I were sittin’ by the trash heap, where I always sat, ‘cause it were the only place no one else wanted. Me arms were gone, crushed by a boulder when me cave crumbled last winter. And the other gobbos never let me forget it. “Stumpy. Catch!” they’d yell, throwin’ rotten fruit. I’d try to ignore ‘em. Ma said I’d get used to it, but Ma didn’t have to live with the snickerin’ and hollerin’.
Then Uncle Grokk came back from one of his “adventures,” which usually meant he’d been lootin’ some poor sod’s leftovers. “Got somethin’ for ya, runt,” he said, tossin’ me a sack that smelled of burnt hair. Inside were these flaming arms glowin’ like embers, with fingers that flickered like flames. “Fire arms,” he said, puffin’ out his chest. “Nabbed ‘em from a wizard’s tower. Don’t ask how. Just try ‘em on.” I shoved me stumps into the sockets, and they stuck!
Next day, the gobbos came ‘round like always. “Hey, Stumpy!” one of ‘em yelled, a big brute named Krima. “You gonna cry today, or you gonna roll away like a dung beetle?” I stood up slow, and they all went quiet when they saw the fire arms. “Stumpy ain’t me name!” I said, raising me hands. The flames roared to life, and I swung me arms like torches. Krima screamed first, his greasy hair goin’ up like dry kindling. The others tried to run, but I caught ‘em one by one, leavin’ scorches on their heads. They howled and rolled in the dirt, and I laughed so hard me belly hurt.
After that, they didn’t call me Stumpy no more. They called me “Sparky,” and they kept their distance, which was just fine by me. Uncle Grokk said I’d done him proud, and Ma even smiled, though she warned me not to burn down the village.
Fire Arms
Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
These arms can be worn as sleeves or they can replace arms that have been lost or removed. They shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. You also gain the following benefits:
- You gain resistance to fire damage.
- Your unarmed strikes deal an extra 1d6 fire damage.
- While you are grappling a creature with one of these arms, it takes 2d6 fire damage at the start of its turn.
Check out last week’s item: powdered armor.
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