AL-QADIM™ Campaign (ahl kah-DEEM)Take a magic carpet ride to adventure! Behold the legendary might of Zakhara, the Land of Fate. In this realm of burningsands and burning passions, threads of Arabian legend are richly interwoven with the fantasy of the AD&D® game. Visitspired cities, lush oases, and mysterious isles set in glittering seas. Meet sultans and sheikhs. See genies and giants. Discover atrove of new magical treasures! Whether your character sets sail from the compatible FORGOTTEN REALMS setting orexplores Zakhara as a native, the exotic AL-QADIM campaign will enchant role-players for a thousand and one adventures.

GREYHAWK® CampaignBigby, Tenser, Mordenkainen, Leomund . . . If you've perused the spells and magical items for the AD&D game, you'vediscovered their famous names. These and other personalities hail from the GREYHAWK campaign setting, the oldest worldcreated for the AD&D game line. Steeped in tradition, the GREYHAWK campaign abounds with castles and valiant knights.It is also a realm of free-wheeling adventure and mercenaries for hire. In the wake of a recent war, the nations live with anuneasy truce. Now heroes face new challenges in the endless struggle for the cause of good, from eluding the nefarious spiesof the Scarlet Brotherhood to evading the ghoulish army of Ivid the Undying.

DRAGONLANCE® CampaignEnter the world of Ansalon, a land of romance and high adventure. Discover tinker gnomes, gully dwarves, nefariousvillains, noble heroes . . . and dark, deadly dragons. All things draconian play a starring role in this world—from thehalf-man, half-dragon thugs who patrol the streets, to the evil red dragons who fill the skies, to the beautiful creatures ofgold and silver who do battle on the side of good. This is a world struggling to regain its lost honor and glory—a land whereunlikely adventurers can become legendary heroes.

DARK SUN® Campaign ^ ^ ^The DARK SUN world is TSR's most savage game setting—a desert realm scorched by a relentless sun, blasted by thedestructive magic of generations of evil wizards. It is a land of evil sorcerer-kings and powerful psionicists (characters withastounding paranormal powers). In this wild and brutal landscape, a single adventurer can alter the course of unfoldinghistory.

RAVENLOFT® CampaignWhether you journey to Ravenloft for an occasional evening of terror or an extended nightmare, the experience will hauntyou forever. The RAVENLOFT campaign is a horrific realm of dread and desire, rooted in the Gothic tradition. The mistyfingers of this world can reach into any other campaign setting to draw unsuspecting travelers into its midst. Once it holdsthem in its icy embrace, it may never let them go. In a shadowy world filled with vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, onlythose who are strong of heart may survive.

FORGOTTEN REALMS® CampaignWell met. . . and welcome to the most popular, most detailed fantasy campaign world ever created. Here gods walk theearth and fantastic armies clash. Visitors explore a vast frontier filled with fascinating folk, from bold heroes and whimsicalcharacters to shadowy villains and clandestine societies. This is the home of Elminster the sage and Drizzt the dark .elf—twoheroes featured in TSR's best-selling FORGOTTEN REALMS novel line. No setting can match the grand scope of theFORGOTTEN REALMS campaign world.

Incredible Magic for All Campaigns!

Design: David "Zeb" CookAdditional Artifact Design: Rich Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Steve and Glenda Burns,

Bill Connors, Dale "Slade" Henson, Colm McComb, Thomas M. Reid, andDavid Wise

Supervision and Development: David "Zeb" CookEditing: Thomas M ReidAdditional Editing and Proofreading: David WiseCover Art: Fred FieldsArt Coordination: Peggy CooperInterior Art and Icons: Daniel FrazierGraphic Coordination: Sarah FeggestadTypesetting: Gaye O'Keefe

TSR, IncFOB 756

Lake GenevaWI53147 U S A

TSR Ltd120 Church End, Cherry HintonCambridge CB1 3LBUnited Kingdom

2

Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, IncDistributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR LtdDistributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AD&D, DARK SUN DRAGONLANCE, FORGOTTEN REALMS, GREYHAWK, RAVENLOFT, GAMMA WORLD, andSPET T JAMMER are registered trademarks owned by TSR IncAL-QADIM DUNGEON MASTER, DM, BATTLESYSTEM, MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc

All TSR characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America Anv reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork containedherein is prohibited without the express written consent of TSR, Inc

Printed in U S ACopyright ©1993 TSR, Inc All Rights Reserved1-56076-672-7

Introduction ..........................................................3Acorn of Wo Mai.................................................llAll-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira ......................12Apparatus...............................................................l3Artifurnace...........................................................l6Axe of the Dwarvish Lords...............................17Axe of the Emperors ..........................................19BabaYaga's Hut..................................................21Blackjammer's Cutlass ......................................24Book with No End..............................................25Codex of the Infinite Planes..............................27Coin of Jisan the Bountiful................................28Crystal of the Ebon Flame.................................29Cup of Al'Akbar.................................................30Talisman of Al'Akbar.........................................30Death Rock ..........................................................32Hammer of Gesen ..............................................33HandofVecna.....................................................35Eye of Vecna........................................................35Herald of Mei Lung ...........................................37Heward's Mystical Organ.................................39Horn of Change..................................................42Invulnerable Coat and Arnd ............................43Iron Bow of Gesen..............................................44Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless...................45Ivory Chain of Pao .............................................46Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty...........................46Johydee'sMask...................................................49Kuroth's Quill .....................................................50

MaceofCuthbert.................................................52Machine of Lum the Mad..................................53Mighty Servant of Leuk-o .................................58Monocle of Bagthalos ........................................61Obsidian Man.....................................................63Orbs of Dragonkind...........................................65Psychometron of Nerad ....................................77Queen Ehlissa's Marvelous Nightingale.........78Recorder of Ye'Cind ...........................................79Regalia of Good ..................................................80Regalia of Neutrality..........................................80Regalia of Evil .....................................................80Ring of Gaxx........................................................90Rod of Seven Parts .............................................91Rod of Teeth ........................................................93Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings............................95Seal of Jafar al-Samal .........................................97Silencer of Bodach..............................................98Sword of Kas.....................................................100Teeth of Dahlvar-Nar.......................................l01Throne of the Gods ..........................................103Triad of Betryal .................................................105Creating Magical Items ...................................107Recharging Magical Items...............................l30Appendix A: Common Rechargeable

Magical Items.................................................137Appendix B: Random Power Tables..............l38Appendix C: Song List for Heward's

Mystical Organ..............................................159

Welcome to the big Book of Artifacts! Within thesepages is one of the most amazing, diverse, andcolorful collections of arcane magic ever assem-bled for use in AD&D® campaigns. Before get-ting started, though, it's time to clear up a fewmisconceptions:

"Artifacts are too powerful for a campaign."Not true! Artifact does not mean immensely pow-erful. The Herald ofMei Lung is useful, but it can'tblast anyone to ashes the way the Axe of theEmperors might. It's not the power, but the his-tory and role-playing opportunities that reallymake the difference.

"All artifacts have horrible curses that keepthem from being useful." All artifacts have sideeffects that reflect their nature, but not all sideeffects are curses. The fiend trapped in the Acorn ofWo Mai is definitely evil, and freeing him wouldbe a bad thing. The truthfulness imposed by theCrown of Law isn't evil, although it may create dif-ficulties for the player character. These side effectscreate opportunities for role-playing as charactersare faced with the choices, changes, and dilemmasthat great power brings. With prudence and goodjudgement, most artifacts can be used safely byPCs, but only by testing their mettle.

"Artifacts are just collections of random pow-ers." It used to be that artifacts had very little def-inition—a bit of history, one or two powers, and alot of fill-in-the-blanks that relied on randomtables. In the Book of Artifacts, there are all types.Some still let the DM choose powers while othersare completely defined. The majority of artifactshere have their major powers defined while thelesser powers are left for the DM to pick.

"Artifacts are all created by gods thatshouldn't be involved in the campaign." No,many are the work of heroes from ages long pastand a good number have their origins lost intime. The Coin ofjisan the Bountiful is tied to thatgoddess and may not be suitable for every cam-paign, but the same cannot be said of the Machine

ofLum the Mad. There are more than enough arti-facts available that are free of the troublesomeinterference of gods.

"Artifacts are found only in the GREYHAWK®campaign." The first artifacts did appear in theGREYHAWK setting, and most of those are foundin here, but the GREYHAWK world has no lockon artifacts. All the old favorites and many newones appear in this book, suitable for any cam-paign. There are also artifacts designed for theFORGOTTEN REALMS®, DRAGONLANCE®,DARK SUN®, SPELLJAMMER®, RAVENLOFT®,and AL-QADIM"' settings.

"If the characters stumble across an artifact,it could ruin the campaign." Purely and simply,nobody ever "stumbles upon" an artifact. Arti-facts are special, and no one just finds themlying around. There are no treasure tables forartifacts; they do not appear in random treasurepiles. In fact, the only time characters can find anartifact is when the DM wants them to. It'sassumed that the characters won't be given anartifact unless the DM is ready to deal with it.

"A character with an artifact will ruin theadventure." The artifact is the adventure, and isthere because the adventure needs it. Artifactsare about stories, and characters find thembecause there is a special need. Throughout theBook of Artifacts, there are adventure suggestionsbuilt around the artifacts.

"Artifacts are nothing but a headache." Ofcourse they are if the DM and players don't usethem well. Give a character Baba Yaga's Hut with-out a little planning and thought, and disaster willcertainly follow. With a little preparation, how-ever, artifacts make for memorable adventures.

With all these misconceptions out of the way,it's clear that artifacts can be used in ways thatwon't unbalance the campaign, destroy playercharacters, muck up the world, or even ruin anadventure.

Now, doesn't that feel better?

3

The Book of Artifacts is a supplement for thecore rules of the AD&D® 2nd Edition game. Inother words, everything in this book is optional.This is not something every DM must have or abook every player should read. DM's who wantto use the material here can, others don't haveto. The Book of Artifacts is not a vital piece forevery campaign.

As one might expect, the Book of Artifactsincludes descriptions of artifacts for use in thegame. These descriptions fill the better part ofthe book. Each description includes a historyand advice for creating adventures that revolvearound the artifact.

To aid the DM in using artifacts, there is also achapter of general information about artifacts. Init the DM can find advice on creating new arti-facts, building adventures around artifacts, get-ting artifacts out of a campaign, and how torepair a damaged campaign if an artifact getsout of hand.

Although not directly related to artifacts, twochapters dealing with the creation and recharg-ing of magical items have also been included.These give detailed rules and guidelines to helpthe DM when player characters decide to maketheir own magical items. Now, when the PCmage wants to recharge a wand of frost or make apotion of spider climbing, the DM will be ready.

After all this comes a host of appendices.These cover tables for artifact powers, diagramsof the control panels for the Machine of Lum theMad and the stops of Heward's Mystical Organ,listings of artifacts suitable to particular AD&Dworlds, and more. The DM can use these to cre-ate and integrate his own artifacts into the cam-paign.

The best way to approach this material is toskip around. DM's are encouraged to readthrough the chapter on artifacts first. The artifactdescriptions can be read in any order desired ornot read at all. The information on magical itemscan be read when needed; none of the rules thereis needed to use any artifact in a campaign.

Since this book is about artifacts, it helps tohave a clear idea of just what an artifact is andisn't. It's not what a lot of people expect.

One occasional point of confusion is that thereare two different names for the same thing—artifact and relic. Artifacts are powerful magicalitems that have wizard, priest, or other powersand are made by gods, lichs, wizards, and otherspellcasters. Relics are powerful magical itemsthat have wizard, priest, or other powers, aremade by gods and priests, and have some holyimportance to a particular temple. Otherwise,the two types are identical. Throughout thisbook, the term "artifact" refers to both artifactsand relics. "Relic" refers only to that group ofartifacts that have holy significance.

A common assumption is that an artifact isany ultra-powerful magical device. This is nottrue. A staff of the magi is considered by many tobe an ultra-powerful device, but it is not an arti-fact. Indeed, many artifacts have fewer powersthan this staff. While most artifacts are potent(because the DM wants them to be memorable),sheer power is not a defining quality. An artifactmust have three properties: it must be unique, itmust have a history, and it must be important tothe adventure.

Unique. Artifacts are one-of-a-kind items, andthat's part of what makes them valuable. There'sonly one Talisman of Al-Akbar. If there weremore, they wouldn't be as special. In most cam-paigns, this means there's only one in the entireworld. In those campaigns that cross to differentworlds (as a SPELLJAMMER® game would), itmeans there's only one in all the worlds andplanes. This also means that characters who arebrought from one DM's campaign to anothercannot bring artifacts with them. The DM gets tokeep those toys.

History. One of the most important features ofevery artifact is that it has baggage. Someone orsomething made it, used it, and eventually man-

4

aged to lose it. The history should explain or atleast hint at the reason the artifact exists andwhat it was originally used for. The tale mayalso tell what has happened to the artifact sinceit was made, particularly the great or wondrousfates of successive owners. Histories are impor-tant. They provide something for the playercharacters to research and a means for the DM togive clues about the item's vast powers. A color-ful if not wholly accurate description of the terri-ble fate that met the last owner of the Crystal ofthe Ebon Flame is certain to make the player char-acters cautious, should they ever find the samedevice.

Story. This is the most curious qualifier for anartifact since it doesn't really affect the powersof the item or any other aspect of the game rules.It does affect how the DM uses an artifact andthe information players might gain.

Purely and simply, artifacts exist to tell stories.Characters don't just "find" an artifact. They

discover it because the DM put it there as part ofa specific adventure. The minute an artifactturns up, smart players will know the DM has aspecial adventure in mind for their characters.

As befits the unique nature of artifacts, adven-tures built around them can't be ordinary ones.The DM should make every effort to create amemorable challenge for the players. With theirhistories, artifacts have the tools to make goodstories, but it is up the DM to finish the job.

So there it is. Artifacts are unique and colorfulmagical items that provide adventure tools forthe DM. They don't have to be powerful items,although, because of their histories, most are.

One last point—artifacts are optional! No DMmust include artifacts in a campaign. Even ifthey are used, no DM has to use every artifactlisted in this book. DMs can always pick andchoose those liked best and declare that the restdo not exist in the campaign.

More importantly, no player has the right totell any DM that an artifact must exist in the

5

campaign. In a normal group, with only oneDM, this is seldom a problem. It is important toremember this, however, for those groups whereseveral DMs may be running the same playercharacters at different times. If Martha is DMingand introduces the Sword of Kas for an adven-ture, players should not insist that John let themuse the Sword of Kas when he is DMing the samecharacters in a later adventure. If it is necessary,remember that artifacts always have an amazingability to vanish unexpectedly, only to reappearinnocently at some later date.

The artifacts described in this book are not theonly artifacts that can be used in a campaign.Artifacts, with their detailed histories and pow-erful effects, are personal things, so it makessense that the DM should create artifacts uniqueto an individual campaign. In fact, that's justwhat the DM should do. Every campaign shouldhave artifacts that are truly unique to it, therebyensuring that the DM's world is different fromevery other campaign out there.

Great idea, the DM may say, but how do I doit?

Don't worry. It's really not that hard. By fol-lowing a few simple guidelines, DMs discoverthat artifacts practically create themselves. Thissection provides a step-by-step example of thewhole process.

Artifacts are about wonder—not power likemany players think. Artifacts are the highest ofall magic in a normal campaign, so they have tobe surprising, awe-inspiring, and unpredictable;in other words, all the things that make theworld wondrous. Artifacts can't be ho-humdevices bound by the standard rules of magicaldevices—the dreary realities of charges, com-mand words, and the like. Artifacts exist tobreak the rules.

By the strict game rules, nobody could buildthe Machine of Lum the Mad—but Lum did. Bythe game rules, no one would make the Rod ofSeven Parts—but it was made. The pseudo-sci-entific Apparatus doesn't conform to the rulesfor spells and magical devices—but it doesn'tmatter. It's the effect that is important, the feelof wonder and mystery that is added to thecampaign.

When creating an artifact, consider first theeffect. A good idea is to choose something that isimpossible by normal spells and magical items.This makes the artifact special and desirable.The effect doesn't have to be all-powerful, onlyimpossible by the current rules. Make that theprincipal effect of the artifact.

This artifact makes a wizard's spells permanent, so henever has to memorize spells.

That's pretty powerful and impossible, andit's a good example for an artifact's effect. So,where does one go next?

Any wizards or priests worth half their saltcan make a magical item. They get a bunch ofmaterials, research a few spells, lock themselvesaway in a tower or cellar, and poof-bingo-bango!—there's a magical item. While the materials andsteps needed may be a mystery, the process itselfis not mysterious. Everyone knows spellcastersmake magical items, so no one is surprisedwhen Jalarko the Magnificent comes out of histower waving a long sword +1.

Artifacts, though, are not just things. Theyquickly take on a life of their own. It's better toimagine an artifact as being born rather thanbuilt. Birth implies mystery and strangeness,wonder beyond a mere manufacturing process.

As much as characters might like to, nobody inthe present history of a campaign "makes" arti-facts. Artifacts always come from times more dis-tant, a few centuries to a few millennia in the

6

past. Sometimes the maker and the circum-stances of the device's creation are well known;more often, however, the history of who didwhat and what was done is vague and uncertain.

It is said that this artifact, the Crown of Mem-ory, was a gift to the archmage Forlin from hisgrateful former apprentices, now mighty magesthemselves. In his advanced years, their belovedmaster's memory was not all it could have been,and so for his 180th birthday they sought a solu-tion. Their gift decided, each worked his part insecrecy, fashioning and adding a little more tothe crown without yet knowing what the othershad done. It is said that one of them even pleadedto the powers of magic for aid in the task. Per-haps his cries were heard, for the Crown was theresult.

Simply saying that an artifact is, is not enough.Artifacts come wrapped in long chains of his-tory and legend that bind them to specific placesand things. Part of this is in the mystery of theirbirth—who first made them, who first usedthem, who first died at their hands—but theirlegends reach beyond this. Artifacts are likeproverbial bad pennies, resurfacing time andtime again to wreak havoc, inspire tragedy, orsave the day. Each appearance is a mini-epic inwhich the artifact plays a central role. No tale isever, "Oh by the way, he used this artifact hefound." Instead, the artifact changes the hero (orheroine); sometimes for the better, oft for theworse, and then like an actor whose part is fin-ished, it disappears from the stage. Imagine thatartifacts have wills of their own. They allowthemselves to be discovered and used and theyleave when the time is done.

One practical effect of coming up with a color-ful tale is that it provides the DM with theammunition needed for adventures and so forth,in the form of rumors, legends, and hints for thecampaign. Since learning the powers of any arti-fact is supposed to be hard, these tales (already

prepared) may be the best sources of meagerinformation for the player characters.

When the archmage finally died, dissension roseamong his loyal students. Some wanted to interthe treasure with their master, while othersdecried this ivaste. The argument was settledwhen Liras seized the Crown and claimed it asher own. The wrath of all the others turned uponher, but, aided by the Crown, Liras slew themall. Ambition fueled a madness in her and so,with the Crown's might, she overthrew therightful king and proclaimed the SorcerousDynasty. Terrible was her rule, as she crushedany who opposed her. At last the hero Turoc,aided by a bound fiend, brought an end to herreign.

Alas for Turoc, the fiend tricked the warriorinto undoing its bond. Claiming the Crown asits prize, it slew its former master and fled fromthis plane. Perhaps it and the Crown stillremain in the Abyss.

The old maxim "with great power comesgreat responsibility" couldn't be more true in thecase of artifacts. Nothing is free or easy aboutthese devices. There are always costs, draw-backs, or outright curses tied to their use.

This has two effects, both important for thecampaign. First, an effective curse quickly dis-courages any potential abuse of the artifact'spowers. Risking possession or the arrival of amajor fiend each time a power is used generallypromotes cautious behavior on the part of theplayer characters. Second, by giving the playercharacters an artifact fraught with its own perilsthat must be used in the adventure, the DM gen-erates tension. "Do I dare call upon the powersof the Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings, or should Iwait and hope to get out of this alive some otherway?" Of course, to be truly effective, the playercharacters should have some idea of what thecurse is, preferably by learning the supposedfates of previous owners.

7

The Crown holds trapped within it Liras's spirit.Once it longed for power, but centuries in the Abysshave driven it vengefully mad. Any who wear theCrown risk activating the mad spirit trapped within.

From the adventure standpoint, a good curseadds a necessary touch of drama and pathos toan item's history. It is far more memorable to sayEthganir Heartbow used the Axe of the Emperorsto save the city, only to have it sap his life away,than to just say he used it and later got killed.This balance between weal and woe, need andrisk, is what makes artifacts exciting to use.

Although every artifact is unique, there aretwo cursed properties found in many of theseitems—artifact possession and artifact transforma-tion. The first occurs when that item imposes itswill and goals upon the personality of its owner.This is a subtle and insidious change that oftenpasses unremarked by others until too late. Thesecond power actually changes something moreconcrete about the character—physical form,alignment, race, even class may be altered tosomething more desirable to the artifact. Whilethe change is slow, the effect far less subtle thanits cousin.

In addition to the powers possessed individu-ally, all artifacts share certain features in com-mon. These properties generally conceal andprotect the artifact, placing them outside thenormal rules for magical items.

• Artifacts are unique. Unless the descriptionsays more than one exists, there can only be oneof each in a campaign world.• Artifacts radiate only dim power to a detectmagic spell. The spell never reveals the type ofmagic involved.• Artifacts are immune to detect evil, identify,know alignment, or locate object spells.• Legend lore and contact other plane spells neverreveal the location of an artifact. These spells canbe used to learn more about an artifact's powers,but the answers are often highly mysterious.• Artifacts are immune to physical or magicalharm, except by a few specific means. If placedin a situation where a magical item would beutterly destroyed (such as crushed under animmense slab) the artifact simply disappears.This immunity extends even to the powers ofthe gods.• The effects of artifacts, particularly the curses,are permanent unless otherwise noted. Evenwishes or supplications to the gods cannot undothe harm an artifact has caused.

When an item is capable of artifact possession,the DM should note the goals and ambitionsoutlined in the Curse section of the device's

8

description. This is what a possessed characterwill seek to do or become. A wise DM will beprepared to deal with this possession, should itoccur.

Artifacts do not instantly possess their own-ers—that would be no fun. Instead, the degener-ation of a character is a gradual process, as thecharacter slides further and further out of con-trol. Not only does this provide the opportunityto build mystery and horror, but it gives theplayer ample warning of the fate that awaits.

Possession checks are made using the samerules as those for intelligent magical items.However, one check is made every week in addi-tion to checks required from potential conflictsbetween the character and the artifact. (Theseare not based on alignment, but on the goals andhistory of the item.) For these checks, treat theartifact as if it has a personality score of 40 +1dlO.

Each time the character's personality is over-whelmed, the artifact is able to assert a littlemore control over the character. The DM musttrack how many times this occurs, for once dom-ination has taken place a number of times equalto the character's Wisdom score, the PC is per-manently and forever possessed. Furthermore,characters partially overwhelmed (say, a charac-ter with a Wisdom score of 12 who has beendominated 6 times) have greater difficulty resist-ing the artifact or shaking off its effects. Use theratio of possessions to total Wisdom as a per-centage guide (50% in the above example).

The ultimate purpose of artifact possession isto increase role-playing danger and excitement.There is no set length for the possession process.Instead, the DM should prolong or shorten it asbest suits the drama of the campaign; tooquickly and the tension of the character's grad-ual decay is lost, too slowly and the fear of pos-session is lost. It is a balancing act the DM mustmaster.

A more obvious case of character destructionis artifact transformation. As with possession, theartifact's curse will describe just how the charac-ter changes. It is then the DM's task to adjudi-cate this subtle shift.

Each week that a character owns an artifact, asaving throw vs. polymorph (with a -4 penalty)must be rolled. Do not explain to players thepurpose of this roll. If the saving throw is suc-cessful, nothing happens. If it is failed, thensometime during that week, a change occurs inthe character and one aspect of the characteradopts the new form. If an artifact is slowlychanging Chekhos the Warrior into an ogre, thenhe might wake up one morning to find himselfmuch bigger. His clothes and armor no longerfit, and he suffers larger-than-man-sized dam-age in combat. The next week, he might not beas handsome as he once was, as his Charismadrops to more ogrish levels. In the third week,Chekhos's wits dull, and so on until the processis complete.

Artifact transformation is not meant to be benefi-cial to the character. This is important. The charac-ter in the process of becoming an ogre couldbenefit from ogre strength, but find himself bothclumsy and ugly.

The transformation is not only physical. Asthe new form becomes more final, the charac-ter's personality should reflect the change. Thesoon-to-be ogre starts to harbor ogrish thoughtsand ogrish habits. When the transformation iscomplete, so is the personality change. Thosetransformed into monsters are immediatelyrelinquished to the DM for use as NPCs.

The first part of every artifact description is adescription of the item's appearance, accompa-nied by an illustration. In most cases thisdescription can be read directly to the playerswhen the artifact is discovered. Of course, all

9

mention of the item's name should be avoided—that is for the players and their characters tolearn later. Every artifact has a unique set of powers that

can be divided into five categories: constant,invoked, random, resonating, and curse. The mostimportant powers are usually defined here.

The background of every artifact is important,since it explains powers, builds the story, andprovides clues for the player characters. Exceptfor those items tied to specific game worlds(such as the Mace of Cuthbert), these histories arepurposefully vague. This should make it easierfor the DM to incorporate the item into an indi-vidual campaign. Deities are not specificallynamed, and the various wizards, warriors,priests, and rogues are not taken from any spe-cific game world (again, with the exception ofthose items specific to certain realms).

The histories are suggestions only, because itis impossible to create legends and tales herethat instantly and perfectly match every cam-paign. The DM can freely change any elementdesired, but should remember that the history isalso meant to provide clues about the artifact tothe players, should their characters have thesense to do any research.

This is an important section of advice andadventure suggestions for the DM, since arti-facts are about stories. Generally, this sectiondiscusses whether it is a good idea for the PCs touse the item or whether it is something that theyshould try to keep out of the hands of others.There is usually a simple adventure plotline thatmay include advice on how to introduce the arti-fact, what to do with it, and (perhaps mostimportantly) how to remove it when the adven-ture is concluded.

Constant. These powers take effect withoutthe character having to do anything other thanhold the artifact. Sample constant powers are anArmor Class of 5, continual true seeing (per thespell), or an additional experience level for theowner.

Invoked. These powers require the characterto do something, perhaps as simple as willing it,shouting a command word, pushing a button, orreading a page. Invoked powers often have limi-tations on their number of uses.

Random. These powers are left for the DM todefine. This section lists the appropriate tablesfrom Appendix B: Random Power Tables andthe number of powers from that table. The DMcan then choose from those or create others.

Resonating. These powers only appear whentwo or more pieces of a matched set (such as theEye and Hand of Vecna) are joined. Resonatingpowers seldom occur and may be constant,invoked, or random.

Curse. Every artifact has drawbacks thatreflect its nature or history. These are not all evil,but can be things that force particular behaviors.The two special curses mentioned earlier can beincluded: artifact possession and artifact transfor-mation. Should either of these apply, the item'sgoals or final transformation is described here.

This provides some colorful means by whichthe artifact can be permanently destroyed. TheDM can create others, but none of the optionsshould be easy.

10

The Acorn of Wo Mai is a large lead vessel, dullgray in color. As its name suggests, it is fash-ioned to look like an enormous acorn, almostthree feet in height. Two golden bands, inscribedwith arcane characters, encircle it from bottomto top, where they meet under a large seal of adragon coiled around a sword. Although itappears to be tremendously heavy, the artifactcan be carried by a strong individual with ease.It sometimes makes faint thumping noises, andis warm to the touch.

