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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swarmkeeper" data-source="post: 9684987" data-attributes="member: 6921763">What [USER=11760]@Whizbang Dustyboots[/USER] said!Also... a secret gift:A Flame Tongue variant is found in a pile of loot discovered by the adventurers. Yeah, maybe a little too on the nose with the FLAMES card and, at some point, a flame tongue is found.  But you and I both know that players often miss the most obvious clues (and I'm definitely calling myself out here when I'm on the player side of the DM screen, too).I'm assuming said swashbuckler uses a sword of sorts... shortsword, rapier, scimitar etc... this flame tongue will be the same type.  I suppose there's no guarantee our specific PC will claim it nor is there a guarantee that anyone else in the party will either - but whatever happens is all part of the story.  If our specific PC claims it - or even if someone else in the party does so - then the fun begins.  The sword acts like a legit flame tongue sword complete with the command word and the shedding of the light and the extra fire damage.  But it is also cursed and sentient. The curses do not manifest right away, however, and any school of magic associated with any characteristics of the curse are undetectable until they manifest.  It will take some in-game time for the sword to "awaken" and start applying curse effects.  Until then, it is a "normal" flame tongue.  A week?  A moon cycle?  Pick a time frame that makes sense in your campaign.A few curse/detriment/benefit ideas that kick in individually, or in bunches, over time:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword allows the devil in question to scry on the party (perhaps would require an upcast detect magic or similar to realize the divination magic within the sword)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword is sentient, knows Infernal, and communicates sporadically through cryptic dreams with its wielder (although the wielder may not realize these dreams are not natural)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword does double fire damage to demons and celestials (not revealed until such a creature takes damage)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword grants devil's sight to its wielder (again, not revealed explicitly... just the PC gets to see through magical at some point)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword grants resistance to fire damage to its wielder (yep... will just need to be discovered)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">holy water within 10' of the wielder is denatured</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">attacking with any other weapon other than the sword is done with disadvantage</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the wielder suffers 3 levels of exhaustion when more than 30' away from the sword (wielding it again removes the exhaustion completely)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">attunement cannot be broken except via wish or a 7th+ level upcast remove curse or greater restoration</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sword auto-misses any attack against the devil in question!</li> </ul></blockquote>

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