Umbral Awn is a simple-looking dagger of the sort that a young martial adept might take to his fi rst academy. But although it appears relatively ordinary, closer observation reveals that it never seems to refl ect light of any sort.
Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 dagger; Cost 2,302 gp;
Weight 1 lb.
Omen: Using Umbral Awn causes a shadow to fall across the wielder’s face.
HISTORY
Umbral Awn exists as an example to others who might try to master the secrets of the Shadow Hand discipline.
Although the dagger can be a deadly weapon in trained hands, its legacy has forged a trail of death through its wielders. Those who perished did so because they tried to circumvent the training of the Shadow Hand disci-pline without understanding the true nature of its power.
Reshar presented Umbral Awn to the Shadow Master of the Temple of the Nine Swords as a gift, but also as a reminder of what happens to those who desire undeserved power. (DC 15)
The first bearer of Umbral Awn was Yustek, a confident, arrogant disciple of the Shadow Hand. He believed that his master was delaying his training on purpose, not real-izing that it was his own overconfidence that kept him from advancing. Frustrated with the stagnation in his progress, he thought long and hard about the meaning of the Shadow Hand. His unenlightened mind settled on the assumption that since its power was drawn from shadows, the best way to harness that power would be to channel Shadow itself. This line of thought led him to the incorrect conclusion that by joining with one of the
T h e N in e S w o rd s T h e N in e S w o rd s
undead creatures called shadows, he would gain limit-less power. Instead, his encounter with the shadow went as might be expected, with the creature draining away his strength and life. Yustek did become one with the shadow—in fact, he became a shadow himself—but he never achieved the power that he had expected. (DC 20;
Touch of Shadow)
The dagger was passed along to Maristev, an-other student of the Shadow Hand. The tale of Yustek’s demise served as a warning to him and others who might think they could gain mastery of this most dangerous of disciplines without proper training. But Maristev had his own muddled in-sights into the source of the discipline’s power.
He had noticed that the Shadow Hand school drew upon negative energy for many
of its most challenging maneuvers, and he rationalized that if he could just gain some firsthand knowledge of how negative energy worked, he
could analyze it to achieve his own mastery of the discipline. Since planar travel was well be-yond his means, he settled for what he felt to be the next best option—becoming a vampire.
With that goal in mind, Maristev set off on an expedition to subject himself to a vampire lord.
When he found the vampire and his minions, he proclaimed his desire to feel the power of negative energy. Pleased to oblige, the vampire lord ordered his spawn to attack. Maristev was soon drained dry by the vampire’s minions, but since no true vampire had played a part in his death, he did not rise as a vampire—he simply stayed dead. The vampire lord sent Maristev’s remains back to the Shadow Hand monastery to serve as a warning to others who might try to replicate his poor decision. (DC 25; Touch of Death)
With Maristev’s death, the dagger passed to another student named Kunwar. This novitiate was cer-tain that he knew the path to mastery, and that it simply required a bit of meditation within the
Plane of Shadow itself. Occasionally, when long journeys were required, the Shadow Hand masters asked allied wiz-ards to take them magically through the Plane of Shadow.
So Kunwar cajoled one of the masters into allowing him to go along on such an excursion. Once within the Plane of Shadow, Kunwar sneaked away from the master and the wizard, hoping to find a quiet spot to meditate. But when he stepped off the path, he quickly became lost. The Plane of Shadow isn’t the safest of places, and eventually Kunwar was trapped and killed by a nightshade. (DC 31;
Path of Shadow)
LEGACY RITUALS
Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Umbral Awn.
Touch of Shadow: You must suffer the touch of a shadow, then perform the ritual before the Strength damage is healed.
Cost: 1,500 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Umbral Awn).
Touch of Death: You must feel negative energy cours-ing through you by gaincours-ing a negative level. You must then perform the ritual before the negative level is removed. Only negative levels that have a chance of causing permanent level drain can be used for this ritual—enervation and similar spells do not work. Cost: 13,000 gp. Feat Grant-ed: Lesser Legacy (Umbral Awn).
Path of Shadow: The last ritual can be complet-ed only on the Plane of Shadow. You must overcome three encounters (drawn from the Random Encoun-ters list on page 152 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide or page 64 of Manual of the Planes) within a 4-hour period, then focus the energies of the plane into the blade using a ritual that takes 1 hour. Cost:
39,000 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Umbral Awn).
WIELDER REQUIREMENTS
Wielders of Umbral Awn see power hiding in the shadows. Most seekers of this shadow blade are rogues, assassins, or swordsages, but nearly all have the same goal—to kill without being seen.
Umbral Awn Wielder Requirements Base attack bonus +3
Weapon Proficiency (dagger) Hide 4 ranks
LEGACY WEAPON ABILITIES
All the following are legacy abilities of Umbral Awn.
