The Sentient Weapon
A group of adventurers sneaks through the darkness of a dungeon. From the shadows, a blade flashes out and cuts through the party, seemingly wielded by no one. As the party's rogue grasped the hilt in victory, a devilish grin spreads across his face as he turns on his companions.
A race and a class
The sentient weapon is a composite character. You do not select a separate race and class combination. You begin play with one level of the sentient weapon class, which also includes all your racial features. You cannot multiclass: when your level increases, you must take a level of the sentient weapon class. This is because, as a construct, your unusual physiology is unsuitable for many features granted by other classes.
Creating a Sentient Weapon
There are several ways in which a weapon can gain sentience. You might be a holy weapon, sent by one of the gods of the many outer planes. You might be an animated object granted self-awareness through spellcraft. Or you might be possessed by an otherwise disembodied soul, or haunted by the spirit of the weapon's owner.
Quick Build
You are a front-line fighter focused on melee attacks, so make Strength your highest ability, or Dexterity if you are a finesse weapon. Make Charisma your next best ability to aid possession, and make Constitution your tertiary ability score. Finally, choose the soldier background, or a background that fits with your origin.
Racial Traits
Ability Score Increase. Either your Strength score or your Dexterity score increases by 2 (your choice), and another Ability Score increases by 1.
Size. Your size is Small, unless you are a weapon that would be Tiny, such as a dagger.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 0 feet. You have a fly (hover) speed of 30 feet. You cannot fly higher than 5 feet.
Monstrous Physiology. You cannot wear armor, wield weapons or hold items. You can wear rings, amulets and other jewelry on your haft or crossguard, or through holes in your blade.
Living Construct. Your type is Construct. You do not need to breath, eat or drink. You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
Recharge. Living Weapons don’t need to sleep. Instead, they become temporarily inert, while remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While recharging, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually a way of continuing to think whilst you are inactive. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Living Weapon. You resemble a melee weapon from the weapons list in the PHB. You are always considered to be wielding that weapon, and you are proficient with it. You do not suffer disadvantage to your attack rolls due to being a Small creature attacking with a heavy weapon if you are a heavy weapon.
You can allow yourself to be wielded by another player, but that player must attune to you as though you were a magic item.
If a creature attempts to wield you against your will, that creature must succeed on a grapple check against you.
You cannot take the attack action while you are wielded. If the weapon you are has the thrown property, it can only be used when you are wielded.
False Appearance. When you remain motionless and you are not flying, you are indistinguishable from a normal weapon.
Steel Body. Your Armor Class is 13 + your Constitution modifier.
Languages. You can speak and understand one language known by your creator. If your creator is unknown, you can speak and understand Common.
Class Features
As a Sentient Weapon you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d6 per Sentient Weapon level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Sentient Weapon level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: None
- Weapons: None
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
- Skills: Choose two from Stealth, Arcana, History, Perception, Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) A tassel of leather, woven gold or metallic lace or (b) bronze ring on your pommel (or head of your haft).
- a turquoise, azurite, eye agate (or other gem worth 10 gp) embedded in your crossguard (or haft)
Sentient Weapon
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Sentient Weapon Racial Traits, Innate Spellcasting, Live to Fight, Parrying Form |
| 2nd | +2 | Acuity |
| 3rd | +2 | Withering Strike |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Magic Weapon (+1) |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Hardened Body, Hardened Soul |
| 7th | +3 | Improved Possession |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Magical Aegis |
| 9th | +4 | Flying Weapon |
| 10th | +4 | Martial Adaptability |
| 11th | +4 | Extra Attack (2) |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Magic Weapon (+2) |
| 14th | +5 | Magical Durability |
| 15th | +5 | Master of Possession |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Living Weapon Master, Magical Durability (2) |
| 18th | +6 | Magic Weapon (+3) |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Artifact of Legend, Extra Attack (3) |
Host
Several class features grant bonuses to a creature attuned to you and wielding you. This creature is referred to as your "host". A creature is not considered your host if it is either not wielding you or not attuned to you.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics)
You know the mage hand and thaumaturgy cantrips. This feature has the psionic tag, and you can cast psionic spells without requiring components.
Live to Fight
Your host can make attacks with you with the following benefits:
- The attack roll can be made with proficiency, and with your proficiency bonus if it is higher than the host's.
- The host has a bonus to the damage roll equal to your Strength modifier, or your Dexterity modifier if you are a Finesse weapon.
- You can be wielded in one hand. If your living weapon feature has the heavy property, a Small creature can wield you in two hands without the normal penalties.
Parrying Form
You have resistance against damage caused by melee weapon attacks.
Possession
When you are not wielded by a creature, you may attempt to possess a target humanoid up to CR 1. After you have successfully made a melee attack again them, instead of dealing damage, you may attempt to possess them.
Attempting Possession: The target humanoid makes a Charisma saving throw, with DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, your host is Charmed by you for 1d12 hours. While charmed, the host must try to follow your commands and wields you with its Strength (or Dexterity if you are a Finesse weapon). The host is automatically proficient in your weapon type.
The host will do not anything counter to their alignment or demonstrated moral code.
If the host takes damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success.
Whether the attempt succeeds or fails, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Acuity
From 2nd level onward, you gain the following benefits depending on if you are wielded by a host or not:
Not wielded
You gain a +1 bonus to melee attack rolls.
Wielded by your host
Your host gains a +2 bonus on Initiative checks.
Withering Strike
At 3rd level, when your host hits a target with you, you can use your reaction to deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage to that target. This increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level and 4d6 at 17th level.
Magic Weapon
Starting at 4th level, you are considered to be a magic weapon. Your living weapon gains a +1 bonus on weapon attack rolls and damage rolls. This improves to +2 at 13th level and +3 at 18th level.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you gain the following benefits depending on if you are wielded by a host or not:
Not wielded
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.
Wielded by your host
Your host can make one opportunity attack per turn without using a Reaction. The number of free opportunity attacks increases to two when you reach 11th level in this class and to three when you reach 20th level in this class.
Hardened Body, Hardened Soul
At 6th level, you gain benefits that depend on the weapon properties of your Living Weapon racial trait. If you have multiple properties with benefits, you gain the bonuses of all of them.
- Versatile You gain resistance against ranged weapon attacks.
- Light You gain proficiency with the sleight of hand skill.
- Finesse You gain proficiency with the Acrobatics skill.
- Two-handed Instead of rolling for initiative, you can choose to have your turn on initiative count 1. If you do so, you and your host each gain temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier at the start of your first turn. These temporary hit points are lost after 1 minute.
- Reach You or your host can add 10 feet (instead of 5 feet) to your reach for the purpose of making opportunity attacks.
- Thrown You can take the Dash action as a bonus action. If your host makes a ranged attack with you, you return to your host's hand after the attack is resolved.
If you do not have any of the above properties (you are a morningstar or flail, for example), you gain the following benefit:
- Destructive You deal double damage against objects.
Improved Possession
From 7th level onwards, you may Attempt Possession as described in the Possession class feature to take control of a humanoid within melee range of a CR equal to half your level rounded down or less, even if you have not hit them with a melee attack. If you successfully charm them, they immediately become attuned to you as a host.
They are Charmed by you for 24 hours. The possession ends early if they pass their Charisma saving throw upon taking damage. As with Possession, whether the attempt succeeds or fails, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Magical Aegis
Starting at 8th level, you gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws.
Flying Weapon
From 9th level onward, while unwielded, your flying speed increases to 40 feet and you no longer have an altitude limit.
Martial Adaptability
Your experience with a variety of hosts has taught you to be the perfect weapon for any and all situations. Starting at 10th level, you can use your action to reselect the melee weapon you resemble as per your Living Weapon trait. As that new weapon, you gain it's damage, weight, and properties in place of your original values.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Magical Durability
At 14th level, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. This improves to +2 at 17th level.
Master of Possession
At 15th level, your ability to possess a creature's body unwillingly is empowered by your experience in the task.
You may Attempt Possession on any creature of a CR equal to half your level rounded down or less, but it must have an intelligence score above 5 to be possessed, and be able to hold you by some method. This can include the tail for creatures with prehensile tails, or sideways by your hilt in their mouths, or similar situations.
The target creature has disadvantage on any saving throws made to escape possession after it is established. The range of Possession is also increased to 15 feet, and the range for maintaining Possession increases from 'being host' to 30 feet. You cannot command the creature to attack unless they are your host, however.
In addtion, if you are unwielded and bring a creature eligible for Improved Possession to 0 hit points with a melee attack, you may use your reaction to cast Animate Dead on that creature, instantly animating it as a host. The reanimated creature has is now Undead in addition to its normal stat block. At the end of 24 hours, the undead creature dies and cannot be reanimated again.
Finally, Possession can be used again at the end of every short rest, as opposed to at the end of every long rest.
Living Weapon Master
At 17th level, you have fully mastered the damage delivered by your Living Weapon form. You gain the benefits of the respective damage type feat your form deals as found in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, (Crusher, Piercer, or Slasher).
If allowed in your game, you may take the form of a firearm and gain the benefits of the Gunner feat.
Artifact of Legend
When you reach the 20th level, you are now a weapon that bards will sing of and adventurers will quest for.
You count as an artifact for the purpose of magic-suppressing effects, such as an antimagic field, and you are immune to the effects of the dispel magic spell.
Additionally, you take on the properties found in the Artifact of Legend table for your alignment.
Artifact of Legend
| Alignment | Attack and Damage Bonus | Enemy Creature Type | Bonus Damage to Enemy Type | Bonus Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | +3 | Fiend or Undead | 2d10 Radiant | While you are wielded and drawn, you create an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. You and all Creatures friendly to you in the aura have advantage on Saving Throws against Spells and other magical Effects. |
| Neutral | +3 | Demon | 2d10 Force | While you are wielded and drawn, you create an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. You and all Creatures friendly to you in the aura are immune to any spell or effect that would alter your form and have advantage on Saving Throws against Spells or magical effects that would cause you to shift planes. |
| Evil | +3 | Celestial and Fey | 2d10 Necrotic | While you are wielded and drawn, you create an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. You and all Creatures friendly to you in the aura gain Life Drain. Whenever a creature with Life Drain deals damage, they gain a pool of temporary hit points equal to that damage. |
Acknowledgments
The majority of this document was adapted from the Sentient Weapon (5e) entry on DandDWiki.