D&D 5E Ruling on evil sentient weapons

[mudhen5013]

What would you have your players do if a "good" character wants to attune to an evil sentient magic weapon? make a roll to control? not be able to use its magical properties? etc. please advise.

thanks!

 

[iserith]

When there is conflict between the desires of a sentient weapon and its wielder, the item can make demands. If those demands are not met, the weapon can - among other things - attempt to take control of the character through a process described in the DMG (page 216). Losing such a conflict typically means the wielder is charmed by the item and must try to do what it demands.

I'd probably have the weapon try to control its wielders as a last resort, preferring to start with more subtle coercion at first.

 

[mudhen5013]

ok I like where you are going with that. Make it make suggestions as to what to do, then if ignored go for total mind control. Thanks also for the reference in the DMG, I will look that up.

 

[Kobold Stew]

A constant struggle between blade and character is what makes this situation interesting roleplaying. Of course I'd allow it! But once the weapon is attuned, the demands it can make can be small and incremental, gradually nudging the player towards neutral and then evil.

 

[Umbran]

A sentient evil weapon is not just a thing that wants to turn a character to evil. Weapons as mustache-twirling, "Bwahahaha! I made you commit a crime!" evil are possible, but... uninteresting.

It is an NPC. It has plans and agendas. It will make attempts at control only if such attempts are seen as having an acceptable risk-to-payoff balance. Consider that this balance is being measured by an entity with a potential lifespan of centuries or millennia, but that cannot generally make an escape from someone who decides to try to melt it down...

 

[mudhen5013]

I like that idea as well Umbran. thanks all for the advice!

 

[Umbran]

I say this because the best version of "sentient evil weapon" I have ever seen was done this way - the weapon had been an enemy of a group of adventurers centuries past. When a new group arose to take on the original group's mantle, the weapon stepped in, claiming to have been a mentor to the previous group. The option to subtly influence the group with "advice", rather than with overt control, was wonderfully done, and created much havoc in the long term.

 

[TerraDave]

When we did something like this in our last campaign, the character wanted to be subverted by his Book of Shadows. And it ultimately led to his dramatic doom, which we was also OK with.

But the books real agenda came out late. Up to that point, it and the parties goals where mostly aligned. Mostly.

 

[Shasarak]

How about when the good character subverts the evil weapon? Kind of like how Harry Dresden subverts Lasciel.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

If it is sapient then it has an agenda. If it is smarter and/or stronger willed than the person holding it then it is going to manipulate them into following that agenda.

It may use the charming method, it may withhold its magical abilities, but it may also use subtler methods. Flattery, logical arguments, fallacious arguments, lies and half-truths, compliments, positive reinforcement, repetition, sleep deprivation, brainwashing,.......

As a GM, I'd let the player attune their character, but I'd be giggling while I did it.