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Steam Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathans Bane 306

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by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 619 of the Crestharbor Sovereigns

  • Description: This heavy ranged weapon is a masterpiece of Crestharbor innovation, built for Vaelira with a stock carved from a single block of Sun-Coral and a prod laminated with Luminwood and Mithral. The steam-piston mechanism, housed in a bronze casing, is powered by an alchemical pellet chamber, connected to a silk-wrapped hose that feeds a barbed harpoon tipped with an enchanted Aura Pearl. The design integrates with the Apsaran’s harness, allowing stable bracing against their robust frame, and its sleek lines echo the regal poise of the Sovereign lineage, with runes glowing softly during activation.
  • Properties: Deals 1d10 piercing damage, has a range of 100/400 feet, and requires a bonus action to prime the steam valve and load (loading property). Ignores 2 points of natural armor, and on a hit, the barbed harpoon halves the target’s movement speed until removed (action, Strength check DC 13, taking 1d6 damage on failure). Once per long rest, it can vent a 15-foot cone of scalding steam as an action, dealing 2d6 fire damage (Dexterity saving throw DC 13 for half).

Lore of the Steam-Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathan’s Bane 306 steams forth from Aegean’s renaissance crucible, a saga of technological triumph and maritime supremacy forged during an era when the Crestharbor Sovereigns faced the rising menace of leviathans summoned by rival island shamans to disrupt trade routes. This tale begins with the reign of Thalindra Seris, a matriarch whose deep azure skin mirrored the ocean’s depths, who led a fleet to confront a colossal beast that sank three zeppelins in the Sky-Kraken Deeps. Amid the wreckage, Seris envisioned a weapon that merged the lineage’s hydromantic heritage with the steam-powered innovations sweeping the archipelago, commissioning Tideglass Artificers to craft a harpoon gun. The stock was carved from a single Sun-Coral block, its resilience drawn from the shallows’ ley lines, while the prod combined Luminwood from the Whispering Woods for flexibility and Mithral from Iron-Tide City for durability, the bronze casing housing a pellet chamber fueled by alchemical secrets. The barbed harpoon, tipped with an enchanted Aura Pearl, was woven with silk-wrapped hoses to channel steam, a design blessed under a storm-ravaged sky to echo the Sovereigns’ regal poise.

The 306 designation honors the 306th steam burst counted during its consecration, a number etched into the casing as a symbol of relentless power. A defining moment came during the Battle of the Leviathan’s Wake, where Seris, braced against her harness, fired the harpoon to pierce the beast’s thick hide, its Aura Pearl igniting to halve the creature’s speed as it thrashed, allowing the fleet to finish it off. The steam vent, first unleashed to clear a deck of boarding raiders, scalded foes with precision, earning the gun its name. Over generations, the weapon evolved as a symbol of Crestharbor ingenuity, with tales of warriors using its 100/400-foot range to strike from levitating platforms or zeppelins, and its glow guiding shots through fog. Legends whisper that Thalindra’s fury once amplified the steam cone into a torrential blast, sinking a corsair ship, though overzealous use has occasionally drawn steam elementals seeking the pearl’s energy. Today, it remains a revered artifact, its lore a chronicle of innovation and might, passed to those who defend Aegean’s waters with the lineage’s robust elegance.

Tier One Stat Modifiers:

  • Weapon Type: Harpoon Gun (Martial Ranged)
  • Damage: 1d10 piercing
  • Properties: Range (100/400 ft.), Loading (bonus action to prime and load), Heavy (requires two hands), Amphibious (functions fully underwater).
  • Skills Gained:
    • Steamcraft (Combat): The wearer gains proficiency in Intelligence (Engineering) checks related to maintaining or modifying steam-powered mechanisms.
  • Passive Magical Effects:
    • Aura Pearl Penetration: Ignores 2 points of natural armor, reflecting the enchanted Aura Pearl’s piercing quality.
    • Regal Stability: The harness integration provides advantage on Strength checks to resist being knocked prone while braced and firing, due to the robust Apsaran frame design.
    • Rune Illumination: The Aque-Script runes emit a soft glow (10-foot radius), granting advantage on Perception checks to detect large aquatic or airborne targets in low visibility.
  • Activatable Magical Effects:
    • Barbed Entangle (At Will on Hit): On a hit, the barbed harpoon halves the target’s movement speed until removed (action, Strength check DC 13, taking 1d6 damage on failure), leveraging the silk-wrapped hose’s grip.
    • Steam Vent (Once per Long Rest): As an action, vent a 15-foot cone of scalding steam, dealing 2d6 fire damage (Dexterity saving throw DC 13 for half), drawn from the alchemical pellet chamber.
  • Specific Slot: Two-Handed (requires both hands to wield, integrates with Apsaran harness).
  • Tags: Steam Harpoon Gun, Leviathan’s Bane, Sun-Coral Stock, Luminwood Prod, Mithral Lamination, Aque-Script Runes, Tier 1, Piercing Damage, Long Range, Natural Armor Ignore, Barbed Entangle, Steam Vent, Crestharbor Sovereigns, Renaissance Weapon, Apsaran Gear, Alchemical Pellet Power, Harness Integration, Aura Pearl Tip, Aquatic Versatility, Steamcraft Innovation, Thalindra’s Fury

