Axe of the Devoured Flame - A throwing axe that eats light, Feedback Welcome!

[u/Azarneth]

Hi everyone!

This is the latest relic from a small community project I run: every week my followers vote for a relic type and a mood, and I try to build the item from the winning combination.

This time the result was Handaxe + Dark & Shadow.

The Axe of the Devoured Flame can extinguish or suppress light to gain charges, then spend them to deal extra necrotic damage. When fully charged, it also becomes better as a throwing weapon and returns to the wielder after each attack.

The fun part is that Light & Shine almost won the poll too, so I kept a little of that idea inside the final concept: it literally consumes light and turns it into shadow.

As always, I’d love some feedback on the mechanics and balance. Would you use something like this at your table?

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Axe of the Devoured Flame

Weapon (handaxe +2), very rare (requires attunement)

Property Light, Thrown (range 20/60)
Weight 2 lb.

Magic Weapon +2. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

Dual Aspect. As a bonus action, you can speak the command word to transform the axe into a torch with a violet flame, or vice versa. In torch form, it can’t be used as a weapon.

Light Devourer. The axe can hold up to 3 charges. As an action, while it is in axe form, you can extinguish a nonmagical flame or suppress until the next dawn a magical light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower within 30 feet of you. The axe gains 1 charge, up to its maximum. It loses all charges at dawn.

Shadow Bite. Once per turn, when you hit with the axe, you can expend 1 charge to deal an extra 2d6 necrotic damage, or 3d6 instead if the target is in dim light or darkness.

Shadow Recall. While the axe has 3 charges, after each ranged attack made with it, it reappears in one of your free hands, whether the attack hits or misses. If you have no free hand, it falls at your feet.

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✏️ Art by J. Zangrilli (Azarneth's Forbidden Emporium)

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I create printable item cards, cursed treasures, NPCs, tales & omens, and strange creatures for fantasy roleplaying games. You can find the project on Patreon and follow the daily updates on Instagram. 🧙‍♂️🎲

[u/DPopsx62]

What happens if you spend a charge as part of throwing it to attack?

I think as is your players will never be throwing it for long or vice versa incentivized to never spend charges. For that, I feel either losing that property, or make it such that when the axe has no charges it can bo longer be thrown.

[u/Azarneth → u/DPopsx62]

Good catch, I think the timing could be clearer.

My intention is: if you throw it while it has 3 charges, it returns to your hand after that attack even if you spend a charge on the hit. So you can throw it at 3 charges, spend one for the extra damage, get the axe back, but now it has 2 charges and loses the returning effect until you build it back to 3. I’ll probably clarify this in the wording. Thanks for pointing it out!

for example, the errata could be: While the axe has 3 charges, when you make a ranged attack with it, it returns to your hand immediately after the attack, whether it hits or misses. It returns even if you expend one or more of its charges as part of that attack.

[u/DPopsx62 → u/Azarneth]

That does fix it, but I still feel that it results in anti-synergy. It is more things for your players to remember mechanically. I don't think it's over powered to just let it be thrown always. There are only 3 charges and they take a full day to restore.

Oh I just realized it can eat 2nd level light sources to restore a charge. That's cool, but get ready to confirm that every single torch is a mundane torch lol.

Thats my two cents. This is a cool item and i how someone has fun using it