Table 3–8: Caput Mortuum
Abilities +1 vicious scythe — Soul servant — +2 vicious scythe — +3 vicious scythe — +4 vicious scythe — +5 vicious scythe — +5 unholy vicious scythe — +5 unholy vicious wounding scythe —
CHAPTER 3
————— Personal Costs ————— Attack Hit Point Spell Slot Penalty Loss Loss — — — — 2 1st — 2 — –1 — 2nd — 2 — — — 3rd — — — — — 4th — 2 — — — 5th — 2 — — — 6th — — — — — 7th — 2 — — — 8th
ITEMS OF LEGACY
Wielder Level 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
death deity’s worshipers with a total Encounter Level Caput Mortuum Wielder Requirements Ability to cast death knell as a divine spell of at least 16. You need not kill all the cultists yourself, Any nongood alignment but you must participate in the battle. Cost: 39,000 gp. Ability to rebuke undead Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Caput Mortuum).
WIELDER REQUIREMENTS
Evil clerics are the most likely to find Caput Mortuum useful. Blackguards can easily meet the requirements to wield the weapon, but they won’t gain legacy abilities past 13th level without taking levels in another spellcasting class. Because blackguards only ever cast 4th level spells, they will not be able to fulfill the personal cost of sacrificing a 5th-level or higher spell slot.
LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES
The following is a legacy item ability of Caput Mortuum. Soul Servant (Su): Beginning at 7th level, the souls of those you have slain with Caput Mortuum linger, acting as the unseen servant spell. They dissipate if they take 6 or more points of damage, or if they move more than 35 feet from you. In such an event, the servants re-form 1 round later in an adjacent square to you. Caster level 5th.
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ALTERNATIVE PROGRESSION FOR CAPUT MORTUUM
Caput Mortuum has a very straightforward legacy progression, becoming an increasingly dangerous weapon as its wielder advances in level. However, it does not gain other special abilities beyond soul servant. Players and DMs might wish to customize this item with unique legacy abilities. One possible alternative progression is described below. This progression slows the weapon’s damaging ability slightly and grants it additional deathdealing powers. The progression is the same until the wielder reaches 11th level, at which time the weapon’s new abilities are revealed in the following sequence. (Personal costs remain the same as on Table 3–8.) Slaughtering Swing (Sp): At 11th level, three times per
day, you can deliver a death knell effect as the spell when you strike a successful blow with Caput Mortuum. You must declare you are using the ability before making the attack roll; a miss wastes the effect. The save DC is 13, or 12 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 11th. +3 Vicious Scythe: At 13th level, you wield Caput Mortuum as a +3 vicious scythe. +4 Vicious Scythe: At 15th level, you wield Caput Mortuum as a +4 vicious scythe. Blade of Destruction (Sp): At 17th level, once per day when you issue the command word “bloodwind” and gesture with Caput Mortuum, you can kill one living creature, as the finger of death spell. The save DC is 20, or 17 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 17th. +5 Unholy Vicious Scythe: At 19th level, you wield Caput Mortuum as a +5 unholy vicious scythe.
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