Artifact: The Warlord's Staff (Revision 01) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Artifact: The Warlord's Staff (Revision 01) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RavenGraygem
10-16-07, 12:14 AM Here is a revised version of an artifact that I posted some months ago, a bit cleaned up and fleshed out. Read it and give me your thoughts and ideas.

History
The following staff was created by a powerful archmage at the behest of one of the mightest warriors in history.

An accomplished leader, a master of every weapon known to exist, and a darn handsome fellow to boot, this warlord sought a weapon that would harness his consumate skill and provide him with any weapon he might need at a moment's notice.

The result was the Warlord's Staff, a major artifact.

Over the course of the following centuries, the Staff changed hands many times as the most renowned duelists in the land sought the current wielder and defeated them in personal combat. With the rise of the Visarynathi Empire, the most recent wielder lost the weapon to the commander of the nascent Imperial Guard, where it remained as the badge of the office for the next few millenia, each commander handing it to his or her successor.

When the empire began its bloody collapse, the Staff changed hands with lightening speed, some wielders holding it for less than a day before losing it to another. The last verifiable sighting of the Staff was when an unnamed Imperial Guard claimed the Staff and rallied the few remaining loyalist troops in the city of Visaryn, then led them against the undead armies of the corrupted Emperor Darselius to buy time for the terrified populace to flee the city. After that, the Staff's whereabouts are unknown, though divination reveals that it does still exist.

Appearance
The Warlord's Staff appears as a 6-foot long quarterstaff of dull gray iron shot through with streaks of silver, with untold amounts of carving running its entire length. Closer examination will reveal that the carvings are actually depictions of assorted weapons, all rendered in the most accurate detail.

Powers
The powers of the Warlord's Staff are as follows:

1) At will, the wielder can select any simple, martial, or exotic weapon, melee or ranged, that he has seen before (and the carvings on the staff count for this purpose). The staff will then change into that weapon in the span of one round. The weapon is automatically the appropriate size for the wielder. The Staff can only change form once per round. This ability continues to function even if the Staff's other abilities are suppressed.

1a) The wielder of the Warlord's Staff can command the Staff to assume to form of a weapon made of special materials, such as cold iron or silver*, instead of a normal one. While the bonus(es) granted by these materials may not stack with the magical ones of the Staff, they continue to function as normal if the Staff's magical abilities are suppressed. The Staff can still change the material the weapon is made of, even it's magical abilities are otherwise nonfunctional.

1b) When the Warlord's Staff assumes the form a ranged weapon, a bolt, arrow, or sling appears ready to fire whenever the wielder draws back, cocks, or begins to wind the weapon. This ammunition can only be used with the ranged weapon formed by the Warlord's staff; attempts to use it with another weapon causes the ammunition to disappear the moment it is fired. This effect can be suppressed at will if the wielder desires to use other ammunition instead.

1c) At will, the wielder can command the Staff to produce special types of ammunition, such as cold iron or silver*. The ammunition is always treated treated as having a +1 magical bonus to attack and damage rolls, and can use any ability appropriate to ranged weapons, provided that the wielder has assigned those abilities to the Warlord's Staff (see below). However, the wielder cannot directly assign such abilities, or the Staff's attack/damage bonuses, to any created ammunition.

1d) If the wielder has feats, spells, or class abilities that allow him to fire more than one shot in a round (Many Shot, Rapid Shot, etc.), then the Staff automatically creates enough ranged ammunition to use these abilities. Each shot after the first has the same abilities (and is made of the same material) as the first.

1e) If the Staff takes the form of a ranged melee weapon, such as a dagger, then the weapon also gains the Returning ability, in addition to any other abilities the wielder assigns. If the wielder gives a normal melee weapon the Throwing ability, allowing it to be used as a ranged melee weapon, the Returning ability is automatically granted as well, at no additional cost.

2) The Warlord's Staff grants automatic proficiency with the weapon whose shape it has assumed, as per the master's touch (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010216a) spell, with no limit on duration (though for the purpose of suppressing the effect through magical or psionic means, it has a caster level of 21).

3) 5/day, the wielder of the Warlord's Staff can use the spell mirror move (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20000901a), with a caster level equal to his character level.

