The Ages - Rune Items

(Version 1.01 - Last Modified: 01/17/2006)

• Introduction
• The Ages: Common Abilities
• Crown of the Ages
• Pentagram of the Ages
• Shield of the Ages
• Staff of the Ages
• Sword of the Ages

Introduction

The Ages is a powerful set of artifacts built during the final days before the beginning of the Elf-Dwarf war and its history is intertwined with the tragic history of war. Even while tensions between the Dwarves and the Elves rose to record levels, there were some that could not, would not, believe that war was inevitable. To this end, a group of powerful wizards, both Dwarven and Elven, gathered together to create a set of powerful artifacts to represent eternal peace between their two great powers. Ironically, the five artifacts that make up The Ages were completed on the very eve of the start of the war.

While work on the items had been done in both the Dwarven Empire and the Elven Empire, the finishing touches were completed outside of both. Even though the rulers of the empires did not fully believe in the mission of peace that the items represented, they did recognize their power and the moral authority that possessing them would provide. When the war broke out, both sides claimed the artifacts and agents were sent to retrieve them. Soon the village where the items were located was attacked by first Dwarven agents and then Elven agents, both trying to take the items after their creators refused to hand them over peacefully to the war effort. In the end, the battle for The Ages became one of the longest and bloodiest battles in the first years of the Elf-Dwarf war. However, when the blood dried and the armies withdrew, the Elves had claimed the artifacts. It was not to last.

Over the course of the war, The Ages passed back and forth between the two sides and the refusal to hand them over caused more then one peace agreement to collapse into fighting. Throughout the war, the mere rumor of the presence of one of these items would send agents to investigate and eventually armies if the rumors were true. The items, forged for lasting peace, became drenched in blood. By the time the war finally ended, The Ages were lost. It is thought that some of the descendants of the wizards that forged the Ages had finally tracked them down and reclaimed them, determined to keep them out of the hands of the undeserving empires. However, most believe they were destroyed during those final brutal months of the last war or unknowingly during the purges that followed the war.

In truth, the items did survive, but in the hands of unknown warriors and wizards. As the great warriors, wizards, and leaders that used The Ages died, one by one The Ages fell into the hands of those who sought peace. The original creators of The Ages were killed during that first battle over the items, but their story lived on with those that wished the war would end but could do nothing to stop it, but with the war coming to a close, they finally saw their chance. Since that time, The Ages have passed from person to person, staying out of the spotlight, but they are inevitably drawn towards conflict. For example, The Ages were present during the last great war against the Western Empire that ended in the signing of the White Paper, mostly in the possession of those that opposed the conquests of the Empire of Sin. For those that know their tragic history, the presence of The Ages are a harbinger of war. Unfortunately, most of the artifacts can can now be found in the possession of anonymous people in the border region between the Wolfen Empire and the Eastern Kingdom.

The Ages are a set of five artifacts: the Crown of the Ages, the Pentagram of the Ages, the Shield of the Ages, the Staff of the Ages, and the Sword of the Ages. Each was crafted to be a powerful artifact and a symbol of peace and they were to be presented to the gathered leaders of the two empires in an elaborate ceremony dreamed up by their creators. Unfortunately, the ceremony never occurred, and the items never became the symbol of everlasting peace their creators had intended. The items were created using Rune Magic and used volunteers from their creators own ranks to be the sentience behind the power of the item. Unfortunately, the intelligence in each item knows how much devastation The Ages have caused and how they seem to be drawn to war. This knowledge, coupled with the continuous sadness of the failure of the creator's mission, has affected the personality of each item differently.

