Grief-Taker, The Edge of the Bound Martyr

The head of this axe is forged from dark iron shot through with thin crystalline veins, the colour of dried blood. Its blade is broad and brutal, yet strangely elegant, as though shaped with care rather than rage. The haft is wrapped in worn leather stitched with silver thread, polished smooth by centuries of hands that carried burdens heavier than the weapon itself. Creatures struck by the blade sometimes claim they felt something impossible in that moment; Not hatred nor cruelty, but the quiet certainty that their suffering had been taken into the weapon and made into strength.

 

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon. Grief-Taker also has the Reach property

If you are attuned to Grief-Taker, you gain the following benefits:
Burden of the Living. Grief-Taker gathers fragments of suffering called Burden. You gain 1 Burden whenever one of the following occurs:

• You hit a creature with this weapon.
• You take damage from a creature within 15 feet of you.
• A creature within 15 feet of you fails a saving throw against one of your abilities.

You can hold a maximum of 10 Burden.
Burden lasts for 1 minute. For each stack of Burden you have, your attacks deal +1 necrotic damage. If you are bloodied at the start of your turn, this bonus damage is doubled.

Weight of Suffering. When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can expend any number of Burden to unleash the pain the weapon has gathered. For each Burden spent:

• The attack deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage.
• The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or suffer one of the following effects of your choice:
• Broken Guard. The creature’s defences collapse under the weight of the blow. Its Armor Class is reduced by 2 until the start of your next turn.
• Blood Mark. The creature is marked by the weapon’s hunger. The next time it suffers damage before your next turn, it takes an additional 2d8 necrotic damage.
• Sundered Vitality. The weapon drains the creature’s life force. Until the start of your next turn, the creature cannot regain hit points, and whenever it deals damage before then, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Constitution modifier. 

 

Martyr’s Exchange. When you take damage from a creature you can see, you may use your reaction to claim part of that suffering. You reduce the damage by 1d10 + your Constitution modifier, and gain an extra Burden. If you are Raging, the reduction becomes 2d10 + Constitution modifier.

 

Claim the Oppressor. As a bonus action, you may expend 3 Burden to bind a creature you can see within 30 feet. Until the end of your next turn:

• The creature cannot use any ability that allows it to teleport
• It has disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than you
• When it damages a creature other than you, it takes 2d8 necrotic damage

 

Judgment of the Enduring At the start of your turn, you may expend 5 Burden to invoke Judgment of the Enduring, which lasts until the start of your next turn.

While active:

• Your attacks with this weapon deal an additional 2d10 necrotic damage.
• You ignore difficult terrain, and moving does not provoke opportunity attacks.
• Whenever you hit a creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. These temporary hit points stack with each other and any gained from another ability. 

 

The Last Witness. If a creature within 10 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you may use your reaction to gather its fading suffering. You gain 3 Burden and may immediately move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Random Properties. This blade has the following random properties:

• 2 minor beneficial properties
• 2 major beneficial properties
• 2 minor detrimental properties
• 2 major detrimental properties

Proficiency with a Greataxe allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.

Notes: Bonus: Magic, Damage: Slashing, Requires attunement by a level 18+ barbarian, Heavy, Two-Handed, Cleave