Captain's Sword (5e Equipment)
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Weapon (longsword), rarity varies A Captain's sword is a magical weapon and is of great craftsmanship with rarity; they also cannot be enchanted. As such, they are treated like a magic item for the purpose of cost and availability. A Captain's sword is a longsword that deals 1d10 slashing damage and has the versatile (1d12) property. They are the rarest mundane swords, only blacksmiths of the highest degree even know how to forge them, and even fewer have the skill to do so. This sword is rewarded to only the greatest adventurers, and only ten of these are currently in use, that are known. It is used mostly for ceremonial and dueling purposes, but it is still a formidable weapon; The sword can never lose its sharp edge. The sword has an instantly recognizable crossguard, and the blade is generally made out of a red-tinged metal. The exact style varies by the sword. There is some dispute about how these swords are made, but one thing is for sure. These swords are instantly recognizable marks of mastery and high rank for both the creator and the wielder, often sought after greedily by unworthy men. A Captain's Sword, although mundane, often has strange magic-like properties. Examples of known Captain's Swords below can serve as inspiration and guidance to the DM when they are creating the additional powers of these legendary weapons. A regular Captain's Sword with no additional properties is a rare item, and Captain's Swords with additional powers can be very rare or even legendary in rarity depending on the strength of these powers. |
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| The Ambassador |
Known Captain's Swords[edit]
(This section is simply an option for the DM to use in the campaign.)
Wraith Blade: The second-oldest known Captain's Sword, the Wraith Blade was actually made outside of the law. It was given to an extremely powerful necromancer by his master for exceptional work in raising an army of 1,000 zombies to attack (prominent city in your campaign). The master raised from the dead three of the blacksmiths that knew how to make a Captain's Sword and forced them to make the Wraith Blade.
As such, the sword is inherently evil, and any good character will take 1d8 necrotic damage upon touching it, and neutral characters will take 1d4 necrotic damage. The sword has the ability to suck the spirits of killed enemies into itself, storing them for later use. While a soul is stored in the blade, it cannot be restored to life by any means short of a wish spell. When five souls have been harvested in this way, the wielder of the sword can summon the souls to wrap around the blade of the sword in a ghostly vapor. This effect lasts for 10 minutes. After doing this, the souls are depleted, and the wielder deals an additional 2d6 necrotic damage on any attacks made with the sword until the time runs out. Any necrotic damage dealt by this effect reduces the target's hitpoint maximum by an amount equal to the half of the necrotic damage taken. This effect is cumulative, and the reduced hitpoint maximum returns to normal after the creature finishes a long rest. Additionally, the sword serves as an arcane focus for the purpose of casting spells.
Both necromancers are long since dead, and no one knows where the blade resides now. Rumors include the tomb of either necromancer, or buried 100 feet beneath an ancient battlefield, or maybe even in the possession of some collector, or a new necromancer with a lot of talent.
The Wraith Blade is a legendary item.
The Ambassador: This relatively new Captain's Sword was made for a diplomat and warrior human named Marcellus Mattenswift, whose quick thinking and actions prevented a terrible war from occurring that could have devastated (highly populated country in your campaign). He was known for his ability to charm, intimidate, and persuade people as well as any spell, and diplomats and politicians today still study the books he wrote about both martial strategy and diplomatic techniques. It is said that he once stopped two converging armies by walking between them and putting out his hands. The blacksmith that made the sword had thoroughly studied Marcellus and wanted to make a sword that would both fit his personality and augment his abilities. After nearly a year in the forge, the blacksmith had created The Ambassador: a true work of craftsmanship.
The Ambassador is partially sentient (Int: 13, Wis: 15, Cha: 18 -- Alignment: Lawful Neutral) and when the wielder is involved in an argument or negotiation, the sword telepathically communicates ways to improve the situation, granting Advantage on all Charisma checks (except Performance) and Wisdom (Insight) checks.
Additionally, the Ambassador has three charges. The wielder can use an action to cast one of the following spells from the sword (save DC 17): suggestion (1 charge), mass suggestion (2 charges), geas (3 charges), glibness (3 charges). All expended charges are regained after a long rest.
Marcellus died recently, and The Ambassador is said to now belong to his grandson Eliah, a paladin who travels the land in search of good deeds to do and quests to undertake.
The Ambassador is a legendary item.