The Ages: Common Abilities

While created to be a single set of artifacts, even if their intended owners were far apart, The Ages share several powers as well as a powerful curse that developed over the course of the Elf-Dwarf War. Each of The Ages has the following abilities:

1. Communication:
   As long as a person that is linked to one of The Ages has met another person that is linked to another one of The Ages, the two can communicate telepathically, regardless of the actual distance between the two people. This works even if at the time they met, neither of the two people were connected to one of the Ages. Unfortunately, this form of telepathy is broadcast to all people linked to one of the Ages that has met either one of the two people actually communicating. For example, if a person connected to the Crown of the Ages is talking to the person that is connected to the Shield of the Ages, but that person also knows the person connected to the Sword of the Ages, then all communications between the Crown of the Ages and the Shield of the Ages is heard by the Sword of the Ages, even if that person is unable to participate in the conversation. A person linked to the Ages also becomes aware the instant someone they have met becomes linked to another one of The Ages. This power was envisioned to allow the rulers of the Elven and Dwarven empires to communicate secretly without the need for grandiose ceremonies, promoting backroom peace negotiations that a reluctant public would not approve of, but without keeping secrets from the other owners of The Ages.
2. Sense The Ages:
   A person linked to one of The Ages can instantly sense the rest of The Ages if they are within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the item. While the person does not know who is linked to that item, they can locate and track the item.
3. Drawn to War:
   After being linked to one of The Ages, a person seems drawn towards conflict and war. How they react to this draw is largely determined by alignment, motives, and the circumstances of the war. For example, a dispute between two Human towns in the Old Kingdom would draw a different reaction from a Principled paladin then a conflict between two Orc hordes. However, in both cases, the paladin would be drawn towards the war like a moth to a flame. In the first few months after linking to one of The Ages, the draw will manifest as simply interest and/or curiosity, but after being linked to the item for longer then a few months, the draw will manifest as a need to become involved or to at least witness the conflict. After being linked to the item for more then a year, the person gains an almost sixth sense for detecting future conflict, and the larger the sensed conflict, the more powerful the draw. While the linked person feels no compulsion to be actively engaged in the conflict, they desire more then anything to be there when it starts, to witness the conflict from the first blow to the last death.

Crown of the Ages

Illustration by Dan Frazier. ©1993-2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The Crown of the Ages was created to be worn by the leader of the Elven Empire and is beautifully crafted. Designed to manipulate and power magical abilities, the crown also provides a limited number of psionic powers to the wearer. More then any of the other items, the personality of the crown wishes to become involved in any conflict as a potential peacemaker or dealmaker and the wearer will be encouraged to seek out that role in any conflict they witness. The Crown of the Ages possesses the following abilities:

1. Magic Manipulation:
   The main power of the Crown of the Ages is its ability to move magical and psychic effects from one person to another. With this power, the wearer can move any spell that has a duration and affects a target to another target that the spell could have affected. For example, this power could be used to move an Armor of Ithan from a wizard to the wearer, but the wearer could not move more then one Armor of Ithan spell to himself, as he cannot be a legal target for the second Armor of Ithan spell, and the power could not be used to move a Paralysis: Lesser spell from a creature to an inanimate rock, as the rock is also not a valid target for the spell. The duration of the moved spell or psionic power remains unchanged and any elapsed time before the spell or power was moved still counts towards the duration of the spell, but if the spell allows for a savings throw, then the new target is entitled to a savings throw. Activating this power requires one melee attack, but it can only be activated once per melee round. Spells with an instant duration, such as Fire Bolt, or spells that do not have a specific target, such as Tornado or Tidal Wave, cannot be affected by this power. The wearer must also be aware of the spell or psionic power they wish to move; they do not need to know exactly what the spell or psionic power does, only that it is active. Spells and psionic powers that are moved can no longer be dismissed by the original caster. Only active spells within 500' (152.4 m) of the wearer can be affected by this power.
2. Communication:
   The wearer of the Crown of Ages can magically speak and read all languages at 98% chance of success. This power works only in the presence of someone else that can speak or read that same language. Presence requires that person to be in the same room as the wearer or to be within 50' (15.2 m) of the wearer.
3. Magic Spells:
   The Crown of the Ages can cast the following invocation spells: Charismatic Aura, Paralysis: Lesser, Tongues, and Words of Truth. The crown can cast each of these spells four times per day and all spells are cast at 10th level of experience and with a spell strength bonus of +2. Casting one of these spells requires only one melee attack. All spells can be found in the Palladium Fantasy RPG Main Book.
4. PPE Battery:
   The Crown of the Ages has a pool of 120 PPE that can be accessed by the wearer at any time to cast spells or activate anything that requires expending PPE. This PPE is restored every 24 hours at sunrise and cannot be drained or used by anyone that is not linked to the crown.
5. Bonuses:
   The wearer gains +2D4 to MA attribute and +1 to all saving throws.
6. Indestructible:
   The Crown of the Ages is completely indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any means.
7. Link to Owner:
   The Crown of the Ages links to its wearer after one week of regular contact, at least 16 hours per day, and after they are linked, the owner can use all of the crown's abilities and the crown's personality will begin to get to know its new wearer. After the link has been formed, the two can detect each other's presence within a 2 mile (3.2 km) radius and their link cannot be severed until someone else links with the crown.
8. Alignment:
   The Crown of the Ages is Principled and refuses to function for wearers that are Diabolic and Miscreant. While anyone else can wear and use the crown, the personality in the crown would vastly prefer someone that is already predisposed to be a dealmaker or a negotiator.
9. Personality:
   The Crown of the Ages has an IQ of 18 and is an expert in negotiating and deal making. While it prefers to work through its wearer by offering suggestions through telepathy, the crown is not above interjecting itself into a negotiation if it sees an opportunity that its wearer is missing. This is especially true if the wearer does not tell the crown its overall plan for the negotiation. When it does not see a need for its negotiating talents, the crown cares little for the world around it and will be sullen and depressed at what it perceives as inactivity.
10. Appearance:
    The Crown of the Ages appears as a beautifully crafted crown.

Pentagram of the Ages

Illustration by Douglas Shuler. ©1993-2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The Pentagram of the Ages is a decorative amulet with an intricately carved pentagram on its face. The pentagram was to be given to the high mage of the Elven Empire and was designed to protect its wearer from damage and attacks. Unfortunately, the level of protection provided by the pentagram does not satisfy the personality in the amulet. The personality has seen so many wearers violently killed during the Elf-Dwarf War that it has become paranoid about the safety of its wearer. The amulet will constantly be reminding its wearer about his safety and about the danger that the amulet senses around it, even if those dangers are highly unlikely, such as a friend betraying the wearer. The Pentagram of the Ages possesses the following abilities:

1. Physical Damage Prevention:
   Five times per day, the wearer can instantly activate this ability, which prevents all physical damage from one source. For example, if the wearer was struck with a sword, this ability could be used to prevent the damage from that attack, but it would not help if the user fell into a fire or was hit with a Psi-Sword. If the wearer is not linked to the Pentagram, this ability must be activated before the results of a strike roll is known, so if the attacker missed with the attack or the attack struck the wearer's armor instead of him, then the use of the ability is wasted. However, once the wearer has established the link with the Pentagram, this ability can be used once the wearer knows the result of the strike roll and how much damage the attack would inflict.
2. Elemental Damage Prevention:
   Three times per day, the wearer can instantly activate this ability, which prevents all elemental damage from one source. Elemental damage is typically damaged caused by fire, cold, or energy. If the wearer is not linked to the Pentagram, this ability must be activated before the results of an attack is known, which makes it difficult to use to prevent the damage from a magical spell like Fire Bolt. However, once the wearer has established the link with the Pentagram, this ability can be used once the wearer knows how much damage an attack would inflict.
3. Magic Damage Prevention:
   Three times per day, the wearer can instantly activate this ability, which prevents all damage from one magic spell. This ability is used only if the spell does not cause a damage of a specific element, so the damage from Fire Bolt could not be prevented with this ability, only spells that cause damage not of a specific type can be prevented with this ability. If the wearer is not linked to the Pentagram, this ability must be activated before the results of an attack is known. However, once the wearer has established the link with the Pentagram, this ability can be used once the wearer knows how much damage an attack would inflict.
4. Psionic Damage Prevention:
   Two times per day, the wearer can instantly activate this ability, which prevents all damage from one psionic attack. If the wearer is not linked to the Pentagram, this ability must be activated before the results of an attack is known. However, once the wearer has established the link with the Pentagram, this ability can be used once the wearer knows how much damage an attack would inflict.
5. Bonuses:
   The wearer gains +1 to all saving throws.
6. Indestructible:
   The Pentagram of the Ages is completely indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any means.
7. Link to Owner:
   The Pentagram of the Ages links to its wearer after one week of regular contact, at least 16 hours per day, and after they are linked, the owner can use all of the crown's abilities and the crown's personality will begin to get to know its new wearer. After the link has been formed, the two can detect each other's presence within a 2 mile (3.2 km) radius and their link cannot be severed until someone else links with the pentagram.
8. Alignment:
   The Pentagram of the Ages is Unprincipled and refuses to function for wearer's that are evil.
9. Personality:
   The Pentagram of the Ages has an IQ of 12 and is widely considered to be a coward. Its paranoia and protectiveness for its wearer has grown so much over the centuries that it would rather have its wearer run away in battle then actually risk dieing.
10. Appearance:
    The Pentagram of the Ages appears as a beautifully crafted amulet with a pentagram carved in its surface.

Shield of the Ages

Illustration by Anson Maddocks. ©1993-2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Protection, good governance, and authority were three traits that the original creators of The Ages saw in their leaders, even if those same leaders eventually disappointed the creators, and nothing embodied these traits more then the Shield of the Ages. Although the Pentagram of the Ages was designed for protection, its method of damage prevention was suitable when the wearer was expecting a small number of attacks, such as an assassination attempt. In contrast, the Shield of the Ages was to be wielded in battle and was to be given to the Dwarven Empire for use against the violent Orc tribes on its borders. The beautifully crafted shield projects an aura of authority; this aura does not destroy the will of those that see, but commands their respect. The shield's wielder can use this projected aura to encourage allies or dishearten enemies, but he always commands respect, even from his enemies. Over the years, the Shield of the Ages has been used in battle the most of all The Ages. While it does not relish combat, its knows it is necessary, but it demands a leader role for its wielder, often verbalizing how important its wielder is to those around it. Unfortunately, the shield expects to be wielded by the strongest and bravest warrior of any group and will not understand if this is not the case. In its mind, no one else deserves to wield it, so it expects that no one would. Life is, however, never that simple. More then one owner of the Shield of the Ages has perished at the hands of his fellows after the shield demanded that the others obey its owner's commands. The Shield of the Ages possesses the following abilities:

