For context, player is a tabaxi swashbuckler rogue level 5, leaning into a lot of movement during their turn. They also have a ring with 3 charges of misty step plus climb speed. So also some good positioning.
I’ve been wanting to play into the movement aspect for their new cursed sword (functionally a rapier):
Damage 1d8
+1 on all attack & damage rolls
On a kill this sword get a soul charge (max 5)
If the character moves 10 ft in a straight line towards a creature, attacks, and then moves 10 more feet in the same line, soul charges can be spend to give a +2 on the attack & damage rolls (max 5 at once).
5 soul charges can be spend to cast the darkness spell.
Curse: if the sword has not been used to damage a creature in a day, at dusk, make a DC 12 Wisdom save. For each consecutive day no damage has been dealt, this DC increases by +1.
If the Save is failed, the wielder attacks the nearest creature in sight. If there is no creature in sight, the wielder attacks themself. In this case the attack is always a critical hit.
I hope the movement restriction on the first ability and the curse make sense, I know it’s not 1:1 with how DnD usually words their item descriptions.
The curse is supposed to make the blade feel bloodthirsty, it also goes along with my narration of whispers in the mind of the rogue, that try to make them attack.
Our campaign usually has at least a fight per day, though there have been days of downtime occasionally, so I figured the curse should be manageable but interesting if they don’t manage to damage anyone during a fight or what they do during downtime to not lose control.
And the ability has to be not to overpowered, but still fun to use, useful and make combat more dynamic with the movement (instead of just going in, attacking and disengaging)
In also planing on keeping track of which souls the blade has in them, and give some narration when a soul charges is used.
I’m open for any and all options, but especially interested in ways to make it better and potential balancing issues!
For any of those interested in the lore (turn back if you’re one of my players) (TW suicide)
>!The sword was made in ancient times by a father of two sons. The father asked an unknown deity to bless the sword the power to allow the sons to always be by eachothers side. The deity, while well meaning, gave the blade the ability to capture souls, because to them, carrying the souls of their brother in the blade with them is the same.!<
>!The blade is a gift to the older brother, which makes the younger brother pretty jealous. Eventhough the father always tries to bring them closer together, his gift actually drove them apart. They have a falling out, during which the younger brother grabs the sword and kills his brother with it.!<
>!He starts hearing his whispers in his sleep at first, growing louder and louder each night. He is also a wanted man for his murder. He drifts down a dark path, on which he kills more people, to escape and stay hidden. He also grows more and more paranoid, which each kill, another voice appears in his head.!<
>!When he finally learned that it’s the swords captured souls speaking to him, he releases all of them in a giant cloud of darkness. As he finally sits in silence fronted first time in years, suddenly and very quietly he hears his brothers voice. All the years and the guilt have driven him insane. He finally takes the sword and kills himself with it, thus making his soul the one trapped. Since only the wielder, that trapped the soul, is able to release is, he is trapped in there forever.!<