From: Lineage 317 of the Dream Tusked Nga Tara
Weapon Type: Two-handed polearm/harpoon
Forged from deep-sea coral fused with dream-steel, this long, barbed spear gleams with a faint blue light along its serrated edges. The Tidecarver was first made for whale-guardians and Dreampool defenders who needed reach and power underwater or on airship decks. When hurled or thrust, the weapon channels a sharp surge of hydromancy: a tether of conjured water can pull a struck target back toward the wielder or anchor the harpoon to terrain. At close range, its barbs tear through armor and scale alike.
Advantages: exceptional reach, control over enemy movement, doubles as boarding hook or climbing aid when charged.
Drawbacks: bulky, slow to reset after thrown; requires ample water or mist to use tether feature fully.
Lore
Tidecarver Harpoon-718 was born in the era when Dreamtide’s floating docks were first under siege by leviathans and rogue sea-spirits. Its makers, the deep-smiths of Grand Dreampool, learned to fuse reef coral with dream-steel—a metal tempered in submerged furnaces powered by ley currents—to create weapons that could pierce hide thicker than ship’s hulls and remain stable within the dense magical tides of Aboriginal’s waters. Each harpoon is ritually quenched in the tidal pools of Yirra’s shrines, taking on a faint, shifting blue luminescence that pulses to the wielder’s heartbeat. For generations, Dreampool defenders and whale-guardians bore these long polearms on both water and sky: from battling sea-wraiths near kelp fortresses to repelling boarding parties on steam zeppelins. The barbs are etched with Ngara-Vo Words of Power that, when voiced mid-throw, call forth a lashing tether of living water to pull prey or secure the weapon into any surface—a mast, a cliff face, even the flank of a leviathan. Its presence marks an avatar as one sworn to guard the dream-seas and watch the floating lanes.
Tier One Values
• Strength +2
• Dexterity +1
• Constitution +1
Skills Gained
• Athletics +2 when climbing or leveraging the harpoon as an anchor
• Survival +1 in aquatic or shipboard environments
• Intimidation +1 when brandishing or setting its barbed head glowing
Passive Magics
• Dreamsteel Resonance — subtle hydromantic hum grants +1 to attack rolls in mist, rain, or water-rich air
• Barbed Laceration — on a critical hit, the harpoon’s edges channel dream-water to worsen bleeding; target suffers 1 additional ongoing damage per round until healed
• Whale-Guardian’s Breath — while wielding underwater, wielder can hold breath twice as long and move at normal swim speed
Activatable Magics
• Tide Pull (2/day) — when striking a Medium or larger foe within reach or on a throw up to 30 ft, a conjured water tether yanks the target 10 ft closer or anchors the weapon to terrain for climbing or bracing (Strength save DC 13 to resist)
• Boarding Surge (1/day) — unleash a thrust of pressurized dream-water that propels wielder 10 ft in chosen direction (toward an enemy deck, across gap, or onto ship rigging)
• Leviathan Anchor (1/day) — drive head into surface and call forth watery bind; grants advantage to resist forced movement and pull foes attempting to flee
Specific Slot
Weapon — Two-Handed Polearm/Harpoon
Tags
Tidecarver, Deep-Smith, Dreamsteel, Hydromancy, Boarding-Hook, Leviathan-Bane, Underwater-Combat, Reef-Forged, Mist-Tethered, Whale-Guardian, Sea-Warden, Abyss-Hunter, Water-Tether, Coral-Barbed, Dock-Defender, Shipbreaker, Storm-Piercer, Wave-Rider, Dream-Linked
Where and How the Tidecarver Harpoon-718 Moves Through Saṃsāra’s Markets
Grand Dreampool Armory – Dreamtide
At the heart of Aboriginal’s northwestern floating metropolis, the Grand Dreampool Armory is where Dreampool defenders and aquatic hunters commission their long weapons. The harpoon is offered in two grades: simple dream-steel core with coral overlay (about 450 gp) for militia and trade guards, and master-crafted ceremonial Tidecarvers etched with Vo-Run for elite Waterdreamers (650–800 gp). Buyers often barter raw dream-water or rare reef coral instead of coin; the transaction includes a short blessing by a temple hydromancer.