4) The Warlord's Staff has a magic weapon bonus equal to +10. Unlike normal magic weapons, however, the wielder can assign this bonus however he likes, thus granting it whatever abilities the wielder may require at the moment. Assigned abilities and bonuses cannot be changed for a period of 24 hours once they have been set. The Warlord's Staff is treated as having a +1 bonus to attack and damage at all times, even if the artifact's available points have all been used for special abilities. If the Staff's magical abilities are suppressed, it still has the properties inherent to a masterwork weapon.

Example 1: The wielder gives the Warlord's Staff a +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls. He then assigns the remaining +5 bonus to the bane, holy, and lawful properties, leaving a total of +2 available for another ability.

Example 2: The wielder gives the Warlord's Staff special abilities equaling a +10 bonus, but does not assign any of that total to attack/damage. Despite this, the Staff still grants a magical +1 bonus. If the wielder later changes this, and assigns the Staff a +1 bonus from the available pool, then a total of +9 is left available; this inherent bonus does not stack with the available pool of +10.

5) Carved images of new weapons can be added to the Staff by using the Staff in its base form to destroy such a weapon; the Staff doesn't seem to ever run out of space for such carvings, despite the fact that a large number of them already decorate it. The Staff will not add a carving for any weapon that already has one. (A greatsword sized for a Medium chracter and a greatsword sized for a Large character are both still greatswords, and thus destroying a Large version of one wouldn't add a new carving to the Staff. But a greatsword with a significant difference from the norm will be added, such as a mercurial greatsword.)

* For unusual or rare materials, such as darkwood, adamantine, and so on, the wielder must expose the Staff to it by first destroying a weapon made of that material, using the Staff in its base form, then pulvering the fragments of the destroyed weapon and sprinkling the resulting powder along the Staff's length. The Staff absorbs this powder and takes on faint, marble-like veins that look and feel like the material in question.
Dyax
10-16-07, 03:08 AM sounds like a perfect staff for an archer.
RavenGraygem
10-16-07, 04:23 PM While some of the abilities do indeed make it a choice artifact for archers, it's really a good artifact for any class.

I mean, think about it; master's touch grants instant proficiency in any weapon, simple, martial, or exotic, and the Staff can form just about any weapon.

