Item: Penultimate Heartbeat

Activate 1 (manipulate)

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This small hunk of slightly rusted iron gives off a faint reddish glow that occasionally pulses when touched. Tales of penultimate heartbeats say that the metal attracts a creature's spirit at the moment of death and channels it outward for a grisly display. Once applied to a weapon, a penultimate heartbeat's effects last for 1 hour.

When you reduce a living creature to 0 Hit Points with a weapon under the effect of a penultimate heartbeat, it doesn't perish immediately (though is visibly on the brink of death). You can Reposition the creature up to 10 feet as a free action, after which it dies in a dramatic fashion appropriate to the injury that killed it. Foes in a @Template[type:cone|distance:30] you direct originating from the creature's final position are sprayed with gore, taking 9d10 spirit damage from the release of the creature's soul. An affected target attempts a Will save against your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher. This effect has the emotion, fear, and mental traits.

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Critical Success The creature is unaffected.

Success The creature takes half damage and is Frightened 1 from the shock.

Failure The creature takes full damage and is Frightened 2. For the remainder of the penultimate heartbeat's duration, the creature can't reduce the value of the frightened condition below 1 if it ends its turn where it can see you.

Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and is Frightened 3. For the remainder of the penultimate heartbeat's duration, the creature can't reduce the value of the frightened condition below 2 if it ends its turn where it can see you.