[Cosmos][Swordtember] Weapon - F-32 “Falcon" Wingblade

This custom blade requires special training to properly use. Kendoran “Falconeer” shock troopers wield them to devastating effect, zipping around the combat zone in an bombarding flock.

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F-32 “Falcon" Wingblade
Weapon (turbo-sword), technomancy, rare (requires attunement)

Twin Modes. This weapon has two forms — a Blade Form and a Wing Form — that determines the weapon's properties, described below. At the start of your turns, you can decide which form the weapon takes (no action required).

• Blade Form. While in this mode, the weapon’s damage die is 2d6 and it has a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls. When you hit a target with this weapon, you can use a bonus action to deal an extra 2d6 weapon damage with the attack.

• Wing Form. While in this mode, the weapon's damage die is 1d6 and it has the Thrown (20/60) property; it flies back into your hand after you hit or miss with it. While holding this weapon, you can use a bonus action to gain a fly speed of 40 feet until the end of your turn or until you no longer hold the weapon.

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DESIGN COMMENTARY

This was designed as part of the Swordtember Challenge! I've always been interested and amazed by the people who worked on the challenge and yet never had the spare time to participate myself. I still don't, so I won't be able to participate for the rest of the month (sad), but I'm happy I did at least one. This was orchestrated by several other creators; we got together and also had a lovely discussion about our weapon design process, which will be released in a video at some point in the future.

I also used a previous scrapped render of this art to design a new, but similar weapon that won't be in the book! Patrons can check out the F-21 "Kestrel" here.

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The stats of this item are self-explanatory, with an offensive and mobility mode. For the offense mode, the +1 accounts for its power level up to a non-attunement uncommon; the bonus action 2d6 damage accounts for a portion of the remainder. Though 2d6 seems like a lot, the bonus action cost becomes substantial at this tier of play especially when it is needed for so many other things (Second Wind, Rage, Hunter's Mark, Smite spells, etc) and only occurs once per turn.

For the mobility mode, you get a Thrown benefit that essentially is any typical Thrown weapon (so it's nothing), plus a fly speed that lasts for one turn. It's a positioning benefit that can be doubled to 80 via Dash, or more with other effects. Flight is pretty powerful especially at will (even if limited), so this is somewhat equivalent to the other flight items (boots of flying).

Together, the versatility of both options places it at the rare attunement level.

Design-wise, the Swordtember prompt was "wings," and the outside-the-box idea was airplane wings. It can essentially act like a glider (green goblin!). It pulls inspiration from the Milano starship (Guardians of the Galaxy) and X-wings (Star Wars). The whole time, my mental image of the blade was a cybernetic bounty hunter zipping around combat with the weapon swinging it and transforming it for various uses.