Soulsteel Wailing Blade

From: Soulsteel

Lore: The Wailing Blade is a legendary weapon steeped in dark and spectral lore. It is said to have been forged by a master craftsman who sought to harness the power of the ethereal realm. The blade’s creation required a deep understanding of soul manipulation and the ability to capture the essence of restless spirits. The resonating gem, a rare and mystical artifact, was incorporated to amplify the blade’s haunting harmonics. The Wailing Blade became a weapon of choice for those who sought to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Use: The Wailing Blade is a fearsome weapon that strikes both the body and the spirit of its foes. When wielded, it emits eerie and mournful wails, evoking a sense of dread and unease in anyone who hears it. The haunting sounds have a disorienting effect on opponents, disrupting their focus and making it harder for them to mount an effective defense.

Stats and Level One Attributes:

• Level Requirement: Tier 1
• Damage: 1d8 slashing damage
• Skills gained: Proficiency with longswords or martial weapons
• Special Abilities: The Wailing Blade has a chance to inflict psychic damage in addition to its regular slashing damage. The psychic damage is equal to the wielder’s level.

Preparation and Process:

• Disassemble the ceremonial longsword: Carefully take apart the ceremonial longsword, separating the hilt and blade.
• Soulsteel infusion: Replace the original blade with a newly crafted Soulsteel blade. The Soulsteel is melted and shaped into a blade that retains its strength and sharpness.
• Spectral essence: Capture spectral essence from restless spirits through necromantic rituals or by visiting haunted locations. Fill the hilt of the sword with this spectral essence, allowing it to resonate with the spirits’ energy.
• Resonating gem: Insert a resonating gem into the crossguard of the sword. The gem amplifies the blade’s eerie harmonics, enhancing its disorienting effect on foes.
• Assembly: Reassemble the hilt and blade, ensuring a secure and balanced fit.

Cost, Availability, and Tags:

• The Wailing Blade is an extremely rare and sought-after weapon due to its unique properties. It is not commonly found in regular markets or conventional weapon shops. Instead, it can be acquired through specialized black markets, secret auctions, or by making deals with occult collectors and dealers.
• The cost of obtaining the Wailing Blade is high, reflecting its rarity and potent abilities. It may require a significant sum of gold, valuable favors, or even the completion of dangerous quests or tasks.
• Tags:
  • Accursed: The Wailing Blade carries a curse due to its connection with the spectral realm. This curse can manifest in various ways, such as attracting the attention of vengeful spirits or causing unsettling phenomena when the blade is unsheathed.
  • Ethereal: The Wailing Blade possesses a connection to the ethereal plane, allowing it to interact with spectral entities or ethereal phenomena in unique ways.
  • Fear-inducing: The haunting sounds emitted by the Wailing Blade have a disorienting effect on opponents, potentially instilling fear in their hearts and making them more susceptible to intimidation or panic.
  • Psychic Damage: The blade has the ability to inflict psychic damage, affecting the target’s mind and spirit in addition to physical harm.
  • Additional: Haunting, Resonant, Spectralbane, Dreadful, Soulbound, Disorienting, Etherealstrike, Shadowmarked, Mindpiercing, Necrotic

Where and How the Wailing Blade Recipe is Sold: The recipe for the Wailing Blade is a closely guarded secret held by a select few individuals who have dedicated themselves to the study of ethereal arts and dark enchantments. These individuals may include secretive occult societies, necromancers, or scholars of forbidden knowledge. The recipe is not openly sold in regular markets or shops due to its potent and potentially dangerous nature. Instead, it is shared discreetly among those who are deemed worthy or have proven their commitment to the pursuit of dark power. Aspiring wielders of the Wailing Blade must seek out these secretive circles and earn the trust and favor of the individuals who hold the recipe.

Environment and Use of the Wailing Blade: The Wailing Blade is most commonly sought after and used in environments where the boundaries between the physical world and the ethereal realm are thin. This can include ancient crypts, haunted ruins, and locations with a long history of supernatural occurrences. Wielders of the Wailing Blade are often individuals who have delved deep into necromantic and ethereal magics, embracing the shadows and the mysteries that lie beyond.

The Wailing Blade itself is used as a tool of intimidation and terror. When drawn from its sheath, the blade emits haunting sounds that reverberate through the air, striking fear into the hearts of foes. It is a weapon of choice for those who seek to sow chaos and instill dread in their enemies. The Wailing Blade’s disorienting effect and ability to inflict both physical and psychic damage make it a formidable weapon in combat, particularly against those who are susceptible to fear and psychological manipulation.

