Scythe of the End (5e Equipment)
Weapon (greatscythe), artifact (Requires attunement by a non-good aligned creature that is not a celestial)
Forged by Abaddon, the King of Despair, in the heart of the Abyss, the Scythe of the End is a weapon drenched in the suffering and blood of countless innocents. It was crafted to be the harbinger of finality, a symbol of death’s unyielding grip. Abaddon, alongside his brother, left the Abyss to spread fear and torment across the planes, known as the Incarnation of Terror and the Lord of Silence. When the War for the Heavens began, Abaddon forged this scythe to mark the end of an era and his place as its executioner.
No being, mortal or divine, can escape the scythe’s edge. The blade’s power is fueled by the Abyss itself, capable of severing not just life, but existence itself. Abaddon has never lost the scythe—he merely allows it to fall into the hands of those he deems worthy or cursed. The wielder may find themselves unknowingly serving the Abyss as their fate intertwines with the dark god’s will.
Basic Properties. This magical greatscythe has a bonus of +3 on attacks and damage rolls.
Attuned Properties (Replace the Random Properties). While attuned to this artifact, you have the following benefits:
- You are immune to the frightened condition and to curses (except for the curse of this scythe).
- You have Resistance to necrotic damage.
- You have Advantage on Charisma checks made towards fiends, undead and evil aligned elementals, fey and aberrations.
- You have Disadvantage on Charisma checks made towards celestials and good aligned elemental, fey and aberrations, and they are always hostile towards you.
Holy Slayer. Any attacks made with this Scythe against celestials, good aligned fey, aberration or elementals and towards their servants (such as clerics or paladins that receive their power from good aligned entities) have Advantage.
When wielded by a Chaotic Evil creature, causes additional 3d6 necrotic damage on a hit against these creatures. This additional necrotic damage ignores resistance and immunity to necrotic damage.
Terrifying Presence. While wielding this scythe, you exude an aura of terror in a 30-foot radius. Any hostile creature that start its turn within the radius or move inside it for the first time must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or is frightened until they leave the area of the aura. A creature who succeeds this save is immune to this aura for the next 24 hours.
Charged Properties. The Greatscythe has 20 charges, that fuel the following properties. The scythe regains 10 expended charges daily at dawn. If the scythe has no charges left, it regains a number of charges equal to the CR of a creature you kill with it.
- Visceral Rend. When you cause slashing damage to a creature with this scythe, you can spend 5 charges make a Visceral Damage. This attack negate any resistance that creature has to slashing or necrotic damage for 1 minute and causes additional 5d10 slashing damage. In addition, for the duration, whenever that creature takes slashing or necrotic damage, it takes additional 2d6 damage from that type.
- Dreadful Rend. When you hit a creature with the scythe, you can spend 1 charge to force your target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, that creature is frightened of you for 1 minute. If you use this feature on a target that is already frightened, that target becomes incapacitated by fear for the duration.
- Blessing of Darkness. As an Action, you can spend charges to cast the following spells: dispel magic (1 charge per spell level, up to 7th-level), lesser restoration (2 charges), greater restoration (6 charges), remove curse (3 charges). Whenever you remove a condition, curse or disease from an ally using this spell, that ally gains a bonus to its next attack made until the end of its next turn equal to 1d6 necrotic per charge spent.
- Demonic Calling. As an Action, you can spend charges to conjure demons from the abyss using this scythe. You can cast the spells summon lesser demon (1 charge per level, up to 9th-level) and summon greater demon (1 charge per level, up to 9th-level) using this scythe. The summoned demons are friendly towards you and your allies (never attacking you nor then unless ordered to) and obey your commands, but otherwise behave as described on these spells.
Whispers of Abbadon. Abbadon himself whisper commands on the mind of the wielder of the scythe. You must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw at each new dawn. On a failed save, you receive a task from Abaddon, as determined by the GM, as if affected by the geas spell. The spell effect ends when the sword's demand is met.
Cursed. When attuned to this weapon, you can remove the attunement only with a wish spell or similar effect. The weapon reappears within 5 feet of you in 1 minute if lost, and it can never be removed from your grasp while you are conscious.
Destroying the Scythe of the End. On the surface, destroying the scythe is easy: a single cast of disintegrate or a good strike from a +3 weapon is enough to do so. But, since the scythe is bound to the soul of Abaddon itself, this only send the weapon back to the abyss, to the possession of the demon lord. Thus, the only real way of destroying the scythe is by destroying Abaddon, and then breaking the scythe while on the abyss.
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Equipment → Artifacts