Soul Reaver Weapon Template

Soul Reaver Weapons are cruel and often (but not always) unholy weapons which have been granted a twisted sentience and had a specially crafted Soul Cage installed upon them. These weapons grow in power by consuming the souls of their victims, and if their voracious appetite is left unfed for too long, that of their Wielder. Soul Reaver Weapons are favored by God-Hunters and Iron Liches, for they offer an additional means of storing the potent power of the soul harvested by their prey.

Creating a Soul Reaver Weapon:

A Soul Reaver Weapon is a unique type of Intelligent Weapon which requires that specific circumstances be met to successfully create.

First, one must create a Soul Cage. Creating a Soul Cage requires a Diminutive Masterwork Silver Cage valued at 12,000 GP, and a ritual in which the would-be Soul Reaver Weapon is used to slay a sentient creature specifically for the purpose of creating a Soul Reaver Weapon whose blood is drained and their heart, liver, lungs and spleen are harvested. The blood and organs are then mixed into a mash and rendered down into a lump of iron approximately 4 grams in weight. This lump must then be further refined into a Bloodstone with a DC 35 craft check, before being placed inside the cage and both enchanted by the Soul Cage ritual spell. (Spellcraft DC 50, CL 14 Ritual requiring 8 hours to complete) If the ritual is successful, a Soul Cage is created containing a number of soul points equal to the value of the soul of the creature slain for it's creation.

Secondly, within twenty four hours of it's creation the Soul Cage must be installed somewhere upon the weapon bound to become a Soul Reaver Weapon, at which point it must ritualistically kill a number of creatures to fill the Soul Cage up to Tier 1 (600 soul points) at which point the Soul Cage is filled, the souls consumed, and the weapon Awakened as a Soul Reaver weapon.  This ritual killing must be done with the weapon intended to become a Soul Reaver Weapon within the span of the twenty four hours after the Soul Cage's creation, or the awakening fails and the Soul Cage is destroyed.


Soul Pool:


When a Soul Reaver Weapon slays a living creature it snatches the soul of as it dies and traps it inside the tiny silver cage that granted it such a twisted form of life, gaining points in its soul pool.

Mindless Spirits (1 pt.): Vermin, basic Oozes
Animal Spirits (2.5 pts.): Animal-level intelligence
Basic Soul (10 pts.): Standard intelligent creature, a sentient monster of low CR
Noteworthy Soul (50 pts.): Mid-level character level/CR, and otherwise characters
Grand Soul (100-500 pts.): High-level characters /CR and other divinely favored souls

Greater Soul (500+ pts.): Epic-Level characters, Demigods and other high CR beings. Actual point total should be up to the DM, but never below 500.

The wielder of a Soul Reaver Weapon can cast spells without expending its spell slots by spending 1 pt. per spell level (a 0-level spell is worth 1/2 a spell level). A character using the Spheres Casting system using the souls in a Soul Reaver Weapon's soul pool to cast in this way expends soul points as if casting the highest equivalent spell level they could cast, as seen on the Using Spheres of Power page.* Spending a soul point is a free action. Souls used in this manner are consumed and destroyed utterly.
*Table: Spherecasting and Equivalent Spell Level

This causes a soul to appear inside of its soul cage, which it can release as a standard action. A soul cage is a diminutive-sized object (AC = the wielder's AC + Diminuitive size modifier) with 5 hp and hardness 25. Destroying a soul cage frees the souls within, though it does not return the deceased creature to life. This is a death effect. Any attempt to resurrect a body whose soul is trapped in a soul cage requires a DC caster level check equal to 11 + Tier of the Soul Reaver Weapon. Failure results in there being no effect, while success returns the creature to life as normal and robs the Soul Reaver Weapon of the creature's soul.

The maximum number of soul points it can possess in its pool is equal to 600 x it's Tier squared. Upon reaching it's maximum pool of souls, a Soul Reaver Weapon consumes all of the souls and is reset to having only 10 (Enough to last 24 hours day without killing), and advances to the next tier gaining the various benefits described in the Tier section.