Shops where and how this item might be bought and sold:

  • The Skyward Sanctum in Aeridor Perch • Type of Shop: This is a wind-swept aerial workshop perched on the cliffs of Aeridor Perch, where Tideglass Artificers and Wavekeepers craft aeromantic gear in open-air forges buffeted by constant gusts, the space alive with the whistle of zeppelins and the scent of ozone from enchanted silks. The environment echoes the Dominion of Whispering Winds, with whips displayed on elevated stands that sway gently, surrounded by ritual wards to preserve their Mithral weave and Aura Pearl crackle, creating an atmosphere of elevated craftsmanship that honors Thalindra’s skyward domain. • How it is Bought/Sold: Buyers must endure a gust trial, wielding a demo whip in simulated winds to attune it to their grip; the transaction involves demonstrating the pearl crackle and gust activation in a controlled breeze, with custom Aque-Script etchings offered based on lineage motifs or combat preferences, and the process concludes with a blessing chant to invoke Thalindra’s aerial favor, ensuring the whip’s balance and reach align with the wielder’s tail fluke synergy. • Cost: Cost to Purchase: 85 Platinum.
  • The Regal Armament Hall in Tidehaven • Type of Shop: A grand gallery in the levitating metropolis’s royal precinct, such as “The Current’s Grace,” authorized by the Crestharbor Sovereigns for resale of lineage-forged weapons, where the air resonates with the hum of steam forges and the scent of polished Mithral. It caters to warriors, diplomats, and ritualists, with Windlash Whips showcased on elevated pedestals amid pearl-inlaid walls and the soft chime of Aque-Script wind bells, protected by glowing wards that highlight their elegant designs and prevent unauthorized handling. • How it is Bought/Sold: The whip is tested during a private session, with the seller activating a demo gust on a model target; purchases require a Sovereign endorsement or court seal to verify cultural ties, including a premium for provenance, optional pearl attunements to personal energies, and a detailed scroll outlining maintenance rituals to sustain the aeromantic crackle and silk durability. • Cost: Cost to Purchase: 105 Platinum. Value if Selling: Around 52 Platinum for an attuned, crackling piece.
  • A Sovereign Voyager (Nomadic Exchange) • Type of Shop: Informal barter with a traveling Crestharbor merchant during zeppelin convoys or aerial expeditions, operating from makeshift stalls on deck platforms or wind-bridge camps, where the environment shifts with the gusts—sometimes amid the roar of griffons, other times in the quiet drift of clouds. The merchant carries weapons in mist-sealed chests slung over zeppelins or stored in aerial holds, surrounded by the scents of ozone and exotic trade goods, creating a transient bazaar that embodies Aegean’s skyward exploratory spirit. • How it is Bought/Sold: Amid shared aerial tales on a platform or bridge, the voyager tests the whip’s reach and gust in a nearby wind current; trades may involve services like pearl polishing or rare Mithral strands, with haggling over the item’s expedition history, lineage resonance, and any minor imperfections from travel wear. The process fosters a personal connection, often concluding with a Thal-Vox oath for victorious lashes. • Cost: Cost to Purchase: Between 75 and 90 Platinum, haggled based on condition and rapport.
  • The Shadowed Gust Broker in Port Aqua-Vel • Type of Shop: A clandestine aerie in the undercurrents of Port Aqua-Vel’s harbor skies, hidden within a fog-shrouded zeppelin dock accessible only through wind-swept passages, where bioluminescent illusions veil the entrance and the air whistles with the scent of high-altitude mysteries. This shadowy den deals in “salvaged” Sovereign weapons from aerial wrecks or ritual disputes, with Windlash Whips displayed on suspended pedestals amid swirling mists, protected by obfuscating wards that distort light and sound. • How it is Bought/Sold: Whispered meetings in gust-chamber alcoves, arranged through veiled contacts in taverns; quick gust tests in a controlled breeze to verify the pearl crackle, but origins are dubious—perhaps dimmed energy or minor weave flaws from salvage mishaps. The exchange involves discreet haggling over provenance, with risks of Sovereign pursuit if the aeromantic pulse is traced or if the broker demands favors like smuggling other relics; the process often includes veiled warnings about the item’s “legacy” and any latent gusts. • Cost: Cost to Purchase: Approximately 80 Platinum.

