Fantasy Chainsaws

 Bit of a weird project, but if you ever want to include some form of chainsaw in your fantasy games, at least one of these should fit the tone. Maybe that's just me! If you're doing full gonzo, go ahead and roll that wonderful d20.

1. Lotus Petal Saw

Softly shining, pink petals spin along an ornamented bar, conjured by a Blades of the Endless Wheel mantra.

Exactly this, by me

2. Thornwheel Blade

A great enchanted rose bush, grown by fairies to have a rotary thorned stem.

3. Jaguar Claw Macuahuitl

Empowered by a jaguar spirit, its many obsidian blades command incredible cutting power even when swung like a normal sword.

4. Necrospinner

A spinning weapon of animated bone, using fangs and teeth along the whirling edge.

5. Meatcutter

So named for cutting meat as well as itself being meat. The blade is comprised of sharp, hardened claws, and it spews its own blood when spinning.

6. Crystal Prismus

Enchanted weapon of polished stone and gems. Each tooth is a different kind of gem, and they can create a glinting rainbow of slicing power.

7. Brimstone Spinblade

Spewing hellfire when it spins, the heat of its flames can burn through steel as well as any warhammer punches through.

8. Starlight Spinner

An elven weapon of silver, hammered as fine as eggshells, with a radiant blade that captures the light of the stars.

9. Slimesaw

Somehow when spinning, the goopy edge of this blade cuts much faster than the slime can normally corrode.

10. Classical Sparksaw

Ancient spinning blade crafted of olive wood and bronze, spits blue sparks as it spins. Made by a brilliant inventor centuries ago.

Ancient Bladesaw, from Zelda

 

11. Trimerian Sawbeetle

The curious horns of this giant beetle can spin to cut through wood or, presumably other Trimerian creatures. They are carefully bound to be used as tools.

12. Winding Sharp-Frost

 Unnaturally hardened frost, spinning and cutting with a fractal edge.

13. Whipsaw

A bladed whip that can be activated to coil in an elongated shape, spinning to cut more effectively, in exchange for shorter reach.

14. Terracotta Blade

A living clay weapon that spins with razor sharp clay shards along a lengthened edge.

15. Runic Stormblade

Constructed of tin and pewter, by wizards. The runes etched into its surface conjure the vortex of a storm into its crackling, whirling edge of deep indigo lightning.

16. Gilded Relic Blade

Built of marble set with gold and finely cut gems, this spinning blade contains a warrior-saint's fighting hand bones, and radiates with divine cutting light.

17. Trimerian Wasps

Angry insects that have been specially bred and trained to fly in a long, rounded formation and devour anything they touch. This was the only formation in which they wouldn't turn back and attack whoever holds their hive.

Lasersaw, by Andrea Sibilla

18. Jade Dragon's Fang

Gifted by a divine being from an unearthly realm, it is surprisingly easy to carry.

19. Spectre's Wrath

 As ghostly mist whirls and spins, the hatred of the dead calls out in a hollow wail.

20. Splitting Organistrum

The powerful tune of this slow instrument projects a small aura of cutting sound near its neck when played properly.

Many of these were inspired with help from Gal Paladin on Discord!

Fae creatures

The fae are strange peoples who live in woods and wilderness. They are innately magical, tricky and wild, and almost always dangerous, though they fear iron and cannot pass by the threshold of a home without invitation.

Pixie

HD: 0 (1 vigor)
Found: 1d6 deep woods

Appearance: a dainty person, shrunken down that they could fit comfortably in a tall glass. Fabulous wings like a jeweled butterfly sprout from their back, leaving twinkling particles drifting in the air. They often hold a ribbon or bit of jewelry.
Voice: a small bell
Wants: to make mischief, take pretty things, and help their friends
Tactics: chaotic and tricky

Attack: -1
Defense: +4
Speed: +3

Abilities

1. Wink: with a burst of twinkling lights, they can force one to teleport a short jaunt away (usually around 20 meters). Because of this, they use this power against dangers but not on friends.

It is said that the pixies can change the fates of the cursed, though these stories are always quick to note that they cannot cure one. Oftentimes they will steal things they see as pretty, but do not keep such things, leaving a trail of finery as they move.