According to ancient eastern legend, the Acornof Wo Mai is the prison of a powerful fiend whoonce ruled and terrorized a great empire at theedges of the eastern lands. The fiend was sum-moned by war-wizards but escaped their con-trol. Hearing of this fiend's cruelties, the greatWo Mai challenged it to battle. They foughtlong, the fiend confident, for its life force washidden far away, and it could not be slain. WhenWo Mai discovered this, he bound the fiend inirons that it could not break. Next, he and hiscompanions shaped the Acorn, imprisoned thefiend inside, and brought the prize back to theimperial court. When the court fell to barbarianinvaders, the Acorn was lost.

The Acorn is best used if allowed to fall into thehands of the player characters, since its powers(and curse) will create many role-playing oppor-tunities. The PCs could find the Acorn as part of atreasure trove, or wrest it from another whom thefiend has gained control of. The fiend will seek toseduce a player character to his aid, all the timestressing the need for secrecy. Should he be suc-cessful, the fiend will manipulate the characterand even the entire party into freeing it. Shouldany player character oppose this, the fiend willdo its best to turn the others against its enemy.

To rid themselves of this artifact, the playercharacters should find some way to hide theAcorn away, preferably forever. Alternatively,they could carry it to the lower planes and openit, trapping the fiend in his own plane.

Invoked. The fiend within the Acorn providesgood advice (Int 20), telepathically providinganswers to questions posed by its owner. It alsogrants the ability to polymorph any object (1/day).

Random. 3 from Table 26: Minor Spell-likePowers.

Curse. The fiend trapped within the Acorn isan evil demi-god and craves its release morethan anything else. It is aware of its surround-ings, particularly the life forces of creaturesnearby, and will use its powers (and advice) topersuade its owner to free it from its prison.Once freed, of course, it will reward its formermaster with death.

• The seal must be broken with a +5 weaponupon the throne of the Imperial Emperor.

• The inscribed characters on the golden bandsmust be erased.

• It must be cast into a volcano of Tarterus.

11

The All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira is a large,opalescent strip of fabric decorated with signs oftruth, vision, and prophecy. It is always cool andsilky to the touch. It is a veil when worn by awoman, a keffiyah when worn by a man. It isfound only in Zakhara, the Land of Fate.

Legends of the jann and Al-Badia say that theEye was made by Sahin Sira, the Sheikh of theGreat Ghuls, as a gift for his stolen bride, a mor-tal hakima named Yasmin. He hoped that byhaving her survey all the desert and peaks heruled, he would win her heart.

In fact, Yasmin hated her husband and herduties. Eager to hide herself from him, sheimbued the veil with all the power she could,binding the spirits of dying ghuls to it to protecther. But as is the way of ghul magic, the veil didits job too well. In time, the Eye hid her from herhusband's sight perfectly, but it also altered hertrue sight, showing her only what she wished tosee.

Characters can be allowed to use the item fora short time, but it will unbalance a campaign.Any adventure built around it should requirethat the PCs uncover some great secret. It maybe necessary to find a caliph's kidnapped son,thus averting a war, or to properly interpretmysterious omens that warn of some comingdoom. The item's curse will complicate thesetasks.

The ghuls will do all they can to recover theEye. This will lead to constant attacks andintrigues against the PCs.

Constant. The veil provides the wearer thebenefits of the avert evil eye, nondetection, and true

12

seeing spells at will. The last of these is subject tothe curse (explained below).

Invoked. The owner gains the use of theshapechange (I/day) and alter self (2/day) spells.The owner also benefits from the effects of theinvisibility spell, but only to ghuls.

Random. 4 from Table 16: Divination, 4 fromTable 15: Detection

Curse. The veil gradually responds to theowner by providing visions that match that crea-ture's temperament, desires, and fears. Theprocess takes 1d3 months, starting with smallchanges or additions and gradually building toa world of complete unreality. Once the halfwaypoint of the process is reached, the owner refusesto remove the veil, even wearing it while eatingand sleeping. The words of friends and relativesare no longer heard unless these match the char-acter's dream world. When the owner dies, theghuls arrive to claim their treasure once more.

• The Eye must be worn by a blind god.• It must be carried to the heart of a black cloud

of vengeance by a willing hakima.• It must be cast into the Negative Material

plane while wrapped in a cloak of shadows.

The Apparatus, or the Alchemist's Apparatus as itis sometimes known, is best described from thenotebooks of Meister Dettrick.

The very sight of it [the Apparatus] inspired aterror within me, for its very shape spoke of theunholy researches that planned it. It filled HerrGustav's great hall, o'er-reaching even the bal-conies that looked upon the floor below. Themain part consisted of a great glass sphere ofsulphurous fumes, madly churning as the light-ning teased the steel receptors set atop it. Thewhole was supported in a tripod of oppressivewood and iron, beneath which were suspendedtwo smaller globes, each still the height of a man.Piping arced from these to the sulphurous orb.Ringing these were yet smaller orbs, interwovenby tubes through which flowed streams of nox-ious yellow gas. To my trepidation, Herr Gustavalready stood among the wires and pipes of theplatform, priming the foul device for the comingstorm. Then I saw that each contained a beast—one a quivering fawn, the other a ravening direwolf. "Behold the test!" he cried to me, franticwith his madness as he gestured to the orbs.From his robes he produced a crystal rod, nomore than two feet long, that throbbed withcrystal fire. "The rod!" he shouted above theenraged storm. "With the rod I shall—"

No more of his madness could I bear, and sorisking the fury of the elements I fled the sage'shalls and into the night....

It is unclear whether the Apparatus is a singledevice or a set of plans and concepts so infernalin their execution that the result is the diabolicmachine known by that name. The doubt existsbecause several times this artifact is said to havebeen both invented and destroyed, and yet itsomehow seems to recreate itself elsewhere toonce again wreak havoc upon those who experi-ment with it.

The first known construction of the Apparatus

was by one known as the Alchemist of Mor-dentshire, although this person is sometimesconfused with Count Strahd Von Zarovich,another who figures in the tale. That tale saysthat the Alchemist created the Apparatus in orderto divide a soul and purge it of evil or, as othersmaintain, to fuse his own incomplete soul withanother. Whatever his goal, the Alchemist'sambitions became ensnared in those of Strahdand disaster occurred, destroying the Apparatusand its maker.

The monstrous Apparatus had more of a lifethan its maker, it seems, for it has reappeared inother lands, sometimes as it was and sometimeschanged and improved. Thus it is that somesages maintain that the true artifact is not theApparatus itself but the supposed notebooks ofthe original Alchemist, and that it is from theseplans that the physical Apparatus is built. Noone, however, can ever testify to seeing a copy ofthese notes.

One important feature of the Apparatus is therod of Rastinon. This magical item, although not anartifact in its own right, is vital to several of theApparatus's powers. It must be set in placebetween the two chamber orbs and then poweredby lightning—or so that is how the story goes.

The Apparatus is a wonderful artifact tothreaten player characters with because its pow-

13

14

Unlike many other artifacts, the powers of theApparatus cannot be utilized at will. Althoughmagical in nature, the device operates more likea machine. To run, it must be energized by light-ning. No other electrical source will suffice, forthe Apparatus requires not only the voltage, butthe elemental power that the lightning provides.The metal receptor plate in the top must be

struck 12 times in the space of three hours forthe device to build up the necessary charge.Only one charge can be held at a time andbeyond the time limit, the stored energies fade.The charge is enough to feed a single power ofthe Apparatus. Which power is used is deter-mined by the operator, who must constantlysupervise the machine's operation. Transposses-sion can be used without additional preparation,but the remaining powers of the Apparatusrequire the use of the rod of Rastinon, set in itsplace between the two globes.

Invoked. The simplest power is transposses-sion, the complete exchange of minds betweentwo creatures. The subjects are placed in thetwo globes and, amid swirls of gas and glowingblue sparks, the transfer is made. All mental,spellcasting, and psionic abilities are trans-ferred between the two bodies. The new formhas the Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, andCharisma of the host, but the Intelligence andWisdom of the transferred mind. The subjectsare struck unconscious for 1d3 turns. Transpos-sessed subjects detect as neutral to all spells andpsionics that would reveal alignment, ethos, orpersonality.

The second power, soul-splitting, divides a sin-gle subject into two personalities. The split sepa-rates some property of the psyche into itsopposing elements—good vs. evil, law vs. chaos,wisdom vs. folly, etc. The two persons are physi-cally similar, differing only in ways that charac-terize the nature of the split and the strength ofeach trait. The good personality may be fair andstrong, if the original subject was filled withgood, or sickly and pale if the subject was lessthan noble. Each personality has the full knowl-edge and abilities (within the limits of the sepa-ration) of the original body.

The two forms are also utterly opposed toeach other, so that cooperation is impossible.Depending on the nature of the separation, onewill seek to destroy the other or reverse the soul-splitting process. An evil twin would seek itscounterpart's death while the good tries forreunion. A wise twin might revel at the freedom

ers of transpossession and soul-splitting strike atthe very essence of the player character. Thethought of having one's mind and psyche trans-ferred into that of an orc or, perhaps worse yet, agoat should be enough to rouse fear in anyplayer character.

Since the Apparatus is not small, portable, oreven quick to use, any adventure involving itmost have a strong villain, one who can trap theplayer characters and then operate the device. Astrong villain needs strong ambitions, too. Thegoals of this villain are certainly more than justtormenting the player characters. They are onlyattacked because they are useful in some madeexperiments or because they threaten, know-ingly or not, greater plans.

Should the characters manage to avoid thethreats posed by the Apparatus, they can still befaced with other problems. Friends and alliesmay suddenly become enemies through trans-possession. Innocents may need to be restored ortranspossessed spies ferreted out. This mayrequire the characters to seize and operate theApparatus, all at great peril to their own selves!

Among all of the artifacts, the Apparatus is theeasiest to remove from any campaign, for it hasa history of overloading, exploding, and other-wise destroying itself. Whenever the device'stime has passed, it is a simple matter to demol-ish it in a dramatic stroke of lightning. AnotherApparatus, should it ever be needed, can alwaysconveniently appear elsewhere, for like true sci-ence, once released from Pandora's box, it cannever be banished completely.

from the foolish half. A foolish twin is likely tobecome wild and bestial, filled with more-than-animal cunning. In all cases, the two separatedproperties become concentrated and exagger-ated in each individual until the distilled traitdominates their personalities. It radiates withastonishing intensity to detection spells thatreveal that trait.

The third power is that of soul-fusing. Here,two personalities are joined in one body. Nor-mally this is done to reverse the process of soul-splitting, but it is possible to merge two unrelatedpersonalities into a single creature. The mergedform now has two separate minds within it.Each retains its own personality, including allclass, mental, spellcasting, and psionic powers.One personality, however, cannot use the pow-ers of the other.

The result of this fusion is seldom harmo-nious, for unless the two minds are in perfectagreement on all things, they will vie for controlof the body. Any time there would be disagree-ment over a course of action, an Intelligencecheck is made for each mind. Should one suc-ceed and the other fail, that personality seizesphysical control. The subject's mannerisms,voice, accent, likes, and dislikes are instantlythose of the dominant personality. Should bothfail, the subject is wracked by fearsomeheadaches so severe that any action is impossi-ble. If both succeed their checks, the subject'sbody is the battleground for control. Movementsbecome confused and jerky, behavior erraticfrom moment to moment, as each personalitytries to assert itself.

Attempts to detect the mental nature of such aperson reveal details of the current dominantpersonality. If there is no dominant force, theresult is a confused blur that might be mistakenfor neutrality.

Curse. With the Apparatus there are perils bothfor those subjected to its horrible transforma-tions and for those who would use it uponthemselves or others.

For subjects, in addition to the perils describedabove, there is a chance that, unable to reconcile

oneself to the alteration, madness will occur. Thesubject (or subjects in the case of a split) mustimmediately roll a successful saving throw vs.death or succumb to incurable madness. There-after, the subject must roll a successful savingthrow every day for a full week. Only after thistime is the subject able to come to terms with thesituation. Note that for those subjected to soul-fusing, each personality must roll a separate sav-ing throw and it is perfectly possible for onepersonality to be sane and the other to be utterlymad.

The experimenter risks other fates each timethe Apparatus is used. If the Apparatus is usedwithin the RAVENLOFT® campaign setting(where the device was originally found), theoperator must roll a Dark Powers check eachtime the device is used—even if the operator isthe subject. Furthermore, evil "twins" created bythe Apparatus are immediately adopted by theland.

If used outside of the RAVENLOFT setting(where such checks do not exist), there is a 20%chance (noncumulative) that the energies of theApparatus create a field that transfers the deviceand surrounding locale (such as the buildinghousing it), along with all characters, into theRAVENLOFT realm. (Players familiar with thisrealm know this is a serious curse.)

• The machine itself is quite fragile and can beeasily destroyed. However, it will recreateitself at some other place and time.

• The characters must travel back in time to theworkshops of the original Alchemist andthere destroy him, his works, and all hisnotes.

• Mystical barriers blocking the blend of sci-ence and magic must be erected to protecteach prime material world. This will notdestroy the device, but will prevent its appear-ance in that world.

15

The Artifurnace is a magical spelljamming devicethat draws its power from magical artifacts.Each Artifurnace is custom-made, tailored tocontain and siphon energy from a specific arti-fact. It looks like a pot-bellied cast-iron stovewith an iron mesh door and a gnomish handlenear the stove pipe. The stove pipe is clampedand hammered shut.

Icarus Straves, the fiendish leader of a mago-cratic planet from the Chronos crystal sphere,fought a long, centuries-old battle with theinhabitants of a world on the other side of thesphere. Since this war raged for nearly 300 years,Icarus ran out of competent, high-level spellcast-ers to man the helms of his fleet.

He put his best mages—those who sat on hiscouncil of 30—to work to find another way topower spelljamming crafts. For years theyslaved over this task until only 20 were left.Finally, they discovered a method, but were hor-rified when they realized that a life must be for-saken to accomplish the task. Refusing to createsuch an arrangement, the mages revolted andfled, but Icarus found 15 of them.

Icarus read the mages' notes, which were veryspecific. A cast-iron pot-bellied stove lit withgreen hickory seedlings could be enchanted tocapture the essence of an intelligent being. Theessence would draw motive force from theenergy of an artifact, giving a ship virtuallyunlimited power. After reading the notes, Icarusknew of 15 beings to use and soon had 15 Arti-furnaces.

Only 15 Artifurnaces are recorded to have beenmade, and many were destroyed or hidden.These are obviously easy to use, although PCsmight not realize what they have until it is toolate. These artifacts are real prizes, so entire wars

could take place over who possesses them. PCscould be sent on a mission to steal one, or toguard against such a threat. Of course, PCsmight be more inclined to destroy such an item.

Invoked: Once installed on a ship, an Artifur-nace provides an SR of 5 to that ship whenever itis activated, and it will run indefinitely, poweredby the artifact within. The navigator activatesthe Artifurnace by lifting the handle. Pushing thehandle down again deactivates the furnace. Thenavigator can also use any one invokable powerpossessed by the artifact within the Artifurnace.

Curse: Whenever the Artifurnace is activated,it is so hot that it causes 12d6 points of damageto anyone who touches any part other than thehandle. It also has the side effect of attracting theattention of those powers tied to the artifactused to power the furnace. Finally, The Artifur-nace shares all possible curses of the artifact usedto power it.

• The artifact used to power the Artifurnacemust be destroyed.

• It must be placed within a spelljamming fur-nace and set adrift into the phlogiston.

• It must be crushed in the planetary gears ofChronos.

16

This weapon is a short-handled axe backed by aclawed hammer head. The blade is pierced withintricate runes etched and plated in gold. Theaxe head seems extraordinarily flimsy untiltested, when the cunning work of the carvingand the temper of the steel shows the weapon'strue strength. The hammer is made to look likean erupting volcano with the flames forming thehead's jagged prongs.

Legend says that the Axe of the Dwarven Lordsis the last of the Five Great Tools forged by theFirst King, after the Brutal Pick, the EarthheartForge, the Anvil of Songs, and the ShapingHammer. With these, Silvervein Moradinsoncrafted the Fierce Axe, the finest of the five. Sil-vervein passed the axe on to the Second King,and so it went through the generations, until itbecame known as the Axe of the Dwarven Lords,symbol of the One Clan.

The One Clan was shattered and the age of theHigh Kings broken when Brassbeard slew hisuncle, King Irontooth of Moradinson, out ofgreed for it. The dwarves fell into the chaos ofcivil war, and when all had ended the Axe of theDwarven Lords was lost forever.

The Axe's power lies as much in what it sym-bolizes as in its magic, for over the centuries alegend has sprung up that the return of the Axewill herald the return of the High Kings and anew Dwarven Age.

Adventures involving the Axe can have theplayer characters finding the weapon. Onlydwarven PCs should have any idea of theweapon's importance; to others it is merely apowerful weapon. From here the PCs can beplunged into an adventure of dwarven intrigueand greed as rivals attempt to take possession ofthe Axe. The duergar may even attempt to stealit for their own.

The Axe should not resurface without cause, so

during all of the intrigue the PCs should discovera great threat to the dwarves. The clans mightneed to be united or the shade of Silvervein sum-moned to lead a last battle against the foe.

Constant. The Axe is a +3 weapon, function-ing both as a sword of sharpness and as a hammer+3 dwarven thrower. It grants dwarven detectionand vision abilities at double the normal chanceor range.

Invoked. The Axe can summon one 16-HDearth elemental (1/week).

Random. 3 from Table 20: Earth ElementalCurse. Nondwarf characters permanently lose

1 point of Charisma when first touching the Axe.There is a 20% chance that any magical item pos-sessed or touched by the owner is permanentlynegated. Finally, artifact transformation changesthe owner into a dwarf, with the loss of abilitiesnot allowed that race.

• The Axe must be melted down within theflames of the Earthheart Forge.

• It must be freely given to the deities of theorcs.

• Moradin, the dwarf deity, must be woundedby it.

17

The Axe of the Emperors is a double-bitted, two-handed war axe. The head is of the brightestadamantine, forged so that it looks like a risingphoenix, the talons wrapping around the socketto clutch a sizeable ruby. The bird's wing feath-ers form the serrated edges of the blades. Thehaft is a rod of black crystal wrapped in bands ofsilver. The crystal enlarges at its base into a carv-ing of a coiled dragon, a great sapphire clutchedin the creature's mouth. The item is originallyfrom Taladas on the world of Krynn.

It was in the Age of Dreams, when the ogresfirst warred among themselves, that the sedi-tious Irix called upon the dark gods to give hima weapon to subdue his fellow Irda. His vilesupplications were heard and the dark godsgranted unto him the means to make the Axe ofthe Emperors.

Aided by the Axe, Irix plunged his people intocivil war, splitting the good from the evil. TheAxe led him to many bloodthirsty victories, butin the end the combined might of Irda broughthim down. Fearful of the Axe, the greatest sor-cerers and sages among the ogres saw to itsdestruction. At the end of their mystical work-ings the Axe vanished, apparently destroyed.

In truth, the Axe still existed, magically castaway from the ogres to the lands of Ansalon.There it was found by Ymrald, a green dragon,who added the treasure to her hoard. Wiseenough to know it was a magical device, Ymraldspent decades trying to puzzle out its powersbefore giving up in frustration. When she died,it passed with the rest of her hoard to her chil-dren. Thus the Axe languished for thousands ofyears, a beautiful curiosity of dragonkind.

Such a situation could not last forever, and itended when the treasure hoard was ransackedby a minotaur of spirit and skill, Ambeoutin,from whom the later emperors take their name.His raid was no accident, for a sorcerer amonghis people had guided the minotaur hero to the

dragon's lair. Yrmald's offspring strove to stopthe thief 's escape but was no match for theminotaur, now equipped with the Axe.

It is said that upon returning to his camp, theminotaur and his sorcerous mentor spent thenight performing sinister rituals over the magi-cal blade. Some contend that these gave the Axeeven greater powers than it held before; othersbelieve it only allowed Ambeoutin to master thesecrets that were already there. All agree thatwith the dawn the Axe glowed with a greaterfire than before. In Ambeoutin's hands it was anobject of power and might. Minotaurs and ogreskneeled to his cause, while all others fell beforethe blade's deadly thirst.

Like Irix before him, Ambeoutin becameunstoppable and through bloody war quicklycarved a kingdom for his people. Unlike Irix, theminotaur ruled his people harshly but justly. Ashis time to die approached, Ambeoutin, oncemore advised by his mentor, took up his Axe anddisappeared, setting sail for his ancestral home-land in the east.

The Axe of the Emperors is a powerful artifact,but because of its strictures it is not one theplayer characters are likely to use. Instead, theyare far more likely to encounter this item eitheras part of a long-lost treasure hoard or newlydiscovered and in the hands of someone else.

19

The Axe is an evil item and should be presentedto the characters as something that must bestopped or destroyed.

One possibility for an adventure is that theAxe has appeared in a relatively quiet backwatervillage and has quickly dominated the locallord, a weak-willed NPC. With the Axe he isstarting a reign of terror and conquest, thoughon a small scale. For the good of the oppressedfarmers the player characters must stop thisoverpowered petty tyrant, even if he neverbecomes a threat to the entire world.

For a more dramatic adventure, the playercharacters can discover a minotaur kingdom in alost valley, a kingdom ruled by the originalAmbeoutin or a monstrous deathless parody ofwhat he once was. The Axe has finally seized themind of the great minotaur hero. The arrival ofthe characters rekindles the urge to conquer andnow this ancient minotaur civilization is prepar-ing to burst forth in a wave of conquest. Natu-rally, it's up to the player characters to stopthings here and now.

Once the adventure is over, the Axe should notbe left in the control of the player charactersunless, of course, their only desire is to destroy itor hide it away forever. Irda may appear to fin-ish their attempts to destroy it. The minotaursjust might seek to enshrine it as a powerful relicof their history, although they are more likely touse it.

Constant. The Axe has all of the properties ofa vorpal sword (+3 bonus to attack and damagerolls, possibility of severing limbs). Againstogres and ogre-kin, the bonuses to attack anddamage rolls increases to +5.

Invoked. The Axe is a powerful symbol ofrulership and might. As such, it has powersequal to a ring of human influence and is particu-larly effective against ogres and ogre-kin (-2penalty to all saving throw rolls). This powercan be commanded at will. The Axe can also pro-

duce the effects of a cause fear spell to all within120 feet (3/day).Random. 2 from Table 12: Combat, 1 from

Table 27: MovementCurse. Created both for and against the ogre

races, the Axe cannot be used fully by anyonewithout some ogre blood in their veins. Non-ogre characters using the weapon cannot callupon the Axe's command or fear powers. Further-more, they are struck with a degenerative dis-ease that drains 1 point of Constitution per weekuntil the ability reaches 0 and they die. Oncecontracted, the disease runs its course even ifownership of the Axe should change. Mere han-dling of the Axe does not trigger this effect; theweapon must be used for some purpose (such ascombat). The disease can be halted by a cure dis-ease, but the character will not recover any Con-stitution until a remove curse is also cast.Constitution points are regained at 1 point perweek.

With its hate-filled creation and bloody back-ground, it is not surprising that the Axe of theEmperors is imbued with a spirit of intenseevil (Int 18, Ego 17). This spirit will attempt arti-fact possession, and once this occurs, the charac-ter gradually becomes a triple-strength (12 + 3hit dice) ogre of lawful evil alignment. Oncethe transformation is completed, the char-acter becomes a permanent NPC. The spirit ofthe Axe seeks nothing but to kill ogres and theirkin. If not quenched in ogre blood at least oncea month, the Axe refuses to use its invokedpowers.

• The Axe must be sunk into the center of theBurning Sea.

• The tinker gnomes must examine it for onehundred years, during which time they find away to dissemble it.

• Every ogre and ogre-kin with royal blood inits veins must be slain by the Axe

20

Baba Yaga's Hut looks like a small, hexagonal hutwith a thatched roof that is no more than 12 feethigh and 10 feet across. A rickety chimney jutsfrom the top. At a distance it seems to bemounted on stilts, though closer inspectionreveals that they are giant chicken legs, fullyanother 12 feet long. It has a single door and twowindows. The Hut is almost always found in thedeep woods, surrounded by a picket fencetopped with skulls.

The Hut is seldom still and is often seen spin-ning or capering about. Even when not dancing,the Hut bobs up and down, sways from side-to-side, or swivels about as if looking at things.

Baba Yaga and her Hut are unique among allthe artifacts in that there are two histories forthem. The first history is of Baba Yaga the fear-some ogress who comes straight from Slavicfolklore. The second history presents a fantasyBaba Yaga for those DMs who prefer not to havethe "real world" intrude upon their games.

In folklore, Baba Yaga was a fearsome ogress(as in a hideous greater-than-human creature,not the AD&D® game ogre). Not only was shestrong, but Baba Yaga also possessed great mag-ical power. She cooked children, caused storms,and traversed the country with Death at herside. Her appearance was horrid, with wild hair,a bony body, fangs, and claws and teeth of stone.According to some, she protected the waters oflife, while according to others she was a spirit ofthe forest.

Equally amazing were Baba Yaga's magicalitems. It is said that the ogress flew through thesky in a mortar of iron, poling it with the pestle.Some say that thunder was the clamor of themortar and pestle as she flew. At her hand shealways had a great club that could turn men tostone. Without a doubt, though, the greatest ofher treasures was her Hut.

For those who wish to maintain a purely fan-tasy explanation for this artifact, Baba Yaga was

an evil sorceress of great skill, perhaps the greatestfemale mage who ever lived. More ruthless, far-sighted, and determined than most of her coun-terparts, male or female, Baba Yaga spent a goodnumber of her last years in a single-minded effortto create the Hut. Although many wizards of thattime derided her as obsessed, Baba Yaga did notrelent and eventually finished her finest creation.Although she seemed ancient beyond belief, thesorceress lived for a good number of years afterthis, travelling the countryside in her strange con-veyance. Although she grew aged, Baba Yagahinted that she had found a way to survive. Then,one day, she entered her Hut and never returned.Capering and dancing, the Hut disappeared fromsight and vanished from the realm.

Since that ancient time, the Hut has been seenonly a few times, always dancing. The reports ofthose who tried to enter it only reveal what mostalready know—that Baba Yaga's Hut is an item ofgreat power.

2l

Whether based on the real folklore or a fan-tasy background, there is no reason Baba Yaga'sHut or even Baba Yaga herself cannot appear ina campaign. In either guise, Baba Yaga caninspire the peasants of the countryside withgreat terror at the mere mention of her name, foreven though she has long been absent, the mem-ory of Baba Yaga and her Hut still linger on.

Baba Yaga's Hut is more than just an artifactwaiting to be used. It is almost a living thing, amonster of sorts. It can move about, fight, and doother things of its own accord, thus making it oneof the most difficult artifacts to control and use.

Generally, the player characters should onlydiscover the Hut if the DM is willing to intro-duce Baba Yaga into the campaign. The playercharacters should always feel like trespassersonto her property, so it is important to keepplayers guessing as to whether Baba Yaga isalive, dead, or undead. If they do encounter her,the DM should prepare a suitable foe—certainlyno less powerful than a lich.

The Hut can be the source of several relatedadventures. First there is the task of finding theartifact. This can both easy and hard. Localfarmers might report sightings and attacks, butthe characters still have to hunt down the roam-ing device. Once found, the characters have toenter and explore the Hut, since it is much largeron the inside than it should be. The Hut—beingquasi-alive—will do what it can to hamper andresist the characters. It may even have guardiansliving inside it. Whether or not the charactersgain control of the artifact, a final adventurewould center around the return of Baba Yaga.She is certainly going to take a dim view of oth-ers stealing her Hut!

