Peacemaker

Weapon (battleaxe), relic

Famed as the only relic crafted for the sole purpose of maintaining law and order.

The manner of its construction is a mystery many in Nexus are desperate to solve, as only a handful of beings have demonstrated the ability to fashion relics at will. The axe’s long, curved head is fashioned from a precise natural growth of adamantine crystal, while the haft is forged from imperial gold.

The relic’s powers make it ideal for enforcing laws and upholding the peace, but the nature of said laws and peace are up to the wielder. Its potential to be a weapon of vile tyranny is great, and with a growing reputation many fear attempts by forces of darkness to attain the relic.

While unattuned, the relic has the following properties: Battle Readiness. When you roll for initiative while holding the relic, you gain 100 temporary hit points.

Deception Sense. While you hold the relic, you always know when you are being lied to. Additionally, you can detect the presence (but not the exact location) of invisible creatures or creatures not in their true form within 60 feet of you. When such creatures are in the affected area, the relic becomes as cold as ice.

Final Mercy. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points while holding the relic, you can choose to spare it and instead reduce it to 1 hit point. A creature so spared that is not incapacitated can spend the entirety of its next turn surrendering to you, taking no other actions and spending no movement. If a creature does so, it must follow your commands (no action required by you) to the best of its ability and must honorably interpret your intentions when receiving commands from you. This effect lasts for 1 week or until you choose to end it prematurely. If the target does not surrender you can immediately take a reaction to make an attack with the relic against the creature.

Word of Law. The relic’s handle can be opened from the bottom and is hollow. If a ratified code of laws or statutes is inserted into the handle, the relic becomes empowered to uphold those laws for as long as the code remains within it. While the relic is so empowered, attacks you make against creatures who have violated such laws automatically hit. Additionally, while holding the relic, when you deal damage to a creature that has violated the laws within the relic and roll a result on the damage dice that is below its average, you may instead roll its average (for example, if you cast magic missile while holding the axe and deal less than 10 force damage, you may instead deal 10 [3d4 + 3] force damage).

Violators outside of the jurisdiction of the laws are immune to the effects of this feature.

ATTUNEMENT

Becoming attuned to the relic requires one serve in a law enforcement role for a century. During that time if you ever suffer the relic’s bane the relic will find you unworthy and you can never become attuned to Peacemaker. While attuned, the relic gains the following properties in addition to its unattuned properties: Judicial Discretion. You can choose to violate the laws within the relic per its Word of Law feature, so long as when you do so it is with the sincere belief it is in the service of protecting said laws. Otherwise you suffer the relic’s bane.

Loyalty. At the start of each of your turns if you are not holding the relic, you can choose to have it appear in your free hand (when applicable).

Universal Code. Creatures outside of a code of law’s jurisdiction are no longer immune to the relic’s Word of Law feature.

BANE

If you make an attack with Peacekeeper and it does not contain a code of laws or you violate laws contained within the relic (per its Word of Law feature), you become unattuned to the relic and suffer its bane. When a creature suffering the relic’s bane makes an attack with the weapon, the creature loses half its current hit points (rounded up), and its hit point maximum becomes its current hit point total. Hit points lost and hit point maximums reduced in this fashion cannot be restored for a year and day, after which magical means such as greater restoration function normally.