Intelligent Swords

"Among magic weaponry, SWORDS ALONE possess certain human (and superhuman) attributes. Swords have alignment (lawful, neutral or chaotic), an intelligence factor, and an egoism rating (as well as an optional determination of their origin/purpose). These determinations are made as follows:" - Original Dungeons and Dragons, Book 2, Monsters & Treasure, page 27-28






Another feature of old-school Dungeons and Dragons that has been lost along the way: Intelligent Swords.


The possession of an intelligent sword was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you had a powerful sword, with extra abilities that benefitted yourself and your party. On the other hand, there was the possibility of a battle of wills between the sword's possessor and the sword itself.


In ODnD, swords with an intelligence of 7 or greater also had an egoism factor. The egoism factor was the will of the sword. Swords with high intelligence and high egoism had a chance of dominating the possessor, thereby subverting the will of the player to pursue his own objectives. For example, a dominating sword might demand that the possessor encrust it with rare gems and beautiful filigree, fight certain monsters, surrender itself to another more worthy fighter, or mount a quest in keeping with the sword's purpose.


Considering the potential battle of wills between the player and the magic sword, some may wonder whether the advantages outweighed the drawbacks. It should be understood that an ODnD magical sword, possessing the same bonus, was more powerful than those of later editions. See my earlier post on magic swords for a further explanation. Because the advantages of magic swords were considerable, and because many players relished the challenge of owning an intelligent and willful sword, I don't recall an instances where intelligent swords were not retained by the player.
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Fantastic Treasures

Fantastic Treasures is a two volume catalogue of magical and mythological items from folklore and legend, printed in 1984 by Mayfair Games, under its Role Aids line of gaming supplements. Role Aids is an uneven line of supplements, with adventures like Evil Ruins and Lich Lords (both are decent) interspersed with less stellar fare.

The Fantastic Treasures catalogue includes several hundred magical items, each one paired to a black and white illustration. Even though Fantastic Treasures is, by definition, derivative, since it uses myth and folklore for its inspiration, it is the presentation of this catalogue that I find appealing. And i'm not just talking about the Boris Vallejo art that graces its two covers.






Paging through the AD&D Monster Manual, you will find most D&D monster descriptions accompanied by an illustration. That is never the case for magic items in the Dungeon Masters Guide. I can recall poring over the 1979 DMG, bewildered by such unfamiliar items as censers, periapts, phylacteries, and scarabs. Without an illustration, and therefore a mental image to draw upon, I found it difficult to describe those magical items to the players.



In contrast, each of the magical items described in Fantastic Treasures is accompanied by an illustration. Admittedly, unlike the mysterious periapts or a phylacteries, I don't need illustrations of thimbles, horseshoes, or boots, to visualize or describe those items. But there is something immediate and meaningful about seeing an artist's depiction of an item, even if you don't end up describing it as illustrated.







While some of you will be familiar with a broad cross-section of myth and folklore, you are bound to find several items in the Fantastic Treasures catalogue that are new to you. The usual suspects are included of course, like cloaks of invisibility, magical pendants and gems, musical instruments and the like, from Greek, Norse, Chinese legends. But some interesting and obscure African, Indian and frontier American items are also included: Paul Bunyon's Axe, anyone?






Perhaps I am drawn to this catalogue due to my own interest in the development of generic item and treasure cards. I appreciate these economical magical item descriptions, paired with perfectly serviceable illustrations. If only they came in card form!






Fantastic Treasures is a one of those gaming supplements that does something just a little bit different. While i've seen other magical item gaming supplements that claim to provide fresh magic items, few of their entries are accompanied by illustrations, and few items are truly campaign-ready, unlike the tried-and-true vanilla items from myth and folklore.

Collecting such a wide range of magical item tropes, and pairing each with an illustration, makes this supplement 'game-night ready'.
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Magic Item: Death's Door

It is unknown whether Death's Doors were created by Sorcerers and Necromancers, or by the infernal powers themselves to tempt mortals to their doom. No two Death's Doors look the same, and some are sufficiently non-descript that there is no outward clues to their true identity and function.

A Death's Door, when placed into an doorway, functions as a passage to the Underworld. The Underworld to which Death's Door opens depends on the user, so the Death's Door could open to different infernal planes for each person attempting ingress.

Death's Doors can weigh several tonnes, but because they are magical, regardless of the weight of the door they can be carried by two or more people, or transported in a cart or wagon.

