Rattail Blade (A to Z, Tuesday Magic Item)

The god of rats and vermin was one of the last gods to be hunted down and before he was killed, he set in motion what he hoped would be his vengeance (see Osquip, Stellar).  Others, learning of the divine hatred imbued in the Osquip has taken to using that magic to build weapons.

Voddick and Gollaon watched as the guards searched one fellow heading into the Senatehouse of the Serene Republic.  They looked at each other and followed.  “Something wrong,” said Voddick.

“Very wrong,” agreed Gollaon.  “His eyes were too dark.”

“And a twitchy nose.”

They looked at each other.  “Rat tail.”

The man they were following spotted them and started to run.

Rattail Blade

These weapons are always narrow and usually long, their blades are a dull color usually gray or blackened, and their grips are rough leather.  The sheaths are always pale leather.

These are +1 weapons and the attacker gains an additional +1 to attack rolls when used in a sneak attack.  It gains an additional +2 damage against dragons.

The most useful ability is that it will turn into a ratlike tail and wrap around the owner, making it almost impossible to discover without a full strip search.  The owner can change it back into a blade as a free action.

Each time it is used, the owner becomes a little more ratlike, beady eyes, longer nose, fur, but the shift is subtle and takes dozens of uses before it is noticeable.

Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
Slot none; Price 8.500 + the cost of the blade; Weight by weapon
Construction Requirements
Craft Magical Arms and Armor, alter self, magic weapon; Cost 4,250 + the cost of the blade

For D&D 5E:

Magic weapon (blade), uncommon (require attunement)

First paragraph as above.

These give their wielder +1 to attack and damage roll with an additional +1 to attack rolls when used in a sneak attack.  It gains an additional +2 to damage roll against dragons.

The most useful ability is that it will turn into a ratlike tail and wrap around the owner, making it almost impossible to discover without a full strip search.  The owner can change it back into a blade as a free action.

Each time it is used, the owner becomes a little more ratlike, beady eyes, longer nose, fur, but the shift is subtle and takes dozens of uses before it is noticeable.

Notes: Rats, there are not a lot of rat themed magic items around.  Though this one is especially useful for an assassin . . . as long as you do not use it too much.

Image Credit: A black rat sitting upright on the ground. Etching by W. S. Howitt. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).