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Sword of Life Stealing (Greatsword)

D&D 5e · 2014·Weapons·Rare·Requires attunement

Weapon damage
2d6 slashing

Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.

Damage calculator

Hit chance

55%

Expected damage / attack

5.85

Attack bonus

+5

Average normal hit: 10 · Average critical hit: 17 · Critical chance: 5%.

Category
Martial weapon
Damage type
Slashing
Reach
5 ft.
Magic attack bonus
+0
Weight
6 lb
Attunement
Required
Rarity
Rare
Price
Not specified

Magic: Attack with this weapon.

Calculator assumptions & rules

One attack against a creature. Natural 1 misses; natural 20 hits and doubles damage dice, not flat modifiers. Expected damage includes misses and critical hits. Advantage uses the higher of two d20s; Disadvantage uses the lower. Magic bonuses shown on the item are counted once.

Uses only the weapon’s ordinary hit and the listed on-hit extra dice, when enabled. Class features, Sneak Attack, fighting styles, mastery effects, damage on a miss, special critical-hit effects, ongoing damage, resistance and immunity are excluded. Check the full rules below for additional effects.

Changing calculator inputs does not change the item’s rules or create a new page URL.

What Sword of Life Stealing does

  • Strength can drive this martial weapon’s attack and damage rolls. Add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll only if you are proficient.
  • The base 2d6 weapon damage averages 7 before your ability modifier and extra effects. Hit chance matters too: compare expected damage per attack rather than the die alone.
  • This weapon needs two hands when you attack, so a wielded shield conflicts with that attack setup.
  • This item uses one of your attunement slots. Compare its benefit with the other items you want to keep attuned.
When you attack a creature with this magic weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 3d6 necrotic damage, provided that the target isn't a construct or an undead. You gain temporary hit points equal to the extra damage dealt. This is the Greatsword variant.
Full item details & properties

Rules for this edition

Proficiency
A martial melee weapon; proficiency allows adding your Proficiency Bonus to its attack rolls.

Magic properties

Activation
Attack with this weapon.
Consumable
No
Attack roll of 20
Against a creature other than Construct/Undead: extra 3d6 Necrotic; gain Temporary HP equal to that extra damage dealt.

Weapon details

Damage
2d6 slashing
Weapon class
Martial Melee

Properties

Heavy

Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.

Two-Handed

This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.

Tags & related references

NecroticSlashingRare →MagicalMartial WeaponMelee WeaponRaw 20 Extra DamageRequires AttunementTemporary Hit PointsHeavy →Two Handed →Weapon →

Compare alternatives

Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.

Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.

Sword of Life Stealing FAQ

Does Sword of Life Stealing require attunement?

Yes. You need to attune to this item to use the properties that require attunement.

Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?

The source does not specify a price for this entry. Ask your GM about availability and cost.

Rules source: System Reference Document 5.1 ↗

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. JustRoll independently checked 2014 item text, tables, properties, prices and weights against official SRD 5.1; converted currency to GP and structured mechanics and edition-specific tags. Identity links to 2024 do not transfer rules. Original API snapshots remain unchanged.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0