Mace of St. Cuthbert IV (Magic Mace)

: For other Mace of St. Cuthbert, see Mace of St. Cuthbert.
The mace of St. Cuthbert is a short, gnarled piece of bronzewood in the shape of a club. Saint Cuthbert is a lesser god bent on maintaining law and order, but his greatest passion comes from testing the faith of his flock. Followers of Saint Cuthbert believe he travels regularly through the countryside in human form. Those who were lacking in faith tell how their faith was miraculously restored after a stranger hit them on the head with a club.
In dire instances, Cuthbert has been known to grant the use of his sacred club to a follower of the purest faith, that it may be used to spread the faith against all opposition. Followers of Saint Cuthbert consider it a relic.
The mace of St. Cuthbert is the actual weapon of Saint Cuthbert of the Cudgel. As such, the likelihood of any PC obtaining or using it while Saint Cuthbert is alive and well is rare. Should this happen, it is a formidable weapon-even if there are no priests of Saint Cuthbert within the party. The cudgel can act as a balance of power, allowing lower-level characters to do battle beyond their abilities.
A possible adventure might begin with the priests of Saint Cuthbert losing their spells. Worried that something may be seriously wrong with their deity's welfare, they seek to discover the cause and restore their god and their spells. The PCs are hired or volunteer to aid in this quest, with any of a number of leads to be tracked down. In the end, the club has fallen into the wrong hands and must be restored to Cuthbert. Perhaps a particularly strong priest of Cuthbert has acquired it, but has grown insubordinate with the new-found power. Rather than retaking the club himself, Cuthbert waits to see if his followers can restore it to him themselves, thus restoring his faith in them.
Constant Powers: Any intelligent mortal struck on the head instantly becomes an enthusiastic follower of Saint Cuthbert for a period of 1 day. The cudgel functions as a mace of disruption with +5 bonuses to attack and damage rolls. Victims attacked with a natural 20 lose 1 point of Intelligence with no magic resistance or saving throw allowed.
Invoked Powers: Any priest of Saint Cuthbert can cast call upon faith (3/day) and detect undead (at will). Cloak of bravery can also be cast (1/day), with the following modifications; a +3 saving throw bonus for all types of saves is granted to up to four creatures for an 8-hour period, regardless of the number of rolls.
Curse: The wielder of the cudgel becomes a lawful good follower of Saint Cuthbert and an extreme zealot, trying to convert everyone. No one is faithful enough. As a result, the zealot's Charisma is reduced to 4 due to obnoxious behavior for as long as the mace is possessed.
Suggested Means of Destruction:
* Iuz the Old must be polymorphed into a giant beaver and the mace fed to him.
* It must be covered by the natural formation of a stalagmite, which then receives a transmute rock to mud spell.
* The bronzewood tree that the club came from must be prevented from ever growing.
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Maces
Category:Magic Weapons