Khilat Moonblade - Walian

From House of Khilat

Dates: -8,406 to - DR (years)

Powers

Speed

By manipulating time, the wielder gains the benefit of more efficient use of time during the melee round, including the following general benefits:

  • Rolls for initiative and surprise are better by -1. This roll is for general actions in the round, but may apply to a second attack should melee be engaged.
  • Armor class is enhanced one place, as the wielder has more time to dodge attacks. Improved armor class is effective during melee and spell casting, but a successful attack still ruins spell casting.

The wielder can easily alternate between melee and spell combat, but once spells are cast at the enhanced rate, the required rest period must be observed.

The time managing power of the blade will automatically cancel any other speed or time based magic that affects the wielder's melee round, including haste and slow spells, as well as secondary weapons or magic items that grant first strike capability. Such spells are not cumulative with the power of the sword, though particularly powerful spells my supersede the sword's power if they provide the wielder greater benefit. This prohibition does not apply to major time spells that have a scope larger than a melee round, such as time stop.

Melee

The wielder has benefits similar to Articus's Melee Manager. The melee benefit is only available while the sword is held for hand to hand combat, though it may be used to throw the blade.



  • The sword gains even more time benefit and always strikes first in a melee round, even though some magic effect might have otherwise slowed the wielder’s speed or reaction time. When facing opponents with similar first strike capability, initiative is rolled between all first strike combatants with a -1 bonus given to the wielder.
  • Warrior classes gain an additional rank of attacks per melee round; 1 attack per round is increased to 3 attacks every 2 rounds, etc. Top level specialists can achieve 3 attacks per round.
  • In addition to the number of attacks in a round normally allowed, the wielder gains 3 additional attacks on the primary hand, plus 1 additional attack for a secondary weapon, if any. When the wielder achieves 20th level, 1 additional attack per round for the primary weapon is allowed.
  • A standard initiative roll, with a -1 bonus determines when the wielder can make the second attack in the round. This attack will be placed in the round along with everyone else's first attack, with the bonus applied making it quite possible to get two full attacks in before anyone else gets their first attack in.

Spell Combat

Alternately, the sword owner can choose to cast more than one spell in a round in a fashion similar to the magic manager spell. Casting multiple spells per round can continue for up to 8 rounds. Once the caster runs out of magic to cast, combat ceases or the 8th round has completed, the caster must rest for 2 rounds.

The caster rolls initiative and adds the casting time of whatever spell he wishes to cast. At that spell's conclusion, the caster rolls another 1d10 (to assess the situation and choose a new spell) and adds the next casting time. When the total exceeds 30, a new round has begun, with the excess counting as the initiative roll for the new round. If the caster performs an action other than casting spells at any time, the action takes place in the following round, and then the count starts over again in the round after that.

Only spells of 4th level or less may be cast in this rapid fashion. Higher level spells are cast in their normal casting time and occupy the full round, or more. Attempting to cast the same spell more than one time results in the failure of the additional spell casting. Spells cast from a thaelkiira take place at the beginning of the round and take 1segment to complete instead or their regular casting time. Duplicate spells from the thaelkiira can be cast, but never in the same round, including those coming from memory instead of the kiira.

The following round, the caster may not take any further strenuous actions such as spell casting or melee combat, but must rest. Non-strenuous actions including walking, talking, eating and drinking are permitted.

Blur

During hand to hand combat, the blade itself routinely shifts back and forth through time like a combined delay image/advance image spell with the appearance of a blur spell, making it difficult to parry with a -2 penalty. When the blade sheds light while in the dark, this creates a strobe like effect. This effect can be disconcerting to the inexperienced wielder who may watch the blade in combat instead of feeling and becoming one with the blade. 



Sixth Sense

Similar to the elven spell Sixth Sense granted by Labelas Enoreth, the wielder gains a sense that something bad will happen in the following round.

Temporal Anomaly

Alternately, the sword can cast Labelas Enoreth's clerical spell Temporal Anomaly, allowing the wielder 2d4 rounds of action outside of normal time. At the end of that time any effects of actions taken by the wielder sudden appear. Spells and supplies used during this time are treated as if they were never used once the wielder returns to normal time. During the Temporal Anomaly a large hummingbird often appears within the alternate time stream. Once the Temporal Anomaly spell has completed, the sword will not be able to use the powers of speed, Sixth Sense or Temporal Anomaly for one month.



Interactions

  • Seeking - The blade can Detect Temporal Anomaly once per turn.
  • Spell-focus - Multiple spells cast in a single round can be merged into a single effect.

Appearance

Rune

Time - on front.

Feature

12 gem stones surround the Khilat family symbol on front and back in a circle of white gold. The top cardinal point is a clear King's Tear, the bottom cardinal point is a moonstone and the other two cardinal points are star sapphires, and the remaining stones are smaller cut diamonds. During a time stop, the stones will glow and turn off one by one to count the duration of time stop. Haste will light a number of stones equal to the number of allies affected, pulsing in a counter clockwise circle, starting fast and slowing until the spell expires. At all other times, a faint glow of one or two stones shows the hour of the day, while the moonstone shows the current phase of the moon.

Rite

Lord Walian conducted his ceremony in the temporal disturbance of a time gate with the assistance of two other Knights Paradoxical; a Chronologian of Labelas Enoreth and a Temporal Champion Bard historian. All three cast Time Stop in the same area at the same time and once inside the sphere of stopped time, they cast Blur, Haste, Slow and Temporal Anomaly, while Lord Walian cast Temporal Stasis as he bound his spirit to the blade's moonstone. Lord Walian's familiar, a giant hummingbird, disappeared into the time stream.