Master Sword

Originally published as a website article, Feb 15 2019.

Introduction

The Hero’s triumph on Cataclysm’s Eve
Wins three symbols of virtue.
The Master Sword he will then retrieve,
Keeping the Knight’s line true.

Reclaim the Wild intends for players to play all-new Heroes, rather than rehashing Link and his adventures. However, the time might come when you want to have the Master Sword show up in your game. Perhaps Link himself makes an appearance, and needs your Heroes’ help to accomplish a task and save the day. Alternatively, perhaps Link died, or was never born – and hitherto-unknown Heroes must now take up the Master Sword and do what needs be done.

Famously, the Master Sword is rarely the most powerful sword Link wields. Sometimes it’s rusted, a shadow of its former glory; sometimes it’s blessed by a Great Fairy or even a Goddess, imbued with incredible power. As such, we present the Master Sword in a variety of states, below.

The Master Sword

(In the statblocks below, the effects of Enchantments on the weapons’ Accuracy, Attack, and Durability are already taken into account.)

Master Sword (Neglected)
Rank 2 Sword, Neglected Style
The fact that the Master Sword lost the power to repel evil suggests to me that something has happened to the sages who infused the blade with the gods’ power.
Accuracy: 4
Attack: 11
Durability: 5
Enchantment: Perfectly Balanced (Rank 2)
Effect: Critical Range +1. This weapon cannot rust, and does not conduct electricity.

Master Sword
Rank 3 Sword, no Crafting Style
Legends tell of many treasures that the Hylia hid throughout the land… The Master Sword, a mighty blade forged against those with evil hearts, is one of them. People say that now it is sleeping deep in the forest…
Accuracy: 4
Attack: 15
Durability: 14
Enchantment: Perfectly Balanced (Rank 3)
Enchantment (Weapon Spirit): Silvered (Rank 3)
Effect: Critical Range +1.

Master Sword (Reforged)
Rank 4 Sword, Royal Guard Style
The sacred flames have purified this blade. Well done, Link. That sword holds tremendous power.
Accuracy: 5
Attack: 22
Durability: 13
Enchantment: Perfectly Balanced (Rank 4)
Enchantment (Weapon Spirit): Silvered (Rank 4)
Effect: Critical Range +2.

Master Sword (Blessed)
Rank 5 Sword, Goddess-Forged Style
Along your travels you have found wisdom, power, and courage, and for this I shall bless your sword with the goddess’s power. May it give you and your sword the strength to drive back the abomination that threatens this land!
Accuracy: 7
Attack: 24
Durability: 26
Enchantment: Perfectly Balanced (Rank 5)
Enchantment (Weapon Spirit): Silvered (Rank 5)
Effect: Critical Range +2. This weapon cannot rust, and will only take Durability damage from normal use.

Custom Effects

The above Master Sword writeups use both a custom Crafting Style, and a custom Enchantment. Those are presented below! (And of course, you may use them separate from the Master Sword(s) above, if you so choose.)

Silvered
Uses: Diamond
Equipment Type: Any Weapon
Effect: Foes who are considered a great evil, or are serving or controlled by a great evil, have a Weakness to this weapon. This weapon may also trigger a Boss or Miniboss’s Weak Point, though that varies from foe to foe. (These effects only occur if the foe is of a Rank equal to or less than this Enchantment’s Rank; otherwise, this Enchantment does nothing.)

Crafting Style: Goddess-Forged
9 Tokens
Trait Requirement: Smithing 9
Effect: You may choose to use this whenever crafting a weapon in a place of deep magical power (such as in a temple, or in the Sacred Realm). The weapon costs 5 more Materials, cannot be set Burning or Rusted, will only take Durability damage from normal use, and has 2 greater Durability and 2 greater Accuracy.

When you drew that sword of yours out of its pedestal…
Did you understand precisely what that means?
…I highly doubt you do.