Roleplay in different environments:

  • Offensive Roleplay (The Bane’s Steam Pierce)
    • In the fog-choked harbors of Port Aqua-Vel, where steam from docked zeppelins mingles with sea mist and the clamor of merchants masks ambushes, the Steam-Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathan’s Bane 306 becomes a tool of calculated ranged offense. As Vaelira Crestharbor spots a group of corsairs boarding a trade vessel from the shadows, she braces the Sun-Coral stock against her harness, using her robust Apsaran frame for stability. She spends a bonus action to prime the steam valve, the alchemical pellet igniting with a hiss as she loads a barbed harpoon tipped with the enchanted Aura Pearl. Aiming through the fog with the 100/400-foot range, she fires, the Mithral-laminated prod launching the projectile to pierce a corsair’s natural hide armor, ignoring 2 points of resistance and halving their movement speed until they wrench it free (Strength check DC 13, taking 1d6 damage). If the foes cluster, she activates the steam vent as an action, unleashing a 15-foot cone of scalding vapor that deals 2d6 fire damage (Dex save DC 13 for half), scattering them amid the docks’ chaos. The runes glow softly, illuminating targets in the mist, allowing her to follow up with a tail-assisted pivot for another shot, turning the urban harbor into an offensive killing ground where precision and surge dominate the fray.
    • Beneath the turbulent currents of the Sky-Kraken Deeps, where dark waters hide colossal beasts and pressure muffles sounds, the harpoon gun adapts to submerged offensives with unyielding force. Facing a lurking leviathan summoned by tainted shamans, Vaelira integrates the bronze casing with her harness, her amphibious form braced against the flow. She primes the valve underwater, the pellet chamber bubbling as she loads, then unleashes a shot that streaks through the depths, its Aura Pearl tip crackling to ignore the creature’s thick scales and entangle it, halving its speed as it thrashes. The 1d10 piercing damage burrows deep, and if the beast charges, she vents the steam cone, the scalding burst adapted to water as a superheated bubble wave that inflicts 2d6 fire damage, pushing it back and exposing vulnerabilities. The silk-wrapped hose trails bubbles, the runes’ glow piercing the gloom to guide her aim, allowing a follow-up throw with the 100-foot effective range in liquid, transforming the oppressive deeps into an arena where her offensive harpoons dictate the hunt’s pace amid swirling eddies and bioluminescent flashes.
    • High among the levitating spires of Tidehaven, where wind-bridges sway and zeppelins duel in the clouds, the gun enables aerial offensives with grounded power. During a sky pirate incursion, Vaelira braces the weapon against her stable frame, priming the piston with a bonus action amid the gusts. She targets a distant griffon rider at 400 feet, the Luminwood prod flexing to launch the harpoon, its pearl tip ignoring the mount’s feathered armor to entangle and slow it, forcing a mid-air stall. As foes close in a cluster, she vents the steam as an action, the cone erupting like a scalding geyser that deals 2d6 fire damage and scatters them across the platform. The runes glow against the sky, illuminating targets in the haze, allowing her to integrate tail movements for quick repositioning, turning the precarious heights into an offensive platform where ranged precision and surge exploit the environment’s vertigo and open vistas.
  • Defensive Roleplay (The Leviathan’s Steamed Ward)
    • Along the rugged coastlines of the Sunstone Coastlands, where pink sands shift under relentless waves and raiders strike from hidden coves, the Steam-Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathan’s Bane 306 serves as a defensive anchor amid exposed terrains. As a wave of corsairs surges from the dunes, Vaelira braces the stock against her harness, using the bonus action to prime but holding fire, the pellet chamber hissing as a deterrent. When a foe closes, she launches a barbed harpoon to entangle, halving their speed (Strength check DC 13 to remove, taking 1d6 damage), creating distance while ignoring their leather armor’s natural toughness. If surrounded, she vents the steam cone as an action, the 15-foot burst scalding assailants with 2d6 fire damage (Dex save DC 13 for half), pushing them back into the surf and buying time for retreat or allies’ arrival. The runes’ soft glow reveals hidden flankers in the sea spray, allowing her to pivot defensively, transforming the open beach into a warded position where the gun’s range and surge maintain a defensive perimeter amid crashing waves and shifting sands.
    • In the echoing vaults of Coralia Major’s underwater metropolises, where currents conceal psychic predators and pressure amplifies threats, the gun provides submerged defensive might. Sensing a tainted shaman’s approach through the gloom, Vaelira integrates the bronze casing with her harness, priming the valve to ready a shot. She fires a harpoon to entangle a charging guardian, ignoring its scaly armor and slowing it, the Aura Pearl’s glow piercing the dim to spotlight additional foes. As they cluster, she vents the steam, the cone manifesting as a superheated bubble wave that deals 2d6 fire damage and scatters them in the flow, the silk hose trailing harmlessly. The Mithral bands steady her aim against currents, turning the fluid labyrinth into a defensive stronghold where her ranged entanglement and surge exploit the environment’s concealment, holding the line amid bubbling echoes and bioluminescent flickers.
    • Amid the industrial forges of Iron-Tide City, where steam clouds obscure assassins and crowds mask dangers, the gun enables urban defensive precision. During a sabotage attempt in a packed workshop, Vaelira braces the weapon, priming with a bonus action as a warning hiss. She targets a hidden archer at 100 feet, the harpoon ignoring their light armor to entangle and slow, pulling them into view for allies. If foes rush in a group, she vents the cone, scalding with 2d6 fire damage and pushing them back into machinery, the runes glowing to reveal threats in the haze. The harness integration keeps her stable on oil-slick floors, transforming the chaotic forge into a defensive bastion where range and surge ward off close assaults amid the clang of hammers and roar of vents.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective For you, activating the Steam-Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathan’s Bane 306 begins with a deliberate focus, engaging the steam-piston mechanism as you brace against your harness. A warm surge pulses through the Sun-Coral stock and Luminwood prod, the bronze casing vibrating with a rhythmic hiss as the alchemical pellet ignites, releasing a faint metallic tang mixed with a briny sea scent. The silk-wrapped hose warms in your grasp, the barbed harpoon’s Aura Pearl crackling with a sharp, electric hum, while the runes glow softly with a hydromantic azure light. The weapon feels steady in your robust Apsaran frame, the 100/400-foot range empowering your aim. Extra-sensory perception through your Mind’s Eye reveals a swirling silver-blue vortex around the gun, aligning your shots with water currents or steam flows and heightening your awareness of large aquatic or airborne targets.

