Book of Lost Swords

[Blood axe]

Along with Dyson's post on Fred Saberhagen's books. Another cool Saberhegen book series are "The Lost swords". About 20 years old- but still pretty easy to find on Ebay.

Basically about 12 magic swords and awesome game of "rock/paper/scissors". Each sword is pretty powerful magic item/artifact.

THE SONG OF SWORDS




Who holds Coinspinner knows good odds

Whichever move he make

But the Sword of Chance, to please the gods

Slips from him like a snake.




The Sword of Justice balances the pans

Of right and wrong, and foul and fair.

Eye for an eye, Doomgiver scans

The fate of all folk everywhere.




Dragonslicer, Dragonslicer, how d'you slay?

Reaching for the heart in behind the scales.

Dragonslicer, Dragonslicer, where do you stay?

In the belly of the giant that my blade impales.




Farslayer howls across the world

For thy heart, for thy heart, who hast wronged me!

Vengeance is his who casts the blade

Yet he will in the end no triumph see.




Whose flesh the Sword of Mercy hurts has drawn no breath;

Whose soul it heals has wandered in the night,

Has paid the summing of all debts in death

Has turned to see returning light.




The Mindsword spun in the dawn's gray light

And men and demons knelt down before.

The Mindsword flashed in the midday bright

Gods joined the dance, and the march to war.

It spun in the twilight dim as well

And gods and men marched off to hell.




I shatter Swords and splinter spears;

None stands to Shieldbreaker.

My point's the fount of orphans' tears

My edge the widowmaker.




The Sword of Stealth is given to

One lonely and despised.

Sightblinder's gifts: his eyes are keen

His nature is disguised.




The Tyrant's Blade no blood hath spilled

But doth the spirit carve

Soulcutter hath no body killed

But many left to starve.




The Sword of Siege struck a hammer's blow

With a crash, and a smash, and a tumbled wall.

Stonecutter laid a castle low

With a groan, and a roar, and a tower's fall.




Long roads the Sword of Fury makes

Hard walls it builds around the soft

The fighter who Townsaver takes

Can bid farewell to home and croft.




Who holds Wayfinder finds good roads

Its master's step is brisk.

The Sword of Wisdom lightens loads

but adds unto your risk.

[bighara]

A million years ago I made GURPS stats for the 12 swords. I ran a game where the party (eventually) found Woundhealer. Everyone and their dog tried to take it from them.

[scadgrad]

I loved that series and upon reading it, I made the Greek gods the default mythos for my OD&D setting. I didn't introduce the swords, but I really wanted to. That series is a ripping good tale.

[Blood axe]

GREAT! Im glad to see a bunch of old-timers like myself like the books! I have them all- good stuff!

[kibosh]

My gaming group just started a Desolation (post-apocalyptic fantasy using the Ubiquity system) campaign based on the 12 swords! I had never even heard about them until the GM proposed the idea.

[Black Wyvern]

I had a half-drow 1e character that wielded Coinspinner. My copies of the books are long gone but thanks for the walk down memory lane.

[Denim N Leather]

blood axe, have you ever considered how you might incorporate something like this into your game? Could be really interesting. I haven't read the books in ages, and I don't recall much, but would the presence of the 'scissor' sword (to use your excellent analogy) negate the power of the 'paper' sword, for instance?

Could be very cool, or VERY convoluted!

It's funny that you should bring this subject up, because I'm thinking of setting either an adventure or part of my campaign on the Plane of Balance; this type of relic would work really well into the overall theme.

But, how to create them?!

[Blood axe]

There are some very decicated fan pages and its also on Wikipedia. Lists of sword powers, which sword could trump the other, etc,etc,etc.

Most of the swords are pretty powerful(shieldbreaker), some not so much (stonecutter), others have limited use (dragonslayer).

[Blood axe]

FARSLAYER
(SW. OF VENGENANCE)

Symbol: target; that is concentric rings

Sound: howl

Remarks: Farslayer when thrown at a foe will travel any distance necessary to reach intended target. Skewers the heart (in case of a demon, the physical object housing the life). No physical or magical barrier (except, of course, SHIELDBREAKER) is effective.

WOUNDHEALER (SW. OF MERCY; SW OF LOVE)

Symbol: open hand

Sound: human breath

Remarks: Actually not a weapon. When plunged into body causes no pain or damage--quite the contrary. Heals any injuries or disease, as long as spark of life remains. Will not raise dead or restore youth. Can be used prophylactically, e.g., a man can hold this Sword embedded in his flesh and jump off a cliff, or face an armed attack, without being hurt more than momentarily. Caused Jord the Smith to regrow his amputated arm, over a period of months.

