Axe of Gruumsh

Seeing the peril his people faced, a young Orc or Half Orc prince came to believe that his people needed something to unite them. Thus, he set out to forge a weapon that would be such a symbol.

Venturing deep under the mountains, deeper than any Orc or Half Orc had ever delved, the young prince came to the blazing heart of a great volcano. With the aid of Gruumsh, the Orcish  god of vengeance, he first crafted this magnificent adamantium weapon. Then, he forged the Axe of Gruumsh.

Armed with the artifact, the prince returned to the Orcish clans and brought unity. His axe ended grudges and answered offenses. The clans became allies, and they slayed their enemies and enjoyed an era of prosperity. This Orc is remembered as the Hand of Gruumsh. When he became old, he passed the weapon, which had become his badge of office, to his heir. The rightful inheritors passed the axe on for many generations.

Later, in a dark era marked by treachery and wickedness, the axe was lost in a bloody civil war fomented by greed for its power and the status it bestowed. Centuries later, the Orcs still search for the axe, and many adventurers have made careers of chasing after rumors and plundering old vaults to find it.

Magic Weapon

The Axe of the Gruumsh is a magic weapon that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. The axe also functions as a belt of storm giant strength, a dwarven thrower, and a sword of sharpness.

 When you attack an object with this magic sword and hit, maximize your weapon damage dice against the target.

When you attack a creature with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 4d6 slashing damage. Then roll another d20. If you roll a 20, you lop off one of the target's limbs, with the effect of such loss determined by the GM. If the creature has no limb to sever, you lop off a portion of its body instead.

In addition, you can speak the sword's command word to cause the blade to shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. Speaking the command word again or sheathing the sword puts out the light.

It has the thrown property with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. When you hit with a ranged attack using this weapon, it deals an extra 1d8 damage or, if the target is a giant, 2d8 damage. Immediately after the attack, the weapon flies back to your hand.

Random Properties

The axe has the following randomly determined properties:

• 2 minor beneficial properties:
• While attuned to the artifact, you are immune to being charmed or frightened.
• While attuned to the artifact, you have resistance against necrotic and psychic damage.
• 1 major beneficial property: 
• While attuned to the artifact, Constitution ability score increases by 2, to a maximum of 24.
• 2 minor detrimental properties
• While attuned to the artifact, all holy water within 10 feet of you is destroyed.
• While attuned to the artifact, your weight increases by 30 lbs.

Blessings of Gruumsh

If you are an Orc or Half Orc attuned to the axe, you gain the following benefits:

• You have immunity to poison damage.
• The range of your darkvision increases by 60 feet.
• You gain proficiency with artisan’s tools related to blacksmithing and brewing.

Conjure Earth Elemental

If you are holding the axe, you can use your action to cast the conjure elemental spell from it, summoning an earth elemental. You can’t use this property again until the next dawn.

Travel the Depths

You can use an action to touch the axe to a fixed piece of ancient stonework and cast the teleport spell from the axe. If your intended destination is underground, there is no chance of a mishap or arriving somewhere unexpected. You can’t use this property again until 3 days have passed.

Curse

The axe bears a curse that affects any non-Orc or Half Orc that becomes attuned to it. Even if the attunement ends, the curse remains. With each passing day, the creature’s physical appearance and stature become more Orc like. After seven days, the creature looks like a typical Half Orc or Orc, but the creature neither loses its racial traits nor gains the racial traits of a Orc. The physical changes wrought by the axe aren’t considered magical in nature (and therefore can’t be dispelled), but they can be undone by any effect that removes a curse, such as a greater restoration or remove curse spell.

Destroying the Axe

The only way to destroy the axe is to melt it down in the Elven forge. It must remain in the burning forge for fifty years before it finally succumbs to the fire and is consumed.

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, Bonus: Constitution Score, Advantage: Persuasion, Damage: Additional, Sense: Darkvision, Immunity: Poison, Proficiency: Smith's Tools, Proficiency: Brewer's Supplies, Set: Strength Score, Resistance: Psychic, Damage: Fire, Damage: Necrotic, Damage: Melee Weapon Attacks, Immunity: Charmed, Immunity: Frightened, Resistance: Necrotic, Weapon Property: Thrown, Attuned by an Orc or Half Orc Fighter, Ranger, Barbarian, or Druid., Damage, Buff, Debuff, Combat, Cursed, Heavy, Two-Handed, Cleave