All of the Swords look identical except for a small white symbol etched into on side of the black hilt. The blade is a little over three feet long, and with a molted steel color.

They may be treated as a longsword and/or a bastard sword.

All of the swords are unbreakable (except as noted in Shieldbreaker's description).

They retain an extremely keen edge no matter what they cut or are struck against.

Unless otherwise stated each weapon is +1 "to hit" and +3 damage

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The most powerful of the twelve. As Vulcan's prized weapon, he invested a great deal of his essence into the blade. The Sword prevents any harm to come to the wielder from any type of weapon or spell (direct or indirect/physical or mental). As long as someone is engaging the wielder in combat he cannot release the Sword (he does not have to draw it, and may release it after all opponents disengage).

The only thing that the Sword will not effect is unharmed opponents: If anyone or thing that attacks without weapons (or spells) the Sword will pass, harmlessly, through them as if they were made of air. The other disadvantage is that the Sword increases it's strength by drawing from the wielder, for every five rounds of combat it reduces the wielder's Strength by one (ie 2 points of STR per turn). The wielder is not effected by this loss until all combat is done and the magic of the Sword no longer supports him. If the wielder is below one point of Strength, he will be comatose until he reaches 1 point; regaining one point a day. After this he will regain 3 points per day for total rest, or 1 point a day for resting and travelling (riding ONLY).

COMBAT EFFECTS:

Dispels all spells used against wielder.

For every person who attacks the wielder with a weapon or spell (in melee range) the sword will: d100

1 - 20% Destroys their weapon.

21 - 40% Cuts off one hand/arm

41 - 45% Cuts off both hands/arms

46 - 50% Cuts off one leg

51 -100% Kills (no save)

There is no save for any of these effects. Magic armor offers no benefit at all, nor will a Stoneskin absorb the damage.

Stonecutter slices through rock and stone, literally, as a hot knife would through butter. If it's point is rested on stone, it will begin

to cut it, with its own weight. Stonecutter may be used to tunnel through stone at a rate of 3" (this is assuming there is someone to remove the debris, or that the tunneler is going up, letting the debris fall below). The tunnel would be about four feet in diameter.

Stonecutter has no combat bonuses in addition to the standard benefits of a Sword, unless fighting creatures made of stone. Then Stonecutter adds a +4 to hit, and a +6 to damage. On a modified roll of 19 or 20, the Sword will cut off a limb or appendage, and on a natural roll of 20, it will destroy the monster.

When used against stoneworks it does 15 points of damage.

It is the least known Sword (it was destroyed without ever have been used were the teller of the story could tell the readers).

The Sword of Justice throws the power of the opponent(s)'s attack back at them. Acts a Ring of Spell Turning (and over powers a ring) against spells. Attacks with melee weapons: attacker rolls to hit, if the score is enough to hit the ATTACKER he rolls for the amount of damage he *would* have done, then Doomgiver hits him, causing that much damage.

When the user wears this Sword it makes him appear to all others as what they fear or love, depending on who and what they are thinking of (the wielder may change from a father to a wife, if the viewer's thoughts change). Usually groups see the wielder as the same person. The image the wielder takes cannot be chosen, it may or may not appear to be wearing a sword (or even a Sword if others see him as a person who should be wearing one).

Also the wielder can see through all illusions, magical or otherwise.

The Sword acts as a True Seeing spell when drawn.

The Sword of Mercy cannot harm any living creature, if thrust into someone it will cure 2 - 20 points of damage, cure disease, cure blind-ness, and regenerate(which will also heal what the cure 2-20 doesn't).

If used against undead, they must save versus Death Magic at -8, or be rendered dead.

Undead without corporal bodies can be hit, the Sword does the damage as a "normal" Sword. (ghosts, spectres, phantoms, etc). With these pluses: +3 "to hit" +3 damage

Evil creatures from the outer planes can be fought with this Sword.

It does damage as a Sword. With these pluses: +3 "to hit" +3 damage If used against non-organic (never living) it uses the normal pluses for a Sword, and does damage.

All intelligent, semi and up, creatures who see this Sword drawn, become the faithful servants of the wielder. They remain faithful until the wielder loses the blade or they handle one of the other Swords and make a save. Possessing one of the other Twelve allows the person a save vs magic not to be controlled by the Mindsword. If the mindsword and its wielder are out of sight the save is at +4. Doomgiver's andShieldbreaker's wielders are immune to the Mindsword.

Creatures under the power of the Mindsword will follow ANY command given by the wielder, even suicidal instructions, with no hesitation.

Its power creates thoughts of absolute hopelessness in all within 100 yards radius of the drawn sword. The wielder is also effected by the Sword. All within the radius of effect sink to the ground, so hopeless that they can do nothing but stare at the ground.

Carrying another Sword will give the wielder a save vs magic at +5.

Once the Sword is sheathed (if it is sheathed all people effected slowly regain their normal world-view and recover (10 - level /rounds).

The wielder of Soulcutter ages one year for every round the weapon is drawn. The wielder cannot return the blade to its sheath unless he also carries another Sword and makes his save when Soulcutter is drawn).

