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These
weapons look very much like normal rods in their normal form, a 40 cm long
adamantite rod, but, in the hands of a crusader or priest who belong to
the order of the Dalharilen d'lil Yochlol, they can change into the following
three weapons at the will of their atoned wielders:
A Thrusting or Stabbing
Lance of approx. 1.70m.
A Spiked Mace (like a
standard footmans mace, with spikes and of lesser weight).
A Wakizashi (a single-edge
short-sword like weapon with a slightly longer handle).
They have a standard +3 bonus in all
three forms, which increases to +5 in the Abyss, where they are forged
exclusively for the crusader order.
As
far as the sages know, weapons of this kind are only used by crusaders
and priests of the Sisters of the Dark Blade, a sub-group of the Dalharilen
del lil Yochlol crusader order. All of them wield these rods instead of
the Whip of Fangs usually carried by the the clergy of Lolth, as those
weapons have proved to be insufficient in full-scale melee combat.
They are received now upon initiation
to the order as either priest or crusader and each rod is a personal item
of its wielder. They are forged in the Abyss and presented to the new members
of the Order by a Yochlol, who also takes the oath of the initiate.
While the order exists for more than
2000 years, rods of this type have only appeared after the Times of Trouble.
It is thought that current members of the Dalninilen had their Whips of
Fang transformed around that time, but there are no certainties in this.
It seems that Lolth tries to eliminate the clergy and following of her
rival Drow powers more quickly, thus weakening them more to the degree
of neglect.
About twenty rods are currently in use,
giving you the number of priestesses and crusaders who at this time serve
Lolth in the Dalinilen del lil Olath Velve, but of course not the full
strength of the sub-group.
-
No-one
apart from the atoned wielders have ever carried nor may ever carry such
weapons, due to their immense magical features. Any adventurer who comes
across the Order and manages to slay one of the wielders of theses weapons
shall know this: The return of the rod to the Abyss (as described below),
tells Lolth and her following that the death of one of her most beloved
priestesses has occurred. She will have it investigated by either a Yochlol
or her crusaders. And if you are lucky enough to have survived the battle
with the Dalninil in the first place, then know that the wrath of the Spider
Queen will follow you wherever you will go in the Underdark and beyond..
Attack Abilities:
Standard combat abilities of the weapon
are as follows:
- lance 1d8+1 / 2d6
+3 (+5) used two-handed
- mace 1d6+1 / 1d6
+3 (+5)
- wakizashi 1d8 / 1d8 +3 (+5)
Hit and damage modifers:
- against elves and heretic Drow (excluding
worshippers of Selvetarm) the damage increases to 3d6 +3 in all three forms,
for killing these foes is the main purpose of the rod
- for the first SIX attacks (successful
strikes only), the weapon causes creatures who fail saving throws vs. spell
to suffer effects similar to that of the Whip of Shar spell: creatures
are writhing in pain and are unable to control their actions for the following
1d4 rounds. A dexterity check is needed to see whether the victim drops
all hand-held things (one check per item), but no other penalties occur
(AC, damage etc.) If a creature is struck twice per round (one or more
wielders) and fails both saves, it is paralysed for 4 rounds. These six
paralysing charges are regenerated by the rod within a full day of non-usage,
else it takes longer.
- any person other than the atoned wielder
who touches the rod without approval of the wielder and who is not a priest
of Lolth suffers 3d4 pts. of shocking damage. The priests receive only
a mental warning to hand the rod back as soon as possible (two tendays
maximum).
The rod bestows automatic proficiency
on its wielder, regardless of class restrictions or available proficiency
slots. Lolth allows her priests to wield any weapon anyway.) If thrown
or lost in combat it returns to its wielder within the same round. It can
change its form twice per round. (rod to weapon, weapon to weapon etc.)
Defense Abilities:
Lolth is very protective of these weapons
and they are enchanted to defend themselve. Thus, a charcater tries to
pick up a rod of a dead or unconscious Dalninil (the rod changes back to
this form as soon as this happens) the following occurs:
- other Drow receive a mental order
to either hand the rod back or put it on an altar dedicated to the Spider
Queen within two tendays.
- Elves and drow who do not worship
Lolth or Selvetarm suffer 6d8 pts. of damage and the rod returns to its
wielder or the Abyssal forge instantly.
- other races suffer 4d6 pts. of damage
- lawful-good creatures always suffer
full (48 or 24 pts.respectively)
These modifiers DO NOT count in melee
combat and the rod cannot be used as a anti-personnel mine or the like.
The rod cannot be destroyed on the Prime
Material Plane. It either returns to its wielder or to its Abyssal forge.
Other Attributes:
Having the rod somewhere on her body,
the wielder gains the following additional powers:
Her infravision is increased by 60 yards
She can see through any form of magical
darkness, will be alerted if an invisible being is nearby and gains the
powers of a Ring of Free Action.
Twice per tenday the rod can Heal its
wielder, twice per two tendays the rod may Teleport the wielder without
error to a sanctuary of the Dalninilen.
The last two features are activated
by a command word, anything else works as long as the Dalninil carries
the rod.
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