Magic Sword Redux

This set of tables is meant to replace the entire Monsters and Treasure sword section. It should create more variable sword results than the official rules, gathering much of its inspiration from Dave Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign. 

Magic Swords

Unique among magic weaponry, swords possess a number of human characteristics. These are Alignment (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic), Intelligence, and Egoism. Thus for all intents and purposes, swords are Non Player Characters. And also like henchmen, may turn against their owners at inopportune moments.

Origin (d6): A sword’s exceptional abilities (if any) depend on the forger’s class. Furthermore, holy swords will have special powers in the hands of the paladin-type character.

1	Holy Sword, forged by Clerics
2-6	Magic Sword, forged by Magic-Users

Alignment (d6): Picking up a sword of opposite alignment will cause 2 dice worth of damage (2-12 points), otherwise if the alignment of the sword does not match the potential wielder, it will deal only 1 die (1-6 points).

1, 2, 3	Lawful
4, 5	Neutral
6	Chaotic

Non-player characters take only half damage, if not acting as a free agent, and may be freed from any spell, alignment change, or otherwise may be otherwise removed from the service of their former master.

If the sword’s Intelligence and Egoism is 6 or more points above the character's who picks it up, the sword will gain control of the person, even causing him to become aligned as the sword, and will immediately act accordingly. 

Intelligence (d12): Swords with an intelligence of 5 or greater will understand the language of their makers. For swords of 11 intelligence or above, roll 1d6 and select a number of additional languages known by the sword that best fit its abilities.

	Mental Power	Communicative Ability
1-4	None endowed	None*
5-8	One primary power	Empathy
9, 10	Two primary powers	Empathy
11	3 primary powers and the ability to use languages	Speech
12	Also above, but also has 1-3 Extraordinary Abilities	Telepathy

* Power must be discovered by the wielder since the sword cannot communicate.

Primary Powers (d30)

1	Note Shifting Walls
2	Detect Rooms & Sloping Passages
3	Charm Person
4	Locate Secret Doors & Traps
5	Detect Traps
6	Detect Gems (# and Size)
7	See Invisible Objects
8	Detect Evil
9	Detect Metal & What Kind
10	Detect Magic
11	Healing (1 point/6 turns or 6 points/day)
12	Flaming Sword
13	Detect Copper
14	Light
15	Detect Living Beings
16	X-Ray Vision
17	1-4 Times Normal Strength for 1-10 Turns (1/day)
18	Wishes (2-8)
19	Detect Silver
20	Detect Undead
21	Read Magic
22	Sundering (25% chance/round to break opponent’s weapon)
23	Creature Detection (roll for specific creature type)
24	Detect Gold
25	Enemy Detection
26	Sword of Cold (+1-3 damage vs. fire use/dwelling monsters)
27	Detect Treasure (500 GP value or greater)
28	Anti-Magic (within 10’)
29	Roll Twice (ignore results 29, 30)
30	Roll for 1-3 Extraordinary Abilities

Purpose: 10% of swords will have a special purpose. These swords will automatically have their egoism score moved up to the maximum value (12) and will gain an additional ability:

Purpose (d20)	Bonus To Hit	Bonus to Damage (or Special*)
1-9: Slay Opposite Alignment (50/50 for neutral swords)	+1 to +3 vs. Alignment	None
10-15: Slay Monster	+1 to +3 vs. monster	Specific monster only
16: Slay Monsters (1-4)	+1 to +3 for monster (roll for each)	Specific Monsters only
17: Slay Fighters**	+1 to +3 vs. Fighting-Men	Fighting-Men only
18: Slay Magic-Users	+1 to +3 vs. Magic-Users	Magic-Users only
19: Slay Clerics	+1 to +3 vs. Clerics	Clerics only
20: Slay Thieves**	+1 to +3 vs. Thieves	Thieves only

* 10% of swords with a special purpose will instead paralyze (for Lawful swords) or disintegrate (for Chaotic swords) their foes rather than additional dealing damage. If no bonus to damage is indicated, reroll the result.

** If thieves are not used, roll 1d6: (1-2) Fighting-Men, (3-4) Magic-Users), (5-6) Clerics.

Swords without a specific purpose will have a universal bonus to hit against all opponents (rather than just specific ones), but not to damage, unlike swords with a specific purpose. Otherwise the bonus to hit and damage applies only to creatures of a specific type.

