Magic Cursed Weapon

[Juan]

Hope you do not mind if I post an artifact I am woking on.
I am trying to write a setting (Bortgjiem Skog) and I want to make sure any GM can use it! So, any suggestion would be appreciated.

The Hammer of Despair
The Trickster is always happy to plant the seeds of chaos and confusion in Midgard. And death, hundreds of deaths, that´s it. If he is mocking his brother´s miraculous weapon, the joke is a winner.

The Hammer of Despair is a weapon of giantsteel forged by dvergar with Muspelheim´s fire. Giantsteel is a rare metal extracted by giants eons ago. It is heavy, durable and quite magical. No more than a quarter of a ton can be found In all Midgard.

Long before humans existed, when dvergar and giants fought the Half Century War many thought it would be a perpetual stalemate costing hundreds of lives. Still, one sage dvergar well versed in the arcana created the ultimate weapon. A hammer of giantsteel forged with demon´s fire!

Sadly enough it was just a Loki´s plot to have a laugh on the dvergar. Of course the hammer was a formidable killing tool. But every time it hit any kind of metal it sounded like a giant bell. The noise was fantastic… and maddening! The wielder of the Hammer of Despair could hear cranky voices telling of glory and power; and of sickening envy and betrayal from all his or her loved ones.

To make the story short. The dvergar warriors killed or fled all the giants but every champion who wield the weapon slayed all his or her relatives, friends and lovers too. Because of the voices in the head, ya know…

At the end of the Half Century War, Olaff, the dvergr king, claimed the hammer for himself. Seduced by its shrieking maddening voices he decided every one of his subjects wanted the throne. So he started a tour slaying his own people. And the dvergr kingdom was deserted.

Hammer of Despair

Power Item: 6 FP

Origin: Divine.

Delvers like killing foes. This weapon certainly will help. It is a perfectly crafted weapon. Its size varies as it changes to accommodate the wielder´s Size and ST. It is made of pure giantsteel. Ah, this weapons also kills friends, by the way for its wielder can easily become extremely paranoid.

Properties:

• Killing blow: HoD requires ST 6 and uses the Two-Handed Axe/Maze skill. HoD can extend to engage any target within two yards (Reach C-2). The wielder can only choose All-Out Attack or Attack as long as he or she is aware of any enemy within reach!. On a hit, damage is swing+4 ignoring all non-magical DR.
• Weapon Quality: THoD is magical and it breaks not.
• Maddening Voices: every time the Hammer hits on metal, being it armour or not, an expansive bell-like sound can be heard half a mile around. The wielder of the HoD has to pass a Will roll twice: immediately when (and every time) the hammer hits and the first time the characters wakes up after using it at least once.

Every time time the wielder fails this test, he or she gains a Disadvantage. Should the character already have such Disadvantage, it gets worse. From now on, the Self-control roll needed because of this Disadvantage is one step lower (e.g 12, becomes 9).

1st time, Bad temper.
2nd time, Berserk.
3rd time, Bloodlust (Aggravated, everyone is a “legitimated foe” from now on)
4rd time, Paranoia (12)
5th time, Paranoia (6)
6th time, Killing thirst (if the wielder is a PC, the player loses control over it; it becomes a NPC)

• An innocents´ heart: if the wielder has never consciously lied, he or she will not activate the Maddening voices trait but still benefit from the Killing Blow trait. It is rare to find such a virtuous creature. Maybe a boy or a girl or a pious character.
• Getting reasonable: if the wielder has no physical contact with the weapon for a 72h period, he or she can make a Will roll. A success breaks the HoD control over the character and all Disadvantages granted by it are lost. A new roll can be made every 24h until a success is achieved.

Weight: varies.

[sir_pudding]

Only taking AoA to close range when you are aware of an enemy miles away is pretty bad.

[Juan]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Only taking AoA to close range when you are aware of an enemy miles away is pretty bad.

Pretty fair point, Sir. I have already modified the text.

Thanks for your insight!!!

[sir_pudding]

Perhaps intentional, but Yoda-like some of your syntax is, hmmm?