Observer’s Perspective An observer watches as you brace the Steam-Powered Harpoon Gun of the Leviathan’s Bane 306, the Sun-Coral stock and Luminwood prod catching the light. The activation triggers a surge, the bronze casing hissing as the alchemical pellet chamber ignites, the silk-wrapped hose pulsing with steam, and the Aura Pearl-tipped harpoon crackling with visible energy. The Aque-Script runes flare with a soft azure glow, casting an iridescent shimmer across the sleek lines, while a faint mist rises from the mechanism, blending with the ambient environment. To those with attuned senses, the scene is framed by an ethereal silver-blue vortex, suggesting a magical enhancement of range and power that underscores the weapon’s regal menace and Crestharbor lineage.

Positives The activation imparts a powerful and invigorating sensation, boosting your confidence and precision, making it ideal for engaging distant or heavily armored foes. The glowing runes and steam mist enhance visibility in dim or foggy conditions, aiding targeting or intimidation, while the extra-sensory vortex provides strategic insight into environmental flows or enemy movements, improving offensive and defensive timing. The rhythmic hiss can inspire allies, fostering a sense of dominance in combat scenarios.

Negatives The warm surge and steam mist can become distracting or uncomfortable during prolonged use, potentially causing fatigue or overheating in dry environments, and the crackling Aura Pearl might attract steam elementals or curious foes in wild settings. The intensified glow risks revealing your position to enemies with magical sight, increasing vulnerability in stealth situations, and overactivation might strain the pellet chamber, temporarily reducing range or damage until recharged, with the hiss potentially masking subtle threats in quiet moments.

Tideglass Artificer Blueprint: Model 584 Skyward Windlash Whip

This blueprint provides a detailed guide for recreating a functional replica of the Windlash Whip of the Skyward Current 584, a flexible weapon designed for Apsaran users to harness aeromantic energy with extended reach and precision. The process integrates enchanted silk weaving with Mithral infusion and pearl tipping, drawing from Crestharbor Sovereign traditions to produce a whip that disarms and buffets foes in air or water. While originals use rare sea spider silk for superior shimmer, this version employs accessible alternatives that retain core slashing and gust properties, though it may require periodic pearl reattunement in stagnant air. Crafters should weave in a wind-swept chamber with access to aerial currents for testing, ensuring the handle’s grip suits humanoid hands and the length’s flexibility aligns with tail fluke guidance.

Materials Needed

  • Enchanted Sea Spider Silk (Bundle of 20 Strands): Flexible threads from coastal sea spiders, approximately 15 feet total when woven, attuned for durability; substitutes like reinforced vine fibers with silk essence may be used but could reduce aeromantic conductivity.
  • Thin Mithral Strands (Set of 10): Fine wires from refined Mithral ore, totaling 1 pound, sourced from Ironback Range veins for weaving strength and shimmer.
  • Leather Handle Wrap: Tanned hide etched with basic Aque-Script, sized for comfortable Apsaran grip, approximately 1 square foot.
  • Small Aura Pearl Shard: A polished tip from an Aura Pearl, the size of a fingertip, attuned to aeromantic energy; substitutes like enchanted crystal may work but diminish the crackle.
  • Binding Resins: A vial of adhesive compounded from pearl dust, wind herbs, and sea salt, sufficient for securing the weave and tip.
  • Supplemental Etchings: Ink for Aque-Script on the handle, and a small counterweight for balance if needed for two-handed stability.

