ANIMATED, ASSASSIN BLADE

Climate/Terrain: City
Frequency: Unique
Organization: Unique
Activity Cycle: Night
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: High (14)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
No. Appearing: One
Armor Class: -4 (1)
Movement: 0
Hit Dice: 6
THAC0: 10
No. of Attacks: 1+special
Damage/Attack: 1d4+5/ +special
Special Attacks: See Below
Special Defense: See below
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: Tiny (2’ long)
Morale: Elite (14)
XP Value: 2,000

The Assassin Blade appears to be a normal dagger, and can be used as a dagger +5. It has a non-descript appearance that it may change at will, preferring to look dull in color with a leather handle, but has been known to become very shiny and encrusted with gems to attract a different kind of host. The Assassin Blade can cast ESP at will, which it uses to become more attractive to people which it can easily dominate.

COMBAT: The Assassin blade rarely moves on it’s own. Preferring to be thrown by its host, but it is capable of hovering and lashing out on its own, but it only does this when it has been exposed and feels the need to protect itself. Its preferred method of attack is to entice someone to pick it up, and waits. It serves normally, operating as a dagger +5, but it is a serial killer. It casts charm person as the spell, charming the host to sleep with the blade. At some point in the night, the host, in a dreamlike state goes on the hunt for a victim, either chosen at random, or someone it picked earlier in the day. The blade is totally in control and attempts to assassinate the chosen victim, once the victim is killed the host returns with no memory of the crime.

The assassin blade attacks as a 6th level fighter with a magical +5 bonus to attack and damage. Once a successful attack is made, the victim must make a successful saving throw vs. spell with a –5 penalty, failure indicates that the victim is charmed and won’t touch the blade, it intends to stay inside of the body where it can drain the life from them. The assassin blade drains 1 level per round until the blade is removed by another person, or until the victim is dead. The host, once he has made a successful attack, will always leave the blade in the body, and stand by else stop others from touching the victim until the blade is finished feeding and the victim is dead. Then the host will retrieve the blade and return to where he was before the blade took over.

When the assassin blade has been exposed, it will intend to kill everyone in the room, it won’t use its special draining attack, and instead go into a mad fury, attacking a different target every round until either it, or everyone in the room is dead.

The Assassin blade presents such a small target, and is so fast that it is very difficult to hit (AC of –4). If it hasn’t yet attacked that round, a successful hit will foil its attack completely. If the blade has already attacked and is stuck in the victim, it is easier to hit (AC 1), however the damage done by the attacker will be divided between the blade (50%), and the victim (50%). If the blade can be taken to –10 hit points, it effectively breaks, however it normally stops attacking at 0hp and feigns death. It recovers hp very quickly, entering a coma-like state for 1 week at which time it wakes up fully recovered.

HABITAT/SOCIETY: The assassin blade is a unique creature, it survives by draining the levels of others, preferring low level victims as these are safer targets. It targets hosts which aren’t all that intelligent, and have no magical abilities of their own. The host will be unaware of this things true power, as well as the control that it possesses over them, but (INT higher then 12) may suffer nightmares and feelings of psychic ability in regards to the crimes taking place, but will see a completely different man (an elven male) killing them. Hosts of 18 INT or higher will have a feeling that they are the ones committing the crimes, but will be overcome by feelings of paranoia and suspicious of everyone while they try to deal with it themselves, which is utterly impossible.

ECOLOGY: The Assassin Blade was created as a prison for a brutal elf which hide in a human population for centuries, killing regularly while pretending to be a valuable member of society. The elf was finally exposed and captured by his own kind and as punishment, his soul was transplanted into the form of a dagger. It is not clear how the dagger escaped, nor how it achieved the power that it has but it now uses it’s appearance and new powers to continue its “work”. The blade has been stopped before, but only at great risk, 8 of the 10 law officers were slain in the processes, the dagger had been taken into the underdark, and lodged into the stone itself, it was unable to escape in time before the connecting hall was collapsed by dwarves. It was then trapped, and forgotten for hundreds of years, until a small group of nomadic gnomes rediscovered it, they were unaware of its powers and foolishly sold it for 100gp. It has been free ever since and its current location is unknown.