"The Sword of Sight was discovered in a museum shortly after the awakening. It was clearly very aged, a relic of a long forgotten past, carrying inscriptions from a dead tongue. It had remained a minor mystery to archaeologists in the 5th age. The sword was eventually purchased by the Great Dragon Dunkelzahn. Dunklezahn gave it to me. That bastard called it the Sword of Sight. A weapon from the 4th age, imbued with magic beyond the kin of any modern day magician. He didn't bother to tell me it would make me blind. After the bonding ritual, I'm told that my pupils and iris' disappeared altogether, leaving only blank white orbs where my eyes once were. I had never seen the Astral Plane before that day. It terrified me. I felt vulnerable and exposed. I turned and looked upon the Great Dragon, even more terrifying with my new sight than with my mundane sight, he burned with power, his aura more mighty than any I've seen since. I wept and fell on my face before him. "Why!? Why have you done this to me!?" "To teach you humility. You have been one of my greatest students, and this has been your final lesson. You look on me now with awe, but I'm telling you that I am nothing compared to that which is coming to destroy us."


I've been to doctors and shaman, none could cure me. I walk the world now wearing a blindfold, the sword concealed in a sheath to look like a blind mans walking stick. I hunt for signs of the Horrors, and battle their minions where I find them."


The sword was forged in the 4th age and enchanted specifically to battle the Horror Aazhvat Many-Eyes. Its enchantment which blinds the user also shields them from many of Aazhvats' powers.
The sword permanently blinds the user, but grants them the ability to perceive the astral plane. It also grants +10 to any assensing or perception related skill checks. It is a rating 6 weapon focus.
reach 1, str/2+3 -1ap

Awesome! I love the concept. +10 to perception and assensing seems a little much, but very cool none the less.

The assumption here is that 1. the character who bonds this didn't have the assensing skill before and 2. they're taking -6 to perception from being blind, so its really just +4. But yeah, it's a powerful artifact.

A few crunch questions:

Are they now dual natured like most astrally perceiving people are? If so, this comes with some pretty hefty disadvantes for any non-mages (including the ability to be targetted by astral enemies without being able to counterattack). If they're not, why not?

Do they get used to astral perception after a while and lose the -2 penalty it gives to mundane activities? Presumably so, though even if it doesn't a rating 6 focus is worth a -2 penalty.

Can the blindness be fixed? If not, can it be fixed if they give up the sword? If so, how? If it can't be fixed at all, why not? I like the visual of someone seeing their aura and it having holes where the eyes should be.

I kinda think that the primary advantage of the sword is that you can fight the unseen, not that the unseen can gank you in your sleep. Flavor-wise I like the idea of it letting you fight the astral without becoming it.

They're taking a -6 to visual perception checks only, right? If this thing gives +10 to ANY perception tests (such as hearing), that's even more powerful. Not that it's wrong or whatever, just sayin...

Nice, I may have to steal this.

Whats with Cyberware? do the Sword blind just the eyes, or does it shut down the Brain-part?

"A wizard did it."

Neurological blindess says hi. Your visual cortex gets hijacked by the sword and used to perceive astrally.

The blindness is permanent, doctors and shaman can't fix it. Cybereyes wont work. Losing the sword will not make you lose the astral perception, just the weapon focus and the +10 assensing and perception.

It does make you dual natured. The ideal wielder of the sword is probably a mysad.

I'd probably use the -2 for astrally perceiving during physical activities.

I suppose I could stat it out as an actual Earthdawn item and give it different powers at different levels of historical knowledge of the weapon.

just off the cuff
1 knowledge : blindness, astral perception, immunity to Aazvhats horror mark.
2: +6 weapon focus(or whatever the ED equivalent would be. dont have my books on me.)
3: +10 assensing
4: +10 perception
5: removal of astral perception penalties
6: removal of blindess penalties.
7: ability to cleanse horror marks from aazvhats victims by gouging out their eyes with the sword.

Wizard...

Umm, thanks? Seriously, though, nice touch. Would being blinded by this method have a way of being treated? Cybereyes or what not? Just a thought.

Nitpick: It should be "imbued with magic beyond the ken of any modern day magician". Kin are relatives; ken is knowledge.

Otherwise an interesting artifact, if in your storyline the horrors exist and/or have existed in the 4th World.

Anyone else (who's never played ED) read that and see Asshat?

I'll go with yes on this one. Cybereyes or cloneyes to fix it. Not an option back in the 4th age.