Tools Required

  • Sovereign Weaver’s Loom: A specialized frame for interlacing silk and Mithral, with adjustable tensions for flexibility and energy flow.
  • Mithral Infuser: A heating tool for embedding strands into the weave without fraying, often steam-powered for precision.
  • Pearl Tipper: Precision clamps and polishers for attaching and sharpening the Aura Pearl shard, with magnification for alignment.
  • Aque-Script Etcher: A stylus with an aque-mist jet for inscribing patterns on the leather handle.
  • Wind Test Chamber: An enclosed space with simulated gusts or currents for length, reach, and gust effect trials.
  • Balance Calibrator: A weighted scale and aerial sling for verifying grip comfort, whip extension, and precision in motion.

Skill Requirements

  • Primary Skill: Master Silk Weaving (Aeromantic Specialty). Expertise in interlacing enchanted materials for flexible, energy-conducting weapons with extended reach.
  • Secondary Skill: Mithral Integration. Proficiency in embedding metals to enhance strength and shimmer without compromising flexibility.
  • Required Knowledge: Apsaran Ergonomics and Elemental Crackle. Understanding of hand grip and tail synergy for fit, and aeromantic distillation for pearl energy alignment.
  • Additional Proficiency: Rune Etching. Skill in inscribing Aque-Script for gust activation and balance enhancement.

Crafting Steps

  1. Silk Weaving (Duration: 1 Day): Interlace the sea spider silk on the loom, incorporating Mithral strands for shimmer and strength; test flexibility by extending to 15 feet, adjusting tensions for wind-like dance and aeromantic flow.
  2. Handle Wrapping (Duration: 12 Hours): Wrap the leather around the weave’s base, etching Aque-Script with the etcher; infuse with resins for grip comfort, ensuring alignment with Apsaran hand anatomy and tail guidance.
  3. Pearl Tipping (Duration: 8 Hours): Attach the Aura Pearl shard to the end using the tipper, polishing for crackle and precision; test energy by swinging in the wind chamber, adjusting for aeromantic surge.
  4. Resin Binding (Duration: 6 Hours): Apply resins to secure all components, adding any counterweight for balance; cure under simulated gusts to lock in properties and prevent fraying.
  5. Final Etching and Testing (Duration: 4 Hours): Complete Aque-Script on the handle, verifying shimmer and crackle; test in the chamber for reach, disarming (on mock targets), and gust activation, fine-tuning strands or etchings if effects vary.

Bane’s Steam Pierce
Legend of the First Leviathan Harpoon

In cycles when the steam still hissed the wrath of gods’ unseen forge, and the coral bent not under artisan’s chant but beneath the deep’s crushing vow, there lurked a terror in the Deeps’ maw. This terror was no shadow of kraken, nor the coil of wave’s fury, but a beast of ancient hunger, named the Devourer of Fleets. Its body was mountain of scale dark as drowned night, eyes like lanterns of wrecked zeppelins, mouth a void where vessels entered whole and emerged as echoes of splinter. Born from taints that twisted the ley’s flow, or so the slabs murmur in grooves scarred by scribe’s weary chisel, it ravaged the eastern expanses, where Sovereigns of Crestharbor clung to harbors like roots to storm’s grim hold.

The matriarchs then were no veil-crowned kin with harness etched in glow, but defenders with coats dappled as harbor’s gleam, frames robust for brace’s call. They hurled harpoons of crude bone and bows of kelp’s twist from decks that bucked, but the Devourer laughed in bubbles of blood, its hide thick as Sunstone’s spine, turning points to mockery. Deeps wept empty, councils stood silent, for no fleet dared the waters, choked by dread of the beast’s grasp. The elder in spired vaults sent cry, pearls heavy as deep’s burden, to the artificers of Tide: “Forge the bane for the leviathan’s pierce, or the sacred claims our kin.”

In the forge’s damp, where flames mingled with water’s steam like kin forbidden, labored Seris, she of the skin like azure’s hush, eyes fierce from realms beyond veil. Seris dreamed a dream fractured, words bubbling from ancient deep like hiss from pellet’s heart. “Stock from sun-coral’s block,” the vision commanded in shards gnawed by scribe’s reed, “prod laminated with lumin’s whisper and mithral’s hold, piston of bronze’s casing, hose wrapped in silk’s veil, harpoon barbed with aura’s pearl.” The elders, faces veiled as dried reef, huddled in alcove of dripping stone, voices low as steam’s murmur: “Sun for sharpness, runes for power’s glow. But the vent, ah, the vent must scald, not flood.”

Seris descended to Sunstone’s cradle, where coral bloomed fierce under light’s hammer, stock carved as vow’s knot. With hands scarred by spray’s touch, she harvested the core, pure and keen, humming with Thalindra’s faint sigh. From Whispering’s grove, she claimed luminwood, laminated with mithral’s thread. The piston she wrought from bronze twisted by salt’s curse, chamber for pellet’s burn. The hose she wove from silk of spiders that spun in moon’s cold gaze, flexible as serpent’s vow. The harpoon she tipped with Aura’s shard, crackling as forgotten vow, etched with script flowing as tide’s twist, binding the parts in harmony fragile as bubble’s hold.