Townsaver is somewhat similar to Shieldbreaker, in its effects on opponents in combat.

Wielder cannot be controlled by another.

For every person who attacks the wielder (armed or unarmed), if they are within melee range) the sword will: d100 fail save Saved

1 - 15% Destroys their weapon Knocks weapon from their hand

16 - 35% Cuts off one hand/arm normal damage

36 - 40% Cuts off both hands/arms normal damage

41 - 45% Cuts off one leg normal damage

46 - 95% Double damage normal damage

96 -100% Kills double damage

The disadvantage of Townsaver is that it does not protect the wielder as does the Sword of Force. If Townsaver is controlling the wielder he gains no AC bonus for dexterity and suffers a -2 to his AC.

A highly skilled fighter may be able to control the Sword. If (Level + INT + WIS + CON) > 55.

If the wielder can control the sword it does not use the table above, nor does it give an attack for each attacking opponent.

Adds 1 to the wielders attacks/per round

+3 "to hit" +3 damage

Wayfinder can be used to make decisions. Such as "Where can I find a wizard to help me on this adventure?" you point the Sword around until you feel a tingle, and then go that way.

Wayfinder always makes the "correct" choice, but not always the path of least risk.

The wielder grasps this Sword by its hilt spins in a circle and says, "For thy heart, for thy hear, who hast wronged me!" Release it, and it flies for a couple of feet then disappears. It reappears by the named enemy and pierces his/its heart, killing it. There is no save.

No armor or magic can stop Farslayer, only Shieldbreaker can stop this Sword (Farslayer would be destroyed).

The sword lays in the enemies' heart, until someone finds him and draws it out.

Coinspinner can be used similar to Wayfinder, although it finds the best chance of what the wielder seeks. The oddest thing about the Sword of Chance is that it is the only sword that can move itself. If not watched it may disappear. No vault, or magic can keep it in one place.

+4 Luck (all saves at +4)

+6 Luck in all games of chance

Dragonslicer will kill any dragon whose flesh it bites. When used against dragons it has no "to hit" bonus, but if the Sword hits the dragon dies (no save). Removing the Sword from the dragon's body requires a bend bars/lift gates roll.

Warning: there be **SPOILERS** below for Fred Saberhagen's Swords books!

I had several of Fred Saberhagen's Swords in a campaign I ran last year. Here's how I treated them (or at least what I can remember):

1. All Swords are treated as +4 longswords, but can hit any opponent (i.e. an opponent requiring '+5 or better weapon to hit' can be harmed by a Sword).
2. The magic of the swords is very powerful, but limited, being strongly linked to their home world (I suggest you do not make your home world the Sword's world!). If removed from their home world, all Swords are treated as regular longswords, but are unbreakable. The magic of the Swords can affect ANY being, including Greater Gods/Major Powers, but any being with Shieldbreaker is immune to all of the effects of the other swords (except Woundhealer, which is not a weapon).
3. The only known way to destroy a Sword is if it goes against Shieldbreaker, which treats it as just another weapon to be destroyed.
4. If someone wields 2 Swords at the same time, they must save vs. Magic or be overcome by the power of the swords, falling unconscious for 1d6 turns. If the save is made, the character will experience a feeling of euphoria but can use both swords.

Here are the swords I used (or at least prepared):

DRAGONSLICER - Dragons or dragon-related creatures are treated as AC 10 against this sword (I never used this sword, but it seemed like the way to go).

FARSLAYER - It can kill anything on the same planet that it is on, even a Greater God/Major Power--it flies through any barrier to reach its target, always (99%) striking its target in the back. This death is permanent; not even a Wish can bring Farslayer's victim back (this is what the group was questing after). Farslayer can be hurled into the air on one side of the world and slay a being on the other side of the world, passing through normal and magical barriers. It is commonly believed that to be used properly, the wielder must spin around, chanting 'For thy heart, for thy heart, he who hast wronged me', but Farslayer reacts to the wielder's thought. Farslayer will NOT return toits wielder if thrown (but the wielder can go to Farslayer's victim and retrieve it if possible).

Farslayer carries a curse of sorts; whoever uses it to kill someone/ something will (95% chance) 'in the end no triumph see' (or something like that). Most of the characters that used Farslayer offensively in the books died soon thereafter (but not all of them).

SHIELDBREAKER - If the wielder is attacked by an opponent wielding a weapon (from a twig to Stormbringer, including ANY form of magical or psionic attack), the attack will fail and there is a 95% chance that both the attacker and his/ her/it's weapon will be killed/destroyed,

regardless of the status of the attacker or the number of attackers involved (missile weapons will be deflected and spells/psionic attacks will be negated, but the missile/spell caster will not be harmed). This defense is always active; Shieldbreaker need not be drawn to defend the wielder.