1, 2, 3	+1
4, 5	+2
6	+3

Extraordinary Abilities (d6): For swords indicated to have one or more exceptional abilities, consult the table below to determine what spell level the sword will possess.

Holy Sword	Casts spells as a 2-5 level cleric
Magic Sword	Casts spells as a 1-6 level magic-user

The actual number of spells the sword may cast (each usable only once each day) are determined as follows. Once the number of spells is determined, roll for which specific spells are known.

1, 2, 3	1 spell
4, 5	2 spells
6	3 spells

Egoism (d12): Swords with an intelligence of 5 or greater will have an ego rating. This is a measure of the sword’s self-interest, used to determine to what degree the sword will influence its wielder. The swords ego may cause the user to: pass off better weapons, allow itself to be captured by a higher level character closer to the sword’s station, surrender itself to a lower level character in order to exercise great control over its user, require a share of acquired treasure in the form of flamboyant scabbards, jewel encrustation, magical guarding devices, and the like.

In these cases, the sword may attempt to work against the wielder (although a sword will not usually work against a wielder whose alignment and goals coincided with that of the sword). First the sword’s influence must be determined: add Intelligence + Egoism +1 per special ability +1 per extraordinary ability (6-30). This is compared to the wielder’s intelligence and strength (5-36) and modified by the physical state of the user. If the wielder is fresh and relatively free of damage (less than 10%) from 1-6 points are added to his total (7-42 then possible). If damage from over 50% has been sustained, or the character is under mental strain from some form of magic, from 1-6 points are deducted (5-30 then possible).

Difference	Result
6 or more	Higher score always prevails
2 - 5	75% chance the higher score will prevail
0 - 1	50% either way

Sir Rolland de Gwyn and the Lance of the Unending Joust

As you may have figured out, I have an obsession with major NPCs doing very strange things to attain immortality.

One of those NPCs is Sir Rolland de Gwyn (a Lawful champion) or, as he is more commonly known, Knight of the Unending Joust. This knight, dressed in shining mail (plate mail +2), travels the land in a search of knights and unweary adventurers to challenge. For he carries with him the Lance of the Unending Joust, the secret to his youth. Even the oldest tavern-goes cannot remember the day before the Knight of the Unending Joust road the plains of Avalon.

His third squire, Lurit II, travels with him always. He is the grandson of Lurit I, the Knight's first squire--from a time when he was but a mortal man. Rumor has it that Sir Rolland now seeks another worthy squire to take Lurit's place when the squire is knighted in the court of Efflur.

Lance of the Unending Joust
This 13” wooden lance is tipped with closed fist made of a bright, cast-steel. The Lance of the Unending Joust acts as a lance +1, +3 vs. fighting-men. For every joust the user win, he does not age the following year. What the common, contender does not know, however, is that for every time the user is unseated himself, he immediately ages one year. Thus a knight of unmatched skill may achieve immortality with the Lance of the Unending Joust, but an unworthy squire will likely meet an early end.

New Magic Item: The Moon Cloak

Here's a new magic item I thought up today when getting groceries for dinner. What vindaloo curry has to do with either moons or cloak, I have no idea, but it was apparently nonetheless inspiring.


Moon Cloak
This magical navy cloak is a boon to magicians and thieves alike. It is fastened with a silver clasp enchanted to appear as the silhouette of the moon in the night’s sky—changing shape with each of its phases. The magic imbued by the cloak likewise changes with the phases of the moon.

Full Moon: During the full moon, the wearer is able to see in total darkness as the brightest moonlight.

Waxing Moon: If the wearer dies as as the moon waxes there is a 10% chance per level of the wearer that he will be reincarnated, as per the spell, within 1d6 hours.

New Moon: During the New Moon the cloak and anything within it, such as a man-like creature or similar sized object is wreathed in an invisibility enchantment.

Waning Moon: As the moon wanes the wearer may assume the form of a beautiful young woman (if wearer is female) or an elderly, bearded man (if male) after speaking the command word, metamorphone lunarium, and retains the form until the cloak is removed. It is always the visage of one of two identical figures, no matter who wears the moon cloak. In any city or large town, there is a 5% chance that wearer will be persecuted for the crimes a previous owner of the cloak once committed.