The forging was torment, for the craft old demanded tribute—her essence, poured into runes etched with bone’s edge, as coral quenched in tides’ blessed roar. When first she braced the gun, stock against harness’s frame, the Devourer rose in rage. Fleets scattered like foam in gale, but Seris primed the valve, piston hissing as pellet ignited. The harpoon flew, piercing the hide that mocked lesser steel, ignoring the armor natural as shell’s guard, entangling to halve the beast’s surge. The pearl glowed, runes soft as sovereign’s poise, the silk hose trailing steam’s whisper. She vented the cone, scalding the boarders with fire’s breath, damage halved only by luck’s save.

But trials swelled swift, as hymns in fractured verse caution. Rivals from west sent shadows sly, seeking to unravel the bane’s steam, and taints of deep rose, warping the gun’s hum. In despair, the sovereigns faced a battle grand, Deeps threatened by shaman’s corrupted call. Seris’ kin faltered, shots crude missing, but she with the 306—numbered for bursts counted in bane’s rite—stood in breach’s dim fury. She summoned the vent’s cone, steam scalding as fire’s grasp, the harpoon’s barb halving the foe’s speed as it thrashed. The sovereigns triumphed, terror banished to deep’s silence, loot for forges endless. The gun, first of leviathan’s bane, returned to Crestharbor, enshrined in hall of steams, model for all 306 born after. Seris, piercer of banes, her legend chanted in Thal-Vox broken by ages, but true in pierce: a weapon to bane with steam’s surging might.

The moral of the story is: In terror’s grasp, where old shots falter like foam in gale, the bane of steam and pierce births a surge that conquers the unconquerable, reminding that true dominance flows not from arm’s blind force but from harmony’s hiss, guiding the strike without betraying the wielder.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

Leviathan’s Abyss Harpooner

This arcane contraption, a heavy spear-gun of coral stock, luminwood bow, mithral lamination, steam piston in bronze, silk hose, and pearl-tipped harpoon, summons eldritch vapors in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, for investigators hunting deep horrors or mythos beasts. Malfunction number: 99-00 (on failure, the piston ruptures, dealing 1d6 burn damage and 1/1d4 Sanity loss as visions of abyssal banes overwhelm).

Base Skill: Firearms (Heavy) 20%. Damage: 1d10+2 impaling (piercing). Range: 50/100/200 yards. Attacks: 1 (full round to prime valve and load). Ammo: 1 (barbed harpoon). Special Rules:

  • Coral Penetration: Ignores 2 points of natural armor or hide.
  • Rune Glow: Passive light (10 yards), +5% to Spot Hidden in water/fog.
  • Barbed Entangle: On hit, target halved speed until removed (action, Hard STR roll, 1d6 damage on success).
  • Steam Vent Burst (1 use per day): Action vents 15-foot cone of vapor, targets Dodge or take 2d6 burn (half on success). Hit Points: 10. Sanity Cost: Activation costs 0/1 Sanity, evoking deep whispers. Balance Note: In CoC’s lethal ranged combat, Sanity drain and full-round load offset power, fitting underwater mythos without dominating firefights.

Blades in the Dark

Bane’s Steam Harpoon

A fine (Tier II) heavy ranged weapon of coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze piston, silk hose, and pearl harpoon, vents surges in Blades in the Dark, for canal hunts or spirit banes (2 load).

Effect: When Hunting or Wrecking large/armored targets, increase effect level by 1 tier (ignores 2 harm resistance from natural hides). Special Abilities:

  • Aura Glow: Passive +1d to spot in fog/water.
  • Barbed Snare: On hit, halve target scale/potency until removed (action, Prowess resist, 1 harm on failure).
  • Steam Cone Vent (Limited, 1 use per score): Action creates cone burst (standard effect, 2 harm fire), but advances “Piston Overheat” clock by 2 ticks. Harm & Balance: Overuse risks “Scald Burn” (level 1 harm). In BitD’s narrative risks, limited vent balances for hound or cutter ranged plays.

Dungeons & Dragons

Leviathan Bane Harpooner

Weapon (harpoon gun), uncommon (requires attunement) This heavy ranged masterpiece with Sun-Coral stock, Luminwood-Mithral prod, bronze piston, silk hose, and Aura Pearl harpoon vents steam in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, for aquatic hunters.