Stormhook Foundry – Vara-Sul
Within the capital’s vast industrial quarter, the Stormhook Foundry serves professional monster hunters, airship boarding crews, and marines. Here the price sits slightly higher because of precision machining and tested pressure valves for the hydromantic tether: 600–900 gp depending on alloy purity and finish. These forges require guild papers; prospective buyers show monster-hunting licenses or airship service tags before purchase.
Saltwake Mercantile – Coralis Dominion
This seaside exchange specializes in gear for deep-sea voyagers and coral harvesters. Weapons are traded directly from sea-folk and reef-runners. Coral-rich models with enhanced aquatic balance run 500–700 gp, but unusual dream-steel variants meant to pierce leviathan hide may reach 1,000 gp. Sale often sealed by sea-ink mark—temporary magical contract to return broken pieces for recycling.
Blackwater Bazaars – Archipelago Outposts
Remote islands and floating salvage markets sell reclaimed or “field-refit” Tidecarvers at steeply varied rates. A scavenged but serviceable harpoon might go for 300–400 gp, while ex-naval issue or relic pieces spike to 1,200 gp if provenance is exotic (leviathan hunt trophy, war-relic from coastal defense). Buyers here pay in mixed coinage or barter (monster parts, dream-orbs).
Monstrous Gamehouses – Ironheart Reach
Though far from the sea, heavy weapon halls for jungle hydra and river drakes sometimes stock the Tidecarver for inland beast work. They modify tethers to anchor in mud or tree canopies. Prices lean practical: 500 gp standard, 750 gp for dream-steel with reinforced barbs. Often tied to hunting guild membership.
Custom Commission Path
Wealthy adventurers or military officers commission direct from coral artisans and Vo-Run smiths—private cost can exceed 1,500 gp for ornate inlays, rare abyssal coral, and personal runic bindings.
Buying & Selling Etiquette
Most legitimate shops require demonstration of competence: a short hydromantic pulse to prove you can control the tether safely. Secondhand sale generally involves a cleansing ritual; unsanctified weapons sometimes “remember” last wielder’s intent and resist new owners. In Dreampool markets, buyers test the pull strength by latching to floating posts in the harbor before final payment.
Roleplay Use of the Tidecarver Harpoon-718 in Different Environments
Open Sea & Coastal Waters
- Defense: A Tidecarver wielder standing on a pitching deck or floating dock keeps monsters and boarding parties at bay with long reach and sudden pulls. When a sea creature lunges, they lash the hydromantic tether to the rail to anchor themselves and absorb impact, or sweep the barbed shaft in wide arcs to keep foes off the gangplank.
- Offense: Underwater or near-surface hunts become cinematic—thrust, twist, and let the conjured water rope snap taut to drag prey closer. A leviathan’s fin or an enemy diver’s harness becomes a handhold, giving the wielder control in three-dimensional space.
Airships & Sky Platforms
- Defense: From a swaying gondola or deck, the harpoon becomes an anti-boarding tool. The wielder plants the shaft in the planks and fires the water tether outward to catch enemy grapnels or climbers, then yanks to unbalance or drop them.
- Offense: Boarding an enemy craft is theatrical—throw the Tidecarver across the gap, tether it to rail or rigging, and swing across. On impact, retract the tether to slam into foes or reel in the weapon instantly.
Jungle Rivers & Swamps
- Defense: Dense foliage and shifting river mud favor its anchoring trick. The user can hook the barbs into tree roots or river rocks, making a stable firing platform when beasts charge from water. Tether snaps taut to stop a predator’s rush or to help allies pull free of quicksand.
- Offense: Strike from canoe or low bank; the surge of conjured water lets the wielder cross fallen logs or leap tangled vines, then drag a struggling foe back into reach. Useful against crocodilian monsters or poachers fleeing by raft.
Urban Harbors & Docks
- Defense: Crowd control during riots or pirate raids—sweep the long polearm to hold space, then tether to bollards or moorings to brace against pushes or stampedes.
