Magic Items and Runes

     Metal is magic but it is so much more then that. In a world where wizards receive their arcane power through tattooing bits of special metal into their skin, metal represents the holy meeting of the immortal and mortal. The earthy incantations connecting with divine invocations.

     Because of this, magic items, how they are acquired and how they are treated, will be different then your average fantasy game.

     The first thing you must realize is the scarcity of metal in the world. Despite being in a period called the Bronze or Iron Age, metal is still relatively uncommon and the secrets of working the material is a sacred art, with blacksmiths being seen as closer to priests then tradesman.

     Because of this each weapon (and piece of armor) is seen as inherently magically. In fact, your character probably didn't purchase anything made out of metal. It was handed down to him from his father and his father before him, a blade or pendent that symbolized the bond of kin and family.

     Your weapon should be an extension of your character's history and unlike in other games where your first sword will be casually tossed to the wayside when you find a newer, better model, your equipment will grow with you.

     That means that the dinky sword you start out the game with could end up being a legendary +5 sword of ass-kicking by the time you retire your character. However, for this to happen, some investment has to be poured into it.

     To start to qualify for this bonus you must have 3 basic things:

     First, your weapon has to have a name.

     Second is that it needs to be dedicated to a gawd. Blades anointed to the divine change when a new wielder takes them so this is a choice your character must have personally taken when they took ownership of the heirloom.

     Third should be a backstory to the weapon. I recommend this being some event that will hint at the special properties of the weapon.

     After this point, the growth of the weapon is linked to your character. Heroic actions and traits will rub off special properties over the course of the adventure though there is two things you should note.

     Really heroic deeds beget heroic weapons. If you just sit back and let others take the risk, expect that not only will your equipment because more magical more slowly then your compatriots but that they won't gain additional cool bonuses besides simply getting a +1 to attack and damage.

     Crowley's longbow, for example, might start giving him increased range in addition to pluses to hit, or Damien's sword giving its wielder a greater chance to detect lies or see illusions.

     You should also be aware that these abilities will sometimes overlap with your character's abilities and not stack. For instance, I may decide to have Damien's sword's detect lie ability not augment his own.

     What this means is that when that character passes on his weapon or armor, his proteges will reap the benefit. While Damien will get some use out of the sword because it'll give him a plus to attack and damage, Marian, his apprentice, will gain the real benefit, netting both the pluses and the detect lies, which may not be her class feature. 

     Ultimately, you will not have the final say in how your items gain magical power but there are things you can do to influence them. So far we've talked about naming your weapon and its backstory, both things will contribute how your weapon shapes up, and obviously, what your character does will have a huge impact on it as well, but your weapon will also be shaped by the gawd its dedicated to, so choose carefully.

     There is one last thing you can do to direct your weapon's latent magical properties and that's through Runes. Runes are sacred symbols and letters that are scribed into an object. These tend to be one or two simply words, such as accuracy, defense, speed, and so on but they can also be complex, such as sight, or wisdom.

     You may choose to use Runes or not but they should be kept to one word per weapon, shield, or armor piece.

Gaining Other Magical Items

     One final note: while I have been pretty much exclusively talking about weapons gaining magical properties it is only because I didn't want to have to type out all the things that can gain powers as you gain legend.

     Anything with metal in it can gain magical properties, whether that's a set of lock picks, crampons, a shield, a brush, a mirror, or even a rope with metal strands threaded into it. Additionally, armor pieces can gain individual powers or they can come together as a set and give even better bonuses.

     You may also have a weapon that gains a magical property that doesn't benefit you in combat at all or a ring that gives you some heroic warrior ability.

     These items don't play by different rules and so don't feel like you've gotten the shaft because you're playing a rogue and don't need a magical dagger, though they don't necessarily need a name or a backstory, they do need metal and a gawd that they're dedicated to. That will give him a heads up on which items you want to gain special properties. 

Treating Magical Weapons and Armor

     There is a draw back to the way magical weapons and armor are treated. It is in extremely poor taste to loot a weapon from a fallen opponent. If he was an honorable warrior, it is expected that you return his weapon to his family if possible or bury it with him. If it wasn't, it's expected that you destroy the weapon and allow the metal to return to the Shield and be purified before being forged again.

     The exception to this is truly legendary equipment, like Stormcaller or Grudge, which have no family to own it and the last wielder has been dead for some time. Weapons with no owners are free game, which means that it's perfectly okay for your hero to raid ancient tombs in search of a +5 Holy Avenger and not be violating his alignment.

     Shields and armor are on a case by case basis but for the most part you'll be okay looting it. though anything marked with a clan or tribe insignia should be buried or destroyed.

