Last week I posted about the idea I had been using in my campaigns of evolving magic weapons. This week I wanted to show some more example of that design space in use

The Avalanche

Weapon (Various), legendary (requires attunement to a dwarf)

This weapon was forged by a conclave of dwarven wizards known as the Ring OF Iron to serve as the weapon of the champion of their people, Kesta Thundersdottir in her battle against the dragon Arcoryx the Sky Terror that threatened the clan towns of the Steel Halls.  Kesta took up this weapon and raised it against Arcoryx in defense of the Steel Halls but could not kill the beast.  Time and time again Arcoryx escaped through deceit and trickery such that Kesta was never able to strike the final blow.  For centuries their battle raged until finally time conquered what claw and dragon fire could not and Kesta aged out of a dwarf’s fighting years. She left this great hammer to her son Hyrn to carry on the defense of their people, but Hyrn did not want to follow his mother in what he saw as her throwing away her life for a battle she couldn’t win for little wealth though much honor.  Hyrn took the hammer and left the Steel Halls, traveling to the lands of other peoples and sold the hammer.  

While only dwarves can use the power of this weapon, it was made of mithril and adamantine and very interesting to any sage of magical enchantments.  It passed from sage to wizard for decades until it finally ended up in the hands of a dwarven bandit Ossuar Coalbeard after he murdered the artifice who owned it previously.  Ossuar used it for many years to rob, murder, and plunder along the borders of the Principality of Baroux and the County of Bataas. These acts disgraced this great weapon of dwarven craftsmanship and pride, tainting its power and weakening it.  The weapon was disgraced and it’s name lost as it’s power waned; the runes on it fading with each ill act.   

Finally Ossuar Coalbeard’s career of banditry was put to an end by the dwarven runesmith Norman Who-Has-No-Clan.  Having been exiled from his clan for supposed acts of cowardice, Norman hoped to redeem himself to his people by stopping Ossuar Coalbeard. Norman recovered this great hammer, it’s name now lost to so many ill deeds, and began seeking the means to redeem it as well as himself.  To that end Norman has set to finding a great dwarven hero worthy of the weapon he now called the Avalanche as its old name is completely lost to dishonor.  Hopefully in redeeming the Avalanche Norman can redeem himself.  

The Avalanche could end up in the hands of the player characters if they prove themselves worthy to Norman.  Alternatively Norman could meet an unhappy end and they could recover the weapon and his notes on its history from his body.  Or the weapon is stolen from Norman and they help him recover it. Maybe Noman never enters the story and the PCs deal with Ossuar Coalbeard.   

Starting Abilities

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When first found The Avalanche is a warhammer, but once attuned you can change it to a maul as part of a short rest). 

On a critical hit  with this weapon the target must make a Strength saving throw against DC 8 + your Constitution + your proficiency bonus or be knocked prone. 

Any act of dishonor, such as breaking your word or fleeing a fight, committed while attuned to the Avalanche may cause it to lose upgrades previously achieved.  

Upgrade Method

You may upgrade the Avalanche using a magic weapon of at least uncommon rarity, but it cannot be of dwarven construction.  The Avalanche will not see a dwarven weapon destroyed for its gain.  To use this  ability you must have performed a heroic deed of note since your last long rest such as defending the weak, showing great valor, or performing a great deed of generosity or compassion.  These acts are particularly potent when they involve dwarves. At the DM’s discretion a particularly heroic or dangerous act may increase the number of ranks the Avalanche gains from draining the weapon. Over the course of a short rest The Avalanche can absorb the weapon’s power, leaving the non-magic weapon behind. At the end of the short rest the Avalanche’s abilities increase as indicated on the table below.  An uncommon weapon increases the  Avalanche one rank, a rare weapon increases it two ranks, a very rare weapon increases it three ranks, and a legendary weapon increases it five ranks.  Ammunition may not be used for upgrading the Avalanche.  

Upgrade Path

1. You learn the cantrip Mold Earth and can cast it at will and ignore difficult terrain due to earth, rocks, or dirt..
2. You gain acid resistance while you are attuned to the Avalanche.
3. Siege Strike: Your attacks with this weapon do double damage to objects.
4.  The Avalanche becomes a +2 weapon
5.  You can cast Earthbind once per long rest using the Avalanche. Your spellcasting ability score is Constitution.  
6.  The Avalanche does +2d6 thunder damage to any dragons.
7.  You can cast Erupting Earth once per long rest using the Avalanche. Your spellcasting ability score is Constitution.  
8. You can cast Earthquake once per long rest using the Avalanche. Your spellcasting ability score is Constitution.  
9. The avalanche becomes a +3 weapon.

The Gauntlet of Tiamat

Wondrous Item, Legendary Requires attunement

This item takes the form of a gauntlet made of dragon scales drawn from different chromatic dragons arranged to create a mosaic of Tiamat. It draws on the power of Tiamat to empower the spells of the wearer and was made by cultists of the Dragon Queen centuries ago. In that time it has been wielded both by followers of Tiamat to grow her power and enemies seeking to use her own power against her. 