- Offense: Use cranes and rigging as anchor points for acrobatic strikes; haul smugglers from skiffs or yank heavy cargo pallets to create barriers.
Mountainous Lake Outposts & Cliff Bases
- Defense: The tether can anchor the user on slippery cliff paths or ice-rimmed ledges, letting them hold ground against flying or climbing threats.
- Offense: Pin enemies to rock walls, drag them off precarious perches, or climb swiftly to higher ground when ambushed.
Strengths for Play
- Encourages movement and control; not just damage but battlefield manipulation.
- Builds strong cinematic moments: harpoon to rail, dive after target, or swing between ships.
Limitations for Play
- Big and deliberate; slower in tight corridors or if water source is absent (reduced tether effect).
- Can leave the wielder overcommitted if throw misses or tether latches to something unstable.
This lets a player dramatize power and reach while showing the harpoon’s bond to water and motion—perfect for sea guardians, airship marines, or river beast hunters in Saṃsāra.
Perception of Activation:
User’s Perspective:
The moment the Tidecarver Harpoon-718 awakens, a deep, liquid thrum resonates up your arms and into your chest. The shaft seems to flex like a living thing; droplets of cold brine appear across your palms even if you stand far from the sea. A scent of storm-washed salt and iron fills your lungs, while your “Mind’s Eye” stirs—sudden threads of water paths unfolding in every direction, showing hidden channels of motion and force. You feel an almost predatory pull forward, like the tide itself urging you to strike and reclaim. Each heartbeat syncs with a rolling wave; your vision momentarily refracts, edges rippling as if underwater. There’s a subtle drag behind your ribs, the sense of a tether waiting to lash out and reel prey or anchor you fast.
Observer’s Perspective:
To onlookers, the harpoon’s coral blade ignites with faint bioluminescent veins, blue-white light pulsing like the glow of abyssal fish. Mist curls from the weapon’s barbs, drifting and coiling in ghostly tendrils. Water droplets suddenly bead and fall to the ground as though pulled from the air. The wielder’s silhouette distorts briefly, shimmering as though standing behind a waterfall. Nearby water—puddles, dew, even sweat—tugs and shifts toward the weapon’s tip, betraying the pull of unseen currents. When the wielder moves, faint echoes of ocean surf and whale-song murmur at the edge of hearing.
Positives:
- Immediate surge of aquatic awareness and control; environment feels navigable and alive.
- Instinctive grasp of range and leverage; you can feel how to hook, pull, or anchor without thought.
- Subtle barrier of rushing water sense shields the mind from fear or confusion for a heartbeat.
- Visceral intimidation—foes watching the glow and mist often hesitate or backstep.
Negatives:
- The psychic tide can feel invasive; unprepared users sense undertow pulling at their own will.
- Loud rushing-water sounds and heart-thumping rhythm can cause momentary vertigo.
- Onlookers close by may feel a brief pull toward the weapon, disorienting allies if not warned.
- If misaligned with local water or mist, backlash of sharp cold and pressure spikes can numb hands and blur vision.
Recipe Title: Weaving the Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Materials Needed:
- Deep-Sea Coral Spine (1) — taken from abyssal reef serpents or traded from coral divers of Coralis Dominion.
- Dream-Steel Ingot (1) — alloy of steel and water-saturated crystal from Grand Dreampool for magical resonance.
- Salt Pearl Powder (small pouch) — ground from sacred tidal pearls to bind hydromantic currents.
- Leviathan Tendon Cord (length sufficient for haft core) — durable, water-reactive binding.
- Vo-Run Glyph Plates (3) — inscribed coral or shell pieces etched with wave and tether sigils.
- Abyssal Lantern Oil (small vial) — for tempering the blade to retain faint bioluminescence.
- Steam Lily Resin (handful) — sticky resin for grip and handle sealing.
- Sharkskin Wrap (1 strip) — final grip layer, adds texture and protection from sea corrosion.
Tools Required:
- Steam-Forge Crucible with water-pressure venting system.
- Coral Shaper’s Saw and Bone Planers.
- Rune Chisel & Vo-Run Engraving Brushes.