Storm-Weaver: This instantly recognizable Captain's Sword was made during the final few battles of a long and bloody war. The dwarves of the city of Thunderpeak were beginning to lose the fight against a massive horde of orcs and goblinoids. The city's defenses were wearing thin, and a young dwarf named Rorik knew that the city would soon fall if a hero didn't rise. He found the elusive Lord Goldbludgeon, a dwarven master blacksmith, and pleaded with him to make a sword that could save the city. While Lord Goldbludgeon was working, the orcs broke a hole in the city's defenses and began invading the city. They found Rorik and Lord Goldbludgeon, and Rorik was forced to defend himself and the blacksmith with almost no training. As Rorik lay dying on the ground while the orcs advanced, his blood awakened the ancient magic of Thunderpeak. Thunder cracked, and an impossibly old storm giant was summoned from far away. The giant poured his magic into Storm-Weaver, fusing it with the power of lightning. The giant was killed by the orcs immediately after he finished this act, and Lord Goldbludgeon was badly maimed. Rorik, however, gathered his last strength and pulled himself over to the soon-to-be-legendary blade. He lifted it, and instantly his wounds were healed. He charged after the orcs, defeating them, and ran to the city walls, where he was the final line of defense for the dying city. Aided by Storm-Weaver's magic, he defeated the goblins, and is still working today on restoring the city after the orc attack. The sword is still in Rorik's possession, and Lord Goldbludgeon survived his injuries.
Storm-Weaver has 9 total charges for use of the following properties. Storm-Weaver has the ability to fire the lightning bolt spell (3 charges) and, upon the wielder's command, wreath itself in electrical energy for one minute (1 charge). This energy provides bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for 5 feet beyond that, and deals an extra 1d8 lightning damage on any hit with Storm-Weaver. Storm-Weaver instantly regains all of its charges after a thunderstorm or visiting Thunderpeak, and it regains 1d4 charges every morning at daybreak.
Storm-Weaver is a legendary item.
Knight's Fall: This sword was originally made for the hero Lord Mithral of Eartig city, but its history after leaving his hands is dark, bloody, and not entirely clear. Exactly five years after Mithral was awarded the sword, four highly trained assassins broke into his Castle. They made it all the way to Mithral's quarters, killing him and taking the sword. The sword, which was at the time named Farsigil, was lost for about 20 years before it resurfaced, under the name which it is now known: Knight's Fall. A group of terrorists in the west had somehow come into possession of the weapon, and were using it to kill well-known knights from nearby castles. Mithral's son, Darien, realized that this was indeed the former Farsigil, and with a company of adventurers known as the Jade Wand, set out in search of the weapon. They found the terrorists exactly five years after they surfaced, and killed their leader, taking Knight's Fall for their own. Naturally, Darien claimed it as his own, and the surviving members of the Jade Wand didn't have a problem with this. They all left Darien but one, a young knight named Jon. Darien and Jon had become good friends over the course of the adventure. However, by this point, Knight's Fall had become truly evil. It whispered to Jon as he and Darien adventured, and five years later, Jon had fallen under the sword's spell and killed Darien, taking the sword for his own. Knight's Fall used poor Jon, and Jon had no choice but to listen. With the sword's help, Jon became the tyrant of a small section of land to the southwest, where he remained in power for 5 years until he was killed by the leader of an uprising, who claimed the sword as his own. It is unknown exactly what became of the sword after this, it could be literally anywhere.
Knight's Fall has an Evil alignment, and is sentient (Int: 15, Wis: 12, Cha: 16). It uses its owner to further its purposes, and when that owner has done all the sword deemed useful, it changes hands. The sword cannot remain in the possession of any one person or group for any longer than 5 years. The sword can communicate telepathically and by speech. When fighting a Good-aligned character, the wielder of the sword gains a +2 bonus to both to-hit and damage rolls, and deals an extra 3d8 necrotic damage on a critical hit. The sword will slowly change the alignment of the wielder to an evil alignment. If somehow the character's alignment cannot be changed, the sword will change possession as quickly as possible.
Knight's Fall is a legendary item.
Bloodquencher: This sword is in the shape of a scimitar, and it was originally given to the Half-Orc warrior Kruemak for his single-handed defense of (prominent city in your campaign) from a thousand zombies. The creator of this sword, however, found out about Kruemak being a Half-Orc, and his racism caused him to make a sword that he thought would fit accordingly with the "bestial nature of the Half-Orc".
As such, the sword needs blood to function. It needs to be soaked in the blood of an enemy at least once per day, and if it doesn't get any blood from enemies, it will begin to suck the blood of the wielder through the hilt and into the blade, which has the same effect as slaying an enemy. If the sword is somehow deprived of any blood for over two weeks, it will lose all of its magical properties until it is fully bathed in blood for one minute. When the sword has been saturated with blood, for the rest of the day the wielder gets a +2 bonus to to-hit and damage rolls with this weapon only. When charged in this way, Bloodquencher can siphon the blood of its enemies to make its wielder stronger. On a critical hit, the wielder of the weapon gains half the damage dealt as temporary hit points.
Bloodquencher is a very rare item.
The Oculus: See the oculus. The Oculus is an artifact.
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