Floral Fairies by Sandra Duchiewicz

Dryad

HD: 2
Found: sole in deep woods, 1d6 in an enchanted grove

Appearance: a curvaceous figure of wooden complexion and hair like leaves, short of stature with sinuous, careful movements.
Voice: rustling leaves, soft but inescapable
Wants: to protect their tree, expel metal
Tactics: cautious, but not well considered

Attack: +1
Defense: +3
Speed: +2

Abilities

1. Woodswalk: passes through trees or any other wood without effort, as a human could pass through water.
2. Implant: can grapple a foe and pull them into a tree, dealing 1d6 damage per round until someone hacks them out of the wood.

Many can extol the magical properties and virtues of dryads, but most would never consider hunting them, as they are elusive and wondrous beings, as well as quite dangerous if truly forced into confrontation. 

Dryad by Leroy van Vliet

Nymph

HD: 2
Found: sole in waterfall ponds

Appearance: a flowing lithe form of water, unearthly beautiful and somewhat coy.
Voice: like a babbling brook, with an annoying laugh
Wants: to be loved
Tactics: passive and cautious

Attack: +1
Defense: +3
Speed: +2

Abilities

1. Stunning: any mortal who sees the nymph must make a Will save or be enthralled by their countenance, falling into infatuation for 1d6 months.
2. Breathless: they can live indefinitely under water, and can drag foes down to a watery grave.

These fairy beings are often surrounded by mortals playing and cavorting in the water. Their homes are often known as they live there for years at a time, entrapping passersby and enjoying the company of their mates.

Fairie by Mack Sztaba

Elf

HD: 3
Found: 1d6 in deep woods

Appearance: a tall, glowing figure with a deeply impassive face.
Voice: silent
Wants: to avoid mortals, protect their secrets
Tactics: carefully considered, unforgiving

Attack: +2
Defense: +2
Speed: +4

Abilities

1. Silver weapons, faintly luminous

The elves were once playful beings that taunted humans, stealing children and cursing nobles with eternal sleep. During the ages of heroes they crafted weapons and artifacts of unstoppable might to aid against the necromancers lords, but in the modern era they have become reclusive as a people.

Spirit of the Forest by Torben Weit

Gnome

HD: 1
Found: 1d6 near small villages

Appearance: like a child with white hair and brightly colored clothing
Voice: high pitched, taunting
Wants: pain
Tactics: aggressive

Attack: +3
Defense: +1
Speed: +2

Abilities

1. Tiny daggers: light damage
2. Hiding dance: as long as they dance in place, they can remain invisible.

Gnomes try to pose as lost or hurt children, and ruse humans in to approach before stabbing them to death and bathing themselves in blood. The blood soaks into their clothing and revitalizes its color.

DARK FAIRIES by Piotr Foksowicz

Major curses

Omens

When the curse is cast, this is how the cursed can know. The signs are cryptic, but the feeling of wrongness cannot be ignored.

Shadowed Whispers by Maik Beiersdorf

1. Suddenly there are giant moths perched all around. Now that you notice them, you realize they were always there, blending into your surroundings somehow and waiting.
2. The stranger's teeth are wrong. Almost like a human's, pale and square. But not quite the color of something living, and too square, more like chisel blades.
3. Just as your companion rounds the corner and leaves your sight, you realize they stand before you. You watched them leave.
4. At the edge of your light, you see a severed head with a malicious grin. As you look closer, it morphs into a discarded cloak.
5. Everyone's eyes, noses, mouths are shifting about their faces, sliding around one another in a horrible flow.
6. As you eat, something tiny feels too hard between your teeth, tastes metallic and glassy. You try to spit it out, but it slides down your throat with the next bite.
7. Nearby clatter followed by a loud, low humming that nobody else seems to notice.
8. When nobody is speaking, your ears pick up a voice speaking just too softly to understand. Listening for a moment, you recognize it as your voice just before it goes quiet.
9. Cutting pain slides up through your gut and deep in your chest, stopping at your throat. It stings there for a moment before fading into a persistent tingling, then disappears.
10. Something drips down your forehead and face. It feels thick and warm, and looks dark. When you touch it your hand comes away dry.
11. Only you feel the ground lurch slightly beneath your feet, breaking apart to reveal a glimpse of a yawning abyss below.
12. Suddenly you remember that you dreamed all this, the entire day exactly as it has happened so far. The dream ended with hands pulling you into darkness and cutting you open.
13. A faint clicking noise, nearby and almost regular. Craning your ears you hear it coming from inside your chest, every time you move.
14. A massive shadow passed through the night sky, covering a swatch of stars. It didn't make a sound, but somehow you know it was close by.
15. When you reach into your pack, another hand grazes yours. Looking through your bag you find nothing out of place, and no holes.
16. Something crawls along your teeth as you speak.
17. Passing through town, you realize that everyone is staring directly at you. You feel something watching from above, and when you look back down all appears normal.
18. Your shadow shows a reflection like a mirror. In it you can see a stranger, moving carefully.
19. A shrieking, wailing cry from very close, so frenzied and wild that it cannot be discerned from insane laughter. Nobody else heard it.
20. The sky is pitch black, not a cloud nor the sun visible for a moment.

