Originally posted on the Realms of Evil forums (Womb of Creation), December 16, 2001. The author did not name an edition; it is filed under D&D 3e by its rules. The author posted it as a first rough draft; the stats he promised to follow are not in the archive. Changes the author made later in the thread are applied and listed at the end. Shown as written, with light spelling and formatting fixes only.

Greater Fey Weapon

By definition fey is described as being in an unnaturally excited state of mind, thought to portend death. Greater Fey weapons are not made for mortals and are almost always fatal to use.

High King Finvarra of the Daoine Sidhe, a warlike clan of Seelie faerie, captured the Berserkerganger from a vicious clan of unseelie by killing their king during a battle that raged for 25 years. Claiming the prize, King Finvarra placed the sword in his collection for safe keeping knowing this blade was even dangerous for lesser Faerie to use. Unfortunately, one of the king's favorite pastimes of womanizing led to the blade's discovery. In an effort to recover his wife, a man who dug into the king's domed hillock discovered this sword.

A series of rather bloody killings occurred in the area until a local lord sent his troops in to investigate. His captain reported hearing a sound like the screaming of banshees coming from the man as he wielded the sword like a madman. The local constabulary were already dead at his feet, dismembered, with their shield and swords cloven like paper. His troops fought him valiantly, wounding him unto death, yet still the man fought on, his fury unbridled. Fearing to lose more of his men, he called for his archers to finish the man. The man charged the archers before they could even fit their bows killing several and scattering the rest. The captain called a retreat to secure the area and change tactics. After regrouping, the captain chose to go alone into the village to put an end to this man or die trying. Cautiously he approached and found the screaming had ended and so had the madman. Lying in the midst of the fallen, the madman's body looked as if it had aged 100 years, brittle and drained of all blood. It was clear to him that this blade was demonic and to be feared. Daring not to touch the evil blade, he had it wrapped, bagged and boxed and brought it to the local priest with a contingent of soldiers to guard it. He returned to his lord with his report and for instructions of what should be done next. The lord seeing an opportunity when it present itself, wished to see this sword himself. Returning with the captain they found the soldiers dead and the priest gone. The foolish priest having thought himself equal to the task of destroying the thing, was possessed by it and fled.

Bonuses

• +4 to attack and damage.
• Critical hit and vorpal blade effect on a natural 18-20.
• The vorpal blade effect will cut through any substance to the full length of the sword. Magical armor, weapons, and resistances may roll a DC save vs. the sword (bonus + d20) to resist being sliced through. Cutting through any material (jail bars, stone doors, wooden fortresses, body parts and armor alike) happens only upon a critical roll of 18-20. If the attack is not a called shot, the area struck is random.
• The wielder can continue to fight up to 20 hit points below zero.
• When in combat, the wielder of the weapon functions as if under the power of a haste spell.

Penalties

• -4 AC.
• Once below zero hit points, the fighter will continue to attack friend or foe until no living thing is within 60 feet. The fighter will fall dead immediately following combat if below zero hit points.
• The fighter temporarily loses 1 point of Constitution per round of use, but suffers no penalties until melee is completed. Points of Constitution return at 1 per day. If the fighter's Constitution drops to zero, he dies.

Ego/Possession: Berserker rage. (The author left this open.)

Author's Notes and Corrections

• Reply #2 (December 16, 2001): the author clarified that a strike that is not a called shot hits a random area, and that cutting through any material happens only on a critical roll of 18-20. Both are worked into the Bonuses list.