# R.A. Salvatore fans:  Stat Charon's Claw!



## Dark Jezter (Oct 18, 2003)

Greetings.  Just a quick warning, this thread will contain spoilers concerning the R.A. Salvatore novel _Servant of the Shard._  So if you haven't read it yet and don't with to have parts of it spoiled for you, you might want to hit the back button on your browser.

Spoiler space.


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Okay, in _Servant of the Shard,_ Artemis Entreri gains posession of an extremely powerful sentient sword named Charon's Claw.  This blade is one of the most sought-after items in Calimport, and everybody wants it because of it's notable powers.

Although it's been several months since I read the book and it's not fresh in my memory anymore, here's what I can remember about the blade...


  A special glove needs to be worn if you're going to pick up the sword.  Otherwise, merely touching the weapon will kill you.
 The blade or the glove shields the weilder from psionics.
 The blade can put up a "wall of ash" in battle.  I'm guessing that this would give cover to the weilder (20% miss chance)
 The blade is sentient, and can resist it's weilder unless the weilder asserts his dominance (as Entreri did).

Now, for people who have recently read the book or read it multiple times, how would you stat this sword?  I'm guessing it would be considered a minor artifact due to its unique nature and special powers.

P.S.  You don't need to remind me of the spoiler tags option.  Since this thread will basically be centered around spoilers, I chose a warning rather than putting my entire post in spoiler tags.


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## Victim (Oct 18, 2003)

The sword automatically kill you if you don't wear the glove.  The glove protects you from the magic of the sword.  Without the glove, you have to fight the sword for dominance.

The Claw can defeat more than psionics.  It also blocks spells too.  The Claw's antimagic effects seem to include both dispeling and personal immunity.

I'd agree on the artifact bit.  Maybe have it provide high SR (say 40) and do Greater Dispelling at level 20 at will.  I don't remember enough about its melee abilities to stat those.  Err, wait, did Entreri ever cut through something to attack someone?  Maybe I'm thinking of something else.


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## Welverin (Oct 18, 2003)

Dark Jezter said:
			
		

> P.S.  You don't need to remind me of the spoiler tags option.  Since this thread will basically be centered around spoilers, I chose a warning rather than putting my entire post in spoiler tags.




Which is all well and good, but you should put spoilers in the title as well.


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## NiTessine (Oct 18, 2003)

There's a weapon enchantment in _Lords of Darkness_ called Smoking. I think it would be a decent representation of that particular power.


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## Abiathar (Oct 7, 2009)

Charon's claw also has has the same effect on any person it cuts- the destroying effect, i mean. It has to be let stay there, but it will destroy anyone that even touches it at all.

Also, how would you stat out his dagger?


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## Blackrat (Oct 7, 2009)

Dark Jezter said:


> A special glove needs to be worn if you're going to pick up the sword.  Otherwise, merely touching the weapon will kill you.




Okay, it's been years since I last read the books, but I've a vague memory that it doesn't necessarily kill you. You can touch it with your bare hand if you are sufficiently strong willed. I think means that once you have asserted dominance over the sword, you can touch it safely. I'm not sure this was established in _Servants_ though, but in some later book.

But, as I said, it's been years since I read them (though I have read them all thrice) so my memory could be little off...

EDIT: Well, this one lists pretty good the abilities presented in the books: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Charon's_claw


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## Descartes (Oct 8, 2009)

Here's my take on it. The sword's "Wall of Ash" would burn one attack per "wall" created. So if you had 3 attacks per round you could create two "walls" one behind you and one to the side and still take a swipe at the creature in front of you. The "wall" gives you total concealment (50% miss chance immune to line of sight spells but area affect spells still get you).

The sword also has a high ego. From the way it was written it seems that older rules for weapon dominance were taken into consideration. In previous editions you character's level was used to determine if you overcame the item's ego. Everytime you took a HD worth of damage you lost a level to go towards an ego fight with your item, so if you were down to 1 HP you level for determining you ego score was 1. The glove was suppose to aid in your dominance battle so I would say that it was suppose to give you a little boost but also keep your dominance score the same no matter how much physical or ability damage you took.

The glove I would say acts as a rod of absorption (up to the DM to determine if the wearer knows how many spell levels it can absorb before the energy has to be released or the gloves are destroyed). Since it is an artifact this ability could be unlimited with the exception of possibly overloading it. When discharging the magical energy treat it like a lightning bolt dealing magical energy damage instead of electrical. The amount of damage would depend on how many absorbed spell levels are released by the wielder (I would limit this to a max of 10d6).

BTW all of this is written under the assumption that you wanted 3.5 edition stats/abilities. I've never played 4th edition so I don't know what would have to change to fit those rules.


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## Thanael (Oct 8, 2009)

Kain Darkwind of Dicefreaks said:
			
		

> Charon's Claw is a +5 smoking longsword of greater wounding. Those that touch it are affected by disintegrate (20th caster level, 40d6 damage, Will DC 18). This contact must be for a round or longer, merely getting struck with the blade does not carry this effect.
> Entreri's jeweled dagger is a +4 soulstealing dagger. It bestows 1 negative level on those struck by the blade and heals the wielder 10 hit points for each level so bestowed.
> Entreri also wears a gauntlet which absorbs magic. He is protected from spells and spell-like abilities by a personal range antimagic field. He may use disjunction on magic items and effects with a touch. (Caster level 20th)



 from Dicefreaks d20 Community • View topic - Unique Entities of Alternate World


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## cerberusendofdays (Dec 28, 2021)

This is what I used in my game 


Claws metal shines red like a ruby 

While wearing a special magical Gauntlet No saves are Required to Attune to claw or against the swords hunger as the gauntlet stops all mental intrusions from Claw.