Rotten Horse by Julian Bauer

Curse

The effect is not apparent at first, but will show itself in time

1. Occasionally, the cursed wakes up alone in the middle of the night, to see an unnaturally tall and pale woman standing over them with a white lily in her hands. If they touch the flower, she will attack and devour them.
2. Those who hate the cursed will see them in dreams, and always know where they are.
3. The skin and flesh of the cursed tightens across their body, creaking with every movement and ready to tear open at the slightest puncture.
4. Sunlight stings the skin of the cursed, which feels dry and ready to burst into flame with any spark.
5. Waxen worms spill from the mouth of the cursed whenever they try to speak.
6. Burdens feel unbearable, as the limbs of the cursed feel weakened and heavy.
7. Sickly crows gather and follow, looking tense and ready to frenzy at a moment's notice.
8. Food and drink taste like thick blood. Soft silks and velvets feel like barbed thorns. The gentle caress of another is only grit and scraping bristles.
9. Hounds will not look away from the cursed, and often follow, growling and ready to pounce.
10. An itching builds up deep beneath the skin of the cursed, driving them to scratch deep into their body. Any injury only feels like a brief alleviation.
11. The bones of the cursed clatter and crackle with an abhorrent noise regardless of how carefully they move.
12. The stomach of the cursed is encompassed by crushing hunger, and will never feel full.
13. Strangers will always think they recognize the cursed as a troublemaker or wanted criminal.
14. No animal will carry the cursed, and they will sink like a stone in water.
15. Trapped in a monstrous form that polite society will refuse to accept.
16. Any foe struck down by the cursed will rise again to seek vengeance.
17. The stars watch intently at night, making it impossible to rest normally.
18. All tools and arms that are taken up by the cursed will eagerly crumble and shatter in their hands.
19. Trapped in a beastly form which is unable speak or write.
20. Whenever the cursed draws near, unliving flesh will crawl away from them.

Army of my sins by Paweł Latkowski

Release

There may be only one way to become free of this affliction.

1. Beseech the one who swore the curse, to lift it from you. If they die, this becomes impossible.
2. Swallow a handful of silver dust. Can be mixed into a drink, but may poison you either way.
3. Entreat the aid of a priest or god. If faith is unsure, the curse will remain and its swearer will know of the effort.
4. Allow a ghost to possess your body. This will release a curse, but the spirit will have its way.
5. Cleanse the curse with suffering, by self-flagellating and fasting until the curse is lifted.
6. Give away half of your wealth to the poor, or your most valued possession if you are yourself poor.

Woodland Ghost by David Romero

Undead stats and attributes

The most common undead are skeletons, as well as wights, zombies, ghouls, and liches. Undead need no food, rest, water, or even air, but cannot heal wounds or regain vigor, and gain no experience points or levels as they feel neither passion nor joy. Much like the cursed, undead are vulnerable to silver items and weapons.

Skeleton

HD: 1

Found: 1d6-1 with a necromancer or in long-neglected crypts and ruins

Appearance: human bones, marked as a product of necromancy by the ghostly blue flames burning from within the eye sockets.

Voice: clattering and crackling of bones against one another, muffled only by long-decayed garments

Wants: to obey the most recent command or protect the dead from desecration

Morality: pure obedience

Tactics: decently varied

Attack: +2

Defense: +2

Speed: +1

Attacks

1. Old, rusted weapon from life.
2. Unarmed attack at +1 damage.

Collapses when it takes a wound.

Elven skeleton

HD: 4

Found: solitary with powerful, well-travelled necromancers

Appearance: unnaturally slender bones, glowing with a darkness that consumes nearby light. The fires in its eyes are the only light that exists around it.

Voice: echoing, empty, and faint

Wants: to obey last command or destroy beauty

Tactics: complex and considered

Attack: +4

Defense: +1

Speed: +5

Attacks

1. Umbral claw: heavy damage
2. Gravelight: flare of darkness, dealing 2d6 damage to living enemies nearby. Paralyzes nearby undead for one round, including elven skeletons.
3. Elven blade: roll for magic weapon

Giant skeleton

HD: 7

Found: solitary, at the tops of the oldest mountains and hiding within the most powerful clouds

Appearance: massive stone skeleton, broad and heavy of frame

Voice: clashing of stone, roaring of storms, oddly contemplative

Wants: to obey the last command or crush the works of humans, and learn

Morality: obedience and curiosity

Tactics: carefully considered

Attack: +6

Defense: +6

Speed: -4

Attacks

1. Crush: heavy damage
2. Giant weaponry: 2d6 damage

Insanely heavy, will crush anything it stands on other than solid stone or similarly sturdy ground.

Wight

Known to anyone who recognizes necromancy as the servants of its practitioners, by the shriveled skin, burning blue eyes, and dry rasping voice. They have no personality of their own and barely remember their previous life, now fully devoted to the necromancer who raised them. Physical attributes and skills are identical to the person in life, including speech, languages, and class techniques, but has no magical abilities of any kind without a soul. Becomes incapable of meaningful action after three wounds.

Zombie

HD: 2

Found: at the site of a horrible curse

Appearance: decayed and cursed, but not usually extremely old. Sometimes still wearing their clothes from life, and may carry tools or weapons that they no longer remember how to use.

Voice: dull groaning without intent

Wants: to bite or infect the living, dig up corpses

Morality: hunger

Tactics: dull

Attack: +1

Defense: 0

Speed: -2

Attacks

1. Bite: light damage, +1 for each additional zombie in melee

Anyone bitten by a zombie will turn into one, either quickly, gradually, or after natural death, depending on the curse.

Ghoul

HD: 2

Found: in old graveyards and on recent battlefields

Appearance: deformed as if starved, but beyond all natural capacity. Sunken eyes and distended teeth, cracked and sharpened against the bones of the dead.

Voice: shrill and cackling, frequent coughing

Wants: to eat the recently dead

Morality: selfish

Tactics: tricky

Attack: +2

Defense: +1

Speed: +2

Attacks

1. Claw: light damage + save vs stun
2. Bite: light damage, targets vulnerable foes

Lich

When a master necromancer obtains a Soul Talisman, they can use their dark magics in a ritual suicide to trap their own soul within. They can also do this to another, but this is rare as the lich to be must be killed, and can later kill the necromancer to secure their own immortality. As long as the Soul Talisman remains intact, the lich cannot die, their slain body simply regenerating or being remade. If the Talisman is kept far from the lich, their body will become lifeless and immobile until reunited. While the lich is trapped within their Talisman in this way, they can reform a new body, causing the old to be engulfed in cursed green flames and creating a new form over the course of a week.

Weapon Generator

I've seen a few magical weapon generators around, and wanted to design one for lower magic settings, creating specialized nonmagic weapons, or just as a baseline before adding magic powers to it. Some thought should be put into how the weapon looks and works, for example a short blade with a long haft would be a spear, whereas a short blade with a one handed haft would be a dagger.

Table

Head

1. Long blade
2. Short blade
3. Axe
4. Mace
5. Hammer
6. Scythe

Haft length

1. One handed
2. Hand and a half
3. Two handed
4. Medium length
5. Long
6. Chain

Decoration area

1. Head
2. End
3. Side
4. Cross guard
5. Handle
6. Pommel

Sword tip (for long blades or short blades)

1. Pointed
2. Curved
3. Angular
4. Square
5. Forked
6. Round

Sword shape (for long blades or short blades)

1. Straight
2. Narrow
3. Curved
4. Weighted
5. Round
6. Wavy

Axe type

1. Straight
2. Curved
3. Bearded
4. Narrow
5. Round
6. Angular

Mace type

1. Flanged
2. Morningstar
3. Club
4. Round
5. Skull
6. Figure

Hammer type

1. Four pointed
2. Flat
3. Pick
4. Flared
5. Tapered
6. Figure

Scythe type

1. Curved
2. Straight
3. Angular
4. Rounded
5. Squared
6. Double

Handle material

1. Dark wood
2. Light wood
3. Red wood
4. Ebony
5. Ivory
6. Copper

Grip type

1. Leather
2. Cloth
3. String
4. Steel
5. Silver
6. Gold

Pommel shape

1. Circle
2. Ball
3. Diamond
4. Triangular
5. Broad
6. Curve

Crossguard

1. Straight
2. Curled
3. Flared
4. Basket
5. Circular
6. None

Decoration type

1. Lining
2. Engraving
3. Embossing
4. Filigree
5. Painting
6. Plating

Head material

1. Steel
2. Stone
3. Bronze
4. Iron
5. Silver
6. Gold

Examples

Mace head, medium length, decorated crossguard, morningstar head, ivory handle, string grip, broad pommel, straight crossguard, plated decoration, iron head

Classic morningstar mace, of an old design but with fine materials, probably made for a wealthy warrior or leader in bygone eras. The head is made of iron but the hilt is long and carved of ivory, with a grip of string wrapped in a fine pattern. It possesses a guard just below the head that has been plated with gold, further emphasizing its value.

