Weapon, legendary
Martial weapon, melee weapon
This sword may not be the most powerful or most useful, but it is the best at being a sword. Some believe that this means it brings peace, but a sword does not bring peace - the threat of a sword does. Some believe that swords deliver victory, or stop evil - these are somewhat closer. The First Lesson of the Sword is that swords are crafted to be tools for killing. This is the base purpose of a sword, and to pretend otherwise is to cloud one’s vision with pleasant lies.
Description: This +3 longsword has a beautiful, leaf-shaped blade, and a pure white bone hilt and cross hilt. The pommel is a clear jewel that turns crimson when drawn from its sheath.
Every attack made with this sword to directly deal damage to a creature that can fear death (hereafter referred to as “fearful creature”) has advantage, and every time the sword deals damage, roll its damage dice twice, taking whichever result is higher. When making an attack against a fearful creature, this sword cannot roll with disadvantage. This rule takes precedence over any other rule that might conflict with it. This sword also overcomes all varieties of damage resistance, except if a creature is immune to slashing damage in which case it is merely resistant.
Alternatively, if this sword is used in a roll to do anything other than deal damage directly to a fearful creature, that roll is made with disadvantage. It cannot roll with advantage. This rule takes precedence over any other rule that might conflict with it.
When drawn, it cannot be re-sheathed until it kills a fearful creature. 10 minutes after drawing the sword, and every ten minutes thereafter until the sword is sheathed again, roll a d20 (hereafter referred to as a “killing roll”. If the killing roll is not a 1, nothing happens, and the next roll adds 1 to the value required. For example, the first killing roll requires a one. The second requires a one or a two. The third requires a one, a two, or a three, and so on.
If the requirement is met, roll a percentile for every fearful creature within 60 feet. The sword then leaps into the air and seeks out the creature that rolled the lowest percentile. If there is no valid creature within 60 feet before the count reaches 20 then, regardless of distance, the sword seeks out the nearest fearful creature and instantly kills them, travelling as fast as is required to kill them in a single round. It will not change its target at any point after it has been determined.
Once The First Lesson of the Sword has been used to kill a fearful creature, the jeweled pommel becomes clear again, and the sword becomes as safe as a sword can be.
If The First Lesson of the Sword has killed someone, the jeweled pommel is clear, and the sword remains unsheathed at the end of a long rest, the jeweled pommel will become crimson again, and its wielder must begin making killing rolls again.
| Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| 1d8 slashing | 2 lbs. | Versatile (1d10), Finesse, Critical on 19 or 20, Sap |
| Attunement: This blade can be attuned by spending 3 hours meditating on what a sword truly is. After this three hour period, the sword must be used to kill a humanoid. Until this point, Apology is not attuned and simply functions as a +3 longsword, though the sword still has its curse when drawn. |