Scepter of Dying Leaves

Scepter of Dying Leaves – One Handed Magic Scepter

Ego- 8

Stats- 1d4+2 Bludgeoning Damage

Created and wrapped in an elvish glamour, this magical item represents the dying of Autumn, the end of things, but also the unchanging laws of the wild and the magic within. To claim the scepter is no easy feat, as scant few Elf-Lords have managed to create one themselves. The scepter is somehow a legendary item that “dies” eventually, so creating a new one is either the creation of a legendary item or the revival of another one, it blurs the line between the two.

While holding the scepter, the person with it in their power is lord of the forest. As the Scepter can only be made and used in Autumn, this limits your time as lord of the forest to that season in fall. The “Lord of the Forest” is King and Commander of all animals, spirits, fairies, elves (begrudgingly), and Old Trolls (treacherously) within the forest it is made. They must obey your commands as Hirelings with 10 Loyalty, adding your normal Charisma modifier for any rolls to stretch their obedience. Those who are abused by the Lord or are broken in morale are immune to the Scepter for the rest of that Scepter's lifespan. There is no protection against these beings bending the rules, or leaving the forest to avoid the wrath or commands of an unworthy tyrant.

The Scepter has magic powers. Beyond the command over the Forest, the Forest can command the plants. Trees which are losing their leaves are affected by this power, but evergreens, fungi, and so forth are immune. Motioning with the scepter can command a tree or group of trees to get up and move, swing branches, shake to loose someone climbing in them, etc. There is no limit to how often this power can be used. You can also forces the trees to shake and give off their last mana- the leaves on the tree turn glowing orange and fall down as bright glowing energy which if scooped up and pressed or preserved can become a minor source of magical energy, flavored after nature magic and the coming of Winter. Additionally, anyone struck by the Scepter who is over 80 years old must make a saving throw vs death, or die. Those killed by the Scepter in this way have their bodies disappear when nobody is looking, reappearing only underneath the biggest suitable pile of leaves nearby. Whenever this Scepter is used during an Elf-War, hundreds of Elf corpses are found in silent, standing gravestones from this power; the Scepter is a formidable weapon against the immortal.

The Scepter has a very powerful Ego. As such, warriors or beings who attempt to even touch it who are UNDER 3^rd level must make a saving throw vs paralysis or be turned into a wooden statue of twigs and roots, their body destroyed despite the plants keeping their likeness. If you are EQUAL TO OR OVER 3^rd level but still lack the Ego to claim this weapon fully, then instead it causes accelerated aging of 1d6 years for the Season you claim it. Additionally, using the power of this scepter means the creatures and beings of the woods will only obey you once, and then they become immune to your commands or aura of authority until the Scepter is remade or claimed by a worthy person. Ego weapons require the character's level/HD to be equal to the Ego of the weapon or higher to be fully claimed- In this weapon's case, the Weapon has no class alliegence and only reacts to character level in total, with Elves getting a +2 bonus to their level for the purposes of this weapon's Ego.

Finally, the Scepter dies. At the first snowflake of winter, the first light of the first day of spring, or the first butterfly of summer; the wilting on the scepter accelerates to becoming nothing but black dust in 2d6 days. While Winter always follows Fall, magical shenanigans or traveling to strange lands with unusual seasons can attempt to preserve the scepter beyond its normal time. Some Elf Lands are still ruled by immortal Autumn-Lords the tyrants placing a magical spell over the land to keep it in that falling time of year forever, ruling with an eternal scepter.

The Flaming Veil

The Flaming Veil – Magic Veil

Ego- 7

Stats- +2 AC, Fire Immunity, Reserve Weapon, Protection from Deserts, Flaming Breath

The Flaming Veil is a very powerful magical artifact. It is mostly worn by women, as men would think it to be a bit effeminate, but the object has no preference one way or the other. It can only be wielded by those with a powerful Ego. It appears as a gilded, lightweight silvery veil worn over the nose and lower half of the face, with a golden border where it is slipped on. It is made of a foreign metal; so lightweight to be as the finest silks but indestructible.