Damage: 1d10 piercing. Properties: Ammunition (range 100/400), heavy, loading (bonus action to prime/load), two-handed. Passive Magical Effects:

  • Pearl Penetration: Ignores 2 natural AC points.
  • Rune Guidance: Advantage on Perception in water/fog; dim light 10 ft. Activatable Magical Effects:
  • Barbed Snare (At-Will on Hit): Halves target speed until removed (action, Str check DC 13, 1d6 damage on failure).
  • Steam Vent (Recharge 5-6): Action vents 15-ft. cone, 2d6 fire (Dex save DC 13 half). Flavor & Balance: Suited for ranger or fighter nauticals, recharge limits vent; attunement prevents casual spam.

Knave

Bane Steam Harpoon

This 2-slot heavy ranged weapon (quality 14) of coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze piston, silk hose, and pearl harpoon vents in Knave 2nd Edition’s deep hunts.

Damage: 1d10 piercing (range 100/400 ft.). Properties: Loading (bonus to prime/load), ignores 2 natural armor. Special:

  • Rune Glow: +2 to saves in water/fog; lights 10 ft.
  • Barbed Hook: On hit, halve speed until removed (action, Str check DC 13 or 1d6 damage).
  • Vent Cone (1/day): 15-ft. cone, 2d6 fire (Dex save DC 13 half). Repair: After 1d6 uses, save vs. quality or jams (no fire until fixed, Tinkering DC 12). Balance Note: In Knave’s slots, load and daily vent offset power for ranged aquatics.

Fate

Leviathan’s Steam Bane Launcher

This extra, a heavy harpoon gun of Sun-Coral stock, Luminwood-Mithral prod, bronze piston, silk hose, and Aura Pearl harpoon, vents surges in Fate Core’s nautical hunts, costing 1 refresh to attune and emphasizing ranged piercing in aquatic or industrial scenes.

Aspects:

  • Rune-Etched Bane of Depths (invoke for +2 to Shoot against armored/large foes; compel when the steam hiss draws horrors).
  • Pellet-Fueled Steam Surge (invoke for +2 to Create Advantage entangling targets; compel if the chamber overheats in dry air).

Stunts:

  • Coral Pearl Pierce: Ignore 2 shifts of natural armor; once per scene, deal extra stress equal to shifts ignored (1d10 narrative damage).
  • Barbed Snare: On success with style, create “Halved Mobility Entangle” aspect on target with free invoke (removed with Physique Overcome, taking 1 stress on failure).
  • Steam Cone Vent: Spend a fate point as action to create “Scalded by Steam Burst” zone aspect (15 ft. cone, Weapon:2 fire), but compel for backlash. Mechanics & Balance: In Fate’s collaborative combats, it promotes entangling invokes with compels limiting vent; no refresh in balanced ranged groups.

Numenera & Cypher

System Leviathan Bane Steam Harpoon

This level 5 artifact (depletion: 1 in 1d20) is a heavy ranged harpoon gun of coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze piston, silk hose, and pearl harpoon, venting surges in Cypher System’s deep hunts or Numenera’s relic combats.

Form: Artifact (ranged heavy weapon). Effects:

  • Base Attack: Heavy ranged (long range), 5 damage piercing (ignores 2 natural Armor).
  • Rune Glow: Passive ease to spot in water/fog by one step.
  • Barbed Hook: On hit, target hindered (ease attacks by one step) until removed (action, Might task difficulty 5, 3 damage on failure).
  • Steam Vent Burst: Spend 2 Might points as action for 15-ft. cone, targets Speed defense (difficulty 5) or 4 fire damage. Mechanics & Balance: Point costs temper vent; for Numenera, flavor as bane-relic, raising level to 6 in high-ranged play.

Pathfinder

Leviathan Bane Steam Harpooner

Weapon (firearm), uncommon, level 6 (Price 250 gp; Bulk 2) This martial ranged weapon of Sun-Coral stock, Luminwood-Mithral prod, bronze piston, silk hose, and Aura Pearl harpoon vents steam in Pathfinder 2nd Edition’s dives.

Category: Martial; Group: Firearm; Traits: Fatal d10, Loading, Range 100 ft. Damage: 1d10 P. Special: Ignores 2 points of natural armor Hardness; rune glow (light, bright 10 ft., dim 20 ft.).

  • Barbed Snare [reaction] (on hit): Target slowed 1 until removed (Interact action, basic Fort DC 17, 1d6 P damage on failure).
  • Steam Vent Burst [two-actions] (evocation): 15-ft. cone, 3d6 fire (basic Reflex DC 17). Mechanics & Balance: Actions limit vent/load; fits gunslinger or ranger aquatics; increase level to 8 (Price 500 gp) in ranged campaigns.

Savage Worlds

Leviathan’s Steam Bane Gun

This Novice Rank weapon (Damage 2d8, AP 2 vs. natural armor, Range 20/40/80, RoF 1, Shots 1, Min Str d8, Weight 10) of coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze piston, silk hose, and pearl harpoon vents in Savage Worlds Adventure Edition’s sea hunts.

