Death Dart (Magic Dart)

This dart is similar to the surface-world guardian known as a flying dagger. Few drow mages know how to fashion them (and fewer still will admit to knowing how, for fear of being captured and enslaved by a noble house, and set to making endless darts for protection and sale). They are eagerly sought after by noble and wealthy drow. In old hoards, 1d8 such weapons are usually found. Sometimes one or more is set atop or inside a chest, with instructions to attack all living things except the being who placed them there (or someone named as having access). A death dart resembles a 9-inch-long, black needle. It has a flared but-end, tapers swiftly, and then thickens more gradually to a bulge in the center, before thinning down to a long, deadly point (so that the “bulge” looks like two back-to-back cones, large ends placed together). When constructed, a dart is either set to activate at a whispered command word (to be carried about for personal defense), or given activation conditions as specific as the most elaborate triggering conditions of a magic mouth spell. Once determined, the activation conditions of a given dart can never be altered.
Once activated, a death dart flies about silently, point-first. Death darts cannot be affected by any sort of mental control. The spells that enable a death dart to swoop, dart, and detect opponents (they are usually set to attack anything within 60 feet that moves) also prevent rusting and brittleness due to extreme heat and cold. A dart that successfully strikes a moving arrow or thrown weapon, can deflect it, if the DM desires.
Some death darts can reflect, or are immune to, certain spells, or have special abilities; for example, their touch can rust metal items as a rust monster's antenna does. Items struck must save vs. lightning or rust. A death dart strikes metal when it is attacking a target being carrying or wearing something metal, and its attack roll misses by one to three points. A few (25%) death darts carry sleep or damaging poison. Poison damage is added to physical damage for the first three strikes of the dart, the target saves vs. poison normally for the first strike, at +2 for the second, and at +4 for the third (after that, the poison has been exhausted). A dart can be anointed with poison as often as its activator has the means and desire.
Most death darts are AC 4; MV Fl 24 (A); HD 1+1; hp 9 each; THAC0 17; AT 3; Dmg 1d4; and are considered magical weapons for purposes of deciding what they can hit. A few darts may differ slightly from this norm, usually being larger, and AC 6; MV Fl 20 (A); HD 2; THAC0 17; AT 2; Dmg 1d6+1. 
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Darts
Category:Magic Weapons