The Veil has several powers. It grants a bonus protection of +2 AC, and immunity to fire based spells, attacks, and dragon breath. It also grants protection from the desert heat and climate. You can ride a camel around naked all day and your skin will be flawless; no burns or heat from the sand or sun. It also makes it much easier to stay hydrated since you will not feel the intense heat and need to drink only a normal amount of water to survive in the desert lands where it is found.

Secondly, it has the power to draw forth a weapon from fiery ash out of nothing. Whenever the user holds out their hand, they can call forth a weapon they have burnt to ash whenever they wish. This weapon must be fully destroyed by fire, so it is usually reserved to be used with wooden or bone weapons; quarterstaves and bone knives are popular. This weapon is held in an extra-dimensional space until it is needed, and cannot be detected or destroyed.

Finally, the magical veil grants the power of fire breath. By pulling back the veil you can emit a torrent of flame in melee range that deals 2d6 fire damage. Enemies do not get a saving throw nor does armor (AC) grant any protection from this attack. However, enemies who know it is coming may attempt to attack you first to interrupt you when they see you reaching for the veil to pull it back. This power can be used once every dawn or dusk when it recharges. When this power is ready, the veil glows slightly orange, so enemy combatants will know to keep their distance when the flame is hot.

This Veil punishes those who are unworthy and attempt to use it very harshly. First, anyone who picks up or thinks of wearing the Veil will feel a wave of apprehension before doing so, making them feel as they are too uncouth or unworthy to wear it. Forcing yourself to wear it anyway causes the Veil to become red hot moments after being placed on your face, burning a very fine crosshatched pattern into your lips and cheeks- this permanent disfigurement requires strong magic to remove and deals 1d6 damage per round you keep it on your face while burning. 
The culture that remembers this magical artifact even has a name for this mark, which is ascribed to mark people who try to claim powers beyond their control. The word is 'majnundjinn' which means “fool who tries to wish for more wishes”.

Helm of Two Waters

Helm of Two Waters

Ego- 5

Stats- Magical Metal Helmet, +3 AC when worn

The Helm of Two Waters is a magical helmet. It's made of a smooth, cool unknown metal with a blueish tint, and is imbued with the magic of water. It has a moderate Ego score. Those who attempt to use the helmet's powers without enough fighting spirit (at least a 5^th level fighter, or twice that level as a semi-fighting class) will find the rest of their equipment melting away and turning into fresh spring water or sickly foamy salt water, 50% chance of each. Also, each day it is worn by an unworthy person they must make a save or they will attempt to throw the helmet against their will into the largest body of water nearby.

The helmet is protective and adorned with seven mystic pearls. The central pearl is larger and more portent then the others. The metal of the helmet is quite strong, granting +3 AC, and is made of metals found only deep within the darkest ocean and forged by the mightiest river. The helmet is magically powerful and tied to both types of water; the fresh water of the spring, river, and lake as well as the salt water of the ocean. Brackish water from swamps and river deltas is considered half effective for the purposes of the helmets powers, where as unnatural water such as lakes and oceans in the skies or within other realms is simply not applicable with the helmet's powers.

When used near a source of fresh water, the Helmet can be used to commune with the creatures native to the biome. All creatures that spend most of their time near or in fresh water, like otters, river fish, crocodiles and so on have a +1 to reaction checks while you wear the helmet. Also by using the magic of the helmet, you can automatically succeed on checks regarding to keeping your footing and avoiding being swept away by a river or strong current. By focusing the helmet's power, you can also use the river or lake's force to propel yourself along, the sucking current taking other objects along with you. This power can be used once per day per pearl remaining inside the helmet. You can hold your breath underwater for up to 8 turns in a body of fresh water.

When used near a source of salt water, the Helmet can be used to commune with the creatures native to the biome. All ocean fish, whales, dolphins, and other sea-based life have a +1 to reaction checks while you wear the helmet. Additionally, you may summon a creature of the ocean with a maximum HD equal to or less then the number of pearls remaining in the helmet; summoned creatures can be only be called with an offering and are not bound to the wearer's will in any way, they must be appeased and bribed as any other creature. This power can only be used once per adventure. Also while wearing the helmet in ocean water, you swim as fast as a dolphin while in a body of salt water.

