Il'Avel (3.5e Equipment)
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
|
Rate this article Discuss this article | |||||||||
Il'Avel
Exotic One-Handed Melee
| Cost: | 980 gp |
|---|---|
| Damage (Small): | 1d6 |
| Damage (Medium)1: | 1d8 |
| Critical: | 18-20x2 |
| Weight2: | 4 lbs |
| Type3: | Piercing or Slashing |
| HP4: | 12 |
| Hardness: | 8 |
1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.
Translated literally as "Mist Sword", the Il'Avel is a sword of Vanzatli'Driin design. Overall the weapon is around 40 inches in length, with 9 of those inches being the slightly curved handle. The first quarter of the blade curves forward, the middle two quarters curve back, and the final quarter curves forward again, giving the blade itself a shape similar to a recurve bow, and lending the entire weapon the appearance of a large squiggle. The entire front of the blade is sharpened, but only the final quarter of the back side has an edge.
The blade's design combines the nimble thrusting power of an Elven Thinblade with the chopping motion of a scimitar. The resulting weapon is potent either in thrusting past enemy defenses, or in a close-combat style where you drag the blade across the opponent's skin, making draw cuts, rather than attempting to cleave them in twain like you might with a falchion.
The weapon can be used two-handed as a martial weapon, but is most potent when the user takes the specific Exotic Weapon Proficiency with the weapon, which requires a Dexterity of at least 15. Despite not being a Light weapon, you may apply your Dexterity bonus to hit and damage instead of Strength if your Dexterity is higher. This applies even if you don't possess the Weapon Finesse feat, but does not count as the feat for prerequisites.
For a user with Exotic proficiency, the Il'Avel can be used in a number of "stances", each being a method of using it. Changing which stance you're using is the same sort of action as drawing a weapon, and may be done in between the attacks of a full attack action, if the action is a swift action or less.
Viper Stance: A fairly "normal" stance, in this stance, you hold the blade in your mainhand and nothing in your offhand. The fighting style of this stance favors avoiding blows, then punishing enemies who miss you. While in Viper stance, your attacks deal Piercing damage. While in Viper Stance, you gain the benefits of the Reactive Parry feat, and you may make an attack of opportunity against any opponent who misses you in combat, whether because you Parried the attack or because they missed on their own. Finally, you may declare one attack per round a Lunging Strike, increasing the reach of that attack by 5ft. This increases your threatened area by 5ft if you have not used your Lunging Strike for the turn, but of course you must expend your Lunging Strike for the round in order to actually make an attack of opportunity against a foe within your extended reach.
Cat Stance: This stance favors holding yourself low to the ground, avoiding attacks, and using a barrage of weaker attacks to wear down your opponents, using your blade in only one hand and holding nothing in the other hand. While using Cat stance, you make your iterative attacks at every +4 rather than every +5 (Meaning with BAB +20, your attack sequence would be +20/+16/+12/+8/+4). However, your attacks suffer -1 damage for each attack you have attempted since the end of your last turn. Additionally, you may move up to 5ft in between each attack, so long as you have a high enough movement speed, but you can never move back into a square you just exited.
Scorpion Stance: In this stance, you hold the sword blade-down, generally in two hands. Fighting in this stance allows you to get up close and personal with an opponent, using the sword braced against your arms or torso to block attacks (Granting you a +1 Shield bonus to AC). Using the weapon this way reduces your reach by 5ft. If your reach has been reduced to less than 5ft, you must enter your target's square to attack them. However, when used in Scorpion Stance, you may use the blade to deal slashing damage (Claw Strike), or Piercing damage (Stinger Strike). If you hit the target with a Claw Strike (To open up their defenses), the target is denied their Dexterity bonus against the next Stinger Strike you attempt to use on them during that round.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Equipment → Weapons
