The Six Blade Knife
Long ago, the Deadly Six were brought to justice. They were the best assassins in the world, united by a pact not to take contracts out on each other. Together, they were a scourge upon the world. No laws could stop them, no man could bring them down. And worse, they worked for anyone. For years, the political population of the world was uncerimonously slaughtered. Anyone of any sort of power at all was taken out by these Epic Level Assassins, and they did it with glee.
Finally, the adventuring guilds from arround the world united in the quest to hunt them down, and after years of searching and fighting killed every one of the Six, and brought thier signature weapons back to the Tower of Melloxilus, Wizard Extrodinaire, to be destroyed. But Melloxilus was, unfortunatly, to currious for his own good. Using some strange magic, he combined all of the assassin's weapons into a single one, which could shift between each assassin's blade. The bards sing of, and the most famous song is the one above. It was probably the most powerful item the world had seen in a long, long time. And to Melloxilus's credit, he protected it well, deep in an extraplanar vault guarded by the most powerful of his creations.
But somehow it was stolen. No one knows how the blade was taken, but it has ressurfaced countless times since in the hands of the most notorious rogues and villains, only to be taken from them by another infamous person. Its power is so great, that every single person to have possessed it has been slain by its next user (or victim, if you prefer to look at it that way).
The fickleness of the fates of those who have wielded the Six Blade Knife has spawned the sayings "power is a two edged sword' and "power cuts both ways". Many of those who used it have lamented “I'd like to be free of it now - I don't want it no more/I'd like to be free of it now - you know I don't want it no more”. And they are freed from it. Freed in death.
So how does this powerful weapon function?
The Knife has six blades, and the user of it can switch them at will. Switching blades requires two full round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, but during which time the Six Blade Knife does not count as an armament. The old blade slowly shifts into the new one, growing or shrinking in length.
The first blade is that of Aris the Red, a Vampiric Minotaur with a taste for blood and slaughter. It is a +3 Rapier with a twist. Its edge is lined with the teeth of vampires, and the grip is studded with them. For every 5 points of damage the blade does to an opponent, the blade transfers 1 HP to the user. For the purpose of calculating HP granted in transfer, use the damage before DR or fast healing, always round down, and do a new damage count every strike (so two strikes in one round, one of 17 and one of 13, only grant 5 extra hp (3 and 2, respectivly), not 6). This hit point is like one garnered from healing. If a user has reached has max HP, he can still gain more HP, but they are temporary. If the user ever has more than double his normal HP count, he dies, exploding from an overabundance of blood. From this blade come the line "You know that it will keep you strong/ Yes and it'll do me wrong" It is also the "needle" the song talks about.
The second blade is that of Kalyis Deathstrike, elf rogue. It is a +1 Dark Energy Bastard Sword. The Dark Energy ability adds 1d6 negative damage to each strike, much as the flaming ability but with negative energy. It is equivalent to a +1 ability. If attacking undead, this ability actually heals them 1d6 damage every strike. Additionally, it can cast Trap the Soul 1/month as a 20th level wizard, but only as long as it has been in second blade form continuously for a month. The gem needed to cast this ability is the sword itself, which can only hold one soul at a time. The command word for this ability is “Stone” spoken in an ancient elvish tongue. This ability and the life sapping nature of the second blade’s Dark Energy ability are the reasoning behind the lines “Took a stone from my soul when I was lame/just so you could keep me tame.”
The third blade was probably the most famous one of the six, before they were forged into one, as was its user. Molly Von Hannis, origionally a halfling farmwoman, was the owner of this +4 Greatsword.
She forged it herself after her entire village was slaughtered by demons summoned by a great mage intent on destroying an ancient prophecy that he would die by the hand of a Von Hannis. He, of course, was killed by Molly, as she went on a horrible psychotic revenge power trip, killing every magic user she could find, as she figured eventually she would kill the one who destroyed her town. Later, she started hiring herself out as a mage slayer, and her career as an assassin began. Eventually she overthrew a mageocracy in a neighboring kingdom and established herself as the new queen, hiring out herself and her army as long as the target was a mage.
In any case, this +4 Greatsword counts as a medium sized weapon for the purpose of wielding it. It has personally decapitated a thousand mages, and is anathema to most arcanists.
The fourth blade is the least powerful of the six, because it was used by the least powerful of the great assassins, Bongo the Goblin, Slayer of Angels. This goblin was the sneakiest sneak who ever sneaked, and tales are still told of his daring escapades, although most of them are untrue. In any case, this +1 Longsword appears to be just that. But any time an opponent is flanked or denied his Dexterity bonus, it snakes towards their most vital spots, adding +3d6 bonus damage. This snaking strike works exactly as a rogue’s sneak attack, and in fact stacks with it. Unfortunately, creatures immune to critical hits are immune to both sneak attacks and snaking strikes.
This is the “one blade for tearing me apart.”
The fifth blade is the least “speicial” of the six. It was used by Grim the Impaler, a crazed human man. It is a simple +5 Short Sword. The only thing about it that makes it at all unique is that it is completely invisible to the naked eye when not being wielded. This makes it easy to sneak in and out of places, but also easy to lose. Despite its small size and invisibility, Grim would use this sword exclusively, spitting on any other weapon. It is “a needle, a wife, something that you just can’t see.”
The final blade is the most famous of all. No one knows the name of the man who first wielded it, and so he is known as the Unnamed Assassin. In any case, it was his signature weapon, a +2 Frost Dagger. Once per week, it can cast Feeblemind as a 20th level wizard, but, like the second blade, only if the Six Blade Knife has been in this form exclusively for a week beforehand.
It is the blade with which “You can take away my mind like you take away the top of a tin/ When you come up from behind and lay it down cold on the skin.”
All in all, the Six Blade Knife is a deadly thing. Even in the hands of good, it has done more evil than anything else has. More have died by its blades than in any single battle. Its legacy is one of terror.
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The Six Blade Knife is, to say the least, ultra uber powerful. Given its versatility, it is an artifact level weapon, and is therefore priceless. This is the kind of weapon around which to base a campaign. Whether the PCs want to destroy it, harness its power, or try to deconstruct it into the original weapons, the Six Blade Knife is not something to be trifled with. I wouldn’t give it to the PCs until at least 15th or 16th level, and even then, the party would probably destroy itself fighting over it. That, or some high level people would get personally involved in trying to take/destroy it, and therefore cause the party problems.
Plus, I’m too lazy to actually price it, as there are no real rules for weapons with multiple, mutually exclusive abilities. But each blade is approximately a +5 or +6 weapon. If each blade was counted seperatly, the price would be more than a +10 weapon, although it’s versatility would spread its power a bit thinner than that, probably making it equivalent to a +8 or +9 weapon.
Therefore:
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Requirements: 20th level caster, Need to complete some plot device
Price: Artifacts are Priceless, but I’d trade it for a good +4 Vorpal Sword any day of the week.