Traits: Load (bonus to prime/load), Heavy Weapon. Special Edges/Trappings:

  • Rune Glow: +1 to Notice in water/fog.
  • Barbed Hook: On hit, target slowed (Pace halved) until removed (action, Str -2 or 1d6 damage).
  • Steam Cone Vent (1/long rest): Action vents 15-ft. cone, 2d6 fire (Agility save or full damage). Mechanics & Balance: Rest limit curbs vent; heavy trait balances for hunter or explorer offense, add Reliability (d8) for jams in gritty play.

Shadowrun

Leviathan’s Abyss Steam Harpoon

This restricted heavy weapon (Availability 16R, Cost 10,500¥) is a steam-piston harpoon gun with coral stock, luminwood-mithral prod, bronze casing, silk hose, and pearl-tipped harpoon, channeling eldritch surges in Shadowrun 6th Edition’s flooded ops or sprawl hunts. It uses the Heavy Weapons skill for firing, with wireless rune AR for surge targeting but risking astral feedback from pearl overload.

Damage: 10P (AP -2 vs. natural armor or hides). Accuracy: 5(7) with smartlink. Modes: SS (range 50/100/200 meters). Ammo: 1 (barbed harpoon). Recoil Compensation: 2 (harness brace). Special Rules:

  • Pearl Penetration: Ignores 2 points of natural or bio-armor.
  • Rune Glow: Passive light (10 meters), +2 dice to Perception in water/fog.
  • Barbed Snare: On hit, target halved speed until removed (Complex Action, Hard Agility test, 3P damage on success).
  • Steam Vent Surge (1/turn, wireless on): Complex Action vents 5-meter cone, targets Dodge or take 6S fire (half on success); glitches inflict 2S biofeedback. Essence & Balance: No Essence cost (held item); in SR6’s pools, single-shot and limited vent balance high damage/AP, suiting troll or ork heavies in wetwork; adjust Availability to 18F for high-magic campaigns.

Starfinder

Bane’s Steam Harpoon Cannon

Weapon (longarm), level 6 (Item Level 6; Price 4,300 credits; Bulk 2) This hybrid longarm, a steam-piston harpoon gun with Sun-Coral stock, Luminwood-Mithral prod, bronze casing, silk hose, and Aura Pearl harpoon, vents surges in Starfinder 2nd Edition’s void dives or planetary storms.

Damage: 1d10 P (critical wound); Range 100 ft. Capacity: 1 (harpoon, usage 2). Bulk: 2; Hands: 2. Special: Analog, fatal d10, ignores 2 natural KAC points. Activatable: Barbed Snare (on hit): Target entangled until removed (standard action, Athletics or Engineering DC 15, 1d6 slashing on failure). Steam Vent (1/day): Standard action vents 20-ft. cone, 3d6 fire (basic Reflex DC 15 half). Mechanics & Balance: Bulk and capacity limit spam; fits soldier or operative heavies in aquatic modules; raise level to 8 (Price 9,000 credits) in ranged-focused play.

Traveller

Leviathan Bane Steam Lance

This TL 11 heavy weapon (Cr 4,000, 8 kg) is a steam-piston harpoon gun with coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze casing, silk hose, and pearl harpoon, venting surges in Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition’s submersible or storm combats.

Damage: 4d6 piercing (ignores 2 natural Armor). Range: 50/100/200m. Magazine: 1 (harpoon). Traits: Bulky, Recoil 2, Load (minor action to prime). Special Rules:

  • Pearl Edge: +1 DM vs. hides/armor.
  • Rune Shimmer: Passive +1 DM to spot in water/fog (as light source).
  • Barbed Hook: On hit, target hindered (-2 DM to movement) until removed (action, Str -2 or 2d6 damage).
  • Steam Cone Vent (1/encounter): Action vents Close range cone (up to 3 targets), each takes 3d6 fire (Dodge to halve). Mechanics & Balance: Bulk affects handling; encounter limit balances vent for Marine or Scout heavies, add fuel cell (1d6 uses) for resource management.

Warhammer

Leviathan’s Bane Steam Harpoon

Weapon (Engineering), Cost 220 gc, Enc 3, Rarity Rare, Availability Scarce This martial ranged weapon, a steam-piston harpoon gun with coral stock, luminwood prod, mithral lamination, bronze casing, silk hose, and pearl harpoon, vents surges in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition’s sea raids or delves.

Qualities: Damaging, Impale, Reload (2), Range 50/100/200 yards. Damage: +SB +5 piercing (ignores 2 natural AP). Special Rules: Rune Glow (lantern 10 yards); Barbed Snare (on hit, target slowed -2 Movement until removed, action, Hard Agility test, +3 damage on success); Steam Vent Burst (1/day, Action): 15-yard cone, targets Dodge or take +SB +4 fire (half on success). Mechanics & Balance: Enc tempers mobility; daily vent fits grim peril, suiting Engineer or Mariner classes; corruption risk on activation for horror.