Someone wielding Shieldbreaker is essentially immune to any attack form (including magic and psionics), unless an unarmed opponent (including creatures with natural attack forms [claws, fangs, etc] and those proficient in hand-to-hand combat [i.e. monks]) attacks someone wielding Shieldbreaker. They can attack normally, and are unaffected by Shieldbreaker (Shieldbreaker will pass right through them, doing no damage). In addition, Shieldbreaker's wielder must save vs. paralyzation at -6 each round or be unable to discard Shieldbreaker or use any other attack form (if attacked by both armed and unarmedopponents, Shieldbreaker will still defend normally against those wielding weapons). If the save is failed, the character will also start to weaken, losing 1 pt of Strength per round (the character will pass out when a Strength of 1 is reached); Strength points are regained at the rate of 1 pt per hour of rest. If the save is made, the character can drop Shieldbreaker (which they will almost certainly want to do). I decided not to use this one.

STONECUTTER - Can slice through rock like a hot knife through butter--metallic items are treated like rock, so metal armor (or weapons) can be sheared through with ease--treat any stony or metallic substance (weapons, armor, golems, etc) as AC 10. Any metal item (including weapons) can be destroyed (except for another Sword) by being hit by Stonecutter (item is treated as AC 10, plus wielder's Dex bonus--metallic armor is AC 10 against Stonecutter, and will be destroyed if Stonecutter strikes the wearer). Metallic creatures will always take maximum damage from Stonecutter. Stonecutter makes a sound similar to a hammer chipping away at rock when it is used against stone.

WAYFINDER - It points the way to ANYTHING (even an abstract, like 'the woman who will make me the best wife' or 'the ugliest dog within 10.32 miles'), but it sometimes increases the risk (double chances for random encounters). The party used this weapon to find Farslayer; it first pointed the way to Wound- healer (the healing would be needed later on in the adventure, since the clerics in the party were cut off from their dieties), then to Stonecutter (Farslayer, the object of the quest, was kept in a block of solid diamond, which Stonecutter had no trouble cutting), then to a group of Storm Giants (who were the only ones who could take the characters to Farslayer).

WOUNDHEALER - It heals 1d8+4 damage for S/M creatures, 1d12+4 for L+ creatures; it cannot heal undead or any creature from the Negative Material Plane. Woundhealer has a pacifying side-effect - there is a % chance equal to the damage healed that the recipient will be pacified (i.e. unable to perform any form of violence) for a number of rounds equal to the damage healed (their alignment temporarily shifts to Neutral Good, which can get some characters into lots of trouble). Note that the die roll is not made until the Sword stops healing the recipient (this leads to the interesting situation of someone impaling himself on Woundhealer just before going into battle). Woundhealer can heal ANY damage, regardless of restrictions (for example, it can heal wounds inflicted by a Greater Mummy's touch--the party in my campaign ran into one, which was guarding Woundhealer). It cannot raise from the dead, but can heal if the character goes below 0 hp but is above the threshold of death (which I define as the character's Constitution in negative hp's). It can cure any disease, including magical ones like lycanthropy and mummy rot. It can regenerate lost limbs (the process of regeneration takes 1d10+10 days), restore sight, life energy levels, dispel magical aging, etc. Against non- living material, treat it as a +4 Longsword (i.e. Golems). Deomns and devils are horrified by Woundhealer, due to its pacifying side effect (a Neutral Good Demon???).

COIN-SPINNER - Regardless of the odds, any gamble the wielder attempts will succeed and good fortune will come their way (Shieldbreaker will negate this power if Coin-Spinner's wielder goes against Shieldbreaker's). Coin- Spinner randomly teleports away from its wielder (1d20 days after being found), often when the wielder needs its luck (note that the former wielder could find and use Coin-Spinner again). It also has a sense of self-preservation; when it was threatened by its wielder with destruction from Shieldbreaker, it teleported away (there is no way to halt these random teleportations).

DOOM-GIVER - Turns attacks against the wielder back to the attacker, brings 'Doom' upon wielder's enemy (the Goddess of Love fell hopelessly in love with the wielder of Doom-giver, suffering the pangs of love she had inflicted uncaringly on others)

MIND-SWORD - It makes all those within 100 or so yards unswervingly loyal to the wielder (this affect can become permanent, and lasts 1d6 days after exposure to the sword); wounds from it cannot be healed except by Wound- healer or a 20th or higher level cleric. Note that a being must have at least Semi-Intelligence to be affected by the Mind-Sword.

SIGHT-BLINDER - the wielder appears to others as the person/creature/ being they most love or fear (whichever reaction is best for the wielder). It also grants the wielder heightened senses (triple normal).

SOUL-CUTTER - Overwhelms all 100 yards with Despair (it can overwhelm those under the influence of the Mind-Sword); those in its range stop doing anything, and are 50% likely to die (losing the will to live). This effect lasts for 10-60 turns after leaving Soul Cutter's area of effect. The wielder of Soul-Cutter is aged 1 year for every 3 rounds Soul-Cutter is drawn, and is not immune to its effects (but will not suffer death).

TOWN-SAVER- Wielder, so long as he/she is defending a group of people (however small), cannot be slain so long as the threat exists. The wielder can attack all enemies within 10' and gains +10 to armor class, but once the threat is gone, the wielder can die from their wounds.