Corrupted Warden sword

[Mr. Cool Breeze]

OK a little background. My players are playing in an alternate world where Harry and Elaine never broke free from Justin and the three of them crippled the White Council. They wiped out the Senior Council and devastated the Wardens. The Council has limped along since not nearly as powerful or influential as it is in canon. All the defeated Wardens had their swords grabbed up by Justin and he hands them out to his most devout followers. Thing is I don't want them to be just Warden swords. Heck two of my players are Wardens, sort of, the title doesn't carry nearly the weight it used to. But they do have Swords. Wanted to ask for any thoughts as to what sort of changes or corruption I could bring to the table to make Justin's swords stand out.

[PirateJack]

Well, they're already pretty powerful weapons, but at their core they're a means for Wardens to kill without breaking the First Law. I can't imagine a greater corruption than having them be used as a means of breaking the Laws. Maybe turn them into focus items as well as enchanted ones, or lay an offensive enchantment on them that actively seeks to kill.

[Taran]

Well, they're already pretty powerful weapons, but at their core they're a means for Wardens to kill without breaking the First Law. I can't imagine a greater corruption than having them be used as a means of breaking the Laws. Maybe turn them into focus items as well as enchanted ones, or lay an offensive enchantment on them that actively seeks to kill.

Demonic co-pilot:  "kill.  Kill!  Kill them all!"

[Ophidimancer]

Demonic co-pilot:  "kill.  Kill!  Kill them all!"

I agree, maybe power them up with Outsider mojo, too.  Physical Immunity to magic

[Quantus]

Well, in the cannon they are tied to the personality of the warden that used them.  WOJ says that someone "could use another warden's sword if he became enough like them.  Morgan's sword for example (smirk).  If he shared the same kind of psychological profile as Morgan, if he ever got beat into that shape, he could probably be able to pick up his sword and use it. "  So by that it could be problematic to hand out used warden swords to your minions.  But what if in killing the warden, Justin used some crazy necromancy similar to corpsetaker's and trapped some barely sane portion of the former Warden's soul in them, as a mechanism to activate the power.  So instead of doing it however the normal wardens do, they have to mildly dominate the spirit of the blade, or some such, but can also channel a certain amount of the former wizards magic, like how harry ate the Kravos ghost and got one of his spells briefly.

Just a thought.

[Mr. Cool Breeze]

So what I'm hearing is something like how they run Harrowed in Deadlands. Something there to aid and further corrupt an already messed up wizard. I think I have a book or 3 about for  that game, sounds good, thanks.

[Taran]

Well, in the cannon they are tied to the personality of the warden that used them.  WOJ says that someone "could use another warden's sword if he became enough like them.  Morgan's sword for example (smirk).  If he shared the same kind of psychological profile as Morgan, if he ever got beat into that shape, he could probably be able to pick up his sword and use it. "  So by that it could be problematic to hand out used warden swords to your minions.  But what if in killing the warden, Justin used some crazy necromancy similar to corpsetaker's and trapped some barely sane portion of the former Warden's soul in them, as a mechanism to activate the power.  So instead of doing it however the normal wardens do, they have to mildly dominate the spirit of the blade, or some such, but can also channel a certain amount of the former wizards magic, like how harry ate the Kravos ghost and got one of his spells briefly.

Just a thought.

If that's the case then, perhaps, by being slowly influenced and corrupted by the sword you are able to unlock more and greater powers because the weilder is becoming more and more like the crazy soul trapped inside.

As you get corrupted, your aspects change to fit the personality of the sword, then more powers can be bought up with refresh or more powers can be "borrowed" with debt.  Sanctaphrax had a few neat custom powers under the Demonic Co-Pilot/Possesion re-write  thread.   I think an item of power would work well.

I'm not sure if your players are going to spend refresh on it, or if these Warden Swords are Enchanted Items.  I still think you could use sponsored debt to boost spells that would entice your players to break laws...  I think the back story would be enough to justify sponsored debt without spending refresh on it.

Lastly, if they took an aspect that reflected the fact that they had a cursed Wardens sword, you could just use compels.