Shadowcloak (Ex): When you fi rst unlock the least legacy of Umbral Awn at 5th level, the weapon improves your stealth. In the first round of an encounter, you can use the Hide skill to hide from any fl at-footed creatures as an immediate action, provided you have cover or concealment available within 10 feet of you.
You cannot use this ability to hide from creatures that are not fl at-footed unless you have some ability that allows you to hide in plain sight.
Sneak Attack (Ex): At 8th level, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage with Umbral Awn when you are fl anking an opponent or at any time when the target would be denied its Dexterity bonus. See the rogue class feature (PH 50). The extra damage from this ability stacks with that of sneak attack from other sources. When you attain 12th level, the sneak attack damage granted by Umbral Awn increases to +2d6, and when you attain 17th level, it increases again to +3d6.
Shadowhand (Ex): At 10th level, you are a deadly foe even when Umbral Awn is not in your hand. If you are unarmed and an opponent provokes an attack of opportunity, you can draw Umbral Awn as an immediate action and take that attack. The opponent that provoked the attack is considered fl at-footed against it.
Umbral Awn
Illus. by B. Trott
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Shadowstrike (Ex): When you attain 11th level, your connection to Umbral Awn and your mastery of the Shadow Hand discipline let you take greater advantage of flanking positions. If you are maintaining a Shadow Hand stance when you flank a target with an ally, you gain a +4 bonus on your attack rolls against that target, instead of the usual +2.
Invisibility (Sp): When you attain 16th level, Umbral Awn lets you meld into your own shadow. You can use invisibility at will, as the spell. Caster Level: 10th.
Shadowstep (Su): At 20th level, you unlock the fi nal legacy power of Umbral Awn, which grants you the ability to move as a shadow. Three times per day, as a swift action, you can become incorporeal until the beginning of your next turn (see the Incorporeal Subtype sidebar on page 79 for details).
Because Umbral Awn is a ghost touch weapon, you can still attack corporeal foes.
Table 6 –6: Umbral Awn
———Personal Costs———
Wielder Attack Fort Save Hit Point Legacy Level Penalty Penalty Loss Abilities
5th — — — Shadowcloak
6th –1 — — —
7th — –1 2 +1 ghost touch
dagger
8th — — 2 Sneak attack +1d6
9th — –2 — —
10th — — 2 Shadowhand
11th — — — Shadowstrike
12th — — — Sneak attack +2d6
13th –2 — — —
14th — — 2 +2 ghost touch
dagger
15th — –3 — —
16th — — 2 Invisibility
17th — — — Sneak attack +3d6
18th — — — —
19th — — — +2 speed ghost
touch dagger
20th — –4 2 Shadowstep
UNFETTERED (STONE DRAGON)
Although clearly functional, this greatsword appears strangely unfi nished. Its blade, though sharp, lacks any sheen or polish, and the leather-wrapped pommel and hand-guard appear crude and blocky. No gem or ornamentation of any kind adorns this weapon.
Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 greatsword; Cost 2,350 gp.
Omen: Until battle begins, Unfettered feels unusually heavy to anyone holding it. Once a threat presents itself, however, the blade feels as if it were an extension of the wielder’s arms.
In the hands of a goliath or other Medium character with a powerful build, Unfettered expands in size, becom-ing a Large greatsword. (Goliaths are described in Races of Stone.)
HISTORY
After spending years in slavery to a band of frost giants, an elderly dwarf weaponsmith named Thungrim was given a servant to do the heavy lifting around his forge. This servant, a goliath named Kanithiak Amunugathua, took quickly to the art of swordcrafting. Together, master and servant worked in secret for many months to create a special blade, which they named Unfettered. (DC 15)
The act of creating Unfettered gave Thungrim a measure of hope that he hadn’t known in many years. No slavemaster had commanded him to craft the weapon; indeed, if its existence had become known, grave punishment would certainly have been forthcoming. This quiet act of disobedience—along with the youthful exuberance of the goliath Kanithiak—gave Thungrim the will to survive despite backbreaking labor and mistreatment at the hands of his giant captors. (DC 18;
Unchain the Mind)
As Unfettered neared completion, the frost giants began to suspect that something was amiss. The overseer had expected Thungrim to grow too weak to operate his forge, but the dwarf seemed more vigorous each day. A close investigation of the forge revealed the nearly fi nished blade concealed under a pile of scrap metal. Both Thungrim and Kanithiak stood nearby, too exhausted to stop the giant from fi nding their treasure. But just as the cruel overseer swung the weapon at the goliath, Thungrim stepped into the sword’s arc, saving his friend from certain death. The dwarf fell at Kanithiak’s feet, the blade still planted in his dying body. In a rage, the goliath drew the weapon and attacked the overseer. Incred-ibly, he managed to slay the giant, then fl ee the encampment with the bloody blade still clutched in his hands. (DC 25;
Unbind the Hand)
In later years, Kanithiak became a mighty chieftain of a goliath tribe, but still he pondered what to do with the weapon he held. He considered awarding it to one of his captains, but he feared that jealousy over its ownership might cause strife within the tribe. But he knew that his days of leading the tribe were numbered, so he decided that he would prefer to leave on his own terms rather than be defeated by a youngster or (worse yet) sent away by a lamenter. So Kanithiak informed his people that he would undertake one last journey—he would spend three days in the wilderness communing with Kavaki the Ram-Lord and the other goliath gods.