1. Damage Prevention:
   The old Dwarven rulers belonged to a class of warrior-wizards, as such, the shield is designed to be used in combat by someone that has a large amount of PPE. One of the shields primary abilities consumes a large amount of PPE to be fully effective, but in the proper hands, it can make its wielder nearly invincible. When the wielder is damaged in anyway, he can pump PPE into the shield to reduce that damage. For every point of PPE spent in this manner, any source of damage to the wielder is reduced by 3 points. For example, spending 4 PPE would reduce the damage from a single source by 12 points. If the wielder is bonded to the shield, he knows exactly how much damage an attack will inflict before the spending any PPE, but if the wielder is not bonded to the shield, he must spend PPE before knowing how much damage is inflicted, although he knows if the attack hits, and any excess PPE is lost.
2. Aura of Authority:
   The Shield of the Ages has the ability to generate a powerful aura that assists the wielder's allies in combat. When active, all allies of the shield's wielder become immune to horror factor, mind control, and possession and gain +6D6 S.D.C., +4D6 hit points, +3 to ME, +6 to PS, +3 to PE, +1 attack per melee, and +2 to strike. All damage is subtracted from the bonus S.D.C. and hit points before damaging someone affected by the aura. The Aura of Authority only affects allies within 30' (?? m) of the shield's wielder, lasts for 1 melee round per level of the wield or 1 melee round per 2 points of PE attribute if the wielder has no levels, and can be activated three times per day, but no more then once per hour.
3. Aura of Condemnation:
   Similar to the Aura of Authority, the shield has the ability to generate a powerful aura that hinders the wielder's enemies in combat. When active, all enemies of the shield's wielder must immediately make a roll vs. Horror Factor 14 and an additional roll at the beginning of each melee round they are within range of the shield. In addition, enemies affected by the aura take -6 to PS, -2 to PP, -1 attack per melee, and -2 to all combat rolls. The Aura of Condemnation only affects enemies within 30' (?? m) of the shield's wielder, lasts for 1 melee round per level of the wield or 1 melee round per 2 points of PE attribute if the wielder has no levels, and can be activated three times per day, but no more then once per hour.
4. Combat Abilities:
   The large metal shield has a natural armor rating of 16, inflicts 2D6 points of damage if used as a weapon, and provides a bonus of +4 to parry, which replaces the standard bonus for using a large metal shield and is cumulative with the bonus from W.P. Shield. Wielder has -5 to dodge when using the shield.
5. Bonuses:
   The owner gains +1 to all saving throws.
6. Partially Indestructible:
   The Shield of the Ages has 200 S.D.C. and it regenerates at a rate of 1D6 S.D.C. per melee round. If the shield is reduced to 0 S.D.C., it crumbles to the ground, but it will still regenerate and will magically reform, although with only 1 S.D.C., around the largest piece at the beginning of the next melee round.
7. Link to Owner:
   The Shield of the Ages links to its wearer after one month of regular contact, at least 16 hours per day, and after they are linked, the owner can fully use the shield's abilities. After the link has been formed, the two can detect each other's presence within a 2 mile (3.2 km) radius and their link cannot be severed until someone else links with the shield.
8. Alignment:
   The Shield of the Ages is Aberrant and will allow anyone to wield it, but it prefers warriors and those with high PPE, preferably someone with both.
9. Personality:
   The Shield of the Ages has an IQ of 10 and is comparable to an old, grizzled drill sergeant. It is fanatically loyal to its wielder, seeing any wrong in its wielder's actions as temporary mistakes or flaws, and will loudly berate anyone that attempts to assume that they can order its owner around. It will give a very thorough dressing down to anyone, regardless of their real rank, that seeks to claim authority over its wielder. The Shield of the Ages was built to be wielded by a king and still acts that way.
10. Appearance:
    The Shield of the Ages appears as a beautifully crafted large metal shield.

Staff of the Ages

Illustration by Daniel Gelon. ©1993-2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The Staff of the Ages has the longest history in the Elf-Dwarf War, but it is one of the bloodiest. Taken by an Elf Wizard-General following the battle to claim The Ages from their creators, the Wizard-General was one of the best generals in the early part of the war. He was such a capable strategic and tactician that the Dwarves sent several assassins to kill him, but no attempt ever succeeded. Survivors from these failed missions reported that despite their best efforts, despite silently disabling all magical and mundane protections around the general, he was always fully aware and prepared when the assassins entered his personal chambers. The secret to the general's success was in his possession of the Staff of the Ages, which allowed him to sense the assassins long before they reached his chamber and allowed him to perfectly locate the leaders of any army he faced despite their best efforts to remain hidden.

Unfortunately, the wizard-general's success also caused his undoing. The leaders of the Elven Kingdom chose him to lead a secret army into the heart of the Dwarven Empire. But he was far removed from his previous area of operations and entered an area where no one had heard of him and where no one sought to harm him directly, so the Staff of the Ages was unable to detect a massive Dwarven army that was undergoing training when the wizard-general's army stumbled upon it. Within a few short hours, the wizard-general and every single member of his hand-picked 10,000 strong army was dead. The Staff of the Ages passed into the hands of the victorious Dwarven general. His fate was identical to that of the Elven wizard-general and on and on it went until the end of the war when the staff was lost during long millenia of purification following the end of the war. However, the staff was not destroyed, it became the possession of a long line of Human farmers scratching out of bare existence on the slopes of the Old Kingdom mountains where it remains to this day.

Powers

1. Danger Tracking:
   The person linked to the Staff of the Ages has the ability to sense and track people that wish to harm him. This danger can come in many forms from a bandit that wants to ambush the wielder's party to an important villain that wants to kill the wielder. Unfortunately, the staff cannot sense and track general threats, such as someone that wants to kill all Humans when the wielder is a Human. If the threat is specific enough, the wielder perfectly sense the location and distance to the target within a certain range depending on how powerful or dangerous the person is too the party. If the danger is a minor threat, it must be within 10 miles (16.1 km) from the staff, a medium threat must be within 100 miles (161 km) from the staff, but a major threat can be anywhere on the planet and the staff will be able to locate it. It is up to the GM to determine what qualifies as a minor, medium, or major threat to the party. A group of bandits might be a major threat when the wielder is a low level, but it will eventually become a minor threat as the wielder gains experience. Initially, the staff only considers the wielder and his possessions when determining threats, but it can be convinced to consider other members of the wielder's party.
2. Danger Sense:
   The primary power of the Staff of the Ages is its ability to sense and track danger. To help with this, the wielder permanently gains the benefits of the psionic power of Sixth Sense.
3. Magic Spells:
   The Staff of the Ages can cast the following invocation spells: Escape, Eyes of Thoth, See the Invisible, Sense Traps, Sense Magic, and Sense Evil. The staff can cast each of these spells three times per day and all spells are cast at 10th level of experience and with a spell strength bonus of +2. Casting one of these spells requires only one melee attack. All spells can be found in the Palladium Fantasy RPG Main Book.
4. PPE Battery:
   The Staff of the Ages has a pool of 100 PPE that can be accessed by the wearer at any time to cast spells or activate anything that requires expending PPE. This PPE is restored every 24 hours at sunset and cannot be drained or used by anyone that is not linked to the staff.
5. Combat Abilities:
   The Staff of the Ages inflicts 5D6 points of damage with each hit and provides the following bonuses to the wielder: +1 to strike and +2 to parry.
6. Bonuses:
   The owner gains +2 to all saving throws and +2 to dodge.
7. Indestructible:
   The Staff of the Ages is completely indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any means.
8. Link to Owner:
   The Staff of the Ages links to its wearer after one month of regular contact, at least 12 hours per day. After the link has been formed, the two can detect each other's presence within a 2 mile (3.2 km) radius and their link cannot be severed until someone else links with the sword.
9. Alignment:
   The Staff of the Ages is Unprincipled and will allow anyone to wield it, but it prefers cautious or paranoid spell casters.
10. Personality:
    The Staff of the Ages has an IQ of 14 and is comparable to an wizened wizard that has seen too much and gone too far in his research. The staff constantly advises caution whenever the wielder is engaging in an activity that it considers moderately dangerous. The staff will happily help the wielder discern a solution out of a problem, but only if the goal is to escape a problem, not to continue on into more danger. As strange as it may sound, the staff does not really like it when the wielder uses the Danger Tracking power, preferring to be as far away from danger as possible.
11. Appearance:
    The Staff of the Ages is a long quarterstaff with large blue crystal on one end and a pronged hook at the other end. The staff appears to be made of a single piece of highly polished light brown wood. The runes that cover the length of the staff are bright silver in color with occasional red highlights. Runes can also be seen etched onto the other surface of the crystal, but they are the same color as the crystal.

