. Vallorian Living Weapons and Armor

Part II of a series, "The Vallorian," by Mike Mearls

The strange weapons of the Vallorians represent a fusion between living creatures and carefully designed tools. Living swords and sentient armor form a symbiotic bond with their users, combining abilities to create a potent duo. In the hands of creatures other than Vallorians, these items react violently, lashing out at their would-be users and refusing to obey them.

Most sections of this article are taken from Legacy of the Dragons, now available in stores. The sections marked "Bonus" are all new, however, offering additional ideas for living weapons, armor, and shields. You can use these concepts with the Vallorians in Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed campaigns or adapt them for other characters in your standard d20 game.

For more on Vallorian characters, see part one and part three of this article.

Creating Living Weapons and Armor

Vallorians forge their weapons and armor from the simmering vats of proto-flesh that the deity Harzahk enabled them to create deep within the world. Deprived of many of the goods and resources they once relied upon, their powerful mages bent themselves to the task of creating new materials they could harvest within the underworld. This research led to an unholy pact with their blasphemous god Harzahk, the Wellspring of Life and the Keeper of the Way. At the direction of Harzahk's priests, the

Vallorians collected living creatures and wrought terrible changes to them, giving rise to the mass of proto-life that now dominates each cathedral devoted to Harzahk and forms the center of every Vallorian settlement.

Creating weapons, armor, and other tools from this abominable substance is accomplished by Vallorian spellcasters who use their formidable intellects to shape the stuff. This process is by no means easy. A Vallorian may spend days in deep concentration, laboring to produce a living sword that meets the exacting level of quality demanded.

In game terms, these living weapons and armor receive one of the templates described below. These templates grant an item several benefits, at the cost of gold pieces or experience points paid by the person responsible for its creation. They do not otherwise alter a weapon's function. For example, a heavy mace that receives a template still counts as a heavy mace for the purpose of feats such as Weapon Focus.

A spellcaster must possess the Craft Living Arms and Armor feat (described below) to produce goods that have these templates. Living weapons and armor can receive any standard magical qualities as normal. A living weapon or suit of armor can receive only one of the following templates, and the item does not count as magical unless it is otherwise enchanted. Living items do not count as masterwork items, though they can receive that quality (and its benefits) for the normal price.

Living weapons and armor are designed, trained, and bred to obey only Vallorians. Other creatures cannot utilize them.

New Feat

Craft Living Arms and Armor [Item Creation]

As a Vallorian fleshsmith, you have learned to sculpt chunks of proto-flesh into living weapons through the power of your intellect.
Prerequisites: Vallorian, Intelligence 13, caster level 3rd
Benefit: You can apply Vallorian templates to items you create. Add half the template's given cost to the base price in materials and components needed to produce the item. You can apply these templates to magical or mundane items.

Item Templates

The following sample templates are common to most Vallorian settlements. The bonus templates are exclusive to this web enhancement, while the others appear in Legacy of the Dragons.

Weapon Templates

Bloodthirster: A weapon with this template twists and writhes in its wielder's grasp, moving like a snake that darts to the right and left in search ofan opening in its opponent's defenses. A bloodthirster weapon gains sentience based on the strength of its user's intellect. In battle, it moves and bends to evade its foe's defenses and strike at him. Its blade or bludgeon sprouts a pair of beady, malicious eyes and a small, slavering maw that nips at its foe. A bloodthirster weapon adds its user's Intelligence modifier to its attack rolls and damage rolls in addition to all other modifiers. Cost: 500 gp.

Flailing: Flailing weapons are similar to bloodthirster weapons, in that they move independently of their wielder's actions. However, they are simpler, stronger creatures that are more suited to overpowering their enemies. When used to trip or disarm an opponent, a flailing weapon grants a +2 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and Strength or Dexterity checks to complete the maneuver. These weapons have small but powerful tentacles to grip and pull on their opponents or their weapons. Cost: 500 gp.

Gnawing: A favored adaptation for arrows, bolts, and sling stones, this trait grants a weapon a small, fanged mouth that bites down on its foe and holds fast. Gnawing weapons latch onto their target when they hit, dealing 1 point of damage per round until they are removed. They deal this damage starting on the round after they strike a target. A standard action removes all gnawing weapons from a single creature. A melee weapon with this trait deals this additional damage only if the Vallorian wielding it lets go of the weapon immediately after a successful attack. Cost: 100 gp.

