Mace of Terror 5e
Melee Weapon (Simple, Mace), Requires Attunement
This magic weapon has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to release a wave of terror. Each creature of your choice in a 30-foot radius extending from you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. While it is frightened in this way, a creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If it has nowhere it can move, the creature can use the Dodge action. At the end of each of its turns, a creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The mace regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
Commentary by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
The Mace of Terror does a fantastic job being spooky. You slam it down, and everything around is going to have a bad time while fleeing aimlessly from you. Metal!
The effects here are almost identical to “turning” creatures using features like Turn Undead provided by the paladin and cleric classes. Why it isn’t keyworded is truly beyond me.
Three charges is a ton of charges. Opening up a fight with a Mace of Terror can easily turn the action economy in your favor, and you can do this a minimum of once per day.
Creatures are spending their movement to flee, and aren’t allowed to take the disengage action. When they leave a melee creature’s attack range, that can provoke an attack of opportunity.
Thank you for visiting!
If you’d like to support this ongoing project, you can do so by buying my books, getting some sweet C&C merch, or joining my Patreon.
The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.
A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
