User:Luigifan18/Spiral Dagger (3.5e Equipment)
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Exotic Light Melee
| Cost: | 400 gp |
|---|---|
| Damage (Small): | 1d4 |
| Damage (Medium)1: | 1d6 |
| Critical: | 18—20/×3 |
| Weight2: | 3 lbs |
| Type3: | Slashing |
| HP4: | 1 |
| Hardness: | 4 |
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.
As the name implies, this weapon is essentially a dagger, except that its tip curves inwards to form a small spiral shape. This makes it completely useless for stabbing, and the unconventional shape also makes it rather vulnerable to sundering and disarming; the wielder of a spiral dagger takes a −2 penalty to attack rolls to oppose sunder and disarm attempts. A spiral dagger is also very poorly-suited for being thrown; it is strictly a melee weapon. However, the spiral tip makes the dagger extra-useful at grabbing and rending flesh. It does damage akin to a dagger that's one size category larger than it actually is, is exceptionally powerful in terms of scoring critical hits, and it can be used to make grapple attempts. An attempt to start a grapple with a spiral dagger is not a touch attack, but gains a +4 bonus to the attack roll; if this attack hits, and the wielder of the spiral dagger succeeds on a grapple check, the spiral dagger embeds itself in the victim's flesh, holding fast and beginning the grapple. Successful grapple checks with a spiral dagger deal damage equivalent to a regular attack. A spiral dagger being used to grapple is embedded in the victim's flesh until it is pulled out (which, if this is intentionally done by the wielder, does damage equal to a regular attack, including the wielder's Strength bonus (or whatever modified Strength modifier is used instead; typically ½ the Strength bonus for the spiral dagger being a light weapon) and ends the grapple). A grapple using a spiral dagger always ends when it is pulled out, even if the wielder is still holding the dagger at the time. The wielder can make a grapple check to wiggle the spiral dagger around in the victim's flesh and carve up their insides, which is treated like an attack with the spiral dagger except that it automatically hits (make an attack roll anyways to determine whether or not it's a critical hit). Of course, while a spiral dagger is being used to grapple a creature, it can't be used to attack other creatures (at least not conventionally… though mere proficiency is not sufficient skill to perform Grievous Harm With A Body). However, if the wielder of a spiral dagger fails on a grapple check by 5 or more, their opponent can disarm them as an immediate reaction (taken as a free action out of turn), without provoking an attack of opportunity. If the spiral dagger's victim escapes the grapple by beating the wielder by 4 or less, or they beat the wielder by 5 or more and fail to disarm them, they simply yank themselves off the spiral dagger, taking the spiral dagger's damage plus any modifiers of the spiral dagger itself, such as enchantment bonuses and magical properties.
If the spiral dagger is disarmed in this way, the grapple is immediately ended, but the spiral dagger is still stuck in the flesh of the creature; it's simply been pulled out of its wielder's hands. Any creature proficient in the use of a spiral dagger (other than the creature it's stuck in), including the original wielder, can attempt to grapple the victim by grabbing on to the spiral dagger with a touch attack against the spiral dagger's touch AC + the victim's Dexterity modifier and dodge bonuses (deflection bonuses don't apply since the touch attack is aimed at the spiral dagger instead of the creature it's stuck in). Starting a grapple in this way results in the successful grappler taking hold of the spiral dagger, enabling them to wiggle the spiral dagger in the victim's flesh, violently yank it out, or perform other special grappling maneuvers. The victim can pull the spiral dagger out themselves as a move action (assuming they have a hand free to yank it out with), but will take damage from the spiral dagger as though they had attacked themselves with it, including their Strength modifier (if positive) and any other bonuses and modifiers (such as weapon enchantments). Alternatively, they can carefully pull it out as a full-round action (again, assuming they have a hand free to yank it out with) that provokes attacks of opportunity and requires a DC 16 Dexterity check, but only deals the spiral dagger's damage, without any modifiers (except for the enchantment bonus if the spiral dagger is a magic weapon, but not magic weapon properties such as flaming). If the Dexterity check fails or the action is interrupted, the spiral dagger is pulled out as though it had been done hastily (i.e. as a move action), but the attempt still expends a full-round action. Either way, once a creature pulls a spiral dagger out of itself, it will be holding the spiral dagger and can do what it wishes with it, including attempting to wield it. Proficiency with spiral daggers reduces hastily pulling out a spiral dagger to a free action, and carefully pulling it out to a move action (though carefully pulling it out still provokes attacks of opportunity).
Of course, grappling with a spiral dagger is not mandatory. It's entirely possible to make a regular attack with a spiral dagger by just aiming to cleanly cut through a creature instead of burying the blade in their flesh; however, combat is chaotic and unpredictable by its very nature, and the spiral dagger's tip can end up getting caught in someone's flesh despite all precautions against such an event. Whenever a successful non-grapple hit is scored with a spiral dagger, roll a 1d20. This 1d20 roll is not an attack roll, it's a disastrous outcome check. On any result other than a natural 1, the attack resolves as intended; on a natural 1, the attack resolves normally, dealing damage and potentially other effects, but the spiral dagger ends up embedded in the victim's flesh, even though the wielder was trying to cleanly cut through the foe, and needless to say, this undesired and unexpected result will catch the wielder by surprise. Some characters, however, are better at dealing with unexpected events than others. When the spiral dagger is unintentionally caught in a creature's flesh in this manner, unless the wielder of the spiral dagger is immune to being caught flat-footed (such as by having uncanny dodge), the struck creature can attempt to take advantage of the unexpected turn of events by disarming the wielder of the spiral dagger as an immediate action, without provoking an attack of opportunity. (Really, once a spiral dagger is stuck in someone's flesh, they could pull it out of the wielder's hands by just walking away if the wielder doesn't keep a firm grip on it. Also, the wielder of the spiral dagger does not actually become flat-footed.) If the wielder of the spiral dagger isn't easily taken by surprise (read; immune to being flat-footed), the disarm attempt fails, or the victim is unable or unwilling to expend an immediate action on disarming the wielder, a grapple is automatically started (see the above paragraph), but the wielder takes a −2 penalty to grapple checks during that grapple (this penalty is nullified once the grapple ends).
Like a regular dagger, the wielder of a spiral dagger gets a +2 bonus to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal it on their person.
A spiral dagger is exceptionally difficult to craft (Craft DC is 22 by default, compared to 18 for most exotic weapons); those who bother to make them in the first place usually make them masterwork while they're at it. Spiral daggers are also frequently made of hardy materials, like mithril or adamantine, to offset their inherent fragility. The cost in the table above is for a perfectly ordinary (non-masterwork, ordinary materials) spiral dagger, but due to the ease of breaking such a weapon, few spiral daggers exist; most spiral daggers are masterwork quality, made of special materials, and magically enchanted on top of that. It's also rather difficult to use a spiral dagger, as this requires one to get out of the mindset that daggers are meant for stabbing; as a result, a spiral dagger is considered an exotic weapon.
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