Rapier of Plangent Glaciation

Weapon Uncommon

The Rapier of Plangent Glaciation looks like a harmless sword-hilt, with intricate finger-guards finely worked in polished silver, its grip neatly covered in fine leather. On a verbal command, the hilt draws moisture from the surrounding air and freezes it into a full-sized ice blade of glassy sharpness and steely hardness.     This blade can be used as a normal rapier. In addition, should the wielder make a Critical Hit, the blade exerts a painful and disruptive freezing effect, the target's speed is halved for 1d12 rounds. This additional effect is ineffective on inorganic opponents, such as metal automatons, and on non-living objects.   The Rapier holds 4 charges and regains all charges at the beginning of each day. Each activation drains one charge and is fully effective for three rounds of combat. After that, the blade begins to melt and weaken; it can still be used, but at a successive minus 1 to attack rolls for each round past the third. If, at this point, the user critically fails an attack, the missed attack strikes a hard surface and the ice is shattered. In addition, after six rounds of combat the sword loses the critical freezing effect.   The Rapier has three other minor shortcomings. First, it must draw moisture from the surrounding atmosphere to produce its blade. In conditions of absolute aridity, such as a parched desert, it may work less effectively or not at all. Second, under exceptional heat (near a raging bonfire, or in battle with a magical fire creature), it may weaken in its first round of use, suffering levies deter-mined by the DM. And third, if its power is invoked underwater, or if the blade is plunged into water during its first round of use, it freezes the surrounding liquid, making it useless as a weapon and leaving the wielder attempting to heft 20 to 30 pounds of ice. Rarely, this last effect may prove useful for an ingenious bearer.      

Cost: 500gp Weight: 1lb