Avok's Razor

Avok's Razor

(Note: Format follows Tome Of Artifacts. Eldritch Relics And Wonders)

Focus or Theme: Necromancy

Origin: Crafted by a necromancer to honor the God of Death

Benefits: DR 15/Good, Evasion

Spell-Like Abilities: Greater Invisibility 3x/day

Major Powers: Special - Anyone killed by the razor becomes a Haunt and must remain within 100m of the Razor at all times

Downsides: Special - The user becomes a Terror Haunt upon death and must remain within 10m of the Razor at all times

The Tale of Avok's Razor

Over 100 years ago there was a barber surgeon known as Avok. He was a simple man, but quite skilled at his trade. He was as adept at cutting hair and trimming beards as he was removing infected limbs and sewing up wounds. He was, however, desperately lonely. Despite all of his attempts, however, he remained single.

After a while, his inability to find a wife grew into contempt and hate. He had a dream one night in which the God of Death spoke to him and promised him that if he were to slay in the God's name, those that he slew would remain with him forever and keep him from ever being lonely again.

Over the next year Avok did an immense amount of research, quickly becoming skilled in the necromantic arts. Eventually he created his Razor, a small but deadly blade that would easily serve his purpose. Again and again he slew innocent women, all of which would become Haunts that were tied to the Razor's purpose. They had no choice but to obey Avok's will, which they did. When Avok was eventually caught and slain, he too became a Haunt but a more powerful version than his victims did.

Eventually an unnamed Cleric and a trio of Paladins slew Avok and his minions, sending them into the Great Void. Not realizing that the Razor was the source of Avok's power, the Cleric sold it to a wandering merchant. It was later bought by a barber surgeon, and the cycle began again.

Researching Avok's Razor

Knowledge of Avok's Razor is incredibly esoteric and difficult to obtain. Because of this, the DC is slightly higher than normal.

DC  Knowledge Available
15   The razor was made by a lonely barber surgeon that hated women.
20   The razor turns those it slays into incorporeal undead that obey the user of the Razor
25   The Razor turns the user into a powerful incorporeal undead upon death
30+   The Character learns all of the Razor's powers and the complete history

Studying Avok's Razor

Avok's Razor is a fairly normal shaving straight razor with a deeply stained and well-worn metal handle with female imagery, a blade of steel and an incredibly sharp edge. When examined closely, traces of dried blood may be found in a number of places. When held by an evil character or a worshiper of the Death God, the blade actually starts to drip blood.

Avok's Blade detects as both evil and necromantic. Even those without magical detection abilities will find themselves uneasy around the razor, and animals such as dogs and cats will actually bark or hiss at it before attempting to get away. 

Powers of Avok's Razor

When grasped, the new owner will feel a dark affinity toward the Razor. That night, the user will have a dream where a black, inky void tells him of the powers of the Razor and how to utilize them. The user's personality will remain the same, but every night he will have the same dream again and must make a WILL save (DC20) to avoid changing their alignment to Neutral Evil. They will also become obsessed with gaining a wife, even if already married.

Using Avok's Razor

The Razor is used to slash in melee combat, bust used most effectively by surprise by slitting the throat from behind. In the hands of anyone other than the Razor's owner it will act like a simple straight razor doing 1d4 damage. The owner, however, treats the blade as being +2 To Hit and doing 1d6+2 damage.

Constant Powers

The Razor grants a DR of 15/good to the user, as well as the Evasion ability.

Activated Powers

Three times per day the user of Avok's Razor can use Greater Invisibility

Consequences

Those slain by the Razor gain the Haunt template and are under complete control by the user and must remain within 100m of the Razor. If the owner is slain he gains the Terror Haunt template and must remain within 10m of the Razor.

Using Avok's Razor in a Campaign

Avok's Razor is a cursed magic item, and is a great way to introduce a Jack The Ripper aspect to the campaign.

Adventure Seeds

Shave and a Haircut, 6 copper...

Women have begun to disappear in town, only to turn up dead the next morning. All of them have had their throats deeply slashed. No one knows who is to blame, and the City Watch can find no information out as to who might have murdered the women.

Destroying Avok's Razor

Avok's Razor can only be destroyed if it is tossed by a relative of a victim into a cauldron of melted mythril. The cauldron must have been blessed beforehand by a cleric of at least 15th level.