The pearls in the helmet are also magical. By extracting them with the proper tools and knowledge, which might require the hands of a Sage of level equal to this item's Ego (5) to extract. The pearls can be magically induced to turn into a cart-full of fresh drinking water, or pollute a body of water the size of a pond into salt water. The pearls can also be inserted into other items; using the pearl in a piece of jewelry grants +1 to saving throws related to swimming or drowning in the appropriate body of water, which is determined when the item is crafted. If put into a weapon, they can be used underwater without penalty, such as a sword which swings as well underwater as above it. Pearls used this way do not return, but over the item's long history new magical pearls found in lakes and the ocean have been a perfect match to replace the ones that are used by the Helmet's owners.

The Spear of Secrets

The Spear of Secrets – Greater Magic Spear

Ego- 8

Damage- 1d8 + 3

The Spear of Secrets is a magical spear. It is much more powerful then most weapons; giving it a +3 to both to hit and damage. The long face of its tip is painted with purple runes, its shaft made of a lightweight silver-ish metal.

Every round you do not make a direct attack with the Spear, you begin to fade. If you get multiple attacks, giving up an attack lets you fade one stage. You also get to begin fading or continue to fade by doing a “fighting retreat” or a defensive fighting option, or when you bark orders to others or reposition yourself as it doesn't count for an attack. If you get a surprise round this combat, you can use it to fade all the way.

The first time you fade, you are considered 50% faded. Fade is similar to invisibility, but having some elements of become quieter, less physically present, lightweight, and even more forgettable. At 50% fade, enemies get -2 to hit against you as though you were in dim light against people without darkvision, and this is further compounded if you are actually in a hard to see environment. You also get +2 to saves against Area of Effect spells and attacks. The second time you fade, you are 90% faded, and almost impossible to see. Attacking now would count as attacking from stealth. Nobody can attack you directly unless they guess where you are, or you are covered in something like snow or blood that marks your location- also, methods to see the invisible work on you here, despite you still seeming a bit incomplete or transparent. You are ethereal enough to only take 1 damage from regular weapons and attacks; only magic weapons can harm you worse then this. You are also considered to automatically succeed on saving throws vs area of effect spells or attacks, walking right through walls of flames and ignoring inclement manifestations.

If you fade for three rounds in a row; you are considered 100% faded. When this happens; you are essentially intangible to attacks and creatures and can move through them- you could step directly into a sword swing or the path of an arrow- there is a 1 in 20 chance for it to hit you if you are truly overwhelmed in your position, such as standing in front of a barrage of arrow fire. You are also so lightweight that you can walk on branches and water freely, and with giving no indication you are there, and make great leaps to higher places or on flying mounts to reach their warriors, though you cannot truly fly in this form. Things like snow or dust or paint don't stick to you anymore either, you lack the physical form, so there is no way to spot you. You are considered 90% invisible against those with true sight or forms of extrasensory abilities. You can essentially get anywhere on the battlefield once you are fully faded, and can reappear when you choose where you choose- people will also lose all track of your movements and be unable to predict where you are headed, somewhat due to forgetting you were there and faded away. This grants you a free, automatic hitting attack when you decide to reappear. You could also just to reappear in a dramatic place or pose anyway, such as with your knife against the enemy's throat, to threaten them.

This weapon has an extremely strong ego; it can only be wielded by high level fighters. Level 8 fighters can wield this weapon without Charisma modifiers. Rogues of 10^th level (count as being able to use 5 Ego weapons and below) could only wield this weapon if they had a positive Charisma modifier along with other bonuses; such as secret destinies or special items that reduced the Ego of other items. Anyone who tries to use this weapon without being able to match the Ego will find themselves fully fading in three rounds, with the weapon dropping to the ground. The person will reappear confused and disoriented up to 1d4 hours later, some distance away from where they tried to use the spear. People with a lesser Ego could still hold or carry the spear, but will find it fading away over the years as it attempts to find a more powerful master.

