Items of (Geeky) Power... Part 1

I am somewhat... infamous... in certain circles. I love to reach back into the depths of my psyche and pull forth story ideas that are mutated concepts stolen from hundreds of childhood sources. I have had my Star Wars players run across a withering Sith Lord who when enraged became a powerhouse warrior, declaring himself as "the Everliving" (For some reason he had an extreme dislike of Cathar). The Dark Sun campaign I ran a few years back had the players questing for a sword of power, long lost, but believed to be the key to the secrets of an ancient castle made of gray stone, a menacing skull motif over the drawbridge. These are but a few examples of the horror that I have unleashed upon my players... sometimes without them even realizing it. I don't feel guilty about this, since I know that the developers of many games include such references and plot points from their childhood cartoons and TV shows.

You may have already guessed that trend from the previous article I get my ideas from a wide number of sources, and quite a few are popular culture. That being said, I got hit with the idea to create a number Pathfinder "legal" magic items and artifacts (maybe some NPCs as well) that come from attempts to recapture my frivolously spent youth. I don't know how many articles I'll create like this, maybe one or two, maybe more. I guess it depends on the mood and the muse.

The Sword of Power

Aura: Strong transmutation, minor divination; CL 20th

Slot: None; Weight: 8 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

The Sword of Power appears, at first, to be a +2 adamantine bastard sword. When the correct power word is spoken, though, the sword's full abilities are revealed. The sword becomes a +4 shocking burst adamantine bastard sword. The wielder of the sword also becomes the beneficiary of both a bear's endurance and bull's strength spell. This transformation also causes the wielder of the sword to be affected by an alter self spell, but the new form is always an idealized version of the person, drawn from the person's subconscious. These alterations last for a number of minutes equal to the holder's (current) Constitution score x 5. The minutes do not need to be consecutive.

If the owner of the sword has an animal companion, familiar, or special mount, these bonuses are also applied to that creature. If that creature is Medium or smaller in size, the creature increases in size one step.

Unknown to most, the Sword of Power is also keyed to a powerful spell caster, normally of 16th level or higher, often even beyond 20th level (Knowledge: Arcane DC 40).  This caster can cast scrying on the holder of the Sword of Power at will (as though the caster was familiar with the holder of the sword), and once a day that spell caster can send a message as if using the sending spell.