Soul Reaver Weapon Tier:

Tier 1 (600 soul points max)
A Tier 1 Soul Reaver Weapon has only been recently awakened and lacks a distinct individual ego. It is hunger manifest, and needs to be fed at least 5 soul points every 12 hours to maintain it's twisted life-force. If it cannot, then it attempts to consume the soul of it's wielder. This is a Death effect. (DC 20 + Ego x Tier)  If it is not being wielded, the Soul Cage is destroyed and the weapon loses the Soul Reaver Weapon quality, essentially dying.

A Soul Reaver weapon gains no benefits beyond those granted by it's Soul Cage at Tier 1.

Life Sense 30ft

Tier 1 stats:
Int: 2
Wis: 4
Cha: 4
Minimum Ego: 2 (Calculate total ego based on the cost of the weapon used to create an Intelligent Item)

Tier 2 (2400 soul points max)
A Tier 2 Soul Reaver Weapon has gained a great deal of experience in it's new life and now understands the reason for it's hunger. It is now a properly intelligent item, with it's own thoughts and ideas, however it's existence is still devoted to it's singular instinct; to kill and consume. A Tier 2 Soul Reaver weapon may communicate telepathically. A Soul Reaver Weapon may choose to take control of it's wielder and cause them to kill in order to feed it, rather than killing them outright if it is nearing starvation. (Will save DC 20 + Ego) Additionally, a Tier 2 Soul Reaver Weapon may now access certain abilities, either on it's own or at the behest of it's wielder.

Siphon Virtus: As a swift action that may be used at any time the Soul Reaver Weapon may drain the vitality from a soul contained in it's Soul Cage either to protect itself or to revitalize it's caster. If a Soul Reaver Weapon's Soul Cage would be destroyed, it may instantly expend any number of soul points to prevent this.

Consume Knowledge: As a standard action the Soul Reaver Weapon may seek the answer to a question from any of the souls in it's Soul Cage, which is answered truthfully to the best of it's knowledge. Upon answering, the Soul is consumed by the weapon and it's Soul Pool is reduced by the value of the soul.

Life Sense 60ft
Telepathy 60ft

Tier 2 Stats:
Int: 10
Wis: 8
Cha: 6
Minimum Ego: 5 (Calculate total ego based on the cost of the weapon used to create an Intelligent Item)

Tier 3 (5400 soul points max)
A Tier 3 Soul Reaver Weapon has defeated numerous powerful individuals and understands the power it wields over life and death to a greater extent. It has enough sense of self to form plans and choose a name for itself if it has not been given one or dislikes the one it has. Additionally, by the time it has reached Tier 3 a Soul Reaver Weapon will have come up with new ways to put the Souls it has claimed to use.

Steal Experience: As a free action the Soul Reaver Weapon may grant it's wielder a boon to any single d20 check by consuming a portion of a soul to rob it of it's experience. For every 1 by which the Soul Reaver Weapon modifies the roll, it must consume a day's worth of soul points. (10 soul points)

Dead Man's Tale: As a full round action the Soul Reaver Weapon may call upon a humanoid soul it has yet to consume and call upon a place it new in life, forcing the soul to temporarily return to that place as if it were haunting it, tethered to the Soul Reaver Weapon by a silver string as an invisible sensor. For the duration, the Soul Reaver weapon receives honest and accurate reports from the Soul on any activity it might observe. Creatures with Life Sense, True Seeing, any ability that would detect magic may detect the tethered soul though they cannot communicate with it in any way. A soul whose tether is severed is instantly freed from the Soul Cage. The Soul Reaver Weapon may use Dead Man's Tale for a number of hours equal to it's Tier x it's Ego. Upon returning to the Soul Reaver Weapon, the soul is wholly consumed.

