Necklace of the Sixfold Arsenal

Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot neck; Price 23,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This elaborate silver necklace bears six small weapon-shaped charms, each crafted from a different metal and suspended from its own miniature chain. Though each charm is only approximately one inch in length, close inspection reveals remarkable detail in its construction.

Each charm may be removed from the necklace as a standard action. When removed, the wielder may speak the necklace's command word, causing the charm to instantly transform into a full-sized +1 weapon of the type represented by the charm. The weapon appears in the wielder's hand or in an adjacent square if the wielder has no free hand.

Each charm may be activated once per day. The six charms function independently, allowing each to be transformed once during the same day.

A transformed weapon remains full-sized until the necklace's command word is spoken while the wielder is holding or touching the weapon. The weapon then instantly shrinks back into its corresponding charm and magically returns to its place upon the necklace. Returning a weapon to charm form does not require an action.

A charm that has been transformed cannot be activated again until the following day. If a transformed weapon is separated from its owner, it remains a full-sized weapon until the command word is spoken or until the next dawn, at which point it automatically returns to charm form and reattaches itself to the necklace.

The six charms and their corresponding weapons are as follows:

• The Silver Blade - +1 longsword

• The Iron Fang - +1 dagger

• The Bronze Head - +1 warhammer

• The Blackwood Spear - +1 shortspear

• The Copper Talon - +1 handaxe

• The Golden Wing - +1 shortbow

The Necklace of the Sixfold Arsenal is considered one magic item, regardless of how many of its charms have been transformed. The weapons produced by the necklace are magical extensions of the necklace itself and cannot be permanently separated from it.

If a transformed weapon is destroyed, the corresponding charm remains intact. At the following dawn, the charm restores the weapon and returns to its place upon the necklace.

LORE

The origins of the Necklace of the Sixfold Arsenal are disputed, although nearly every surviving account attributes its creation to a wandering weaponsmith who was said to have carried an entire armory without ever carrying more than a silver chain around his neck.

According to one tale, the weaponsmith traveled with six companions, each an expert in a different style of combat. When the group was ambushed by an army many times their number, the weaponsmith supposedly forged six miniature representations of their weapons and bound each to a single necklace. His companions could then summon their preferred weapons whenever battle demanded it.

Whether the story is true is impossible to determine. What is certain is that necklaces of this construction occasionally appear in the hands of adventurers, mercenaries and collectors. Some possess six weapons, while others have been found with five or seven charms. The precise configuration appears to depend upon the creator.

Collectors particularly prize examples containing unusual weapons, as the magic appears capable of accommodating nearly any mundane weapon.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, shrink item, greater magic weapon; creator must be proficient with all weapons represented by the charms; Cost: 11,500 gp

KELWYN'S NOTES

There is a particular elegance to an item that refuses to burden its owner with the tiresome inconvenience of carrying weapons. A necklace is considerably easier to wear than an armory is to carry, and considerably less conspicuous than six weapons strapped across one's back.

The real virtue of the Arsenal lies in its flexibility. The wearer need not decide what weapon he shall carry before leaving home. He need only decide what sort of trouble he expects to encounter, which is generally the same thing as deciding what sort of trouble he is likely to cause.

There is also something deeply satisfying about watching a tiny decorative charm become a full-sized weapon. I have seen seasoned adventurers examine such an object with complete skepticism, only to have their skepticism replaced by an expression of considerable interest when the necklace produces a perfectly serviceable magical blade.

One should, however, exercise some restraint. The fact that the necklace contains six weapons does not mean that one must draw all six merely because the opportunity presents itself. I have known adventurers who regard possessing multiple weapons as an invitation to use multiple weapons simultaneously. Their opponents were not the only ones confused by the resulting spectacle.

Finally, I recommend keeping the command word simple. The sort of fool who devises an elaborate phrase such as “By the authority vested within this sacred implement, I command thee to assume thy true and terrible form” is compensating for something. “Arm” is sufficient. It is also considerably less embarrassing when one is being attacked.