From: 8911266@cuslm.ca (THIBODEAU MICHEL)
Subject: Re: Artifact designing
Organization: Centre d'Informatique, Centre universitaire Saint-Louis-Maillet
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 15:20:57 GMT

To whoever posted this message:



>Hello everyone out there!  I was just wondering, does anyone have any cool
>artifacts that they've designed, along with a bit of an outline as to how
>the PCs get the artifact?  For that matter, and cool new magic items?
>
>Thanx, later

This is my magical item (actually an artifact) that my wild mage 
built on her spare time while waiting for the multi-classed characters
to train for all their levels.  Hope you enjoy it :-)

Darkana's sword of the magi


Lore:  Very few items created by Wild mages have survived, often 
perishing with their creator during a wild surge.  Darkana's most 
important creation has survived though its true nature is often 
undiscovered (Hey! Let the mage try out the sword).  
	In its creation, Darkana sought to bring the damaging 
capabilities of a sword to herself without endangering herself too 
much in the process.  She also sought a solution to defeating all 
those creatures whose Magic Resistance is too high to effectively 
attack with spells (rumor has it she acquired MR herself).  Since 
the sword masks the mage's spell abilities, it draws power upon 
the mage's magical essence.  Though this does not affect the magic 
user's level, it does make the sword more powerful if wielded by a 
powerful wizard.
	The metal's origin is unknown but rumor has it that it might 
have come from a meteorite, or from another plane.   The blade was 
crafted by a hill giant with magical tools and decorated by 
dwarves.  She then enchanted it using the appropriate spells, 
substituting the Permenancy with a Wish.


Description:   This bastard sword is primarily unusual in its 
color, a flat darken red, and from far away, it might look as if 
rusted and filthy.  Engraved runes are on the blade themselves and 
the pummel of the hilt.  They are mostly decorative and reveal no 
imformation (except maybe its partly dwarven craftsmanship).  
	This sword appears and functions as a Sword +1 if in the hands 
of a non-mage.  But in the hands of a single-class mage (excluding 
bards and specialists who are prohibited to use alteration, 
evocation items) it becomes a Sword +3 with the ability to 
transform the mage into a melee killing machine.
	When the command words (Fighters Beware) are spoken when the 
sword in unshiethed, it triggers a variant of Tenser's 
Transformation for a duration of the mage's level in rounds (in 
the case of a wild mage, use the True level) instantaneously 
affecting the mage with the following effects:
	-The mage's hit points are doubled.  The damage the mage-
wielder sustains are first eliminated from these magical points.   
All subsequent damage to the mage-wielder is resolved normally.
	-The mage-wielder uses the THAC0, saving throws, and number of 
attacks per round of a fighter of equal level
	-The wielder-mage gains the bastard sword weapon proficiency 
(one- and two-handed modes) for the duration listed above.
	-AC of the mage-wielder is improved by 4 (to a maximum of -10)
	-If the mage-wielder has a strength of 18, he becomes an 18(01) 
fighter for the purposes of attack modifiers.
	The sword also has the following ability once per week:
	-Invulnerability to normal weapons as per the 4th level spell 
(Wizard's Handbook, p. 103) with duration equal to the mage-
wielder's level in rounds (use True level in the case of a Wild 
mage.)



Mike Thibodeau  |"They had reached that position where, as it were,   |
Edmundston, NB  | the roller coaster of Life had almost completed the |
CANADA          | long haul to the top of the first big humpback of   |
                | puberty so that they could just look down to the    |
                | preciptious ride ahead, full of mystery, terror,    |
                | and exciting curves."                               |
                |   -Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett                    |