Wondrous Wednesday: Dwarf Thrower & Toothpick of Lightning (D&D 5E)

So, I had a change in work shift, and recently I had a baby! Nevertheless, I have a backlog of stuff I should post, things I'd started to work up and then put on the back burner to focus on Real Life. So, two weapon items today.

 


The first is not the famous magical hammer from the DMG. This is another item from "Still More [Gods Forbid] Outrages From the Mages," Dragon #144 (April 1989), by John M. Maxstadt. This is an otherwise-useful item with a manageable curse – unless the group is a party entirely composed of dwarves...

Dwarf Thrower 
Weapon (warhammer), very rare (requires attunement)

This magic weapon has the thrown property with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. Immediately after the attack, the weapon flies back to your hand.
     Curse. Whenever a dwarf who is attuned to this hammer tries to wield it in combat, it immediately animates, picks the dwarf up, and hurls them bodily at their opponent. The attack is made with the attuned character's attack bonus (at +3 due to the hammer's magic) and does 9 (1d12 + 3) bludgeoning damage – to the dwarf, the opponent takes only 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. This attack has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If the attack misses, the dwarf takes double the above damage.
     This hammer is an unusually handsome weapon, featuring the finest work of the elvish master smiths.

The second is from "Not Found In Any Stores!," Dragon #120 (April 1987), by James MacDougall. It's an interesting item for the GM who wants to have an apparently-unarmed foe prove to be a much bigger threat than imagined.

Toothpick of Lightning
Weapon (improvised), uncommon

This toothpick is a magic weapon. When you hurl it and speak its command word, it transforms into a bolt of lightning, forming a line 5 feet wide that extends out from you to a target within 60 feet. Each creature in the line excluding you and the target must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 lightning damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The lightning bolt turns back into a toothpick when it reaches the target. Make a ranged weapon attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1 point of piercing damage from the toothpick plus 2d6 lightning damage. The toothpick is then destroyed.
     Toothpicks of lightning appear otherwise to be 3-inch-long slivers of wood. There are up to five individually-wrapped toothpicks in a pack. There is a 1% chance per round that a toothpick activates if used as a tooth-cleaning implement. In this event, the user has disadvantage on the saving throw.
     The Tavern Brawler feat allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with them.

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