Serrated Slag Cutter 7752

From: Hive 2049 of the Shifting Petal Swarm

This weapon is a massive, jagged shard of alchemical slag recovered from a mechanical power transmission system. It has been fitted with a handle made of petrified badger-lineage bone. The hive uses the frictionless industrial slurry to ensure the blade never catches on armor, allowing it to slide through defenses with terrifying speed.

Lore: The Fragment of the Unbroken Gear

The Serrated Slag-Cutter 7752 is a testament to the hive’s ability to find lethality in industrial waste. During the “Great Seizure” of a metropolitan power-transmission vault, a massive gear-train underwent a catastrophic alchemical weld, fusing priceless alloys into a jagged, hyper-dense byproduct known as “Slag.” While the metropolitan engineers saw only a ruined machine, Hive 2049 saw a material that had survived forces capable of leveling a city block.

The shard was cooled in the nutrient-rich mud of the deep jungle, tempered by the collective “will” of the swarm. To wield such a heavy, chaotic edge, the hive sought out the remains of a “Badger-Lineage” titan—creatures known for their stubborn refusal to yield. The petrified bone handle provides a grounding force, ensuring the alchemical instability of the blade doesn’t backfire on the wielder. It is a weapon of Reclaimed Violence, turning the failures of industry into the primary instrument of the jungle’s defense.

Use: The Frictionless Executioner

The Slag-Cutter is not a weapon of finesse, but of Unstoppable Momentum. Because it is coated in Frictionless Industrial Slurry 9914, the jagged “teeth” of the blade do not snag on leather, plate, or bone. Instead, the slurry creates a micro-thin barrier that allows the massive weight of the slag to slide through solid matter as if it were moving through water.

For a Tier 1 avatar, the weapon is used to bypass the “Physical Consensus” of an enemy’s armor. While a standard blade might be turned aside by a shield, the Slag-Cutter’s vibration—synchronized with the Signal-Mask 8831—finds the structural stress points of the target. A single successful strike does not just cut; it “unmakes” the material it touches, leaving behind a trail of cooling alchemical soot.

Item Specifications

Specific Slot: One-Handed (or Two-Handed for smaller avatars)
Tier One Stats:
- Damage: 1d10 Slashing/Piercing.
- Armor Piercing: Attacks with this weapon ignore up to 3 points of non-magical Armor.
- Weighty Momentum: On a Critical Hit, the target must succeed on a Strength check or be knocked Prone.
Skills Gained:
- Sunder Logic: You gain a +2 bonus to rolls made to damage or destroy objects, locks, and mechanical constructs.
- Slurry-Slide: You gain Advantage on checks to “Disarm” an opponent, as the frictionless coating makes it impossible for them to maintain a grip if the blades clash.
Cost:
- Suggested Value: 180 Silver Pieces (Primarily for the Slurry maintenance and the rarity of petrified lineage-bone).
- Merchant Note: “It doesn’t cut so much as it reminds the metal that it used to be liquid.”
Tags: Weapon, Alchemical-Slag, Bone-Handle, Armor-Piercing, Frictionless, Heavy, Sunder, Tier-1, Industrial-Salvage, Hive-Tool, Alchemical-Edge, Kinetic-Weight, Armor-Bypass, Petrified-Grip, Slurry-Coated, Industrial-Shrapnel, High-Density, Ruin-Born, Sunder-Engine
Appearance:
- A massive, 4-foot shard of blackened, iridescent metal with jagged, serrated edges that seem to “smoke” with a faint, grey alchemical mist.
- The blade is permanently slick with a translucent, shimmering slurry that drips slowly but never runs out.
- The handle is a thick, pale-white petrified bone, wrapped in the familiar copper-dusted silk of the hive.
- Faint orange sparks occasionally jump between the serrations when the blade is swung through high-vibration air.

The Enchantments: The Molecular Shear

The Serrated Slag-Cutter 7752 is bound with a persistent enchantment known as Unstable Cohesion. Because the blade is composed of alchemical runoff that was never meant to be solid, its molecular structure is in a state of constant, microscopic vibration.