Constant. The inside of Baba Yaga's Hut is apalace far larger than the outside. Enclosedwithin the walls are over 30 rooms, including

23

indoor gardens, kitchens, a library, laboratory,armory, bedrooms, and even an observatory.Many of the rooms have windows, but they allgive the same view; that of the two front win-dows of the Hut. Within the Hut, only the mastercan use summoning, interdimensional travel, orteleportation spells. This master functions attwo levels greater than normal (including extrahit points, spells, etc.) and gains a 20% magicresistance. In addition, the Hut has full senses ofits surroundings (hearing and sight, includinginfravision) shared telepathically with itsmaster.

Invoked. Before any of the Hut's invokedpowers can be used, the character must use akey phrase establishing control over the Hut,which only recognizes one master at a time.Thereafter the Hut can be commanded to runacross any surface including water (movement48), come when called (up to 7 miles distant),hop up to 500 yards in a single bound, or kick atany target within 10 feet (#AT 2, THACO 9, Dmg4d6, and pin to the ground on a roll of 18 orgreater and causing 4dlO points the next round).Each leg can only be hit by +2 weapons or better,has an AC of -2, 48 hit points, and regenerates 1hit point per round. When a leg loses all hitpoints, the Hut settles to the ground, totallyregenerated.

Random. The master gains 2 abilities fromTable 25: Major Spell-Like Powers.

Curse. The curse of Baba Yaga's Hut is BabaYaga herself. Sooner or later she will come to getit back. Since it is her home, it is likely to havesecrets known only to her.

• The interior pocket dimension must be swal-lowed into another one.

• the Hut's hidden inner brain must be foundand destroyed.

Blackjammer's Cutlass is a distinctive weapon ofan outdated style. The blade is fashioned from anonreflective black crystal, clearly not metal.The hilt is silver and fitted with an enormousbasket depicting a sailor being keel-hauled. Forall of its apparent size, it is far lighter than anordinary cutlass. The cutlass is usually found inSPELLJAMMER® campaigns.

It is said that Black Jammer's Cutlass was forgedin an old port hidden in the Tears of Selune ofRealmspace. Its first owner was a pirate nowknown only as Captain Blackjammer, his ownname forgotten in favor of his sword. Whateverhis name once was, Blackjammer is still held upas a paragon of piratical ruthlessness and skill.Since Blackjammer's death (if he is dead, forthere is some argument about this), the Cutlasshas passed through the hands of many othercaptains and mates. The last known owner ofthe sword was Elsun of the Dragon Claw. Killedwhen her ship ran afoul of an elven man-o'-war,the story claims that the Cutlass fell overboardand is now drifting in the Flow somewherebetween Oerth and Krynn.

Although the Cutlass first made its appear-ance in the SPELLJAMMER setting, there is noreason that it cannot be used elsewhere. Its pow-ers are universal to all worlds where sailing andpiracy occur.

The powers of the Cutlass, while useful, arenot such as to completely unbalance a cam-paign. Thus the item can remain in PC posses-sion for a long time.

The DM can use rumors of Captain Blackjam-mer's continued existence as the motive for sev-eral adventures involving the sword. Inbackwater ports, NPCs may be convinced thatthe character wielding the Cutlass is Captain

Blackjammer—and there is still a price on hishead. Another possibility is that the captain stilllives in a lich-like state and is determined toregain his sword.

Constant. The Cutlass has +2 bonuses to attackand damage rolls and improves the character'sArmor Class by 2.

Invoked. The Cutlass can create the effects of adarkness 15' radius spell (at will) that does notaffect the wielder. It also endows its owner withproficiency in all forms of navigation and sea-manship (no chance of failure).

Random. 3 from Table 12: CombatCurse. The Cutlass is imbued with a strong free-

booting personality (Int 19, Ego 20). It can speak,doing so often and loudly, preferring bawdysongs and coarse jokes. It will insult the toughestthug in the bar. not caring if its owner is killed;there is always another. The owner also risks arti-fact transformation, being changed into a black-hearted pirate always on the lookout for ships toplunder and saying "Arrgh, matey!" far too much.

• The Cutlass must be subjected to the com-bined fire of the Elven Armada.

• It must be crushed between two rushingmeteors.

24

The Book with No End is modest-sized tome withcovers bound in the hide of a hatchling reddragon and hinged in gold. A golden clasp sealsthe volume and illuminated sigils emblazon thefront and back. The pages are made of thickparchment, smooth and uniform, and each isedged with gold leaf. Despite its curious name,the book has exactly 100 pages, weighing abouteight pounds. All told, the book is a notablymundane-looking artifact.

The Book with No End was created by a wizardof little note or reputation known anymore onlyas Magus. No direct records of this wizard, hisambitions, or the means by which he created thebook exist, but several sages who have spenttime in the study of this item agree that, basedon the properties of the tome, Magus was striv-ing to make a device of some considerablepower—no doubt for world domination or asimilar unattainable goal.

Whatever the ambitions of this Magus, hiswizardly skills were not up to the task. There islittle doubt that he created an item of consider-able power, but his workmanship was flawed.Tales say that in his greed for power he rushedhis work, taking shortcuts where time andpatience would have been better rewarded.Blind to his own mistakes, Magus managed tocreate a device that consequently devastated theentire countryside the first time he attempted touse it. Instead of granting him the power andmastery he desired, The Book with No End pushedthe already unstable wizard over the brink ofsanity.

Since Magus's day, the book has appearedseveral times, sometimes with beneficial effectand sometimes to the utter woe of all who findit. It supposedly provided the power needed forthe wizard Vorst Dircson to overthrow the hatedLich-King of the North. It was also supposed tobe the cause of the madness that seized the wiz-ard-scholars at the College of Fire in Halverston

(a madness that ended in the explosion of thatacademy and the devastation of Halverston'sport). It is clear from these and other incidentsthat the book is intended for wizards and eventhey must handle it at their own peril.

The current whereabouts of the book areunknown. Deceitful rogues have been known topass fake copies onto gullible wizards. This isreally much simpler than it sounds, since nor-mal detections and magical checks are known tofail on items of artifact power.

The Book with No End is an acceptable item forplayer characters to find and use, although pro-longed use risks the death of the entire adven-turing party. Because most if its effects last onlyas long as a PC has the book, it is possible for itto be introduced and removed with little long-term damage to a campaign.

Because of the book's ordinary appearance, itis possible for the characters to obtain it fromsomeone who does not know its true value. It isequally possible that the characters might haveno idea of what they have. This process of dis-covery, either by accident or as a result of theplots and schemes of others seeking the book,constitutes an adventure in itself.

Discovering and deciphering the riddle of thebook may also be part of a greater adventure. Inthis case, there is a greater threat to the player

25

characters (and the world)—possibly the appear-ance of an even greater and evil artifact in thewrong hands. The Book then becomes a desper-ate but useful means of defeating the foe.

Once the Book has served its purpose, it is bestremoved from the campaign. Wise player char-acters may do this on their own; otherwise, itmay have to be stolen, or worse still, the cursetriggered. Of course, at least one player charac-ter will have to die to save the others in this case.

All the powers found in the Book with No End,whether constant or invoked, are found on spe-cific pages therein. The book has only 100 pages(far shorter than the infinity its title implies) andof these only 27 have anything on them. Readingany page is only possible with the use of a readmagic spell, with one spell needed per page.

A suggested listing of pages and powers isgiven above. The DM can freely rearrange oralter these pages. As player characters readpages, it is their responsibility to track pagenumbers for later use.

Constant. Wizards in possession of the bookhave all their spell potencies increased by 150%(range, duration, area of effect, and damage). Inaddition, the Personal Enhancement powers are

in effect any time the wizard is touching thebook.

Invoked. The invoked powers can only beused when the wizard opens the book to the cor-rect page and reads it aloud. A read magic spell isnot necessary for this second reading.

Curse. PCs of classes other than wizard suffer5dlO points of electrical damage (a successfulsaving throw vs. spell is necessary to halve thisdamage) upon opening the book. The user alsorisks artifact possession with each page read.Those possessed seek to lead in all things andeventually to rule absolutely.

Every time an invoked power of the book isused, there is a 5% chance of triggering amonstrous devastation as the animus of thebook drains lOdlO points of damage from everycreature within 100 yards. An owner that iskilled becomes a picture on one of the book'sblank pages.

• When the blank pages are filled with imagesof its owners, its power is lost.

• The spirits of those trapped by the book mustbe freed.

• Each page must be incinerated in the fierybreath of a red dragon.

26

P.#123456789101112

Power or Table (Table #)Divination (16)Minor Spell-Like Powers (26)Conjure elemental (1/week)Divination (16)Conjuration (13)Personal Enhancement (31)Personal Enhancement (31)Shapechange (1/week)True seeingMajor Spell-like Powers (25)Minor Spell-like Powers (26)Divination (16)

131415161718192021222324252627

Personal Enhancement (31)Abjurations (10)Offensive Powers (28)Offensive Powers (28)Divination (16)Elemental Water (19)Planar (32)Movement (27)Death spell (1/week)Power word, stun (1/day)Enchantment/Charm (21)Symbol of fear (I/day)Enchantment/Charm (21)Power word, blind (1/week)Portrait of Magus

The Codex is a massive tome, far larger than anybook has a right to be. It is said that two strongmen can barely lift the volume. The covers aremade of flawless black obsidian and the pagestherein are sheets of lead hammered so thin thatthey flex like paper. These are illuminated withstrange writings in languages unknown andillustrations both beautiful and horrific. No mat-ter how many pages are turned, there is alwaysone more.

No one knows the origin of the Codex or whatits original purpose might have been except thatit also known as Yagrax's Tome. The first mentionof the Codex ties it to an unnamed wizard-priestwho tyrannically ruled ancient lands now sunkbeneath the waves. The source of his power, thebook was also the force that sank his empirebeneath the waves. Only the Codex survived; thesecrets of its use were apparently lost with thewizard-priest, for now it is notorious for mad-ness and death.

After a life of study, the archmage Tzunk actu-ally found the artifact shortly before he vanishedfrom the world. Of his extensive writings onlyfragments survive, and most of these are ravingsabout a beast and how Tzunk came to rule theCity of Brass.

The Codex is a powerful and dangerous deviceand should only be introduced into high levelcampaigns when the DM is willing to use theouter planes. Because of its terrible curse, it is notan item characters should have long access to.

The Codex could be introduced through aseries of strange catastrophes—unnatural eventsof other-planar origin. A wizard, driven mad bythe secrets of the Codex, has breached a barrierveil in the outer planes, unbinding a great hor-ror. The characters must find and safely use the

Codex to send the creature back, perhaps evenbattling it in its own realm.

Invoked. All powers of the Codex are trig-gered by reading, if one knows where to look.The Codex can open a portal to any plane, demi-plane, or prime material world at any location.The book, however, has no index or table of con-tents. The only other known power is to sum-mon a greater fiend to serve for 24 hours(1/month).

Random. 4 from Table 26: Minor Spell-LikePowers, 4 from Table 25: Major Spell-Like Pow-ers

Curse. Every page read, whether useful ornot, has a 1% cumulative chance of triggering anawful fate (by accidentally opening the wrongportal)—irreversible madness, the arrival of agreater tanar'ri, 10-mile radius clouds of deadlypoison (no saving throw), or worse. No charac-ter can read more than 99 pages before doombefalls them.

• It cannot be destroyed, only safely hiddenwhere it can cause no harm.

• Every page of its infinite pages must be read.• One page of the book opens a portal upon the

book itself, wiping it out of existence.

27

Prized by merchants and feared by caliphs, theCoin of Jisan the Bountiful is a simple gold cointhe size of a dinar, bearing the symbol of Jisan onboth faces. It is found only in Zakhara, the Landof Fate.

The Coin of Jisan is as old as the goddess andhas most frequently been found among her wor-shippers. It is said to be bestowed upon the wor-thy by Jisan or by Fate herself, giving themriches and wisdom, fertility and long life. Thecoin is a gift that is meant to be shared. Thosewho try to hold it longer than their appointedspan suffer for their greed; no one is known tohave held the Coin of Jisan for more than sevenyears.

Caliphs fear the Coin's bounty because theycannot control it, and some owners of the Coinhave grown so popular that they have led revoltsagainst oppressive caliphs. Wiser caliphs havemarried their daughters to those blessed by theCoin, thus gaining its wealth.

The Coin of Jisan is sometimes given by Fate tothose who act for noble purposes, and to thisend it may come into the possession of the PCs,perhaps as a reward for a mission that producedor restored bounty—ending a magical drought,reopening a major trade route, or lifting repres-sive taxes. Although it can be used without fearby the good of heart, it always attracts jealousyand greed in others. The dao, in particular, havelong coveted the Coin of Jisan, and they and oth-ers will seek to steal it at every opportunity. Ifthe holy slayers of the Gilded Palm ever decideit belongs to someone more worthy (such asthemselves), they will act to threaten, extort, oreven kill the owner to acquire it. Thus, mere pos-session of the Coin will create a web of adven-tures for the player characters.

28

Constant. The owner gains the appraisal, hag-gling, and debate nonweapon proficiencies, or a+4 bonus to already-existing skills. None of theowner's businesses ever suffer misfortune,fields and palms always yield richly, and all live-stock gives birth to twins.

Invoked. The owner can use the plant growthand suggestion spells (both at will) and theweather control spell (1/month).

Random. 4 from Table 22: Fate and Fortune, 1from Table 31: Personal Enhancement

Curse. Those who use the Coin to help othersare unaffected by any curse, but help must begiven without expectation of any reward orgain. Those who use the Coin to gain palaces,treasures, and power are stricken withunquenchable hunger that grows in proportionto their greed. Eventually the character mustspend every waking hour devouring barrels oftea and coffee, bushels of grain, and whole oxen.To be rid of the curse, the Coin must be given to astranger.

• The coin must be crushed under the heel of atanar'ri lord in a land stricken by famine.

• A thief who truly desires nothing must bitethe coin in half.

• The coin must be dissolved in the waters ofthe river Styx.

The Crystal of the Ebon Flame is a flawless, dia-mond-like stone the size of a woman's handcut into a faceted spire that suggests a flicker-ing candle flame. When touched, rays of lightand blackness leap within the stone's heart,giving the illusion of real fire deep within thegem.

Like so many artifacts, the origins of theCrystal of the Ebon Flame are lost in the shroudsof the mysterious past. Dwarves swear that thestone is like no other found beneath the earth,although they vainly contend that only a dwar-ven jeweller of the greatest skill could have cutthe stone so perfectly. Several scholars suggestthat the stone may have a stellar origin, possi-bly mined from the very heart of a burnt-outstar.

Because of its scintillating beauty and magicalpowers, the Crystal is a powerful holy relic of anobscure cult of fire worshippers. Once the cultwas powerful and influential, but so vile wereits practices that popular outrage led to the per-secution of its followers. The few devout thatescaped continued to practice in great secrecy.With time, knowledge of the cult has been trans-formed into myth and legend, until truth andfiction are completely blurred.

The obscure background the Ebon Flame's cultallows the DM broad latitude in creating anadventure around this artifact. While in astrange city, the characters may tangle with thecult, eventually raiding a secret temple wherethe Flame is held. Alternatively, the PCs may dis-cover the Flame in the ancient ruins of a cult tem-ple (held by monsters or degenerate cultists).Naturally, the cultists want their Flame back.Eventually the PCs can expose the cult and thethreat it poses to the city, kingdom, or empire.

The artifact can then be removed by placing itunder the protection of local officials (so it cancome back another day).

Invoked. The owner of the Flame can summonshades (2/day). This and all powers are activatedby gazing intently into its heart for 1d4 rounds.

Random. 4 from Table 26: Minor Spell-LikePowers, 1 from Table 25: Major Spell-LikePowers

Curse. All within 30 feet of the activated Crys-tal (including the owner) must roll a successfulsaving throw vs. spell or be affected by a firecharm spell. Charmed characters are also subjectto a permanent suggestion spell (a second savingthrow is allowed) attempting to convince themto become devoted followers of the Flame's cult.The stone's sinister intelligence is determined toincrease its power by adding more worshippersand slaying the followers of other gods. Fearingexposure, it uses stealthy means to carry out itsgoals.

• It must be melted in the core of the earth.• It must be shattered on the Para-elemental

Plane of Ice.• It must be crushed beneath Thor's hammer.

29

The Cup of Al'Akbar is hardly an inconspicuousitem. It is a large chalice, big enough that, were itfilled, it would take two hands to lift. The vesselis made of hammered gold and chased with asilver filigree. Twelve great gems (each worth5,000 gp) are set in mounts of electrum to form aband around the rim. Overall, the craftsmanshipis clearly the work of a goldsmith of extraordi-nary skill and artistry. Although it does not radi-ate magic, the cup is always bathed in a goldenaura.

The Talisman of Al'Akbar is an eight-pointedstar of hammered platinum. It is small, no big-ger than a large pendant, and comes with achain of gold and pearls so it can be worn as anecklace. Each point of the star is tipped with adiamond that sparkles in the slightest light.From the points to the center run elaborate pat-terns of golden inlay. It does not radiate magic.

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar are majorholy relics. The two artifacts are always associ-ated with a powerful god or goddess of healing,although the DM must select exactly which oneis most appropriate from those in the campaign.In the FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting, Lath-ander could be used, while in the GREYHAWK®campaign, Pelor would be appropriate. (Notethat these items will not be found in a DARKSUN® campaign.)

No matter what faith, according to the sect'sdogma, the Cup and Talisman were given by thedeity after a great disaster that brought untolddevastation and suffering to the land. The twoitems appeared before the high priest in a dream.When the clergyman awoke, the Cup and Talis-man were there, still sparkling with the radianceof the deity. Blessed with the items and knowl-edge of their use, the holy man went out andcured the multitude of sick and injured.

Unfortunately, the miraculous powers of theCup and Talisman did not bring happiness to thepeople or peace to the temple. When travelers

returned to their distant homelands with tales ofthese two wonders, emperors, kings, and war-lords coveted the items. Driven by greed andfear, they marched their armies and sent theiragents, to seize the treasures.

Just what battles occurred and who won themis an answer lost with the names of those whowarred for the artifacts. Perhaps one rose victo-rious over the others only to have the two trea-sures seized from him. Perhaps they were stolenby bandits in the chaos of war. All that is knownis that when the wars finally ceased, the Cup andTalisman had disappeared forever.

Even today, though, the legend of their mirac-ulous power lives on in expressions such as"cured by the cup" for any miraculous healingor "By the star of Akbar," an oath to ward offdisease.

30

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar, because oftheir powerful healing abilities, are both excel-lent items to let the player characters acquireand use, and yet unbalancing devices that arebest taken out of player characters' graspsquickly in any campaign where they appear. TheCup and Talisman can be immensely useful itemsin an incredibly dangerous adventure where thecharacters frequently face horrible injury anddeath. These two artifacts may be vital for keep-ing the characters alive long enough to have ahope of concluding the adventure.

At the same time, the DM should not use theCup and Talisman more than once in this way.The powers of the Cup and Talisman allow thecharacters to flaunt death (and thus performsupremely heroic acts), but if this risk is removedfrom all adventures, things will grow dull veryquickly.

Ideally, the characters find the Cup, Talisman,or both as the prelude to an even more harrow-ing task. The characters need the life-givingpowers of these artifacts in order to travel to theouter planes (where their own magic will notfunction) and defeat a great foe. The items maybe needed to survive a perilous journey of greatimportance.

Furthermore, the Cup and Talisman are of greatinterest to nearly everyone. Followers of theoriginal deity will want their relics returned.Warlords will want the healing power for theirarmies. Wizards may covet the potion-makingpowers of the items. Characters must be readyto fight to keep the artifacts.

Once their need has passed, the artifactsshould be removed. Ideally, the charactersreturn the relics to their proper masters, or elsethey finally fall prey to the relentless efforts tobuy, steal, or seize the items. If absolutely neces-sary, the original deity can appear and claim theitems. Woe to the characters who would at thispoint be foolish enough to refuse.

The Cup of Al'Akbar

Constant. Anyone of good alignment whotouches the Cup receives the benefits of a blessspell. This lasts for 24 hours.

Invoked. The powers of the Cup are activatedby filling it with holy water, usable once per day.If all of the water is drunk, it acts as a cure criticalwounds or neutralize poison spell, or it can bedivided into three portions that act as cure lightwounds spells, although these fade in 12 hours.

The Talisman of Al'Akbar

Constant. Anyone of good alignment touch-ing the Talisman receives the benefit of a removecurse spell.

Invoked. Once per day the Talisman can cast acure disease or cure blindness spell.

Resonating. Once per week, the Cup and Tal-isman can be used to create any one of the fol-lowing potions: healing (5 batches), sweet water(3 batches), extra-healing (2 batches), elixir ofhealth (1 batch), or vitality (I batch). Further-more, the items gain the power of a resurrectionspell (1/day), effective only on good or neutralcreatures.

Curse. These items can only be used by goodhumans and half-elves. When the powers of theCup or Talisman are invoked, the owner ages1dlO years. This aging is irreversible! Upon attain-ing maximum age, the owner is transformedinto a zombie guardian of the artifacts,unraiseable by any means.

• The Cup must be filled with water from theriver Styx and the Talisman dissolved in it.

• Ten thousand curse spells must be cast uponthe Talisman, and then it must be struckagainst the Cup.

• They must be touched by the deity of diseaseand death.

31

The Death Rock is an evil relic of inky blackstone, roughly the size of a man's clenched fist.When touched, the rock pulsates faintly, like thebeating of a heart, and leaves the sensation ofwarm greasy moistness on the fingertips. TheDeath Rock exudes a palpable aura of evil notice-able to intelligent creatures.

It is said that the Death Rock is the product ofsome far-distant eastern cult that worshipped agreat salamander of the river. The cult was eviland its rites were of the foulest kinds. For yearsthe cult survived openly, and although hated byall, no one could act against it.

Their terror finally came to an end when apeasant woman whose sons had been taken bythe cult took up a sword. Though she was oldand scorned by her neighbors for her folly, thewoman prayed to all the powers of justice forrevenge. For five nights the five judges of mencame to her, bringing courage, faith, purity,mercy, and might. With these she challenged theliving god. Their battle was great but in the endthe old woman cut the fiend's heart free and castit far away.

It is said that the heart became a stone, stillfilled with great and evil powers. Over the cen-turies, the Death Rock has found its way to thewest, leaving ruin and destruction in its wake. Ithas not been seen for much time and it mightnow be finally lost forever.

Characters should only find the Death Rock ifthe DM wants to sorely tempt and test theheroes. The rock grants great power, but only toone person and at terrible cost to the PC's com-panions. The DM should know the players well,for if the temptation succeeds, serious ill willcould develop among the players, threateningthe harmony of the group.

32

Constant. The Death Rock gives its owner allthe abilities of a necromancer-mage of the samelevel as the character. The character knows allnecromancy spells appropriate to that level butcan only memorize and use necromantic spells.The character gains no hit points and does notearn or record experience as a necromancer.Experience and hit dice are gained normally inthe character's other class and each time a newlevel is gained, the character also advances as anecromancer. The character loses none of theabilities of the other class and can freely mix thepowers of both classes. The most favorableadjustments to THACO, saving throws, etc. areused. If the character is a wizard, the selection ofspells is doubled, although the PC is still limitedto necromantic spells for the additional ones.

Curse. To activate and maintain the power ofthe Rock, the character's closest companion mustbe claimed each week as a zombie slave. If this isnot done, the Rock instantly vanishes, not to beseen again.

• It must be burned in the Flames of Pure Truth.• It must be used to slay a god of death.• It must be given to a man who was never

alive.

The Hammer of Gesen is a remarkably ordinarylooking device—a large round-headed hammermuch like a common carpenter's mallet. Its onlynoteworthy feature is that it is made entirelyfrom coal-black iron. Even the handle is cast iniron, patterned to imitate the grain of wood thatwould normally be used. The Hammer is quiteheavy and seems over-balanced, but once held itis quickly apparent that it can be handled withease and grace.

The Hammer is one of the two great weaponsof an ancient barbarian hero, Gesen Khan. (Theother is the Iron Bow, explained elsewhere.)Descended from the gods, he tamed the firsthorse, taught the nomads how to ride, made thefirst spell, and shot the first bow. Gesen won theHammer by defeating a manggus of the earthwho slew travelers with her iron weapon. Sinceneither hammer nor blade could harm the mang-gus, the two wrestled for three days, until Gesentore the other in half. Following the advice ofGrandfather Sky, Gesen bathed the Hammer inthe creature's blood, whereupon it acquiredmagical powers. When the hero finally died, theweapon vanished with him. Since that timemany have claimed to have found it, but theseare the tales of rogues in the marketplace whoseek to pass off crude forgeries.

The Hammer of Gesen is a good reward to awarrior player character and one that can beallowed in a campaign without too much risk toplay balance. The weapon's curse will add role-playing difficulties for the character that shouldmore than offset the advantages.

Constant. When gripping the Hammer, thecharacter's Strength equals a cloud giant's. (Str23, +5 to hit, +11 damage, throw boulders 140yards for 1dlO damage, bend bars/lift gates90%). The weapon has no magical bonuses to hitbut can strike any creature, even those that canonly be hit by magical weapons.

Invoked. By commanding the Hammer's might,the owner can cast power word, kill (1 /week) uponany one creature struck by the weapon.

Curse. The Hammer can be used by any classor alignment, but over time the user transformsinto a chaotic good fighter. Once a week a savingthrow vs. polymorph is rolled, and if failed thecharacter loses one class-related ability andacquires one that applies to fighters. Once thetransformation is complete, the character is sub-ject to artifact possession, becoming unable toresist any adventure or good cause. Powers lostcannot be regained. The character may continueas is or change to a new character class (like adual-class human).

• The manggus blood must be squeezed fromthe iron.

• It must be ground into a powder in a fearlessman's mill.

• It must be returned to the spirit of the mang-gus who once owned it.

33

The Hand of Vecna appears to be a mummifiedleft hand, black and claw-like. To be used, itmust be placed on the stump of a left arm, whereit will instantly graft into place. Once in place, itcan be used as a normal hand, but always retainsits horrid appearance.

The Eye of Vecna is little more than a shriveledclot or small pebble, blood red in color. Like theHand, it must be affixed to the owner's body (inan empty eye socket) before it can be used. Oncein place, it changes appearance to that of agolden, slitted eye, much like a cat's.

Once affixed, both items are permanentlyattached until the owner dies or they are forciblyremoved. They radiate powerful magical aurasthat cannot be determined.

In his time perhaps the mightiest of all wiz-ards, Vecna was master of a kingdom now lost inthe depths of the Flanaess's prehistory. LordVecna's rule was not kind and just, for he wasfilled with malevolence that, if known, wouldmake even the feared Iuz the Evil tremble. As agreat wizard, none within his realm daredoppose him.

So great was Vecna's power that when histime to die came, he escaped even that to becomean arch-lich more horrid than ever before, allow-ing him to continue his reign of horror over theland. In the end, though, his own lieutenant Kas(see Sword of Kas) treacherously attacked the lichand in the ensuing battle both were destroyed.All, that is, but the arch-lich's hand and eye.These dismembered bits have survived the mil-lennia since Vecna's passing, retaining in themonly a small portion of Vecna's great power.

Each time one of these artifacts has surfaced,disaster and ruin have followed. Paddin theVain used the Hand to start the Insurrection ofthe Yaheetes, a rebellion the Emperor of theMalachite Throne later crushed. With the Hand'spower, the so-called Vecna II held monstroussway over Tyrus for 100 years. The Eye was

instrumental in the extermination of the houseof Hyeric, once the ruling dynasty in Nyrond,and Miro the Paladin-King was corrupted by thepower of the Hand. Each time, the Hand and Eyehave failed their owners at some crucialmoment.