Then, you can use mirror move to duplicate a few of the fighter's tricks and start messing up the enemy.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RavenGraygem 10-16-07, 12:14 AM	Here is a revised version of an artifact that I posted some months ago, a bit cleaned up and fleshed out. Read it and give me your thoughts and ideas. History The following staff was created by a powerful archmage at the behest of one of the mightest warriors in history. An accomplished leader, a master of every weapon known to exist, and a darn handsome fellow to boot, this warlord sought a weapon that would harness his consumate skill and provide him with any weapon he might need at a moment's notice. The result was the Warlord's Staff, a major artifact. Over the course of the following centuries, the Staff changed hands many times as the most renowned duelists in the land sought the current wielder and defeated them in personal combat. With the rise of the Visarynathi Empire, the most recent wielder lost the weapon to the commander of the nascent Imperial Guard, where it remained as the badge of the office for the next few millenia, each commander handing it to his or her successor. When the empire began its bloody collapse, the Staff changed hands with lightening speed, some wielders holding it for less than a day before losing it to another. The last verifiable sighting of the Staff was when an unnamed Imperial Guard claimed the Staff and rallied the few remaining loyalist troops in the city of Visaryn, then led them against the undead armies of the corrupted Emperor Darselius to buy time for the terrified populace to flee the city. After that, the Staff's whereabouts are unknown, though divination reveals that it does still exist. Appearance The Warlord's Staff appears as a 6-foot long quarterstaff of dull gray iron shot through with streaks of silver, with untold amounts of carving running its entire length. Closer examination will reveal that the carvings are actually depictions of assorted weapons, all rendered in the most accurate detail. Powers The powers of the Warlord's Staff are as follows: 1) At will, the wielder can select any simple, martial, or exotic weapon, melee or ranged, that he has seen before (and the carvings on the staff count for this purpose). The staff will then change into that weapon in the span of one round. The weapon is automatically the appropriate size for the wielder. The Staff can only change form once per round. This ability continues to function even if the Staff's other abilities are suppressed. 1a) The wielder of the Warlord's Staff can command the Staff to assume to form of a weapon made of special materials, such as cold iron or silver, instead of a normal one. While the bonus(es) granted by these materials may not stack with the magical ones of the Staff, they continue to function as normal if the Staff's magical abilities are suppressed. The Staff can still change the material the weapon is made of, even it's magical abilities are otherwise nonfunctional. 1b) When the Warlord's Staff assumes the form a ranged weapon, a bolt, arrow, or sling appears ready to fire whenever the wielder draws back, cocks, or begins to wind the weapon. This ammunition can only be used with the ranged weapon formed by the Warlord's staff; attempts to use it with another weapon causes the ammunition to disappear the moment it is fired. This effect can be suppressed at will if the wielder desires to use other ammunition instead. 1c) At will, the wielder can command the Staff to produce special types of ammunition, such as cold iron or silver. The ammunition is always treated treated as having a +1 magical bonus to attack and damage rolls, and can use any ability appropriate to ranged weapons, provided that the wielder has assigned those abilities to the Warlord's Staff (see below). However, the wielder cannot directly assign such abilities, or the Staff's attack/damage bonuses, to any created ammunition. 1d) If the wielder has feats, spells, or class abilities that allow him to fire more than one shot in a round (Many Shot, Rapid Shot, etc.), then the Staff automatically creates enough ranged ammunition to use these abilities. Each shot after the first has the same abilities (and is made of the same material) as the first. 1e) If the Staff takes the form of a ranged melee weapon, such as a dagger, then the weapon also gains the Returning ability, in addition to any other abilities the wielder assigns. If the wielder gives a normal melee weapon the Throwing ability, allowing it to be used as a ranged melee weapon, the Returning ability is automatically granted as well, at no additional cost. 2) The Warlord's Staff grants automatic proficiency with the weapon whose shape it has assumed, as per the master's touch (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010216a) spell, with no limit on duration (though for the purpose of suppressing the effect through magical or psionic means, it has a caster level of 21). 3) 5/day, the wielder of the Warlord's Staff can use the spell mirror move (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20000901a), with a caster level equal to his character level. 4) The Warlord's Staff has a magic weapon bonus equal to +10. Unlike normal magic weapons, however, the wielder can assign this bonus however he likes, thus granting it whatever abilities the wielder may require at the moment. Assigned abilities and bonuses cannot be changed for a period of 24 hours once they have been set. The Warlord's Staff is treated as having a +1 bonus to attack and damage at all times, even if the artifact's available points have all been used for special abilities. If the Staff's magical abilities are suppressed, it still has the properties inherent to a masterwork weapon. Example 1: The wielder gives the Warlord's Staff a +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls. He then assigns the remaining +5 bonus to the bane, holy, and lawful properties, leaving a total of +2 available for another ability. Example 2: The wielder gives the Warlord's Staff special abilities equaling a +10 bonus, but does not assign any of that total to attack/damage. Despite this, the Staff still grants a magical +1 bonus. If the wielder later changes this, and assigns the Staff a +1 bonus from the available pool, then a total of +9 is left available; this inherent bonus does not stack with the available pool of +10. 5) Carved images of new weapons can be added to the Staff by using the Staff in its base form to destroy such a weapon; the Staff doesn't seem to ever run out of space for such carvings, despite the fact that a large number of them already decorate it. The Staff will not add a carving for any weapon that already has one. (A greatsword sized for a Medium chracter and a greatsword sized for a Large character are both still greatswords, and thus destroying a Large version of one wouldn't add a new carving to the Staff. But a greatsword with a significant difference from the norm will be added, such as a mercurial greatsword.) * For unusual or rare materials, such as darkwood, adamantine, and so on, the wielder must expose the Staff to it by first destroying a weapon made of that material, using the Staff in its base form, then pulvering the fragments of the destroyed weapon and sprinkling the resulting powder along the Staff's length. The Staff absorbs this powder and takes on faint, marble-like veins that look and feel like the material in question.
Dyax 10-16-07, 03:08 AM	sounds like a perfect staff for an archer.
RavenGraygem 10-16-07, 04:23 PM	While some of the abilities do indeed make it a choice artifact for archers, it's really a good artifact for any class. I mean, think about it; master's touch grants instant proficiency in any weapon, simple, martial, or exotic, and the Staff can form just about any weapon. Then, you can use mirror move to duplicate a few of the fighter's tricks and start messing up the enemy.