This weapon has another power; the whispering. While it works better with those who can beat the Ego, the weapon always does this in quiet places and at night. The weapon whispers softly to whoever it holding it; hinting at secrets. You have a 1 in 6 chance to hear something useful related to whatever you're meditating on.

Finally; even those who beat the impressive Ego of this weapon it still has side effects. The longer one holds, fights with, and uses this weapon, the more they fade permanently. For the first 5 years, there is no negative effects. Each year after, the holder of the weapon fades by 1d4%. This kind of fading makes them slightly less physically substantial, and while not being noticeable for a while, they will eventually become specter like and mildly intangible, only able to be fully physically present after eating a large meal or with some concentrated effort. The shade will also become less memorable to people, their name passing more and more into legend, even if they were famous. Eventually; the person ceases to be on this realm, instead working in some sort of abstract space, becoming a full shade that only appears rarely on the physical world to some inscrutable end. They will fully appear to perform one action or to alter the course of history, and then fade into nothing before your eyes.

The Gestalt Gladius

The Gestalt Gladius- Magic Short Sword

Ego- 2

Damage- 1d6 or class damage

This magic iron Gladius shines with an unusual orange glow when being used in combat or meditation. When fully “ignited”, it burns with a harmless, bright orange flame. The blade itself is reflective and makes the magical glow stand out even more. The handle of the sword is wrapped in a red fabric, which appears to have been added after the original handle was damaged or destroyed.

The Gladius does not seem especially powerful at first, until its user meditates with it. Once claimed, a single exploration turn of meditation can allow the user of the weapon to attune it to any stat of the users choosing. The chosen stat of the user is then what the weapon uses to determine its bonus to hit and damage. For example, a very focused, bright man with a weak sword arm could attune the Gladius to his mind and Intelligence modifier instead of using his brute Strength.

Additionally; whenever the Gladius slays a foe of at least 1 HD in combat, it “ignites”, which increases the user's attuned stat by +1 for 3 combat rounds as long as they hold the blade. This means someone using the Gladius and attuning it to their speed would become even faster and gain the normal bonus to AC from having an improved Dexterity modifier of +1 to their current modifier. Additional kills after the first just restart the timer, extending the duration.

The Gladius has a weak Ego. Even so, it doesn't abide by weaklings. Anyone who doesn't meet the Ego score of the weapon can still use, attune, and ignite the blade through killing, but on any attack roll of 1 the Gladius will switch its attuned modifier to the user's LOWEST stat instead.

ASU- Combat

Last time I wrote about my homebrew ASU I gave the overly story game, narrative version of the combat system. While I'm still a fan of it I also have come to appreciate numerical systems of combat more, and can understand why many would want a more structured game. For both myself and others, I have an alternate set of rules for my basic rule system that works a little better for a tabletop game.

Combat Rules

Every round, each character must roll their class HD as their initiative dice. Higher numbers go first. If they roll a 6 or higher, they get advantage on their attack roll. If they roll a 10 or higher, they can either choose to deal double damage on their attack if they hit OR attack two separate enemies. Sages use d6, Rogues use d8, and Fighters use d10 for their combat dice.

To hit, roll 1d20 vs target's AC. Enemies have a base AC of 10 + modifiers from the creature itself, environmental elements like darkness, and fear or morale penalties. AC above 16 is meant to be very rare to avoid fights taking too long. On a hit, you roll your class die for damage. Sages deal 1d6 damage with all weapons, Rogues 1d8, and Fighters 1d10. You can only roll damage like this if you are armed with a real, functional weapon. Broken or improvised weapons may deal reduced damage, and unarmed attacks may deal only 1 damage or no damage at all. Weapons can be differentiated by weapon training, or by using the fiction. Skeletons still can't be hurt by arrows and such. Two handed weapons get to roll your damage die twice and taking the bigger result.

