Rift Blade

Legendary Items	Magic Items
Divine Artifacts	Cursed Items

Few weapons are as feared as the Rift Blade. The secret to forging this dread weapons is given only to the great war smiths within the priesthood of Morval. To these priests, each sword is a holy relic and they would never allow an unbeliever to wield one. Still, it has been said that some of the Rift Blades made their way through the fortunes of war to even those who opposed Morval and his fellows.

While rumor has it that any sword type may be made into a Rift Blade, the most common is the War Sword. Typically these swords have a +4 magical enhancement with the Anarchic, Planar, and Speed abilities. Although these abilities make the weapons formidable, the most feared ability of the Rift Blade is their ability to form a Planar Rift.

Planar Rift

By focusing the ability to channel energy through the Blade, a wielder can evoke the ability to open a Planar Rift upon striking an opponent. This ability causes a localized tear in the multiverse to momentarily open, pulling the target through the rift as if it were subject to a random Plane Shift. Such is the nature of the power behind the blade though that most often the target of the Planar Rift ends up in either an elemental plane or a plane of an opposing alignment. There is no save allowed against this banishment and no amount of magical resistance can save a target. Those without the magical means to adapt to the hostile environment sent, or a method of returning, very seldom live for more than a few moments. To make things worse, the disorienting nature of the rift stuns the target for 1d3 rounds after their transition.

One drawback of the use of this ability lies in the nature of the Planar Rift. Unless the wielder succeeds at a Concentration check (DC 30) the tear in the fabric of space is unstable and can pull anyone within 10 feet into the tear with the target (others can make a DEX check DC 30 to leap free). There is also a chance (roughly 1%) that the tear opens in a place already occupied by another entity. That entity must make a Will Save (DC 30) or be pulled back to the wielder's plane. Some entities will willingly swap places from their plane in order to pursue their own goals.

In very rare instances the Rift Blade can open a Planar Rift upon a Divine being. These beings ignore the pull of the rift but can destroy the blade on these occasions. When the Blade is destroyed in this manner all creatures within 30 feet are pulled into the tear (no save or check) and find themselves standing before a Deity. Since this often occurs in the midst of battle, opponents will often find themselves mid fight in another realm within the presence of a Divine being who harbors ill will towards all who have trespassed. The original target of the Planer Rift however seldom survives this occurrence since the destructive force of the unleashed magic collapses upon them to do 10d10 divine damage. Even should the target survive, they will be stunned for 2d4 rounds. Most Divine beings will ignore the Rift Blade and simply choose to be somewhere else instead of destroying the blade and having to deal with an unknown number of combatants drawn to their location.

Anyone using skills or abilities to destroy a Rift Blade must be aware and take precautions against being caught in the unleashed magic of the Blade. Unless magical protection is available, the individual destroying the blade suffers the effect of being the target of a Planar Rift. Such spells as Dimensional Anchor and similar protections will prevent the person from being pulled into the rift.

NOTE: Rumors exist that there is always a chance the Planar Rift will open upon The Void. Should this happen the target (and anyone else sucked in) is irrevocably lost. Those who pass through the rift simply cease to exist. While this is rumor only, records exist that seem to substantiate this phenomenon as an intended effect implemented by the first priest who created the Blade, Morval.