[Giants] Weapon - Stormrider Lash (Patreon)

Listen close for Stormriders as they rumble across the skies, those storm giants daring to pursue and tame their latest prize. What might it be? A roc? A cloud dragon? Or even one of Vordin's Wolves?

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You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

Flash of Lightning. You deal an extra 1d4 lightning damage to targets you hit with this weapon. If you roll a 20 on an attack roll made using this weapon, you can immediately use the Peal of Thunder property without expending a use of it (no action required; spell's area originates from the target's space).

Peal of Thunder. While wielding this weapon, you can invoke its rune, cracking the whip and casting Thunderwave from it (save DC 17). You can choose to have this spell's area originate from (but must encompass) any space within reach of this weapon. This property can be used twice, regaining expended uses of it daily at dawn.

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Giants Wake. This weapon gains the following improvements while your size is larger than Medium:

Large. You can also use the Peal of Thunder property without expending charges on a roll of 18 or 19 on an attack roll made using this weapon.

Huge or Gargantuan. Your reach with this weapon increases by 5 feet; you can also use the Peal of Thunder property without expending charges on a roll of 17–19 on an attack roll made using it.

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DESIGN COMMENTARY

This whip is the signature item for the Storm Giants. A tentative lore for Storm God Vordin was established in Divine Favors and Animal Accoutrements, describing the sound of thunder as the rumble of his wolves taking him across the sky. This theme is carried over to the Storm Giants in this pseudo-setting: they are Stormriders with similar chariots and mounts. Hence the whip.

The visual design was drawn from the Norwegian and Viking Urnes style. Obsessed with the intricate winding overlapping circular patterning.

The power level of the whip falls to its 3 features: the +1 bonus and persistent +1d4 damage accounts for up to Rare and Attunement (+1 is Uncommon non-attune; +2.5 damage per hit roughly equals another step up in rarity). The two Thunderwave casts make up the rest, bumping it up to Very Rare. To make up for the comparatively low-damage of Thunderwave at this tier of play, the whip permits the occasional free cast of on a roll of 20 (not a Crit), which is expected to occur 1.5 times per day on average.

The Giants Wake bonus is meant to be minor as to not overpower. The Large size bonus is kept minimal because being Large also already provides a benefit to reach with this whip. Huge+ is a rare achievement. My expectation is that at that level, extending OA for a weapon that can't benefit from the usual synergies (Sentinel Feat) is alright and rare. Plus it's too cool to not have a 15-foot reach whip in massive form!