Over the years, a cult of worshippers hasarisen to venerate the vile Lord Vecna and workto pave the way for his return. For this cult, theEye and the Hand are powerful relics worthobtaining at any cost. Their servants are alwayswatchful for any reappearance of the Eye orHand, eager to track down and snatch them upfrom whomever possesses them.

The most recent of these reappearancesoccurred only a few years past, just prior to thegreat wars that engulfed the Flanaess, whenboth the Eye and Hand fell into the clutches ofthe cult. This event was marked by foreboding

35

failures of magic and evil omens across the land.Fortunately by all accounts, the Eye and Handwere cast through the dimensional portal ofTovag Baragu on the Dry Steppes and lost insome unrecorded void of the outer planes.

Both the Hand and Eye of Vecna are so evil thatPCs should gain little good from either artifact.Fill their minds with tales of the tragic deathsand dire fates of those foolish enough to pre-sume upon Vecna's power.

The most obvious goal is to keep these arti-facts from falling into the clutches of the cult ofVecna. Both groups, player characters andcultists, are in a race to follow a path of rumorsand legend to the end. Even if the characterssucceed, they are still left with the problem ofwhat to do with the artifacts. The cultists willnot rest until the items are theirs. A variation onthis is that the characters "accidentally" find theEye or Hand and must destroy or hide the arti-facts before the cultists do them in.

An intriguing puzzle for the characters wouldbe to prevent a good NPC from using the arti-facts, since this would doom the poor soul andperhaps many others. The NPC, probably a kingor petty emperor, is in great danger of beingoverwhelmed by evil forces. Vecna's artifactsmight have the power to destroy these ene-mies—but only by creating a worse evil. Theplayers have to find a way to prevent this andstill save the empire. Worse still, the ruler's advi-sor is urging him to take up the artifacts andsmite the kingdom's enemies. He may be asecret cultist of Vecna or he might believe thesame of the PCs.

A greater challenge is that the player charac-ters must defeat a foe already using the artifacts,perhaps a depraved ruler within the borders ofthe former Great Kingdom. Note that the playercharacters cannot simply steal the devices—theenemy must be confronted and defeated beforeall is right again.

36

The Eye and Hand can function separately ortogether. Both share the same curse, which isintensified if both items are possessed.

The Hand of Vecna

Constant. The user gains a 19 Strength, immu-nity to magic missiles, and inflicts 2d6 points ofdamage to plant-based creatures by touch.

Invoked. The user gains an instant deathtouch (no saving throw, 1/day).

Random. 8 from Table 26: Minor Spell-LikePowers, 7 from Table 25: Major Spell-LikePowers; There is a unique gesture for eachpower.

The Eye of Vecna

Constant. The user gains the abilities of a trueseeing spell.

Invoked. The user can cast eyebite (3/day) anddomination (1/day) spells.

Random. 3 from Table 16: Divination.Resonating. When joined with the Eye of

Vecna, the user gains 6 random abilities (2 fromTable 16: Detection, 2 from Table 33: Protec-tions, and 2 from Table 10: Abjurations) and70% magic resistance.

Curse. As these were once the living tissue ofVecna, every use requires a saving throw vs.spell (-6 penalty if both Hand and Eye are owned)to avoid artifact domination (see Curses). The arti-facts' goals are to gain more magical power,establish an empire, destroy the Sword of Kas,and summon Vecna to Oerth.

• Vecna the demigod must be permanently andirrevocably destroyed.

• It must be cast into the heart of Oerth's sun.• Every shade of Vecna's victims must be sent

to a peaceful rest

The Herald of Mei Lung is a large tome, roughlythe size of a small shield and six inches thick ofotherwise nondescript appearance. Its pages areof the thinnest paper and each is covered in anelaborate script penned in golden ink. The lan-guage is unknown to any who view it, but canbe read with the aid of a comprehend languagesspell.

At the birth of the world, the great and wisedragon Mei Lung was given the task of record-ing all that has, is, or will transpire in the world.Supposedly, should the great dragon fail in hisduties, the universe would end. To prevent thisdire fate from occurring, Mei Lung created theHerald.

Mei Lung was not merely satisfied to createthe Herald, although many would view this asprotection enough. Aware that disaster mightbefall not just him but his entire household (fordragons of that far eastern land lived in a stylemuch different from the wyrms of the west), MeiLung entrusted the magical volume to a sect ofisolated and devout monks far away in the fast-ness of the highest mountains of the world.There the book has ever been, watched over bymonks who now live only for its protection.

The Herald of Mei Lung is one of the few trulybeneficent artifacts, possessing no harmful pow-ers. As such, it can be a useful aid in a particu-larly difficult adventure, providing answers tomysteries and clues about the future. The playercharacters can never actually own the artifact.Instead they must go to it. This by itself is anadventure as the group treks across a hostilewilderness similar to the Himalayas to find theancient monastery. Even then, dealings with themonks must be role-played, and the return jour-ney survived.

Constant. The Herald of Mei Lung is wondrousin that it writes by itself the history of everymajor and virtually every minor event in theworld. Since this history starts with the creationof the world, finding information can take a longtime. For every day spent reading the book, thereis a 1% cumulative chance of finding the correctinformation. What is revealed is the truth,although often one-sided in its presentation.

The book records more than just the past,however. Any event occurring in the present canalso be read about. The character need only turnto the final penned pages and read. It is evenpossible to read about future events on the finalpages, although since the tales are still formingthemselves, there is only a 20% chance of gain-ing useful information, and even then it may beincomplete.

The Herald is protected with a powerful spellthat automatically teleports the tome back to themonastery if it has been absent for more than 12hours.

• If the universe ends, the book also ends.• One must go back in time and prevent Mei

Lung from becoming the Celestial Historian.• Mei Lung must be convinced that knowledge

is meaningless.

37

38

Heward's Mystical Organ is a massive musicalinstrument fashioned to look like a particularlysublime pipe organ. The cabinet is a great horse-shoe arc with three full sets of keys; one of ivoryand obsidian, one of jade and lapis, and the thirdof steel and brass. Arranged in three banks, oneto each side and another across the front, are theorgan's ivory stops, nine to a bank, 27 in all.Nine rosewood pedals sound the deepest of thebass notes.

The organ is more than just the cabinetthough, for without the pipes it would have novoice. Each pipe is sounded by an elementalspirit. Made of gold and silver, some pipes areonly inches in height while others stretch threestories high, almost to the ceiling.

Because the organ cannot be exposed to theelements (and it is in no way portable) it isalways discovered housed in a cathedral-likebuilding, not necessarily the same one eachtime. Sometimes the organ is discovered in theruined shell of a temple, other times in a soaringcavern deep beneath the earth. Just how thisoccurs is one of the mystical properties of thedevice.

In a time long ago when the age of elves wasfading and the new age of man was just beingborn, Heward, Patron of Bards, despaired.Heward was a man more than a man, barely lessthan a demi-god, for it was a time when mencould rise to such greatness. For centuriesHeward had listened to and learned with joy thesongs of the elves. His fellow humans, though,had no time or interest in such graceful skills.Determined to teach mankind the genteel arts ofcomposition and song, the great Heward spenthis years building a device that would bring joyand wonder to the world. At last he finished hisgreat creation—Reward's Mystical Organ.

It is said that the music Heward played on theOrgan was stolen from the voices of nightingalesand that no man or woman who heard his aires

could remain unmoved. Even the reclusive elvesand the dour dwarves were lured from their hid-den dens when Heward's fingers bent to thekeys. Of those who came to hear, some amongthem were inspired to spread the wonder theyhad heard. From Heward they learned the artsof harmony, composition, and more—all theskills to make beautiful music. These men andwomen went out among the people and soHeward inspired the first bards. It is even saidthat when Heward played, blighted soil flow-ered, rain fell upon command, even the sun lin-gered a little longer in the sky.

Heward's work did not pass unnoticed in theheavens, and among the divine powers somegrew jealous of his skill. These gods spoke to themice of Heward's hall, saying "Great Hewardwill some day call you vermin and use his musicto drive you from this place. Go and gnaw on hisorgan before this can happen," and the micewith their foolish small brains did as the godssuggested. Perhaps, as some say, it was the elvengods who, fearful that their own songs wouldvanish, sent the mice—perhaps it was another.And so the songs of the organ changed and asthe soured notes were keyed, evil things stoletheir tones. Thus the harpies found their voiceand the sirens gained their power to lure.Enraged at the treachery of the mice, Hewardplayed one last song on his organ that forevercursed them to be lowly and meek. Then every-thing disappeared without a trace.

Or so the story goes.

Heward's Mystical Organ is one of those arti-facts best suited to a multi-part adventure, sinceseveral elements must be brought togetherbefore the Organ can be used. Because it is not aparticularly practical device (being impossibleto transport and difficult to use), most charactersare not likely to seek out the Organ of their ownaccord. Therefore, the DM must provide themwith a strong enough reason, a threat that can

39

only be foiled by the correct use of the device.Given the history and musical nature of the

artifact, a peril such as the loss of all bardic loreor the evaporation of music throughout theworld is particularly appropriate. Once facedwith the problem, the characters must learn howthe Organ can help, find the correct tune to playon it, practice that tune (for it must be flawless),discover the location of the Organ, and finally,get there. Of course, the agent or agencies behindthis plot are not going to leave the charactersunhindered. Ever-increasing efforts will bemade by the enemy to stop them. Of course,along the way the characters gain hints to a fewsongs that just might be useful to them.

At the end of the adventure, the characterscould experiment with the organ, although thiswould be most foolish. Alternatively, if the DMwants to remove the artifact, it can simply van-ish as soon as a song is poorly played.

Invoked. To use the Organ properly, charac-ters must know two things; the exact song to beplayed and the settings for the stops of theorgan. Only specific combinations of a particularsong and exact stop settings have any effect.There are at least 23 powers of the Organ, requir-ing 23 different songs. (More can exist if the DMdesires.) DMs can create their own list of tunesbased on their own tastes in music. (It can beparticularly effective to choose classical organworks and then play them on a stereo just as theplayer characters attempt the same.) It is gener-ally a good idea to mix up the selections so thatplayers cannot guess correctly based on theirknowledge of the DM. A form is provided inAppendix C for the DM to record the settings.

The stops are noted by a coded sequence.There are 27 stops lettered A-Z and one morelabelled !. Each stop has eight settings (1 through8). The settings are noted as a combination of let-ter and number. For convenience, any stop allthe way in (set to 1) is ignored. Thus the stop set-

ting for a particular song might be A7, G2, H3,I5, R6, S6, V2, and !3. The last setting (!) isimportant for, if set incorrectly, the Organ's curseis automatically triggered. Once all the stopshave been set, the song can be played. A suc-cessful proficiency check must be made by oneskilled in playing such an instrument. If failed,the character has erred during the course ofplaying, potentially triggering a bad effect.

The effects of the Organ's 23 songs are quitevaried. A suggested breakdown is given here, orthe DM can create an effect that matches the goalof the adventure.

5 abilities from Table 31: Personal Enhance-ment

6 abilities from Table 10: Abjurations6 abilities from Table 21: Enchantment/Charm3 abilities from Table 11: Cataclysms3 abilities from Table 13: Conjuration

If the song or setting is incorrect or if the play-ing is poor, the DM should roll on the tablebelow, Bad Reviews, for a result.

Bad Reviews

dlO Roll Result1-7 No result8-9 Curse10 Random effect

Curse. It is said that only Heward could playthe Organ without fail. Should any charactertrigger the curse, all those within the hall mustroll a successful saving throw vs. death with a -4penalty or be stricken mad, tortured by thescreeching tones of the pipes. Those mad foreverwander the world, unable to bear the slightestsound yet unable to tolerate silence either. Madcharacters lose all class abilities except savingthrows and hit points and are controlled by thereferee. The madness can only be cured by a wishspell.

There is also the risk that a character will playthe Organ too well. Should the proficiency check

40

be a 1 (or less), the keyboardist has played withnear divine inspiration, worthy of Heward him-self. At the end of the piece, the musician isinstantly struck with melancholia, knowing thatthis performance is never likely to be matched.Those listening must roll checks against theirWisdom, with those who fail coming to the sameconclusion. (Wiser characters are able to rousethemselves from this depression.) Stricken char-acters take no joy in life, for they have heard themost sublime beauty and gradually waste away,unable to even motivate themselves to eat ordrink.

• The King of the Mice must be convinced tolead his people in an attack on the Organ, foronly they can destroy the instrument's innerworkings.

• The worst composer in the entire world mustbe found to play the instrument. The cacoph-ony that results causes such a titanic explo-sion that the Organ, its hall, and thesurrounding area for a half-mile radius aredestroyed.

• .The Organ must be burned in a fire kindledwith a copy of every work that Heward evercomposed.

41

The Horn of Change is quite ordinary looking, asfar as artifacts go, so much so that it is indistin-guishable from other magical horns. The Horn ismade of polished brass and is shaped like a curv-ing ram's horn. Sigils are stamped along its rimand a chain of golden links is the carrying strap.

The origins of the Horn of Change are quiteclear and can easily be learned by those whoask. Several hundred years ago (give or take afew decades), a rogue named Eustos was spend-ing an evening at the gaming tables. He hadbeen successful in the market that day, and hisluck continued with the dice; he won throw afterthrow. As the evening wore on and Eustos drankand thought less, he foolishly bragged that hemust surely have won the favor of the gods ofluck, for no odds were too impossible for himthat night.

Well, such a boast cannot go unheard and in ashort time a charismatic stranger came to thetable. Suddenly no throw did the stranger miss,nor any could Eustos make. Finally Eustosoffered the greatest and only treasure he hadremaining—his very soul. Against this, thestranger put up a plain brass horn. Eustos madethe cast—and won.

It is said that the stranger smiled and told therogue that the horn could bestow great power orimmense woe, for each sounding was a roll ofchance. Perhaps this is true, for after gaining areputation for wonders, Eustos vanished oneday and was never seen again.

The Horn of Change is a purely chaotic artifact.Thus, it is a wonderful item to give to the playercharacters. While there is no predicting the bal-ance of its powers, the Horn will provide manyopportunities for role-playing, as its unpre-dictable powers come into play.

Constant. Any character who picks up theHorn is instantly aware of its possibilities. Showor explain the table below to that player.

Invoked. When the Horn is sounded, roll onthe table below to find the result. This roll can-not be influenced in any way. Roll on the appro-priate table to determine what powerimmediately takes effect.

dlOO1-1011-2526-4041-5051-7576-9596-100

PowerTable 12: CombatTable 21: Enchant/CharmTable 13: ConjurationTable 10: AbjurationsTable 25: Major Spell-Like PowersTable 14: CursesTable 11: Cataclysms

Curse. Each day that a character owns theHorn, there is a 1% (cumulative) chance that thecharacter will be seized by a gambling fever sointense that no honest wager can be resisted,regardless of the odds. This only passes whenthe character gives up or loses the Horn.

• The powers of luck must be gambled with todestroy the Horn.

• The gods of justice must be cheated, an ulti-mate gamble.

42

The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd is a shimmeringbright coat of chain mail made from fine chainlinks of silver that covers the wearer's upperarms, torso, and groin.

Only scant details still remain of the people ofa small, ancient nation oppressed and impover-ished by the wizard Virtos. All of the championssent by the people to free them from Virtos'syoke had failed. With no one else to take up theircause, the priests and great craftsmen combinedforces to create a mail coat. This artifact wouldendow the wearer with the courage and strengthto defeat Virtos. When the coat was completed,the priests prayed for a champion.

One week later Arnd, a humble priest fromthe south, entered the city. Arnd's order believedstrongly in aiding impoverished folk at anyopportunity, and Arnd himself was a most dedi-cated follower. Upon learning of the people'splight, Arnd agreed to don the Coat and lead themasses into battle. The victory was a sound one,and Virtos was overthrown utterly. After the vic-tory, Arnd disappeared, taking the Coat as a gift.

The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd is perfect for anyclassic good vs. evil epic adventure. The PCscould either find the Coat themselves and use itto swing the tide of a great war, or perhaps theymust prevent another from claiming it for theother side. It is an artifact that will not unbal-ance a campaign, for once the quest is fulfilled,the Coat disappears, seeking a new wearer.

Constant. The Coat grows or shrinks to fit anyhumanoid character from 3 to 8 feet tall. Thewearer is impervious to any physical attacks

made on rolls of less than a natural 20 and gainsa +5 bonus to all saving throw rolls. The armorprotects against fire attacks as a ring of fire resis-tance and is immune to acid, cold, and electricalattacks.

Invoked. A cleric wearing the armor anduttering a special prayer gains 3 experience lev-els for 4 days (1/month). The cleric gains all hitpoints, spells, attacks, and saving throws associ-ated with the new level.

Curse. The spirit of Arnd still inhabits thearmor and attempts to aid the poor wheneverpossible. While in the presence of impoverishedor suffering people, there is a 70% chance thatthe spirit of Arnd will take possession of thewearer in order to aid the unfortunates. Thewearer spends 2d4 + 1 hours roaming the area,seeking out the poor and helping them as a 14thlevel cleric (even if the character is not a cleric).When the spirit of Arnd releases the character,no memory of what has happened remains.

• It must be unraveled by one without con-science.

• It must be fed to the father of rust monsters.• A deity of avarice must be forced to wear the

coat, whereupon the magic is released vio-lently (roll once on Table 11: Cataclysms).

43

Upon casual examination, the Iron Bow of Gesenappears to be an ordinary short bow of the typeused by horse raiders, lacquered black andstrung with a shimmering cord. Closer examina-tion reveals that the bow is of iron, cunninglywrought to seem like wood, while the string is agolden wire. The Bow is light and can be drawnback with ease, bending more than iron shouldever allow.

The Bow is one of the two great weapons ofGesen Khan, a legendary chieftain among thehorse nomads. (The other weapon is the Hammerof Gesen.) Gesen was supposedly the first tounite all the warring tribes.

One of Gesen's treasures was the Iron Bow,supposedly the first bow ever made. No ordi-nary person, it is said, could bend it, and nonecould withstand the fearsome arrows loosedfrom its string. A single shaft from it could sun-der a tree or shatter stone. Furthermore, since itwas the first bow, it was the greatest and wisestof all bows. No one who touched it shot poorlythereafter.

Eventually Gesen died and was buried some-where on the steppe. It is said that the bow wasinterred with him, but since that time, manyclaim to have seen or used it.

The Iron Bow is an excellent artifact for use bya warrior, especially if the adventure pits theparty against some tremendous foe. Because ofits seemingly normal appearance, characterswill have to be constantly wary of fraudulentcopies.

Other warriors of all sorts will covet the arti-fact, and the group will be besieged by claimantsbased on ancestry, great need, and fitness. Mostwill try to take the Bow by force. The characterswill find themselves in a situation not unlike a

notorious gunslinger who must always face anew challenger.

Constant. Any arrow shot from the bow istemporarily transformed into an arrow +5, pro-viding THACO and damage bonuses. Arrowsleap from the quiver to the string of their ownaccord, allowing up to four shots per round. Thebow has twice the range of a normal short bow.

Invoked. Three times per day, the owner canfire an arrow as a lightning bolt or flame arrowspell (each cast at 20th level). Once per day theowner can choose and use any arrow of slaying.

Curse. Users of the bow risk artifact transfor-mation. Should this occur, the character gradu-ally changes in features and knowledge to awild horseman of the steppes. The charactermay forget how to read or sail, instead becomingan expert rider. The transformation does notaffect class abilities. Once the transformation iscomplete, the character is subject to artifact pos-session, becoming unable to resist any adventureor good cause.

• It must be returned to the vengeful shade ofGesen, who is wandering the steppe.

• It must be flattened with 1,000 blows from theHammer of Gesen.

44

The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless is a heavyurn stoppered with a turnip-shaped plug. It issmall enough to be carried in the palm of ahand. The urn itself is plain, but the stopper isengraved and embossed with runes of power.

In all human history only one man has epito-mized the essence of pure evil, Tuerny the Mer-ciless. Tuerny was a powerful mage who servedas counselor to the king of a small country. Feel-ing that the king was a weak and foolish ruler,Tuerny and his agents murdered the royal fam-ily as they slept and he seized the crown forhimself. Using his vast magical powers, Tuernycharmed or enslaved most of the army. He wasable to summon foul tanar'ri and set them looseon the helpless people, but had little controlover them, so Tuerny began expending vastamounts of energy to craft a device capable ofbending them to his will. With all in readiness,he summoned forth a great tanar'ri, took controlover the beast, and imprisoned it in the flask.

Meanwhile, news of Tuerny's atrocities reachedneighboring kingdoms. They raised great armiesto crush Tuerny and his foul minions. These dev-astating wars lasted years but resolved nothing.Finally Tuerny opened the bottle—only to havethe released creature grab him. A blood-curdlingscream filled the air as Tuerny transformed into afoul and hideous monster and vanished, alongwith the flask and the creature.

The power of the Flask is such that inexperi-enced PCs will quickly find themselves over-whelmed. A better approach is to have the PCseither seek out the item, or to have them preventothers from acquiring it. Perhaps they must finda way to prevent an otherwise good ruler fromusing the power of the Flask to change the tide ofa desperate war.

Invoked. The user of the Flask draws upon thepower of one of the following tanar'ri impris-oned inside it; a nabassu, glabrezu, marilith, ornalfeshnee. The actual tanar'ri contained in theflask can be determined randomly or selected bythe DM. It can be released to wreak havoc uponany targets the user chooses for up to 8 hours. Ifit is killed, it instantly returns to the artifact. Thefiend must otherwise be commanded to kill atleast once before it can be ordered back into theFlask. If this is not done before the 8 hoursexpire, the the curse is instantly activated(1/day).

Random. 2 from Table 28: Offensive PowersCurse. There is a cumulative 5% chance each

time the Flask is used that the tanar'ri will be ableto turn on the user. When this happens, the useris taken to the tanar'ri's home plane to serve as adretch. The artifact also afflicts the user with arti-fact transformation, changing the user's alignmentto chaotic evil and instilling the desire to utterlyconquer and destroy all known creation.

• The user must imprison 99 other greatertanar'ri in the Flask.

• It must be filled with the tears of 1,000orphaned children, which melts it.

• The Flask must be filled with earth from everybattlefield Tuerny fought on.

45

This artifact is highly distinctive in appearance,an ivory chain whose links are carved in thefashion of men with arms outstretched. Eachlink is cunningly made so that the hands of onefigure interlock with the next in line. Unlikemetal chains, the links here are not closed loopsand it should be possible to unhook individuallinks. However, the chain shows no indication offalling apart. The chain is approximately 12 feetlong.

The Ivory Chain of Pao has a long and colorfulhistory in the lands of the east, but is virtuallyunknown to western sages. This is the tale,highly abbreviated, as it is known to those east-ern scholars. Only those western sages with con-tact to the distant oriental lands would knowany bits of this tale.

The early history of the chain is very vague.Common tradition holds that it was fashioned inthe Age of Red Earth by Master Pao, the LesserImmortal of Mount Yei, and given to the nineFirst Emperors, who ruled the empire jointly.The chain, it is said, was to symbolize their unityand the harmony they brought to all civilizedpeople (i.e. the empire).

Unfortunately, it brought tragedy. One nightan audacious thief slipped into the treasury andstole the chain in the seventh year of the Nine'srule (some say this thief was inspired by Mon-key, the Lord of Mischief; others, by an evil god).Shortly thereafter, turmoil grew in the southernrealms of the empire as a new cult rose to chal-lenge the Emperors.

It was at this time that the Nine Emperorswithdrew to heaven, leaving the empire in thehands of the First Dynasty. As the evil cult in thesouth continued to grow, the emperor soughtthe secret of its destruction. Finally he and hispoet-brother went south to challenge the cult.

It was there that they discovered that NanKung Chi, the high priest of the Black Leopardcult, had the Ivory Chain. With it the priest had

46

bound the great leopard-fiend of the cult andforced it to his will. Guided by the wisdom of hisbrother, the Emperor Chin shattered the Chainwith a single stroke of his spear, thus ending theterror of the leopard cult.

Many would have assumed this to be the endof the Ivory Chain's power, but Master Pao hadbeen more cunning than that. It is said that theChain vanished with the parting of a single link,only to later reform itself. This must certainly betrue, for the Chain figured into an another greatevent—the fall of the Copper Fiend of Tros.

If little was known of the Black Leopard Cult,even less has been recorded of the Copper Fiend.It is known that this monster rose to great powerin the northwestern reaches of the empire, seiz-ing several provinces for his own. These it ruledwith absolute authority and terror for manydecades. Finally the horrors of the fiend becametoo great and the emperor called for heroes tohelp regain his lands. Wo Mai and his compan-ions, loyal to their emperor, undertook the dan-gerous task. It is unknown just how theyoverthrew the Copper Fiend, but accepted sto-ries say the Ivory Chain of Pao was instrumentalin binding the creature and bringing it back tothe imperial court. There it was imprisoned inthe Acorn of Wo Mai.

After this great event the Chain dropped fromall accounts of history. Some scholars say it wasground into dust and forged into the Acorn thatholds the Copper Fiend. Others think itremained in the imperial treasuries until the fall

of the Hai Dynasty, when the Sixth Emperorwent to invade a neighboring land. There it wassupposedly lost (along with the Sixth Emperor)when the invasion fleet sank in a great storm.The story continues that the Chain was recov-ered by a foreign navigator named O'Rourke,who was in the employ of the dead emperor. It isquite possible that he carried it back to the landsof the west—or perhaps he did not.

The Ivory Chain of Pao is not a particularlypowerful artifact for common adventuring. Itspowers only affect outer-planar creatures, sounless these figure into the campaign, the chainis going to be nothing more than an interestingcuriosity. However, should a great outer-planarthreat appear....

The DM should build the adventure aroundthe Chain's powers. The obvious possibility isthat something awful and of great power hasbroken into the Prime Material world and theChain is necessary to overcome it. While not par-ticularly original, this plot-line can be quiteexciting if well-executed.

Of course, it doesn't have to be this way. Thereis nothing that says there has to be a threat to thePrime Material world. The player characters, forvarious reasons, could journey to the outerplanes where they would need the Chain to cap-ture some powerful being. Perhaps it is neededfor a powerful spell (that in turn stops a differ-ent threat to the safety of the campaign world).Perhaps the task is a geas imposed by a cunninglich, or payment to a high priest for services ren-dered. The group even might do something thisdangerous simply to impress a powerful lord. Agreat king, caliph, or emperor would certainlythink highly of heroes who presented a power-ful fiend humbled by a simple ivory chain.

Furthermore, since the Chain can be takenapart, the simple business of discovering it canbecome quite complicated. The DM can intro-duce the artifact slowly. The group might find a

single link as part of a treasure hoard. Laterthey could find others, never with any explana-tion. Only after a considerable length of chainis gathered might they find clues to the Chain'spurpose.

Invoked. The Chain can be used in one of twoways, either as a whole piece or by individuallinks. When the whole Chain is wrapped aroundthe wrists, neck, ankles, or waist (or the equiva-lent) of an outer-planar creature, that creature isautomatically bound. Bound creatures must obeyabsolutely the commands of the owner of theChain (who must hold one end of it when givingthese commands). Although it seems extremelyfragile, the bound creature is utterly helplessagainst the Chain's might, nor can it use its pow-ers except at the bidding of its master.

If one knows the right way to twist and slidethe figures, the links can be unlocked from eachother. Once the whole Chain is broken (there are48 links), it loses all power to bind. Any individ-ual link can be thrown against a creature, withall of the effects of a holy word spell. Links hurledinstantly vanish.

