Should I, or should I not (you be the DM)

[The Ghost]

You don't think it would seem like a "pushover" move if I allowed him to find info about the abandoned sword?

Only if you make success (finding/reforging the sword) too easy. Here is what I would do:

(I voted "No" but it actually is a "Yes, if...")

I would start by using Engilbrand's setup. It shows the PCs just how powerful the shards of this artifact can be. Plus, it is just a really cool idea (And one that I will definately use in my game). Make the encounter challenging.

From there the PCs have a choice to make: Reforge the weapon or destroy it? They have seen what it can do just by laying around. And they have a good idea of what it does reforged. Since it is an artifact it cannot just be destroyed in a smelter - it must be cast into the depths of the Abyss. Likewise, it cannot be reforged by any old blacksmith - it must be reforged by an undead in a temple to Orcus! In either case many rituals are required. These are things the PCs must research to find out. Have them learn a little more about what they need to do each time they return to town. And let them know that if they make a mistake the rituals could summon an Aspect of Orcus!

 

[DEFCON 1]

First of all... a point to be made about this Sword of yours.

If this is truly an "artifact" as you claim... and the damn thing breaks on every 20th swing... then that's a property of the item and not just "something that happens". Obviously, the point of the Sword's existance IS TO BREAK at various unopportune times, thereby making the wielder think it's worthless. If you follow the artifact creation rules, you'll see that if a character and the artifact grow further apart on their morals and beliefs, the artifact gets worse in terms of its abilities. So I would say that the reason the Sword Of Orcus breaks is because the wielder IS NOT the kind of person the artifact wants to be used by. Of course it doesn't want to be used by some goody-two-shoes adventurer! It is the weapon of the Demon Lord of Undeath. Its no wonder it allows itself to break in half when being used by your player (or all the other so-called adventuers who have found it over the preceeding centuries). If it truly breaks every 20th swing... then this has probably occured several hundred times over the course of it's existance.

Thus, everyone's ideas of the sword finding a new owner is a good one. That's probably what the Sword is looking for... an owner whose personality is more in sync with its own. When that occurs, perhaps the odds of it breaking grow less... so it's not on a Natural 1, but maybe two Natural 1s in a row. Or eventually as they grow more in sync, three Nat 1s. And if the owner and artifact are in complete agreement, there's no chance of breakage.

So based on the fact you created this Sword specifically to break on a 1 in 20 chance... you obviously did not intend for the party to have it for any length of time. So now that they realize that they had it but lost it... it's time to put it back into play by giving it to a new owner... someone who does what the artifact wants, and who the party now has to face in order to reclaim.

And forget the fact that you're afraid your party might think you a so-called "pushover". You're the DM. As they say in improvisation... you DON'T make mistakes, unless you actually admit that you did. As far as your players know... you fully intended for them to break the sword, think it's worthless, throw it away, and realize their mistake and want to back for it. It's only if you admit to them that you messed up your plot a bit by making the Sword not important enough for them to hold onto that they might start thinking they can keep getting away with stuff.

A DM doesn't make mistakes when it comes to plot, unless he actually announces it to his players. Anything that occurs in the story that the DM didn't expect, is now part of the story's canon... and it's your job as DM to pretend like you expected it the entire time and roll with what has occured.

 

[MrMyth]

Finding/recovering the pieces (now scattered) and getting it back together could be a major arc of a campaign - To me, this is the perfect setup for such a grand undertaking! I mean, this all played out naturally but you could not have set it up any better imo.

This. The situation is a perfect setup for a grand quest to find and recover the pieces of the sword. I think that could be a great approach to take.

I think, regardless of what you choose happens, that there is room here for something cool. Simply having the sword be lost somewhere and never found again - I don't think that would add much to the game. Providing an opportunity for some cool events that led directly from the PC's actions - that is always a good thing!

 

[Mark]

I agree that finding part of it, perhaps the hilt, should be easy enough (though taking it might be difficult), and finding the rest of it (if they decide to pursue it) should be a series of fun, difficult adventures. Good luck!

 

[Dausuul]

Give him the chance to find it, but you don't have to make it easy to find.

