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Rashedi the Vile: A Greater Rune Weapon

By: Dustin M. Ramsey (DustinM@rifts-rpg.com)

This weapon is a huge sword, over seven feet in length, and styled as an ebony bastard sword. It is very ornate, with many silver etchings and symbols covering it from tapered tip to flared handle.

Personality wise, Rashedi is very dark in nature and filled with a great deal of simmering anger and hatred. Quite often the sword will try to push its owner into doing aggressive and violent deeds by telepathically shouting things like "vengeance!" and "liar!" and "strike him down!" Also, the weapon takes great joy in draining the life essence from other beings. In fact, it often proclaims itself to be Rashedi, Sword of Judgment and that it can tell the guilt or innocence of a person by simply cutting the person and drawling their blood: if the person's soul is drained, they were guilty; if the person lives, they are innocent. In actuality, the weapon cannot tell the difference between guilt and innocence; it just loves drinking souls, and is not above lying to its owner to indulge its evil pleasures.

Standard Abilities:

1. Independent personality with an IQ 14.
2. Communicate through limited telepathy.
3. Totally indestructible, the blade never dulls or dents.
4. Made of an ebony metal and lined from tip to handle with silver runes.
5. Can be used to parry energy blasts (-6 to parry, very difficult).
6. Link itself with owner/wielder within six months of constant contact. Thus man and weapon can sense each other's presence within a four mile (6.4km) radius if separated.
7. Adds +1 to all saving throws.
8. Miscreant evil in nature, it can only be used by those of evil alignments. Persons not of a compatible alignment take 1D8 S.D.C. (3D6 M.D. if a mega-damage creature) each time they touch the weapon.

Greater Abilities:

• Spell Magic: Can cast these spells as often as three times each, per 24 hours.
  • Blade of Fire:
    • Fire Ball
      • Range: 90ft (27.5m)
        Damage: 1D4 x 10 M.D.
        Strike: auto 18

      Fire Bolt

      • Range: 150ft (45.5m)
        Damage: 4D6 M.D. or 1D6 x 10 S.D.C.
        Bonus to Strike: +4

    Blade of Protection:

    • Armour of Ithan
      • Range: Self or others by touch
        Duration: 10 minutes
        Defenses: 1/2 damage from magic, fire, lightning, and cold
        M.D.C.: 100

      Invulnerability

      • Range: Self or others by touch
        Duration: 10 melees
        Defenses: impervious to all fire and energy attacks
        Bonuses: +10 to save vs. magic, psionics, and horror factor
        M.D.C.: 35

    Blade of Debilitation:

    • Havoc
      • Range: 90ft (27.5m); affects a 20ft (6m) area
        Duration: 5 minutes
        Damage: 1D6 direct to hit points per melee (even to those in environmentally sealed armour or vehicles)
        Penalties: -3 to initiative, strike, parry, and dodge
        Disorientation: no sense of direction or time

      Wisps of Confusion

      • Range: 90ft (27.5m); affects 1D8 individuals
        Duration: 12.5 minutes
        Penalties: -5 to strike, parry, and dodge and 1/2 attacks per melee
• Damage: Inflicts 1D6 x 10 M.D. from physical blows.
• Soul Drinker: The drinking of souls is the actual absorption of one's life essence The victim's blood must be drawn by the weapon (cut) before the rune weapon can devour the life essence. This may be done slowly or in a spectacular flash. A victim devoured by a rune weapon is forever lost. The weapon is limited to drinking 1D6 souls per day. Victims of a soul drinking attack get to save vs. magic, but are -2 to save. A successful save means the victim's essence is saved but suffers double damage (triple damage if a mega-damage creature).

Curses:

1. Hallucinatory Noises

   The victim of this curse will hear noises at odd times; such as when they are sleeping, on guard duty, listening at doors, etc. The noises they hear will always suggest living creatures or beings, such as voices carrying on a whispered conversation which they can almost, but not quite make out, the scratching of claws on stone, the whisper of footsteps, etc. They will never be sure whether what they are hearing is just a hallucinatory noise or one created by an actual creature.

   • Rate of Occurrence:
     • 75% chance during sleep (it will awaken the person)
       60% chance when in darkness
       50% when on guard duty
       50% when listening at a door
       25% any other time

     This stress will eventually lead to insanity.

   After the owner of this cursed item has experienced the noises for 60 days the person will acquire a phobia (fear and apprehension). Note that in this case the phobia is more like paranoia and extreme jitters rather than outright terror. Add one of the following for each month the cursed item is used beyond 60 days. 1) darkness, 2) closed doors, 3) graveyards, 4) undead, 5) unknown places, 6) gods, 7) sleep.

   After one year there is a 50% chance of becoming a paranoid. Roll for each year under curse.

   Note: The insanities are permanent (even if the curse is removed) unless they are cured.

2. Breaking

   The victim of this curse seems to be extremely unlucky or clumsy; any breakable object they are given will somehow become broken within 24 hours of their taking possession of it, no matter how well rapped or protected it is. For example, a potion bottle they place in their pack may be broken when they are knocked backwards and land on their pack. A crystal ball could be broken when they are attacked from behind or dropped. An arrow fired at them miraculously hits the breakable item instead of their body. This curse is extremely subtle, but very effective. A remove curse is required to negate the lasting effects of this curse even after the cursed item has been relinquished.

To break the curses, two things must happen. First, the weapon's owner must intentionally throw it away, sell it, give it away, or otherwise dispose of the rune sword. This can also be accomplished if the weapon is lost or stolen. The second step is to have a Remove Curse spell cast on the former owner (even then the curse is +12 to save) for each of the two curses. If a curse fails its saving throw, that curse has been removed from the person. Note: Even after the curse has been removed from the sword's former owner, any insanities that may have resulted from the curse will remain until cured (if a cure is even possible) by years of therapy from a medical professional. The cursed sword will, of course, continue to inflict its enchantment on every "new" owner who claims it.

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