Curse. Each day that the Chain is used to binda creature, there is a 5% chance it will break andvanish instantly. Newly freed creatures are usu-ally quite eager to extract revenge on their for-mer masters, in horrible and imaginative ways.Furthermore, outer-planar creatures will sendearthly agents against the Chain's owner.

• A secret method of joining each link so thatthe hands do not touch must be used.

• Each link matches a living hero (or heroine).When all are dead, the chain crumbles.

• It must be given to an elephant-god, whoshatters the ivory.

47

The Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty is a crystalline,fist-sized flower made from orange corundumfacets sewn together with strands of gold.

Tribal legends tell of a most exquisite corun-dum gem that was found by the first dwarves inthe mountain range of their birth. The gem was ofsuch unique beauty that their gods sent a visionto Jojonek, the first craftsman. So inspired, helabored for weeks cutting flawless facets from thefiery orange corundum gem. Minute holes weredrilled at the base of each crystal petal andJojonek carefully linked them together with finegold chains. The result of his labors was a flaw-less, palm-sized crystal jacinth blossom. De-lighted with the creation, the gods gifted Jojonekwith four tiny bottles of scented floral oils. Takingeach bottle in turn, he thoroughly oiled the blos-soms until all of the scented oil was used.

Jojonek soon found patrons coming to hisshop to admire his work. Jojonek began to bragto any and all who would listen that it was hisartistic ability that had enabled him to craft sucha fine piece of work. Of course, the gods were lis-tening, and were not pleased.

Within weeks Jojonek's family began to worryabout him. He had become irritable, and all ofhis work of late was flawed. Jojonek had begunto believe his visitors were trying to steal hisgreatest creation. Finally, Jojonek fled the dwar-ven home with the Jacinth, muttering, "Stayback! It's mine, mine...."

The Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty is a good arti-fact for any level campaign, for it is not too pow-erful, and the side effects deter characters. Oneadventure can have a PC infatuated with some-one using the flower, possibly disappearing withthat person. Alternatively, the characters mustfind out why a local ruler has recently begunacting strangely.

Constant. Contact with the flower adds 5points to the user's Charisma (max. of 21).

Invoked. The player character specifies a flo-ral scent while holding and smelling deeply ofthe crystalline Jacinth. This releases the fragrancealong with the appropriate power. If a scent isnamed that the gem does not have or no fra-grance is specified, a random scent is released.The scents are as follows:

Violet Charm person (2/day)Lavender Suggestion (3/day, cast at 20th level)Rose 1 from Table 25: Major Spell-Like

PowersJacinth 1 from Table 22: Fate and Fortune

Curse. The character suffers the effects ofchaotic sleep (no saving throw) for as long as theJacinth is possessed. When the ratio of sleepless-ness to sleep reaches 2 to 1, the PC becomesincoherent and sluggish (all attributes reducedby 1 point). Upon reaching 3 to 1, the characterbecomes paranoid (reaction rolls are required foreach encounter with -6 penalties).

• The Jacinth must be bathed in a mixture ofpollen from every kind of blossom.

• It must be consumed by someone with nosense of smell.

48

Johydee's Mask is a full-face mask made of anunknown opaque material shaded gray.

In a frontier region on the border of the SevenKingdoms, a well-organized band of thievestook up residence to plunder the trade routes tothe east. To prevent word from reaching the vis-count, the thieves threatened the local villagers.Anyone defying the guild was found dead ordisappeared altogether.

All seemed hopeless until Johydee, a highpriestess, came to tend the spiritual needs of thevillage. Serving a goddess of truth and justice,she was horrified by the great injustices the vil-lagers had been forced to endure, and set aboutfreeing them from this tyranny. Johydee heard ofan old hermit, said to have once been a greatillusionist, living in the hills nearby. She jour-neyed to him and convinced the hermit to helpsave the villagers. For a full month he labored,finally delivering a mask to the high priestess.

After great prayer, Johydee put on the mask,assuming the guise of the leader of the band ofthieves. She infiltrated them and discovered thattwo rival factions existed. Playing upon theiringrained suspicions, Johydee rekindled the oldhatreds. Soon the thieves were fighting amongthemselves and disbanded, leaving the village inpeace. Johydee and the mask disappeared after-wards.

Johydee's Mask is another nice artifact for lowerlevel campaigns. While of particular interest tothieves, it can be used by any character class.One possible alternative to simply allowing thePCs to use the mask might have the party hiredto locate a group responsible for a rash of recentthefts. In reality, the thefts have been perpe-trated by a singular, very powerful master thiefusing the mask. At the end of the adventure the

mask can allow the thief to elude the party andfinally disappear without trace.

Constant. The wearer of the mask is totallyimmune to all forms of gaze attacks (frombasilisk, catoblepas, medusa, etc.).

Invoked. The PC can assume the guise of ahumanoid being, from gnome to hill giant size,by concentrating for one full round. If the PChas seen or heard the subject, the disguise iscomplete, including voice, mannerisms, cloth-ing, and equipment. It is 100% accurate to casualacquaintances, but there is a 5% chance per hourthat close friends and family will detect descrep-ancies. This power can be used once per day butthe disguise itself can be held for no longer than12 hours, after which it fails and the wearer'svisage returns.

Random. 1 from Table 27: Movement, 1 fromTable 21: Enchantment/Charm

Curse. There is a 2% cumulative chance perhour spent in impersonation that the wearercomes to believe that the identity of the subjectis actually the wearer's own. Only a wish spellcan restore the wearer to normal.

• The Mask must be eaten by a mimic.• It must be worn by one with no mind.• It must be merged with its reflection.

49

Kuroth's Quill is a quill pen made from a whitefeather taken from the wing of a full-grown malegriffon. The writing nib is made of gold.

During the Age of Veth beyond the WastedLands, an apprentice wizard named Baalice,possessing great potential and little discipline,was determined to prove his abilities to hismaster. On a day when the apprentices werealone, Baalice snuck into the master's study andused his spell book. He tried what appeared tobe a simple summoning, but the spell wentawry, and two dretches arrived from the Abyss.Baalice managed to send them back, but his rightarm was mangled and his best friend, Julian,was killed. Although his arm was healed, Baal-ice believed it to be permanently crippled. Thetorment of his failure and his friend's deathbecame overwhelming. Baalice came to believethat the only way to find peace was to ultimatelyright the wrongs he had inflicted, so he dedi-cated himself to amassing arcane knowledge.The drive to correct the situation became anobsession, though, until he was convinced thatthe only way to succeed was to achieve immor-tality. Baalice decided to become a lich.

Once transformed, Baalice took up residencein a lonely stone tower by the sea. He strove tofix the damages he had done, but nothing everset them completely right. Over the years thelich's obsession grew, until a possible solutionformed in his mind. For three decades Baalicespent all his energies researching and creating awriting instrument capable of altering events.When he finished, he believed he could finallyset the events right again. All too soon, though,he discovered that each change he made becametwisted in some way and often led to evengreater problems—even for someone of hispowers. In sorrow and rage, Baalice planned todestroy the Quill.

One afternoon Kuroth, an able thief, wan-dered into an inn near Baalice's tower. He hap-

pened to overhear a table of local folk discussingstrange happenings at the tower. Upon inquiry,Kuroth learned that during the previous twomonths the stone tower had transformed into amighty fortress, smoldering ruins, and thenback again into its original form. Seeking thesource of these great curiosities, the thief slippedinto the stone tower and stole four rubies, onesapphire, and an engraved ebony box contain-ing the quill and some fine parchment paper.While recording the items stolen, Kuroth acci-dentally wrote 4 sapphires and 4 rubies. To hisamazement, there were now four of each gem onthe table before him. Kuroth was quick to realizethat the pen was the source of the tower's mys-teries. Not wishing to attract undue attention,Kuroth immediately wrote, "The previousowner of this pen believes that the quill pen, 4rubies, and 1 sapphire were lost." Not certainthat this would be clear enough he wrote, "Thisquill pen is the rightful property of Kuroth, andshall henceforth be known as Kuroth's quill."

Soon Kuroth sat at the head of the local thievesguild and had many interests extendingthroughout the region. After his death, many ofKuroth's closest associates shook their heads asthey told of the guild masters' insistence uponkeeping the guild's books and ledgers himself.

Over the years, the quill pen passed fromhand to hand and ended up with a caravan dri-ver. He sold it to Sharmana the merchant, mum-bling something about how his best team haddied from what he wrote down. Not believing

50

the superstitious man, Sharmana promptlyshelved it and forgot about it. Six months later,his beloved daughter accidentally drowned atthe lake. Months later, still bereaved, Sharmanawrote in his journal, "I wish my daughter backat my side." The popular folk tale tells of thedecayed remains of Sharmana's daughter leav-ing the graveyard.

Kuroth's Quill has the power to alter the courseof a campaign—it is the equivalent of giving acharacter an unlimited number of twistedwishes. For this reason the player charactersshould have limited or no contact with the quill,and should strive to prevent anyone else fromusing it as well.

To avoid all possible confusion the DM shouldhave any players actually write down what theircharacters wish to write with the quill. If a char-acter does not command the pen to write infalli-bly, any and all errors written are subject tointerpretation and substitution by the DM (seeexamples under Curse). It is important toremember that no wish is innocent; all have con-sequences.

A possible adventure might have the partyreturning to a small fishing village after van-quishing a horde of monsters, only to find that itis now a massive fortress bustling with activity.As they unravel this mystery, more events arerewritten, and the one of the PCs might evensuddenly change or shift—perhaps becoming amember of the king's staff or maybe a lowly sta-ble servant. This PC will not know the rest of thecharacters, believing in this new life completely.The rest of the group will have to find a way torectify this, while the DM plays that character asan NPC for a while. Of course, anyone with aninkling of the pen's powers will want to possessit for themselves, so preventing unscrupulousindividuals from acquiring it is an adventure initself.

Constant. The user gains the benefits of acomprehend languages spell as long as the pen isin hand. Any illiterate gains the non-weaponread/write proficiency for 1d4 hours (1/day).

Invoked. The user of the quill is able to alterreality by writing it down on a piece of parch-ment, similar to the 9th level wizard spell wish.The quill cannot be used more frequently thanevery 12 hours (6/week). The pen also drawsand/or writes infallible descriptions of what thewriter sees or speaks upon command. TheQuill functions as a potion of treasure findingwhile held (1/month).

Curse. While the quill will grant wishes andalter reality, there is always a price to be paid;for every boon there is a bane. Illegible orsmudged words are omitted from the requestentirely. Misspelled words are substituted to thebest of the Quill's ability. For example, if a char-acter writes, "I wish to have a roster for all of thetaxpayers in this county," and accidentally mis-pells "roster" as "rooster," that PC is going to beoverwhelmed with crowing roosters from allthe surrounding farms.

Even correctly written requests have a monkey'spaw effect. The pen does not create things; rather,it draws upon existing material to grant the wish.If a party requests a vast fortune, they could findthemselves teleported inside the king's treasury. Awizard might write for desired magical spells,awakening in a heap of ancient tomes. At the sametime, a nearby kingdom suffers the wrath of anarchmage whose library has disappeared.

• The words "Kuroth's Quill was never made"must be written with the Quill 100,000 times.

• The lich Baalice must be located, his memoryof the pen restored, and it must be returned tohim.

• The Quill must be taken back in time andgiven to the apprentice Julian at the momentof his death.

51

The Mace of Cuthbert is a short, gnarled piece ofbronzewood in the shape of a club.

Saint Cuthbert is a lesser god bent on main-taining law and order, but his greatest passioncomes from testing the faith of his flock. Follow-ers of Saint Cuthbert believe he travels regularlythrough the countryside in human form. Thoselacking in faith tell how their faith was miracu-lously restored after a stranger hit them on thehead with a club.

In dire instances, Cuthbert has been known togrant the use of his sacred club to a follower ofthe purest faith, that it may be used to spreadthe faith against all opposition. Followers ofSaint Cuthbert consider it a relic.

The Mace of Cuthbert is the actual weapon ofSaint Cuthbert of the Cudgel. As such, the likeli-hood of any player character obtaining or usingit while Saint Cuthbert is alive and well is rare.Should this happen, it is a formidable weapon—even if there are no clerics of Saint Cuthbertwithin the party. The cudgel can act as a balanceof power, allowing lower-level characters to dobattle beyond their abilities.

A possible adventure might begin with the cler-ics of Saint Cuthbert losing their spells. Worriedthat something may be seriously wrong with theirdeity's welfare, they seek to discover the problemand restore their god and their spells. The PCs arehired or volunteer to aid in this quest, with any ofa number of leads to be tracked down. In the end,the club has fallen into the wrong hands and mustbe restored to Cuthbert. Perhaps a particularlystrong cleric of Cuthbert has acquired it, but hasgrown insubordinate with the new-found power.Rather than retaking the club himself, Cuthbertwaits to see if his followers restore it to him them-sleves, thus restoring his faith in them.

Constant. Any intelligent mortal struck on thehead instantly becomes an enthusiastic followerof Saint Cuthbert for a period of 1 day. The cud-gel functions as a mace of disruption with +5bonuses to attack and damage rolls. Victimsattacked with a natural 20 lose 1 point of Intelli-gence with no magic resistance or saving throwallowed.

Invoked. Any cleric of Saint Cuthbert can castcall upon faith (3/day) and detect undead (at will).Cloak of bravery can also be cast (1/day), with thefollowing modifications; a +3 saving throwbonus for all types of saves is granted to up tofour creatures for an 8-hour period, regardless ofthe number of rolls.

Curse. The wielder of the cudgel becomes alawful good follower of Saint Cuthbert and anextreme zealot, trying to convert everyone. Noone is faithful enough. As a result, the zealot'sCharisma is reduced to 4 due to obnoxiousbehavior for as long as the Mace is possessed.

Suggested Means of Destruction

• Iuz the Old must be polymorphed into a giantbeaver and the Mace fed to him.

• It must be covered by the natural formation ofa stalagmite, which then receives a transmuterock to mud spell.

• The bronzewood tree that the club came frommust be prevented from ever growing.

52

Those few who have seen the Machine of Lum theMad describe it as a black metal horseshoe-shaped nightmarish contraption of immensesize. The control surfaces of the machine aresloped and adorned with no fewer than 60levers, 40 dials, and a switchboard of sockets,plugs, and wires. The controls are of assortedcolors and sizes, most obviously broken.

In the center of the Machine is a crystal box 4feet wide by 5 feet deep and 7 feet tall. As manyas four man-sized creatures can stand in thisenclosure fairly comfortably.

The entire assembly weighs roughly 2 1/2tons (5,500 pounds) and fills a good-sized cham-ber. While appearing quite solid, the many bro-ken bits testify that it is really very delicate.Indeed, past owners of the Machine have dam-aged it such that no more than half of its originalpowers still function.

The Machine of Lum the Mad dates back to anage before recorded history. Its design andworkmanship are quite singular, making itimpossible to guess at its origins. There is strongevidence connecting the origins of this devicewith the Mighty Servant of Leuk-o, but these maybe apocryphal.

The recorded history of the device begins longago with the infamous tyrant from whom itdraws its name, Baron Lum. Lum was a power-hungry general who happened upon the deviceduring one of his conquests. Prior to his acquisi-tion of the thing, Lum was a petty warlordwhose legacy would certainly have been lost.With the aid of the Machine, however, he wrotehimself a bloody chapter of wars and brutalityinto mankind's history.

By all accounts, Lum was something of anartificer himself. While the creation of themachine was certainly beyond his skills, he wasapparently able to learn more about its function-ing than even the wisest sage might hope to. Itmay be that the study of the basic workings ofthe machine (which combines magic and tech-

nology in ways the two were never meant to bemerged, by techniques and secrets long [andbest] forgotten) drove Lum to madness. It is saidthat Lum unleashed no fewer than 50 newspecies of monsters on the world in his quest tomaster the Machine. At one point, it is said, Lumused the settings of the Machine to call down abarrage of fire that decimated an army besieginghis stronghold. In so doing, of course, he annihi-lated a large number of his own troops. How-ever, he carried the day and, as such, he judgedthe event a great victory.

Lum's chapter in the history of the Machineends with both the warlord and his device beingconsumed by a cloud of vapor which billowedforth from nothing and left nothing when itfaded. It would be easy to assume that themachine was forever destroyed, were it not forpersistent though garbled reports of its existencein a distant and dreadful land.

The Machine of Lum the Mad is a complexdevice whose inner workings are impossible todiscern. The nearly infinite combination of set-tings possible with the levers, dials, and switchesset into the machine makes figuring out its oper-ation an insurmountable task. Indeed, the cre-ative DM might make an entire adventure out ofattempting to learn what one particular settingmight do. To aid the DM, the player handout onthe opposite page provides a useful diagram forthose foolish enough to tinker with this device.

Unlike many other artifacts, the Machine isneither good nor evil. It is utterly neutral andthe morality of its use is based wholly upon theactions of its current owner.

Players who come into possession of theMachine must be very careful with it. While thething is not evil, it has the unfortunate side-effect of driving its users insane. If theyencounter the device in the hands of another,that person will almost certainly be beyond rea-son as well. An encounter with such peoplemight be very dangerous, indeed.

53

54

Operating the Machine is a risky proposition atbest. Whenever a dial is turned, a lever is pulled,or a switch is thrown, it is possible that a magi-cal effect will be triggered. When the Machinewas new and in good repair, each and every set-ting produced such a result. Now the majority ofthe controls are broken, leaving only a few pow-ers that can still be triggered.

The Machine itself has two types of powers;internal and external. The former affect thosewithin the crystal chamber, leaving those out-side of the Machine utterly safe, while the latteralter the world around the machine and leavethose within the crystal box safe. Anyone stand-ing within the crystal chamber at the heart ofthe Machine is protected from all outside forcesof a physical, gaseous, magical or psionicnature. However, those individuals are utterlyvulnerable to all powers of the machine, forfeit-ing any saving throws that they might normallybe entitled to.

Twenty of the internal functions remain oper-ational. All of these have the effect of changingthe occupants of the crystal box in some way. Ofthe external powers, only 15 remain functional.When triggered, these great powers cause terri-ble devastation or make drastic changes in theworld around the Machine. Of course, anyoneinside the crystal chamber is unharmed.

With all its levers, dials, and plugs, theMachine of Lum the Mad is a complicated piece ofmachinery. Each effect should require a uniquesetting, thereby making all the controls poten-tially meaningful.

The DM could, of course, draw a diagram foreach result, using the player handout. Easier andmore convenient, however, is for the DM to cre-ate a unique written combination for eachpower, using the method below.

The Machine has three different types of con-trols—levers which are either on or off, dials thatmust be set to the correct position, and a switch-board that relies on correct pairs. Each controlhas a different code in the combination. By not-

56

ing the needed codes for each control panel, thecombination is created.

Levers. Of the Machine's 60 levers, only 10 stillwork, all others being obviously broken. These10 levers are labeled in order, 0-9. When a leveris in the on position, its number is part of thecombination; when it is in the opposition, thelever (and its number) is ignored. Thus, if a set-ting required levers 0, 6, and 7 to be on, this partof the combination would be noted as 067.

Dials. Of the 40 dials on the machine, only 20still work, and the rest are clearly broken. Eachdial (labeled as A through T) has settings from 0(off) to 6. Dials set to the off (0) position areignored, while other dials are noted asletter/number pairs. If dial G is set to 1, dial Mto 4, and dial R to 3, the combination for thiscontrol panel would read G1/M4/R3.

Switchboard. This part of the control panel issimilar to an old telephone switchboard, withplugs on wires and sockets for each. There are 26plugs and 26 sockets, and both sets are labelledA through Z. Here, the combination is formedby matching the correct plug to the correctsocket. If plug A is connected to socket W, this isnoted as AW (plug/socket). Again, only thoseplugs and sockets actually used need to be notedfor the combination. If the setting requires plugsC, F, O, S, and W to be connected to sockets B,H, M, T, and Q the combination would readCB/FH/OM/ST/WQ.

Using these combination methods, the DMcan easily create a unique setting for eachpower—and have ample combinations leftfor explosions, useless noises, and bad things.After all, there are over 8,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (8.5 x 1048) possible settings!

Clearly, with this many combinations thechance of any character randomly choosing aworking combination is a little less than slimand barely better than non-existent. This meansthat any adventure involving the Machine isabout more than just finding and using it. Itshould also include smaller adventures to gatherthe pieces of one or more useful combinations.

For example, on one scroll the characters find acombination for the levers, in another those forthe dials, and in a third (and separate adventure)the settings for the switchboard. They now havea complete combination—if all three parts arefor the same power!

After each use of the Machine, there is a 70%chance that some reaction within the mecha-nism alters the settings required to duplicate agiven effect. If this happens, the combination ofsettings scrambles itself, seemingly at random.Users of the Machine receive no indication thatthis has occurred. Since incorrect settings couldtrigger side effects or cause explosions, dupli-cating a previously achieved effect is a riskybusiness.

Because of the random nature of the Machineand the large number of powers, there is noabsolute list of what Lum's Machine can or shoulddo. The DM is encouraged, therefore, to tailorthe possible powers to suit the campaign. Virtu-ally any and all of the powers listed in the tablesof Appendix B can be associated with the multi-tude of setting combinations.

Curse. There are several risks inherent in theuse of the Machine. The first of these is the needfor accuracy. Any time the Machine is startedwithout a correct combination entered on thecontrol panels, the DM should roll for a result onTable 2: Machine Failure and apply the result.

Table 2: Machine Failure

dlOO1-5051-6566-7071-75

76-80

81-8586-9091-95

96-100

ResultsNothing happensSparks and noise, nothing happens1 control breaksInternal explosion, 1d4 + 1 controlsbreakRandom power triggered in crystalchamberRandom power triggered in roomRandom result from Table 14: CursesLarge explosion, all within 20 feet ofMachine suffer 2dlO points of dam-ageMachine vanishes

Second, every time an effect is triggered, theoperator of the Machine must roll a saving throwvs. spell. If failed, the character's Intelligencescore increases 1 point while the Wisdom scoredrops by 1 point. With each transfer, the charac-ter's cranium increases in diameter by 10%.

• The Machine is quite delicate and can bedestroyed with repeated blows, each ruining1d4 controls. Each blow has an 80% chance ofcausing an explosion, inflicting 2dl2 points ofdamage on the attacker.

• Every 100 years, the Machine loses 1d4 of itspowers through natural entropy.

57

The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o is a toweringautomaton of jet black metal, shadowy crystal,and several mysterious fibrous materials. Thedevice stands over 9 feet tall, is nearly 5 feetwide, and some 6 feet deep. It is rounded andmight remind one of a cross between an overlystout (if gigantic) dwarf and a lumbering beetle.The servant has two stocky legs, on which itwalks with a curious swaying motion, and a pairof dangling arms.

An internal compartment is configured to seattwo man-sized creatures comfortably. Exter-nally, as many as five others might perch safelyupon the servant when it is in motion. As mightbe expected, this dreadful thing is quite heavy,weighing nearly two tons, and is hideouslynoisy when in operation.

The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o is believed to be aconstruct of the same ancient and mysteriousrace that built the dreaded Machine of Lum theMad. The workmanship and materials evidencedby the Mighty Servant are unlike any found inthe recorded histories of men, making it impos-sible to state just what their nature might havebeen. Some sages, citing the craftsmanship andappearance of the thing, speculate that it is thehandiwork of a now-extinct branch of thedwarves. Dwarf sages note (with some reluc-tance, it must be said) that never in their race'sextensive histories has anyone ever found a ref-erence to this machine.

All accounts of the Mighty Servant begin withits discovery by the infamous General Leuk-o.Leuk-o was a follower of the warlord Lum, butturned against his master when he came intopossession of this instrument of destruction.

With the power of the Mighty Servant to backhim, Leuk-o forged an army that rivalled evenLum's. The two forces clashed many times,always ending in stalemate. At last, the twoforces met in a final battle. Lum and Leuk-ofaced each other, their mighty artifacts unleash-

ing powers greater than any since harnessed. Itis said that their battle laid waste to a great king-dom and left a scorched desert in its wake.

The Mighty Servant is believed by many tohave been destroyed in this final battle, althoughothers believe it plunged through a dimensionalrift opened in that great conflict.

The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o is a great weapon.With this automaton at its head, any army mightbe almost invincible. Player characters whoencounter the device may find themselves fac-ing an enemy who is using it to destroy theforces of good. Raising an army strong enoughto battle the Mighty Servant and its followerswould be a task worthy of any adventurer.

Because any person using the weapon musteventually become a chaotic warlord, it shouldnot be allowed to remain in the hands of playercharacters.

Because operation of the Mighty Servantrequires knowledge of numerous magical com-mand phrases, adventurers may find themselvesexploring the most ancient and deadly of ruinsin search of lore that might reveal one or more ofthe machine's secrets.

Constant. The Mighty Servant has an ArmorClass of -6 and 60 hit points. It can only bestruck by +2 weapons or better. Bludgeoningweapons inflict only 1 point of damage, whileedged weapons cause but half their normaldamage (rounded down). It has a 90% magicresistance and is utterly immune to acid, cold,heat, normal fire, vacuum, and water. Light-ning, electricity, and magical fire will inflict but20% of their normal damage (rounded down)—but only if the magic resistance fails. Even if itis damaged, the Mighty Servant regenerates 2hit points per round. Anyone riding within the

58

59

servant is fully protected by its shell.Invoked. The Mighty Servant is inert until

someone controls the device from its interiorcompartment. If the proper command words areknown, the Mighty Servant can be commandedto open the hatch in its back. Once inside, thecharacter is faced with a daunting array of ped-als, switches, levers, and wheels that all controlthe thing's operation. Controlling the MightyServant can be learned by trial and error (withappropriate random destruction) or throughinformation gleaned from libraries and sages.The DM is encouraged to make the process diffi-cult and dangerous to bystanders.

The automaton has a movement rate of 3,making it a slow and clumsy thing. Further-more, after 12 hours of operation it must ceaseall activity for 1 hour while it gathers anew themagical energy that powers it.

In combat, the Mighty Servant can strike withits great arms once per round. It strikes as a 10-Hit-Die creature. Each blow landed by theautomaton inflicts 10-60 (1d6 x 10) points ofdamage.

The power of this weapon is so great that itcan be used to destroy castles and shatter fortifi-cations—see Combat (Unusual Combat Situa-tions) in the DUNGEON MASTER'" Guide. Ifused as a siege weapon, a blow from the MightyServant does the same damage as a screw or ram.If used in a BATTLESYSTEM"" game, the MightyServant can be assumed to have the followingstatistics: AD d12 + d8, AR 4, HD 10, Hits 5, MV3. In addition, many of its powerful special abili-ties can be employed with great effectiveness onthe field of battle.

Random. As one of the greatest weapons everto appear in the world, the Mighty Servant has 6abilities from Table 28: Offensive Powers and 6additional from Table 25: Major Spell-LikePowers. The Mighty Servant also has 2 abilitiesfrom Table 23: Healing that apply to any onecreature in the interior compartment. Again, theoperation of any given ability requires knowl-edge of which controls must be pulled, switched,pushed, or cranked. Each of these abilities

drains magical energy from the Mighty Servantequal to 1 hour's worth of continuous operation.

Curse. The Mighty Servant hungers endlesslyfor combat and bloodshed. With each use of theservant's powers, the operator must roll a suc-cessful saving throw vs. spell or become filledwith battle fury for 24 hours. During that time,the artifact is used in a rampage of destructionto any and all within reach.

In addition, the Mighty Servant places thecharacter at risk of artifact transformation. Thoseaffected by this power gradually have theiralignment shifted to chaotic neutral.

