War Anvil (3.5e Equipment)
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War Anvil
Exotic Two-Handed Melee
| Cost: | 3,000 gp |
|---|---|
| Damage (Small): | — |
| Damage (Medium)1: | 4d8 |
| Critical: | 20/×3 |
| Weight2: | 200 lbs |
| Type3: | Bludgeoning |
| HP4: | 50 |
| Hardness: | 12 |
1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.
Barbarian King Torygg was a big man, and as many barbarians would quickly attest, a big man should wield a big weapon. Unsatisfied with such feeble arms as greataxes and sledgehammers, Torygg commissioned his court blacksmith to fashion him the weapon to end all weapons, though all of the blacksmith's finest efforts did not appease the King's desire for overcompensation. Driven to frustration by his king's ludicrous demands, the blacksmith tethered his own royal anvil to a massive ironwood shaft. Torygg's eyes welled up with ancestral pride upon holding his new weapon overhead, though the bindings that secured the anvil to its shaft proved unable to support its massive weight. To this day, the descendants of those oppressed under Torygg's tyrannical rule still tell the tale of 'the Anvil that freed the North'.
As a weapon, the war anvil is about as insane as it sounds. It's a literal anvil secured onto a large, sturdy shaft, drilled into it and bound and secured as tightly as possible. A war anvil has a Strength requirement of 30. Any creature with a lower Strength score attempting to attack with a war anvil does so at a -4 penalty, and must make a DC 20 Strength check or become staggered for 1 round afterwards from being swept along by the war anvil's massive momentum. Any creature that has insufficient carrying capacity to carry the war anvil's weight as a medium load cannot wield it at all. A creature with Exotic Weapon Proficiency (war anvil) reduces the Strength requirement to 25. The Strength requirement is reduced by 5 points for every size category the wielder has above Medium, to a minimum of 15. War Anvils fashioned for larger races start out at a default Strength requirement of 30 with respect to the size category they were made for.
Performing an attack with a war anvil is a full-round action unless the wielder has a base attack bonus of +6 or higher. The wielder of a war anvil gains one iterative attack less for having high BAB. He gains a second attack at BAB +11, and a third attack at BAB +16.
Wielding a war anvil while being proficient with it and meeting the weapon's prerequisites grants you the benefits of the Overbear feat. Furthermore, if you miss the target's AC but would hit their touch AC, the target is still winded from the blow and takes the wielder's Strength bonus in nonlethal damage, plus half the penalty to Power Attack you had applied to the attack roll, if any.
A war anvil counts as heavy armor for the purpose of reducing movement speed while held or carried. The wielder of a war anvil can't run while the weapon is held, though he may still hustle.
A war anvil grants a +4 bonus to Sunder checks.
Special Attack Options[edit]
While the war anvil is incredibly ungainly and hard to move for most, its unique weight and heft allow for some devastating special attacks. A war anvil grants access to the following weapon arts, provided the wielder meets the Strength requirement and has a base attack bonus of +6 or higher.
Any save DCs associated with this weapon are 10 + half the wielder's base attack bonus + the wielder's Strength bonus. Using any of these attack options ends the wielder's turn, and renders him flat-footed until the start of his next turn even if he normally can't become flat-footed.
Ground Pound: As a standard action the wielder of a war anvil may smash it into the ground with immense force. Any creature within 5 feet for every 5 points of base attack bonus the wielder has must make a Reflex save or take the weapon's base damage (4d8 for a Medium war anvil), and another Reflex save (or Balance check) or fall prone. The attack is fierce enough to split and part the ground, turning the affected area into difficult terrain.
Crushing Hammer: By taking a -2 penalty to his attack roll as a full-round action, the wielder may eschew all iterative attacks and focus all of his strength into a single hammerblow, dealing 1d6 extra points of damage per point of base attack bonus he has. This extra damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. The creature hit must make a Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round and have all its movement speeds reduced by half for 1d6 rounds.
Irresistible Blow: The wielder performs a melee attack as a part of a standard action, using the weight of his war anvil to blow his enemy back, hard. The target hit is effectively bull rushed, with a +4 circumstance bonus to the wielder's Strength check, and thrown back 5 feet for every 5 points that the wielder's check result beats the defender's check result. A creature moved by this ability takes 2d6 points of extra damage for every 5 feet so traveled. The wielder may use Power Attack in conjunction with this ability, gaining a bonus to the opposed check equal to the Power Attack penalty taken.
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