Failed Purity Spear (Patreon)

Weapon (spear), rare (requires attunement)

The grayed unicorn horn that rests at the top of this sickly spear is fractured and slowly leaks a silver, corrupting fluid. A failed purity spear is the rare version of a purity spear, a legendary weapon, that was made by a creature other than an elder fey. Its magic is a sad reminder that while unicorns are paragons of good, even their magic can become toxic when mistreated.

Corruption. This magic spear has 10 charges and regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dusk. You can expend 1 charge when you hit a creature with the spear to cause it to inject the target with its corrupting fluid. When you do, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 point of corruption, which last for 1 minute. A creature takes 1d4 poison damage at the start of each of its turns for each point of corruption it has, up to a maximum of 3d4 poison damage. This poison damage ignores resistance and immunity. A creature with at least 1 point of corruption can make another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, it removes 1 point of corruption. A creature is poisoned while it has 3 or more points of corruption.

If you expend the spear's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the tip of the spear shatters, and the spear becomes a nonmagical quarterstaff.

Charge. If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target and hit it with the spear on the same turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 piercing damage.

Curse. This spear is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the spear, keeping it within reach at all times. You also have disadvantage on attack rolls with weapons other than this one, unless no foe is within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear. While you're cursed, you have disadvantage on any saving throw against poison. However, while you are poisoned, you gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

It is forever in our nature to seek truth. To seek power. To seek understanding. We struggle tooth and nail to find perfection.

But it is also our nature to fail. We're doomed to fall short of the paths left for us by the strong and the wise. But we must always try, no matter our weaknesses. For while our efforts and skill are found lacking, we continue to attempt to usurp the power of gods and kings. In the end, our own tenacity may be the poison in our veins.

They call our magics a perversion: an insult to the beautiful, flowing art they spent millennia crafting. They choose to hoard it all for themselves. Without their guidance, we are free in our supposed degeneracy to discover, practice, fail, and succeed on our own. For we are more than what we are born as: we are what we are determined to become.

—Kaeril, first master of the Renewed Halls of Artifice