Full Moon’s Trick

Illus. by W. England

This undersized short sword gleams with a bright, silvery sheen. The grip is wrapped in simple, unadorned cowhide, and the guard is worked into the shape of a pair of wolf heads.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: Small +1 silvered short sword; Cost 2,330 gp; Damage 1d4; Weight 1 lb. Since this sword is a Small weapon, creatures of other sizes take a –2 penalty on attack rolls with it. Omen: Etched into the blade is a stylized moon disc, which magically alters to match the actual phase of the moon. In addition, although the blade is polished to a mirror finish, with a simple act of will you can cause it to cloud to a dull, matte gray. HISTORY

When folk think of lycanthropes, they visualize a giant, ravening beast or a shaggy, strange-looking man with a single eyebrow or hairy palms. They seldom expect such a monster to be contained within the body of a sly halfling burglar, but the existence of Full Moon’s Trick shows that werewolves come in many guises. Originally carried by the famous halfling Rosie Applecask, Full Moon’s Trick was initially nothing more than a magic blade belonging to a particularly skilled thief. When Rosie had the misfortune to contract lycanthropy on one of her jobs, her strange destiny intertwined with the magic of her sword and the dark workings of the curse she had fallen under. That intermingling of magic somehow made this short sword unique. (DC 15) Originally, the name Full Moon’s Trick had nothing at all to do with lycanthropy—it arose from Rosie’s penchant for performing her skullduggery on nights with a full moon, despite the fact that the brighter light made her easier to spot. Such additional challenges were Rosie’s way of thumbing her nose at those who tried to catch her. She even had the habit of leaving high-quality fakes in the place of objects she stole. In one instance, while she was still new to the trade of burglary, she slipped into a mansion under the noses of forty guards by the light of the full moon, stole a priceless vase nearly

as tall as herself, and left a counterfeit of such quality that the theft went undetected for three weeks. With daring raids such as these, Rosie quickly made a name for herself in the local thieves’ guild. (DC 18; Sneak Thievery) Rosie’s star was rising rapidly, and she seemed destined for a job at the top whenever the current guildmaster retired. (In fact, some said the old man running the show should retire early.) But her meteoric ascent faltered when she tried to steal the renowned Eye of Boccob diamond from a powerful wizard. Exactly how she ended up in the wizard’s menagerie instead of his treasure room is a mystery; perhaps the plans she had studied were outdated or sabotaged by a rival. Maybe Rosie simply made a mistake. Whatever the cause, instead of the Eye of Boccob resting on its plinth, she found a slavering werewolf. Badly mauled, the halfling burglar managed to escape, keeping just ahead of the wizard’s guards. Dodging from safe house to safe house, she struggled to contain the beast within her over the nights of the next full moon. Despite her horror at the deeds she sometimes committed while in the grip of the curse, she nevertheless felt a certain purity of purpose in the actions of the wolf—something that could benefit her as a thief. (DC 25; Skin of the Beast) When the full moon had passed, Rosie went to a local weaponsmith to have her sword alchemically silvered. She decided if she could not learn to control her curse, she would commit suicide. When the next full moon came around, Rosie again resisted the change, keeping the picture of that bright, silvery blade sharp in her mind. To her amazement, the rage abated, and she managed to retain her natural shape. After using Full Moon’s Trick as the focus of her meditations and avoiding the change for the entirety of the full moon, Rosie knew that she had mastered the affliction. She had a moon glyph inscribed on the blade by a sorcerer in the employ of the thieves’ guild The name Full Moon’s Trick had nothing at all and carried the sword with her to do with lycanthropy—at first for many years. When she finally passed on at a ripe old age, she entrusted Full Moon’s Trick to the local priests of the moon goddess, with the request that they give it to some unlucky lycanthrope who needed it. (DC 31; Mastery of Form)

Table 3–23: Full Moon’s Trick

——————— Personal Costs ——————— Wielder Reflex Save Skill Check Hit Point Skill Point Level Penalty Penalty Loss Loss Abilities

5th — — — — Wolfsbane 6th — — 2 3 — 7th –1 –1 — — Quiet as a shadow +5 8th — — — 3 Form mastery 9th — — — — — 10th — — 2 — Small +2 silvered short sword 11th — — — — Darkvision 12th –2 — — — — 13th — — — 3 — 14th — –2 — — Between the ribs 15th — — — — — 16th — — — 3 Shifter’s bane 17th — — — — Feral fury 3/day 18th — — — 3 Quiet as a shadow +10 19th — –3 — — Small +4 silvered short sword 20th — — — 3 Shadows and moonlight 2/day

LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Full Moon’s Trick.

Sneak Thievery: You have to emulate Rosie Applecask by performing an act of uncommon larceny. To do so, you must infiltrate a site and steal an object worth at least 4,300 gp. During the theft, you must overcome traps, guards, or other hazards with an

Encounter Level of 6 or higher. While avoiding detection is not necessary, you must evade capture and later arrest. Cost: 4,300 gp (the value of the stolen item). Feat

Granted: Least Legacy (Full Moon’s Trick).

Skin of the Beast: In order to fight the influence of the beast within, you must first understand it. You must spend one full night (from dusk until dawn) roaming in the shape of an animal, whether through a druid’s wild shape ability, a polymorph spell or effect, lycanthropy, or some other means.

Cost: 12,700 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Full

Moon’s Trick).

Mastery of Form: You must demonstrate your ability to remain in control of your own body by successfully resisting two attempts to alter your shape against your will. Examples of such alterations include a baleful polymorph spell or an involuntary lycanthropic change. Cost: 40,500 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Full Moon’s Trick). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

Lycanthropes find Full Moon’s Trick phenomenally useful, but even bards, rogues, and rangers can gain enough useful abilities to justify the personal costs of wielding the legacy item.

Full Moon’s Trick Wielder Requirements

Base attack bonus +2 Hide 2 ranks

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Full Moon’s Trick. Many of the abilities of this legacy item depend on the state of the omen ability. When the blade is clouded, certain abilities can be used and others cannot; when unclouded, the same is true. See the Omen entry for details on clouding or unclouding the blade.

Wolfsbane (Su): Starting at 5th level, whenever you use Full Moon’s Trick to strike a creature that is not in its natural form, that creature must make a DC 15 Will save or return to its natural form. This ability works on any creature not in its inherent shape, whether it is a druid using wild shape, a lycanthrope in animal form, or some other shapechanger disguised as another being. The blade must be unclouded to use this ability.

Quiet As a Shadow (Su): At 7th level, you gain a +5 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks as long as the blade of Full Moon’s Trick is clouded. This bonus improves to +10 at 18th level.

Form Mastery (Su): Beginning at 8th level, you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against transmutation magic. If you are a lycanthrope, the blade’s image blazes into your mind whenever you try to resist an involuntary change, granting you a +8 bonus on the related Control Shape check. The blade must be unclouded to use this ability.

Darkvision (Su): At 11th level, you gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already possess darkvision, the range of your vision extends another 30 feet.