Jandor’s Magic Item Series #13 – Eclipse

Hey there space cadets! Check out the first post in the series here!

NAME: Eclipse (+3 Bastard Sword)

Aura Moderate evocation; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blind-fight, darkness; Price 20,495 gp; Identify Spellcraft DC 24

DESCRIPTION: This bastard sword is a very well-balanced weapon made of superior steel, with a worn leather grip. When drawn, it sheds silvery light (reminiscent of moonlight) like a torch. Due to the blade’s exceptional craftsmanship, it swings quickly and surely despite its weight.

Once per day, the wielder of Eclipse may (with a command word) turn the light it sheds into darkness, as the spell, centered on the weapon. This effect lasts for9 minutes, or until dismissed (a free action). If the wielder has the Blind-Fight feat, he or she does not need to roll for concealment caused by this effect.

HISTORY: The bastard sword Eclipse is one of a series of weapons bearing the same name, each created by an Oracle of the dark tapestry named Orien. Cursed with clouded vision, Orien had spent many years training to overcome his limitations in combat. He was in many ways a better fighter than his longtime companion, an Inquisitor, and one of his favorite tactics was to lure his foes into a location where sight did not present much of an advantage (shade, caves, darkened alleys, etc.).

Later in his career, Orien began a study of weaponsmithing, and his proudest accomplishment was a line of weapons he called Eclipse. Each weapon shed light, much like the light of the moon and stars Orien worshiped. But in a unique twist, each weapon could also invert that light, creating a pool of darkness, a great advantage to those trained to fight with more than their vision.

This particular Eclipse was wielded by Orien’s Inquisitor companion, and was donated to their church upon the Inquisitor’s death. Many agents have wielded it in the years since, and it has become something of a collectors item. How it ended up here is a mystery, but perhaps the church might know more …

SAMPLE TREASURE HORDE: 900 gold pieces in nine leather pouches, and Eclipse. This sample horde could belong to any CR 7 creature that uses standard treasure.

Editor’s note: I specifically didn’t mention any Gods in the description above so as to keep this item setting neutral. Feel free to substitute any deity who may be connected to the Dark Tapestry in your campaign setting (or to stars, night, darkness, the moon, or another similar domain).


Now for the legal stuff:

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Sources Used: Core Rulebook and Ultimate Combat

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Jandor’s Magic Item Series by Anthony Borzotta is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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