The standard use of a Death's Door is to attempt the recovery of a fallen comrade or lover from the afterlife. The term "hovering at Death's Door" refers to the hesitance of the users to pass through Death's Door, for several reasons. First, they must brave the dangers and horrors of the underworld. Second, once the comrade or lover is located, every demon, devil or other denizen within range will be alerted to a mortal's presence, and will make every effort to capture the interloper(s). Third, there is a chance that the deceased will refuse to accompany the searcher back to the land of the living, as they are quite content where they are or feel they have no reason to return to a mortal life.

Once placed in a doorway, a Death's Door cannot be removed by infernal creatures. That, along with the fact that the users of the Door will unerringly know in which direction the Death's Door is located, provides some assurance that once an individual uses the door, they will be able to find their way back. However, non-infernals can move the door, and if that is done, knowledge of the Door's location is lost, and the person(s) previously using the door may be trapped in the underworld, unless the can find another Death's Door location or other passage to the land of the living.

To operate the Death's Door, the user must think of the deceased person, and recite an incantation that asks the Death's Door to find and allow passage to the person being so located. The Death's Door will typically open a passage to the underworld that is within one mile of the deceased, although, being a somewhat capricious form of magic, the door may open above a lava flow, chasm, vacuum, or other deadly location.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/magic%20items
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Magical Item: Sword Of Laban

Another magic item drawn from Mormon mythology: The Sword Of Laban. This 2500-year old sword has a hilt of gold and inlaid gems, with a blade of enchanted steel, that never rusts. Upon the blade, in ancient script, is the following saying "this sword shall never be sheathed until all the kingdoms of this world are united under the true king's rule."



The Sword of Laban is similar to Excalibur: it is a symbol of true kingship, and among those who know the sword's history, the possessor is alternately viewed as the true king, or a vile pretender to the high throne. Thus, anyone, not already a king, who presents this sword in a civilized area, where the sword would be recognized, has all of their reaction rolls adjusted upwards or downwards by at least two digits, by the DM, depending on who the sword is presented before.


When presented before commoners, make the 2d6 reaction roll, and any rolls of 7, or below, are adjusted downwards by two; any rolls of 8 or more are adjusted upwards by two.


If the Sword of Laban is presented before anyone in authority (town guards, clergy, guild masters, nobility, princes, etc.) adjust the 2d6 reaction roll down by two; a reaction roll of 10 becomes an 8, and so on.


The wielder can use her Charisma bonus to adjust the initial reaction roll.


Because the Sword is the symbol of true kingship, reaction rolls of 12 or more cause the person so encountered to rally to the cause of the wielder, so long as the wielder takes efforts to care for and protect his new follower. Conversely, those persons for whom a 2 or lower is rolled, they believe the possessor is a vile pretender to the high throne, become violently opposed to the wielder, and will join with others who feel likewise.


The Sword of Laban is a reputed to be a vorpal blade, as well as having additional Demon and Giant slayer properties. It is not known to be an intelligent sword, and the DM is free to assign whatever attack and damage bonuses seem appropriate to the sword in the campaign.
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Magical Item: Urim And Thummim

Another magical item from Mormonism (borrowed from ancient Israelite culture). A Urim and Thummim is a set of magical spectacles. They act as both read magic and read languages spells, thus allowing the user to read magical and foreign writings.

A Urim and Thummim can be a set of spectacles, two precious gems or stones set in a frame of silver or other precious metal, or a leather or metal breastplate, to which is attached a viewing apparatus.

Prolonged use of a Urim and Thummim can cause blindness or temporary insanity, particularly when used by Fighters. For every 10 minutes of Urim and Thummim use, roll a d20. If the result is greater than the characters Intelligence or Wisdom (plus the character's level, if a Magic-User or Cleric, or half the character's level, if a Thief) the character suffers some mental affliction. For every 10 minutes of use, per day, after the first 10 minutes, subtract one from your combined attribute and level score.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/magic%20items
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Magical Item: Holy Compass

I mentioned yesterday that I was familiar with Mormon mythology. One of the magical items mentioned in the Book of Mormon is the Liahona, a holy compass.

The Liahona will only work for a cleric of the appropriate faith. If carried before the cleric, it acts like a permanent "find the path" spell, allowing the cleric to lead others along the shortest route to any location or object. It also gives the bearer the ability to roll two dice, instead of one, every time he attempts to search for something (traps, secret doors, hidden treasures, etc,). In addition, once per day, it can be used as a "commune" spell, to obtain direction from the deity.

The Liahona only works if the cleric is leading a group to achieve an objective considered appropriate to his faith.

If the cleric does something to anger his deity, or if his companions are not of the same faith, or have lapsed, this magic item ceases to function.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/magic%20items
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