Spellbinder (Magic Sword)

A warrior named Algor and a nameless, evil wizard decided to end their feud of many years with a duel. Algor, realizing his magical inferiority, had a special sword crafted that would absorb spells cast by an opponent. On the day of the duel, Algor presumed he was now superior, but he should not have trusted an evil wizard to fight fairly. At a decisive moment in their battle, the wizard was joined by two of his evil cohorts. Simultaneously, all three blasted Algor with spells. Algor was annihilated, and his possessions were thrown across space and time. Several years and many miles away, a farmer found Algor's sword in his field, and traded the blade for animals and equipment. The sword has changed hands many times since. Spellbinder was once reported to have been offered as payment for a glass of ale in a tavern. Most of its owners never realized Spellbinder's full potential. Spellbinder was once known as Algor's Weakness after its history was made public by a wizard-sage.
The extremely sharp, layered-steel blade is about feet long: overall, this well-balanced weapon measures just over feet. The blade has a single blood groove and two bilateral notches near the base. The handle is of deeply fluted dragon bone with a gold ring at each end of the flutes. The guard is curved toward the point and ends in two claws, each grasping a crystalline sphere. The face of the guard has two large triangular sapphires with their points together. The pommel is conical. If found, the crystal globes will probably already be shattered or absent. Spellbinder is +2 on attack rolls and +3 on damage. It absorbs (as a rod of absorption) up to 12 levels of wizard or priest spells (12 1st-level spells, six 2nd-level spells, and so on) and detects magic in a 30' radius. It has an Intelligence of 12, an Ego of 11, and a neutral alignment. It can communicate by empathy.
This sword can be wielded by members of any alignment. It must be held by the grip to absorb incoming spells: no part of the hand can touch the blade or guard. The crystal spheres absorb the spells, each sphere absorbing six levels. If the wielder attempts to absorb more than this amount in a single round without discharging some of the spell energy, the spheres shatter and the sword no longer absorbs any spell levels until the crystals are replaced (they can be had at glassware shops for roughly 50 gp each, but enchanting each of the spheres with the proper spells is quite a bit more expensive, requiring a wizard of at least the 16th level).
Spellbinder is a bit of a snob and wants an owner that it cannot easily control. In the past. Spellbinder has constantly kept on the move from owner to owner, forcing its user to trade it away if he did not measure up to the sword's standards. It is currently seeking an owner who understands the schools of magic, preferably a fighter-wizard. The weapon wants to be polished often and kept in a nice, gem-encrusted scabbard.
The evil wizard who engineered Algor's death has since become a lich. As a side interest, the lich has begun to look into rumors of a sword matching the one Algor used against it years ago, and it would like to obtain this weapon simply to add to its trophy collection.
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Swords
Category:Magic Weapons