Post/Author/DateTime	Post
cwslyclgh 01-19-04, 08:50 PM	welcome to the 39th installment of MIotW, as always I am interested in your coments, criticisms (constructive of course), and ideas. Wes :) Alarion the Mage Slayer Crafted long ages past, Alarion is an ancient and formidable weapon. Created by a high priest who despised wizardry as an affront to the gods Alarion was crafted to bring about the destruction of wizards everywhere. Much of Alarion’s true history has been lost to time, but tales often place this blade in the hands of heroes who vanquish foul necromancers, and a rare historical reference names Alarion as the blade used to assassinate Brodic the Just, Mage Lord of Tyrnthe in the first year of the last century. Alarion appears as a scimitar with a blade of an unknown silvery metal that resists rusting and tarnish of all sorts (Alarion herself is immune to acid and rusting effects, but in no way grants this benefit to her wielder), and a hilt of deep brown petrified wood worn smooth by a succession of hands through the untold centuries. Alarion has the properties of a +3 scimitar, with an unusual variation of the Bane ability, against creatures with the wizard class (regardless of race or type) Alarion is +5 to hit and damage and inflicts 2d6 points of extra damage per hit. Alarion is also an intelligent weapon with a feminine voice and personality. She can sometimes be over critical, and has been known to nag her users over little things in their personal life. She is also known to be jealous of any other women that the user might have in his or her life. Alarion much prefers to be used by men, but will allow her self to be use by a woman, especially if the chance to slay a wizard seems to be at hand and there are no men who suit her fancy about. Her abilities as an intelligent weapon are as follows: INT 18, WIS 18, CHA 10, EGO 24, AL Neutral Speech (common, elf, draconic, goblinoid, and the ancient language of her creator), Telepathy, 120ft. darkvision, blindsense and hearing. Lesser Powers: Alarion can use detect magic at will, can activate a zone of truth 3/day, and has 10 ranks in spellcraft Greater Powers: Alarion can use Invisibility Purge (30ft. range) 3/day Purpose: Alarion’s purpose is to slay wizards, any wizard hit must make a will save (DC 19) or be affected as if by a hold monster spell Strong Divination and Enchantment, Caster Level: 18th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, creator must have 10 ranks in spellcraft, detect magic, invisibility purge, summon monster I, zone of truth; Market Price: 151,420 gp Weight: 4lbs. (A note about Alarions caster level… I arbitrarily increased the price by 20k for having a higher then normal caster level, eyeballing it is seems that Alarion could be made by an 11th level caster for a market price of 131,420 gp… I did not take the time to figure out what the true price of the caster level increase would be.)
Seeker95 01-19-04, 11:14 PM	Only one suggestion (for now... it seems that whenver I say I have no suggestions, I end up finding two or three!) Rather than "wizard" would you consider "arcane caster"? It would seem that to a priest, the wizard and the sorcerer and the bard are all the same thing. They use magic without the intercession of a deity, perverting magical forces to their own end. And what matter of conscience-shaking would its use against a mystic theurge bring!?
cwslyclgh 01-20-04, 03:37 AM	hmmm.... well in my original vision the preist did not have a prejudice against arcane magic so much as to the idea that the wizards were some how "stealing" power that did not belong to them with all of thier studying and formulas etc... however I could see it as a periniod priest who hated all arcane casting as well... that would make the bane ability substantaily more powerful though, affecting not only wizards, sorcerers and bards, but also assassins and a plethora of PrC's out there on the market... I must think on this further. And what matter of conscience-shaking would its use against a mystic theurge bring!? although created by a cleric, Alarion herself is not all that religious, and has no special reverance for members of the clergy... she would be perfectly happy slaying him as he is a mage after all.
Heron_Marked_Blade 01-20-04, 05:40 AM	I'm not so clever with determining an item's price. Could you give a price breakdown of this weapon's abilities?
Thelon Fairblade 01-20-04, 11:41 AM	Interesting weapon, Wes. Bane + Hold Person DC 19 against Wizard class... nasty. I, too, was thinking the weapon should proabbly work against Sorcerers. You *don't* need to expand it everyone who can work arcane magic, though.... just keep it the two primaries. As a side note, this would allow Alarion to work on most dragons (who take levels of sorcerer) too! :D
cwslyclgh 01-20-04, 04:09 PM	I'm not so clever with determining an item's price. Could you give a price breakdown of this weapon's abilities? I took the price of a +4 weapon (+3 plus the +1 from bane)... and then simply added all of the additional costs from the inmtelligent item section of the DMG for the abilitys and such that I had chosen, for the hold monster special purpose ability that is not on the list I simply priced it as a spell of roughly the same level (rusting grasp) that is.
cwslyclgh 01-21-04, 02:31 AM	I, too, was thinking the weapon should proabbly work against Sorcerers. You *don't* need to expand it everyone who can work arcane magic, though.... just keep it the two primaries. that might be a better option then "all arcane spellcasters"