Guurgal

A wickedly barbed spear, Guurgal has a long, sharp head of cold iron and a rough haft of darkwood.

Orc runes are seared into the wood, as if they were burned into it with a red-hot iron. Feathers, bits of colored stone, and various other primitive decorations hang on short leather thongs just below the base of the spearhead.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 cold iron spear; Cost 4,304 gp. Thanks to the vicious barbs running along the edges of Guurgal’s point, the weapon deals an additional 1 point of damage on a critical hit. Omen: Whenever Guurgal pierces an inanimate object, that object “bleeds” profusely for 1d4 rounds. Living creatures are unaffected by this oddity, but bleeding objects are omens of victory in orc culture. HISTORY

Guurgal is a mighty spear that appears in orc legends about their greatest warlords of the distant past, supposedly blessed (or, in some stories, created) by Gruumsh himself. The spear’s discovery by an orc warrior is seen as a sign that a Great Horde will soon be amassed to strike at the enemies of the orc tribes. The spear usually reappears every two hundred to four hundred years, and tradition attributes to it a variety of powers. (DC 15)

Guurgal’s fi rst known appearance is in the story of Argad, a chieftain of the Bleeding Hands tribe. During a battle with a force of elves, Argad witnessed an enormous orc warrior on the battlefi eld, wielding the spear with animalistic fury. When the battle ended, Argad found Guurgal standing upright, stuck fast in the gut of one of the fallen elves. The weapon called to the chieftain, and with a great feat of strength, he tore the spear free and claimed it as his own. Three years later, at the head of a horde of ten thousand orcs, Argad laid waste to many civilized nations. (DC 18; Rite of the Bleeding Hands) After Argad’s defeat, Guurgal disappeared from orc ken for three centuries. A shaman of the Tearing Claw tribe, who was called the Hooded One, then beheld the spear in a dream sent by Gruumsh. In the vision, Gruumsh put out the shaman’s left eye with Guurgal. When

the Hooded One woke, his left eye was a blind, dead-white orb, but the spear lay across his chest, the tip still bloody. That same year, the Hooded One marshaled fi ve tribes under his banner and cut a swath through the hobgoblin tribes of the region. (DC 25; Shaman’s Sight) The most recent sighting of Guurgal was in the hands of High King Bruug, ruler of one of the only known orc nations in history. Bruug found the spear in a troll’s lair. He carried it into battle against the surrounding human and elven baronies, out of which he carved the nation of Orghar. The kingdom persisted through three generations of Bruug’s descendants before a band of adventurers murdered the last High King. Orghar crumbled under the infi ghting of its warlords and shamans, and Guurgal was lost in the chaos of the kingdom’s collapse. It has not been seen since. (DC 31; Test of the High King) LEGACY RITUALS Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Guurgal. Rite of the Bleeding Hands: You must plunge Guurgal into the body of an enemy. You then slash open your palms with a dagger, dealing 1d4 points of damage with each cut, and wrench Guurgal free of the body. The proper performance of the ritual causes the spear’s barbs to stick fi rmly, and a DC 20 Strength check is required to free it. You can take 10 on this check but not 20, and you are allowed only three attempts before the ritual fails. Cost: 3,500 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Guurgal). Shaman’s Sight: You have to spend 24 hours in veneration of Gruumsh—praying, chanting, and offering sacrifi ces. At the end of this observance, you must put out your left eye with Guurgal. Cost: 13,000 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Guurgal). Test of the High King: You are required to face and defeat Guurgal’s greatest wielder, High King Bruug of Orghar. Bruug is long dead, of course, so you must locate his shade and defeat it in battle. His soul resides on the Infernal Among orcs, the legendary weapon Battlefi eld of Acheron (see page 163 of

Guurgal is proof of its wielder’s the Dungeon Master’s Guide), where he claim to leadership leads a vast horde of fi endish orcs in

Illus. by S. Belledin

Table 3–25: Guurgal

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

5th — — — Show of force 1/day 6th –1 — — — 7th — –1 2 Incite horde 8th — — 2 Gather the horde 9th — –2 — — 10th — — 2 +2 cold iron spear 11th — — — +2 returning cold iron spear 12th –2 — — — 13th — — — Bloodlust 14th — — 2 Battlefield fury 15th — –3 — — 16th — — 2 +3 returning cold iron spear 17th — — — +3 returning wounding cold iron spear 18th –3 — — — 19th — — — +5 returning wounding cold iron spear 20th — –4 — Rage of the boar

an unending war against the other armies covering the plane. You can summon the ancient king with a spell, or you can bodily travel to Acheron to face

Bruug there. Cost: 40,000 gp. Feat Granted: Greater

Legacy (Guurgal). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

Barbarians, fighters, and rangers are the most likely to benefit from the abilities of Guurgal, though militant clerics, especially of Gruumsh, can also make effective wielders of the spear. Any character with orc blood and designs on becoming a great chief of orcs would also do well to seek out Guurgal.