Lithic and Obsidian Weapons

   While the Age of Bronze is giving way to the Age of Iron, some clans and cultures refuse these new ways of life in favor of more traditional and primitive means of crafting. That's not to say that weapons crafted of stone and wood are uncommon, even in these new ages. In fact, metal of any kind can be quiet scarce and expensive to repair and maintain. In these cases, the poor may find that a flint dagger is better then none.

     These are the rules laid out in the GM about lithic weapons, or weapons crafted of stone:

     As said, lithic weapons are limited to the following weapons: arrows, hand axes, javelins, melee knives, short spears, slingstones, spears, throwing axes, and warhammers.

     Stone weapons are more likely to break then their metal cousin. They're also less effective against armor.

     When wielding a lithic weapon you receive a -1 penalty to damage when the defender is wielding medium armor and -3 against heavy armor.
     Additionally, on any attack roll that nets lower then 2 while using these types of weapons results in the weapon chipping. Again, this is a net roll. If you also roll a natural 1, you also gain any of the penalties for fumbling.
     This chipping gives the weapon a cumulative -1 penalty to Attack and Damage. 4 such chips result in the weapon becoming useless.

     On the flip side, lithic weapons tend to be chip because it takes very little to craft them and materials are plentiful. In fact, no skill is needed to make these weapons and Crafting (Lithic Weapons) is considered a universal skill. Not that your weapons will probably come out great unless you invest some BPs in the skill but in a pinch, it'll do.
     If you really feel the need to purchase lithic weapons, or if you wish to buy a fine quality stone warhammer, lithic weapons are a 10% of the price.

Obsidian Weapons

     Obsidian is a unique material. Unusually brittle and deadly sharp, obsidian is the weapon of choice for the Stone Clan Nimetu.
     These weapons tend to be a bit harder to work with and are less effective against armor.

     Obsidian weapons receive -2 damage against defenders in light armor, -4 against medium armor, and -6 against heavy armor.
     It chips about the same as other stone weapons, however, when it does, it takes a -2 penalty Attack and Damage. Again, 4 such chips result in the weapon breaking and becoming useless.

     Obsidian has 2 things to be said about it. The first is that against unarmored enemies, obsidian gains a bonus of +3 damage. That means a +5 Obsidian knife nets a +8 to damage when slicing through unprotected flesh.

     This has probably informed classical Nimetu fighting style of trying to attack your target when he's got his trousers around his ankles and only attacking people you absolutely have to. After all, it's a pain to keep replacing your weapon.

     Because of the skill required in crafting these weapons, these weapons cost only 30% of the weapon's price. If you wish you craft your own, you'll find it generally cheaper, as you only have to by the raw materials but these raw materials are fairly rare outside of volcanically active areas.
   

Stormcaller

     It's a one of the subtle ironies that the technique to forge the immaterial into the material was honed to perfection by man to fight the giants, the one's that taught them. In the age when giants warred with the gawds, the race of man often found themselves on the short end of the stick as collateral damage during the skirmishes. Man, who had been on one side and then the other, decided that it was time to do something about it.
     One man in particular, a druid by the name of Rostislav, took it as his personal calling to forge a blade that would keep the giants at bay. To this end, he took the sea breeze and created Stormcaller.

     Stormcaller is a two handed sword. Almost the length of a man, it's surprisingly light, probably because of a series of holes along the blade, which appears to be made of some sort of cold iron.
     While it can used in the traditional swordish manner, Stormcaller's main use is to, surprisingly, summon storms. By swinging the blade above your head, the weapon begins to let out a howl and soon the wielder becomes the center of a whirling maelstorm.

     The sword was surprisingly effective against the giants. While it wasn't lethal per se, the storms did act as a barrier to keep the giants at bay but as the war wound down and peace settled, Stormcaller fell into misuse. Well, for a time. After all, man are eternally creative when it comes to the destruction of their own kind.
     Stormcaller was used by the kings of Balmorn to forge their kingdoms, using its power to scatter enemy forces and flood enemy camps.
     It is perhaps because of this over use that caused the weapon's downfall. As the Queen of Fallkirk's madness began to destroy her mind, many at court became worried by the fact that she held such raw power in her hands. A troubled young priest of the Morrigan, Jahn Wytcliffe, took a terrible risk that no one else would take.
     Stealing the sword at night, the priest fled to the highlands. He spent 5 years in exile before being captured and dragged before the queen for treason. When told to recant and reveal the location of the druidic blade, Jahn was heard to whisper "I will fight the world, but I will not fight my conscience."

     Jahn Wytcliffe was burned at the stake in the Plaza of Broken Spears.

     Stormcaller remains lost to this day but hope still lasts that it might still be found.