This is from a sidebar of the Ghostwind Campaign accessory of the Chainmail game:
The Story of Bonebreak
When Stratis was but a godling, he chafed at his mother's protectiveness. She kept her son safe in her fortress on Ysgard, the plane of heroes. "The mortals need your shield, no
t I", he asserted, but Stern Alia did not heed him. By day Stratis studied the ways of war on Ysgard's many battlefields, kearning from the greates heroes of the past.In Alia's fortress, however, no weapons were allowed. "There is no war within these walls," she decreed.
Stratis, like all sons, longed to succeed on his own. When his mother was away attending the high priests of Thalos, Stratis made his way to one of her planar portals and stepped through. He found himself in a land of heat and fire. Ribbons of earth floated on pools of magma and the ground beneath his feet oozed acrid smoke. In the distance Stratis could see the World Ash, so he knew he was somewhere on Ysgard still. With godly powers, he strode over the lava and bounded over geysers, making his way to the planespannning tree.
The appearance of this impetous godling had not gone unnoticed. Savage fire giants spied him from afar and set up an ambush near the World Ash. In the blink ofan eye, Stratis was surrounded by a dozen of the brutes, each one encased in glowing hot armor and wielding a mighty two-handed blade. "Your blood is ours, little god," they taunted. " You don't even have a weapon to defend yourself."
Stratis said nothing. Before they could close with him, he leaped over their heads and bounded to the World Ash. He could have climbed the tree and escaped to another plane of existence. He could have, but he did not. Instead, he grabbed a branch and tore it free. He then charged the fire giants, wielding his club with deadly skill, smashing bones and skulls in a bloodthirsty rage. In the end, Stratis stood alone
with twelve lifeless fire giants at his feet.
Thus did Stratis win his first battle and gain his first weapon.
Bonebreak is an impressive weapon. Its wielder gains a +4 bonus on it's melee attack and a +1 bonus on melee damage. The wielder also gains the following special abilities: Aura of Courage +4, Extra Melee Attack, Fearless, Immune Mind Affecting Spells, Immune Poison , and Powerful Charge +2. A model that already has Extra Melee Attack still gains the benefit of Bonebreak thus allowing three melee attacks per turn if the model doesn't move.
The text also says that Bonebreak is a greatclub.
Chainmail rules differ a bit from D&D 3.5, here's my baseline 3.5 conversion so far: Bonebreak, +4 mighty cleaving speed greatclub
I have not yet incorporated the other abilities. (Aura of courage?!, immunities)[/i]
Last edited by Thanael on Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:33 am; edited 1 time in total
*Aura of Courage (Su) is a paladin power, class ability, whatever you called it in 3.5
"Beginning at 3rd level, a paladin is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead."
*Powerful Charge looks like a monster attribute
"When a creature with this special attack makes a charge, its attack deals extra damage in addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge. The amount of damage from the attack is given in the creature’s description."
Fearless seems a little redundant with Aura of Courage, so no idea what exactly that refers to.
The wielder also gains the following special abilities:... Powerful Charge +2.
smillan_31 wrote:
*Powerful Charge looks like a monster attribute
Actually, I think that I may be able to help with this in a minor regard. I think that I may be one of the few people who played and liked the Chainmail "version" of the Miniatures rules for D&D. I even still use the Sundered Empire setting in extreme Western Oerik. Stratis is a great deity in my opinion. I love the idea of three Gods of War. (In fact, I did a sketch of them a few months ago that is on my Artwork thread.
At any rate, in the Miniatures Handbook (2003, WotC, Jonathan Tweet, et al.), Powerful Charge is listed as a D&D feat. Though there is a lot of the miniatures rules and whatnot, streamlined and whatnot, the rules for it are basically the same. Basically, it does an extra 1d8 points of damage with the successful charge. (which is translated as a +2 in the miniatures version).
Interestingly, Stratis is known for the weapons that he bore. His weapons were the object of many an adventurer and incited the avarice of many who aspired to take his place. The following is from my personal notes on Stratis and his weapons, taken from the boxed sets, the story inserts and the Dragon Magazine articles on the setting. (Just as an interesting aside: In the continuation the the Living Greyhawk campaign, there was a module written in which Stratis returned, after his panoply were never entirely recovered, and no other being stepped in to take his godhood (as was the goal of the Chainmail game).
Ebon Glaive: Artifact weapon (glaive/polearm) once wielded by Stratis. Located in a place called Scalebane, once known as the Plain of Edora. This is a massive draconic graveyard, left behind after a war between good and evil dragons.
Bonebreak: Artifact weapon (club) of Stratis. Located somewhere on the Ghostwind Plateau, a place where the God of War defeated an army of fire giants in ages past. (His first battle, his first weapon.)
Shock Rifle: Weapon created by the Mordengard dwarves. [Edit: This is actually a fairly common Dwarven magical item, and not part of Stratis' panoply.]
Thunderlash: "The thunderlash is another Dwarven elemental weapon, a whip that exploits sonic energy. It is difficult to master but deadly in the hands of an expert. The Dwarven Thunderlasher knows all the weapons tricks." [Edit: This is actually a fairly common Dwarven magical item, and not part of Stratis' panoply.]
Longsword (name?): In the possession of a young elf named Tarquin. He's enigmatic, and hails from an ancient and illustrious family. It is whispered that he may become the Emperor of Ravilla.
Spear: Stratis’s spear plunged to the forgotten grave of an ancient human warlord, Ahmut, who rose screaming for vengeance and the death of all living things.
Axe: [dropped among the savage tribes of the southern lands and was seized by a hobgoblin chieftain named Drazen.]
Flail: came by the hands of a child to the half-fiend gnoll [Priest-King of Naresh] Jangir.
Shield: This artifact was a gift from the Shield Mother to her son and bears her likeness.
Other artifacts of Stratis: [A "panoply" indicates that there may have been non-weapon items. He is shown in artwork as also wielding a shield.]
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