I made a few sentient items, and I’m curious to hear feedback on them.
Backlash
Whip, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
This whip is made of a strange silvery metal that seems to have a hint of a strange energy to it. It’s always visible in the metal, but what it actually is is unclear. It seems to be more visible when you attack with it, as it rushes up and down the length. The energy might be arcane in nature, and seems to pulse slightly even when not being used. You gain a + to attack rolls, which changes as you level, starting a +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Crackling Energy: Any attack with this whip deals 1d4 plus the wielder’s proficiency bonus in lightning damage as well as the usual damage.
Retaliate: Once per round, when its wielder takes damage, they can use their reaction to attack that person with Backlash, adding another 1d4 psychic damage to the attack. The person must be in melee range.
Sentience: Somehow, Backlash has recently developed sentience despite not originally being designed as a sentient weapon, likely due to the tinkering of a mage who possessed it. Its stats are 10 intelligence, 10 wisdom, and 10 charisma. The weapon can sense out to 60 feet, with dark vision. It can communicate telepathically by sharing its emotions, and its alignment is neutral good.
Purpose: The whip seeks to help people protect themselves.
Thorn
Handaxe, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
The hilt of this axe is made from magically strengthened wood, and is engraved with vines which carry a faint glow to them, emitting 5 feet of dim light that changes colors, making it a beautiful green light when in nature and a pure white light when in civilization, as well as a golden light in other locations. The blade is steel that never needs care, and sometimes seems to have a faint green hue to it. You gain a + to hit that changes as you level, starting at +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13
Sentience: The weapon is sentient, and has 18 wisdom, 10 intelligence, and 10 charisma. Thorn can sense out to 120 feet with both hearing, standard vision, plus tremorsense, and can speak common, undercommon, and sylvan. In addition, when talking to animals or plants, it can talk in emotions.
Purpose: This handaxe sees itself as a bridge between nature and civilization, and seeks to align the two. The weapon is true neutral, and can be very philosophical at times on what can be learned from nature’s adaptations to the urban environments. The axe is mostly patient with its wielder, but can get annoyed when its wielders don’t respect its desires.
Power Disabling: If its desires are not treated with any respect, the item will simply be a normal nonmagical handaxe until its demands are met.
Focus: While attuned, the wielder can use Thorn as a druidic focus, and is under the effects of the speak with animals spell.
Vines: Once per turn, as an action, the wielder can pick a target, who will fall under the effects of the entangle spell, unless they make a strength (athletics) check that beats either the wielder’s dc or a dc of 12 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus (8 + Thorn’s wisdom + wielder’s proficiency bonus). This can be done a number of times per long rest equal to the wielder’s proficiency bonus.
These next ones I’ve also asked about on a different forum, but didn’t get much feedback on:
Starlight
Longsword, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
This sword is made of elegantly crafted steel, coated with silver. The blade and hilt are intricately carved, and seem to catch the light and shine as though polished. The carvings on the blade are subtly reminiscent of the night sky, as it appears in star charts. The pommel of the blade contains an opal. In the darkness, the weapon glows faintly, emitting 10 feet of bright light and 10 more feet of dim light. This light can be suppressed or restored as a free action should you choose. If not restored before you take a short or long rest, it will do so then. You gain a + 1 to attack rolls, which increases to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Sentience: The blade is sentient, neutral in alignment. It possesses 18 intelligence, 14 charisma, and 10 wisdom. This sword has a hatred for idiocy, and is often at odds with its wielder, voicing snarky comments and insults. It speaks Common and Undercommon, and communicates through telepathy, both words and emotions. Starlight also speaks the languages its wielder does. This sword has hearing and darkvision out to 120 feet.
Biting Sarcasm: It casts vicious mockery as a reaction on the first person within 60 feet who rolls a nat 1 on an attack roll or skill check, including the wielder. It is speaking aloud, unless it does not share a language, in which case it uses telepathy. Starlight’s DC for this is 12 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus. The damage scales with the level of its wielder, the same way normal vicious mockery works. It does this once each round, targeting the first person to roll a 1 that round each time it does so. It can only target one person per round, and does not distinguish between friend and foe when it does this.