- Hydromantic Infusion Bath (ley-line or Dreampool-fed).
- Tempering Tongs resistant to magical heat and cold shock.
- Binding Jig for tendon-wrapped haft alignment.
- Focus Lens for “Mind’s Eye” stabilization while inscribing wave-tether sigils.
Skill Requirements:
- Mastery in Hydromancy or Water Infusion (to bind dream-steel with coral).
- Advanced Weaponsmithing & Metal Tempering.
- Rune-Lore fluency in Vo-Run script and dream-tether geometry.
- Coral shaping and deep-sea material stabilization.
- Basic Ley-Line Attunement and magical heat/cold control.
Crafting Steps:
- Coral Preparation: Clean and shape the deep-sea coral spine into the harpoon head using Coral Shaper’s Saw and Bone Planers; submerge it in an infusion bath laced with Salt Pearl Powder to toughen and make it hydromantically receptive.
- Dream-Steel Fusion: Smelt dream-steel in the steam-forge crucible, infusing Abyssal Lantern Oil slowly while channeling low hydromantic currents; merge with prepared coral to create the luminous barbed blade.
- Tendon Core Wrapping: Stretch and bind the Leviathan tendon cord to form a shock-absorbing haft core. Use Binding Jig to maintain even tension. Coat with thin layers of Steam Lily Resin for waterproofing and resilience.
- Handle Shaping: Affix the blade securely to the haft; reinforce with rune-carved Vo-Run plates along the junction to channel the tether effect. Seal with additional Steam Lily Resin while whispering alignment chants in Ngara-Vo.
- Runic Engraving: With Focus Lens and steady Mind’s Eye, inscribe the tide-binding and tether glyphs along the haft and blade. Carefully inlay pearl powder into carved runes to create subtle bioluminescent channels.
- Hydromantic Quenching: Submerge the assembled harpoon into a Dreampool or ley-fed bath, singing the ancestral whale-guard chant. This step bonds the weapon’s water currents and awakens the tether surge.
- Final Wrapping & Blessing: Bind the grip with sharkskin, knotting in a spiral pattern that matches wave motion. Present the finished Tidecarver to running water or mist for three tides (approx. 72 hours) to let currents “taste” the weapon and stabilize its magic.
When completed correctly, the harpoon faintly hums and beads of cool moisture gather along its barbs—a sign its tether magic is alive and ready to answer the wielder’s call.
Tidecarver’s First Pull
Once was tide, no tame, no fence, only roar and whisper deep. There, near water black and cave mouth wide, lived the whale-keepers of lost Vara Shoal. They guard the long-back beasts and floating docks with spear and chant. Yet no spear held, no chant strong, when the flood-serpent of rift came—big as ship, teeth like broken hull.
One keeper, name half-lost: Hruul or Hur-eth, son or daughter of foam? Words drift. They say this one dream-walk at night and hear water speak in tongue older than moon. The dream show coral bleeding light, steel soft as dawn, tendon cords like whale vein. Wake quick, heart shaking, gather shells and forge under singing vents. Three days and three black nights steam roared and salt burned eyes. At end stood long harpoon, coral tooth, dream-steel shine; it breathe like sleeping tide.
Flood-serpent came again, crashing docks, scattering beast and boat. Keeper stepped forth, slow, no fear, harpoon raised. Sea hiss, dream hum, and with throw that seemed pulled by whole ocean, harpoon fly and find heart deep. But serpent not die, it twist and rage. Then water-line, thin blue rope from harpoon tip to wielder’s hand, glow and tighten. With shout not word, more howl than speech, keeper pull—pull tide, pull beast, pull fate. Serpent dragged from deep to dock stones, and there other keepers finish with stone axes and chant.
When wave calm, weapon wet with dream-light still sang soft. Keeper fall quiet, some say alive, some say dead; all say tide took them after. Harpoon kept, passed, renamed many times. Tidecarver, Sea-Binder, Storm-Spear. Now told in low voice: “Forged where dream and deep meet, tool to pull what should not be near and keep ship from drown.”
Moral of the story: Power follows the dreamer who listens to the tide and shapes with patience; rush or greed drown the hand that would command the sea.