So the great chieftain set out upon his solitary path. But to his surprise, the inspiration he sought came not from the gods, but from a mortal—a human warrior named Reshar, who was himself on a spiritual journey of enlight-enment. The two told each other their respective tales, and Kanithiak knew instantly that he had found the rightful inheritor of Unfettered. In a desolate mountain cave, the goliath presented Reshar with the weapon, entrusting him with its future. With his last task in life completed, Kanithiak lay down upon the cold stone. Now he would see his friend Thungrim again. Now his soul, irrevocably scarred by his early captivity, would truly be free. (DC 31;
Unshackle the Soul)
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LEGACY RITUALS
Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Unfettered.
Unchain the Mind: You must single-handedly craft a weapon worth at least 10 gp without pausing for sleep or meals, though drinking water is allowed. Cost: 2,500 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Unfettered).
Unbind the Hand: You must slay a giant whose Challenge Rating equals or exceeds your character level. Cost: 12,500 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Unfettered).
Unshackle the Soul: You must visit the fi nal resting place of Kanithiak the goliath, a cave that lies high on a distant and treacherous mountain peak. Once there, you must meditate uninterrupted for 24 hours. Cost: 45,000 gp. Feat Granted:
Greater Legacy (Unfettered).
WIELDER REQUIREMENTS
Martial adepts of all kinds can learn to wield Unfet-tered with little effort. Barbarians and fi ghters also fi nd the weapon to their liking, though cross-class skill purchasing is required.
Unfettered Wielder Requirements Base attack bonus +3
Weapon Proficiency (greatsword) Balance 4 ranks
LEGACY WEAPON ABILITIES
All the following are legacy abilities of Unfettered.
Charging Minotaur (Ex): At 5th level, you can use the charging minotaur maneuver (see page 81) fi ve times per day, as if you knew it. If you already know charging minotaur, you gain a +2 bonus on the Strength check made to bull rush your opponent when using that maneuver.
Strength Enhancement (Su): Beginning at 9th level, you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to your Strength score as long as you hold Unfettered.
This bonus improves to +4 at 13th level, and to +6 at 17th level.
Enlarge (Sp): When you attain 10th level, you can increase your size as if you had cast enlarge person on yourself. This effect works regardless of your creature type and is usable once per day on command. Caster level 5th.
Meld into Stone (Sp): Beginning at 12th level, you can meld your body and possessions into a single block of stone, as if you had cast the meld into stone spell on yourself. During the fi rst round after you
step out of the stone, you gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls made as part of any Stone Dragon strike.
This ability is usable once per day. Caster level 10th.
Light Fortifi cation (Su): When you attain 16th level, any critical hit or sneak attack scored on you while you hold Unfettered has a 25% chance to be negated.
The damage is instead rolled normally in this case.
Stoneskin (Sp): At 19th level, you gain the ability to use stoneskin on yourself once per day while you are in a Stone Dragon stance. The damage reduction granted by this effect replaces any damage reduction normally granted by the stance. The effect ends as soon as you are no longer in a Stone Dragon stance, or whenever its duration would normally expire, whichever comes fi rst.
Caster level 13th.
Disembodied Blade (Su): At 20th level, you can transform Unfettered into a shimmering blade of pure force that hovers in the air. This effect is the equivalent of Mordenkainen’s sword, except that the blade uses your base attack bonus + your Strength bonus + its own en-hancement bonus on attack rolls. It deals 4d6+5 points of damage plus 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus. Unfet-tered remains in this form for up to 17 rounds, though you can dismiss the effect earlier as a swift action, there-by returning the blade to your hands, or to your feet if
your hands are full. This ability is usable once per day.
Caster level 17th.
Unfettered
Table 6 –7: Unfettered
———Personal Costs———
Wielder Attack Ref Save Hit Point Legacy Level Penalty Penalty Loss Abilities
5th — — — Charging minotaur
6th –1 — — —
7th — –1 2 +2 greatsword
8th — — 2 —
9th — –2 — Strength
enhancement +2
10th — — 2 Enlarge
11th — — — +3 greatsword
12th — — — Meld into stone
13th –2 — — Strength
enhancement +4
14th — — 2 —
15th — –3 — +4 greatsword
16th — — 2 Light fortification
17th — — — Strength
enhancement +6
18th — — — +5 greatsword
19th — — — Stoneskin
20th — –4 2 Disembodied blade
Illus. by B. Trott