• It is possible to destroy the Mighty Servant bysimple physical attack, assuming that enoughdamage can be inflicted.

• There might be a command phrase whicheven Leuk-o never knew that causes theMighty Servant to explode. The radius of thisfireball and the damage that it might inflict isunknown, but must certainly be terrible sinceit involves the release of all of the magicalenergies of the servant in one single surge.

• Ancient writings speak of a means of destroy-ing the Mighty Servant with the dreadfulMachine of Lum the Mad. Lum himself is saidto have believed that there was a setting onhis Machine which would utterly destroy theautomaton, but if he found such a setting henever used it.

60

This circular clear crystal lens has an adaman-tine frame studded with six small loops on theouter rim. Colorful ribbons run through theseloops to hold the monocle over one's eye quitesecurely, so that even mighty blows or jarringwon't shift it free. This item originated on Torilin the FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting.

This unusual item was crafted in Zazesspurover two centuries ago by Bagthalos Deszhum-mer, who was then the Archpriest of Helm, theGuardian God. His temple was plagued bymany thefts that he suspected were the work oflocal thieves employing magical invisibility. Tocounter them, Bagthalos set to work creating adetection aid for the temple guards.

Alas for Bagthalos, Divine Helm, his lord, dis-approved of any attempt to substitute magicalaid for vigilance, and warned Bagthalos of theprice such vain research would demand—thelife of a being dedicated to the worship of Helm.Helm never expressly forbade Bagthalos fromcontinuing his research, he only set the cost ofsuch an effort. In this the deity was implacable.Perhaps it was Bagthalos's years of faithful ser-vice that prevented the deity from stripping hisArchpriest of all powers for even presuming toundertake the task. Perhaps it was Helm's wayof testing his faithful servant—who can say theway of the gods?

The archpriest was a good man, but obsessed.By day and night he dreamed of completing hiscreation. With every step he took forward in hisresearches, though, he remembered Helm'sprice and found himself unable to progress atthe cost of another. Days passed into weeks andthen months of agonized torment. The arch-priest's sermons fell off and his duties layforgotten as Bagthalos let himself waste awayand die.

Little did the archpriest realize that it was hisown death Helm had predicted, for in the finalpuffs of his failing breath, Bagthalos uttered the

61

last prayers needed for his grand creation. Somesay Helm mercifully fulfilled his faithful priest'sdesire; others tell how Bagthalos's spirit passedinto the Monocle, the final key to its making.However it came to be, the Monocle of Bagthaloswas complete.

Unfortunately, Bagthalos also carried thesecret of his Monocle to the grave with him. Aswas customary, his quarters were cleaned andfumigated and his goods placed in the templetreasury. Fate being what it is, thieves struckonce more sometime later and one of the trea-sures they carried off was the Monocle of Bagtha-los. Did they know what they had taken?Probably not, for nothing was heard of it for adecade or more.

Then, for a brief span of several years, theMonocle circulated in the whisper markets ofAthkatla (in Amn) and Ithmong (in Tethyr).There the sinister merchants offered it for sale atthe paltry sum of 45,000 gp. Apparently theseblack marketeers did not grasp the scope of itspowers. Still, no buyer was willing to pay thatprice for a little-known object of no repute, andthe shadowy brotherhood of thieves who werethought to be selling the item, the Skeletal Fin-ger, was destroyed by the venerable blue dragon,Iryklathagra (Sharpfangs). The dragon slaugh-tered the thieves in their mountain stronghold,hidden somewhere in the peaks of The SmallTeeth (which mark the border between Tethyrand Amn). Their hideout cleared, the dragontook up residence there. The Monocle may still lie

somewhere in the stronghold or may be some-where else.

Because of its relatively low power and poten-tially harmful side effects, the Monocle is not atremendously unbalancing artifact to have fallinto the player characters' hands. The DMshould still be cautious of giving it out, however,since its broadly useful true seeing power couldunhinge the key secret of an adventure.

Most likely, the Monocle could be introducedas an aid and asset to another adventure involv-ing a different artifact, such as Johydee's Mask orQueen Ehlissa's Marvelous Nightingale. In general,the adventure should involve a large amount ofpolymorphed, shapechanged, charmed, orotherwise enchanted encounters, as befits thepower of the Monocle. To this end, Sharpfangs isa ready-made adventure hook to get thingsstarted. Any dragon powerful enough to eradi-cate an entire den of high-level thieves is not oneto be taken lightly. The characters may be hiredto eliminate the beast and then discover theMonocle without realizing the special purposethe DM intends for it.

This a good artifact for the trial-and-errorprocess of learning. Its powers are not over-whelming (if one is prepared), nor is its cursedevastating. In fact, the curse gives clever DMs awonderful opportunity to create amusing adven-tures. Imagine sending the PC off to track downand apologize to a long-lost childhood sweet-heart for some petty slight as a youth. What injus-tices has the PC done to kobolds in the name ofadventuring? The potentials are nearly endless.

Of course, few DMs will want the group tohave a permanent (though risky) source of trueseeing, so it is best to eventually remove the itemfrom the campaign. With luck, a few rounds ofatonement may be enough to convince the char-acter to give it up, but if that fails, some surviv-ing members of the Skeletal Finger might wanttheir property back.

62

Constant. Looking through the monocle givesthe wearer the power of a true seeing spell. Fur-thermore, the monocle-wearer is immune to allgaze attacks and to effects or menaces, magicalor psionic, that employ hypnotism, bright lights,shimmering colors, mesmerizing patterns or eyecontact.

Invoked. Three times per day, the Monocle canfire a bright orange ray (range 60 yards, dura-tion instantaneous) that immediately drains 1d8hp from the wearer but deals 4d8 hp damage toeverything in its path. The beam penetrates allmaterials but lead. Targets the wearer can see areautomatically hit, while those in the path butconcealed by solid objects are allowed to roll asaving throw vs. death (+4 bonus) to avoid thebeam.

Random. 2 from Table 15: Detection.Curse. Part of Bagthalos's spirit is indeed

trapped within the Monocle—all the sorrows andregrets of his being. When worn, the artifactwhispers these feelings into the mind's eye of itsowner. Each hour (or fraction thereof) spentwearing the monocle, the user must roll a savingthrow vs. spells. If failed, the character remem-bers intensely every error, misstep, and fault andfeels compelled to make amends as best as pos-sible. The DM should chose an incident from thecharacter's past adventures that must be cor-rected. The character becomes obsessed withthis quest (as per a geas spell, only the effect can-not be dispelled) and the Monocle ceases to func-tion until things have been set right.

• All of the pieces of Bagthalos's spirit must befound on the outer planes and reunited.

• It must be frozen at the heart of the Abyss.

Standing fully 12 feet high, the Obsidian Man is aperfectly carved statue of volcanic glass. Itslimbs and features show no signs of chiseling;the Man's skin is as smooth as human flesh. Thestatue is perfectly proportioned, with none ofthe exaggerations that might be expected of abeing of its height.

The Obsidian Man wears a nobleman's kilt andbaldric. Its clothes are made of the same glossyblack stone as its body, and they appear to beone homogenous piece. However, the kilt hasbeen observed to flex and rustle when the Obsid-ian Man animates. The Obsidian Man originatedin the DARK SUN® setting.

Eighty-five years ago, in the year of Wind'sReverence, obsidian miners in the SmokingCrown made a startling discovery: Entombed ina vein of solid black glass was the titanic figureof a man! The miners chiselled away the sur-rounding stone, and on orders of the templarleader, the Obsidian Man was laid in a sledge andprepared for transport to Urik.

The next morning, the mining camp was hor-rified to discover that 13 people had been grue-somely crushed during the night. The templarswanted to investigate, but they realized thatHamanu would brook no delay in the deliveryof their find, so the caravan bearing the ObsidianMan set out for Urik.

Each night along the way, more men weremurdered. The templars naturally suspected theobsidian statue, but each morning the statuewas found reposing lifelessly in its sledge, itsguards among those slain. The caravan finallyreached Urik, but not before dozens of peoplewere killed.

The Obsidian Man was then brought before thesorcerer-king Hamanu, who examined the fig-ure with intense interest and was angered by hisinability to learn anything about it. Soon, he set20 half-giants to guard it and retired to hislibrary to research the matter.

63

In the middle of the night, the sorcerer-kingwas disturbed from his studies by the sounds ofbattle in his palace. He rushed to the scene, onlyto find half of his guards dead and others barelyclinging to life. The Obsidian Man was gone,leaving a trail of rubble through the fortress as itsmashed its way out. Hamanu caught up with itin the main square of Urik. There, he laboredwith all the terrible magic at his command tomaster the creature. At last, bloodied and bat-tered, the warrior-king defeated the ObsidianMan and bound it to his service with a golden cir-clet around its brow.

Hamanu eventually discovered that the Manpossessed several marvelous powers andstrange abilities. He used the titan's strengthand prowess for years. The only limitation hecould find was that the Obsidian Man could notabide the touch of daylight. When the sun rose,the statue returned to the place it had risen fromthat night and became inert.

Some seven years ago, a young templar inHamanu's service made an awful mistake: Heremoved the golden circlet from the titan's brow.No one will ever know why he did so, for hewas the first victim of the Obsidian Man. Thestatue walked out into the desert and vanishedfrom the knowledge of mortal men.

Two years ago, the golden circlet that con-trolled the Obsidian Man was stolen fromHamanu's palace. The thief was never caughtand the circlet has still not surfaced, despite thetowering rage of the sorcerer-king.

The Obsidian Man of Urik can be used as a ram-paging, unstoppable force for the heroes tooppose. As it wanders, the Obsidian Man is capa-ble of destroying whole villages or small armies.If used as a random force of destruction in thismanner, a good adventure could be built out offinding the golden circlet that will command thecolossus, then tracking the Man down.

Alternatively, the heroes could find them-selves in a situation where they require the leg-endary strength of the Obsidian Man. Again,finding the statue in its hidden retreat and dis-covering a way to control the thing are adven-tures in and of themselves.

If the heroes gain control of the circlet and theObsidian Man, they find that that their prizedpossession is also sought by Hamanu of Urik.An interesting adventure could also be builtaround the exploration of the Obsidian Man's ori-gins and purpose.

Heroes who try to retain control of the Obsid-ian Man will find that the statue has an unnat-ural tendency to become separated from itscontrolling circlet. When you are ready to removethe Man from the campaign, an assassin or thiefcould steal the circlet, or an occurrence such as asandstorm or ambush may accidentally separatethem.

Constant. By day, the statue is completelymotionless. It cannot be damaged by anyamount of physical force or any kind of magicalor psionic abilities. By night, the statue ani-mates. It has 150 hit points and an Armor Classof -5, attacking twice per round with a THACOof 5 for 5dl2 damage per hit. The Obsidian Mancan move at a rate of 15 and has an effectiveStrength score of 25 for purposes of throwing,breaking, or carrying things. While active, thestatue can be damaged only by metal weaponsof +3 or better enchantment. It is completely

immune to all psionics except those of the psy-chokinetic discipline. The Obsidian Man isimmune to all magic except the spells cone ofcold, stone shape (which inflict 1 hp of damageper level of caster), and stone to flesh (whichreduces the Man's AC to 10 for one round.) Itmakes all saving throws as a 20th level fighter.

Whenever the Obsidian Man suffers enoughdamage to destroy it, it returns to its dormantstage. It will animate again the following night,with all its damage repaired.

Invoked. Once per day, the Obsidian Man canfly (as the spell) for up to one hour. It can easilycarry several man-sized creatures if so ordered.It may create a wall of fire once per day that lastsup to one hour. By touch, it can stone shape orpasswall.

The Obsidian Man may fire a thin beam ofblack fire once per turn inflicting 25 points ofdamage upon targets within a 60-yard range(saving throw for half damage applies). Onceper week, it can be ordered to invoke & finger ofdeath (as the 7th level priest spell).

Curse. Unless controlled, the Obsidian Man isa mindless force possessing only a desire to slaythe living. It can be controlled only through theuse of the golden circlet, a psionic device thatestablishes a link between the wearer and theartifact when worn. Even then, the evil force ofthe artifact demands blood. Each night, it mustbe allowed to slay a sentient being or it will turnon the owner of the circlet. Further, each time thecontroller orders it to use an invoked power, theObsidian Man permanently drains 1 hit point.

• Expose the Man to 24 hours of continuoussunlight.

• Cut out its heart with a weapon of +5 enchant-ment, then throw the heart into the lava of theSmoking Crown.

64

The Orbs of Dragonkind, said to be 12 in number,are all similar in appearance. The major differ-ence in each is its relative size to the others.Unless the Orbs are compared to each other, it isvirtually impossible to know which Orb is which.

Each Orb appears as a sphere of finest crystal,perfectly smooth and lustrous. A close examina-tion of each shows faint lines of writing etchedinto the surface. The language is ancient, nolonger known by any speaker alive. The writingon each Orb is different.

The Orbs are usually found mounted on three-armed stands. Each stand is different for eachOrb, but since the stands are not part of the arti-facts, they are of no help in identifying each. Thestands are normally of precious metals and elab-orately done, although at least one looks likecrudely wrought steel.

When an Orb is used, it glows with an internalfire that matches the color of its dragon type.

The Orbs of Dragonkind are not the same asthose found in the DRAGONLANCE® cam-paign. Those orbs are unique to that world.

The history of the Orbs is one that delvesdeeply into the beginnings of the worlds, sodeeply, indeed, that the very origins of thesegreat artifacts are matters of mystery and confu-sion. In part the tale depends on who tells it.

In the beginning, as with all beginnings,everyone agrees. The age was long ago, barelymoments beyond the great creation—althoughhow and who made the world is another storyall disagree upon. At that time, all things livedin their truest forms, in shapes of strength andpower. Man had not yet been sundered intowarrior, priest, and mage. The leader of menwas the mightiest in all three of these. The elveswere the greatest masters of the arts and did notlive away from all others. Dwarves stood as tallas men and did not hide themselves beneath theearth. Each race was great in its own way.

The greatest of them all were the dragons.

There, at that moment at the beginning of allthings, the dragons were the majestic rulers ofthe world. Their kind were all wise and all-knowing. Later they would change, forgettingtheir speech, forgetting their mysteries, forget-ting the goodness of their spirits, at last forget-ting their duties to the newly created world, butfor now they had not fallen so. The dragonswere great and ruled over all other things.

This is all that the tales agree upon, though,for here is where each race remembers the great-ness of the past differently. Who can say whichis right—if any are right?

In the poems of the human bards, the tale con-tinues in treachery and woe, and it goes like this:

Over the misty years, the dragons ruled theworlds and as they did, they slowly changed.They cared less and less for the welfare of theirsubjects and demanded more and more fromthem. The dragons grew proud—some becameevil while the rest grew indifferent to the suffer-ing they caused.

The voices of the people cried out for relief, butthe dragons heard them not. So the people turnedto their gods and pleaded for guidance. The godswere not deaf and could not stand the sorrow inthe voices of their children. In the way of thegods, they called upon the least of their chil-dren—a swineherd in a small village at the baseof the great mountain where the dragons dwelled."Go and teach the dragons to respect the mightof their children," they told him in a dream.

65

Now the swineherd was a good man, but hewas afraid. After all, he was only a mud-splat-tered peasant. The dragons—well, they weredragons. What could he possibly do? Terrifiedto face them, he did not go. Six times the godscalled upon him, and six times he hid himself infear. Finally, on the seventh time the godsrevealed themselves in their anger and theswineherd could no longer refuse them. Trem-bling with fear, he began to climb the mountainto confront the dragon lords.

For 12 days and 12 nights he climbed andeach night one of the twelve great powers cameto him in a dream. Each whispered to him asecret long hidden from the dragons, a secretthat gave the poor swineherd power over hisinhuman masters. Perhaps it was the secret oftheir true name, for in those days true namesheld power; perhaps it was the secrets of flatteryby which he could trick the dragons. Here eventhe human bards do not agree. It does not mat-ter to their tales, though.

Needless to say, this unnamed swineherdreached the mountain's peak and gained anaudience with his dragon lords. There, no oneknows what happened. For weeks he was lost tothe human world and his family began todespair. And then, one day, the swineherdreturned at his door, as if by magic. With himhe brought twelve crystal Orbs.

"The dragons have given me hostages," hetold the people who gathered. "Hide these Orbsand the dragons will no longer rule us." Atfirst they laughed and the king of the landwanted to take the Orbs back to his treasury,until the swineherd commanded the least of theOrbs to strike down the greedy king and hisknights. Then the people feared to disobey theswineherd and hid the Orbs as he said.

Thereafter, the dragons ruled mankind nomore. The swineherd prospered and became theking of his land. No rival would challenge himout of fear of the Orbs, but never did the swine-herd-king use them again. Whatever secretsthat they contained passed away with him.

Of course, that's not how the elves tell it. Theirstory goes like this:

In that time when all things lived in peacewith each other, the noblest of the dragon-clanscame to the courts of the elves and said, "Shin-ing elves, you are the light of all races, spread-ing grace and beauty throughout the world.Great is the pleasure you bring to all thingswith your voices. It is bleak and lonely in ourmountain fastness. Will you make for us areminder of your joy so that our days will notbe so forlorn?"

And the elves, being elves, agreed and askedfor nothing in return. After a hundred yearsand a day, enough time in which a man's mem-ory would fail in grave dust, but was little tothe elves and even less to the dragons, the highfolk appeared before the council of the clan andpresented their gift—12 Orbs of perfect bril-liance and beauty. Each sang with a voice oflightest crystal and the music of the stones toreat the hearts of the great dragon-kin. The Orbssang of gliding in the purest blue sky, of court-ing flights beneath the burning silver of themoon, of battles fought and lost by the brave,and of the passings that would come.

The songs wrenched at the very souls of thenobles and they let their bodies waste as theirspirits soared. At last, completely enchanted,each surrendered, letting their spirits be trappedby the Orbs, where they have remained to thisday.

Such is the way of elves and the gifts theybring.

Now the dwarves, of course, know that theelves and the humans have it all wrong. This istheir story:

In that time, the dwarves were the greatest ofall crafters, even greater at the forge and thecrucible than they are today, for many secretshave long since been lost. AH other races knewof their skill, but only the dragons respectedtheir craftsmanship. The humans were too fool-

67

ish to know the power of iron and stone; theelves were too petty and vain, but the dragons,who dwelt in mountain homes, understood themight of rock and the magic it could bring.

Thus it was that an embassy of 12 dragonssought out the Great Council of the Dwarves."O grand and wise shapers of metal," the oldestof the dragons spoke, "our people are scatteredover the globe. We cannot call our councils orshare news of birth and woe. We come to youfor an answer, for there are not greater artisansto be found on the earth or beneath it. Will youmake us a solution?"

"What will you pay us?" demanded theHigh Clan King of the council.

"All the treasures from beneath the earth thatlie in our hoards we will give to you," answeredthe eldest of the dragons.

And the dwarves knew they could make thething that the dragons wanted and the pricewas good, so they set their greatest craftsmen tofashion a set of 12 crystalline Orbs for the

dragon-kin. After 12 summers and 12 winters,the Orbs, 12 in number, were finished, andonce more the dragons appeared before theGreat Council.

"Here are the treasures you asked for," saidthe High Clan King. "Give us our payment asyou promised."

The dragons smiled and were pleased withthe work. Taking the Orbs, they said, "Give usa fortnight to prepare a feast. When the time ispassed, send your strongest, bravest, andcleverest to our caverns and we will feast themand honor them with our riches."

At that time, dwarves still trusted dragons,who were the rulers over all, and so the HighClan King agreed. In a fortnight, he led the finestof his people to the halls of the dragons. Therethey found the 12 ambassadors of the scaled racewaiting. Looking about, the dwarves saw notables, no benches, no feast-foods, nor ale. Thedragons crouched greedily upon their treasures,the dwarven Orbs clutched between their claws.

68

"Where is our payment?" demanded theHigh Clan King.

"Here," the eldest dragon said. At that word,his people set upon the dwarves who, in trust,came with weapons sheathed. All were slainuntil only the High Clan King remained,wounded and dying.

With his fading breath, he called out, "Hearyour doom, treacherous beasts! The treasuresyou have stolen will have my revenge." Withthat he spoke the words of power and the secretmagicks the dwarves built into the Orbs, fordwarves are ever a cautious lot. "From this dayforward, your scaled hides are cursed! Your chil-dren will be less than you and all beings willhunt you and call you dangerous. Greed andhatred of your own kind will fill your hearts, alluntil the price you promised is paid!"

At that curse, the magic of the Orbs seizedall things noble from within the 12 ambas-sadors and pulled these into the crystal prisons.The body of each beast changed colors and theyfeared each other. Screeching in rage the now-savage dragons fled throughout the world.

So dragons have remained ever since,crouched on their hoards, keeping these trea-sures from their true owners—the dwarves.

Any one of these stories might be true, or per-haps none of them. However they were made,since that time the Orbs have surfaced time andagain throughout the world. Sometimes theyhave made kingdoms powerful, sometimes theyhave brought them down. Always dragonsappear wherever the Orbs are to be found. TheOrbs are rumored to grant great powers, butalways at a terrible price.

It is unclear just how many Orbs were made orstill remain. The dwarven legend says a dozenwere fashioned—both elf and human stories aresilent on this. There are tales of the destruction ofthree or more of these Orbs—tales of great hero-ism and danger. Orbs supposedly destroyedappear in later tales, so it is hard to be certainwhat is right. The researches of Alimead the Sageon this point do nothing to clear up the confu-

sion, although his dry and scholarly work—found only in a few exclusive collections—is thebest authority on the Orbs themselves.

The Orbs of Dragonkind are among the moreunusual artifacts of those described here. There-fore, special considerations must be given tothese items.

First, there is their number. Twelve orbs ismore than just a single item. It is unlikely thatmost campaigns can survive having all 12 Orbsin play at the same time. Certainly, the playercharacters should never have all 12 (or even halfthat number!) in their possession at one time.

Second, dragons are (and should be) uniqueto a campaign, including their personalities andbehaviors. Since the dragon Orbs contain thetrapped personalities of long dead dragons, theDM should take the time to create dragon per-sonalities that fit the campaign. Twelve sug-gested personalities are given here, but these arenot the only possibilities.

Finally, there is the matter of the powers them-selves. The Orbs are perhaps more variable thanany other set of items. In addition to the differentpersonality for each Orb (which will affect howthe powers manifest themselves), the Orbs alsodiffer from each other by age level and color.There is one Orb for every age category of adragon and each age category represents a differ-ent color of dragon. The DM must match thesethree factors—age, color, and personality—to cre-ate a mix of powers that best suits the campaign.

When dealing with the number problem, theOrbs of Dragonkind will most commonly be usedas individual items. The player characters findone, maybe two of the Orbs, and no more. This isthe easiest solution. The DM builds a majoradventure that climaxes in the discovery, use,and/or destruction of an Orb. The existence ofother Orbs is hinted at, but the DM does not buildadventures around these. For the adventure, theDM should select carefully the Orb to be used—

69

both for the powers the Orb will grant to the char-acter and for the personality of the Orb itself.

A number of story lines are useful for a smallnumber of Orbs. An Orb may be needed to defeata powerful dragon marauding the land, to givethe noble but outnumbered forces of a goodkingdom the edge they need to overcome an orcinvasion, or to perform a special spell needed tolift the curse that has befallen a PC or NPC.

A more difficult approach is to build a seriesof adventures that eventually uses all 12 Orbs.The player characters might discover one Orb,only to have it stolen by their evil foe. In order toovercome this enemy, the PCs must locate anOrb of even greater power. They track down anduncover a number of different orbs, startingwith the least and rising in power, until thegroup at last finds the one they need. Of course,the task is never that easy, since their enemy,already in possession of one Orb, has a headstart on them and additional power, to boot.

The difficulty here is that almost every adven-ture must be greater than the last. Finding andusing each Orb becomes more and more difficultand heroic—although allowances can be made toslow the pacing at points. Some Orbs may be mon-strously guarded, others cleverly hidden, and stillothers may require the players to use wits androle-playing instead of muscle. Unless the DMcreates adventures with a great deal of variety, theplayers will quickly suffer from 'sequel-itis'—"Oh, look; yet another Orb of Dragonkind."

For DMs willing to go to great efforts, all 12Orbs could be introduced in a truly uniquemethod. In this case the DM creates a specialcampaign world—from the ground up—thatcenters around eight or so powerful kingdomsof various races. Each kingdom has as its powercenter one of the Orbs of Dragonkind. The logic ofthe world—the armies, the diplomacy, the rela-tive strengths and weaknesses of each land—revolve around these Orbs. Kingdomspossessing lesser Orbs might have to constantlystruggle to hold off their more powerful neigh-bors or band into alliances against them. Thosewith the most powerful Orbs may be empires to

which the lesser kingdoms swear obedience.The possessors of the Orbs may all be evil ormay be a mix of good and evil rulers. The DMwill have to define all of this background beforebeginning the new campaign.

Once these details are decided, the DM cancenter the action around the remaining Orbs.Recovering any of the four that are lost willupset the careful balance of power in the cam-paign. Naturally, each king or emperor wants toclaim these lost orbs while denying the otherstheir goal. Warfare, diplomacy, intrigue, andadventuring can all be played out against thisbackground. The player characters may neverfind an Orb of Dragonkind during the course ofthe entire campaign, but the items will alwayshave an influence over events.

However the DM chooses to use the Orbs,player characters should not be allowed to retainthese items. Perhaps the best solution is to con-struct the adventure so that the player charactersmust recover the Orb and place it in the hands oftheir king, for the protection of all. This gives thecharacters the satisfaction of success and removesthe item from their control at the same time.Alternatively, dragons will naturally have a greatinterest in the Orbs and may insist that the char-acters surrender any that they find. The charac-ters may have to destroy an Orb for safety's sake.Finally, there are always thieves to rely on.

As noted above, the Orbs of Dragonkind consistof three separate elements—color, age, and per-sonality. Color will determine the choice of pow-ers for each Orb; age sets the level of strength forthose powers; and personality dictates how thosepowers will be revealed and used. Personalityalso affects the exact nature of each Orb's curse.

In addition to the powers that vary by age andcolor, the Orbs all have certain features in com-mon, a natural result of being powerful magicalitems. Like all artifact powers, these powers canbe constant or invoked.

70

Constant. Anyone within 10 feet of the Orbhas the THACO, Armor Class, and saving throwsof the dragon trapped within. This is calculatedaccording to the age and color of the trappeddragon. These individuals are also immune tobreath weapon attacks by dragons of the sametype as the Orb.

The personalities of all of the Orbs are tele-pathic to any creature within a 60-foot visualrange. The trapped personalities also possess fullawareness of their surroundings, able even todetect invisible or otherwise concealed creaturesas would a normal dragon of their size. Whetheror not this information is communicated to theowner depends upon the Orb's personality.

Invoked. Each Orb functions as a crystal ball toany other Orb of Dragonkind, provided the iden-tity of the other Orb's owner is known.

Invoking the correct command while touchingthe Orb allows the owner of the item to invokeany of the following powers, all figured by thedragon's age and color: use the dragon's breathweapon (3/day), radiate dragon fear (3/day), andcast any spells (including special powers) knownby the dragon.

Finally, every Orb allows the owner to use adomination spell against any dragon of the samecolor within 100 yards. The target creature isallowed a saving throw vs. spell. However,instead of a -2 penalty and Wisdom adjustmentsas per the spell, the roll needed is increased ordecreased by the age difference between the Orb'spersonality and the target dragon. The older thetrapped personality, the greater the chance of suc-cess. If the Orb contains an old red dragon (agecategory 8) and the target is a juvenile red dragon(age category 4), the saving throw roll wouldhave a -4 penalty. Were it the other way around,the roll would have a +4 bonus.

