THIRST
Weapon—Concealed, intimidating, light, magical, unbreakable
The true power of this intimidating, all-steel stiletto-style dagger is obscured by its unassuming, low-luster polished finish, but Thirst was forged by an ancient artificer with the intent to craft the perfect assassination tool. It possesses a full ten inches of blunted square-profile blade with a strong point honed to exceptional sharpness over the distal handspan. Despite its appreciable length, its minimal crossguard and short handle allow discreet carry close to the body or down a tall boot.
The knife is imbued with malevolent magical energy that prevents it from bending or breaking except under extraordinary circumstances. It doesn’t look like much, but the quality of both the metal and the metalwork is superb.
This same dark magic makes the to-hit (STR) roll EASY if the wielder knows the true name of the intended target.
On a successful initial attack, Thirst deals DOUBLE ULTIMATE (2D12 magical piercing) damage, but it does NOT confer any additional damage bonus in the event of a critical hit.
On subsequent attacks on the same target, the dagger wounds for D8 MAGICAL damage and crits as normal.
On an attack roll of a natural 1, Thirst drains its own wielder, dealing ULTIMATE (D12 necrotic) damage toward karmic balance along with the ashen taste of a complete miss.
With each killing blow a given wielder lands, the GM should keep a covert tally; this is the number of additional points of necrotic damage Thirst deals to its wielder on a nat 1 roll following the first kill. The kill tally never resets, except when the blade is passed on to a new owner, although the blade never forgets…
Thirst cannot be thrown at a target; if flung toward an opponent, it will veer off course suddenly as if repelled by a strong magnetic field and either clatter to the ground or embed itself harmlessly in some nearby inanimate object (frequently something of significant monetary value).
If drawn from its simple leather sheath and replaced without tasting blood, Thirst deals the wielder 1 point of admonishing necrotic damage, just for good measure.
This is not your everyday bodkin, and it will command the respect of any who dare to unsheath it…
Notes:
- Built by an angry and aggrieved human artificer with a pointy-eared victim in mind, “Thirst” is actually an incomplete translation of the ironic Elvish name bestowed on the dagger originally, which was “Accarfaug,” or “Thirst for Vengeance.”
- See what else is on top of The Loot Pile.