Axe of The Dwarvish Lords - Description and Powers

Description and Powers

In its earliest form in Eldritch Wizardry, the artifact is described as a short-handled axe backed by a clawed hammer head, with its history being that it was forged far in the D&D world's past by a king of the dwarves. Regarding its powers in the game, the item, as a weapon, has all the powers of a sword of sharpness and additionally confers on its user the keen eyesight and senses of the dwarven race, an ability to teleport at intervals, and a weekly Wish spell. The artifact's possessor faces certain, inherent disadvantages imposed by the intense magic of the weapon, however. The longer the item is in a person's possession, the more that person's appearance will begin to become dwarf-like (facial hair, shrinking height and increasing girth). The possessor takes additional damage from any attacks and must sacrifice a living human in order to activate the axe for each 24 hour period.

In publications for AD&D, the axe's powers and history were further detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide, which described its maker as the "first Dwarven King" who forged it with the aid of a deity, but having been lost in the Invoked Devastation, a fictional event that took place in the World of Greyhawk setting. The Book of Artifacts expands on this history, stating that the Axe was one of "Five Great Tools" forged by the king. In this history the Axe is given the additional name of The Fierce Axe, but the details of the loss of the Axe were changed to a civil war among the dwarves for possession of it. Additionally, the powers of the Axe were changed in these publications. The Dungeon Master's Guide dropped some of the powers ascribed to it in Eldritch Wizardry for a system where each individual dungeon master would determine them. In Book of Artifacts the powers were again strictly defined, although some were still different than those given in Eldritch Wizardry.

The Axe of the Dwarvish Lords adventure module, written for the second edition rules of AD&D, greatly expanded on the history given in Book of Artifacts, going into great detail regarding the fictional forging of the Axe and the dwarven civil war. The powers of the Axe were also detailed in greater depth and again changed somewhat from previous versions, though the Axe's physical description remained essentially the same.

In the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, Epic Level Handbook, the Axe is described as it has been in products since Book of Artifacts. Regarding its powers it is described as a dwarven war-axe with a powerful enhancement bonus to increase the chances of successfully hitting an opponent. Additional special abilities of the Axe include a doubled chance of scoring a critical hit, the ability to be thrown by its wielder as if it were a throwing weapon, and an increased chance of successfully hitting and dealing extra damage to goblinoid opponents. It also stated that any non-dwarf who holds the Axe loses some of their vitality, while a dwarf who holds it gains an improved ability to see in the dark, bonuses to their ability to craft items, and the ability to summon an elder earth elemental.