Living Weapon Evolution

The creation, care, and growth of weapons are not simply done by discovering them in a dusty vault, gifted by a thankful being, or wrestled from a terrible overlord. These weapons are cared for, honored and respected, and they are a mark of family, friendship, and history. If you can master this process, you will find a never-ending wealth of companionship that will not let you down while you brave this world. ~ Grom 

Overview:

The following contains the general guidelines for weapon evolution, allowing for these powerful items to be developed and integrated into the world we love! Weapons purchased from a master weapon smith or crafted by a player will have the potential to evolve as the player progress and forms a relationship with their item. On rare occasions, an item found may contain the power to evolve as well, though this is largely dependent on the starting capabilities of the items. . Having an item with this power will allow it to "level up" throughout the campaign. These weapons will develop their own unique traits and abilities to match their story and each character’s playstyle. As the character performs great acts and heroic feats, it will grow in power, unlocking upgrades that keep the item relevant throughout the campaign.
There are over 130 different upgrades presented in this tome, everything from acting faster in the initiative order to casting spells from the weapon. From dealing thunder damage when you strike an opponent to giving the wielder the power of flight. With tens of millions of possible combinations, these weapons can truly be shaped by your characters and their history. No longer will they cast aside their family blade when a +1 longsword turns up in a goblin.

Spirit Points (sp):

Spirit Points represent the power imbued in each weapon by the deeds it has wrought. They are the currency used by the player to evolve and enhance the weapon as it levels up. These points are handed out at the rate of 1 point per questline battle for any weapon that is currently attuned and eligible for evolution. Additionally, there are rules to allow the use of spirit points to craft magic weapons, including costs, time, and the usage of quest-driving unique reagents. This allows characters to forge their own thematic items through the cause of their own actions.
Each living weapon starts as an Uncommon Tier 1 Item with 0 spirit points. Weapons may earn up to the max amount of SP for their given rarity. Once they reach this limit, they will stop gaining additional SP points until they undergo a process of unlocking the next Tier. This can be accomplished through coordinating with a DM. The requirements for unlocking the next tier item will grow more difficult as the bond with your weapon and its notoriety grows.
Spirit points can be stored for future purchases, allowing a character to save up for more expensive upgrades. The rarity of an living weapon is determined by the number of spirit points it currently has and the tier progress it has achieved:

Uncommon - 1-4 (sp)

Rare - 5-9 (sp)

Very Rare - 10-15 (sp)

Legendary - 16-25 (sp)

When Spirit points are earned, the weapon can be focused on, and the player can dive into the weapon's soul space. This world is represented by rows of statues that sit on a flat, sleek black surface. The statues depict images and events that the weapon has experienced. If activated, they alight as beacons of light and become part of the weapon's capabilities.
When the weapon receives its 20th spirit point, it also gains an additional five spirit points as the weapon unlocks the full power.

Upgrading Weapons:

To add an upgrade to a weapon, a player must spend the number of spirit points as displayed in its description. A DM may choose to assign an upgrade to the weapon instead of offering the player the spirit points directly; however, this will be discussed with the player before that happens and is usually represents the weapon having a predetermined path, unlocking powers it previously possessed. Some upgrades have a requirement, such as class, ability to cast spells, or type of weapon:
In these cases, if the requirements are not met, this upgrade may not be applied to this living weapon. If already present, such as in the case of the weapon being gifted after being upgraded, these upgrades will have no effect.
Upgrades are grouped by ‘Tiers’, which relate to the Tiers of play. Each upgrade tier is unlocked at certain levels, as detailed below. A character cannot add upgrades to a weapon unless they are of sufficient level.
You cannot remove upgrades unless you are overwriting them or refocusing the weapon, both of which are detailed later in this chapter.

Upgrade Restrictions:

You can never have two upgrades with the same name. Some upgrades have a level, or subtype, displayed next to their name. These upgrades count as having the same name for the purpose of duplication and are shown by having an additional level or subtype information displayed in brackets in their title. Additionally, the Tier of the upgrade will only be activated if the person wielding the blade is at the appropriate as required by the particular upgrade.

Limited Upgrades:

Limited upgrades draw more power from the weapon's spirit. These upgrades have the limited tag alongside their cost. Each living weapon can only have 2 limited upgrades. If you have an item with more than 2 limited upgrades and wish to use another, you must overwrite one of the existing limited upgrades, following the overwriting rules found below.

Overwriting Upgrades:

Sometimes you will want to place an upgrade on a living weapon, replacing one already there. To do this, when you buy the upgrade, you gain spirit points towards the upgrade equal to the original cost of the upgrade being overwritten. An upgrade can only ever overwrite a single other upgrade already on the weapon; you can never remove multiple other abilities to equip a single other upgrade.

Refocusing an Evolved Weapon:

Sometimes players may decide they wish to have a new effect on their weapon or may have inherited a weapon with a previous history. It is up to the DM as to whether they allow the upgrades to be altered. This is called refocusing the weapon. If a player wishes to refocus the weapon, it will not be a trivial matter and will require The player to complete a quest of major importance in order to complete the ritual. This often requires the support of a master weaponsmith.

Attunement:

Living weapons require attunement to the bearer before their abilities are usable. A living weapon that is not attuned will act as a mundane weapon of the weapon's type. In all circumstances, the bearer of an evolved weapon may only attune to the weapon if one of the following criteria is met:

• The creature must have received the weapon as a gift from a creature attuned to the item
• If the creature attuned to this item has deceased, the new owner must form a bond with the weapon asking permission to bond with it. This often requires fulfilling a request generated by the weapon's evolved spirit.
• The weapon was crafted directly by the character

Each time a creature attunes to an evolved weapon, the DM can decide whether the weapon keeps at its current unlocked power level, starts at a reduced power level, or with 0 spirit points. In each case, the new bearer can earn spirit points as normal. A character will not be gifted a weapon with spirit points greater than their current character level. In situations where this happens, the power will need to be unlocked based on the guidelines outlined above.

Evolved Weapon Traits:

Many evolved weapons have small, minor effects that add character to the weapons. An item can start with these or unlock them as more of its gifts are earnt. You can find a list of minor effects below. The minor effects and quirks tables, found on page 143 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, also provide you with various options. If you wish to create these yourself, it is recommended that the item does not materially affect in-game situations and is instead designed just to add flavor to the item.

Enchanting Evolved Weapon:

Except for in extreme and rare cases at DMs discretion, magically modifying, enchanting, or adding magical runes to a weapon after it begins to evolve removes all potential for it to evolve naturally again. Additionally, during this process, there is a flat 50% chance that the modifications made to the weapon will strip the weapon of the effects it has currently evolved. Modifying a weapon in this manner is effectively killing the weapon's spirit. There may be opportunities to revive these weapons once again; however, it typically involves a quest.

Weapon Upgrade Tiers and Level Requirements: