Grasscutter

To all appearances, Grasscutter appears to be nothing but an old katana. The tsuba (guard) is made of blackened metal and depicts a typhoon. The hilt is wrapped in plain green silk. The blade is dark with age and covered with nicks and scratches. The design of the sword is positively ancient. Unlike modern katanas, Grasscutter is short with a straight blade and cruel-looking angular tip.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 katana; Cost 2535 gp. Katanas have the same statistics as bastard swords.

Omen: When the katana is being carried, a slight breeze surrounds the wielder.

History

Grasscutter was once part of the daisho of a samurai by the name of Yorii Tatsuka. The sword was created like any other of the many katanas produced for samurai in the Hsi Liu Empire. Tatsuka wielded the sword well, passing it through his family after his death, where it eventually came into the hands of his great-grandson Tsuma. It is said that Tsuma's indomitable spirit invested itself in the blade. Legends of Tsuma and the Grasscutter tell that the sword has power over the dominion of wind and blesses the wielder with speed and skill unknown to most men. (DC 15)

When Tsuma was a young samurai he fought many battles on the behalf of his daimyo and his emperor. Within time it became apparent that the man had the makings of a master duelist, and was eventually pulled from his military duties in order to act as a dueling proxy for his lord. For many years he performed this duty, without complaint or regret. When his daimyo accidentally insulted a haughty courtier in the Imperial Court, Tsuma was called forth once again to duel in his lord's place. But in winning his lord's honor, he had made a powerful enemy in the courts. (DC 18; Duel for no Honor)

The courtier who Tsuma's daimyo had insulted arranged for the young duelist to be assigned as a yojimbo (bodyguard) to an Imperial cartographer. The cartographer was a man, who although quite skilled, was given to drink and had managed to cause great embarrassment over the years. As punishment, the man was sent to chart the lands far beyond the ocean that surrounded the empire. With the cartographer's exile, so too was Tsuma, serving stoically. One night the ship became caught in a powerful storm and destroyed. Tsuma became lost to the empire forever more. (DC 25; The Ocean's Wrath)

Tsuma survived, albeit as an amnesiac, and washed up on shore safely. Although he possessed no knowledge of his former duties as a duelist and yojimbo, he unconsciously acted in the manner of a samurai. With no lord to serve, he travelled across the land, eventually making his way to a small village where he assisted the farmers in turning back a large raiding party of orcs. The villagers, though wary of his strange appearance and customs, took him in as one of their own. Tsuma died alone of old age many years later and his katana was thought to have been interred with his body. Of it, there is nothing further written. (DC 31; Painful Loss)

Legacy Rituals

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Grasscutter.

Duel for no Honor: You must defeat an opponent in honorable combat. The opponent must have a minimum CR of your character level, and you may only use Grasscutter as your weapon. Cost: 2,000 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Grasscutter).

The Ocean's Fury: You are required to take a ride on a ship into the heart of a storm. You may use magical or mundane means to survive, but you must not be aided by others. Cost: 12,500 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Grasscutter).

Painful Loss: Discovering the length to which bushido influenced the life of Tsuma, you must travel to a small settlement carrying nothing but Grasscutter and the clothes on your back and aid the people there for the period of one week, refusing any reward save the most basic food, water and shelter. Cost: 40,500 gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Grasscutter).

Wielder Requirements

Fighters or paladins find the most use out of Grasscutter. If samurai are available in your campaign setting, they feel a special affinity for the katana. Rogues who meet the requirement, may appreciate the finesse the weapon provides.

Grasscutter Wielder Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +3

Any Lawful alignment

Proficiency with bastard sword or katana

Legacy Item Abilities

All the following are legacy item abilities of Grasscutter.

Touch of the Spring Breeze (Su): If at any time you fall more than 5 feet, Grasscutter immediately bestows the effect of a feather fall spell on you.

Whispering Wind (Sp): At 9th level, on command you can use whispering wind as the spell. The caster level of this spell-like ability is 7th.

Breeze of Fallen Leaves (Sp): At 10th level, once per day, you can command the breeze that surrounds you while you carry Grasscutter to bestow the effect of a protection from arrows spell as a 5th level caster.

Continual Wind (Su): At 11th level, while wielding Grasscutter, you may command the breezes around you to blow away or knock down smaller creatures, as the gust of wind spell cast by a 10th level caster. This ability is usable at will. The save DC is 13 or 12 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.

Cunning (Su): While you wield Grasscutter at 13th level and higher, you are never considered flat-footed.

Control Winds (Sp): At 14th level, you can cast control winds as a 10th level caster once per day. You can use this spell-like ability twice per day at 19th level.

Haste (Su): At 17th level, simply holding Grasscutter in your hand fills you with the speed of the wind. Three times a day, by issuing the command word and guesturing with Grasscutter, you may cast haste on yourself as a 15th level sorcerer.

Blur (Su): At 18th level, while you are wielding Grasscutter, you appear to be in several places in the same general location. This makes your actual location difficult to discern and grants you concealment (20% miss chance) as the blur spell.