Looking for basis for a custom weapon

[IWannaPlayLions]

Long story short, I am getting ready to start a game, playing a lvl 5 Dread Necromancer(Human, Older, True Neutral Alignment)

Now I have talked my DM into allowing me a custom weapon, primarily for roleplaying purposes. Said item is a Scythe that transforms into a Cane for incognito purposes while in-town. From a roleplaying standpoint, weapons are supposed to be sheathed when in-town, and carrying a Scythe could draw unwanted attention.(Plus moving/running with a scythe strapped to your pack is asking for accidental injuries to my character/those around him)

Are there any existing items, spells, or otherwise basis for this? What the DM has come up with thus far is "Standard Scythe with a minor transform ability. Transformation takes 1 full round"

BTW, yes, I know a DN carrying a scythe is rather cliche.

Any advice or leads on listed items with a similar ability would be much appreciated.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There is something called a Shakujo-yari, which is a staff with a concealed (sometimes spring loaded) spear head. It has appeared in D&D games before under different names, and may even be around in 3.5 as some kind of exotic weapon. I can't recall which, at this point, unfortunately.

I don't think that a scythe with a similar type mechanism is too far removed from that.

 

[IWannaPlayLions]

Sounds good. I know there's an Epic level Scythe, with an energy blade, which was a conceptual basis, but I was not looking for something uber-powerful. More the sort of trick an older/wiser character might use to keep a trick up his sleeve.

I'm not very knowledged in the different wizarding schools, would the type of magic used to create such a device be considered a polymorph/conjuration or something else?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There is an enchantment called "Anything Weapon" which may only be a +1 enchantment cost. Look in the Magic Item Compendium. It lets you change a weapon into any form of weapon.

Also, given that a scythe is an agricultural tool, I think it would attract a LOT less attention than almost anything except a dagger or staff.

But a spring-loaded scythe version of the asian spear would not be magical, it would just be a masterwork weapon at worst, possibly Exotic.

 

[Glade Riven]

Dug this out:
Hideaway
(RotW p171)
Any Weapon
As a Free Action, the weapon transforms into a cylinder small
enough to fit in the wielder’s hand (+2 Circumstance bonus to
Sleight of Hand checks to conceal it).
The weapon can be restored to its normal size as a Free Action.
Faint Abj 5
Craft Arms & Armor
Shrink Item
+7,500

Have the cylinder be a cane, and bingo. Cost may be an issue, though, being only at level 5 and PHB 2 places the wealth of a 5th level character at only 9,000. If the character had the feats and spells to craft it himself (and the DM allows it), it should be fine.

 

[IWannaPlayLions]

Now that's actionable intelligence! Will look that up. Fits the bill almost perfectly. Thanks

 

[Thanael]

2E had a magic item which was called a staff-spear, a staff with a spring loaded spear blade. Curiosly it was listed under magic staves not weapons. I don't know if there's a 3e conversion of it anywhere...

There's always the awesome Rod of Lordly Might. the original Swiss Army Weapon.

Magic Item Compendium [has] the Rod of Surprises, it can be used as a javelin, kama, longspear, quarterstaff, scyth, shortspear, short sword or spear. It can also store messages of up to 25 words to be repeated on command.

There is also the Morphing property, that allows a weapon to become any other weapon of the same hand category (i.e. a one-handed weapon with the property can be any one-handed weapon).

 

[Thanael]

There is something called a Shakujo-yari, which is a staff with a concealed (sometimes spring loaded) spear head. It has appeared in D&D games before under different names, and may even be around in 3.5 as some kind of exotic weapon. I can't recall which, at this point, unfortunately.

I don't think that a scythe with a similar type mechanism is too far removed from that.

Found this on the net:

Shakujo-Yari: This weapon is a spear with its head concealed so that it appears to be a normal staff. Samurai on secret missions may carry these weapons to pass as simple wanderers.

Spear: 5 tn, 1d6/x3, 1d8/x3, 20 ft, 4 lb, Piercing, Two Handed.
Staff: 5 tn, 1d4/x3, 1d6/x3, 4 lb, Blunt, Two Handed.

 

[IWannaPlayLions]

Great stuff. She just got back to me though and no dice :/

She(the dm) prefers her less optimized version. I think its punishment because I turned down her custom made random 20 spellbook filled with all high level spells that qould be completely useless to me. Description for it was "this book has 20 powerful spells, of which at your current level you can only cast a few. Roll a d20 and that's the spell you open it to. If its a spell of a level you can cast, you cast it and can use the book again next round. If it is too high(mind you starting with a lvl 5 caster) you are unable to cast the spell and cannot use it again for 30min gametime" Also, a DN/Sorcerers ability to remember spells that they've cast wouldn't apply to this heirloom spellbook.

I'd rather have a roleplayable weapon that I can use now then a spellbook that will either get me killed or sit in the bottom of my backpack for 5 class levels by which point it will be obsolete by my own spell list.(I mean, Dread Necros start getting all their REALLY COOL stuff at lvl 8. Can you say "Undead Mastery"?) Oh, and the kicker? I would have to give up two other starting magic items for this fantastic spellbook. Instead she's chosen that I get a gimped hideaway weapon, ring of protection +1 and wand of cure light wound(15 charges). For a dread necromancer. Yeah, I think you could say I upset her mildly.(atleast I get a cloak of charisma +1 which I would have gotten anyways, which helps because I didn't roll the best stats)