Bal'yl

This hooked brass longsword uses a specific drow ancestry to power its abilities. The Kent’tar have long been the reliable warriors and killers of the drow, and this sword began with them. Bestowed upon them even before their surname, by Lolth herself, this weapon was created to win at all costs. Following the fall from grace of the Den Kent’tar, the blade changed from an item of reverance, to one of a dark fate. It can only be wielded to its fullest by a member of the Kent’tar family. 

You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. If you attempt to disarm someone, you add +5 to the attack roll. When this weapon is used as a hex weapon, it can also be wielded as a finesse weapon, but it loses its status as a versatile weapon when wielded in this way. The hilt of the sword features a slot for a talisman in its pommel.

Sentience. Bal’yl has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 30 feet, it has tremorsense out to 60 feet. The weapon can speak, read, and understand Abyssal, Common, Elvish, Infernal, Undercommon, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically.

Upon a character’s first long rest after attuning to this item, as well as when they reach level 8, 12, 16, and 17, the player has an interaction with a designated personality, going in order from top to bottom of the list below. Within the Realm of the Blade, a mental dimension within the weapon, the personality makes itself known and evaluates the wielder, usually through a test of some sort. Tests serve to either have the wielder prove they are worthy of an ability, or teach the wielder how to use the ability gained at the given level under the property Burning Drow. If the wielder passes the first test, they are able to use Bal'yl as their pact weapon. The weapon also becomes able to summon itself to the wielder, prevent itself from being dismissed, prevent the wielder from using any of its properties, and prevent the wielder from leaving the Realm of the Blade, if the majority of personalities wish so. The wielder can request to interact with the personalities separately, or as a whole in their council. Until a personality has made itself known to the wielder, it appears as a disembodied voice in their council.

Personalities. The patrons of this sword are the chosen ancestors and representatives of the Den Kent’tar, who upon their death were ritualistically sealed within the sword itself, to add their strength and knowledge of warfare to it and future generations. They are a line with a heavy ties to the ideals of Lolth and Drow society. 

Zekquarra, Dragon Legion, is the head personality, and a master manipulator. She keeps the wielders, past and present, in line.

Waerda, Hidden Trickster, “The Hiding Coward.” She hides in her webbed cocoon, permanent retreat being the most sure route to victory for this imprisoned immortal.

Balimar, Flame Maker, is a transmutation and necromancy specialist who sought to unlock the potential of the sword, pushing her down the path of lichdom. Her pursuit of knowledge has blinded her to traditional wisdom.

Phyrstra, Blessed Spider, is a primitive brute who opened her senses to Lolth to willfully become a Drider, unstoppable in battle with her twin longswords and enhanced instincts.

G’eld’dor, Spider Arm, is the oldest personality, utterly devoted to her given purpose, to uphold Lolth as the one true God and cull the weak. A true paladin of Lolth.

Realm of the Blade. The psychic realm of the blade is a series of dimly lit spaces and black onyx floors, each with a sudden, impenetrable, black dark at its bounds, to the point where the presence of light denotes a room, and the lack of it denotes the walls. Each "room" exists separate and unconnected to the others. One moves by wanting to be in different room. There exists the council room (a collection of 4 thrones and one large cushion in a half circle), five other rooms, one for each personality, and more distinct rooms should a personality require another. Each personality can communicate with each other telepathically. If an object, area, or interactive illusion in the form of a creature is required by a personality, it appears for them in their room. A creature must request permission to enter a personality's room (if it isn't its own). A creature visiting the realm can use an action to enter (or be dismissed from) the realm, and in entering, creates a psychic copy of itself with its game statistics and possessions. Only used spell slots, or spells or effects that affect a creature's mental state or mental statistics (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma), such as the charmed condition, or the spells dominate person, bestow curse, phantasmal killer, or feeblemind, persist beyond the creature's psychic form. If the wielder's psychic form or physical body is reduced to 0 hit points while in this realm, they are dismissed back to their physical body and awaken. The spells detect thoughts, telepathic bond, telepathy, if cast on the wielder's physical body while they are in the mental realm, allow others to enter the realm within 5 feet of the wielder's psychic form. If such a spell ends or requires concentration and its concentration is broken, if dispel magic is cast upon them successfully (DC 10 + the level of the spell that allowed them to enter the realm), if their psychic form or physical body are reduced to 0 hit points, or if G'eld'dor absorbs the wielder's soul, they are dismissed back to their physical body, unless they are under the effects of the spells flesh to stone, imprisonment, or true polymorph. If they are reduced to 0 hit points in their psychic form, they are reduced to 0 hit points but stabilized in their physical body. The physical bodies of creatures visiting the realm appear to be in a trance, and are treated as if they are unconscious; they are not aware of their physical body's surroundings, but are aware of the state of their physical body.