The players can recover it from Tiamat’s cultists  or other agents of the Dragon Queen. Alternately the Gauntlet could be locked up by the forces of good to keep it out of the hands of evil and the player characters could purposefully or inadvertently liberate it.    It could easily find its way into any treasure horde of note or onto the arm of a campaign villain.  

Starting Abilities:

• Once attuned and donned, you cannot remove the Gauntlet without removing the attunement or entering an anti-magic zone. Taking off the gauntlet removes all the upgrades the gauntlet has gained (see below). 
• While worn it grants you +1 to armor class and saving throws.
• Each long rest, you may choose one of the following damage types to align to: fire, ice, acid, lightning, thunder, poison. You gain resistance to that damage type and the scales of the gauntlet all turn the color of the chromatic dragon associated with that damage type. This lasts until you choose a new damage type or remove the gauntlet.
• While worn, any dragons have advantage on Perception checks to detect you. 
• If you can get a chromatic dragon’s scale it can be added to the gauntlet as part of a long rest, binding the dragon to the gauntlet. With an action you can know the location of the dragon the scale came from and communicate with it as per the sending spell once per long rest. Any number of chromatic dragons may be bound to the Gauntlet in this fashion. 

Upgrade Method

You may upgrade the Gauntlet of Tiamat using a magic rod, staff, or wand of at least rare rarity,  Over the course of a short rest the Gauntlet of Tiamat can absorb the item’s power. At the end of the short rest the Gauntlet’s abilities increase as indicated on the table below.  A rare rod, staff, or wand increases the Gauntlet one rank, a very rare rod, staff, or wand increases it two ranks, a very rare rod, staff, or wand increases it three ranks, and a legendary rod, staff, or wand increases it four ranks.

Alternatively, the Gauntlet may be empowered by killing metallic dragons.  If you are within 100 feet of a metallic dragon when it reaches 0 hit points you may use your reaction to drain it’s power.  This kills the dragon but you must spend your next short rest digesting the dragon’s  power into the Gauntlet.  Once this short rest is complete, the Gauntlet gains one rank for killing  a young metallic dragon,  two ranks for killing an adult metallic dragon, and four ranks for killing an ancient metallic dragon.  

Upgrade Path

1. It increases your spell attack bonus and spell saving throw DC by +1. 
2. When attuned to a damage type, you may count rolls of 1 as 2 for all damage rolls of that damage type.  
3. You gain advantage on any Charisma checks involving dragons.  
4. The bonus to armor class and saving throws increases to +2.
5. Dragons suffer disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and abilities that produce charm or fear effects. If you have added the dragon’s scale to the gauntlet, that dragon has disadvantage on all saving throws against all your spells and abilities. 
6. When attuned to a damage type, you may ignore resistance to that damage type and treat immunity as resistance. If you are targeting a dragon who’s scale you added to the gauntlet, you gain advantage on your spell attack rolls against it and may ignore all its resistances and immunities. 
7. The bonus to your spell attack bonus and saving throw DC increases to +2.
8. You may attune to two damage types at a time.  
9. When attuned to a damage type, you may count rolls of 1 and 2 as 3 for all damage rolls of that element. 

The Staff of the Accord

Weapon (Staff), Legendary (requires attunement by a druid)

Three thousand years ago the elves first came to the land that would eventually be called the County of Bataas, so named for the Vortlander settlement of Bataas that is at its heart.  These elves brought with them seven magic seeds from their homeland, from each of which grew a massive tree of life once planted in the forests around the region of Bataas.  These trees empowered and invigorated the forests, causing them to grow thick, dark, and unwelcoming to the humans who stumbled into them.  The elves stood fast guarding their forests against first Vortlanders who came for wood for their dragon longships and later the Tikerosian sorcerers who came for the magic of the forest.  

Eventually the elves faltered in the face of vastly superior numbers of these interlopers, eventually making agreements and treaties that secured the hearts of the forest and the trees of life most of all.   This agreement between humans and elves was called the Accord and it was sworn by all sides with powerful magics at the Henge of the Green, the center of elven magic.  Born from this agreement were the first druids of the Bataas region, drawn from the ranks of both elves and humans, and gifted their power from the trees of life and the forests they empowered.     

These first druids were given staves of wood by the trees of life themselves.  These were called staves the Accord and were living wood embodiments of the Accord, given to those charged with seeing it enforced.  For millennia the druids oversaw the Accord and kept the peace between humans and elves… for the most part.  Fighting beyond the forests was not their concern.  The staves of the accord we passed from druid to apprentice until eight hundred years ago when the Tikerosians broke the accord, using their knowledge of the arcane arts  to realign the ley lines of the region to empower their hillforts and henges at the cost of the trees of life. In the war that followed the elves and Vortlanders allied against the Tikerosians and forced them out of the Bataas region, but in the process the druids were killed. 

In the years since with the Accord broken, only a handful of druids have been called up to refill their ranks and all the Staves of the Accord have been lost to history.  Recently a Staff of the Accord has surfaced in the wake of an outbreak of the red plague in the lumber towns around Bataas, leading some to believe a new druid will be called by the trees of life soon to carry it.  

