Final BladeSource Inner Sea World Guide pg. 300
Aura strong CL 20th
Slot none; Price —; Weight 1,000 lbs.DescriptionThe guillotines known as the final blades have become symbols of Galt and the bloody excesses of the Red Revolution, yet the first of these horrific devices were actually built to serve the cause of justice. The final blades were originally designed to provide a condemned prisoner a swift and painless death, but also to prevent the resurrection of said victim by trapping her soul within the guillotine’s blade upon execution. Every blade has a unique appearance and citizens speak of them as if they are people. In speaking of a condemned prisoner, someone might say, “He’ll lie with Bloody Jaine before the sun falls.”
Only Large or smaller helpless (or willing) creatures can be executed by a final blade. When a final blade scythes down to decapitate the target, treat this as a coup de grace attempt on the victim that inflicts 6d6+12 points of damage. A final blade’s damage penetrates all damage reduction (save epic damage reduction) and negates all regeneration effects. A creature slain by this effect is immediately targeted by a soul bind effect that automatically places her soul into the blade itself (no save). A final blade has no limit to the number of souls it can hold. It is possible to release a soul from a final blade to allow that creature to be resurrected, but the ritual involved is a closely guarded secret known only to the Gray Gardeners.DestructionAlthough the final blades are minor artifacts, they can be destroyed by damage. The exact defenses of each vary, but all have hardness 20 and 200 hit points. When one is destroyed, the trapped souls explode in a wave of necromantic power— some of these souls manifest as incorporeal undead and immediately attack all living creatures in sight. The number and nature of these angry souls varies, but should usually consist of at least a CR 12 (or higher) encounter.
|