Vorpal (Melee Weapon Magic Property)
- Go back to the Epic Path page.
- Go back to the Magic Item Crafting Rules page.
- Go back to the Magic Item Enchant - Magic Weapon Properties page.
Vorpal
- Price: +5 bonus
- Aura strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Weight -
This potent and feared ability allows the weapon to sever the heads of those it strikes. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing melee weapon.
Upon a roll of natural 20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit, if required), the weapon delivers a special critical called a Vorpal Strike. A Vorpal Strike cuts off, or attempts to cut off, the head of the attacked creature.
To simulate this, on a natural 20 confirmed critical, a Vorpal weapon inflicts an amount of damage equal to the Bloodied value of the foe that was struck. IE, half the total hit points of the victim is inflicted by the Vorpal Strike. If this amount of damage is enough to kill the creature, it is of course killed, and its head was struck off. If not, it was merely a terrible gash to the neck or some other vital part.
Note: Creatures that are immune to critical damage still take normal critical damage on all confirmed criticals from a Vorpal weapon, but they are not affected by the Vorpal Strike for the Bloodied value.
- Creator feat, circle of death, keen edge; Cost +5 bonus