Users of the Wailing Blade may include skilled necromancers, dark enchanters, or shadowy assassins who rely on fear and psychological warfare to gain the upper hand in their endeavors. It is a weapon that is not only deadly in combat but also serves as a symbol of the wielder’s mastery over the ethereal arts and their willingness to embrace the darker side of magic.

Song That Silenced the Shadows

Long before the stars found their rightful places, when the winds carried whispers of forgotten gods, there lived a smith named Dahrak the Mournful. His forge stood on the edge of a cursed vale, where the air itself wept and shadows slithered like living things. The tale begins when Dahrak, mourning the loss of his kin to restless spirits, sought vengeance not in blood but in the binding of spirits themselves.

It is said that the valley held secrets no man dared touch, yet Dahrak braved its heart, unearthing the rare Soulsteel, a metal born from the anguish of trapped souls. To this he added the resonant gem, a shard said to have been carved from the tears of a dying star. In his despair, Dahrak tempered the blade not with water, but with the keening cries of the spirits he bound to its steel, each wail twisting the blade’s form.

When the Wailing Blade was first lifted, the sky turned gray and all sound fled, save for its mournful song. Armed with the blade, Dahrak descended into the shadow vale, striking fear into the restless dead. The blade’s haunting cries echoed louder than the spirits’ own wails, scattering them into the void.

But power carries a cost. The more Dahrak wielded the blade, the louder its cries grew, and the more it gnawed at his mind. He soon disappeared, the blade falling silent and vanishing with him. It is whispered that the blade still roams, choosing those whose grief resonates with its mournful tune, granting them power but demanding they bear its sorrow.

Moral of the Story: Grief can forge strength, but unchecked, it binds even the strongest heart in chains of sorrow.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Description: A blade that resonates with the wails of trapped souls, disorienting and harming its foes.
• Damage: 1d8 + wielder’s Damage Bonus (physical)
• Special Effects:
  • Psychic Echo: On a successful attack, the target must make an INT roll. Failure causes 1d4 psychic damage and imposes a -10% penalty to all skill checks for one round.
  • Fearful Aura: Any creature witnessing the blade’s activation must succeed on a POW roll or suffer a penalty to their next action due to fear.
  • Durability: Requires regular rituals to maintain its ethereal bond; failure may cause the blade to become inert or lash out.
• Drawback: Attracts the attention of otherworldly entities when unsheathed for prolonged periods.

Blades in the Dark

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Load: Heavy (3 slots).
• Effect:
  • Psychic Harm: Adds potency to attacks against spirits and entities connected to the ghost field.
  • Wailing Strike: Once per score, unleash a mournful wail that forces all foes within close range to make a Resolve resistance roll or become disoriented for one round.
  • Fearsome Presence: When drawn, the blade grants +1d to Command rolls involving intimidation.
• Drawback: The blade’s eerie sound can alert nearby spirits or supernatural forces, complicating stealth.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Weapon Type: Longsword (Martial, Melee Weapon)
• Damage: 1d8 slashing damage (versatile: 1d10)
• Attunement: Required
• Properties:
  • Psychic Resonance: On a critical hit, the blade deals an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
  • Wail of the Damned (Recharge 5–6): As an action, the wielder can activate the blade’s wail. All creatures within 30 feet must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 2d6 psychic damage and be frightened until the end of their next turn.
  • Fearsome Edge: The blade grants the wielder advantage on Intimidation checks.
• Drawback: Whenever the blade’s wail is used, roll a d20. On a roll of 1, the wielder suffers 1d6 psychic damage as the blade momentarily turns its anguish on them.

Knave

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Damage: 1d8 slashing damage
• Encumbrance: 1 slot
• Properties:
  • Wailing Strike: Once per rest, the blade can release a wailing sound that forces all creatures within 10 feet to make a WIL save or suffer disadvantage on their next attack.
  • Psychic Edge: On a natural 20 attack roll, the blade deals an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
  • Fearful Aura: The blade grants a +2 bonus to intimidation-related interactions.
• Drawback: Each time the blade is used in combat, the wielder must make a WIL save. Failure results in the wielder hearing faint wails for an hour, imposing disadvantage on Perception checks.

Fate Core

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Aspect: “A Blade That Cries for the Lost”
• Invokes: Use for intimidation, psychic harm, and spectral combat.
• Compels: Draws the attention of spirits and other supernatural forces; unnerves allies and enemies alike.
• Stunts:
  • Wail of Dread: Once per scene, create an advantage by emitting a psychic wail that disorients nearby enemies.
  • Ethereal Strike: Gain +2 when attacking incorporeal or spectral entities.
  • Fearsome Presence: Gain +2 to Overcome rolls involving intimidation or fear.
• Drawback: Prolonged use of the blade may compel the wielder to suffer mental strain, represented by stress or consequences.