Cutting Wit: At level 7, it adds 1d6 psychic damage to the base attack. At level 13, this scales to 2d6, and starts to add proficiency bonus to it.
Purpose: Starlight was created to defeat a particular foe, a warlord who had suppressed education and intellectual studies in his realm, but that warlord died of old age before it could be used against them. As such, the sword now seeks to destroy those who limit the spread of knowledge.
Bound Attunement: The sword cannot unattune itself, though the wielder can do so with ease.
Dawnseeker
Warhammer, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement by a being of lawful alignment)
This warhammer appears golden along, and reflects the light like a prism along the hammer head. It glows brilliantly, emitting 25 feet of bright light and 25 feet of dim light. The light cannot be suppressed. You gain a + to attack and damage rolls, which changes as you level, starting a +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Sentience: Dawnseeker is sentient, with 18 charisma, 14 intelligence, and 10 wisdom. It is lawful neutral, but thinks itself lawful good. Dawnseeker speaks common, celestial, and all languages its wielder speaks, along with telepathy that allows it to express emotions. The weapon has hearing and standard vision out to 30 feet.
Purity Of Sacrifice: While attuned, you can choose once per turn to sacrifice 1d10 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus in hitpoints to add the same amount in radiant damage to a successful attack roll. This can kill the wielder, and has done so before. If the attack does not hit, neither the wielder nor target are affected. At level 13, the damage die for this increases to 2d10.
Purpose: This warhammer seeks to destroy evil, but it doesn’t quite understand that good and the law are not the same thing, and so it really seeks to destroy chaos. It has a friendly and social personality, gets attached to its wielders quickly, and does not remember past wielders while attuned. While unattuned, it mourns past wielders greatly, which is why it was crafted to forget them while attuned. Dawnseeker prefers to speak only to the wielder and the wielder’s friends and family, using emotional telepathy to communicate with all other beings.
Unattunement: Should the wielder’s alignment change to no longer be lawful, the item will unattune itself.
I’m curious to hear what you guys think. Sorry if it’s a little long, there are 4 items in there.
Backlash
Whip, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
This whip is made of a strange silvery metal that seems to have a hint of a strange energy to it. It’s always visible in the metal, but what it actually is is unclear. It seems to be more visible when you attack with it, as it rushes up and down the length. The energy might be arcane in nature, and seems to pulse slightly even when not being used. You gain a + to attack rolls, which changes as you level, starting a +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Crackling Energy: Any attack with this whip deals 1d4 plus the wielder’s proficiency bonus in lightning damage as well as the usual damage.
Retaliate: Once per round, when its wielder takes damage, they can use their reaction to attack that person with Backlash, adding another 1d4 psychic damage to the attack. The person must be in melee range.
Sentience: Somehow, Backlash has recently developed sentience despite not originally being designed as a sentient weapon, likely due to the tinkering of a mage who possessed it. Its stats are 10 intelligence, 10 wisdom, and 10 charisma. The weapon can sense out to 60 feet, with dark vision. It can communicate telepathically by sharing its emotions, and its alignment is neutral good.
Purpose: The whip seeks to help people protect themselves.
Thorn
Handaxe, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
The hilt of this axe is made from magically strengthened wood, and is engraved with vines which carry a faint glow to them, emitting 5 feet of dim light that changes colors, making it a beautiful green light when in nature and a pure white light when in civilization, as well as a golden light in other locations. The blade is steel that never needs care, and sometimes seems to have a faint green hue to it. You gain a + to hit that changes as you level, starting at +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13
Sentience: The weapon is sentient, and has 18 wisdom, 10 intelligence, and 10 charisma. Thorn can sense out to 120 feet with both hearing, standard vision, plus tremorsense, and can speak common, undercommon, and sylvan. In addition, when talking to animals or plants, it can talk in emotions.
Purpose: This handaxe sees itself as a bridge between nature and civilization, and seeks to align the two. The weapon is true neutral, and can be very philosophical at times on what can be learned from nature’s adaptations to the urban environments. The axe is mostly patient with its wielder, but can get annoyed when its wielders don’t respect its desires.
Power Disabling: If its desires are not treated with any respect, the item will simply be a normal nonmagical handaxe until its demands are met.
