Intelligent Item question

[ShadowFighter15]

Is it possible for an intelligent weapon to take full control of its wielders body and, if so, can the weapon's consciousness have class levels independent of its wielder?

I just got this crazy idea of a duskblade with an intelligent sword who, whenever the duskblade gets confused/dominated/whatever, the sword's consciousness takes over the body and fights like a warblade with the same character level as the duskblade.

[Tukka]

There are rules for demonic possession in Fiendish Codex I that allows certain demons to possess either objects or creatures. It doesn't seem like precisely what you are looking for, but it can be re-fluffed and adapted pretty easily I'm sure.

[Claudius Maximus]

Perhaps the control thing could be achieved through the Ego score mechanics. I imagine that if the wielder is Dominated, he could act in ways that are against the Item's motives, and it could try to assert control. For actual possession-type control of the wielder's body, you could use possession mechanics like Tukka suggests, or use something like Control Body.

[ShadowFighter15]

What about the sword's intelligence having class levels? To stick with the example above, if the wielder is a 12th level duskblade, could the sword have twelve levels of warblade, gaining another level every time the wielder does?

[Devils_Advocate]

Through GM fiat, all things are possible.

But other than that, there aren't any provisions for an intelligent magic item gaining class levels. They're not really set up for it; while technically constructs, they don't even have hit dice like normal creatures do.

[Rizban]

All items have hit points, so it's not much of a stretch to assume that an intelligent item has 1HD, since per the DMG it is a construct.

[Zephyros]

I have used intelligent items with class levels.. It's pretty cool and awesome and all that as a DM ("...Drevian drops his spellbook and let loose a feral cry, his hand stumbles over his runesword's scabbard and as he draws it you notice that his eyes glow in the same blue glow as the weapon...")...BUT...You have to notify the player beforehand (...or may be after the first time...hehehe) and decide together who controls the character/item after the failed ego test; 'cause too many times is too many sometimes...

[Fixer]

Intelligent Magic Items are constructs. They don't have a hit die because they cannot move (but the GM can change this) they only possess their hardness and 'construct' hit points score. It would be up to the GM to determine what the LA adjustment would be for the item. Once those numbers are achieved, the item could start earning XP, but it would have to have ambition in order to do that.

Most intelligent items' ambition are centered around WHY they were made intelligent in the first place. Very rarely would this include 'become more powerful'.

[Chrono22]

If the magic item merely served as a repository for the soul of a previous adventurer, it could work.
For example, an ancestral katana that holds the spirit of the first ancestor of a family line- he personally trains the wielder in the ways of the sword and of life. And, in certain circumstances he might try to take over- like when the wielder is faced with a hated nemesis of the ancestor's previous life. Or if the wielder is overcome by mind influencing spells.
What you are suggesting though, shadowfighter, I would not allow.

[Bigbrother87]

If the magic item merely served as a repository for the soul of a previous adventurer, it could work.
For example, an ancestral katana that holds the spirit of the first ancestor of a family line- he personally trains the wielder in the ways of the sword and of life. And, in certain circumstances he might try to take over- like when the wielder is faced with a hated nemesis of the ancestor's previous life. Or if the wielder is overcome by mind influencing spells.

Book example of this is Need, a sword in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series.

The short version, a master sword maker/magic user bound her soul to a sword. She can enhance the strength and fighting skill of mages, and give fighters magical resistance, but can only be wielded by women, and she has her wielders go rescue any women in need. Also, the wielder cannot, under any circumstances, attack a woman.