mac@eisx.UUCP (James McParland) (01/15/85)
I am currently reading "The Complete Book of Swords" by Fred Saberhagen. It's a trilogy about a game that the gods are playing with mortal pawns. As the subject line of the article and the title of the book imply, there are several magic swords (forged by Vulcan) which appear in the story. Each has one, two, or three names - examples: Dragonslicer Townsaver (Sword of Fury) Sightblinder (Sword of Stealth) Stonecutter Coinspinner (Sword of Luck) Pathfinder (Sword of Wisdom) Sword of Mercy Shieldbreaker Sword of Tyranny Sword of Vengence etc. Has anyone else out there read this book? It was a Science Fiction Book Club featured selection. Each sword gives it's user special powers - which are sometimes unpredictable. For example, Townsaver is a "normal" sword except when it is used to defend unarmed people - but it doesn't guarantee the safety of the person who uses it. And the user of Sightblinder has no way of knowing what disguise the sword has provided for him. And Coinspinner has a habit of disappearing unexpectedly. And the Sword of Mercy is useless in battle as a weapon. Does anyone want to take a crack at describing these swords in a way that would fit into a D&D campaign? ----------------------------------------------------- "The one who dies with the most toys wins!" Jim McParland Cap Gemini DASD / on assignment at AT&T-IS, South Plainfield, NJ eisx!mac