Structural Dissonance: When the blade strikes an object, the enchantment matches the resonant frequency of the target’s material (wood, steel, or bone). This causes the target’s physical bonds to “soften” at the point of impact, allowing the jagged teeth to shear through with minimal resistance.
Slurry-Bonding: The enchantment maintains the Frictionless Industrial Slurry 9914 in a perpetual state of “active flow.” This ensures the liquid never dries or washes off, effectively acting as a magical lubricant that prevents the jagged serrations from ever becoming stuck in a wound or a shield.

Protective Aura: The Soot-Cloud Veil

While primarily a weapon of offense, the Slag-Cutter projects a localized aura called the Alchemical Exhaust. This field extends roughly two feet around the blade when it is drawn.

Kinetic Deflection: The dense, grey alchemical mist emitted by the blade is heavy enough to slow down incoming projectiles. Small bolts or arrows passing through the “soot-cloud” lose significant velocity, making them easier for the avatar to dodge.
Corrosive Deterrent: Any biological creature that attempts to grapple the wielder or grab the blade is subjected to the caustic nature of the exhaust. The mist irritates the eyes and respiratory systems of solitary beings, imposing a minor penalty to their accuracy when in close proximity.

Significance and World-Building

The significance of the 7752 model lies in the concept of Industrial Scavenging as Evolution. In Saṃsāra, the metropolitan lords view “Slag” as the garbage of progress. To the hive, however, this slag is a substance that has survived the absolute limit of human engineering. By mounting it to a handle of Petrified Badger-Lineage Bone, the hive marries the “Old World” (prehistoric biological strength) with the “New World” (industrial failure). It is a political statement in metal: the jungle will take the broken teeth of the city and use them to bite back.

Symbolism: The Jagged Consensus

The Shard as Rebellion: The jagged, uneven shape of the blade symbolizes the “Fractured Truth.” It represents the hive’s belief that perfection is a lie told by the metropolitan architects, and that true power lies in the raw, irregular edges of reality.
The Badger Bone as Stubbornness: The use of lineage-bone symbolizes the hive’s refusal to be uprooted. Just as the ancient badgers held their burrows against all predators, the wielder of the Slag-Cutter holds their ground against the expansion of the islands.
The Slurry as Fluidity: The ever-dripping liquid represents the “Moving Mind.” It is a reminder that the consensus must remain fluid and adaptable; any thought that “catches” or becomes rigid is a thought that leads to defeat.

Other Technical Information

Maintenance: While the blade never dulls, the Frictionless Slurry must be “fed” with alchemical waste once every moon cycle. If the slurry runs dry, the blade becomes dangerously volatile, and there is a 10% chance it will shatter upon hitting a hard surface, dealing shrapnel damage to everyone nearby.
Weight Distribution: The Slag-Cutter is “head-heavy.” It requires a high Strength or a high-density hive-structure to swing without overbalancing. An avatar with low physical mass will find themselves pulled along by the weapon’s momentum.
Alchemical Signature: The weapon leaves a very specific chemical trail. Detectives in metropolitan cities or trackers in the bush can easily identify a “Slag-Cutter Strike” by the presence of cooling soot and the unique, ozone-like scent of the 9914 slurry.

Sharp-Waste-of-Broken-Wheel and Bone-of-Never-Move

It is scratched upon the wet-stone-skins of the deep-trench, moved from the vibrating-mouth-noises of the rust-eaters into the stumbling-symbols of the middle-men. Long before the Hive 2049 did walk with the three-lens-sight, there was the Great Seizure of the Vault. The metropolitan-lords did build a wheel of the fire-magic, a gear-train of the high-tier-alloys, to move the power-transmission-flow. But the fire did become the “Consensus-of-Heat,” and the metals did melt into a weld of the catastrophe. The lords did weep, for they saw only the “Slag,” the blackened-shards of the industrial-failure.

