Sharp Minds: Role-playing Intelligent Weapons
Very powerful magic items can (and indeed it is my opinion that they should) be rare in any campaign, and rarer still is the "Intelligent" weapon, be it a sword, mace, trident, dagger or what-have-you. When a player of weak will (as evidenced by Wisdom and Intelligence scores that are below average) acquires such a weapon, what happens - beyond the simple dominance of the character, that is! For that matter, when there is parity or indeed superiority by the character, what kind of a relationship exists
between the weapon and the wielder? The first literary example of intelligent weapons to go by is the great Black Sword, Stormbringer from Michael Moorcock's
Elric saga (among others). This sword was as written so powerful that Elric could barely keep it (and in some cases, could not prevent it at all) from slaying foe and friend alike!
Obviously, when in possession (or in the possession of) of a weapon of such magnitude, whether good or evil, there are many role-play opportunities for both Dungeon Master and character, as well as implications for the rest of the campaign in general. Let us examine, then, some of the potential pitfalls and bonuses of the Intelligent Weapon.
When a weapon is of the same alignment and no more "willful" than the character, there is a degree of "partnership" or "parity" between the two. The weapon knows (but, depending on alignment, may resent) it's place in the scheme of things. The weapon will (likely) willingly accept it's wielder's use so long as that use does not contravene alignment of either weapon or wielder - while characters may flex, weapons are archetypes for their alignment, e.g., a Lawful Good mace is of absolute Law and Good. Chaos, even Good- aligned Chaos, is repugnant to the implement, and the weapon may communicate it's disgust to the wielder if that person campaigns with Chaotic or Neutral good beings, no matter how "good" they are. Alternately, the same weapon but with an align of Neutral Evil may attempt to actively injure other players not of it's align, citing them as weak and useless! However, if the character is stronger than the weapon, mentally, then he or she will always be able to dissuade it's use.
In this case, the weapon may even offer a degree of friendship to the wielder. If trapped in a lonely place, an intelligent weapon (which is as equally desirous of freedom and companionship as the wielder) may attempt to keep up it's wielder's spirits with anecdotes of past battles, praise for the wielder's combat prowess or other abilities, or other general encouragement. The tone of the praise or encouragement may vary, from concerned father (or mother) figure to stentorian
drill-sergeant exhorting a lax soldier to greater effort. The overall effect of these encouragements may or may not help the character accomplish what they are trying to do; it is best left to the Dungeon Master to ascertain whether or not any bonus or penalties are incurred.
Of course truly malevolent weapons may, if close to the own character's willpower, mock them and cast doubt upon everything they try to do, merely for amusement's sake - e.g., giving a "Hey Rube!" type "shout" whenever the character is attempting to strike a precise blow. A suggested effect for this might be a
Save versus Spells or suffer a -1 penalty. Of course, if the character is at least as willful if not more so than a weapon that misbehaves thus, a few well-placed threats of destruction on the forge might silence the weapon.
Alternately, when a weapon of the same alignment and more willful than the character, interesting problems can occur. Indeed, the Dungeon Master's Guide outlines such events clearly:
"At any time that the personality score of a sword exceeds the personality
score of the character who possesses it, the sword will dominate its
possessor, and it can force any or all of the above demands or actually
cause any of the following actions:
1. Force its possessor into combat
2. Refuse to strike opponents
3. Strike at its wielder or his or her associates
4. Force its possessor to surrender to an opponent
5. Cause itself to drop from the character's grasp
Naturally, such actions are unlikely where the character-sword alignment and purposes are harmonious. However, the sword might well wish to have a lesser character possess it so as to easily command him or her, or
a higher, level possessor so as to better accomplish its goals.
All magic swords with personalities will desire to play an important role in the success of activities, particularly combat. Likewise, they are rivals, even if of the exact same alignment, and they will be aware of the presence of any similar weapon within 60', and try the best to lead
a possessor into missing or destroying the rival unless this is totally inimical to its nature, i.e. a Holy Avenger would certainly not allow destruction of any other lawful good sword and might encourage discovery of same - even at the risk of having to face grim odds to do so . . ."
So when playing a "rogue weapon", it is imperative that the above be taken in to consideration first. But overall, remember that the "mind" of an intelligent weapon is fundamentally different from that of a player. Even the most righteous and law-abiding Paladin, for example, has nowhere near the zeal of a magically imbued intelligent sword of Lawful Good alignment - and likewise the most notorious assassin cannot imagine the black depths of thought plumbed by a Chaotic Evil short sword!
Thus, the weapons - whatever they may be - should be "acted" accordingly: Utter malevolence for Chaotic Evil weapons, harmonious balance with an eye towards munificence for Neutral Good weapons, capricious mischief and appreciation of kind acts for Chaotic Good, etc.
I wish all Dungeon Masters the best of luck with weapon personalities! Go get 'em!