections on tailoring the items to a FORGOTTEN by the powers of good. REALMS or EBERRON campaign are also provided in But the dull black blade had a legacy behind it, a many cases. convoluted story of loss and gain, transformation and DMs and players then learn how to create cus- redemption. Exordius’s powers were not confi ned to tomized items of legacy as their characters and the merely mortal, or even the merely good. campaigns evolve, as well as explore a range of Aedwar waded in, and as the slaughter began, the variants on the legacy item rules, such as mutable dull black blade began to glow as it drank in the lives legacies, epic legacy items, and even monsters that of the foulest spirits of the Abyss. embody legacy abilities. Such is the power of a weapon of legacy. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY Weapons of Legacy is intended for use in any DUNGEONS MORE THAN & DRAGONS game. You will need the three D&D MEETS THE EYE core rulebooks—Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Mythic history is replete with tales of singular weapons Guide, and Monster Manual. In addition, it includes of legendary champions, magic staffs of remarkable references to material in the Epic Level Handbook, heritage, and rings that grant powers undreamed by the Expanded Psionics Handbook, Complete Adventurer, most mortals. Such wonders stand in ability as far Complete Warrior, and Races of the Wild, among other above standard magic items as a magic item surpasses its supplements. Although possession of any or all these mundane counterpart. A ring of feather falling is a handy supplements will enhance your enjoyment of this Samplething to have, but few would not give it up for Bright book, they are not strictly necessary.file

4

620_17862_Chp1.indd 4 4/19/05 3:51:12 PM Illus. by D. Kovacs

fter thousands of years of epic history over an infi nite and expanding stage of worlds WHAT IS A WEAPON and planes, certain stories still resound OF LEGACY? with mythical signifi cance. Of those, tales “Weapon of legacy” describes all the items cre- of mighty weapons, relics of exceptional power, and ated using the rules in this book, even those artifacts of previous civilizations are especially potent. that wouldn’t normally be described as weapons Who doesn’t thrill to the tale of Excalibur, the sword (such as rings or shields). Usually, this book that can be drawn from the stone only by one worthy uses the more general term “item of legacy” or to rule? All shudder to think on the soul-drinking “legacy item.” blade Stormbringer, and the price that its wielder must An item of legacy has the capacity to grow in pay. So, too, do we read in awe of the One Ring, with power as its wielder advances in level. In addi- its ability to confer on the wearer powers so vast that tion, it confers increasingly powerful special only those of already exceptional ability can unlock abilities on its wielder. That character might the ring’s potential. carry and treasure the same item over her These are weapons of legacy. Many are items crafted entire career as a hero (or villain). Why not? in a long-ago age when legends walked the mortal As her own talents and abilities progress, so world. These mighty tools have since been lost, too do those of the legacy item, assuming the secreted away, or destroyed, so that now they are no wielder takes the time to learn its complete longer within the reach of mortals. history and awaken its quiescent power with PerhapsSample they are still among us, but unrecognized as the appropriate rituals. file the mighty relics once hailed throughout the lands. As a player character, you could discover The world also holds new heroes, who are creat- or inherit an item of legacy. Initially, it might ing new legends and forging new items of legacy seem like nothing more than a standard in their telling. magic item. Only when you learn something 5

620_17862_Chp1.indd 5 4/19/05 3:51:19 PM of its past do you begin to understand that this campaign world. To unlock the powers of a legacy object has untapped potential. By uncovering the item, a player character must learn fabled legends item’s full history, you can discover the keys that of ancient history and complete rituals of mythic unlock the item’s full power. signifi cance. Not only does this require the player You might even found your own item of legacy. to study the “backstory” of your world but also pro- After all, the player characters are the epic heroes of a vides any number of ready-made adventure hooks campaign, from which arise myths, relics, and weap- for the campaign. ons of legend. By founding an item of legacy, you gain If you’re a player, a legacy item presents a way of some degree of control over its abilities, although how personalizing your character while simultaneously you wield it is in the hands of fate (and the Dungeon building up her might. By tying her development Master). See Chapter 4: Founding Legacies for more to one of the great tales of history, your character about this option. takes on heroic proportions. Who knows? She THE LEGACY THE CHAPTER 1 Every item of legacy is distinct from the next, and might even become more famous than the first each has its own unique story. Unearthing that story owner of the legacy item, unlocking powers of even (or creating it, when founding an item of legacy) greater potential. allows you to gain the full benefi ts of the item. For example, the story of Caladbolg, which appears only when a great hero has need of it, contrasts sharply ITEMS OF LEGACY with that of Stormchaser’s Cudgel, whose heritage IN YOUR GAME involves the murder of the weapon’s original owner, As a DM, you might hesitate to introduce these Suldan Kabrel the giant slayer. potentially powerful items into your campaign. In No matter what items of legacy you eventually this section you will fi nd helpful points, background discover or create, using such items entails a steep information, and expanded rules to help you deal with personal cost. The specifics are different for each the challenges of legacy items. item, but the costs are always substantial. You must consider the consequences before taking up INTRODUCING LEGACY ITEMS a legacy item. As with any new addition to your campaign, you For most characters, these costs are well worth must determine how items of legacy fi t in. What role paying. (if any) did they play in the history of the campaign world? Why haven’t the player characters heard WHY USE ITEMS OF LEGACY? of them before now? Are there any active items of If you’re a DM, items of legacy provide exciting legacy in the world today? Most important, do the rewards for players whose characters are willing PCs—knowingly or unknowingly—possess any to devote time and energy to learning about your legacy items already?

pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs

ARTIFACT OR LEGACY ITEM? At first blush, artifacts and legacy items look similar, and knowledge. They survive to this day, but the knowledge they do share many traits. However, they are distinct from necessary to duplicate their creation does not. Their each other and should remain separate entities. abilities are also always available to any would-be Both are extremely powerful, and neither should be wielder, regardless of how much or little knowledge he considered just another piece of equipment. But an has of the artifact’s history, and do not require costly artifact’s power can be the hub upon which campaigns rituals to unlock. spin, while legacy items shake the world less—if only Legacy items are not always lost wonders—even today, because their abilities are not free to all comers. Of a new legacy might be founded. If one is located, only a course, the search to discover an item of legacy (or dedicated researcher can discover and use its powers, reforge a destroyed one) can still produce exciting and and then only after undergoing one or more legacy ritu- memorableSample storylines. als. Such items might be morefile plentiful than artifacts, but Artifacts are generally constructed in a distant age using because of their hidden nature and forgotten lineage, their spells and rites that are beyond the ken of present-day true numbers are unknown. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs 6

620_17862_Chp1.indd 6 4/19/05 3:51:20 PM