Ember of Spite (3.5e Equipment)

Ember of Spite
''A small white chunk of ash lays before you, wrapped in ghostly pale gray flame. It gives off no heat, but holding it seems to fill you with a brief sharp sense of rage and anger, directed at you know not what.''

When a creature who has been wrong perishes violently, they sometimes become a ghost. But not all creatures survive the process, many vanishing before they start, others making their mark elsewhere, and some condense their rage as they die into a small nugget of ash and hate known as an ember of spite. The ember of spite is a chunk of ash eternally burning with a heatless flame not unlike a continual flame spell, though intelligent emotional creatures always describe the light it gives off as harsh and unpleasant in a way that is difficult to define.

When crushed and its ashes spread upon a weapon (a standard action) it imbues the weapon with the residual anger. The weapon gains 50 charges, and deals +1d4 points of fire damage with every hit. Each successful hit consumes a charge. For every 10 charges used, the damage rises by +1d4, to a maximum of +5d4 damage at 10 charges or less. In addition to the extra fire damage, all embers of spite add a bane effect, typically specifically aimed at those who wronged it in life but up to as broad as a creature type, as the Bane enhancement. Against these foes it deals an extra +2 attack and +2d6 fire damage, but consumes 2 charges per hit. Once imbued, a weapon remains imbued until its charges are depleted. A currently imbued weapon cannot be possessed or imbued with another ember of spite. It also cannot be applied to intelligent weapons, as such weapons are already "possessed".

When the last charge it used, the weapon immediate explodes into a white hot ball of incandescent rage, dealing 10d4 fire damage in a 20 ft radius spread, with a DC 20 Reflex save for half. The weapon imbued is also damaged with the explosion, no save, but hardness applies. Metal items typically halve fire damage, while wooden weapons take full damage before hardness.

Supposedly larger embers which burn like bonfires exist, and their abilities are more akin to the power of an ichorous black steel weapon. They also have 100 charges, but are extremely rare and are effectively minor artifacts. In fact, the normal version cannot be created either, effectively being a natural production of great trauma.

Prerequisites: Cannot be created.

Cost to Create: Cannot be created.