Talons of Bhaal

All Faerûn fears the name of Bhaal, god of murder. This artifact is a remnant of Bhaal's time as a mortal, the gauntlets he wore when he was part of the Dark Three, and later the Dead Three. Infused with Bhaal's brutality and love for grisly murder, they lie in wait for the day a suitable adventurer discovers them and dares to awaken them once more.

Type. Weapon (Claw)

Rarity. Legendary (Requires attunement)

Attunement. To most creatures, the Talons of Bhaal appear to be a ominous set of magical gauntlets with unknown qualities. A DC 20 Intelligence (arcana) check reveals a malevolent and bloodthirsty force within the item. The talons will attune to a creature of any alignment but will only attune to a creature in the situation described by Awakening below.

Claw. The Talons of Bhaal are a set of clawed gauntlets that deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage until they are awakened. When awakened, they are light martial melee finesse weapons that at their basic level deal 1d8 piercing damage on hit.

Awakening. If you are wearing the Talons of Bhaal in combat and hit with a melee attack using them, the talons are splashed with blood. They attune to you and awaken, each gauntlet sprouting two blades from the back of the hand protruding forward like long claws. Every time you wish to awaken the talons, they must recieve blood. This is achieved by making a sucessful attack using the gloves in their untransformed state. You can attack an ally to awaken the talons ahead of time, but it will deal double damage to any creature you are familiar with.

Brutal Finisher. The Talons of Bhaal influence you to enjoy killing. Any time you deal the killing blow to a creature, the spray of blood and rush of battle makes the talons surge with brutality, making you lose control in a display of cruelty and gore. Roll on the Brutal Finisher table.

Thirst. If you do not use the Talons of Bhaal in combat, they drain your vitality until you obey. If it has been at least 5 days since you last awakened the talons, you end your long rests missing 1 health/character level for each day past 10 days as it drinks your blood instead.

Removal. When the Talons of Bhaal attune to you the first time, they sprout interior needles of metal that dig into your skin. Removal requires ripping the talons off and your skin with them. You must be under an effect that allows you resist pain or suceed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to rip them off. You or an ally who removes the talons must also suceed a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. Attempting to remove the talons without knowing this property or when failing the saving throw deals 2d10 piercing damage as the needles dig in further. If the removal is sucessful, you tear the talons off, taking 6d10 piercing damage and reciving disadvantage on all skill checks and attacks involving your arms for the next 1d10 days as your arms heal.

Evolution. As you fight with the Talons of Bhaal, they grow stronger. Every time you land the killing blow on an enemy with CR equal to or greater than your level, the talons level up, maximum of once every 2d10 days.

Level 1. 1d8 damage.

Level 2. 1d8 damage. Gain the Execute feature.

Level 3. 1d8 damage, +1 to attack and damage rolls.

Level 4. 1d8 damage, +1 to attack and damage rolls. Gain the Bloodrage feature.

Level 5. 1d10 damage, +1 to attack and damage rolls.

Level 6. 1d10 damage, +2 to attack and damage rolls.

Level 7. 1d10 damage, +2 to attack and damage rolls. Gain the Savagery feature.

Level 8. 1d12 damage, +2 to attack and damage rolls.

Level 9. 1d12 damage, +3 to attack and damage rolls.

Level 10. 1d12 damage, +3 to attack and damage rolls. Gain the Carnage feature.

Brutal Finisher

d10 Brutal Finisher 1 A surge of horrific intent fills your mind, but you resist it. This time. 2 You stab the talons through the enemy's eyes. 3 You hold the enemy in place and stick a talon down his throat, then tear outwards, opening his neck downwards. 4 You slice the enemy's stomach open and forcefeed them their own intestines. 5 You stick both talons up the enemy's ass and twist. 6 You hack the enemy's head off. 7 You stab the talons through the enemy's knees, crippling them, then cut off their hands and leave them bleeding. 8 You open the enemy's throat and watch as they bleed out. 9 You grab the enemy and throw them at the ground, then stomp their head until they stop moving. 10 You stab the enemy repeatedly until they are long dead.

Execute. When you hit an enemy with the Talons of Bhaal and after the attack, the enemy's remaining hit points are equal to or less than your level, you instinctually execute the enemy. You can only use this abilty once every time the talons awaken.

Bloodrage. When you kill an enemy, you become lost in combat. Gain temporary hit points equal to twice your character level. Next round you must attack the closest creature, be it ally or enemy. If you cannot attack any creatures next round using the talons, the effect ends.

Savagery. When you sucessfully hit an enemy with the Talons of Bhaal, they get excited as the enemy's blood flows. You have +2 to hit on attacks made with the talons. This bonus stacks. This bonus ends when you miss an attack or leave combat.

Carnage. When you kill an enemy, you can move up to half your speed and make two attacks with the Talons of Bhaal for free before Bloodrage begins.