Hit Dice Rules

Characters roll their class HD at 1^st level and once every level after. Your minimum starting HP is 2, so if you roll a 1 you count it as a 2 instead for first level only. For every point of Constitution modifier, you roll additional hit dice each level and take the highest for positive or lowest for negative. This incentives players to consider playing as a Fighter if they roll high constitution as opposed to a Wizard in traditional D&D, as they will get much more out of that swingy d10 and take highest then much smaller range of the Sage's d6.

Monsters also use HD. Creatures with 10 HD are considered the most powerful, as the players cap at level 10. Monsters also use their number of HD as their initiative, meaning a highly powerful monster gets to go first more often. Some monsters break this rule, very fast creatures may be able to always go first or very slow creatures may always go last regardless of their HD. If a player exploits a monster's weakness or uses a hex to lower its HD temporarily, this would also lower its initiative and other tacked-on features of high HD, such as resistance to spells and so on.

Armor Rules

Each class has a maximum AC. Sages have 12, Rogues 14, and Fighters 16. Each piece of armor, dexterity bonus, weapon specialization bonus, and magical bonuses count towards but cannot exceed this limit. This means a very dexterous Fighter highly trained with parrying swords could wear no armor but yet have maximum AC, and a Sage could reach their maximum AC by just putting on gloves and a helmet.

There is also no class based armor restrictions; Sages can wear heavy metal plates if they choose, but their AC is still capped at 12 and each point of AC gained from heavy armor gives -1 to combat saves, so they will opt for something like a gambeson instead. This system does allow more freedom for characters overall; as an MU can now totally wear the metal skullcap that lets him see invisible creatures and, if it gives him maximum AC, can just wear robes for the rest of his outfit.

Ego Weapons

Magic weapons can seemingly have a mind of their own. They demand to be wielded by powerful warriors, and those without the skill or power to use them will be betrayed. Magic weapons have an Ego score which is the minimum point total the user must have to avoid being negatively impacted by the weapon or to avoid waking up one morning with the weapon vanished to find a worthy master.

Ego points are calculated by the user's class and charisma modifier. Each level as a Fighter class get +1 ego point, half fighters get +½ point per level, and non-fighting classes get no points. Each positive point of charisma modifier counts as +1 Ego point. If you meet the weapon's Ego score, you will not receive the negative impacts of the weapon or be betrayed by it when you need it most. If you have double the weapon's Ego score it may be imprinted on you and attempt to return to your if stolen, or cause its negative effect to happen on your aggressive if they try to turn it upon you.

Saltbite

This magic axe was found on the body of a northerner, half mummified in the snow while his skeletal legs stuck out. His fingers still gripped its blade, as though keeping it warm even in death. Saltbite is an axe known to feed off the power's of the cold wind and is at home in the frozen parts of the world. It tends to end up in the hands of rugged outdoorsmen, moose-people, and other beings it respects.

Saltbite- Magic Axe +2

Ego- 4

Damage- 1d10+2 or class damage+2

Saltbite is a magic axe with a hefty metal ring halfway up its shaft, a long edge with an iron “icicle” forged into the weapon, and a mystical rune representing the mountains and the winter on the face. There is also a filled in spiral on the bottom of the shaft, which represents the eternal winter.

As a weapon, Saltbite is powerful axe that deals bonus damage. It can also absorb the cold, and when left to rest buried in ice or snow it gains the power to evoke +1d6 forst damage on a successful hit the user wishes. This charge can also be spent to slam the axe into the ground to create a crevasse in ice or snowy lands, which require a save or fall into the chasm and probably die.

Saltbite has a strong ego. If the user does not meet the Ego level of the weapon, then its frozen powers will turn on them instead. Over the course of a day, the holder of the axe will find their main arm slowly freezing, which will only end if they give it over to someone who can control its power. Having a frozen arm means you cannot attack or use that arm, and will need to warm it up by a fire or let it thaw out in a tropical area. Additionally, if the power of the crevasse is used by a warrior without the necessary ego; the holder of the axe must make the same save as the victim.