Dancing Weapon

Forged in the heat of battle or imbued with powerful magic, Dancing Weapons are sentient creations that blur the line between object and lifeform. With their own thoughts, emotions, and purpose, they are far more than mere instruments of war—they are beings with a will of their own. A Dancing Weapon’s personality is often shaped by its creator’s intentions or the magic that gave it life, making each one unique in character and purpose. They might take the form of swords, spears, axes, or even more exotic weaponry, but regardless of their shape, they possess the intelligence and spirit to act independently.
Dancing Weapons move through the air with a graceful yet unnerving precision, hovering effortlessly in place or darting into motion at a moment’s notice. When motionless, they appear as ordinary weapons, indistinguishable from their mundane counterparts. But once awakened, they are capable of great martial prowess, wielding themselves in combat or lending their power to allies in need. Though they lack hands to manipulate the world around them, their bond with a worthy wielder can turn them into a devastating force, a partnership that strikes with a precision and synergy unmatched by ordinary arms.

Dancing Weapon Character Flavor Table

Roll a d10 to determine a unique characteristic or quirk of your Dancing Weapon:

d10	Character Flavor Description
1	Echoes of War: You hum with a low, resonant vibration whenever combat is near, as if remembering battles of the past.
2	Arcane Glow: Faint runes on your blade pulse softly with a light that changes color based on your mood.
3	Whispering Edge: When touched or wielded, you emit faint whispers in an ancient language that only you understand.
4	Weathered Look: Your surface bears nicks, scratches, or stains from countless battles, yet you still radiate an aura of power.
5	Gemstone Spirit: The gemstone embedded in your hilt occasionally glows brighter when you communicate telepathically.
6	Charmed Polisher: You become visibly cleaner and shinier when praised or flattered by others.
7	Residual Heat: The air around you feels slightly warmer, as if you had just been forged in a blacksmith's furnace.
8	Haunting Tune: When idle, you softly resonate a haunting melody that seems to come from within your blade.
9	Runic Shifts: The runes on your blade shift and rearrange themselves slightly whenever you strike an enemy.
10	Magnetic Presence: Small metal objects seem to gravitate toward you, subtly clinging to your blade or hilt when they come close.

Ability Score Increase#

One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and another increases by 1.

Constructed Nature#

Dancing Weapons are classified as Constructs. They do not require air, food, drink, or sleep. Instead, they can enter a state of dormancy when not actively in use. While they do not sleep in the traditional sense, Dancing Weapons must take a long rest after 24 hours of activity. During this rest, they remain motionless and aware of their surroundings but do not need to engage in sleep or other biological processes.
As a construct, you cannot be healed by traditional healing spells such as or . However, you can be repaired in the following ways:

Mending Cantrip: You can be healed by others using the Mending (transmutation)
Level: 0
Casting Time: 1 minute
Concentration: No
Ritual: No
Repair break or tear in an object (broken chain link, two halves of a broken key, torn cloak, leaking wineskin, etc).
View on dndbeyond.com cantrip a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, restoring hit points each time.
Artisan Repair: An artisan can spend at least 1 minute repairing you using appropriate tools. The artisan makes an ability check using their tool proficiency and a relevant ability modifier, and the you heals for an amount equal to the result of that ability check.
A character with the Mending (transmutation)
Level: 0
Casting Time: 1 minute
Concentration: No
Ritual: No
Repair break or tear in an object (broken chain link, two halves of a broken key, torn cloak, leaking wineskin, etc).
View on dndbeyond.com cantrip or proficiency with the appropriate tools can use their action to perform a quick repair on you. This grants you temporary hit points.

Age#

Dancing weapons do not age in the traditional sense. They can exist for centuries or even millennia.

Alignment#

Dancing weapons can have any alignment, often reflecting the nature of their creators or the purpose they were forged for.

Size#

Your size is determined by the type of weapon you are. Most dancing weapons are Small or Medium.

Speed#

You have a flying speed of 30 feet. You can hover.

False Appearance#

While motionless, you are indistinguishable from a normal weapon.

Object Interaction Limitation#

You cannot interact with objects that require hands, but you can serve as your own spellcasting focus for spells that require one. Additionally, you can cast spells that require somatic components a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per day without needing to perform the necessary gestures. You must rely on a creature wielding you or other means to manipulate objects otherwise.

Sentient Spirit#

You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet of you. You can also perceive your surroundings with blindsight out to a range of 60 feet. You are blind beyond this range.

Martial Prowess#

You have proficiency with yourself as a weapon. You can use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls instead of Strength or Dexterity.

Bonded Blade#

As a bonus action, you can bond with an ally within 5 feet of you. Until the start of your next turn, they can wield you as a weapon. While wielded in this way, they gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus. You are incapacitated while being wielded by an ally.

Magical Attacks#

At level 3, attacks made with you as a weapon are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
As you grow in power, your proficiency with yourself as a weapon increases. At level 5, you gain a +1 bonus to your attack and damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at level 9, and finally to +3 at level 15.

Subraces#

Choose a subrace from the table below. You gain the level 1 benefit of that subrace. When you reach character levels 3 you unlock additional features or abilities.

Subrace	Level 1	Level 3
Sword	Quick Strike: Once per day, when you take the Attack action, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.	Precision Cut: When you score a critical hit with a melee attack, you deal an additional damage of the weapon’s type.
Hammer	Siege Weapon: You deal double damage to structures and objects that aren’t being worn or carried.	Stunning Blow: Once per short rest, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can attempt to stun them. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability score modifier you used for the attack) or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Spear	Reach: Your reach increases by 5 feet.	Thrown Attack: You can make a ranged (thrown) attack with a range of 5 times your proficiency bonus in feet.
Bow	Ranged Attack: You can make ranged attacks with a range of 150/600 feet.	Volley Attack: Once per short rest, you can fire a volley of arrows in a 60-foot cone originating from you. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability score modifier you used for the attack), taking piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Staff	Spellcasting Focus: You serve as a spellcasting focus for your spells.	Somatic Component Usage: You can cast spells that require somatic components without needing to perform the gestures a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per day.