Sling of the Dire Wind

Illus. by M. Phillippi

Sling of the Dire Wind is a sling made from dark, tightly woven cord and a thick piece of leather etched with runes written in Giant.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 sling; Cost 2,300 gp.

Any stones fired from this sling act as bullets, taking no penalty on attack rolls and dealing normal sling damage. Finally, while sized for Medium creatures, this weapon automatically resizes to fit the hands of a Small wielder and is then treated as a Small sling. Omen: If the sling is swung overhead while loaded, a light breeze surrounds you. HISTORY

Sling of the Dire Wind would never have existed had it not been for a quiet boy named Cyril. Cyril’s father had given up the art of war and refused to teach his son how to use a sword, so Cyril devoted himself to the humble sling instead. He practiced constantly, mastering the weapon at a young age, hitting any target he set for himself. Then a day came when bandits raided Cyril’s village. The robbers where out for blood, having lost a few of their number to a regional guard patrol. Cyril loosed rock after rock at the invaders, knocking them from their horses and incapacitating many. After singlehandedly preventing a massacre, the taciturn youth became a peasant hero, and a local militia leader soon offered to train Cyril further. (DC 15) Against his father’s wishes, Cyril readily embraced the soldier’s life, but he became famous for his method of slaying monsters. Cyril toppled hill giants with his sling and knocked manticores out of the sky with loosed stones. No matter how much martial training he acquired or how strong he became, his focus never changed. Cyril was neither an outspoken man nor a well-traveled one, preferring the comforts of his rural home. But the moment some creature threatened his community, Cyril was the first to face off against the beast, Sling of the Dire Wind in hand. Like many legendary heroes who cling to their simple lives, Cyril’s was torn from him. His fame began to attract challengers, warriors who wanted to test their mettle against the youth who had defeated

uncounted foes with nothing more than leather, cord, and stone. (DC 20; Harness the Gale) Cyril wanted none of his fame. His skills were meant for repelling creatures threatening innocent lives, not showmanship. When he was a man, he retreated into seclusion with his wife, hoping the fanfare would subside with his absence. His disappearance only increased his reputation. The aristocracy had become curious about the boy who never missed his mark, and they tracked Cyril down and hounded him until he agreed to demonstrate his skill publicly. After a couple of lackluster shots and more than a few misses, the audience was ready to riot, having traveled so many leagues into the forest for nothing. A group of ogres, attracted by all the noise, suddenly fell upon the crowds. Cyril reacted with instincts honed by conflict, slaying the foul creatures in short order using only his sling. The audience was stunned at the man’s true skill. A representative of the king asked Cyril to return to his village, where he would be available to help defend the kingdom in time of need. Cyril reluctantly agreed. (DC 25; The Modest Way) Cyril had dispatched many monsters in his life, making A small stone can smash walls when hurled more than a few enemies. Now from the Sling of the Dire Wind these foes knew exactly where to find the man and his sling. Life quickly became unbearable in the little village, repeated attacks plaguing the place as if the creatures sought Cyril out. After an ettin wreaked havoc on the community, Cyril’s father demanded he leave before more innocents were harmed. Cyril agreed without protest and left again with his wife, but the monsters were unrelenting. A pair of trolls found Cyril’s woodland hideaway at a moment when Cyril was out hunting. His wife was alone. Cyril arrived to find the giants standing over his beloved’s corpse, and he flew into a murderous rage. One of the trolls died quickly, but Cyril extracted the awful truth from the second. The king had been sending monsters after Cyril, probably hoping the slinger would kill each in its turn—he had become an unwitting exterminator for the crown. With anger beyond reason, Cyril rode to the royal city, stood outside the walls, and launched stone after stone at the fortifications, destroying huge sections of wall with rocks no larger than big pebbles. Archers atop the battlements returned fire. Watching the volley

as it arced through the sky toward him, Cyril stood in place for a long moment, throwing his arms wide as the deadly shafts crossed the final few feet. When he closed his arms again, he found himself embracing his beloved. (DC 30; Simplicity Lost) LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Sling of the Dire Wind.

Harness the Gale: You have to defeat in personal combat a creature with the air subtype and a CR equal to or greater than your level (maximum CR 10). Cost: 1,000 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Sling of the Dire Wind). The Modest Way: You must participate in a contest of ranged accuracy, advance to the final round, and bow out before finishing the competition. Cost: 13,000 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Sling of the Dire Wind). Simplicity Lost: You are required to locate the spot where Cyril’s wife died and construct a cairn in her memory, using materials costing at least 5,000 gp (included in the ritual cost). Cost: 40,000 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Sling of the Dire Wind).

WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

Any character, from a commoner to a wizard, might wield Sling of the Dire Wind, but fighters, rogues, rangers, or monks are the usual candidates.

Sling of the Dire Wind Wielder Requirements

Base Fortitude save +3 Survival 2 ranks

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Sling of the Dire Wind. Stunning Stone (Su): Beginning at 5th level, three times per day, you can declare a stone you are about to sling to be a stunning stone. If the stone hits, the struck target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. The save DC is 11, or 11 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. If the attack misses, the stunning stone attempt is still lost for the day. Only one stunning stone can be used per round. Gust of Wind (Sp): At 6th level and higher, once per day by whirling Sling of the Dire Wind overhead, you can use gust of wind as the spell. Caster level 5th.

Illus. by M. Phillippi

Table 3–41: Sling of the Dire Wind

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

5th — — — Stunning stone 3/day 6th –1 — — Gust of wind 1/day 7th — –1 2 +2 sling 8th — — 2 Pebble to boulder (+2 sizes) 9th — –2 — — 10th — — 2 Destructive power 11th — — — +2 giant bane sling 12th –2 — — Pebble to boulder (+3 sizes) 13th — — — — 14th — — 2 +3 giant bane sling 15th — –3 — Wind wall 3/day 16th — — 2 Pebble to boulder (+4 sizes) 17th — — — +4 giant bane sling 18th –3 — — Forceful strike 19th — — — +5 giant bane sling 20th — –4 — Pebble to boulder (+5 sizes)

Pebble to Boulder (Su): When you attain 8th level, any stone or bullet slung from Sling of the Dire Wind deals damage as if you and the weapon were two size categories larger than you truly are. This effective size for purposes of damage dealt increases by one every four levels after 8th, as noted on Table 3–41.

For example, in the hands of a Medium creature, Sling of the Dire Wind deals 1d8 points of damage at 8th level, 2d6 points of damage at 12th level, 3d6 points of damage at 16th level, and 4d6 points of damage at 20th level.

Destructive Power (Su): At 10th level and higher, ammunition slung from Sling of the Dire Wind is considered adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction (in addition to any other special material the ammunition is actually composed of). Wind Wall (Sp): Beginning at 15th level, three times per day on command, you can use wind wall as the spell. You can create only a cylindrical wall, and the ammunition you sling from Sling of the Dire Wind is unaffected by the spell. Caster level 10th.

Forceful Strike (Su): At 18th level and higher, any creature struck by a stone or bullet slung by Sling of the

Dire Wind can be pushed back as if by a bull rush. For resolving the bull rush, the stone’s Strength modifier is +15. The stone can’t push a target back more than 5 feet. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 6)

The day Cyril died, the air spirits of the forests took Sling of the Dire Wind before anybody else claimed it. A guardian was assigned to watch over the weapon until a replacement worthy of Cyril’s legacy could

be found. Rumors suggest the sling has since been spotted dangling from a tree branch in the forest one moment, only to disappear the next. In the deep wilderness, the heroes happen to spot a sling in just such a precarious position. Reaching for the sling causes an air steward to appear, and the creature does battle to defend the weapon from unworthy hands.

Air Steward CR 6

Air elemental ranger 2 N Medium elemental (extraplanar, air) Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Listen +6, Spot +6 Languages Auran AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 13 hp 42 (6 HD) Immune critical hits, flanking, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning Fort +6, Ref +14, Will +3 Speed fly 100 ft. (perfect) (20 squares) Melee slam +11 (1d6+3) or Ranged Sling of the Dire Wind +13 (1d4+3) Base Atk +5; Grp +7 Atk Options favored enemy humans +2, Point Blank

Shot, stunning stone, whirlwind Special Actions air mastery Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; only with Sling of the Dire

Wind): 1/day—gust of wind Abilities Str 14, Dex 24, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 8 SQ wild empathy +1 (–3 magical beasts) Feats Flyby Attack, Improved InitiativeB, Least Legacy (Sling of the Dire Wind)B, Point Blank Shot, Rapid

ShotB, TrackB, Weapon FinesseB, Weapon Focus (sling) Skills Listen +6, Search + 3, Spot +6, Survival +7 Possessions Sling of the Dire Wind with 20 stones