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[RantingRodent]

I've seen a few suggestions of similar ilk, but usually of the "I want to make named weapons" nature.

I would like to propose something far simpler.  Any weapon used in an important worldgen event; ie killing megabeasts or civ leaders should become a named weapon, much the same as animals with kills earn names.  At this point, the weapon itself can be counted as a worldgen entity with its own history, starting from the event that earned its name.

Maybe this changes the properties of weapon, maybe not.  I could see elevating it to a masterwork quality, or granting it some effect based on the entity it killed, maybe killing a demon with your broadsword means that it will now do extra damage to cold-based creatures, etc.

[Granite26]

I've seen a few suggestions of similar ilk, but usually of the "I want to make named weapons" nature.

I would like to propose something far simpler.  Any weapon used in an important worldgen event; ie killing megabeasts or civ leaders should become a named weapon, much the same as animals with kills earn names.  At this point, the weapon itself can be counted as a worldgen entity with its own history, starting from the event that earned its name.

Maybe this changes the properties of weapon, maybe not.  I could see elevating it to a masterwork quality, or granting it some effect based on the entity it killed, maybe killing a demon with your broadsword means that it will now do extra damage to cold-based creatures, etc.

1: At this point doesn't work.  It has to exist before properties get assigned to it...
2: I don't think equipment is in worldgen, now, is it?

Anywho, I like the general thrust..

[Mikademus]

Yeah, I think granite nails it, items aren't in worldgen atm so it wouldn't work. But if items were added to it, then the idea is certainly good and a great way of creating historical artefacts.

I made a suggestion some months back (buried deeply by now) that weapons would gain experience and perhaps even awareness with being used in epic events. That goed sort of hand in hand with your suggestion.

[BonSequitur]

Historical weapons would be cool, but I don't see them just becoming masterwork after being used to kill a megabeast or siege leader. Possibly, getting a historical weapon would cause a strange mood in a weaponsmith (Even one that has already had a strange mood) who would then re-forge it as an artifact weapon, engraved with the historical event in question.

Artifacts are already tracked as legends (I've seen engravings of artifacts from prior fortresses, for example) so it's not that much of a stretch to track their "history."

[Draco18s]

This is Uristy Urist, a -copper pitchfork-.  It was weilded by an unknown human in the year 526 to kill the dragon Mountainblazes.

[RantingRodent]

This is Uristy Urist, a -copper pitchfork-.  It was weilded by an unknown human in the year 526 to kill the dragon Mountainblazes.

Even better:  "It is permanently stained with the blood of the dragon Mountainblazes.  A strange heat can be felt on its surface"

I realize that what's in place right now doesn't support this.  My suggestion is that it would be pretty epic if Toady were to add this capability into one of the arcs.

[Silverionmox]

The story is more important. Giving it 17 different damage bonuses isn't necessary.

[RantingRodent]

The story is more important. Giving it 17 different damage bonuses isn't necessary.

I suppose so.  I agree that the story is incredibly important, but I also think that story seems more relevent to the actual gameplay when story events actually have tangible consequences.

It might not even be a positive effect.  Maybe the sword that struck down the undead king carries a curse.

[Pilsu]

In your average myth, weapons do not gain status, they're made with it. The legend belongs to the wielder, not the weapon unless the weapon's nature was critical to the event itself

[Silverionmox]

The story is more important. Giving it 17 different damage bonuses isn't necessary.

I suppose so.  I agree that the story is incredibly important, but I also think that story seems more relevent to the actual gameplay when story events actually have tangible consequences.

It might not even be a positive effect.  Maybe the sword that struck down the undead king carries a curse.

Occasionally, that might happen. It will become a story driver in itself then, much like the One Ring.

The main function of the backstory is to make this weapon special, not a *bronze battleaxe* like you have seen hundreds before, and that are completely interchangeable.

[Footkerchief]

Not only is this a great idea, but we already know that Toady supports it in some form.

# PowerGoal170, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T DO IT TOO OFTEN, (Future): With a foot atop the slain alligator, the barbarian warrior cries "I name you Dragon Sword!" at his raised blade.

I agree that this shouldn't make the weapon more powerful or whatever.  It might make it more valuable, though.

In your average myth, weapons do not gain status, they're made with it. The legend belongs to the wielder, not the weapon unless the weapon's nature was critical to the event itself

I think we have plenty of examples to the contrary -- weapons can gain status because of deeds done with them, even if the weapon's nature was not crucial to those deeds.  Kusanagi was renamed "Grasscutter Sword" after being pressed into service as a lawnmower.  In LOTR, we have Bilbo and Sting, and a host of other weapons that were given one name at their forging but another equally famous name by their victims.  Zulfiqar was named "Spinecleaver" after being used to cut someone in half.  In Christian mythology, the Holy Spear was just an ordinary spear that happened to get used for stabbing Jesus. 

[G-Flex]

Don't forget the Holy Grail (cup version), Shroud of Turin, and True Cross, none of which are weapons, but all of which are examples of commonly-made objects becoming legendary artifacts due to use.

Also, even if a myth says "this sword is magical because it was made that way", you have to consider the ORIGINs of those myths; they would tend to form around people who do amazing things with their weapons. A legendary character's myths wind up attributing great properties to his equipment fairly often, especially in a culture where people already had a lot of attachment to their weapons, and named them sometimes.

[RantingRodent]

In your average myth, weapons do not gain status, they're made with it. The legend belongs to the wielder, not the weapon unless the weapon's nature was critical to the event itself

I disagree.  Many myths follow a similar trope to the story of King Arthur.  The famous hero (or villain) is often paired with an equally famous weapon.  This makes sense; great heroes, whether through their travels or because of their origins, are often equipped with special items.

Even though I describe it this way, it's not necessarily the case that the weapon becomes special in this act, it could have always been special.  WorldGen just decides that it's a special weapon once it's used to do something special.  This could help explain bizarre cases where a kobold kills a titan.  Oh, he was wielding a blade of Titanslaying.

[mickel]

I think he meant properties such as how Sting glows when orcs are near. It did that because it was made that way, not because some halfling decided to call it Sting. I can't at the moment come up with a named mythological item which gained it's special properties from being named, but I wouldn't rule it out, after all, names have power - that's a very common theme in myths.

There's nothing preventing an item from gaining mystical properties after it was made, too, and gaining it's name due to that. The spear of Longinus for example, to continue on the theme of Christian mythology.

(I still prefer the other take on the sword Sting though, which doesn't glow when orcs are near, but sings "don't stand so close to me" instead.)

[BonSequitur]

Being used to slay a magical creature, like a dragon, wizard or Hidden Fun Entity, could potentially confer magical properties to a weapon. Conversely, a weapon might be "blessed" by a deity because of its role in slaying something. I don't think this should happen every time a weapon becomes named, however, or even that it should happen very often at all.