Items · Melee Weapons · Combat

Ranunculus

Formed entirely of shadowstuff, Ranunculus passes through matter and living things. While objects are unaffected by its passing, living creatures, when struck, are stunned and descend instantly into madness, effectively removing them from any battle. Upon spoken command, Ranunculus will instantly return to its owner's hand.

55 xp 5,633 views

The item itself is not the javelin but the javelin AND the vambrace that commands it. As long as a person wears the vambrace, he may handle Ranunculus as if it were composed of solid matter, and he will not suffer any of its ill effects.

There are three command words, all of which must be spoken while wearing the vambrace to have any effect: one to summon Ranunculus, one to banish it, and one to call it to return to your hand.

The javelin looks like a shaft of solid darkness, surrounded by a shadowy mist, and tapering off at one end. The vambrace is fashioned of boiled leather plates, dyed a deep black and studded with obsidian; it resizes itself to fit any hand, paw, or claw.

Magical Properties:

Returns to its owner upon command.
Ethereal; passes through matter.
Bestows a curse upon any living creatures it strikes.
Formed from shadowstuff.

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Discussion

9 comments

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  1. CaptainPenguin

    Hmmm....

    Well, this item has no backstory and I don't understand what the 'curse' that it bestows is. Care to flesh it out?

    And have you rated your own item?

    2/5.

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  2. Betelgeuse

    Well, the curse so bestowed would be the aforementioned madness its touch causes.

    ...You can rate your own items?

    And yes, no real backstory. Sorry.

    0 xp Reply +XP
  3. manfred

    An important question is, if the is madness permanent, or is it only a short effect?

    Still, this is a very, VERY powerful item. Who made it? And why is the handle (sorry, vambrace) resizable? Creator of a potent magical item may prefer to adapt it for himself, and not make it easily usable by anyone (possibly against himself). But that is my take on.

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  4. EchoMirage

    Well, it has got no background at all, and is not that different from all those 'ignores armour and is nasty' items.

    Bad one.

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  5. MoonHunter

    It has a good deal of potential, but needs more information to flesh it out.

    Betelgeuse: Think of this item as one in a fantasy story/ novel. That is the level of description we are looking for. If it is not as well fleshed out as a key item in a novel, it is not quite 'ready for prime time' here.

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  6. Cheka Man

    2/5

    It certainly shows promise but it's just the bones of an item.Who made it and why? Was it stolen from a tomb? Or made by a Court Mage for his warrior King? Does it belong to a necromancer? I need to know more.

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  7. PoisonAlchemist

    I feel like there is something good in there. How did it get its name?

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  8. Scrasamax

    How was it made?

    Rhetorical question, since author is no longer active

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  9. valadaar

    The root idea is interesting. Execution could use some work. I think this is ripe for a remake.

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