Weekly 4e Homebrew: Harvester of Souls

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

"The world is in chaos."
"Yes, we see that. Evil has grown strong."
"We have chosen a Champion to guide the people."
"Send him...the sword."

Harvester of Souls
Gleaming with a light from the heavens, the Harvester of Souls is a longsword made of the strongest ore tempered by the gods themselves.

The Harvester of Souls is a tool given to one chosen by the gods to be their champion. It is powered by the souls of the wicked, giving the wielder the opportunity to use them in the name of good.

The gods are not quick to offer the sword to a mortal. The world has to be in grave peril for them to name a Champion.

When the work is done, and the world is safe once again, the Champion releases the Harvester of Souls to the gods. Until such time as the sword is needed again, it remains safe in the heavens.

Designer Notes: Thanks to those that offered inspiration on Twitter. While I asked them for something Autumn themed, the imagination can lead a designer in other directions.

I'm not sure if this item feels like an artifact from a mechanical perspective, but I think the story implications could make for some interesting roleplaying.

The Harvester of Souls was created using Power2ool for Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast. Image courtesy of http://hgjart.com/.

Edit 9/18/2012: Added a cap to the number of souls you can store at one time in the sword. Also clarified that the powers are free actions.