Inspiration

This essay is inspired by leslie fish's amazing song The Arizona Sword - give it a listen.

Introduction

Our culture is filled with examples of magical weapons - The Eternal Excalibur, The Devious Stormbringer, or Zeus's Thunderbolt. Many heroes are made into who they are by their weapons - the enchanted weapons themselves too are often treated like characters of their own, with their wants and needs deciding if the hero succeeds or not. These weapons aren't "just +1 swords", or "just a talking sword". They are powerful and mystical. Why is that, then, that in TTRPGs many incredible weapons are treated just like tools? How can we change it back?

Methods of Murder

Heroes are defined in part by the weapons they wield. The powers they have are not just the sheer destruction they bring. Magical weapons hear and feel what you do while wielding them - they have a name and a Will. There are many tales of a sword turning towards its wielder, striking them down as they break its will. It is not a cursed sword you should fear, after all a curse may be dispelled. You know what you are standing on when you wield a cursed weapon. It is the powerful blessed sword you should fear, as it may turn against you when you most need it. An enchanted sword changes its wielder into a one-man army, all the while it fights with them to make them into its tool - to wield its wielder.

Why and How it's made?

With that establish, one may ask why (and how) do people make these weapons? They are made in times of great need and want, by the greatest blacksmiths and archmages, who convoke Gods, Demons, Spirits and Elementals, inviting their power into a single vessel. They are not just enchanted swords. They are a product of powers beyond anyone's understanding, their presence on this earth.

Some Mechanics, so that it is not just my mad ramblings

A magical weapon is defined by:

• What it holds power over (It may be something as prosaic as Fire, or something as immaterial as Freedom)
• What gives it that power (A thing that makes the weapon amass power within itself, it may be killing and eating sentient souls, or the act of liberating slaves - most magical weapons will pursue opportunities to gain more power, if it does not inhibit their wants or create something that they hate)
• What it wants (An ideal that it wants to fulfill - maybe it wants to cast gods down and take their places, or maybe it wants to destroy systems of opression. The weapon will follow it if possible, even to the detriment of its wielder)
• What it hates (Something that the weapon wants to destroy - it may be other magical weapons, opressors, or devils. In either case, it can automatically detect beings that fulfill this criterium.)

Each time it fulfills the act that gives it power, mark one "notch" on your character sheet. A magical weapon communicates with its wielder through feelings and omens - it does not speak, but it "highlights" what it wants destroyed or done. It may be through a pain in the hand that holds it when one sees a demon, or through a sudden rush of euphoria when one feeds it with a soul. In any case, it will not negotiate - only demand, rewarding its wielder if they fulfill its will with great powers, and punishing them if they disobey it. A weapon may expend notches to:

• Give advantage on attacks made by its wielder (1 notch/round)
• Take control of something that obeys its Power (1 notch/thing/turn)
• Create something that falls under its power (2 notches/thing)
• Give powers that fall under its power to its wielder (2 notches/power/turn)
• Force its wielder to take an action (1 notch per 1 sentance of a command - the wielder must save or fulfill it)

A weapon will gladly obey the will of a wielder it finds worthy, if they also fulfill its will. If one starts fighting with their weapon, however, it may decide to instead use its power to force the wielder to take actions it finds right. Magical weapons often have additional properties that do not require them to expend notches.