A reward in my Oriental Adventures campaign. Posted here for my PCs to reference. I am using the nemuranai tag for OA magic items since in Japanese Mythology magic items are not forged or made (this is seen as disrespectful to the indwelling spirit). Instead the items awaken through various processes – spontaneously, or through powerful magic.
Inspired by Xenoblade Chronicles weapon of the same name.
KONGAMATO
Weapon (biter), legendary (nemuranai, requires attunement by a nopon/korobukaro)
Omen: Nature’s power surges through Kongamato, causing plants within 5 feet to open their flowers and bend toward the biter as if it were the sun.
A biter is a special weapon used by korobukaro. It is a two-handed mace carved to look like an appropriately fearsome creature. This particular weapon is carved in the image of Kongamato – the King of the Birds – from kirinwood, a rare and patricianly tough wood. Kirinwood grants the weapon immunity to acid. It counts as a martial arts weapons and can be used in conjunction with a monk or martial artists attacks.
As a nemuranai item, the weapon improves in line with your proficiency modifier:
- +2
- Fireflies. On command, Kongamato can summon a cloud of bright motes resembling fireflies, creating illumination equivalent to a light spell.
- Strength of Wood. When you cast barkskin the AC granted is 17 instead of 16.
- Bitey Bitey. If you are not already proficient in martial weapons, the kongamato grants this proficiency to you. It is also a masterwork quality weapon and does +1 damage.
- Everblossom.The Kongamatogrows berries if planted into the earth at night. It has 1d4 berries and gains another 1d4 each time your proficiency bonus goes up. Once the berries are exhausted no more grow. Berries that grow each night are randomly determined:
- Blackberries. If a creature consumes a blackberry, the damage it deals with its melee attacks increases by 1 and the attacks become magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage for the next 1 minute.
- Blueberries. If a creature consumes a blueberry, roll a d6: it is affected by the polymorph spell and randomly changes into one of the following creatures as shown in the Beast table below. The creature that consumes the blueberry must maintain concentration (as if concentrating on a spell) – 1-2 Flying Snake, 3-4 Elk or 5-6 Honey badger
- Redberries. If a creature consumes a redberry, it regains 7 (2d4 + 2) hit points.
- Silverberries. If a creature consumes a silverberry, it gains a +1 bonus to all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 minute.
- Whiteberries. If a creature consumes a whiteberry, its AC is increased by 1 for 1 minute.
- You may choose which berry grows that night.
- +3
- Happy Happy. The biter is now a magical weapon and provides a +1 bonus to hit, damage and spell attack rolls. In addition, it grants this bonus to your natural attacks (for example if you shapeshift into an animal form as a druid). It also has a permanent shillelagh effect.
- Lurgy. You may change the damage type of the attack to poison as part of the attack action. This trait is also granted to your animal forms (such as a hengoyokai or a wild shaped shaman).
- +4
- Tantrum. The biter is now a magical weapon and provides a +2 bonus to hit, damage and spell attack rolls. In addition, it grants this bonus to your natural attacks in animal or hybrid form.
- Freezinate. You may change the damage type of the attack to cold as part of the attack action. This trait is also granted to your animal forms (such as a hengoyokai or a wild shaped shaman).
- Solar Nourishment. You gain all the nourishment you need, a full day’s worth of food and water, from 2 hours of exposure to sunlight. Only natural sunlight has this effect.
- +5
- Peekabo. When you hit a creature with a melee attack using the kongamato or a natural attack, the target cannot make opportunity attacks against you until the start of your next turn.
- Burninate. You may change the damage type of the attack to fire as part of the attack action. This trait is also granted to your animal forms (such as a hengoyokai or a wild shaped shaman).
- +6
- Awakened Kami. Kongamato is now fully sentient and either takes the name you give it or takes the name Rikki. It has your alignment. Roll on the Sentient Magic Items table to determine its ability scores, communication ability and senses.
- Treebrother. Once per day Kongamato can transform into a tree spirit that stands 24 feet tall. When you plant the end of Kongamato in the ground and speak the command word “Tsurīburazā“, it turns into a creature that looks and fights just like a treant. The treant has the ability scores, senses and communication of the awakened kami feature, it otherwise uses the treant statblock. If you have the animal ally feat it applies to treebrother. If the resulting treantlike creature is reduced to 0 hit points, Kongamato reforms into its normal shape, and none of its +3 or higher abilities can be activated for 1 hour.
- Bedtime. When you hit a target with this weapon you may choose to force them to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If the target fails the saving throw it is stunned until the start of your next turn.
- Hero Time. The biter is now a magical weapon and provides a +3 bonus to hit, damage and spell attack rolls. In addition, it grants this bonus to your natural attacks.
Tsukumogami
Nemuranai were man made items of exceptional quality that had had their kami awakened, either through the skill used in creating them or through their association with great deeds. These items can usually only be attuned or used by a single person. They grow in power as the hero who owns it also grows in fame, honour and power.