Suggested conversions to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Item Type: Mythos Weapon (Harpoon/Polearm)
Era Fit: Renaissance maritime exploration and deep-sea guardians
Skill: Spear (Harpoon) 50% base or user’s Spear skill if higher
Damage: 1D10+DB impale; special: if thrown and tether active, STR vs STR to reel target 1D6 yards closer or pull user to fixed point
Range: 10 yards throw; reach in melee ~10 ft
Integrity: 20 HP; dream-steel resists normal corrosion
Mythos Resonance: User who channels the hydromantic tether must make a POW×5 roll; failure causes psychic undertow (1 SAN loss and one combat round of disorientation)
Special Power — Tide Pull (1/day): By speaking a broken Vo-Run chant and spending 5 MP, the wielder creates a conjured water line to forcibly retrieve or anchor. Targets failing opposed STR roll are yanked; objects up to SIZ 40 can be moved.
Blades in the Dark — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Item Type: Heavy Polearm (2 Load)
Qualities: Fine, Reach, Anchoring, Dream-tethered
Effect: Counts as Fine spear for increased effect and potency vs aquatic/leviathan foes. Grants +1D when grappling or boarding (ship-to-ship) actions using the tether.
Special Ability — Pull of the Deep: Spend 1 stress to throw and bind a foe or object; may drag an enemy into melee or fix the harpoon to climb or cross a gap. Counts as controlled position when boarding or shifting platforms on water.
Drawback: Bulky; on critical failure or partial, the water tether snaps back and you take level 1 harm “wrenched arm” unless you resist with Prowess.
Dungeons & Dragons (5e) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon (Harpoon, martial, two-handed), Rare, requires attunement
Damage: 1d10 piercing (melee or thrown 30/90)
Properties: Reach, Heavy, Thrown
Magical Traits:
• Dream-Tether (1/short rest): After a successful ranged hit, bonus action to conjure a water tether. Target STR save DC 14 or pulled 20 ft toward you; if tether fixed to terrain, you can pull yourself to the point instead.
• Hydromantic Surge: When submerged or standing on wet surface, weapon deals +1d6 cold damage.
Attunement Perks: +1 to attack and damage rolls. While attuned, you can breathe water for 10 min/day.
Drawback: Each time Dream-Tether fails (target resists), you take 1d4 psychic damage from backlash.
Knave — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon: Harpoon (Heavy, Two-Handed)
Damage: d10
Tags: Reach, Thrown (30’), Pull, Water-linked
Special: On a hit when thrown, you may choose:
- Pull yourself to target or anchor point (if fixed)
- Pull target closer (STR save or pulled 10’ per success margin)
Once per exploration turn you may channel dream-water; gain advantage on next climb, swim, or balance check while weapon is planted or tethered.
Drawback: Bulky; on a fumbled throw, tether whiplash inflicts d4 damage to you and may knock you prone.
Fate — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Item Type: Signature Weapon (Polearm/Harpoon)
Aspects: “Dream-Tethered Barbs of the Deep,” “Hook of the Whale Guardians”
Benefits:
• Weapon:2 in melee or when thrown short range.
• Invoke Dream-Tethered Barbs of the Deep for +2 to Create an Advantage by entangling or pulling foes.
• Once per scene spend 1 Fate point to instantly secure the harpoon to any watery or mist-laden surface and pull yourself or a foe; counts as Overcome action with +2.
Drawback: If tether fails or target resists, GM may compel “Unwieldy Reach Weapon” to leave you off-balance or prone.
Numenera & Cypher System — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Level: 5 (15)
Damage: 6 points (melee or thrown short range)
Features:
• Dream Tether (1 Intellect point): After a successful hit, spend 1 point to extend a conjured water tether. Opposed Might vs. target; success drags foe 10 ft or pulls wielder to fixed point.
• Abyss Surge: When in contact with water/mist, adds +2 damage and grants +1 Speed Edge for next action.
• Breath of the Deep: User can breathe water for 10 minutes after activation once per rest.
GM Intrusion: The tether snaps; wielder takes 2 ambient damage and is momentarily stunned.