Seeker: Seeker weapons develop finely honed senses that allow them to spot weak points in their opponent's armor and strike at vital areas with relative ease. Weapons with this trait increase their threat range by one. For example, a weapon that threatens a critical hit on a roll of 19-20 increases that range to 18-20 with this template. Apply this template before accounting for any feats or talents that improve a weapon's threat range. A seeker weapon has a single, baleful eye that continually watches its user's foe. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Venomous: A favorite of Vallorian assassins and scouts, a venomous weapon has a single long fang that drips a viscous, green poison. On a successful hit, it injects this poison into its target. The poison has a Fortitude save DC of 14 and deals 1d4 points of temporary Strength damage as its initial and secondary effects. Cost: 6,000 gp.

Warden: Weapons with this template are creatures with thick, protective plates and dozens of tiny eyes. A warden weapon defends its user from attacks, knocking aside incoming blows and aiding his attempts to parry. It grants the equivalent of the Expertise feat. Users who already possess that feat can double the AC bonus it grants them. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Bonus Weapon Templates

Contagious: This weapon is covered with weeping sores that ensure it is always covered with dried blood, mucous, and slime. Anyone struck by a contagious weapon may be exposed to the horrid diseases that infest it. A successful Fortitude save (DC 15) allows one to resist the disease. It has an incubation period of one day and inflicts 1d4 points of Constitution damage. A Vallorian who wields this weapon gains a +4 bonus on all saves against diseases, as exposure to its many contagions helps him develop a strong resistance. Cost: 1,000 gp.

Dual-Headed: One of the more intricate creations of the Vallorian fleshsmiths, this strange weapon can split into two blades or bludgeons when used to attack. As a move action, the Vallorian wielding it can command the dual-headed weapon to split into two. It now functions similar to a double weapon, and the Vallorian can wield it in that manner even if it requires only one hand to use. The two edges hack, stab, and cut on their own to aid their master, making it possible to fight with both of them.
A one-handed weapon with this feature counts as if its wielder uses two non-light weapons. The Vallorian still needs to use only one hand to wield this weapon. Two-handed weapons with this feature count as a double weapon, but reduce the attack roll penalty with both ends by 2, though this penalty cannot go below 0. In other words, it cannot become a bonus. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Infestation: This intricate, rare Vallorian weapon consists of a reinforced matrix of tiny holes arranged in a lattice structure. Insects that have formed a hivemind with the weapon swarm along its length. When the weapon hits a target, the insects swarm down its blade or handle to bite and sting their foe. Anyone struck by this weapon must make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or suffer a -1 circumstance penalty due to the distraction and pain of the biting creatures. Note that circumstance penalties stack. This penalty lasts for one minute. Cost: 8,000 gp.

Armor Templates

Chameleon: By stretching a thin layer of proto-flesh scales over a suit of armor, a Vallorian fleshsmith can grant it the ability to blend into a wide variety of environments. The scales mirror the color and texture of the environment around them, granting anyone wearing this armor the ability to camouflage her presence. Chameleon armor negates the armor check modifier to all Sneak checks made to hide. In addition, it grants a +4 competence bonus to such skill checks. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Mending: Armor with this template includes a number of small, wormlike creatures that crawl over and beneath its plates and joints. The worms are pulpy, slimy creatures that produce fluids that can quickly heal wounds. Three times per day, a character wearing mending armor can heal herself of 1d8 points of damage as a free action. Cost: 300 gp.

Swarm: Armor with this template consists of several independent plates that move to arrange themselves based on their user's desire. These "plates" are small, beetlelike creatures with thick, heavy outer shells. These beetles can move to protect their wearer's vital areas, or they can distribute their weight to reduce the protection they offer while improving their user's mobility. The wearer of swarm armor can improve its maximum Dexterity bonus by as much as 4 and reduce its armor check penalty by as much as 4 if she chooses to reduce its armor bonus by the same amount. If the item's armor bonus falls to half its original value or less, the armor counts as light armor until its armor bonus rises back to more than half its original value. Any manipulation of the attributes of swarm armor, whether to reduce its armor bonus or to restore it to a higher value, requires a full-round action. Vallorian scouts favor this armor, since they can maximize their maneuverability when not in battle and then alter the armor to protect them in combat. Cost: 500 gp.

