This one is almost like my favorite monster. I like a lot of them for different reasons, and the best for the job is subjective. However, as a player, my favorite magic item a character ever had was a vorpal bastard sword.
Tomos was born in B/X, but really came into his own in 1E. During his B/X adventures, he got a hold of a vorpal sword. Didn't think much of it until I converted him to 1E, and my friends revealed to me what I had. +3 to hit and damage, never dulls, on a 19 it will sever a limb, and on a 20 it will decapitate. I believe that was how it went.
I haven't played Tomos in many years, and haven't used a vorpal sword since. But in the hands of my half-elf fighter with his 18(90) strength, and being double-specialized (UA)...well, you can do the math.
Funny thing was, when I converted him to 1E, he was 5th level, and that was his only magic item. On the other hand, my two friends were playing 9th level characters who had been through several modules, including Queen of the Demonweb Pits. They each had scads of magic items. But in the end, Tomos and his sword made as much of an impact on battles as either of them (one a ranger, the other a fighter/magic-user).
Tomos and his sword used to inspire many stories, and I had a whole cycle of books planned about him. Good times!
I have been gaming, off and on, since I was 12 years old. Now that I'm...well, MUCH older, I don't get to play quite as often as I like, but I still like to keep my hand in the game, as it were. This blog is about the role-playing games I write, the games I play, and the games I wish I could play.
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