To attune to Claw  you must succeed  a DC 17 wisdom save or have your soul devoured by the sword causing your body to burn from the inside Turning you to ash. 

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. It has the following additional properties.

Devour Soul​Whenever you use it to reduce a creature to 0 hit points, the sword slays the creature and devours its soul, unless it is a construct or an undead. A creature whose soul has been devoured by Claw  can be restored to life only by a wish  spell.

When it devours a soul, *Gains the vorpal sword  property :When you attack a creature that has at least one head with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, you cut off one of the creature's heads. The creature dies if it can't survive without the lost head. A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to slashing damage, doesn't have or need a head, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its head to be cut off with this weapon. Such a creature instead takes an extra 6d8 slashing damage from the hit.*, you have advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. The property lasts until you sheath the sword or stop battel for one minute  

If you are reduced to 0 hit points, *claw* devours your soul and can only  be restored to life only by a wish  spell.

Soul Hunter​While you hold the weapon, you are aware of the presence of any who ever attuned to claw with in one mile .

If one of these creatures are with in 30 claw can cast  Dominate Monster DC 20. and Geas DC 20 as a reaction   

*Claw *can cast the Ash wall cantrip as a reaction 

Sentience​*Claw* is a sentient chaotic neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 19. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.

The weapon can speak, read, and understand Common, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically threw suggestions of ones own thoughts . 

Personality​*Claw*  is accustomed to being obeyed and will try and manipulate the wielder threw their darkest fears and desires . 

The sword’s purpose is to consume souls. It doesn’t care whose souls it eats, including the wielder’s. 



*Claw *hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes Four days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset 

The sword tries to dominate its wielder. DC 17 WIS save . If failed the wielder will try and kill any humanoid closest with Claw .

You may repeat the save at the start of  each of your turns   

Proficiency with a greatsword allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.


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## cerberusendofdays (Dec 28, 2021)

This is what I used in my game in 5e 


Claws metal shines red like a ruby 

While wearing a special magical Gauntlet No saves are Required to Attune to claw or against the swords hunger as the gauntlet stops all mental intrusions from Claw.

To attune to Claw  you must succeed  a DC 17 wisdom save or have your soul devoured by the sword causing your body to burn from the inside Turning you to ash. 

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. It has the following additional properties.

Devour Soul​Whenever you use it to reduce a creature to 0 hit points, the sword slays the creature and devours its soul, unless it is a construct or an undead. A creature whose soul has been devoured by Claw  can be restored to life only by a wish  spell.

When it devours a soul, *Gains the vorpal sword  property :When you attack a creature that has at least one head with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, you cut off one of the creature's heads. The creature dies if it can't survive without the lost head. A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to slashing damage, doesn't have or need a head, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its head to be cut off with this weapon. Such a creature instead takes an extra 6d8 slashing damage from the hit.*, you have advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. The property lasts until you sheath the sword or stop battel for one minute  

If you are reduced to 0 hit points, *claw* devours your soul and can only  be restored to life only by a wish  spell.

Soul Hunter​While you hold the weapon, you are aware of the presence of any who ever attuned to claw with in one mile .

If one of these creatures are with in 30 claw can cast  Dominate Monster DC 20. and Geas DC 20 as a reaction   

*Claw *can cast the Ash wall cantrip as a reaction 

Sentience​*Claw* is a sentient chaotic neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 19. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.

The weapon can speak, read, and understand Common, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically threw suggestions of ones own thoughts . 

Personality​*Claw*  is accustomed to being obeyed and will try and manipulate the wielder threw their darkest fears and desires . 

The sword’s purpose is to consume souls. It doesn’t care whose souls it eats, including the wielder’s. 



*Claw *hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes Four days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset 

The sword tries to dominate its wielder. DC 17 WIS save . If failed the wielder will try and kill any humanoid closest with Claw .

You may repeat the save at the start of  each of your turns   

Proficiency with a greatsword allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.


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## aco175 (Dec 28, 2021)

The books talk about it being one of the sharpest blades around, so +3.  I would also just make the ash ability impose disadvantage on the next attack to keep it simple.


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## Alzrius (Dec 28, 2021)

As the


Blackrat said:


> EDIT: Well, this one lists pretty good the abilities presented in the books: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Charon's_claw



That article notes that the sword was written up in _Dragon_ #359 (p. 58), for D&D 3.5. It's a fairly short entry, but manages to cover the basics:



> *CHARON'S CLAW
> Minor artifact*
> This is a _+4 keen smoking longsword_. _Charon's Claw_ is powerful blade of Netherese origin. Possessed of a powerful and malign intelligence, potentially a bound fiend, the sword is capable of _disintegrating_ any wielder it deems unworthy, unless the potential wielder succeeds at a DC 25 Will save. Additionally, the sword possesses a number of unknown, quasi-magical abilities that remain dormant unless within the area of a Netherese mythallar.


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