How would you interrogate an artifact battleaxe?

[Templetroll]

Dwarf, hammer, anvil. Might not work out but would be entertaining rp.

 

[Belbarid]

Given this, what's the best way to get info from it? We can probably buy a scroll of any necessary spell, and we have clerical and wizard casters. This is a two-parter, given that we need to both safely communicate (preferably before it reassmebles itself) and get it to talk.

Oh, and I checked and our best Bluff score is +13 (while wearing a +6 charisma item). Decent, but hardly earthshaking.

Same way you interrogate anyone/thing else. Find out what it wants and offer it, find out what it fears and threaten it. If you can figure out a way to do this when you have it psychologically offbalance, so much the better.

Sure, it's an axe, but it's a sentient axe. Unless it's omnipotent it must want something and fear something. From there, it's a matter of deciding what you're willing to do or give and whether or not you can turn the tables on it.

Lots of research. Stands to reason that something like this shows up in the history books somewhere. Don't forget those pesky other planar mages and sages, but don't go about it haphazardly. Give too many people the idea that you're researching Uber Powerful Axe Of Killemall, and someone might start wondering why.

Best of luck.

 

[Imp]

"I'll use you to chop these... MUAHAHA... onions... and here is Riclas, the bard, here to write a song about you, and your chopping of the onions, and here is Micah, the sculptor, here to..."

 

[Intrope]

Propose to offer it to the god of Rust Monsters? Offer to toss it into the Positive Material Plane? Make it a sacrifice to a deity of pacifism? Sell it to Moradin?

 

[RangerWickett]

Dominate monster?

 

[Wolfwood2]

Dominate monster?

Intelligent items are treated as constructs and thus immune to mind affecting, so no.

I'm pretty nervous about this thing. It was able to influence Ms. 25th level even after being smashed, and from a distance.

All the suggested methods of destruction are futile. We have a Sphere of Annihilation if necessary, but this thing is a traditional "one means of destruction only" artifact.

Now we know that means (I think), but I suspect it's going to be immune to fear and would rather suffer destruction than let Vatun be freed.

Current plan is to get a bard to cast "Glibness" into our ring of spell-storing and try to trick it with a +43 Bluff modifier. I was sort of hoping somebody would come up with a safer idea, though. Especially as the DM says we have to let it regenerate itself before it can talk to us.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm sure somewhere someone has published a 'control construct' spell. Maybe get a cleric with, like, the artifice domain (if it exists, I'm just talking out of my ass here) to command the axe? It has no hit dice, so that should be easy.

 

[billd91]

Intelligent items are treated as constructs and thus immune to mind affecting, so no.

I'm pretty nervous about this thing. It was able to influence Ms. 25th level even after being smashed, and from a distance.

All the suggested methods of destruction are futile. We have a Sphere of Annihilation if necessary, but this thing is a traditional "one means of destruction only" artifact.

Now we know that means (I think), but I suspect it's going to be immune to fear and would rather suffer destruction than let Vatun be freed.

Current plan is to get a bard to cast "Glibness" into our ring of spell-storing and try to trick it with a +43 Bluff modifier. I was sort of hoping somebody would come up with a safer idea, though. Especially as the DM says we have to let it regenerate itself before it can talk to us.

Good, effective interrogation is usually a long, drawn out process of building a relationship between the subjects. That's why, on TV shows, the characters usually resort to some form of intimidation. Trouble is, an axe is hard to intimidate.

I'd start finding out what it wants and then start offering to provide it in return for further information. Don't go directly for the main pieces you want but approach the topic a bit more elliptically, focus on related topics, tangents, and see if that helps you piece together enough clues to figure out the information you want.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Good, effective interrogation is usually a long, drawn out process of building a relationship between the subjects. That's why, on TV shows, the characters usually resort to some form of intimidation. Trouble is, an axe is hard to intimidate.

I'd start finding out what it wants and then start offering to provide it in return for further information. Don't go directly for the main pieces you want but approach the topic a bit more elliptically, focus on related topics, tangents, and see if that helps you piece together enough clues to figure out the information you want.

I think that's a reasonable tabletop suggestion, but this is a message board game. Extended exchanges can drag on forever. We kind of need to do a, "player posts PC speech", "DM posts NPC speech", "player posts PC speech," "DM posts NPC speech", "scene over" kind of thing.

Also, we're also in something of a time crunch. Like, let's talk to the axe today, free Vatun tomorrow, and roll on to fire giants the day after that, before the rampaging giant horde gets to Greyhawk.

 

[Odhanan]

When I saw the question I thought: This is an AWESOME idea!

I don't know, the concept of interrogating a magic item just rubs my imagination the right way. Definitely inspiring!