This.

I'm with Engilbrand. You throw the fragments of an artifact belonging to the Demon Prince of Undeath into a room with a bunch of corpses, they aren't gonna stay corpses very long. I say every one of those corpses is now a powerful undead of some kind, and each is carrying a fragment of the sword.

 

[Oryan77]

A DM doesn't make mistakes when it comes to plot, unless he actually announces it to his players. Anything that occurs in the story that the DM didn't expect, is now part of the story's canon... and it's your job as DM to pretend like you expected it the entire time and roll with what has occured.

Very good bit of advice. I'll remember that, thanks

I think what I'm going to do is allow the PC to find 1 piece of the sword. If he pockets it, it'll work out better. If not, I'll think of another way to weave this plot device into his life.

I'll create an NPC that figures out what one of the broken sword parts are and he's driven to recover the remaining parts (they will now be spread across the planes in various hands). If the PC keeps the piece he found, he'll eventually encounter this NPC. I've been wanting a reason to have the PC be involved in this PCs village, so maybe they get news that this NPC attacked the village looking for the PC. I can eventually have a run-in with him and when they kill him they find a notebook on him with the info the NPC found about where other pieces might be. Then the PC can go on a treasure hunt.

I'll think it through more, but you guys have given some good suggestions. And the votes say that I should go with it

I'm with Engilbrand. You throw the fragments of an artifact belonging to the Demon Prince of Undeath into a room with a bunch of corpses, they aren't gonna stay corpses very long. I say every one of those corpses is now a powerful undead of some kind, and each is carrying a fragment of the sword.

I really like that idea too. I may play off of it. I just need to figure out how and why a bunch of undead drow left the Vault of the Drow and where they'd go (and why they'd go there). Good stuff.

 

[Herschel]

1. The Sword of Orcus, Demon Prince of Undeath, broke on the chest of a slave.
2. The slave was killed.
3. The pieces of the broken sword were put into a closet with the dead slave.

I'm going to throw out what I see as the obvious answer: The Sword's magical powers of Undeath reanimated the slave and gave him immense power. He's no longer what he was. Bring him back as a Revenant or some type of Undead and give him a bunch of cool powers. Maybe Orcus invaded his body and is taking a more active role in things. The player can get back the Sword when he takes it from the cold, dead hands of a Demonic/Undead ex-slave and his army.

What he said.

 

[aboyd]

All he knew is that it was a +3 sword that would break if the wielder rolls a natural 1 on an attack.

Hmm. Perhaps this is the power gamer in me, or the rules lawyer, or I don't know what... but if it were me, I'd have the drow rebuild it and give it to an NPC with the "Better Lucky Than Good" feat (which converts natural 1s into natural 20s, so the weapon could be used against the players reliably without any risk of breaking).

 

[Oryan77]

Well the PC did indeed make an effort to find the broken sword in the Fane of Lolth. He found only a piece of the blade and searched a few rooms for the other parts, but got into a fight with a Drow Priestess and then high-tailed it out of the building when she yelled out for help.

One of the other PCs kept the chunk of the blade. So now I'll give some thought on where to go next with this plot device.

 

[Ktulu]

I'd let him find one small piece of it -- maybe just a sliver of the shattered blade -- but no more.

Then, if he really wants, let him hunt for the remaining pieces. Perhaps the piece he has, like a dousing rod, can vaguely lead the way to the other bits. By the time he finds them, they've all been incorporated into new magic items...

A jewel from the pommel now adorns a magical ring. The greater part of the blade has been reforged into the studs on a suit of enchanted studded leather armor. A handful of small shards have been threaded through as a magical necklace. The leather straps used to wrap the hilt are now the laces for a pair of magical boots. And so on...

So now that he's gone through all the trouble of finding the parts, he has a tough choice: Keep the collected remade magic items? Or destroy them to reforge the sword?

I didn't hear what edition you're using, but if you're using 4e and have DMG 2, you could refluff the Rod of 7 Parts into this broken blade. Each one directs you to the next piece, and gets more powerful as each is put together. Add Weem's bit about the shards corrupting the current wielders and you have a pretty epic story on its own.