Derivish Blade

A small, sharp knife with only a 5 to 8 inch blade. Attached to the knife's pommel is a short length of chain, only 4 to 6 inches, depending on the weilder's hand. The chain only needs to be long enough to streach from the top of the middle finger to the bottom of the pommel when the knife is held normally. A chain too long will cause the knife to slice up the sides of the wielder's torso and arms. The chain is attached to a ring that is worn on the weilder's middle finger.

When the Derivish Blade is worn, the kinfe cannot be dropped. In addition, the knife can now be swung about similar to a pair of numchucks. While these fancy moves are impressive, the are usually MERELY impressive. Because the knife is suspended from a chain, it has little impact unless it is held in the hand. Small, shallow cuts would result from being struck by a swung knife, but that could possibly cut a rope that was otherwise hanging out of reach. One very useful move that can be done with the derivish blade is to reverse which way the knife is pointing with a simple flick of the wrist, taking less than a second. This move allows for a change in the style of attacks and can throw an unprepared opponent off gaurd.

Magical Properties:

Various types of enchanted Derivish Blades have surfaced from different sources. They range from the predictible posion blade to some as outlandish as to produce pictures when spun in the air. Some of note are listed here.

Death's Touch
This pair of Derivish Blades have been enchanted to make thier chains stonger and have the ability to enlarge and shrink. The chains can grow up to 15 feet long. With proper training, the blades on the end of the chains can be used like the weighted chain weapons of china. Even a novice user can simply throw the blades into walls and trees and swing from them.

Traitor
This Derivish Blade has been enchanted to make the user and all his equipment completly silent when it is held point down, the favorite position for stabbing someone in the back.

Silver Lightning
Perhaps the most deadly of all Derivish Blades, this blade has been enchanted to give the wielder haste (doubling speed, attacks and any other applicable actions) while the blade is spun.

Vanguard
This intelligent Derivish Blade has been enchanted to parry ono attack a round by spinning into it's way. It can parry attacks with the strength of a hill giant, but cannot block area of effect attacks like fireballs and such. It can turn aside attacks like those from axes, arrows, polearms and even small boulders. It's enchantment allows it to streach around the weilder's body to reach the attack. The intelligence inside the blade seeks to be at the front of the conflicts around it and will try to defy it's weilder's will to be anywhere else, even on a diversionary raid.

There are many types of enchanted Derivish Blades, so this list is by no mean complete. Other types exist, some intelligent, some not, and most blades found are simply knives without enchantment, but a few are cursed. Be careful of the knife you pick up, or you might just give yourself a knife in the back.