Numenera & Cypher System

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Level: 6
• Damage: 6 points (slashing).
• Special Abilities:
  • Psychic Harm: Adds 3 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) to attacks.
  • Wailing Aura: Once per day, unleash a mournful cry that forces all creatures within Short range to make an Intellect Defense roll. Failure inflicts Stunned for one round.
  • Fearsome Edge: Attacks with the blade gain an asset when used to intimidate or against fear-prone foes.
• Cost (Shins): 1500
• Enabler: Abilities activate passively without additional Effort unless specified.
• Drawback: Using the Wailing Aura draws the attention of ethereal entities within Long range.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Weapon Type: Martial (Longsword)
• Damage: 1d8 slashing (versatile: piercing)
• Traits: Magical, Fear, Necrotic.
• Special Abilities:
  • Psychic Wail (1 Action): All creatures in a 30-foot radius must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or become Frightened 1 (Frightened 2 on a critical failure).
  • Soulstrike: On a critical hit, deal an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
  • Ethereal Bane: The blade ignores the resistances of incorporeal creatures.
• Price: 800 gp
• Drawback: Each time the blade’s psychic wail is used, the wielder must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or gain the Stupefied 1 condition for 1 round.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Damage: Str+d8
• Abilities:
  • Wailing Strike: When hitting with a raise, the target takes an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
  • Frightening Wail: Once per encounter, the blade emits a haunting sound. All enemies within 6 inches must make a Spirit roll or suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls for one round.
  • Spectral Edge: Ignores Armor when attacking incorporeal creatures.
• Weight: 10 lbs.
• Cost: $1200
• Drawback: The blade’s eerie sound unnerves allies within 6 inches, imposing a -1 penalty to Spirit rolls while it is unsheathed.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Weapon Type: Melee Weapon (Blade)
• Damage: (STR+3)P
• Accuracy: 5
• Armor Penetration (AP): -2
• Special Abilities:
  • Wailing Resonance: On a successful hit, the target resists an additional 2 points of damage with Willpower instead of Body.
  • Fear Aura: When unsheathed, enemies within 10 meters must roll Willpower (4) or suffer a -2 penalty to all actions for 1 combat round.
  • Spectral Strike: Can attack astral entities directly, dealing normal damage.
• Availability: 14F
• Cost: ¥12,000
• Drawback: Wielding the blade causes a -1 dice pool penalty to social interactions due to its unsettling aura.

Starfinder

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Item Level: 9
• Weapon Type: Advanced Melee Weapon
• Damage: 1d8 slashing + 1d4 psychic
• Critical Effect: Wailing (All enemies within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be Shaken for 1 round).
• Special Properties:
  • Ghost Killer: Ignores the incorporeal trait.
  • Fearsome Presence: Grants a +2 bonus to Intimidation checks.
  • Spectral Harmonics: Grants an additional 1d6 psychic damage to undead and incorporeal creatures.
• Bulk: 1
• Price: 16,000 credits
• Drawback: Activating the wailing effect draws the attention of undead or ethereal creatures within 60 feet.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Type: Blade (Melee Weapon)
• Damage: 3d6
• Traits:
  • Psychic Feedback: On a critical hit, target takes an additional 1d6 damage to END.
  • Spectral Harmonics: Can damage incorporeal creatures and ignores natural armor.
  • Fearful Wail: Once per encounter, all creatures within 10 meters must roll 8+ on 2d6 (DM – target’s END modifier) or suffer a -2 DM penalty for 1d6 rounds.
• Tech Level: 12
• Cost: Cr. 50,000
• Drawback: If used repeatedly without rest, the wielder must make an END roll (10+) or suffer 1d6 damage to INT due to the blade’s mental toll.

Warhammer (4th Edition)

    Name: Soulsteel Wailing Blade

• Type: Two-Handed Sword
• Damage: SB + 4
• Qualities:
  • Psychic Edge: Deals an additional 1d10 damage to undead or ethereal creatures.
  • Wail of Despair: All creatures within 20 yards must pass a Cool Test or suffer a -10 penalty to WS and BS for 1 round.
  • Fearsome Strike: Grants +10 to Intimidate checks when wielded.
• Encumbrance: 3
• Availability: Very Rare
• Drawback: Prolonged use may result in the wielder taking 1 Fatigue point per hour as the blade’s spectral cries drain their resolve.