Ancestral Axe Ritual Smith

You've learned sacred barbarian techniques to imbue your axe with the power of your ancestors, improving it over time through ritual and sacrifice.

Initial Feat

• You gain proficiency with smith's tools.
• You can perform a ritual to improve one axe of your choice (handaxe, battleaxe, or greataxe).
• Each improvement requires specific materials, a successful check, and time to complete.
• You can apply up to 3 improvements to your axe.

Axe Improvement Process

To improve your axe, make a Strength (Smith's Tools) check against the DC listed for the improvement level. Each successful improvement unlocks the next level for that property.

Improvement Level Chart

Axe Improvements

Level 1 Improvements

1. Ancestor's Call: As a bonus action, you can call the axe back to your hand if it's within 20 feet.
2. Warrior's Edge: The axe deals an extra 1 damage on hit.
3. Tribal Balance: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with this axe.
4. Hunter's Throw: The axe gains the thrown property with a range of 20/60 feet.
5. Unyielding Steel: The axe has resistance to bludgeoning and slashing damage.

Level 2 Improvements

1. Spirit's Reach: As a bonus action, you can call the axe back to your hand if it's within 40 feet.
2. Berserker's Bite: The axe deals an extra 1 damage on hit and its critical hit range increases by 1 (typically to 19-20).
3. Chieftain's Aim: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with this axe.
4. Raider's Arm: The axe gains the thrown property with a range of 30/90 feet.
5. Unbreakable: The axe has resistance to all damage types.

Level 3 Improvements

1. Ghostwalker's Grasp: As a bonus action, you can call the axe back to your hand if it's within 60 feet.
2. Warlord's Fury: The axe deals an extra 2 damage on hit, its critical hit range increases by 1, and on a critical hit, deal an extra weapon damage die.
3. Legendary Balance: You gain a +3 bonus to attack rolls made with this axe.
4. Skythrower's Might: The axe gains the thrown property with a range of 40/120 feet.
5. Elemental Binding: Choose acid, cold, fire, or lightning. The axe deals an extra 1d4 damage of that type and has resistance to all damage types.

Level 4 Improvements

1. Ancestor's Vengeance: As a bonus action, you can call the axe back to your hand if it's within 60 feet. When returning, it can make one attack against a creature in its path.
2. Conqueror's Edge: The axe deals an extra 2 damage on hit, its critical hit range increases by 1, and on a critical hit, deal two extra weapon damage dice. Once per short rest, you can ignore an object's or creature's resistance to slashing damage.
3. Rage-Fueled Precision: You gain a +3 bonus to attack rolls made with this axe. While raging, your damage with this axe increases by 2.
4. Stormcaller's Throw: The axe gains the thrown property with a range of 60/180 feet and can hit incorporeal creatures as if they were solid.
5. Primal Attunement: Choose acid, cold, fire, or lightning. The axe deals an extra 2d4 damage of that type, has resistance to all damage types, and can hit incorporeal creatures as if they were solid.

Level 5 Improvements

1. Thundergod's Wrath: As a bonus action, you can call the axe back to your hand from up to 60 feet away. When returning, it can make one attack against a creature in its path. Once per long rest, you can throw the axe up to 120 feet, creating a line of lightning. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take 6d6 lightning damage.
2. Avatar of War: The axe deals an extra 3 damage on hit, its critical hit range increases by 1, and on a critical hit, deal three extra weapon damage dice. Once per short rest, you can ignore an object's or creature's resistance to slashing damage.
3. Ancestral Weapon: You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this axe. While raging, your damage with this axe increases by 3, and you can reroll one damage die per attack, keeping the higher result.
4. Worldshaker's Throw: The axe gains the thrown property with a range of 100/300 feet, can hit incorporeal creatures as if they were solid, and once per long rest, you can use the axe to cast Banishing Smite without expending a spell slot.
5. Primordial Fury: Choose acid, cold, fire, or lightning. The axe deals an extra 3d4 damage of that type, has resistance to all damage types, can hit incorporeal creatures as if they were solid, and once per long rest, you can use the axe to cast Elemental Weapon as a 5th-level spell without expending a spell slot.

Additional Rules

• A failed check consumes half the materials and reduces the improvement to level 1 in that category. A critical failure yields a curse effect tbd by DM.  Once it surfaces, DC 20 to remove.
• You can only benefit from one improvement of each type (e.g., one calling improvement, one edge improvement, etc.).
• Higher-level improvements completely replace lower-level ones of the same type.
• If the axe is destroyed, you can transfer its improvements to a new axe by performing a 24-hour ritual and expending materials equal to half the total cost of the improvements.