Axe of Perun (3.5e Spell)

''Invoking the name of Perun and presenting his symbols - the oak and the eagle - you toss the conductive copper dust into the air and summon a lightning bolt, which you catch in your hands. The lightning condenses into an axe, which you grip tightly and use to attack your bewildered opponents.''

This spell works like ice axe, except that instead of the axe being made of ice, it is made of divine lightning; in fact, it is literally formed from a bolt of lightning that you catch as it arcs down from the sky. The bolt of lightning arrives 1 round after you complete the casting of the spell, coming down from the sky at the start of your turn, and you automatically catch it as a free action if you are able to do so, allowing it to form into the shape of the axe of Perun. If you are not able to catch the lightning bolt for some reason, such as having your hands full, being grappled, being entangled, being stunned, or being paralyzed, the lightning bolt simply strikes you for 20d6 points of electricity damage, wasting the spell. (This counts as the spell fizzling for the purpose of effects activated by spell failure, such as the Reliable Ability feat.) If you are being grappled, each creature in the grapple, including you, has an equal chance of taking the direct hit, but all creatures in the grapple not directly struck by the bolt take 8d6 points of electricity damage, due to the electricity being conducted through the bodies of everyone involved. You do not need to make a Reflex save, Dexterity check, or similar die roll to catch the lightning bolt, nor do you need the Snatch Arrows feat (though if you do have Snatch Arrows, the bolt counts as your caught arrow for the round); you only fail to catch the lightning bolt if you are physically prevented from catching it. Anything that could prevent you from catching the bolt, except for having your hands full, would prevent you from making a Reflex save; thus, you only get a Reflex save if you are unable to catch the bolt because your hands are full. A mere distraction will not stop you from catching the bolt, no matter how severe it may be. Even if you succeed in catching the lightning bolt, you take some damage as a consequence of your stunt (see below), though not as much as if you had failed. Once you have caught the lightning bolt, it becomes the axe of Perun proper, and you may wield it for the duration of the spell (which begins on the round of the bolt's arrival).

Once you have caught the lightning bolt, you may wield the axe of Perun right away. You are automatically proficient with the axe of Perun, and it cannot be sundered, nor can you be disarmed of it. Attacks with an axe of Perun are melee touch attacks that deal 2d4 points of electricity damage per caster level (to a maximum of 40d4 at level 20). Because attacks with the axe of Perun are resolved as melee touch attacks, opponents are not entitled to a Reflex save to reduce the damage they take from it. Opponents attacked with the axe of Perun are entitled to use their spell resistance, just as they would if being attacked with a flame dagger, ice axe , moon blade , or a similar spell. You must make a caster level check the first time you hit a spell-resistant foe with your axe of Perun; if you fail to beat the foe's spell resistance, then the axe of Perun is dispelled, but if your caster level check succeeds, then that opponent is vulnerable to your axe of Perun for the remainder of the spell's duration. If your base attack bonus is high enough to allow for multiple attacks in a round, you may make them with the axe of Perun. The axe of Perun is immaterial, and your Strength modifier is not added to the damage. The attacks of the axe of Perun ignore damage reduction, but can be reduced by electricity resistance or immunity (but see below). If you choose to hold something other than the axe of Perun in your hand, it disappears until your hand is free again (which can be useful for avoiding self-inflicted damage; see below).

You take 6d6 points of electricity damage upon catching the thunderbolt, and you take 2d4 points of electricity damage at the start of your turn on every round that the axe of Perun is in your hands (except for the round in which you catch the thunderbolt). This self-inflicted damage is not backlash damage, like the damage you would take by casting certain epic spells; you can resist the damage you take by using an axe of Perun if you have electricity resistance or immunity.

Axe of Perun has electricity anti-resistance 20, treating electricity immunity as being electricity resistance equal to 5 &times; the immune creature's HD. This applies both to the damage of your attacks with the axe of Perun and to the damage that the spell deals to you. Axe of Perun does not have the ability to overcome electricity absorption.

This spell specifically mentions Perun, the Slavic lightning god, but it could also be keyed to Zeus, Thor, or whatever thunder/lightning god is most appropriate to your setting. Change the name of the spell accordingly. Whichever deity you choose to associate this spell with, it is only available to worshippers of that deity. (If you use a different god, you may want to change the form of the weapon if it is appropriate to do so; for example, if using Thor, the weapon would become a warhammer. This does not actually change the way the spell functions, though.)

Material Component: A strip of bark from an oak tree at least 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches thick, 5 feathers from a giant eagle, and 2,500 gp worth of copper dust.

Focus: A silver holy symbol of Perun costing at least 3,000 gp. For a cleric or druid, this holy symbol can be the same divine focus used to cast your other spells, but it must be made of silver and cost at least 3,000 gp in order to cast axe of Perun.

XP Cost: 1,000 XP.