Pathfinder (2e) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon: Tidecarver Harpoon-718, martial two-handed spear
Damage: 1d10 piercing; Reach, Thrown 30 ft, Deadly d10
Rarity: Rare; magical
Activation (Interact, once per hour): Dream Tether — after a successful Strike, force a DC 21 Athletics check vs. target’s Fort DC to reel them 20 ft closer or pull yourself to an anchored point.
Special: While wielding, you gain a +1 item bonus to Athletics checks to Swim or Climb in wet or misty conditions.
Property Rune Equivalent: Pulling + Cold Damage (1d6 while in contact with water or heavy mist).
Drawback: Bulky; on a critical failure with the Dream Tether, you become flat-footed until the start of your next turn.
Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon: Harpoon, Two-Handed Reach Weapon
Damage: Str+d8, AP 2, Reach 2
Range (Thrown): 3/6/12
Special Abilities:
• Dream Tether (1 Power Point or Bennie): After a successful hit (melee or thrown), make an opposed Strength roll. Success drags target 1d4 inches closer or lets you pull to anchor point.
• Hydromantic Edge: While in water or mist, adds +2 to Athletics (Climb/Swim) and Fighting rolls with the harpoon for 3 rounds after activation.
• Breath Bubble: As a free action once per encounter, wielder can breathe underwater for 10 minutes.
Drawback: On a natural 1 Fighting die when tethering, you’re Entangled (tether wraps) until Strength check succeeds.
Shadowrun (6e) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon Category: Polearm / Harpoon
Accuracy: 5
Damage Value: 8P
AP: –3
Reach: 2
Mode: Melee / Thrown (STR/2 +5 m)
Special Functions:
• Dream Tether (Complex Action, 2 Drain): After a successful melee or thrown hit, roll Magic + Strength [Physical] vs. target’s Body + Strength. Success reels target 2 meters per net hit toward wielder or hauls wielder to fixed object.
• Abyss Surge: While submerged or in heavy mist, weapon gains +1 DV and user gains +1 dice to Athletics for 3 Combat Turns after activation.
Drawback: Bulky; Quick Draw test is –2 dice.
Starfinder — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Item Level: 5
Weapon Type: Advanced Melee (Harpoon)
Damage: 1d10 P
Critical: Grab (DC 16 Reflex or pulled 10 ft toward wielder)
Range: Thrown 20 ft; Reach
Capacity: 10 charges (Dream Tether)
Usage: 1 charge/attack when tethering
Special:
• Dream Tether: When you hit, you can spend 1 charge; target must succeed a Reflex save DC 16 or be pulled 10 ft or be anchored (cannot move away until Strength DC 16 to break).
• Aquatic Adaptation: While wielding, gain +2 circumstance bonus on Swim and Athletics checks in water or mist.
Drawback: Full action to reload Dreamwater charges.
Traveller (Mongoose 2e) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon: Tidecarver Harpoon (Two-Handed Polearm)
Skill: Melee (Polearm) or Athletics (Thrown)
Damage: 3D+3
Reach: Long
Range: Short (thrown up to 10 m)
Traits:
• Dream Tether: After a successful hit, make opposed STR checks; on success, pull target 1D meters or pull self to anchor point.
• Waterlink: +2 DM to Athletics (Swim) and Climb when near water or mist.
• Deep Breath: Grants 10 min holding breath after activation (1/day).
Drawback: Bulky; –2 DM to initiative when surprised while carrying.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4e) — Tidecarver Harpoon-718
Weapon Group: Spear / Polearm
Encumbrance: 3
Damage: SB+5
Reach: Long, Impale, Specialist Weapon (Harpoon)
Qualities:
• Dream Tether (Free Action, once per Encounter): After a successful hit, Opposed Strength vs. Athletics to drag foe 1 yard per SL or pull self toward fixed surface.
• Mist-Favored: +10 to Swim and Climb Tests in damp or misty conditions while wielding.
• Deepwater Gift: May hold breath TB minutes longer after first activation each day.
Drawback: If fumbled while tethering, become Entangled (GM may inflict prone or grappled conditions).