Bonus Armor Templates

Energy Aligned: The Vallorians sometimes look beyond their proto-flesh vats for materials they can utilize in their works. This suit of armor is crafted from a strange fusion of energy and flesh taken from the vats. It crackles and hums with energy, creating a protective sheath around its wearer. This armor provides resistance 5 against a single energy type. In addition, this living armor feasts upon the energy it absorbs. If this armor absorbs more than 10 points of the type of energy damage it's keyed to within a 10-minute period, it gains a +1 enhancement bonus to its Armor Class modifier. It can gain this benefit only once for each 10-minute period, but this bonus improves any enhancement bonus the armor might already have. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Muscled: This set of armor has plates and other pieces connected with strong bundles of fleshy muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All of these muscle masses connect to form a single creature that bonds closely with its wearer. When worn, this armor provides a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength, +5-foot bonus to speed, and a +8 bonus to all Jump checks. Cost: 12,000 gp.

Spined: This suit of armor is covered with short, sharp spines that quiver and shake. They are a single colony of creatures that thrust and stab toward their master's foe. They are too small to have an effect in most situations, but they can prove useful in close-quarters fighting. If the spined armor's wearer is the target of a grapple attempt, her opponent suffers 2d4 points of damage. The Vallorian gains a bonus to her grapple check equal to this damage. If the Vallorian wearing this armor is involved in a grapple, whether she initiated it or not, the spines stab into her opponent and rend his flesh. On the Vallorian's action, her opponent automatically suffers 2d4 points of damage from these spines as long as the grapple continues. Cost: 2,000 gp.

Shield Templates

Biting: A biting shield features a toothy, leering maw set below a pair of small, glaring eyes. Once per round, a shield with this template can attack by snapping its jaws at an opponent that has just hit its bearer with a melee attack. The shield attacks only if its bearer instructs it to do so; neither the instruction nor the shield's attack are considered actions (one can take them at any time during a round). The shield has a base attack bonus equal to its bearer's base attack bonus before any modifiers, and it deals 1d6 points of slashing damage on a successful hit. Cost: 500 gp.

Grasping: Shields with this template have a number of long, limp tendrils hanging from their outer edges. When used to bash an opponent,a grasping shield can help to grapple the target with these tendrils. It grants its bearer the ability, after a successful shield bash, to make a grapple attempt as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Cost: 4,000 gp.

Searing: This bulky, slimy shield has a single sphincterlike opening at its center. A fleshy, baglike organ hangs from the shield's inner side, opposite the sphincter. Once per day when in battle, the bearer can instruct the shield (as a free action) to draw in a great breath and spew forth the acidic digestive juices stored in that organ.This attack is a standard action that the shield takes during its bearer's turn. The caustic spray deals 2d6 points of acid damage to any creatures within a 15-foot cone. Cost: 1,000 gp.

Bonus Shield Templates

Baleful: This shield has a single, malevolent eye set in its center. Through the close psychic bond it forms with its master, it can generate psychic energy and focus it into a blast that can scramble a target's mind and leave him stunned for 1 round. This attack has a range of 30 feet and requires a Will save (DC 13 + the Vallorian's Charisma modifier) to cancel its effects. A wielder can use this shield once every 10 rounds. Cost: 1,500 gp.

Lashing: Specially crafted and infused with raw evil energy to give it a malevolent spirit, this shield has a hateful face growing from its fleshy surface. In battle, it gibbers and howls at enemies. On command from its Vallorian master, this wretched fiend lashes out with its long, ropy, barbed tongue. This counts as a ranged attack that inflicts 2d4 points of damage. The shield can also make trip and disarm attacks with a +2 bonus to the opposed attack and Strength or Dexterity checks when used in this manner. This attack has a range of 20 feet. The Vallorian makes this attack using his standard ranged attack bonus along with any relevant modifiers. Cost: 500 gp.

Watcher: This gruesome shield is covered with dozens of small eyes that dart to and fro, scanning the area for signs of danger. The shield has a bundle of nerve endings that resemble the frayed end of a rope dangling from its opposite side. When a Vallorian uses this shield, this nerve bundle digs into her arm and lends its sight to her. Anyone carrying this shield gains a +4 competence bonus to all Spot and Listen checks. Cost: 6,400 gp.

Next Week: Vallorian Culture

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