Stormchaser’s Cudgel

Stormchaser’s Cudgel is a Large greatclub that appears to be little more than an oaken branch. The head of the club is split and cracked with age, but it is no less durable despite the passage of time. Two large handholds have been worn into the base of the weapon from repeated use.

Nonlegacy Game

Statistics: Large +1 greatclub; Cost 2,310 gp; Damage 2d8;

Weight 16 lb. Stormchaser’s Cudgel is a

Large, two-handed weapon. Medium creatures cannot use the greatclub without some special ability to wield such weapons (see the

Monkey Grip feat, page 29). Stormchaser’s Cudgel grants you a +1 bonus on saves against spells with the electricity descriptor. Omen: When you swing

Stormchaser’s Cudgel, the club discharges harmless electrical sparks. HISTORY

Stormchaser’s Cudgel is one of the few weapons of monstrous origin to pass briefly into human ownership. Taken from a rampaging ogre killed by a giant-hunter named Suldan Kabrel, this item was initially treated as just one of many prizes, its true power remaining a secret for years. It wasn’t until Suldan’s wife Ifelma set his precious trophies on fire, during one of his numerous extended hunts, that the magical nature of Stormchaser’s Cudgel was discovered. It survived the flames virtually unscathed. (DC 15) Once Suldan was able to examine Stormchaser’s Cudgel more closely, his obsession with it became even greater than his previous fixation on hunting had been. Suldan practiced for months with the oversized weapon, insisting the great club could not only guide him through the forest but also offered healing abilities.

When Suldan felt he could finally handle the weapon proficiently, he ventured off in search of the ogre tribe to which the previous owner had belonged. Suldan went on to slaughter his way through untold hosts of ogres in his personal crusade to uncover the history of Stormchaser’s Cudgel. (DC 20; The Traceless Path) Little did Suldan realize that the secrets of Stormchaser’s Cudgel were known only to the ogre mages that traveled between the ogre tribes as they pleased. To stop Suldan and reclaim the legendary greatclub, one of the ogre mages took Ifelma and her children hostage. The ransom price was Stormchaser’s Cudgel. Even though his family’s lives hung in the balance, Suldan would not part with the weapon. Upon hearing Suldan’s choice, Ifelma snapped. She knew Suldan valued his expeditions more than his family, but she hadn’t realized that her husband was irredeemably selfish. To save herself and her children, she led a group of ogres and ogre mages to Suldan’s secret grotto, where they surprised the huntsman and tore him limb from limb. (DC 25; Ancestral Roots) The ogre mages, impressed with the fiery and pragmatic human woman, adopted her and the children into their culture instead. Ifelma was heralded as a heroine and her children were always treated well. Years later, Ifelma gave birth to a half-ogre boy she named Grugak. The half-breed grew into a potent warOgre mages created Stormchaser’s Cudgel, which rior and was greatly honored by ultimately destroyed its rapacious owner the enigmatic ogre mages—they gave him Stormchaser’s Cudgel. They told Grugak Stormchaser’s Cudgel was originally taken from the heart of a petrified tree. A bolt of lightning had struck and split the tree asunder, revealing the greatclub inside. Stormchaser’s Cudgel has been passed down through unrecorded generations of ogres ever since. Suldan Kabrel awakened more abilities in the greatclub than any previous owner in its history, but

Illus. by D. Marton

Table 3–45: Stormchaser’s Cudgel

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

5th — — — Dazing strike 6th — — 4 Point the way 7th — — — Large +1 shock greatclub 8th — –1 — Healing spark 1/day 9th –1 — 2 — 10th — — — Crush the weak 11th — — — Large +2 shock greatclub 12th — — 2 — 13th –2 — — Resistance to electricity 10 14th — — — — 15th — — 2 Large +3 shock greatclub 16th — –2 — Call lightning 3/day 17th — — — Absorb electricity 18th — –3 2 Resistance to electricity 20 19th — — 2 Large +4 shocking burst greatclub 20th — — 2 Call the storm 1/week

Grugak discovered others by holding Stormchaser’s

Cudgel aloft in a lightning storm. (DC 30; Tempting the Storm) LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Stormchaser’s Cudgel.