Coup. If a wielder becomes trustworthy enough to one of the personalities, they present the option to extricate other oppositional personalities from the weapon. To accomplish this, the wielder must combat and defeat said personalities in the Realm of the Blade, with the aid of allied personalities and the opposition of personalities allied with your opponent. Some personalities may abstain. For a coup to begin, all personalities must be in the council room, and are contained there for the duration of the coup. If the wielder or a personality dies in this battle, their psychic body remains for 1 minute, but G'eld'dor absorbs their soul, and they can't be revived by any means short of a wish spell, or Balimar's Reinstall Soul ability.

Top of the Food Chain. If the wielder gains the loyalty of all personalities within the sword, Bal’yl grows to twice its size, and becomes a greatsword. The wielder can shift the sword between longsword form and greatsword form when they finish a short or long rest. If they choose to wield it as a longsword, their warlock spell slots increase by one spell level.

Master of Two Hells. If an individual devil’s talisman is placed into the pommel of this weapon, the wielder can cast the spell infernal calling through the weapon once per long rest to summon that particular devil. If the devil summoned through the talisman is of a higher challenge rating than the wielder should ordinarily be able to summon through the spell, it is treated as if they summoned the devil without a talisman.

Bestowed Immortality/Death. A Drow Matron Mother can perform a ritual with the weapon and the corpse of the wielder, and seal the wielder's body and soul within the weapon. If a Drow Matron Mother performs a ritual on the weapon and makes an arcana check of 20 or higher, or if Lolth herself touches the weapon and speaks the names of those she wishes to free, the personalities are released from the weapon. When released, they each appear in a random, unoccupied space as close to the weapon as possible.

Inferior Bloodline. If anyone besides a member of the Den Kent’tar willfully wields this blade, they will receive 2 points of exhaustion after 1 hour. This effect stacks for each hour it is wielded. A creature not of the Den Kent'tar, or even not of the warlock class, can attune to this weapon, and then attempt to negotiate wielding it with the personalities within. Bal'yl prefers warlocks, and will not accept a wielder of any other class without good cause or reason. A successful negotiation nullifies this property. Without a successful negotiation, they are unable to use any of the other properties of this weapon.

Burning Drow. When you have this weapon drawn, your right eye is drained of its color, and becomes grey. As the wielder grows in power, so too does this weapon in response:

(4th Level) Burn. As a bonus action, you can use a warlock spell slot, or reduce your current hit points and hit point maximum by 5, and cause this sword to catch a purplish fire that casts bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. This adds an additional 1d4 fire damage to strikes with this weapon. For every level of spell slot or every 5 hit points you use to activate this property, the fire damage increases by 1 dice size, up to 1d12 (1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10 -> 1d12). If you sacrifice hit points to use this property, you regain them upon finishing a long rest. Only one effect can exist at a time. This effect lasts for 1 hour.

(8th Level) Cocoon. As an action, or if you are incapacitated while this weapon is in your possession, webs sprout from the sword and weave around you in a cocoon. The cocoon insulates you and has 50 hit points. If you are at 0 hit points, you are stabilized until the cocoon is destroyed, at which point you resume making death saving throws. If the cocoon persists for 1 minute and you remain at 0 hit points, you return to 1 hit point and the cocoon dissipates. If they are friendly and willing, another creature within 5 feet may become encased inside of the cocoon with you. (They now share your 5 foot space, but are ejected into a space of their choice next to the cocoon upon its dispersal.) If an attack does more damage than is there are hit points to the cocoon, it absorbs the total damage. Those inside can see and hear through the cocoon, but those outside of it cannot see or hear inside of it, and you have enough room to do all spell components. Healing spells that target the cocoon will be redirected to you while inside, or if you choose, another creature inside. The cocoon’s duration can be indefinite unless the wielder chooses to disperse it as a bonus action. You can use this ability once per long rest.

(12th Level) Balimar's Fire. When you activate Burn, you can decide the type of elemental damage it gives. 

(16th Level) World as a Web. While this weapon is in your possession, you gain tremorsense for 30 feet. While in contact with a web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web, and you ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.

(17th Level) Black Blade of Disaster. If you know the spell blade of disaster, its behavior is modified while this weapon is in your possession. Bal'yl maintains concentration on the spell so that you don't have to. Upon casting the spell, the personality within this weapon you have bonded with the most is summoned to wield the blade of disaster. The wielder has the personality's creature type and size, and is capable of opportunity attacks, and flanking only with you. The wielder has hit points equal to your hit point maximum, shares your AC, and has immunity to all conditions. Whenever it makes an ability check or saving throw, it uses the personality’s bonuses. When either you or the wielder drops to 0 hit points, or the duration ends, the spell ends.

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

Notes: Bonus: Magic, warlock, or sucessful negotation with the weapon, Damage, Combat, Versatile, Sap