Life Sense 120ft
Telepathy 120ft

Tier 3 Stats:
Int: 16
Wis: 14
Cha: 10
Minimum Ego: 10 (Calculate total ego based on the cost of the weapon used to create an Intelligent Item)

Tier 4 (9600 soul points max)

A Tier 4 Soul Reaver Weapon has killed hundreds and consumed their very essence to make itself greater. By this point a Soul Reaver weapon will likely have developed it's own ambitions and be working to manipulate it's wielder to achieve them. These ambitions may be anything from the destruction of a tyrannical empire to the slaying of a god, and often include either achieving total control over it's wielder or ensuring it's own life by finding a way to ensure it always has someone to wield it. This may mean encouraging it's wielder to become a Lich, or to form a knightly order which would pass down the Soul Reaver Weapon from one leader to the next. Beyond growing in ego, it's power will have also grown and it will have gained access to new abilities.

Aura of Existential Dread: Having preyed upon the souls of countless mortals, the Soul Reaver Weapon now constantly exudes an Aura that seems to alert those nearby of the threat it poses. Creatures of less than 5 HD within 60ft of the Soul Reaver Weapon must make a Will save (DC = Ego + Tier) or become Frightened. Creatures with more than 5 HD must make a Will save or become Shaken. Those that make the save feel an inexplicable unease, but are otherwise unaffected and cannot be affected for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. Additionally, an character wielding a Soul Reaver Weapon with this ability gain half it's Ego + Tier to intimidate checks they make, and for every 10 by which they exceed the DC to intimidate a creature the effect inflicted worsens. (Shaken becomes Frightened, Frightened becomes Panicked, Panicked becomes Cowering, Cowering becomes Helpless.)

Preserve the Master: Should it's Wielder ever be struck dead in such a way that the Soul Reaver Weapon cannot protect it through the expenditure of souls and the Siphon Virtus ability, a Tier 4 Soul Reaver Weapon may expend a number of soul points equal in value to that of it's master (as per the chart) to return them to life as if by True Resurrection. This is a Full Round Action. Each time the Soul Reaver weapon does this per day, it must expend twice the amount of soul points.


Life Sense 240 ft
Telepathy 240 ft

Tier 4 Stats
Int: 20
Wis: 18
Cha: 18

Tier 5 (15000 Soul Points Max)

A Tier 5 Soul Reaver Weapon has slain entire villages worth of souls, and it's sights are set on even greater acts of genocide. It no longer kills simply to feed it's own growth, but also for the pleasure the act brings it. By this point the Soul Reaver Weapon will likely have either subsumed the will of it's wielder or formed such a strong bond with them that the two of them no longer think of themselves as separate entities. What's more, the Soul Reaver Weapon has been suffused with so much power from the Mortal Souls it has consumed that they no longer sate it's hunger, and even upon reaching 15000 soul points it cannot ascend to greater heights without slaying a creature at least bordering on true divinity. (Divine rank 0 or higher) Instead, each time a Soul Reaver Weapon reaches it's maximum number of souls it may gain up to +2 Ego worth of abilities from the Intelligent Item page, and increase it's ego as such.  A Soul Reaver Weapon of this tier understands the ebb and flow of the lifestream, and can manipulate it almost effortlessly and has gained many new abilities.

Mastery of the Soul: Understanding the flow of life completely, a tier 5 Soul Reaver Weapon may reduce the action type required to activate any abilities it possesses by one step by consuming 100 soul points, and can do this as often as it desires. Each step beyond the first costs twice as much plus the cost of any previous step. (300 soul points for 2 steps. 900 soul points for 3 steps)

Unquenchable Hunger: A tier 5 Soul Reaver Weapon cares little for the souls of mortals and will snuff out their lives if it suits it's whim, even if their soul will be of no benefit. By expending twice the value of a creature's soul in Soul Points, the Soul Reaver Weapon may cast Power Word Kill on a creature within it's range as a Standard Action.

Siphon the Sacred: Should a tier 5 Soul Reaver Weapon slay a divine spell caster, it gains access to the spells that caster knew in life as long as the soul dwells within it's Cage. The Soul Reaver Weapon or it's wielder may cast these spells by expending soul points as per normal, according to the Soul Cage section.

Life Sense 500 ft
Telepathy 500 ft

Tier 5 Stats
Int: 26
Wis: 22
Cha: 22
Minimum Ego: 16 (Calculate total ego based on the cost of the weapon used to create an Intelligent Item)