Sword of Life Stealing
- Category: Weapon (Glaive, Greatsword, Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, or Shortsword)
- Rarity: Rare (Requires Attunement)
When you attack a creature with this magic weapon and roll a 20 on the d20 for the attack roll, that target takes an extra 15 Necrotic damage if it isn't a Construct or an Undead, and you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to the amount of Necrotic damage taken.
Tactical Applications
Life Drain Combat: Functions as +1 longsword with necrotic damage and life stealing abilities. Exceptional for necromantic builds, vampiric combat, and characters requiring health absorption through combat damage.
Class Synergies:
- Death Clerics: Perfect for necromantic divine casters wanting enhanced undead-like abilities
- Necromancers: Essential for necromancy specialists needing life drain capabilities and vampiric combat
- Dark Paladins: Excellent for fallen paladins requiring necrotic damage and life absorption
- Vampiric Builds: Outstanding for characters with undead themes and life-draining concepts
Build Considerations: Requires attunement but provides ongoing life drain enhancement. Most valuable for characters with necromantic themes and vampiric combat concepts.
Acquisition Methods
Crafting Requirements: Requires necromantic magic, life drain enchantments, and vampiric essences. Creation cost 8,000-18,000 gp and takes 16 weeks.
Common Sources:
- Necromantic specialists and life drain enchanters
- Treasure hoards of legendary vampires and necromantic masters
- Commission from enchanters specializing in necromantic weapon magic
- Found in the collections of undead researchers and vampiric weapon experts
- Sometimes discovered in undead lairs or obtained from vampiric creature encounters
Alternative Acquisition: Often found in locations with strong connections to necromantic magic and undead themes.
Value & Trade
Estimated Value: 12,000-25,000 gp, with demand varying by cultural attitudes toward necromantic magic.
Trade Considerations: Controversial among many cultures due to necromantic nature, but valued by necromancy specialists.
Character Integration
Roleplay Elements: Suggests experience with necromantic magic, undead themes, or professional roles requiring life drain and vampiric abilities.
Character Concepts:
- Necromantic specialist with life drain expertise and vampiric combat experience
- Dark warrior using life absorption for combat advantage and health maintenance
- Character with extensive experience in undead environments requiring necromantic weapon capabilities
- Vampiric combatant combining life drain with traditional weapon techniques
Adventure Hooks
The Vampiric Hunt: Combat scenarios where life drain provides crucial health absorption and vampiric advantages.
The Necromantic Investigation: Research missions where necromantic weapons enable undead study and dark magic discovery.
The Life Force Crisis: Situations where life absorption determines survival and health maintenance in dangerous environments.
The Dark Power Challenge: Adventures exploring themes of vampiric power and the moral implications of life drain abilities.
Variants & Customization
Greater Sword of Life Stealing (Legendary): Enhanced life drain power and additional vampiric abilities with improved necromantic capabilities.
Blade of Vampiric Mastery (Artifact): Includes comprehensive life drain magic and ultimate vampiric enhancement.
Necromancer's Life Blade (Very Rare): Optimized for necromantic combat with enhanced life drain bonuses and undead affinity.
Specialized Variants:
- Vampire Lord's Blade: Enhanced for vampiric nobility with improved life drain and undead command abilities
- Death Knight's Sword: Optimized for undead warriors with enhanced necrotic damage and undead resilience
- Soul Reaper Blade: Specialized for life force manipulation with enhanced soul damage and spiritual drain
Lore & History
Origins: Created by ancient necromancers who needed reliable life drain enhancement for their vampiric research and necromantic combat.
Historical Significance: These blades enabled crucial necromantic discoveries and the mastery of life drain techniques throughout dark magical history.
Cultural Impact: Represent the controversial intersection of combat and necromancy and the power of life force manipulation.
Magical Craft: Demonstrates understanding of necromantic magic and the complex processes required for life drain enhancement.
Balancing Notes
Introduction Timing: Appropriate for levels 8-16 when necromantic themes become relevant and life drain provides significant advantages.
Campaign Impact: Provides powerful vampiric capabilities balanced by moral implications and cultural controversy.
Necromantic Focus: Most valuable in campaigns featuring undead themes and necromantic magic acceptance.
Encounter Design
Recommended Challenges:
- Necromantic scenarios where life drain enables vampiric combat and health absorption advantages
- Undead encounters where necromantic weapons provide thematic consistency and enhanced effectiveness
- Moral choice situations where vampiric power creates ethical dilemmas and character development
- Dark magic challenges where life drain determines necromantic effectiveness and vampiric mastery
Life Drain Adjustments: Encounters may need to account for health absorption and enhanced survivability through vampiric abilities.
Related Items
Necromantic Items: Other items that enhance life drain and provide vampiric capabilities.
Dark Equipment:
- Items that improve necromantic effectiveness and undead magic capabilities
- Equipment for life drain and vampiric enhancement
- Tools for necromantic research and dark magic development
Complementary Equipment: Items that enhance necromantic abilities or provide additional vampiric benefits.
Roleplay Opportunities
Necromantic Mastery: Characters develop expertise in life drain techniques and vampiric combat.
Dark Power Leadership: Vampiric capabilities create opportunities for leading necromantic missions and undead research.
Moral Complexity: Life drain abilities enable exploration of themes related to power, morality, and the cost of vampiric enhancement.