Evocative Alternatives to +1 Weapons (Part 1: Fantasy & Western)

I've been toying around with a weapon-focused background for my fantasy / western / sci-fi heartbreaker. The idea is you're a fairly normal person who was gifted a special weapon, and that's about all you have; it's got two(ish) boons and one drawback. The idea is it helps them in combat, but also gives them something interesting to do outside of it too.

Most can probably tell that I've been inspired by Gus L's list on Dungeon of Signs. The fantasy version of this background began with a weapon list identical to his (except it was spears, not swords), and a few of his ideas have stayed exactly the same. I've also adapted some and written a few of my own; keen eyed readers may note inspiration from one of the knights in Mythic Bastionland. Below, you'll find the Fantasy & Western versions of this background; I'll follow up with the Sci-Fi version in a further post!!

FANTASY

JANISSARY(Weapon-focused Fighter): The Yellow Princes of Erdale send warbands far and wide, filling their ranks with slave soldiers, or Janissaries. You were conscripted, trained, and issued a magic weapon, tied to your prince. Though your prince was killed and your warband scattered at the disastrous battle of the Fingers, your weapon never stopped working.

1 Stürmundrang: made of solid metal. While wielding this spear, you can’t be stopped while running, but take d12 damage for each thing you run through. When hitting an object or person, can choose to knock it/them to there distance.

2 ThunderSpear: Otherwise plain spear covered in runes. When thrown, deals d6 damage and returns to your hand unless the damage roll is a 1. Range is Over There. When shaken, summons a thunderstorm.

3 Volcanic Pike: Redwood shaft with barbed obsidian head. On hit, opponents can be impaled and stuck on the pike. You can cause the head of the spear to heat up by as much as 100° per round, though on a failed magic roll, all the heat is vented back into the shaft.

4 Cold Iron Glaive: Unfinished ash shaft, heavy, almost dull head made of cold forged meteorite. Extraplanar entities hate it, and it hums in their presence. Crits on max damage, crit banishes extraplanar entities.

5 Glass Lance: Ornate white wood topped with a narrow glass point. Touch an opaque surface to make it transparent and vice versa. Ignores armor, but spear point shatters on a 1 on the damage dice. Repairs itself in 48 hours.

6 Vorpal Swordspear: This fine oak shaft topped with a sword blade cuts through non-magical wood, mud, and stone with ease, but mostly loves flesh. On a nat 20, decapitates target. On a nat 18-19, severs a limb. If you wield it without drawing someone else’s blood, d20+wis DC13 or keep using it until you do.

7 Medusa Spear: On a hit, calcifies organic tissue. On a nat 1 on the to-hit roll, calcifies part of you.  Tap against the ground twice and the spear softens into a whip that can wrap around people and things.

8 Counter-Spear: A plain spear, possessed by an angry pacifist spirit. Touch the spear to a person. If they have been killed by a weapon recently, the spirit can give you directions to that weapon. If the person has a weapon on them and you succeed on a to-hit roll, that weapon explodes, dealing d4 damage. If they have no weapons and are not dead, nothing happens. When used as a spear, -2 to hit.

WESTERN

76TH IMPERIAL REGIMENT (aka Fighter): The Princes of Yellow were named for their weapons. Montius had his cold-forged mace. Valens II his crossed swords. Countless other great heroes were defined by the weapons they bore, and to this day, the legions of the Iron Empire bear arms that define them, and you made off with yours.

1 SmokePowder Repeater: In addition to shooting them, on a 15 or above, target is shrouded in choking black smoke. They’re still visible, but they can’t see until they move, and take damage if they stay in the smoke. On a 5 or below, you get hit with the smoke. Take an action to intentionally create a smokescreen in close range. 

2 Stilker’s Self-Converting-Cylinder Revolver! Load basically anything handy into the cylinder and it’ll still shoot. Weirdly, it can also convert mundane material into a ration of food overnight. Tastes like garbage though; save con DC13 or throw it up, and add 1 to reload/jam range the next time you use it.

3 The Stranger’s Revolver: Revolver possessed by a pacifist spirit. Point this revolver at a person to… a. Find out what killed them and where it is (if they are dead) or b. Cause a firearm on their person to explode (if they have a firearm). If neither is true, nothing happens. When used as a gun, -2 to hit because the spirit doesn’t like hurting people.

4 Railgun: Rifle that magnetically accelerates sabots of iron. They become electrically charged; can disable electronic equipment or be tuned to a lower speed to nonlethally disable opponents.

5 Singularity: Pull the trigger. Roll the dice. Don’t ask questions. Consequences may vary. 

6 Nykma Coil: Coils and a steam generator. Tendrils of lightning leap to damage everyone within the cone of range. Can also be used to jumpstart depowered tech. On a 1-3, shocks you for d4 damage.