Pyroclast
Pyroclast was forged in the throat of a dying volcano by a smith who believed that destruction, done with enough conviction, becomes its own kind of glory. The axe was not quenched, it was buried in the magma chamber and left there for a decade, until the volcano finally collapsed and the weapon was recovered from the cooling stone, already burning. Every warlord who has carried it has been remembered not for their tactics, but for the craters they left behind.
Mechanics
A volcanic greataxe that blazes hotter with every swing, and erupts in a cone of fire when it lands a devastating blow.
Smoldering Edge
This greataxe deals an extra 1d6 fire damage on a hit. The head of the axe is perpetually wreathed in slow-rolling fire and sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
Eruption Strike
When you roll the maximum value on any fire damage die dealt by this weapon (a 6 on a d6), the strike erupts in a burst of superheated rock. Each creature within 5 feet of the target other than you must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 fire damage, or half as much on a success. This effect can trigger once per turn.
Bring It Down
Once per day, when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to bring the axe down with earth-shaking force. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and have its speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. Whether or not the target fails, a wave of flame erupts from the point of impact in a 15-foot cone in the direction of your choice. Each creature in the cone must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage, or half as much on a success.
DM Notes
The Eruption Strike passive trigger creates exciting moments without requiring player action or resources, watch that the 5-foot AoE doesn't become a regular party hazard in tight formations; remind the player that allies in the radius must also save. The Bring It Down once-per-day ability is the big-swing finisher and combines prone-knocking control with a 15-foot fire cone for meaningful encounter-shaping power, 4d6 on a Dex save is substantial but appropriate for rare. The DC 14/15 split is intentional: the burst effects (Eruption, Bring It Down cone) share DC 14 for consistency, while the prone effect uses DC 15 to reflect its more impactful control outcome. This axe rewards aggressive positioning and is perfectly suited to a barbarian charging into the center of a group, but the cone direction choice on Bring It Down means a savvy player can mitigate friendly fire.
Generated with: Level 5 · Barbarian · Path of the Beast · Weapon (Greataxe) · Big smash · Heroic · Fire · Rare