Question. As we know Xan the elf is the only one that sports a nifty moonblade. We also know that the BLADE picks its owner - not the other way around.

What I am interested in is how does this occur? Is there a story around how this occurs, or was it simply made up for Bg1. Do only certain elven mages from specific places get this benefit?

<font color="gold">Oh, if only my AD&D-lore weren't so rusty... [img]tongue.gif[/img]
I can tell you that Moonblades aren't only BG. They have been with AD&D since the very beginning. And, if I recall correctly, a Moonblade is a weapon given to certain chosen elves who're worshipping Selune, the elven moon goddess. ;)
There are many stories bound to Moonblades, though, so this might only be one version of the real truth. ;) </font>

Thanks Sir Exxon. I have never played P&P or read the books.

Moonblades are elven artifacts of great power, they normally stay within family lines, being handed down to those deemed worthy by their relatives, the sword determines the worth of it's owner, and if the prospective user is unworthy (does not fulfill the epitome of elvendom) then the sword will either become inactive or kill the user. There is a short story about it in the FR book Realms of Infamy, which is quite well written and informative.

Moonblades also are self aware and have some degree of being able to think for themselves. Moonblades are quite literally forged moonbeams, turned into weapons of incredible power. They use the same sort of magic to capture moonbeams for Moonblades as they do when capturing moonbeams to make the special moonwine (Fermented moonbeams) that Elves drink at special religious festivals. No two Moonblades are the same, and being passed down through families is a falsehood. Moonblades select their owner. An Elf (Or any humanoid for that matter) might pick up a Moonblade, only to think it a regular sword. It will function as a totally non magical sword, usually cast aside for poor balance and a dull blade. However, if somebody the sword deems worthy picks it up, it comes to life. There have been stories of humans being worthy of a Moonblades attention, although this would be incredibly rare. The best function of any Moonblade is it's ability to hit ethereal creatures, like Astral travelers or special types of undead that are nearly impossible to be hit by any weapon unless it is ethereally enchanted.

The question of exactly what criteria the Moonblade uses to judge "worthiness" is a rather tricky one. Apparently Xan, as a Level 3 Enchanter, has earned enough respect to not only be made a Greycloak (whatever that is), but to be accepted by a Moonblade. Certainly it wasn't his power that attracted the sword's notice, since by the time you beat the game, ALL of your party members could kick a Level 3 Xan's butt. Did it just fall in love with his depressive attitude? And can a single Moonblade recognize multiple "owners" at once, or does the previous user have to die?

"Ethereal" -- what short of weapon immunity should that equate to? +1? +4?

Perhaps the Moonblade can see into the future to determine who should wield it. Who knows? Xan is a noble born Elf, perhaps the sword sees this as a opportunity to do good things in the world through an Elf that has enough influence to make it happen.

As for Ethereal creatures, well, it's tricky to explain. Lets say you have a +12 Hackmaster and go to start chopping on lets say, a Nether Wraith. Your sword would be useless, unable to connect to an ethereal creature. However, a Moonblade on the other hand, being ethereal in nature it self, would dice the big bad nasty to itty bitty pieces. Once activated, a Moonblade has no solid edge. It is quite literally a focused beam of moonlight infused with some serious holy energies. As far as I know, with the right level of enchantment of course, there is nothing that a Moonblade can't cut through. Solid or ethereal, a Moonblade means business when it starts chopping.