The Traceless Path: You have to venture deep into unexplored wilderness by yourself, with nothing more than Stormchaser’s Cudgel as protection, until you become truly lost (see Getting Lost, page 86 of the

Dungeon Master’s Guide). Cost: 2,100 gp. Feat Granted:

Least Legacy (Stormchaser’s Cudgel). Ancestral Roots: You must locate a dead tree struck by lightning. By dealing yourself 4 points of slashing or piercing damage, you must then water the tree’s roots with your blood, dealing an additional 6 points of damage to yourself. Cost: 12,500 gp. Feat

Granted: Lesser Legacy (Stormchaser’s Cudgel). Tempting the Storm: With Stormchaser’s Cudgel in hand and no other mundane or magical protection, you are required to allow bolts of naturally occurring lightning to strike you, dealing you no fewer than 5d10 points of damage. You can accomplish this feat by seeking the highest point of an area during a thunderstorm or by being struck by bolts from a call lightning or call lightning storm spell. Cost: 40,500 gp.

Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Stormchaser’s Cudgel). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

The wielders of Stormchaser’s Cudgel are almost exclusively ogre or half-ogre fighters, although any sufficiently

large and martially inclined creature might be interested in the greatclub’s abilities.

Stormchaser’s Cudgel Wielder Requirements

Strength 17 Base attack bonus +3 Speak Language (Giant)

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Stormchaser’s Cudgel. Dazing Strike (Su): Beginning at 5th level, whenever Stormchaser’s Cudgel delivers a critical hit against a humanoid creature with 4 or fewer Hit Dice, that creature must succeed on a Will save or be dazed for 1 round. The save DC is 10, or 10 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 5th. Point the Way (Su): At 6th level and higher, when Stormchaser’s Cudgel is thrown into the air, it always lands on the ground with its top end pointing toward true magnetic north. Caster level 5th.

Healing Spark (Sp): Starting at 8th level, once per day as a swift action, you can use cure light wounds on yourself, as the spell. Caster level 5th.

Crush the Weak (Su): At 10th level and higher, the critical threat range of Stormchaser’s Cudgel doubles (to 19–20) when the weapon is used against creatures and objects smaller than you. Unlike similar properties, this feature stacks with other abilities that expand a weapon’s critical threat range, such as the Improved Critical feat.

Resistance to Electricity (Su): At 13th level, you gain resistance to electricity 10. At 18th level, this resistance improves to 20. Call Lightning (Sp): Beginning at 16th level, three times per day on command, you can use call lightning as the spell. The save DC is 14, or 13 + your Charisma modifi er, whichever is higher. Caster level 10th. Absorb Electricity (Su): At 17th level and higher, any electricity damage you ignore due to your electricity resistance is stored within Stormchaser’s Cudgel.

The greatclub can hold up to 100 points of electricity damage in this manner. At any time within the next minute, as a free action, you can choose to apply up to 10 points of absorbed electricity damage as additional electricity damage dealt by Stormchaser’s Cudgel. You must announce your intent to use the additional electricity damage before the attack roll is made—a miss wastes the charge.

This ability can be used only once per round, and the electricity damage used is subtracted from the total held by Stormchaser’s Cudgel.

Call the Storm (Sp): Starting at 20th level, once per week on command, you can use control weather as the spell to call a thunderstorm (see page 94 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). You can use this ability regardless of climate or season, though the ambient temperature might affect the type of precipitation the storm delivers. Caster level 15th. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 5)

The heroes discover a beautiful waterfall and pool in a peaceful grotto. A subsequent search of the area reveals that a depression in the ground is actually deeper than it fi rst seemed. Once a few boulders are shifted aside, the depression opens into a damp cavern, which is shored up to prevent collapse. The fl oor is fl ooded with water from the natural pool above, and the cave shows evidence of having been used as a campsite by a humanoid of some sort. That humanoid was Suldan

Kabrel. Ogre mages bound his spirit here as a guardian for Stormchaser’s Cudgel, and this hidden grotto is the club’s storage space when the item isn’t in use. Moving the greatclub sends a silent call to the wraith, which attacks anyone in the area until it is destroyed.

Suldan Kabrel, Wraith: hp 32 (see page 257 of the

Monster Manual). Secret Hideout

This mossy cavern is underneath a pond and has been reinforced with stout beams. Almost half of the cavern fl oor is covered with water. Entranceway This entrance is covered with loosely piled boulders; readily shifted to reveal the opening beneath. Pool This area of the cavern has fi lled with water dripping from the aboveground pond. The pool is shallow and doesn’t slow travel through it. Suldan Kabrel The wraith of the former giant-slayer lingers in the cavern but attacks only when someone touches Stormchaser’s Cudgel. Desk This rickety old desk has rotted writing materials spread across its surface, containing some notes from Suldan Kabrel’s history and pursuit of the greatclub’s secrets. Reading these notes grants a +2 bonus on the Knowledge (history) check required to learn the Traceless Path ritual. A hooded lantern also rests on the desk. Skeletal Remains These are the bones of Suldan Kabrel, lying on a moldering cot and still clutching the greatclub that brought his doom.