Sword of the Ages

Illustration by Dan Frazier. ©1993-2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The Sword of the Ages was to be given to the leader of the Elf military, a powerful wizard and a skilled swordsman. With a similar arrogant personality, the sword's builders hoped to find the perfect companion for the solitary general, who was the only person that was to receive one of the Ages to actually be involved in its creation. When finally ordered by the Elven king to lead his army against the village housing the Ages, the general reluctantly agreed, but even as his armies successfully claimed the artifacts, the general refused to wield the powerful artifact. One of the few people that believed in the original mission of the Ages, the general did not want to believe the bloodshed that the artifacts had caused. The general carried the artifact with his entourage for years until a Dwarven assassin killed him and claimed the sword of the Dwarven Empire. For centuries after that, the sword passed back and forth between the generals of the Dwarven and Elven armies until the destruction of the city of Baalgor, when the sword was lost to both sides.

The Sword of the Ages remained lost of several millenia until it was discovered by accident by a traveling nomad. Recognizing that the sword was a powerful artifact, the nomad took it from the rubble of an ancient Elven house and sold it to a merchant in the Western Empire colony on the edge of the Baalgor Wasteland, where the sword passed from one merchant to the next. Eventually, the sword became lost in the Middle Kingdom of the Western Empire, where the dangers of a rebellion are once again rising.

Powers

1. Magical Blast:
   The Sword of the Ages can be used to focus the PPE of the wielder into a powerful blast of pure magical energy. The blast has a range of 500' (152.4 m) and the wielder has a bonus of +3 to strike with the blast. The damage inflicted by the blast depends on how much PPE energy the wielder is willing to channel into the sword. For every 4 PPE channeled into the sword inflicts 1D6 points of damage and 2 points of PPE can be spent to increase the damage of the blast by +2 points of damage. For example, if the wielder decided to spend 32 points of damage, they could choose to inflict 8D6 or 4D6+16 or 2D6+24. The Sword of the Ages can only produce one magical blast of this type per melee round.
2. Life Blast:
   Similar to its ability to focus PPE into a magical blast, the Sword of the Ages can focus the wielder's hit points into a different type of magical blast. This blast has a range of 1000' (305 m) and the wielder has a bonus of +5 to strike with the blast. The damage inflicted by the blast depends on how many hit points the wielder is willing to channel into the sword. For every 3 hit points channeled into the sword inflicts 1D6 points of damage. For example, if the wielder decided to channel 24 hit points into the sword, they would inflict 8D6 points of damage in a single blast. The Sword of the Ages can only produce one magical blast of this type per melee round.
3. Combat Abilities:
   The Sword of the Ages inflicts 1D4x10 points of damage with each hit and provides the following bonuses to the wielder: +1 attack per melee that must be used with the Sword of the Ages, +2 to strike, and +4 to parry.
4. Bonuses:
   The owner gains +1 to all saving throws.
5. Indestructible:
   The Sword of the Ages is completely indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any means.
6. Link to Owner:
   The Sword of the Ages links to its wearer after one month of regular contact, at least 12 hours per day. After the link has been formed, the two can detect each other's presence within a 2 mile (3.2 km) radius and their link cannot be severed until someone else links with the sword.
7. Alignment:
   The Sword of the Ages is Aberrant and will allow anyone to wield it, but it prefers warriors and those with high PPE, preferably someone with both.
8. Personality:
   The Sword of the Ages has an IQ of 12 and is comparable to an arrogant swordmaster. It is sure of its abilities and enjoys showing them off, so it often presses it's wielder to engage in combat, even non-lethal duels and challenges satisfy the sword. The sword prefers to remain silent most of the time, but it will loudly defend any perceived insults on its abilities or the abilities of its wielder, often challenging the insulting person to a duel to the death for offering such an offense.
9. Appearance:
   The Sword of the Ages appears as a beautifully crafted broad-bladed sword.