For those wishing some clarity about how my setting works, you can pretty much substitute Viking for Vortlander and Greeks for Tikerosian.  

Starting abilities

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. You also gain +1 to spell attack rolls and spells save DCs.   

If you kill a Beast or a Plant that you do not eat before your next long rest you immediately lose attunement with the Staff of Accord.  

Upgrade Method:

Staves of the Accord are upgraded by visiting the six trees of life in the Bataas region and meditating under the boughs of each. This requires a long rest to be spent sitting beneath the branches of a tree of life while holding the staff and focusing on it.  And disturbance will require the druid to start over again.  Each time this is completed the Staff of the accord increases one rank on the table below.  

Upgrade path:

1.  The staff gains 3 charges and you can use an action to spend 1 or more of the staff’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it 
   1. animal friendship (1 charge)
   2. barkskin (2 charges)
   3. locate animals or plants (2 charges)
   4. speak with animals (1 charge)
   5. speak with plants (3 charges)
2.  You have advantage on any Charisma checks made when interacting with Beasts or Plants.
3. The bonus to hit, damage, spell attack rolls, and your spell save DC increases to +2. 
4.  The staff increases to 6 charges and you can use an action to spend 1 or more of the staff’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it 
   1. awaken (5 charges)
   2. Druid’s grove (6 charges)
   3. wall of thorns (6 charges).
5. The staff increases to 10 charges.  
6. The bonus to hit, damage, spell attack rolls, and your spell save Dc increases to +3. 

The Shaded Flesh

Armor (Studded Leather), Legendary (Requires Attunement)

This night black suit of studded leather armor is so black it plays tricks on the eyes, making its distance hard to judge and details impossible to pick out.  The Shaded Flesh as it is called was made of the hide of the great shadow dragon Auroxus the Foul after she was slain for a time by the Griffon Knights of the Wind River.  While Auroxus’s death proved to be only temporary after agents Tiamat saw her returned to life, she was dead long enough for a section of her hide to be removed and fashioned into armor by dwarven allies of the Griffon Knights. While the Griffon Knights initially kept the Shaded flesh among themselves, Auroxus’s never ceasing quest to retain her stolen hide eventually caused the Griffon Knights to cast it out into the gusts of the Wind River and letting it fall where it may.  

Thus, now the Shaded Flesh could be in the hands of anyone;  a lowly thief not realizing the trouble has brought himself, a master assassin who plans to stay ahead of the dragon, or even an arrogant dragon hunter trying to use the Shaded Flesh as bait. It could also easily end up in a treasure hoard only to be looted by the player characters as Auroxus can only sense its location when it is attuned.  

Starting Abilities:

This suit of studded leather adds +1 to your armor class.  It is initially found as a suit of studded leather armor but as part of a short rest it may be transformed into a breastplate. 

While attuned to the Shaded Flesh you reduce any light originating from you or things you carry by half.  So a light spell only provides 10 feet of bright light and 10 feet of dim light.  

You gain 60 foot darkvision.

During each new moon while you are attuned to the Shaded flesh Auroxus knows your direction and distance from her location.  

Upgrade Method:

You may upgrade the Shaded Flesh using suits of magic armor.  Over the course of a short rest the Shaded Flesh can absorb the armor’s power. At the end of the short rest the Shaded Flesh’s abilities increase as indicated on the table below.  A uncommon suit of armor increases the Shaded Flesh one rank, a +rare suit of armor increases it two ranks, a very rare suit of armor  increases it three ranks, and a legendary rod staff or wand increases it four ranks.

Alternatively, the Gauntlet may be empowered by killing shadow dragons.  If you are within 100 feet of a shadow dragon when it reaches 0 hit points you may use your reaction to drain it’s power.  This kills the dragon but you must spend your next short rest digesting the dragon’s  power into the Shaded Flesh.  Once this short rest is complete, the Shaded Flesh gains one rank for killing  a young shadow dragon,  two ranks for killing an adult shadow dragon, and four ranks for killing an ancient shadow dragon. 

Upgrade Path:

1. You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
2. While in dim or darkness you have advantage on Stealth checks. And you gain 120 foot darkvision.  
3.  When you fall you may use your reaction to move five feet for each five feet fallen and take no damage from the fall. 
4. The armor class bonus increases to +2.
5. You can dispel the light cantrip with an action by touching the object affected by the spell. This requires a melee attack roll if the person holding it resists your action. You can also extinguish mundane light like torches or lanterns with a touch.    
6. A bonus action once per short rest you may teleport 30 feet but you must begin and end this movement in dim light or darkness.
7.  You can choose to add +2d6 necrotic damage to a melee attack as a bonus action. This also consumes one of your hit dice.  If the attack reduces the target to 0 hit points they rise as undead shadow under your control until your  next long rest.
8. You may extend claws of pure shadow from your hand.  They count as light, finesse, melee weapons that inflict 1d6 necrotic damage. 
9. The armor class bonus increases to +3.