Lartiss, The Wyrm's Bane

[beaumont sebos]

Yes, this weapon will seem very "munchkin" to some, and dabbles in a bit of my D&D days... but my campaign has been running nearly 10 years and delves into mysticism, so this weapon will neatly fit in my campaign without upsetting game balance. I'm sure it's not for everyone.

I would appreciate any constructive criticism or other ideas.

Thanks

Name: Lartiss, the Wyrm’s Bane
Model: Conscious Lightsaber
Type: Melee Weapon
Cost: Unavailable for sale
Availability: 4, X
Difficulty: Difficult
Damage: 5D+2 / 8D vs Hutts, Nikto, Nimbanese, Vodran and Klatooinians)

Game Notes:
Lartiss appears as a smooth, silver lightsaber hilt without any activation switch. Once ignited, the blade is standard length with a golden hue and minute golden “flecks” floating throughout. Lartiss is indestructible by normal means. Lartiss must choose his user and then conveys the following special abilities:
• Speaks telepathically with chosen user and will convey advice if asked
• Upon command of “to battle”, automatically teleports to chosen user’s hand and ignites without multiple action penalty as long as he is already on the user’s person
• Upon command of “be alert”, detects imminent attack upon chosen user once per day
• Upon command of “heal”, can completely heal chosen user or another person once per day
• Upon command of “hide”, grants chosen user +2D to hide when attempting to conceal Lartiss on his/her person
• Upon command of “give me strength” grants user a 2D increase of strength and strength related skills for 5 rounds once per day.

Gamemaster Notes:
Lartiss was created by a very powerful, yet unknown force user with a particular dislike for Hutts and their ilk.

Lartiss will “choose” whether or not a force user can wield him. Upon grabbing the saber, a Jedi or other force user with the lightsaber combat skill must roll Control against Lartiss’ 5D to resist being overtaken by the weapon. Once gripped, the potential user will go into a short trance and anybody who interferes will receive a 7D stunning force blast.

If overtaken, the user will immediately seek out and destroy all Wyrms (Hutts) and their lackey species (Nikto, Nimbanese, Vodran, and Klatooinians). This will be the person’s only goal and all else will become meaningless. The user will turn against anybody who tries to get in their way. The only way to break the bond is to remove the sword from the person, but the person will fight against this. The chosen user will want to hunt down the sword for a week after the sword is removed. After that point, the person returns to their senses.

If the person resists the control, they hear the following monologue:

“Very well. You have proven your worth. I am Lartiss, the Wyrm’s Bane. I was created for the sole purpose of destroying Hutts and their ilk. However, I am obliged to also serve those of power who have no allegiances to the vile worms. You will do. Here is my offer. I am a very powerful weapon and will serve you faithfully, however I am also demanding of my station. I expect to be treated with the utmost respect. I expect to be rewarded for my deeds with regular maintenance, cleaning and ample practice time when battle is scarce. And, above all, I expect you to be as dedicated to my service as I am in providing service to you.

“If you agree to all these things, then to you I offer this:
I can speak with you telepathically and offer advice when queried. I will automatically go to your hand and ignite when called. Once per day, I have the ability to detect when an attack against you is imminent upon your request. I can heal you or another person once per day. I can increase your strength for a short time once per day. I can aid you in concealing me on your person.

All of this is in addition to my worthy standing as a weapon of consequence against your enemies, especially vile wyrms and their ilk.

Once you agree to this bond it can not be undone. Do you agree?”

The answer must be given immediately and no other questions will be answered. If the perspective user delays or answers “no”, Lartiss will not work for them at all. If the chosen user accepts, then the bond is sealed and the new user will fall out of the trance with Lartiss ignited in their hand.

Lartiss has 2D Knowledge. However, once he chooses a new user, he “forgets” his past and can not answer any questions until he gains immediate experience. All he “knows” is his dislike of Hutts and their ilk.

Every time the chosen user comes in contact with Hutts, Nikto, Nimbanese, Vodran, and Klatooinians they must roll control against Lartiss’ 5D or Lartiss will teleport into the users hand, ignite and urge a fight. If this roll is lost by 10 or more, the user will begin fighting against their will.

Lartiss has huge ego and will demand to be treated with a huge amount of respect. In fact, Lartiss will not be pleased if the character carries any other weapons and will discourage them. If his requests are not granted, Lartiss will eventually act out by cutting off during battles, or disrupting the character in other ways. If the character uses other weapons, Lartiss will appear in their hand in its stead. It may also refuse to perform other duties until satisfied.

