Category: The Dungeon World Tavern: Magic Items

Not quite magic, but here are some Obsidian Javelins :

(Fantasy) History –

Obsidian Javelins are only made by the Mute Ones of the human barbarian tribes living around Sunflow Mountain, a dormant volcano deep within Dwarven lands.

The Dwarven King of three hundred years ago tried to wipe out the local human tribes (see the book Dwarven Histories : Wars of the Lichen, most magi or colleges of note have a copy) but found unexpected resistance.  The traitor Ringtrue, apprentice of the stonecrafters, delivered the unused Dwarven knowledge of obsidian blade making to the tribal council in personal restitution for his people’s crimes against the tall folk.  By the time the armored King’s Hammerers reached the fertile grounds the tribal people occupied at the base of the volcano the tribal warriors were kitted out with Obsidian Javelins which would punch straight through all but the thickest steel plate.  The war continued for several years, until a new Dwarven King came to power and terms of a truce were settled.  The tribes would maintain their supply of such weapons, but never share the secret with the outside world on pain of a full invasion.

(Actually, the Dwarves have rigged a method via massive floodgates and incredible pumps to force the volcano to become active again.  They haven’t done it, but probably will if the tribes violate their end of the bargain.)

The tribes will usually trade such weapons for more industrialized goods at a fair rate, but under no conditions will teach how to make them.  Their Makers and their apprentices  are universally restricted from speaking to outsiders, ever, about anything, on pain of death (both theirs and the outsiders)

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Obsidian Javelins (Thrown, Near, AP [see below], 5 uses, 2 weight)

The heads of the Javelins are made of lava rock, and are incredibly brittle.  They act as regular Javelins, except :

Their frailty makes them a one-use proposition.  Using one automatically requires marking a use in their entry of the Gear section. 

They have Armor Piercing equal to their thrower’s Strength Mod (a minimum of zero)

The tribes have no use of money but will happily trade for something that makes their lives easier or more enjoyable of at least equal value (of at least ‘ten coin’ per five such javelins)

Magic Item Mother’s Day :

Vergilius’s Cleaver – Close, Messy, Dangerous

Vergilius’s Cleaver was crafted by (the angels / magi / the deity of rebirth) for a long-dead warrior poet when he set out to enter the lands of the cursed dead to save his lost love. 

It is a forearm long, fairly light for how big it is but with a suspiciously large amount of inertia.  Any fluid, including blood, runs right off it as if it were inherently superhydrophobic.

When it draws blood, in addition to any damage dealt  it cleaves the soul from the creature it hit, which does not kill the creature.  On a plane with reincarnation the soul moves on and begins the rebirthing process.  On a plane without reincarnation the soul might move on, or might linger as a ghost.

(Recommended technique – if a PC has blood drawn by the cleaver, the next time they sleep have them ‘dream’ of a visit to the Black Gate to see what happens to their soul, and what bargains it might make.)

Player souls which do not travel through the Black Gate or find rebirth are treated as NPC ghosts, invisible without the appropriate magics.  Whether they hang around the players or pursue their own objectives is up to the GM.

A creature separated from it’s soul is affected by spells targeting animals, but not by spells affecting ‘people’ inclusively.  An undead creature who lacks a soul is unaffected by the cleaver’s special power.  An undead which is a soul inhabiting a husk is slain outright by any damage the cleaver deals… although it too becomes a ghost, and such a powerful creature may quickly adjust to this new state of affairs.

Normal creatures do not notice their soul leaving.

Moon Dial :

A small charm on a leather strap, meant to be worn around the neck or tied to the wrist, the Moon Dial is a one-of-a-kind timekeeping and directional aid.  It appears to be a simple disk with a collapsing triangular point which can lay flat when not in use but swings up and into the center of the dial face when needed.  At night, with a clear view of the sky (or at least the moon itself), one who knows the time can easily discern direction, and one who knows which way is north can easily figure out what time it is.  It is very faintly magical.

Do not expose it to a solar eclipse. 

SERIOUSLY, DON’T DO IT.   You don’t NEED to know why, it’s safer if you don’t, just avoid it at any cost.