Focus: While attuned, the wielder can use Thorn as a druidic focus, and is under the effects of the speak with animals spell.
Vines: Once per turn, as an action, the wielder can pick a target, who will fall under the effects of the entangle spell, unless they make a strength (athletics) check that beats either the wielder’s dc or a dc of 12 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus (8 + Thorn’s wisdom + wielder’s proficiency bonus). This can be done a number of times per long rest equal to the wielder’s proficiency bonus.
These next ones I’ve also asked about on a different forum, but didn’t get much feedback on:
Starlight
Longsword, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement)
This sword is made of elegantly crafted steel, coated with silver. The blade and hilt are intricately carved, and seem to catch the light and shine as though polished. The carvings on the blade are subtly reminiscent of the night sky, as it appears in star charts. The pommel of the blade contains an opal. In the darkness, the weapon glows faintly, emitting 10 feet of bright light and 10 more feet of dim light. This light can be suppressed or restored as a free action should you choose. If not restored before you take a short or long rest, it will do so then. You gain a + 1 to attack rolls, which increases to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Sentience: The blade is sentient, neutral in alignment. It possesses 18 intelligence, 14 charisma, and 10 wisdom. This sword has a hatred for idiocy, and is often at odds with its wielder, voicing snarky comments and insults. It speaks Common and Undercommon, and communicates through telepathy, both words and emotions. Starlight also speaks the languages its wielder does. This sword has hearing and darkvision out to 120 feet.
Biting Sarcasm: It casts vicious mockery as a reaction on the first person within 60 feet who rolls a nat 1 on an attack roll or skill check, including the wielder. It is speaking aloud, unless it does not share a language, in which case it uses telepathy. Starlight’s DC for this is 12 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus. The damage scales with the level of its wielder, the same way normal vicious mockery works. It does this once each round, targeting the first person to roll a 1 that round each time it does so. It can only target one person per round, and does not distinguish between friend and foe when it does this.
Cutting Wit: At level 7, it adds 1d6 psychic damage to the base attack. At level 13, this scales to 2d6, and starts to add proficiency bonus to it.
Purpose: Starlight was created to defeat a particular foe, a warlord who had suppressed education and intellectual studies in his realm, but that warlord died of old age before it could be used against them. As such, the sword now seeks to destroy those who limit the spread of knowledge.
Bound Attunement: The sword cannot unattune itself, though the wielder can do so with ease.
Dawnseeker
Warhammer, scales from rare to legendary (requires attunement by a being of lawful alignment)
This warhammer appears golden along, and reflects the light like a prism along the hammer head. It glows brilliantly, emitting 25 feet of bright light and 25 feet of dim light. The light cannot be suppressed. You gain a + to attack and damage rolls, which changes as you level, starting a +1, increasing to +2 at level 7, and +3 at level 13.
Sentience: Dawnseeker is sentient, with 18 charisma, 14 intelligence, and 10 wisdom. It is lawful neutral, but thinks itself lawful good. Dawnseeker speaks common, celestial, and all languages its wielder speaks, along with telepathy that allows it to express emotions. The weapon has hearing and standard vision out to 30 feet.
Purity Of Sacrifice: While attuned, you can choose once per turn to sacrifice 1d10 + the wielder’s proficiency bonus in hitpoints to add the same amount in radiant damage to a successful attack roll. This can kill the wielder, and has done so before. If the attack does not hit, neither the wielder nor target are affected. At level 13, the damage die for this increases to 2d10.
Purpose: This warhammer seeks to destroy evil, but it doesn’t quite understand that good and the law are not the same thing, and so it really seeks to destroy chaos. It has a friendly and social personality, gets attached to its wielders quickly, and does not remember past wielders while attuned. While unattuned, it mourns past wielders greatly, which is why it was crafted to forget them while attuned. Dawnseeker prefers to speak only to the wielder and the wielder’s friends and family, using emotional telepathy to communicate with all other beings.
Unattunement: Should the wielder’s alignment change to no longer be lawful, the item will unattune itself.
I’m curious to hear what you guys think. Sorry if it’s a little long, there are 4 items in there.