The owner of the Orb can dominate any num-ber of dragons within range, but can only makeone domination attempt per round. There is nolimit to the number of times per day this powercan be used.

Trapped within each Orb is a dragon of a dif-ferent color. The choices are: black, blue, brass,bronze, cloud, copper, gold, green, red,shadow, silver, and white. All color powersmust be invoked and are usable according to thelimitations given in the description.

For convenience, the base Hit Dice of eachdragon color is noted in parentheses below.

Black. (12 HD) Upon command, the ownercan create an acid storm with a radius of 100 feet.The storm lasts a number of rounds equal to thedragon's Hit Dice and inflicts 1d4 points of dam-age for the first 3 rounds, 1d6 through the 6thround, and 1d8 every round thereafter. The acidstorm can only be conjured once per month,however.

Blue. (14 HD) The owner can breathe a boltthat leaps from target to target, striking severalcreatures in the same manner as a chain lightningspell. A number of targets equal to the dragon'sHit Dice can be struck. However, unlike thespell, the number of dice of damage inflictedremains constant throughout. This power can beused once per day.

Brass. (12 HD) Upon uttering the command,the owner triggers a circle of sunmotes spell fromthe Orb. The power is usable only once permonth.

Bronze. (14 HD) The owner of this Orb canuse imago interrogation once per month. How-ever, no matter what being is contacted, thispower can never be used to gain more informa-tion about the locations or powers of any otherartifact.

Cloud. (14 HD) By touching this Orb, theowner is able to summon a storm of vengeancespell. Unlike the spell, invoking this power onlyrequires 1 round. The power is usable once permonth.

Copper. (13 HD) As befits the copper dragon'simpish nature, invoking its power triggers apowerful version of the mass suggestion spell.The power centers on the Orb and has a radiusof 30 feet. Anyone other than the owner of the

71

Orb within the area of effect and possessingfewer Hit Dice or levels than the trapped dragonspirit is automatically subject. No saving throwis allowed. Those beings of greater level or HitDice are unaffected by the power. The sugges-tion given must follow all of the normal rulesgiven for the spell of that name—i.e., it must beunderstandable and reasonable to those who lis-ten for it to have effect. This power can be usedonce per week.

Gold. (16 HD) The Orb of the gold dragon hasthe power of command over others of its kind,meaning in this case all dragons. It can only beinvoked once per year. Upon uttering the com-mand, the Orb summons to it a number ofdragons equal to its Hit Dice + 1d6 additionaldragons. These dragons are the same age as thepossessed gold dragon and can be of any typedetermined by the DM. All must be summonedat the same time. The summoned dragons willserve the owner of the Orb faithfully for 3d6days. They will carry out his instructions to thebest of their ability. However, the creatures willrefuse any order that is clearly futile, suicidal, orhostile to dragons of their own color. Thedragons could be summoned to fight at the sideof an outnumbered army (since the creaturesthemselves might turn the tide), but would notslay each other upon command (just to reducethe number of dragons in the world). A reddragon cannot be ordered to attack or harmanother red dragon, but would have no qualmsabout tearing into a blue dragon.

At the end of the period of service, the dragonsare released from servitude. Unlike other sum-monings, those creatures called by the Orb willnot seek revenge upon its owner. To their mind,whoever possesses the Orb has the right to placethis duty upon them. However, should the beingthat called them ever fall into their clutches, lit-tle mercy will be offered. Evil dragons will mostlikely kill the offender outright, while good oneswill impose some service equal to what wasrequired of them.

Green. (13 HD) The power of this Orb is onlyeffective in a forest or wooded area. Upon com-

mand, a ray of vile green shoots forth, up to 100yards, to strike a number of trees equal to thedragon's Hit Dice. The trees touched areinstantly polymorphed into shambling mounds,uncontrolled by anyone. The shambling moundsremain for 24 hours or until they are slain. Thispower is usable only once per month.

Red. (15 HD) The power of the red dragon'sOrb is the most devastating of all the Orbs ofDragonkind and is only usable once per year.Upon uttering the proper command, the Orblances out a beam of energy straight down thatpenetrates into the very heart of the earth.Within 2dl2 hours, the earth heaves and splitswith the force of an earthquake spell. As thetremors grow, a volcano arises from the pointwhere the magical beam struck. The volcanospews lava and ash, gradually rising into amountainous cone over a process of weeks. Theradius of the destruction is equal to the HitDice of the trapped red dragon. All normal con-

72

structions within this area—towns, roads, cas-tles, etc.—should be considered ruined. Magi-cal structures, should any exist, are allowed asaving throw vs. crushing blow to avoid anni-hilation. All temples are allowed a savingthrow vs. magical fire to avoid ruin. Thosebuildings that survive become small islands ofnear-stability. A temple at the heart of the cone,for example, might be raised with the crater'srim and stranded on a pinnacle of rock. Furtheraway, it might avoid destruction by having thelava flows part naturally around it.

Shadow. (12 HD) The power of the shadowdragon is to draw upon the very essence of thePlane of Shadow, a sinister demi-plane of theethereal. Once per year the owner of the Orbcan cast a place on the Prime Material Planeinto the Plane of Shadow. The area of effect is adiameter equal to the trapped dragon's HitDice _ 100 yards, with the Orb at the center.When the command is given, Orb, owner, andthe surrounding area are whisked into thePlane of Shadow. The transported area remainsthere for 1 year and at the end of that time isinstantly returned to its proper place. While onthe Plane of Shadow, all transported things aresubject to the normal risks present on thatplane—shadow dragons, slow shadows,shadow mastiffs, and worse. Beings can movefrom the Prime Material to the Plane of Shadowby all normal means of planar travel—mostoften by passing through the ethereal.

On the Prime Material Plane, the area trans-ported is replaced by an equal area of the Planeof Shadow—shifting veils of darkness that fillthe area of effect. Just as Prime Material inhabi-tants and creatures are carried away, shadowbeings can arrive as part of the transfer, perhapsto maraud the surrounding lands.

Silver. (15 HD) The Orb of the silver dragonhas great healing powers. Once per year it canbe used to resurrect 2dlO x 10 bodies within 100yards. All bodies to be resurrected must be pre-sent at the same time. When attempting to resur-rect special characters (PCs and the like) makenormal resurrection survival rolls; for low-level

NPCs and common soldiers, assume the attemptis automatically successful. Furthermore, thepower distinguishes between friend and foe,making this Orb particularly useful for restoringa fallen unit on the battlefield.

White. (11 HD) Upon invoking the power ofthis Orb, all allies of the owner within 100 yardsare seized by a savage war-frenzy. They fightwith a blood-lust that causes them to disregardtheir own peril and wounds in their savageattempts to slay the enemy. Those frenzied gainan additional 2 dice of hit points, and +2 bonusesto THACO, Damage, and all saving throw rolls,and are immune to fear, charms, and illusions ofall types. While perhaps not much for playercharacters, this power can render a battlefieldunit into a terrifying force. The power is usableonce per month.

In addition to color, the powers of the Orbsvary according to the age of the dragon spirittrapped therein. Most of the results of age arecalculated into the other powers of the Orb—amount of damage done by breath weapon,spells and number known, even area of effectfor special color powers. However, age alsogrants ever-increasing numbers of randompowers.

The age listings on the next page give theappropriate power tables to use and the agemodifier needed to calculate other effects of thedragon Orb.

Trapped within each Orb of Dragonkind is adistinct dragon. Over the millennia, each hasreacted to its imprisonment differently. While itis best if the DM devises a personality that isappropriate for the age and color of the trappeddragon, 12 suggested personalities are givenhere.

73

74

1 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 17: Elemental Air2 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 17: Elemental Air2 from Table 12: Combat2 from Table 10: Abjurations2 from Table 15: Detection2 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 10: Abjurations2 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 22: Fate and Fortune2 from Table 10: Abjurations2 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 18: Elemental Fire1 from Table 22: Fate and Fortune1 from Table 15: Detection3 from Table 12: Combat1 from Table 23: Healing1 from Table 24: Immunities3 from Table 12: Combat2 from Table 10: Abjurations1 from Table 23: Healing1 from Table 27: Movement3 from Table 12: Combat2 from Table 10: Abjurations1 from Table 23: Healing1 from Table 27: Movement1 from Table 24: Immunities3 from Table 12: Combat2 from Table 24: Immunities1 from Table 27: Movement1 from Table 31: Personal Enhancement1 from Table 18: Elemental Fire4 from Table 12: Combat3 from Table 24: Immunities2 from Table 31: Personal Enhancements1 from Table 27: Movement1 from Table 18: Elemental Fire1 from Table 22: Fate and Fortune

Orb of the Hatchling. (Hatchling, -6 HD)Orb of the Wyrmkin. (Very Young, -4 HD)

Orb of the Scaled. (Young, -2 HD)

Orb of the Dragonette. (Juvenile, +0 HD)

Orb of the Drake. (Young Adult, +1)

Orb of the Serpent. (Adult, +2)

Orb of the Dragon. (Mature adult, +3)

Orb of the Gold-Hoarder. (Old, +4)

Orb of the Great Serpent. (Very Old)

Orb of the Firedrake. (Venerable)

Orb of the Elder Wyrm. (Wyrm)

Orb of the Eternal Dragon. (Great Wyrm)

• Naive. This dragon believes in the betternature of beings even against all the thingsthat have happened to it over the centuries. Italways has hope that someone means to res-cue it from its prison. Indeed, it naturallyassumes that its owner wants to free it, anduses this rationale as a justification for theartifact possession it causes.

• Sullen. Trapped so long within its orb, thisdragon knows better than to believe the liesof its masters. It is stubborn and recalcitrant,refusing its powers whenever possible. Noone deserves its aid, since no one everintends to free it. Threats and trickery are thebest hopes of invoking this Orb's powers,although it will freely act if it believes thepower commanded might actually cause itsmaster woe.

• Tricky. The dragon spirit is full of guile, con-stantly seeking a way to escape its prison. Itwill freely resort to lies and deceptions inorder to obtain its goal of release. It cannot,however, lie if an answer is compelled ofit—i.e., if the master demands to know ifany invisible creatures are at hand, the Orbmust answer truthfully. It can, and does,invent powers for itself—often claiming toknow things it does not in hopes of gainingrelease.

• Patient. This dragon has taken the long view,biding its time for the day it knows willcome. Until then it slumbers and thinks, cre-ating elaborate philosophies and mental the-orems. If not actively in use, it slumbers,caring nothing for the world around it. Whenin use, it cannot be hurried and will insist on

The personality of the trapped dragon isimportant to create. Unlike many artifacts, theOrbs do not simply work upon command;instead it is best if the players discover that theircharacters must interact with the trappeddragons—cajoling, promising, threatening, andbribing the dragon spirits to obtain their aid.The personalities also affect the nature of theartifact possession the owner might undergo.

using its powers at its own pace. It does takea certain delight in rousing a little panic in itsmasters.

• Impatient. This dragon wants out nowl It islong since tired of its confinement and will donothing unless convinced the act will some-how move it closer to freedom. Its impatiencesurfaces even in areas having nothing to dowith its freedom and will constantly urge itsmaster to stop waiting and act.

• Curious. This dragon relieves the boredomof imprisonment by seeking knowledge. Itwill want to know everything, especiallywhen its powers are called upon. Its mastermust often explain the reason for its use,which may in turn lead to other explana-tions. Worse still, explanations will remind itof other things it has learned, leading it intolong digressions.

• Bored. Sealed inside its Orb, never dying, thisdragon feels as though it has seen everything.Little that happens to its master can interest it,nor does it care what happens to those whopossess it. The Orb will not respond to pleasof urgency or need, cares little for good orevil, and would welcome any grotesque eventas a new experience to relieve its tedium. Get-ting this Orb to use its powers requires trick-ery more than threats.

• Hate-filled. The dragon inside rages againstthose who trapped it, those who have used itover the centuries, and indeed everyone onthe outside. It is hostile to all free things, butin particular the master who forces it to act.Whenever possible, the spirit will seek tobring harm to its master by perverting theintention of his words or luring him into dan-ger with bad advice. Like all of the Orbs, itcannot directly lie about what it knows, buteven so, it can convince the foolish to getthemselves killed.

• Despairing. This dragon has given up. Itknows it will never escape from its prison andthere is no point in trying. Promises, rewards,and threats mean nothing to it. All action ispointless and there is even the thought that

75

through inaction it might gain release. Thosewishing to use many of its major powersmust actually convince the spirit that the out-come will have meaning, either to make theworld a better or worse place.

• Stoic. This dragon spirit is resigned to itsfate, but has not given up. Instead, it tries tomake the best of things while searching foran escape. Unable to help itself, it seeks tohelp its kin by demanding payment for itsservices or considerations for others of itsspecies.

• Mad. Time has taken its toll on this dragonand the out-of-body confinement has driven itinsane. There is no predicting how it will reactto any given situation. Sometimes it will bebright and cooperative, while at other times itwill rave about nonsensical enemies. It willdebate simply to debate and will generallymake life difficult for its master.

• Desperate. This dragon is in a state of nearpanic at the hope of ever gaining its free-dom. It is willing to attempt anything, nomatter how dangerous to itself or its master,if the deed holds out the promise of free-dom. It will slip from its master's grasp tofall from great heights, attempt to roll intoacid pools, or leave itself exposed to power-ful magical blasts, all in the hopes of shatter-ing its Orb.

Curse. The Orbs have only the simplest ofcurses, but these are woefully dangerous. Sinceeach is possessed of a dragon's spirit, those whotouch the Orbs of Dragonkind are immediatelyexposed to the risks of artifact possession and arti-fact transformation. In every case, the Orbs seek toremake their masters into dragons of their owncolor while at the same time gaining possessionof the bodies. If this is successful, the trappeddragon will be freed, while the spirit of itsmaster is lost to the void forever.

• The dragon can be released by sacrificing one-self with a magic jar spell, to be trapped withinthe Orb.

• All 12 must be ground simultaneously underthe Great Millstone of the Gods.

• The original makers of the Orbs must be foundat the beginning of time, and the secret of theOrbs' destruction must be learned from them.

76

The Psychometron is a small, clear gem about 1inch in diameter. It is mounted in a headband ofgold and carru leather. The gem is perfectlyround and sparkles even in complete darkness.It would appear to be worth a king's ransomsimply as a piece of jewelry. This item originatedin the DARK SUN® setting.

Six King's Ages ago, a powerful psionicist andpreserver, Nerad the Wise, arose in the waste-lands along the shores of the Sea of Silt. Afterwandering the wilderness and aiding people ofgood heart, Nerad was perhaps the first toattempt the transformation from preserver toavangion.

Nerad ultimately came to a spectacular end,as the Dragon hunted down and challengedhim. The preserver was trapped and could notavoid the fight. Anticipating his defeat, he gavehis most valued possession—the marvellous Psy-chometron—to one of his retainers and told her toflee with it. The woman subsequently took thegem to a Villichi community in the Tablelands.Since that time, the Psychometron has been usedby the Villichi on occasions when they neededits power to defend their community.

The Psychometron is a psionic artifact, usefulonly in campaigns where psionics are employed.A DARK SUN character looking to follow inNerad's or Korgunard's footsteps could beaided significantly by the Psychometron. Further-more, the gem provides heroes with powerfuldefenses that could enable a group to challengea sorcerer-king or one of the great monsters ofthe wastes. However, the Villichi believe thegem belongs to them and will eventually ask forits return.

Constant. The Psychometron radiates a 5-footradius of +2 protection to the wielder's savingthrows and power scores in the telepathic ormetapsionic disciplines. It also functions as areceptacle containing 150 PSP which can powerthe owner's psionics (PSPs regenerate at the rateof 25 per hour). The psychometron radiates nonde-tection and obscures any attempt to scry thewielder, either psionically or magically.

Invoked. When the Psychometron is within theradius of a defiling spell, the gem protects theearth from defilement, sacrificing 1 PSP for eachradial yard that would be destroyed.

The Psychometron is an empowered item withthe following disciplines installed: aura sight,aversion, awe, complete healing, contact, displace-ment, energy containment, mind bar, mindlink,radial navigation, and teleport.

Curse. The Psychometron is imbued with thepowerful personality of the avangion Nerad, soits owner is subject to artifact possession. Thedevice seeks an end to slavery and oppression,demanding that the owner attempt to bringdown the sorcerer-kings and the Dragon.

• Cause an earth drake to devour it.• Let no light touch it for 99 years.

77

With crystal eyes, tiny golden feathers delicatelylayered over its body, and a small wind-up keyon its underside, Queen Ehlissa's MarvelousNightingale is a beautiful gold songbird mountedin a golden cage.

Last in a line of benevolent rulers, QueenEhlissa treated everyone in her domain fairly,and no one lived in poverty or want. Having nofamily, Queen Ehlissa raised song birds, herfavorite being a nightingale that she loved dearly.Each night she would sit and listen for hours asher beloved bird would sing the most beautifulsongs. Sadly, the nightingale died, on her birth-day no less. Devastated, Queen Ehlissa went intomourning. Her subjects, fearing for their belovedqueen, sent for their greatest artisans, bards,mages, and craftsmen. For one year they labored,and on Ehlissa's next birthday, they gave her themechanical Nightingale. The music that cameforth was so pure and lovely that it soothed thequeen and her sorrow melted away.

The Nightingale can be used by anyone andprovides excellent role-playing opportunities.

Perhaps Queen Ehlissa's land is overrun by abarbarian horde, which makes off with thebeloved Nightingale. She hires a group of would-be heroes to retrieve her stolen songbird.

Invoked. A narrow groove with five notchedslots is embedded in the bottom of the cage. Bymoving a small lever into different notches, theNightingale plays five different songs each asso-ciated with a power. Indoors, the area of effect isthe entire room; otherwise it is as if cast by a20th level character.

78

PowerBless (7/day).Music of the spheres (5/day).Unceasing vigilance of the holy sentinel(1/week).Zone of truth (1/week, no saving throw).Emotion (1/day). If the emotion is notchosen, one is selected randomly andlasts 2d4 rounds. Selected emotions lastas long as concentration is maintained.

Slot123

45

Curse. Anyone possessing the Nightingalebecomes increasingly childlike. Monsters causethe PC to flee in panic for 2d4 rounds. Each nightthere is a 50% chance that the owner is too fright-ened to sleep, preventing healing and the memo-rization of spells. Should sleep be lost for 3consecutive nights the owner is incoherent andsluggish, with attributes dropping by 1 point. Theowner must always speak the complete truth. Foreach month that the Nightingale is possessed, oneexperience level is lost. Once the Nightingale isgiven up, these negative effects are graduallyreversed over the same amount of time.

• It must be given to the king of songbirds.• It must be smashed by a tinker gnome with

the strength of a titan.• It must be exposed to the most wretched

chord playable on Heward's Mystical Organ.

The Recorder of Ye'Cind is a musical instrumentmade from an 18-inch piece of hollowed-outlake reed with 10 holes drilled into it. Unlike aflute, it is held vertically and played by blowinginto the open end.

Over a century ago, there lived an elf namedYe'Cind. During the course of his life he traveledthroughout the country, compiling and creatingballads and songs to tell the rich history of hisbeloved land. In time he became renowned inall of the lands. During a festival in one smallkingdom, Ye'Cind was returning to his bed lateat night when he witnessed the brutal slaying ofthe king in the courtyard below. Though he hadseen the crime, he could not identify theassailant. By morning, Ye'Cind had vanished,leaving behind only blood on his sheets.

Twenty years later, at the annual festival oflife, Ye'Cind reappeared in the fateful kingdomwith a recorder in hand. He played strains ofmusic to amuse and please the crowd. Loversheld each other dearer when tender melodieswere played. For a crying child, Ye'Cind playeda tune that brought laughter to its lips. Makinghis way to the center platform, Ye'Cind cameface to face with the king and began to play forhim. A look of astonishment crossed the king'sface as 20 years melted away, and the king sawhimself standing in the courtyard over hisbrother's dead body, bloody knife in hand. Asmile crossed Ye'Cind's face as he watched theguards drag away the struggling king.

This artifact is can be used by all characterclasses. A possible adventure might revolvearound a band of prophets taking the Recorder toa monarch for delicate negotiations with aneighboring kingdom. En route, the caravan isattacked and the recorder stolen.

Constant. The Recorder emits an ear-piercingnote anytime anything of the PC's (including theRecorder) is stolen within 30' of it.

Invoked. The Recorder can be commanded toplay complicated melodies upon itself. Playing asustained G reveals a single and important truthabout a subject of the user's choosing. This truthis revealed in the form of a shimmering image,complete with visual and audial effects. Thetruth is usually something of profound signifi-cance in the subject's life, although the Recorderdoes not reveal the same image more than oncefor a single subject (1/day).

Random. 3 from Table 21: Enchantment/Charm (notes A, C, and E), 3 from Table 26:Minor Spell-Like Powers (notes B, D, and F).

Curse. The music is so beautiful that the userbecomes unable to hear anything except therecorder within 2d4 weeks. All of the standardpenalties for deafness are suffered.

• It must be bathed in the liquid essence of 100windchimes.

• The holes must be plugged with sovereignglue.

• It must be cast back into the lake where thereed from which it is made originally grew.

79

There are three different sets of Regalia of Might,one for each ethos—Good, Neutrality, and Evil.Each set consists of three pieces—a crown, orb,and scepter. All three sets are cloaked by a pow-erful illusion that makes them all look identical.In this form, the crowns are gold and red velvet,and studded with stones of great wealth. Theorbs, about the size of melons, are enamelledblue and red and set with a ring of pearls, andthe rods (no matter what their true size) are iron-shod staves with carved knobs at the top. Thework on every piece is clearly of the best quality.

In the hands of a like-aligned creature, thepieces are perceived as unique in appearanceand there is no confusing the different Regalia.

The descriptions below are of each item in"true" form, normally recognized only when theRegalia of Might are carried by a creature of con-cordant alignment and of sufficient power towield the devices as explained.

The Regalia of Good. The Crown of Good isthin coronet of twisted silver, decorated with

incredibly detailed golden leaves of laurel, sothat the whole thing looks like a victor's wreath.When worn by a like-aligned creature, the crownradiates a brilliant light that obscures thewearer's face. The Orb of Good is a sphere ofpurest crystal, encased in a filigree cage ofgolden laurel leaves. As large as a cannonball, itis nonetheless quite light and easy to carry. TheScepter of Good is a slender rod of polished crys-tal, entwined with verdant vines of silver andgold and topped with a gem that blazes withbrilliant white light.

The Regalia of Neutrality. This set of Regaliais the least ostentatious of the three, as befits thesomewhat passive role of most neutral powers.The Crown of Neutrality is carved from a singlepiece of smoky quartz, polished dazzlinglysmooth; when worn, the creature's face is con-cealed behind a shimmering smoky veil thatradiates from the Crown. The Orb of Neutrality isa crystal like the Orb of Good, but it is smokyquartz held within a cage of green jade, carved

80

like smoke. The Scepter of Neutrality is a rodalmost as long as a staff. It is made from smokyquartz and sparkles with flashes of light—somebrilliant white, others blood red. When gripped,a thin wisp of smoke trails from the tip.

The Regalia of Evil. This set, when used by alike-aligned creature, is easy to distinguish fromthe others. The Crown of Evil is a single piece ofblack iron, cast into the form of a flaming head-piece. The craftsmanship is harsh and the iron isfilled with impurities that leave the surfacecoarse. When worn by an evil creature, the ironflames blaze into reddish light and magicalflames (that cause no harm) lap and flicker overthe head, concealing the wearer's face. The Orbof Evil is a iron sphere, pitted and scarred, ofapparently crude workmanship. The sphere isbound in chains of iron, equally harsh andcrude-looking. Red sparks fly from the orb at theslightest touch. The Rod of Evil is a staff of iron,draped with chains that clank and rattle. Aflame of red fire (that radiates no heat) springsfrom the top.

The Regalia of Might are reputed to be perhapsthe greatest of all artifacts, though this is onlyspeculation, for no one can honestly claim tohave used all of them. They are certainly themost ancient, having existed since before thetime of men. It is believed the Regalia were fash-ioned by the gods, to spare the multiverse fromultimate destruction of those powers as theymade war.

For an eternity before recorded time began,the many powers struggled for ascendancy inthe Outer Planes. But such is the way of godsthat seldom did the powers directly attack eachother, fighting their battles in the mortal worldsinstead, and manipulating their creations likepawns on a gameboard. As the battle raged ondistant planes, the waste and destruction washorrendous.

Finally, the wisest deities agreed that this

could no longer go on. They decreed that eachethos—Good, Neutrality, and Evil—should out-fit a champion who would in the future standfor that faction. Three items—objects of celestialmight—were given to each champion: thecrowns, orbs, and scepters.

Just how these deities struck this agreement,and how they enforced their will upon the dis-senting powers is unknown. Nor is it even cer-tain just who among the gods proposed theidea (several deities lay claim to this achieve-ment). Suffice it to say that great and mysteri-ous are the workings of such powers, for thefeat was accomplished. The terms set, eachgroup set to the task of fashioning their Regaliaaccording to its nature. Speed was essential, forall had agreed to finish their work in a singlemillennium.

The gods of Good, it is said, met in a greatcouncil, and they chose from among their num-bers the three greatest craftsmen and set them tothe task. These three worked together to createtheir three pieces of Regalia, each sharing hisknowledge and experience with the others.

The gods of Neutrality did not accept thisapproach, but met in council and choose the pat-tern desired for their Regalia. The craftsmenamong their kind were summoned and a com-petition was proposed. Each craftsman-god wasto design a single piece of the Regalia, be it crown,orb, or scepter, and the finest would be used byNeutrality's champion.

The gods of Evil proposed a competition, too.Whoever among them, whether craftsman ornot, could produce a crown, orb, and sceptercould claim the right to outfit the champion ofEvil. The evil deities threw themselves to theirwork with a frenzy. Not content to merely build,they schemed, spied, robbed, and betrayed eachother in their struggles to win this contest.

Finally, the deadline was reached and thegods reconvened to approve the results. So longago did all this transpire that men and perhapseven the deities themselves have forgotten thenames of those who labored for each group. Butfirst came the three craftsmen of Good, who had

81

labored in harmony to prepare their items. Sec-ond came the three victors of Neutrality, eachbearing his contribution to the Regalia. Lastlycame a trickster god, Evil's victor, who had cun-ningly stolen his prizes from the workshops ofothers. Beholding the Regalia, the wise godswere content and proclaimed the great warsended. Henceforth, all disagreements were tosettled by champions chosen to wear the Regalia.

Since that time, each group has watched overits Regalia in its own way. By agreement, thedeities of Good hold theirs as a group. TheRegalia are available to any power who shouldneed it. The powers of Neutrality could not beso amicable in their approach, however. Rather,they agreed that each deity should hold theitems for a period of time and then pass them toanother. The owner had absolute control overthe Regalia and could use them or give themaway as he pleased. The powers of Evil tooktheir usual, direct approach to this question:Possession of their Regalia went to whomeverwas strong enough, devious enough, and savageenough to take and hold them. If a deity neededthe Regalia, he had to take them from their cur-rent owner. The evil Regalia became much con-tested items, used as much by fiends in theBlood War as by Evil's champions against thoseof Good and Neutrality. Over the years, thethree evil pieces have been separated and some-times even lost. This may even be the case today.

The Regalia, no matter of what ethos, are power-ful artifacts and should not be used in a cam-paign without an expressed and a carefullythought-out purpose. Fortunately, several condi-tions on these items make it difficult , if notimpossible, for player characters to gain fullbenefit, or in some cases any benefit, from theseartifacts. Still, the DM should do everything pos-sible to limit player character use of such items.