On the downside, can be used by a torturer to revive his victims, over and over.

WAYFINDER (SW. OF WISDOM)

Symbol: small white arrow--points to pommel

Sound: none. Sword quivers in action.

Remarks: Aims itself physically, geographically, twisting in the hand to point in the direction of whatever goal user asks for. If necessary will point, unerringly, to the proper intermediate goal or destination, person, place, or thing.

SOULCUTTER (TYRANT'S BLADE)

Symbol: none

Sound: none

Remarks: On being drawn from its scabbard, induces utter, incapacitating hopelessness and despair--beginning with the person who draws it, spreading slowly to those nearby, then farther. Under Soulcutter's influence no human activity seems worth the effort. Radius of operation enough to cover a fair-sized battlefield. Whole armies may be induced to throw down their weapons. This Sword will prevail over MINDSWORD when the two are brought into direct conflict.




SIGHTBLINDER (SW. OF STEALTH)

Symbol: human eye

Sound: none

Remarks: When drawn, causes others to see its wielder as someone they desperately fear, or desperately love. Perception may switch from one to the other and back again. The SW. Of STEALTH itself generally becomes invisible in use, thus can be used to strike a treacherous blow.

A secondary and subtler effect is to enhance the user's perception of the true nature of anyone (s)he sees.

STONECUTTER (SW. OF SIEGE)

Symbol: a wedge, splitting a block

Sound: heavy, slow hammering

Remarks: Cuts stone of any kind (diamonds, granite, etc.) neatly and smoothly as cheese. Great for undermining forts, escaping dungeons, setting ambushes. Marvelous sculptor's tool.

DRAGONSLICER (SW. OF HEROES)

Symbol: dragon

Sound: shrilling

Remarks: See DRAGONS. Penetrates easily the thickest armored scales and finds the vital spots of these otherwise almost invulnerable monsters.

Does not guarantee the wielder against death or injury.

SHIELDBREAKER (SW. OF FORCE)

Symbol: hammer

Sound: thudding; slow rhythm when danger threatens, rapid in actual combat.

Remarks: violently trumps any and all other weapons, physical or magical, passive or active. DEMONS and WARBEASTS also count as weapons for this purpose.

One fighter with SW OF FORCE can carve up an army (as long as they keep coming within reach) and survive unscratched. But user may be exhausted, even fatally, being tugged through violent exercise by this SW. Once in action, can't be dropped or turned off until the fight is over.

All other SWORDS are useless as weapons against person armed with this one; e.g., wielder cannot be tracked down by WAYFINDER or deceived by SIGHTBLINDER.

Direct opposition between WOUNDHEALER and SHIELDBREAKER is a special case; please consult with Fred Saberhagen before staging this.

Only one way to beat SW. OF FORCE: SHIELDBREAKER will not harm the flesh of an unarmed person, and wielder can be outwrestled even by someone normally much weaker.

COINSPINNER (SW. OF CHANCE)

Symbol: dice

Sound: none

Remarks: renders bearer incredibly, magically lucky. Anyone attempting harm to user has amazing bad luck, swallowed by an earthquake if necessary to save user.

This SW. is unique in that it moves itself around at random intervals, changing owners now and then, leaving even locked and sealed vaults to reappear in unexpected places.

MINDSWORD (various alternate names; make one up if you like)

Symbol: generic banner

Sound: faint roar as of cheering mob

Remarks: inspires fanatical loyalty, obedience, worship of wielder. Can even cause GODS to fall down and worship humans.

DOOMGIVER (SW. OF JUSTICE)

Symbol: hollow circle

Sound: none

Remarks: anyone attacking user suffers whatever injury (s)he is trying to inflict. Was destroyed by SHIELDBREAKER very early in the series.

TOWNSAVER (SW. OF FURY)

Symbol: crenelated wall

Sound: scream

Remarks: in physical combat very similar in effect to SHIELDBREAKER, but only under limited conditions: when defending some place of human habitation, as a castle, village, house, cave, etc. Also does not defend its wielder against injury.

[Denim N Leather]

I think that these swords, as is, would be too hard to balance into a game in a way that makes sense, unless you are going to pull a Dragonlance and custom make a whole rules subset for this mechanic. They would all have to be Sentient.

However, the CONCEPT is really, really intriguing! I am going to look further into this ... perhaps there are less swords and they are scattered, but need something like Ioun stones to power them?