Pact-Bound PistolWeapon 10
Source Pathfinder Guns & Gears
Damage 1d6 Piercing
Type Martial
Range 60 feet
Price 260 gp
Weight light
Wielded in over a hundred duels by the famed Ustalavic noblewoman Countess Tasya Iserav, this +1 striking fearsome dueling pistol is a work of master craftsmanship, almost eerie in the axiomatic perfection present in each dimension and detail.
Commissioned at great expense and artfully designed by a team of the finest gunsmiths, this exquisite mahogany pistol has adamantine detailing. The ruby-eyed, leering devil's face that surrounds the barrel was intended to strike fear into the Countess's opponents-of which there were many. Countess Tasya credited this weapon with her exceptional success in dueling circles and refused to name the weapon's creators for fear their works would fall into an opponent's hands. In the past decade, seven replicas of the Countess's famed pistol have arisen, each said to be crafted by the Countess's anonymous gunsmiths. That each of these weapon's wielders have quickly risen to become exceptional duelists in their own right has lent credence to their claims. Despite public pressure, wielders of these replicas have refused to square off against the Countess.
Despite the weapon's beauty and utility, a pact-bound pistol is a cursed weapon and a physical manifestation of an infernal contract sworn between the bearer of the weapon and the Archdevil Mephistopheles. Each pact-bound pistol was crafted not by a team of master artisans, but by Countess Tasya Iserav herself, a secret diabolist and devoted priestess of The Crimson Son. The very act of firing the weapon is an acceptance of the contract's terms and causes the weapon to fuse to you. Thereafter, the weapon reappears in your possessions within 1 minute of you discarding it, and can't be destroyed or thrown away permanently, until the curse is removed.
Whenever you attack a living creature with the pact-bound pistol, text from the infernal contract is seared into your flesh, causing you to lose 1 Hit Point, or 2 Hit Points if the attack was a critical success. The text appears one sentence at a time, from the beginning to the end and is written in Infernal. When the contract is fully scribed (see below), you no longer lose Hit Points when you attack a living creature. These burned phrases heal over as scars which can't be removed while you are fused to the weapon, although they can be covered and disguised.
Each time a creature dies within 1 hour of being damaged by a pact-bound pistol, that creature must attempt a DC 25 will saving throw. On a failure, their soul is consigned to the Archdevil Mephistopheles; their soul immediately goes to Hell and they can't be returned to life through any means short of divine intervention, a heist, or a successful appeal in the courts of Hell; even powerful magic such as wish is insufficient. After you have consigned 9 souls to Mephistopheles in this way, the contract is fully scribed upon your flesh. You become immune to fire damage and the pact-bound pistol becomes a +2 striking greater fearsome dueling pistol. Your soul belongs to Mephistopheles and immediately goes to Hell when you die. You can't be returned to life through any means, even through the divine intervention of a deity.
Failing to wield a pact-bound pistol is a breach of contract. Each day you go without firing the pact-bound pistol at a living creature, you must attempt a Will saving throw. On a failure, you become Stupefied 1. If you are already stupefied, the value of your stupefied condition increases by 1, to a maximum of stupefied 4. While you're fused with the pact-bound pistol, you can't reduce the value of your stupefied condition except by damaging a living creature with it. Whenever you damage a living creature with it, if you are suffering from the stupefied condition due to the pact-bound pistol, your stupefied condition is removed.
Traits
This rarity indicates that a rules element is very difficult to find in the game world. A rare feat, spell, item or the like is available to players only if the GM decides to include it in the game, typically through discovery during play. Creatures with this trait are rare. They typically can't be summoned. The DC of Recall Knowledge checks related to these creatures is increased by 5.
ConcealableThis weapon is designed to be inconspicuous or easily concealed. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks and DCs to hide or conceal a weapon with this trait.
ConcussiveThese weapons smash as much as puncture. When determining a creature's resistance or immunity to damage from this weapon, use the weaker of the target's resistance or immunity to piercing or to bludgeoning. For instance, if the creature were immune to piercing and had no resistance or immunity to bludgeoning damage, it would take full damage from a concussive weapon. Resistance or immunity to all physical damage, or all damage, applies as normal.
CursedAn item with this trait is cursed to cause trouble for its owner. A curse isn't detected when the item is identified, though a critical success reveals both the presence and exact nature of the curse. Cursed items can't be discarded once they've been triggered or invested the first time. The item can be removed only if the curse is removed.
EnchantmentEffects and magic items with this trait are associated with the enchantment school of magic, typically involving mind control, emotion alteration, and other mental effects.
EvilEvil effects often manipulate energy from evil-aligned Outer Planes and are antithetical to good divine servants or divine servants of good deities. A creature with this trait is evil in alignment. An ability with this trait can be selected or used only by evil creatures.
FatalThe fatal trait includes a die size. On a critical hit, the weapon's damage die increases to that die size instead of the normal die size, and the weapon adds one additional damage die of the listed size.
FireEffects with the fire trait deal fire damage or either conjure or manipulate fire. Those that manipulate fire have no effect in an area without fire. Creatures with this trait consist primarily of fire or have a magical connection to that element.
MagicalSomething with the magical trait is imbued with magical energies not tied to a specific tradition of magic. A magical item radiates a magic aura infused with its dominant school of magic. Some items or effects are closely tied to a particular tradition of magic. In these cases, the item has the arcane, divine, occult, or primal trait instead of the magical trait. Any of these traits indicate that the item is magical.