The translated-skins say the many-who-are-one looked upon the waste and saw the “Unmeltable Truth.” The swarm did carry the jagged-shard into the nutrient-mud, where the dirt is thick with the magic-juice. To hold the Sharp-Waste, they did seek the “Never-Move-Bone,” the petrified-rib of the Badger-Lineage. These were the beasts who did bite the roots of the world and would not be pulled. The many-who-are-one wove the bone to the slag with the copper-silk, creating the Serrated Slag-Cutter 7752.

But the slag was too jagged; it did catch upon the shields of the enemies like a tooth in the wool. The hive did find the Industrial Slurry 9914, the water-that-is-not-wet, the frictionless-juice of the machine-belly. They did coat the blade in the shimmering-slime so that it would slide through the armor-consensus without the snagging.

One champion of the floating-cities, a knight of the Riveted-Brass known as the Unbreakable-Wall, did stand in the path of the swarm. He wore the plates of the thickest metropolitan-iron. He laughed with the mouth-noises of the arrogant, thinking his “Armor Class” was a mountain that no biological-monster could climb. He raised his shield of the triple-weld and waited for the strike.

The hive-avatar did swing the Slag-Cutter. The translated-skins say the Molecular-Shear did begin to hum. The Frictionless-Slurry did make the blade like a ghost passing through the air. When the jagged-shard touched the Unbreakable-Wall, it did not stop. It did “unmake” the iron-plates. The slurry allowed the teeth of the slag to slide through the knight’s defense as if the metal were the morning-cloud. The Unbreakable-Wall was cut in the exact-half, his riveted-brass falling like the husks of the dead-corn.

The avatar did not stop to eat the knight. The consensus did move forward, the blade dripping the alchemical-soot and the shimmering-slime. They left a trail of the ozone-scent to tell the metropolitan-lords that their “Waste” had returned to harvest the “Progress.” The Sharp-Waste-of-the-Broken-Wheel remains the tooth of the jungle, a reminder that the failure of the master is the sword of the servant.

Moral: He who throws away the broken shard because it no longer turns his wheels must not be surprised when the shard returns to prove that the bone of the earth is stronger than the iron of the sky.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

The Alchemical Shear-Shard

Item Type: Weapon (Melee)
Skill: Fighting (Brawl) or Fighting (Sword)
Damage: 1D8 + 2 + DB
Game Mechanics:
- Slurry Lubrication: The weapon ignores up to 3 points of physical Armor (leather, thick hides, or reinforced clothing).
- Molecular Dissonance: On a Hard Success, the weapon causes structural fatigue; the target’s Armor Value is permanently reduced by 1 for the duration of the encounter as the slag “unmakes” the material.
- Ozone Exhaust: The alchemical mist provides a Penalty Die to any ranged attacks made against the wielder from within 5 feet.
- Weighty Momentum: If the wielder achieves an Extreme Success, the target is automatically knocked prone in addition to the damage dealt.

Blades in the Dark

The Frictionless Slag-Blade

Item Type: Weapon (Heavy, Fine)
Load: 2
Mechanics:
- Fine Armor-Piercing: This weapon always has Potency when used against armored targets, reinforced doors, or mechanical hulls.
- Slurry-Slide: You may expend a Special Armor use or spend 1 Stress to automatically win a “clash” of blades, as the frictionless coating causes your opponent’s weapon to slide harmlessly off yours.
- Sunder: When you use this blade to “Wreck” an object, the effect is increased by one level (e.g., Limited becomes Standard).
- Alchemical Signature: The soot trail is a Consequence; trackers get +1d to follow you after the weapon has been unsheathed.

