Shifty Nits

Traitor Blade

Traitor blades are a curious race of creatures, originally bred by a fighting wizard who sought a familiar that could change itself into any kind of weapon.

     In its true form, the traitor blade has a long, slender cylindrical body with four rudimentary legs, an ophidian head and two jewel-shaped eyes. Its body is smooth, flexible in texture and yet metallic and cool to the touch. Its mouth contains serrated teeth like those of a vampire bat. When it assumes other forms, the traitor blade usually resembles a weapon of masterwork quality, with a jewelled hilt.

     Traitor blades are intelligent, and can speak Common and two other languages. They usually remain silent, however, unless its latest bearer expresses a desire for an intelligent weapon.

Combat

     Traitor blades are capable of attacking and killing other creatures, although they find food easier to come by when wielded as a weapon. It bases its shape on the preferences of potential bearers, choosing to match the weapons carried by the more heavily-armed characters. If characters of a warlike disposition are unavailable, then, using its Knowledge (religion) skill, it picks a shape based on the favoured weapon of the character’s deity if such a character wears a holy symbol, or, as a last resort, takes the shape commonly used by a magical staff, checking against Knowledge (arcana) before doing so.

     Attach (Su): If a traitor blade scores a successful bite attack or a successful hit when in the form of a weapon, it latches onto the opponent’s body. An attached traitor blade has an AC of 13, but holds on with supernatural tenacity. Traitor blades have a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).

     An attached traitor blade can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached traitor blade through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the traitor blade.

     Blood Drain (Su): A traitor blade drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage each round it remains attached

     Enhancement Bonus (Su): Regardless of the shape it takes, the traitor blade’s attack is always equivalent to a +1 weapon.

     Change Shape (Su): A traitor blade can assume the shape of any simple, martial or exotic melee weapon with a successful Craft (weaponsmith) check (DC 12, 15 or 18), provided that weapon’s size is within one step of its own. This works like shapechange caster level18th) but the traitor blade can remain in the chosen form indefinitely, but it keeps its own hit points (although it does retain the Hardness of the weapon whose shape it has taken). The traitor blade always appears to be a weapon of masterwork quality and always radiates magic. If a successful attempt to sunder the traitor blade is made, treat the attack as if the blade had just suffered a critical hit. The traitor blade can assume a new form (requiring another Craft check) or return to its own as a standard action.

     When in the form of a weapon, a careful observer may discern that the traitor blade is more than it seems. A successful Spot check (opposed by the traitor blade’s Disguise check) reveals that jewels in the weapon’s hilt are in fact its eyes.

     When in the form of a weapon, the traitor blade often uses its Cleave and Great Cleave feats to strike the nearest living targets, regardless of its wielder’s intent. The bearer may opt to try to stop this from happening. In this case, the wielder must grapple the traitor blade and achieve a pin. If the wielder is successful, then the traitor blade does not Cleave.

     Skills: Traitor blades receive a +5 racial bonus to Craft (weaponsmith) and Disguise checks. *When using its change shape ability, a traitor blade receives a +10 circumstance bonus to Disguise checks.

First | Previous | Next | Last