-

Long blade, one handed, decorated pommel, square tip, round blade, copper handle, cloth grip, triangular pommel, curled crossguard, filigree decoration, silver blade

Holy sword with a wide curved, silver blade representing the cleansing power of the moon against the accursed. There is a twin weapon of gold representing the sun which supposedly wards off demons. The pommel is a wide cone with a delicate filigree across the rounded surface, and the handle is copper wrapped in silk.

-

Axe blade, chain, decorated crossguard, narrow blade, light wood haft, gold grip, diamond pommel, curled crossguard, gemstone decoration, gold blade

The blade of this weapon is narrow and golden, almost like a chisel, on the end of a lightly hued wooden chain and a golden handle. There is a diamond shaped pommel, with a crossguard on the handle bearing a large ruby.

Simplified examples

If you need to roll up something quick or aren't concerned with all the little details, you can just roll the head type, length, and decoration. I would recommend not rolling for the head material for most weapons either way, only on particularly special ones.

Long blade, one handed, decorated crossguard

Arming sword with a gilded crossguard.

Hammer, long, decorated pommel

Polehammer with a golden cap at the bottom end.

Short blade, one handed, decorated handle

A fine dagger with filigree along the grip.

Dark Magic

Dark magic is a destructive force that draws power from the oldest and greatest of emotions; fear. A dark mage cats their spells from a mirror, which holds the fear and turns it into dark power. The simplest spell is to release all the power within the mirror at once, in a burst of destruction. It is similar to an explosion, but for the lack of concussive force or fire; the black burst simply obliterates anything it touches. With practice, the mage usually learns precision and control, enabling them to mete out energy and utilize it more efficiently, perhaps focusing the release into a narrow beam with longer range or multiple projectiles.

To gather their power, a mage must gaze into their mirror and focus on what frightens them. This perverse form of meditation will never seek to overcome or learn to live with these fears, for if they do so then power will be lost. Instead, mages simply fixate upon their fears and paranoia, warping their minds and twisting their souls over time.

There is no upper limit to how much fear a mirror can hold, but the more it is given, the harder it will be to control. Like filling a wineskin, it can stretch but will start to leak, and when you pierce it the contents may come gushing out when a more controlled stream might have been preferred. Mirrors will also leak when left idle for too long with power inside, becoming tarnished and shadowed. It is for this reason that most dedicated mages will keep a polishing kit along with them, as it takes much more focus to use every iota of darkness each day than it does to simply clean the mirror regularly. Some say that when a mirror is completely consumed by this darkness, it changes into a new metal, a black silver that has special properties. There isn't much evidence behind this however, and the mages themselves are unwilling to confirm or deny these rumors.

Most dark mages either come from or were trained at the white palace. Built of polished sandstone, it lies near the edge of the northern desert. The entire building is white, so that no dark magic can be hidden there; despite their many powers, no dark mage can create light. They are paranoid, distrustful, and violent people overall, and there are plenty of stories involving an unlucky traveler or villager being slaughtered for any small slight or even nothing at all.

The order of Light’s Shadow comprises the largest organized group of mages, though organized seems a stretch. They control the white palace, using it as a meeting center as well as a place for training new mage apprentices. They currently work with the kingdom of Orisria, centered in the jungles to the south of the desert. This is how they have access to the fine silver used to make their arcane tools, though the specific power structure of the order is quite hard to pin down due to frequent backstabbing and mysterious deaths.

Seppam the gnoll is a dark mage from the deeper deserts, near the famous volcano of the sands, who uses a mirror of obsidian. Some say her mirror can hold more power than others and never tarnish, but she is not part of the order, and refuses to share her secrets.

Sir Markim is a knight errant who is rumored to be a dark mage, though he does not carry any mirror openly, or keep a polishing kit. He’s even known for using a spell that creates a sword of darkness, but mages look down on personal combat as brutish and needlessly hazardous, while most warriors see mages as weak and paranoid, so it’s unlikely that someone would put the two together.