Whisperer of Souls
1d8S·Martial·Polearm·Two-handed
Runes +4, major striking, greater brilliant, keen
This +4 major striking greater brilliant keen glaive binds the souls of powerful creatures it slays. The soul can't be returned to life by any means while imprisoned within the glaive and can be freed only by a deed of great benevolence or selflessness. While using the glaive as a weapon, whenever you reduce a sapient creature of 18th level or higher to 0 Hit Points or roll a critical success with a Strike against such a target, the creature must attempt a DC 50 fortitude save.
Critical Success No additional effect.
Success The glaive siphons the creature's essence, rendering it Drained 1. If the creature dies from the Strike or while drained in this way, the creature's soul is bound in the glaive.
Failure As success, but the creature is Drained 2.
Critical Failure As success, but the creature is Drained 4.
The glaive also has the following activations.
Activate ◇ (concentrate)
Trigger You Strike with the Whisperer of Souls
Effect You choose whether the Strike deals lethal or nonlethal damage. If the glaive has a reason for doing so, such as slaying a creature whose soul the glaive can absorb, it can defy your choice if you fail a DC 50 will save.
Activate ◇ (concentrate)
Trigger You attempt an Occultism check to Decipher Writing, Identify Magic, Learn a Spell, or Recall Knowledge
Effect You listen to eldritch secrets the weapon whispers, gaining a +4 item bonus to the triggering check.
Activate ◆◆◆ (concentrate, manipulate)
Frequency once per week
Effect Attempt an Occultism check as if you cast the Collective Memories ritual about a subject. If you roll a success or critical success, you can repeat what the Whisperer of Souls relates to you about the subject. On a critical failure, you and the glaive are drawn into a murmuring void of cold, where your mind is assaulted by strange visions for an entire week. At the end of this time, you reappear and must attempt a DC 50 will save.
Success When you return, you can retrain one of your skills into a Lore skill about evil creatures or places, as if you had spent 1 week retraining.
Failure As success, but you are Stupefied 2 for 1 week.
Critical Failure As success, but your alignment moves one step toward evil and you must retrain one of your skills into a Lore about evil creatures or places. You become obsessed with increasing your forbidden knowledge, turning to wicked forces that offer such secrets and compromising your morals further if you must.
Destruction If the Whisperer of Souls is used to slay Shelyn's herald, it disintegrates, bringing about great evil in its wake.
Traits
Items with this trait are artifacts. These magic items can't be crafted by normal means, and they can't be damaged by normal means. Artifacts are always rare or unique.
On a critical hit, the weapon adds a weapon damage die of the listed size. Roll this after doubling the weapon's damage. This increases to two dice if the weapon has a greater striking rune and three dice if the weapon has a major striking rune. For instance, a rapier with a greater striking rune deals 2d8 extra piercing damage on a critical hit. An ability that changes the size of the weapon's normal damage dice doesn't change the size of its deadly die.
This magic comes from the divine tradition, drawing power from deities or similar sources. Anything with this trait is magical. A creature with this trait is primarily constituted of or has a strong connection to divine magic.
This weapon becomes more dangerous as you build momentum. When you attack with it more than once on your turn, the second attack gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to the number of weapon damage dice, and each subsequent attack gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to double the number of weapon damage dice.
Natural attacks with this trait can be used to attack creatures up to the listed distance away instead of only adjacent creatures. Weapons with this trait are long and can be used to attack creatures up to 10 feet away instead of only adjacent creatures. For creatures that already have reach with the limb or limbs that wield the weapon, the weapon increases their reach by 5 feet.
The target is moved 5 feet in a direction of your choice. This is forced movement.