You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, while you are attuned to this weapon, you gain 2d6 temporary hit points at the start of each of your turns as long as you have dealt no damage since the start of your last turn.
Curse. This handaxe is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the handaxe, keeping it within reach at all times. You also have disadvantage on attack rolls with weapons other than this one, unless no foe is within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear.
Common ground. While attuned to this handaxe, whenever you take the Attack action or cast a damaging spell, you must first succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. If you fail, you must instead use your action to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check against your target, attempting to resolve your differences through communication instead of violence. (If the damaging spell was a bonus action or reaction and you failed the Charisma saving throw, the bonus action or reaction is simply lost.)
Break the cycle. While attuned to this handaxe, whenever you deal damage to a sentient being, you take psychic damage equal to half the amount of damage you dealt (rounded down).
Sentience. The handaxe is a sentient neutral good weapon with an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 18, and a Charisma of 20. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Common, Deep Speech, Elvish, and Hadozee.
Personality. A hapless hadozee-turned-starlight-apparition named Barry is contained within the handaxe. Barry abhors violence and believes that all disagreements could be settled through good-faith discussion, so the weapon pushes its wielder to stop, collaborate, and listen. Barry met their end while attempting to peacefully negotiate with an eldritch lich who thought it would be comical to trap their diplomatic soul within a tool for violence.
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I don't know why nobody listens to me. Violence begets violence. It always has, and it always will. "Well, they started it," or "he killed my father," or "she'll kill me if I don't kill her first" - there's always some justification to visit violence upon someone because you "had" to, which only creates justification for reciprocal violence within that someone, or within someone close to them. The rift between the githzerai and the githyanki? Baseless, artificial, and perfectly resolvable.
Real strength? Real power? That's having the courage to break free from the cycle. It's standing against the tides of violence, reaching out to your foe and finding the common ground between you. To realize that your differences can be resolved amicably, if you stop and truly listen to each other; if you put your heads (however many you may have) together and look at the problem objectively.
It's difficult, no question - but I can help with that! I've been carried by many brave creatures seeking to shatter the feedback loop of violence all across wildspace! I've also fallen into the hands (and pseudopods!) of beings who were less inclined towards peaceful resolutions, and I've done my best to help them down the better path.
What happened to all those creatures, you ask? Listen, I’ve told you it was difficult - but no matter! I have a great feeling about you!
My name is Barry. I am a hatchet.
Proficiency with a Handaxe allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.
This weapon has the following mastery property. To use this property, you must have a feature that lets you use it.
Vex. If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to the creature, you have Advantage on your next attack roll against that creature before the end of your next turn.
Notes: Bonus: Magic, Damage, Combat, Light, Thrown, Vex
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