Guurgal Wielder Requirements

Orc or half-orc Base attack bonus +3 Intimidate 2 ranks

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Guurgal.

Show of Force (Sp): A cunning warlord knows sometimes the best tactic is to trick your opponent into thinking your force is greater than it really is. Beginning at 5th level, once per day on command, you can use mirror image as the spell. Caster level 5th.

Incite Horde (Su): At 7th level and higher, Guurgal grants a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws against fear to all orcs within 30 feet of you. This feature, however, does not affect you.

Gather the Horde (Su): Each time Guurgal has surfaced in the hands of an orc warlord, it has signaled the coming of a Great Horde. Your ability to create such a horde is greatly magnified. At 8th level, you gain a +5 bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made to influence orcs.

Bloodlust (Su): Starting at 13th level, whenever you deal an opponent damage with Guurgal, you gain a +1 morale bonus on your next attack against the same opponent. The next attack must occur within 1 round, or the bonus is lost. The bonus is cumulative, so if your next attack hits, you gain a +2 morale bonus on your following attack against that opponent, and so on up to a maximum attack bonus of +5. As long as you continue successfully damaging the same foe, you gain this bonus, but if you miss or fail to damage the opponent with an attack, the bonus is lost.

Battlefield Fury (Su): At 14th level and higher, as long as you are leading at least three other orcs or half-orcs on the field of battle, you gain a +2 morale bonus to Strength.

Rage of the Boar (Su): Beginning at 20th level, once per day as a swift action, you can be filled with a boundless fury that equals a mighty barbarian’s rage.

For 10 rounds, you gain a +6 bonus to Strength and

Constitution along with a +3 bonus on Will saves, but you take a –2 penalty to AC. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 7)

During the course of their travels, the heroes hear of a band of orc robbers menacing a major caravan route. By following the trail of eyewitness accounts and physical evidence, they find their way to the brigands’ camp, where they discover the leader of the band—a 6th-level orc barbarian wielding Guurgal. Six 1st-level orc warriors attend the chieftain.

Urgbaash CR 7

Male orc barbarian 6 CE Medium humanoid Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Listen +0, Spot +0 Language Orc AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16; improved uncanny dodge hp 68 (6 HD) Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +4 Weakness light sensitivity Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee Guurgal +13/+8 (1d8+8 [2d8+17 on critical hit]) or Ranged shortbow +8/+3 (1d6/×3) Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (only, Guurgal) Base Atk +6; Grp +12 Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack, rage 2/day (7 rounds) Abilities Str 23, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 8. SQ trap sense +2 Feats Cleave, Power Attack, Least Legacy (Guurgal)B ,

Weapon Focus (spear) Skills Intimidate +8, Survival +9 Possessions +1 breastplate, Guurgal, shortbow with 20 arrows, 23 gp Light Sensitivity (Ex) Dazzled in bright sunlight or daylight spell.

When not raging, Urgbaash has the following changed statistics:

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 18; improved uncanny dodge hp decrease by 12 SV Fort +7, Will +2 Melee Guurgal +11/+6 (1d8+6 [2d8+13 on critical hit]) Grp +10 Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th, only with Guurgal): 1/day—mirror image Abilities Str 19, Con 14

Orc Warriors (6): hp 5 each (see page 203 of the

Monster Manual).

Orc Brigand Camp

Bonfi re A large bonfire in the center of the camp lights a 60-foot radius, creating shadowy illumination for another 60 feet beyond that. Characters thrown into the bonfi re take 1d6 points of fi re damage per round (Refl ex DC 15 for half) and run the risk of catching on fi re (see Catching on Fire, page 303 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Loot Piles These jumbled stacks of trade goods represent the fruits of the orcs’ raids over the last several months. Most of it is too cumbersome to be easily transported, but portable silks, spices, and other fi ne luxury goods can be claimed as spoils. This transportable loot is worth 1,100 gp. Slave Pen The orcs captured a few people from the caravans they raided, planning to sell the unfortunates into slavery. Presently, this cage contains three human men, a half-elf woman, and a halfl ing woman. All are severely malnourished and have varying degrees of injury—they are incapable of defending themselves. The cage is made of stout wooden poles, each having hardness 5, 20 hit points, and a break DC of 23. A length of crude chain ties the door shut. The chain has a hardness of 10, 5 hit points, and a break DC of 26. Brigand Tents Each of these tents is made of sturdy canvas. They offer cover and concealment to characters inside them or hiding behind them. The tents have a hardness of 2, and dealing 2 points of damage with a sharp edge makes a slit big enough for a Medium creature to enter.