Grim Hollow Monster Grimoire: Animated Flame Tongues
The Spirit of battle rises from the ashes.
Animated Flame Tongue
The Animated Flame Tongue is a dangerous result of Fiery magic in action. Your wizard’s favorite spell, Fireball, might not be so effective against magically armed foes anymore. This construct isn’t any threat to 5th level or higher adventurers, but its’ implications for magic are quite frightening and annoying for some players.
The most common creation method is when a magical sword’s wielder is slain by fire, this also of course assumes that the sword itself is in the area of such an effect. Being burned to death has its’ own special connotations in Etharis afterall, the Arcanist Inquisition burns arcanists (Artificers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards that is) at the stake. Etharis’ magic also has a clear and dangerous number of side effects and problems that occur as a result of its’ use. The Animated Flame tongue is no different in this regard.
Societal Effects. Because magic is viewed with superstition across most of Etharis, it stands to reason that Fire magic is reviled even more so. While it does purify, it can also lead to horrific atrocities. Burning alive, forest fires, out of control blazes. But most importantly, because of Fireballs effectiveness on the battlefield in wars, it would be viewed as something of a “Divine Justice” that those slain by it and wielding magic themselves would have a chance to get back at their would-be killers. The Honorbound text in the description clearly makes it known that these swords are honorable in their purpose and creation. Their wielder’s death is a problem for large-scale warfare at large, discouraging the use of Fire magic lest the creation of these flying menaces be fomented.
This of course means that it is reasonable to assume stories of Animated Flame Tongues felling wizards after they killed the valiant warrior attempting to stop them. Afterall, The Burach Empire has a school for mages and the Mageocracy of Raevo is prominent enough that these swords would’ve seen their fair share of battlefield experience. Some common stories would involve a “foul wizard killing whole squads of warriors, and their spirits rising up in the flying flame swords.” as a common trope amongst battlefield stories. The swords themselves are only semi-sentient, however, some stories may involve a much more intelligent Flame Tongue.
How to use this enemy in a story. The Animated Flame Tongue presents a unique threat to use against your players for their reckless behavior. The following stories are appropriate for them:
Revenge beyond the Grave. Much like Revenants, the Animated flame tongue is a construct bent upon hunting down it’s wielders magical assailants and killing them. After that, it attempts to hunt down magicians and monitor them. Its intelligence isn’t enough to determine the heart of a matter, so a spell aimed at protecting others by harming a foe could easily rouse the wroth of the sword once more.
Heirloom. The sword has killed many a mage after its’ wielder was slain, with nothing else to do, it was picked up and put in an armory, a sword of distinction on the battlefield, handed down to commanders and taken care of. It could even be viewed as a special sword for those distinguished or fanatical enough to wield it. Many humanoid foes, such as the Arcanist Inquisition, wield magical weapons and a whole squad of magically armed inquisitors is a dangerous force. Especially if they’re wielding magical weapons. Remember that magical fire will generate these swords upon using the humanoids in the Arcanist Inquisition stat-blocks, after all, they provide an interesting layer of combat to consider. It is also an effective tool to rob your players of magical arms en masse.
Greater Animated Flame Tongue. The Animated Flame Tongue is a weapon that has an intense amount of Variety that can apply to it. Consider using any weapon for it and adding additional benefits for specialty weapons. Don’t use Legendary weapons as the basis for it as that’s really cruel to your players expectations. They want that vorpal sword after all when they kill their foe, not for it to rise up once more and attempt to decapitate them while on fire, only for it’s death to signal a destruction of its purpose. The Arcanist Inquisition tends to wield Vicious Weapons and you can add more to the mix, however, you may consider changing their creation type, some examples:
Frost Brand: This weapon is created when a creature is slain by intense cold magic. It has resistance to Cold and Fire damage, rather than only Fire. Instead of dealing Fire damage on a hit it deals Cold damage. It also has the following action instead of frenzy:
Freezing Blast(1/day). The Animated Frost Brand releases an extreme cold aura in a 20-foot radius sphere centered on itself which passes around corners. Each creature in this area except for the sword must make a DC13 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) Cold damage on a failure, or half as much on a success.
This variant of the sword is the same CR as the Animated Flame Tongue.
Sharpness: Due to the power of this item, it is only created when the creature wielding it is eviscerated by massive damage with Slashing of course. If a creature is magically slain by magic that would deal an extreme amount of damage, this weapon is created. It deals 14 (2d10+3) Slashing damage on a hit, and deals maximum damage to objects and structures. It also of course deals an additional 14 Slashing damage upon scoring a critical hit, with no other effect. It doesn’t have the Frenzy effect, and it ignores resistance to Slashing damage instead of having Resistance to Fire damage.
Weapon of Wounding: This weapon is created when a creature is slain by Necrotic damage, and uses the same stats as the Animated Flame Tongue, however, it doesn’t deal fire damage with it’s attacks but instead has the following additional Special Ability instead of Frenzy:
Deadly Strikes. Whenever the Animated Weapon of Wounding hits a creature, it gains the Bleeding condition. While it has the Bleeding condition, it takes 1d6 Necrotic damage at the end of each of its’ turns for each time the Animated Weapon of Wounding has hit it. After it takes the Necrotic damage, it makes a DC13 Constitution saving throw, ending the Bleeding condition on a success. Alternatively the wounded creature, or a creature within 5 feet of it, can use an action to make a DC13 Wisdom (Medicine) check, ending the Bleeding Condition on a success.
It also has Resistance to Necrotic damage rather than Fire damage.
Vicious Weapon: This weapon has an additional ability that deals an additional 7 Slashing damage upon scoring a critical hit. It results from a Vicious Weapon wielder being incinerated as normal, This weapon doesn’t have an additional CR boost due to this effect.
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