Dungeons & Dragons

Serrated Slag-Cutter 7752

Item Type: Weapon (Martial Melee Weapon, Longsword or Greatsword), Rare (Requires Attunement)
Damage: 1d10 (1d12) Slashing.
Game Mechanics:
- Frictionless Edge: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with this weapon against targets wearing medium or heavy armor.
- Armor-Sunder: On a natural 20, the target’s non-magical AC is reduced by 1 permanently (to a minimum of 10) as the blade shears through the plating.
- Alchemical Veil: While the weapon is drawn, you have half cover against ranged attacks from attackers more than 30 feet away due to the grey soot-cloud.
- Lineage-Grip: You have advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to resist being disarmed.
- Heavy Momentum: If you move at least 10 feet in a straight line toward a creature before hitting it with an attack, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Knave

The Slag Tooth

Item Type: Weapon (2 Slots, Quality 5)
Damage: 1d10
Mechanics:
- Ignore Armor: This weapon treats all non-magical Armor Defense as 10.
- Object Breaker: This weapon deals double damage to doors, chests, and mechanical traps.
- Slippery Grip: If an enemy attempts to parry or block this weapon, they must roll a Save or their own weapon/shield is knocked out of their hands.
- Soot Trail: You cannot surprise enemies if the weapon is drawn, as the grey mist and ozone smell give you away.

Fate

The Frictionless Slag-Shard

Item Type: Extraordinary Extra
Aspect: Gliding Through the Consensus of Iron. This aspect can be invoked to bypass heavy physical defenses or to destroy industrial obstacles. It may be compelled when the heavy momentum of the blade makes it difficult to stop a swing, potentially damaging the environment or causing the wielder to overextend.
Mechanics:
- Molecular Shear: When you succeed with style on a Fight attack, you can choose to reduce the target’s armor rating by 1 for the rest of the scene instead of taking a boost.
- Soot-Cloud Veil: You gain +2 to Defend against ranged attacks (Athletics) as long as the blade is unsheathed and emitting its alchemical exhaust.
- Frictionless Counter: Once per scene, you can automatically succeed on a defend action against a melee attack by using the slurry to slide the opponent’s weapon away, creating an opening for a boost.

Numenera & Cypher System

Alchemical Slag-Cutter (Model 7752)

Level: 5
Form: A jagged, oily blackened shard of dense alloy with a bone hilt.
Effect: This is a heavy weapon that deals 6 points of damage.
Specific Mechanics:
- Armor Piercing: The attack is eased by one step against any target wearing physical armor. Additionally, the weapon ignores 2 points of Armor.
- Sunder Mechanism: On a roll of 19 or 20, any mundane shield or armor the target is using is permanently degraded, reducing its protection by 1.
- Alchemical Exhaust: The user is considered to have “Asset” on speed defense rolls against ranged attacks due to the obscuring soot cloud.
- Depletion: 1 in 1d20. On depletion, the Frictionless Slurry runs dry. The weapon no longer ignores armor and becomes “Hindered” to use until the slurry is replenished with industrial waste.

Pathfinder (2E)

Serrated Slag-Cutter 7752

Item Level: 5; Price: 140 Silver Pieces
Usage: Held in 1 hand (or 2 hands for 1d12); Bulk: 2
Base Statistics: Damage 1d10 S; Critical Specialization: Shove.
Description: This jagged fragment of industrial runoff is coated in a magical lubricant that allows it to bypass the physical resistance of most materials.
Specific Mechanics:
- Frictionless Strike: The Slag-Cutter has the Versatile P and Razing traits. When attacking a creature with the Construct trait or a creature wearing medium/heavy armor, it gains the Forceful trait.
- Slurry-Slide: The weapon ignores the first 3 points of a target’s Physical Resistance or Hardness.
- Soot-Cloud: [action] (Stance) You flourish the blade, filling your square with alchemical soot. You gain Concealed against ranged attacks. This effect ends if you move or sheath the blade.
- Lineage Bone Handle: You gain a +2 item bonus to your Reflex DC against Disarm attempts.

