Items · Melee Weapons · Cursed
Laughter of the Fallen
Maddoc sat amid a pile of unrecognizable corpses. Men, Dwarves, Orcs, you couldn't tell. He periodically took a stab at one with his new knife and screamed, 'STOP LAUGHING AT ME!'
Quest entry
Quest entry
Quest - Magic Items
In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list, we bring you our second collaborative Quest! Here's the required stat block template to use for your entries:… Open the quest
Full quest brief
In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list, we bring you our second collaborative Quest!
Here's the required stat block template to use for your entries:
* Awesome Name
* Appearance
* Benefit
* Drawback
* Lore
* Twist
For an awesome description and guide to these stat blocks, check out Johnn's post describing it.
There will be three sets of *random* prize draws: Nov 7, Nov 21 and Dec 5 -- XP awards per normal as well!)
All entries submitted before each date will be eligible for each random draw. So enter early and often.
Thanks to Gator Games for their prize sponsorship!
Laughter of the Fallen, The Humor of Undeath, Giggling Zombie Knife, The Soul-Rending Joke
Description:
This item appears to be some sort of sacrificial dagger. The handle is made of a dark red wood scored to create a rough grip, and features a pommel of yellowing bone. An uneven blade of razor-sharp obsidian protruding about seven-inches out from the grip almost completes the scene. Inspecting the blade, you can see a dozen or so crude, yet eerily life-like, faces frozen at the pinnacle of a boisterous laugh. You feel yourself impulsively crack a sly grin at the odd sight.
Benefits:
The dagger is quite suitable for combat, despite its odd design. It also provides a boon when used against creatures of undeath. You will find that it never missed or falters because of an undead's natural resistances, such as incorporealness or resistance against certain weapon types. There is also a chance that a struck undead will temporarily burst into a fit of laughter, taking no other actions for the duration.
Drawbacks:
As you use the dagger more and more, eventually every lifeless being, dead or undead, appears to be mocking you. The laughter of all the creatures you have killed begins to cling to your mind and haunt your sanity, slowly driving you mad. You find yourself becoming possessive of the dagger, claiming it is the only thing that can shut up the chuckling corpses. Mutilation of your deceased foes' bodies is not far off. In the end, your friends may need to intervene and find a cure for your insanity, or put you down before someone else does.
Lore:
The dagger is a dark gift from an obscure and cruel entity known as Evisca the Laughing Corpse. Her portfolio of interests includes Death, Undeath, Humor, and Insanity. She teaches her followers to laugh in the face of Death and overcome fear with humor. Because of this, the followers of Evisca are absolutely immune to fear and fight as if they had a death wish, believing they can overcome any foe with an overwhelming offensive.
This dagger is gifted to fledgling cultists as a means of brainwashing. The effects of the dagger, combined with the training drills of the higher priests, create an insane but managable recruit. As an ultimate goal, the Cult of Evisca would like to hear the whole world laugh as one, which they believe would allow Evisca to overthrow whatever other rulers the cosmos currently have.
Breaking the Curse:
To free a soul from the laughing shackles that haunt it, the soul must be removed from its vessel and spiritually cleansed. This can be extremely dangerous and difficult, as it must be performed by priests of a Good nature, yet it requires soul stealing or capturing magic. Each religion has its own cleansing rituals, and the ritual will bind the cleansed soul to their faith. It is not something done lightly, as a soul bound to a faith will be able to invoke the powers of that faith, if only at a basic level this can still be disaterous in the wrong hands.
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Use alongside
Submissions that pair well with this one at the table.
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Moradin's Piece
A gun made by the God of the Dwarves
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Gideon's Mercy
Sometimes, an item is not enchanted, but instead, a person's acts resonate so strongly across the planes of magic that their touch is forever remembered on the …
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Gateshatter
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The Horn of Seven Seals
The Horn of Seven Seals can remove many of one's inate inhibitions, allowing for greater effectiveness in battle. This can come at a hefty price, however.
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The Staff of Seven Snakes
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Biter, the Insatiable
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A weapon that is anything but funny.
>:D
...that is all...
Okay, maybe not, I really like it, it's funny and happy and insane and did I mention happy? I'M SO HAPPY NOW!!! EVER SINCE I FOUND MY BEAUTIFUL DAGGER I'VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER, EVEN IF THEY WON'T STOP LAUGHING, I'M STILL HAPPY!!!!!! >:D
Morbid and funny
A neat item, but frankly someone who uses a dagger as a primary weapon for fighting undead is likely to join them quickly :)
Now, the part about breaking the curse is clear, but to me, who actually gets cursed, and how is not clear. Does the curse start when the weapons owner finally snaps or some point sooner? At what point are you considered cursed?
Or do the spirits of those slain by the dagger get trapped?
Quite strange. Worth the read, and very tempting to use... if only to mess with a PC.
Reminds me of hylandpad's Cult of Mortuel, to an extent. I like the striking appearance, and the benefits are actually quite good. Just tempting enough to offset the drawbacks . . . at least for a time.
The funny farm weapon.