In addition, once the bond has been sealed, Lartiss can not be discarded until he wants to be or a “special” way to destroy him is found (this should incorporate some strong force methods or other very unusual, nearly mystical circumstances). Despite any normal efforts, Lartiss will teleport to the chosen user.
_________________
Beaumont Sebos

"Saving the multiverse, one Gamorrean Ale at a time."

[Jamfke]

Other than screaming "D&D Intelligent Weapon", it's a pretty nifty item/creature.
_________________
Check out some of my games at DriveThruRPG!
Role Players Direct

[darthomer09]

Arghh. D&D intelligent weapons!! BURN!!!

The one time i played D&D i was given a sword that had a highter intelligence than i did.. it was uber humiliating..
_________________
Rebel Uprisings

In Soviet Russia, RPG plays you!!

[Jamfke]

They can be fun, and extremely useful in some situations. I DMed a guy that had an intelligent dagger with all sorts of spell-like abilities that I eventually used as a plot device. It was holding the spirit of an uber powerful wizard trapped in the dagger by his arch nemesis. The dude's character became buddy buddy with it and offered to free him from his prison, so I went with it.
_________________
Check out some of my games at DriveThruRPG!
Role Players Direct

[Kayle Skolaris]

I would try to eliminate the more obviously 'D&D' aspects of the weapon in favor of more Star Warsy abilities. Teleportation doesn't fit the setting. Telekinetically flying into one's hand does. Instant Healing is too much, but an automatic application of Accelerate Another's Healing is better.

This device sounds like it would have been constructed by a rogue Force User who did not adhere to the Jedi Code. It is better at damaging certain species, for instance, which just isn't a very Jedi thing. It also has a massive ego which is frowned upon by the Jedi Order.

There are a pair of crystalline entities, Shards and Tsil, which would make excellent 'power matrixes' for this weapon. Literally, the weapon IS alive. It has a Shard or a Tsil inside that functions as both the source of its powers and abilities, and as the primary focussing crystal. This, to me, would be a fairly Star Warsy way of having D&D-style intelligent weapons in the game.

Another option would be to make the weapon an ultra-intricate droid that's been Force-Empowered in much the same manner that Sith Alchemy changes material objects. This doesn't necessarily mean the weapon is a product of Sith Alchemy (although that's a plot thread that could be fun to run with) but is more an example of Force-Enchantment already accepted by most fans.

[PsiberDragon]

Gotta agree somewhat w/ Kayle....

my other thought is that perhaps it is enhabited by a force ghost type... the essence of a jedi/force user trapped (?) in the lightsaber...
_________________
"Love like you will die tomorrow. Hate like you will live forever." - Unknown

[darthomer09]

[Jamfke]

_________________
Check out some of my games at DriveThruRPG!
Role Players Direct

[Gry Sarth]

My pleasure.
_________________
"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

[darthomer09]

You'll all see....
_________________
Rebel Uprisings

In Soviet Russia, RPG plays you!!

[beaumont sebos]

Thanks for the input... and get this...

I'm working on my adventure for next week and just remembered that the head of the Jedi Order is a Nikto named Biram Cathmori... Lartiss will NOT be pleased.

I love when I stumble accross these unplanned complications for my PCs!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
_________________
Beaumont Sebos

"Saving the multiverse, one Gamorrean Ale at a time."

[garhkal]

[Kayle Skolaris]

Even the Sun Crusher could be destroyed. So can this. Nothing that exists can resist the gravitational forces of a black hole.

[beaumont sebos]

I didn;t get into the creator/creation of Lartiss because it has no bearing in my game (at this time). But I dig some of the ideas.

I was toying with the idea of a Jedi that had his family killed by Hutts, so he created the sabre and imbued his spirit into it in order to continue battling hutts even after death.

As far as destroying the weapon, yes there are ways to destroy it, but I didn;t get into that much detail. If you want to use the weapon in your game, I'm sure you can come up wit some good ideas.

Thanks again for all the input!
_________________
Beaumont Sebos

"Saving the multiverse, one Gamorrean Ale at a time."

[garhkal]

No disrespect, but if the jedi DID follow that course, by building a weapon specific to killing hutts, after this, it would to me, be definatly of the dark side... since revenge and hatred (which this definatly seems of) are of the dark side...
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!