Savage Worlds

Industrial Slag-Cutter

Type: Melee Weapon (Heavy)
Rank: Seasoned
Damage: Str+d10, AP 4
Weight: 12 lbs
Specific Mechanics:
- Frictionless Edge: The high AP value only applies to non-magical armor and constructs.
- Sunder: If the wielder gets a Raise on their Fighting roll, they may choose to damage the target’s armor or shield instead of dealing the extra d6 damage. The armor/shield loses 1 point of Toughness/Parry until repaired.
- Alchemical Smoke: Ranged attacks against the wielder suffer a -2 penalty due to the thick, grey soot cloud.
- Unwieldy Momentum: If the wielder rolls a 1 on their Fighting die (regardless of the Wild Die), they lose their Parry bonus until their next turn as the weight of the slag pulls them off balance.

Shadowrun

Alchemical Slag-Blade (Model 7752)

Category: Exotic Melee Weapons
Reach: 1
Damage: (STR+4)P
Accuracy: 5
AP: -4
Availability: 12 (R)
Game Mechanics:
- Frictionless Slurry: The -4 AP applies specifically to physical armor (ballistic/impact). If the target is a vehicle or drone, increase the AP to -6.
- Soot-Cloud Concealment: The blade emits a thick alchemical mist. The wielder gains a +2 dice pool bonus to Defense tests against ranged attacks made from outside 5 meters.
- Badger-Bone Grip: The petrified bone handle is biologically resonant. If used by a character with the Adastra or Swarm quality, they receive a +1 Accuracy bonus.
- High-Mass Swing: If the wielder misses an attack by 3 or more hits, they suffer a -1 penalty to Defense until their next Action Phase due to the weapon’s centrifugal force.

Starfinder

Slurry-Coated Slag-Cutter

Item Level: 5; Price: 3,100 Credits
Category: Advanced Melee (Two-Handed)
Damage: 1d12 S & P
Critical: Knockdown
Bulk: 2
Game Mechanics:
- Penetrating Slag: This weapon has the Penetrating weapon special property, ignoring an amount of DR equal to the item level (5).
- Frictionless Strike: When attacking a target with the Construct type or one wearing Heavy Armor, you treat the target’s KAC as 2 lower.
- Exhaust Cloud: As a move action, you can activate the soot-cloud. You gain concealment (20% miss chance) against ranged attacks for 1d4 rounds.
- Unwieldy: Because of the heavy alchemical weight, this weapon has the Unwieldy property and cannot be used for multiple attacks in a single round.

Traveller

TL 12 Serrated Alchemical Shard

TL: 12; Weight: 6 kg; Cost: Cr4,500
Damage: 3D + STR DM
Description: A jagged industrial relic coated in frictionless liquid, capable of shearing through starship hull-plating or heavy vacuum suits.
Game Mechanics:
- Armor Bypass: This weapon ignores 4 points of Protection from non-powered armor. Against Battle Dress or Vehicles, it ignores 2 points of Protection.
- Sunder Property: If a hit deals 10+ damage (after armor), the target’s armor is damaged, reducing its Protection value by 1 until repaired.
- Frictionless Guard: The wearer gains a DM+1 to Melee (Blade) checks made to parry, as the slurry causes enemy blades to slide off the shard.
- Ozone Trail: The soot cloud makes stealth impossible (DM-4 to Stealth checks), but provides a DM-1 to enemies shooting at the wielder.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

The Slurry-Dripping Shard of 2049

Type: Melee (Two-Handed)
Reach: Long
Damage: +SB + 5
Qualities: Damaging, Hack, Penetrating (2)
Description: A massive, blackened tooth of metal that vibrates with an unnatural alchemical hum. It drips a liquid that seems to eat through friction itself.
Game Mechanics:
- Unstoppable Momentum: When the wielder wins an Opposed Melee Test by +4 SL or more, the hit ignores all non-magical Armor Points on the hit location.
- The Badger’s Stubbornness: The wielder gains the Sturdy Talent while the weapon is drawn. If they already have it, they gain +10 to tests to resist being moved or knocked down.
- Alchemical Exhaust: Any creature in base contact with the wielder must pass a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or suffer 1 Blind Condition from the caustic soot.
- Maintenance Heavy: If the weapon is not “fed” alchemical waste during a week of travel, it gains the Flaws: Undependable quality.