Introducing the Regalia into a game varies,depending on which set the DM intends to use.

The DM should remember that the Regalia arecreated for a specific use, so if one set appears, itis quite likely to be followed by one or both ofthe others. It is assumed that the sets will beused by a pair of champions who must fight tosettle some celestial dispute.

The Regalia of Good are never found purely byaccident; Good gods don't misplace their items(although Evil deities might steal them). Theyare either safely stored on their own planes orloaned out for some purpose. Thus, the Regalia ofGood only appear when there is a need for theiruse. The player characters might think they haveaccidentally found a great treasure, but this dis-covery should always be part of a greater plan.The Regalia of Good normally enter an adventurewhen one of the player characters is called uponby his (or her) deity and is is saddled with theawesome responsibility to act as a champion ofcause.

Likewise, the Regalia of Neutrality are not hap-hazardly left about, although the powers of Evilmight plot to whisk them away. Their appear-ance should herald some purpose, but this maybe simply to prevent conflict between the cham-pions of Good and Evil.

The Regalia of Evil are another matter. With theconstant squabbling of the evil lords, theirRegalia have been known to slip from their graspfrom time to time, and it is possible that one ofthe pieces could find its way to the Prime Mater-ial Plane. Once there, it could be discovered bythe PCs or by an NPC.

Of course, just stumbling across the Regaliadoes injustice to a good potential storyline. If theitems are something the player characters couldpotentially use (most likely one or more of theGood or Neutral pieces), one of the group mayfind himself thrust into the role of champion ofthe ethos—at least temporarily. For whateverobvious or inexplicable reasons, the gods havechosen the player character to face anotherchampion (outfitted with appropriate pieces ofRegalia), thereby settling some celestial dispute.The contest need not be over some world-shat-tering conflict; deities squabble over all sorts of

82

petty details—they could even be vying for thefavors of a mortal. In any case, the championshould be the equal of the player characterunless it is evil, in which case the evil forces cheatand make their man a little tougher. The playercharacter may never know of his divine role, orhe may have to figure it out and find his foe.

When all is said and done, whether the char-acter wins or loses, the piece or pieces of theRegalia will magically disappear—the powerswill never leave such items behind. Any rewardthe character receives depends upon the taskdone and the nature of the deity involved. Char-acters should not expect much reward at allfrom evil gods!

Of course, the player characters could justaccidentally find a piece of the Regalia— particu-larly if it was stolen from or by an evil deity.Legends and tales of the Regalia exist in mostfaiths, and high priests can recognize the itemsfor what they are. Unhappy indeed are the ser-vants who refuse to yield these treasures back to

their divine masters. The gods may even takenote and spend special messengers to claimwhat is rightfully theirs. Servants of good deitieswill first try honest and gentle approaches butevil deities will almost certainly punish any pos-sessing their Regalia, on the simple assumptionthat the current owner deserves his fate. In thiscase, even giving up the Regalia is likely to dothe player characters little good. But they mustfind some way to do so, through clever oaths orthe protection of others, to save their skins.

In all cases, the Regalia should not remain in acampaign for very long. These are not items tobe held by kings, great wizards, or even thehighest of high priests. Once any part of theRegalia has been used for its purpose, it shouldvanish, preferably with enough pomp or terrorto remind the player characters of just who andwhat they have been dealing with. If a piece isaccidentally found, the player characters will befaced by an ever-escalating series of messengersuntil such time as the item is recovered.

83

Each of the nine pieces of Regalia has a differ-ent collection of powers, although differentcrowns, orbs, and scepters may have some powersin common. Each, too, has its own perils that canaffect the foolish and unworthy. The sets alsohave ever-increasing resonating powers, so thatthe might of the Regalia grows with each itemacquired.

The powers and curse for each piece of Regaliais described separately. After the powers for allthree pieces of a set are given, the resonatingpowers for various combinations of that set aredescribed, along with any additional curseeffects that may occur. After this are suggestedmeans for destroying the entire set of Regalia.

The Crown of Good

Constant. The Crown confers upon the wearera Wisdom and Charisma of 21, including all ben-efits for bonus spells, magical defense, spellimmunities, and reaction adjustments.

Invoked. The Crown can create a minor globe ofinvulnerability around the wearer once per day.

Random. The Crown possesses two abilitiesfrom Table 15: Detection.

Curse. First and foremost, the Crown, like allthe pieces of Regalia, is attuned only to its align-ment ethos. Neutral characters who touch theCrown suffer 5d6 points of damage (no savingthrow, excepting neutral good characters, whoare allowed a saving throw vs. spell to halve thiseffect). Evil characters who touch the Crownmust save vs. death, and those who succeed stillsuffer 5d6 points of damage. Among good char-acters, only those of a lawful heart can use allthe item's powers. For others, only the invokedpower functions.

Although not a curse, the Crown does have adrawback in that its owner (whether the Crownis worn or not) is no longer capable of telling afalsehood or performing an act that would nor-mally be considered evil. Note that this prevents

the character from bluffing or making threats hedoes not intend to carry out. Even haggling inthe marketplace can become difficult, should thecharacter manage to dicker the price down to a"steal."

The Scepter of Good

Constant. While the Scepter is gripped, theowner is immune to all wizard spells of theenchantment/charm school, and to all priestspells of the charm sphere.

Invoked. Upon the wielder's mental com-mand, anyone touched by the Scepter must savevs. paralyzation or be held motionless for 3d6rounds. The Scepter also functions as a rod ofrulership with endless charges.

Curse. The Scepter is sensitive to alignment.Neutral characters who touch the Scepter suffer5d6 points of damage (no saving throw). Evilcharacters who touch it must save vs. death, andthose who succeed still suffer 5d6 points of dam-age. Even good characters must be lawfully so tobenefit from the constant powers of this artifact.

Not viewed as a curse by the powers of Good,the owner of the Scepter must live up to nobleideals. Specifically, the owner of the Scepter mustalways come to the aid of those in need, whetherthey be accused innocents in the marketplace oroppressed multitudes in some distant land. Thiscall cannot be refused or resisted unless thecharacter is already involved in another quest oractively battling the champion of the other pow-ers. The master of the Scepter becomes a trueknight-errant, forever galloping off to rightevery wrong.

The Orb of Good

Invoked. All of the Orb's powers must be acti-vated with a command word (DM's choice).First, it functions as a gem of brightness withunlimited charges. Second, the Orb can heal(1/day) any creature that touches it.

84

Random. The Orb possesses one ability fromTable 16: Divination.

Curse. Like the Crown and Scepter, the Orb isselective about who handles it. Neutral charac-ters who touch the Orb suffer 5d6 points of dam-age (no saving throw). Evil characters whotouch it must save vs. death, and those who suc-ceed still suffer 5d6 points of damage. Goodcharacters of less than lawful purity can only usethe healing ability of the Orb.

Another consideration for the owner of theOrb is that he must give sacrifice all worldly pos-sessions (to charity) and forever renounce alltitles and claims; knights forswear their lieges,priests leave their temples, and wizards give uptheir magical wonders. Only the other pieces ofthe Regalia (if available) and the most humble ofdress and weapons (all nonmagical) may beretained. Anything given up cannot be reclaimedafter the artifact has disappeared.

Resonating (two items). If any two items ofthe Regalia are possessed by a single character,additional benefits accrue. Upon gaining the sec-ond item, the character immediately gains onelevel of experience, and his experience pointtotal is set halfway to the next level. The charac-ter gains all benefits of the new level. This canonly happen once to a character or adventuringparty (unless the current owner dies). Even if theitems are stolen and then returned to a differentmember of the group, the benefit will not result.

Possessing two of the three items also addsone power from both Table 20: Elemental Earthand Table 28: Offensive Powers.

Resonating (all items). If all three items areheld by a single creature, all the benefitsdescribed above are received, plus the Regaliareveal another power from Table 26: MinorSpell-like Powers, Table 27: Movement, andTable 31: Personal Enhancement. These bonuseslast only as long as the creature retains all piecesof the Regalia. If one is lost, stolen, or surren-dered, the benefits of possessing all three areimmediately lost.

Resonating Curse. Possession of any twopieces of the Regalia causes no additional harm

(beyond those already described). However,once a character gains all three items, artifacttransformation begins, and the character gradu-ally becomes a planetar aasimon (see the OuterPlanes appendix of the MONSTROUSCOMPENDIUM"'. If the change is completed, aPC is forever lost (NPC status), but if the Regaliais lost or removed prior to the final phase, thecharacter slowly reverts to normal.

• Smelt down the items at the forges of thedeities who fashioned them.

• Whisper the Ten-Thousand Secrets of Destruc-tion over each one.

• The items disappear with the end of the reignof the gods.

The Crown of Neutrality

Constant. So long as this Crown is worn, theowner can automatically distinguish betweentruth, half-truth, and lies he hears or reads. Onlyan undetectable lie can conceal the truth.

Random. The crown possesses two abilitiesfrom Table 16: Divination.

Curse. The Crown functions best for those oftrue neutral alignment. Characters of neutralgood or neutral evil alignment suffer 3d6 pointsof damage (no saving throw) when first touch-ing the items, and such characters can use onlytheir invoked powers. Other-aligned characterswho touch the artifact suffer 5d6 points of dam-age (no saving throw).

True neutral characters are possessed of theimpartial nature of the cold Neutral powers, andexpose all lies they hear. No matter who speaks(even himself), the wearer must reveal false-hoods so fair judgements can be made.

85

The Scepter of Neutrality

Constant. The holder of the Scepter regener-ates 2 hit points per round, but cannot regener-ate from fire, acid, (un)holy water, or death, norwill severed limbs regenerate.

Invoked. Upon command, the Scepter willgenerate a thunderclap like a staff of thunder andlightning. The Scepter also functions as a rod ofbeguiling.

Random. The Scepter endows the wearer withone power from Table 15: Detection.

Curse. Characters of non-neutral alignmentwho touch the artifact for the first time suffer5d6 points of damage (no saving throw), andcharacters of neutral good or neutral evil align-ment suffer 3d6 points of damage (no savingthrow). Such characters can only use the invokedpowers of the Scepter, provided they can identifythem.

Desiring harmony and balance, the powers ofNeutrality require the holder of the Scepter to

seek a settlement to all disputes. The settlementcan be a truce, surrender, payment, bribe, orwhatever, as long as peace is attained. The char-acter cannot allow any dispute to remainunnegotiated, be it a war between two king-doms or a jealous lovers' duel.

The Orb of Neutrality

Constant. When gazed through, the Orb func-tions as a gem of seeing.

Invoked. The Orb creates a floating fiery sym-bol of persuasion (1/day).

Random. The orb has two powers fromTable 33: Protections.

Curse. Characters of non-neutral alignmentwho touch the artifact for the first time suffer5d6 points of damage (no saving throw). Char-acters of neutral good or neutral evil alignmentsuffer 3d6 points of damage (no saving throw).Such characters can only use the constant pow-

86

ers of the Orb, provided they can identify them.The bearer of the Orb must always abide by

the terms of any oath, deal, vow, treaty, pact,contract or other agreement that he makes. Thispower is in effect even when the character is notholding the Orb—possession of the artifact is allthat is required.

Resonating (two items). If any two pieces ofthe Regalia of Neutrality are possessed together,the character who wields them immediatelygains one level of experience, and his experiencepoint total is set halfway to the next level. Thecharacter immediately gains all the benefits ofthe new level. This can only happen once percharacter or adventuring party (unless the cur-rent owner dies). Even if the items are stolen andreturned to a different party member, the benefitdoesn't occur.

The holder of two parts of the Regalia gainsone additional power from both Table 26: MinorSpell-Like Powers and Table 25: Major Spell-like Powers.

Resonating (all items). If all three items areheld by a single creature, all the benefitsdescribed above are received, plus the Regaliareveal another power from Table 13: Conjura-tion, Table 28: Offensive Powers, and Table 31:Personal Enhancement. These bonuses last onlyas long as the creature retains all three pieces ofthe Regalia. If any one of them is lost, stolen, orsurrendered, the benefits of having all three arelost.

Resonating Curse. Possession of any twopieces of the Regalia of Neutrality causes no addi-tional harm (beyond those already described).However, once all three items are held, the processof artifact transformation begins. The character isslowly transforms into a marut (see the OuterPlanes appendix of the MONSTROUSCOMPENDIUM". Once the transformation iscomplete, a PC is lost forever (NPC status). Shouldthe Regalia be lost or removed prior to the finalphase, the character slowly reverts to normal.

• The items vanish when Good and Evil reach aperfect stalemate.

• Immerse them for 1,000 years in the pureessences of the Positive and Negative Mater-ial Planes.

• They lose power when someone buys themfrom the gods of Neutrality.

The Crown of Evil

Constant. When worn, the Crown confers firegiant Strength (Str 22: +4 to hit, +10 damage)upon its wearer.

Invoked. By touch, the wearer of the Crowncan animate dead (3/day).

Random. The Crown endows the wearer withone power from Table 33: Protections.

Curse. The Crown is attuned only to those ofextremely evil alignment. Neutral characters whotouch the crown for the first time suffer 5d6 pointsof damage (no saving throw), although neutralevil characters are allowed a saving throw vs.spell to halve the damage. Good characters whotouch it for the first time must save vs. death, andthose who succeed still suffer 5d6 points of dam-age. Among evil characters, only those of chaoticbent can use all the item's powers. For others, onlythe constant power functions correctly.

As part of their perverse blessing on theCrown, the powers of Evil constructed the arti-fact so that, when worn, it is impossible for theowner to answer any question truthfully. Per-haps the rationale behind implementation of sucha power was to protect their champion frominterrogation, or perhaps it was just a whim. Thechampion can speak t ruthful ly of his ownaccord, but any question put to him automati-cally results in a lie.

87

The Scepter of Evil

Invoked. Upon command, the Scepter func-tions as a rod of terror (with no chance ofCharisma loss).

Random. The holder of the Scepter gains twoabilities from Table 28: Offensive Powers.

Curse. Like the all pieces of the Regalia of Evil,the Scepter is attuned only to those of evil align-ment. Characters of differing alignments whohandle the Scepter suffer the same effects asgiven for the Crown of Evil. Among evil charac-ters, only those of chaotic alignment can use allthe item's powers. For others, the Scepter func-tions only as a rod of terror.

As befits the nature of Evil, the bearer of theScepter quickly comes to imagine himself assupreme, the natural leader and ruler of all.Only powers of demigod or greater status areimmune to this, since they already considerthemselves to be (and they are) supreme beings.Those overcome with self-importance can nolonger accept any settlement or compromise.The bearer of the Scepter must be first in allthings. He will not relent until all those whostand in opposition (be they friend or foe) recog-nize his might, abjectly surrender, flee in terror,or lie crushed beneath his heel. Indeed, thegreater the foe, the more urgent grows the desireto overthrow them.

The Orb of Evil

Constant. When held, the Orb automaticallyallows its owner to command any nonplanarundead creature within 30 feet. The undead arecontrolled as long as they remain within theradius of effect and for 1d4 + 1 hours thereafter.The character need but speak his desires andthey are unwaveringly executed by the com-manded undead. (Free-willed and mindlessundead are affected equally.)

Random. The orb possesses two abilities fromTable 26: Minor Spell-Like Powers.

Curse. Like all parts of the Regalia, the Orb is

88

attuned only to those of evil alignment. Charac-ters of differing alignments who handle the Orbsuffer the same effects as given for the Crown ofEvil. Among evil characters, only those of chaoticdisposition can use all the item's powers. For oth-ers, only the Orb's invoked powers can be used.

Furthermore, the Orb itself covets worldlygoods, particularly magical items. Before its con-stant power can be used, it must be activated bythe sacrifice of a permanent magical item(including chargeable items). Once touched bythe Orb, the item crumbles to dust. The wielderof the Orb also must own the magical item inquestion—merely touching the Orb to someoneelse's magical armor will not do, for example.Items destroyed by the Orb are forever lost,beyond even the power of deities to recover.Once activated, the Orb's constant powers func-tion for 24 hours.

Resonating (two items). If any two pieces ofthe Regalia of Evil are possessed, the characterimmediately gains one experience level, and hisexperience point total is set halfway to the nextlevel. The character immediately gains all thebenefits of the new level. This can only happenonce per character or party (unless the currentowner dies). Even if the items are stolen andreturned to a different member of the group, thebenefit doesn't occur.

In addition, the holder of two parts gains anextra power from both Table 16: Divinationand Table 28: Offensive Powers.

Resonating (all items). If all three items areheld by a single creature, all the benefitsdescribed above are received. In addition, theRegalia reveal another power from Table 33: Pro-tections, Table 18: Elemental Fire, and Table 31:Personal Enhancement. These bonuses last foras long as all the pieces of the Regalia areretained. If one is lost, stolen, or surrendered,the benefits are lost.

Resonating Curse. Possession of any twopieces of the Regalia causes no additional harm(beyond those already described). However,once a character gains all three items, the processof artifact transformation begins. The character is

gradually transformed into a bebilith, an odiousservant of death and torture (see the OuterPlanes appendix of the MONSTROUSCOMPENDIUM"1). Once the transformation iscomplete, the character is forever lost, but if theRegalia are lost or removed prior to the finalphase, the the character slowly reverts to normal.

• The powers of Good utterly conquer the pow-ers of Evil.

• The items are buried at the very heart of thePositive Material Plane.

• The powers of Evil are tricked into destroyingthem.

Rare though it might be, it is possible for thesame character to come into possession of itemsof Regalia from separate ethos. For instance, acharacter holding the Crown of Good might betempted (by a devious evil deity) to pick up theScepter of Evil.

The result is an explosion of charged magicalenergy which, though it can vary in intensity,almost certainly brings woe to the unfortunateat the heart of the blast. This is a very bad thing,at least for the character. Fortunately, battlinganother champion who is using a different pieceof Regalia will not trigger any disasters (otherthan the fight might cause).

Possessing any piece of Regalia allows theowner to see all others in their true form, and thedifferences in appearance should serve as a direwarning. Similarly, the character can also sensethe ethos of any other piece of Regalia. Whileholding the Orb of Neutrality, for example, thepriestess Livaria can feel the goodness radiatingfrom the Crown of Good before her. These twoclues should certainly inform Livaria that she

will be attempting to combine oil and water, soto speak. If she fails to consider the conse-quences and claims the Crown, then her mistakewill soon be clear.

Depending upon the mix of artifacts, theresult of one character holding them varies:

Good and Neutral. As soon as a characteracquires both items, an interplanar instabilityoccurs and a rift is torn to a randomly chosenUpper Plane. The player character is automati-cally sucked through the gap with wrenchingforce (which inflicts 3dlO points of damage).Anyone within 5 feet of the holder must make asaving throw vs. death or suffer the same fate.Those between 6 and 20 feet away suffer onlythe 3dlO points of damage (save vs. breathweapon for half damage). The Regalia then dis-appear, either returning whence they came (suchas to where the deities of Good store their items)or scattering to random Prime Material worlds.

Good and Evil. As soon as both items are pos-sessed, a massive blast occurs. The character atthe heart of it is instantly vaporized (no savingthrow). Those within 20 feet suffer lOdlO pointsof damage (save vs. breath weapon for halfdamage) and those between 21 and 40 feet awaysuffer 3dlO points of damage (same savingthrow). The pieces of Regalia are hurled to com-pletely random locations on any Prime Materialworld, although they may be quickly recoveredby servants of the deities.

Neutral and Evil. As with good and neutralcouplings, this pairing opens up a rift, thoughthis rent leads to a Lower Plane. The effects ofthis rift are the same as those described above,but anyone sucked through is not likely to arrivein a hospitable location.

89

The Ring of Gaxx is a nine-sided, blue gemmounted in a platinum base on a plain, half-inchplatinum band. Inside is a string of letters, withGaxx the only legible word.

While wondering among the Mountains ofStorms, a luckless fighter named Krednel dis-covered some old buildings. Entering to takeshelter, Krednel discovered the remains of acreature unlike any he had ever seen before.Krednel noticed an odd ring on one of the crea-ture's fingers, and took for his own.

Four days later, Krednel awoke to find that hisskin had hardened into a natural armor. Panic-stricken, he raced for a pool of water, where hewas horrified at his reflection. There in the waterymirror was a creature with eight-inch horns andscaled skin. He frantically pulled off the ring andran to visit an old dwarf friend, Lorak Ironhand,an expert on gems. Lorak could not identify thering but offered to buy it from Krednel. Krednelsnatched the money and disappeared.

The Ring of Gaxx is a good item for creatingsome unusual mysteries to solve. One possibleadventure could unfold with a village seekinghelp in ridding itself of a fierce, hideous monsterthat is terrorizing the place, and at the same timesolve the disappearance of the town's dealer inrare items.

Constant. The wearer is immune to all formsof disease, both normal and magical.

Invoked. Each of the nine sides of the gem hasits own power. The active side faces the finger tipand the entire ring is impossible to mark. Thegem rotates clockwise one segment when one of

90

the following occurs; it is put on, it is worn whilesleeping, or the stone is turned. Once all ninepowers have been discovered, the wearer can usethe powers with 90% accuracy. Two of the powersare stoneskin (2/day) and invisibility (I/day).

Random. 2 from Table 23: Healing, 2 fromTable 27: Movement, 2 from Table 28: Offen-sives, and 1 from Table 33: Protections.

Curse. Once the ring is worn for more than 48continuous hours, it begins to transform thewearer (over the next 96 hours) into a creature ofunknown origin. A thick pair of horns grow 2inches above the ears; the skin hardens intothick scales, providing a natural AC of 5. Theeyes develop infravision (90 feet) and daylightbecomes painful (-2 penalty to attack rolls). Thelower canines extend an inch beyond the lips,Horn and bite attacks are possible, inflicting1d4/ld4/ld6 points of damage.

To reverse an incomplete transformation, thering must be removed for a number of hoursequal to the number worn. However, once it iscomplete it is permanent, and the wearer needsthe ring to survive; without it death occurswithin 72 hours.

• The Ring must be taken by hand to the centerof the sun.

• Return it to the alien culture who crafted it.• The creatures that created the Ring must be

found and the ring returned to them.

The Rod of Seven Parts is a 5-foot-long black,unadorned pole, broken into pieces measuring4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 inches in length. Theparts fit together in order of ascending length;the 4-inch tip (which resembles a short wand) isthe thinnest part, the 15-inch head is the widest,and the rest of the pieces broaden steadily fromthe tip to the head. The Rod originated in theGREYHAWK® world.

Eons ago, a great war was waged between theWind Dukes of Aaqa (the guardians of Law) andthe Queen of Chaos. Those polar forces eachcraved the annihilation of the other, and were soobsessed with enforcing their ideologies thatthey spared no thought for Good and Evil. Formany years the balance of power shifted backand forth, and neither side could achieve theupper hand.

Then the Queen of Chaos found andappointed a new commander: Miska the Wolf-Spider, who was so brutal and terrible to beholdthat the Queen also took him for her consort.With the arrival of the evil Miska, the forces ofChaos were bolstered and the Wind Dukesbegan to fear eventual defeat.

Therefore, they left the Captains of Law tohold the line while they combined all of theirpowers and created a magnificent ebony rod.With the newly created artifact in hand, theWind Dukes rejoined the war at the battle ofPesh. The Dukes gave the Rod to the Captains ofLaw and bade them vanquish Chaos.

A fearsome battle raged for weeks, and theadvantage shifted repeatedly between the foes.Finally, the Captains of Law surrounded theWolf-Spider, and before the legions of Chaoscould swarm to their leader's side, the Rod wasdriven through Miska's body. For a moment,every soldier stood terrified by the horriblescream of the general. Miska's foul blood cov-ered the Rod and penetrated it as he writhed onthe ground, and the magical forces of Law that

had been infused into the Rod were combinedwith the essence of Chaos in Miska's blood,which ruptured the Rod and shattered it intoseven pieces. Meanwhile, the Wolf-Spider wascast through a planar rip created by the explo-sion, and he remains lost on an unknown plane.The Queen's soldiers converged upon the site inan attempt to capture the parts of the Rod, butthe Wind Dukes intervened and magically scat-tered the pieces across the world.

Ever since that time, agents of the Queen havebeen ordered to seek out the Rod at any cost. It isrumored that if she regains all the parts, she canuse the reconstructed Rod to find the Wolf-Spi-der and return him to her side, whereupon thewars will begin anew.

The DM may decide that the Rod of Seven Partsis best used by nonplayer characters, for he whouses the Rod suffers an immediate shift to anultra-lawful alignment that would make a pal-adin seem unprincipled—Good and Evil becomethoroughly irrelevant to the user, so long as Lawis maintained. This renders most characterseffectively unplayable, and few players willeven want to attempt it.

No adventure with the Rod is complete with-out the Queen of Chaos, who dwells upon theartifact. A campaign with the Rod would typi-cally involve a clash between the PCs and agents

91

of the Queen as pieces of the Rod begin to sur-face. Perhaps the PCs might "accidentally" finda piece of the Rod and then find themselvesharassed by the soldiers of Chaos, who try totake it from them.

The adventurers also might discover thatagents of the Queen have acquired four seg-ments of the Rod. To prevent war and a majorshift in the balance of power, the party musteither steal the recovered pieces or beat theQueen's servants to the next part.

Constant. Each part of the Rod conveys animpression of the direction in which the nextlarger piece lies.

Invoked. Each piece of the Rod has its ownminor power: The 4-inch tip can cure light wounds(1/day), the 5-inch segment can slow (1/day, 23rounds), the 6-inch part will haste (1/day, 23rounds—owner doesn't age); the 8-inch piece cancreate a 10- by 200-yard gust of wind (5/day), the10-inch part affords true seeing (1/day, 20 rounds),;the 12-inch segment can hold monster (1/day, 20rounds), and the 15-inch part heals (1/day).

Resonating. As the segments come together,the rod increases in power. The connected piecesstill retain their minor powers, but a majorpower manifests with the addition of each part.Invoked major powers are cast at the 20th level.

With two parts, the character can fly at will;three segments add 20% to the character's magicresistance; four segments allow the user to con-trol winds (2/day); five pieces grant the power toshape change (2/day); six segments enable theowner to wind walk (1/day); and with the sev-enth and final piece assembled, the character cancast restoration (1/day).

In addition, the fully assembled Rod radiatesan aura of fearsome, icy Law, affecting anyonewithin a 20-foot radius. All enemies (as definedunder Curse) who fail to successfully save vs.spell must flee in panic.

Curse. Created to serve order, the Rod imme-

92

diately changes any character possessing one ormore of its segments to an absolute follower ofLaw, beyond the most rigid standards of lawfulgoodness. The character will feel compelled tointervene in all things and maintain the primacyof Law over Chaos, heedless of the effects forgood or ill. Anyone, even close friends and otherparty members, not adhering to the owner'sstrict views are perceived as enemies.

Upon assembling three pieces, the owner willrefuse to part with the Rod at any time, underany circumstances.

Assembling the rod can be a very difficult task,requiring extensive wards and glyphs (requiringa full day to inscribe) to be placed upon each seg-ment before they can be joined. Bringing two seg-ments within 1 foot of each other without firsttaking these precautions causes the newest largestpiece of the Rod to teleport 1dlOO miles in a ran-dom direction— roll 1dlO: 1) north, 2) north east,3) east, 4) south east, 5) south, 6) south west, 7)west, 8) northwest, 9) straight up [1dlO miles],and 10) straight down [1dlO miles].

Having been violently shattered, the Rod'snew connections are very fragile, even with thebest wards and glyphs. Anytime a major poweris invoked, there is a 5% cumulative chance therod will break apart and each individual piece(except the segment held) will teleport in a ran-dom direction as described above, but twice asfar. When the Rod breaks apart, the teleportedpieces lose all of their wards and glyphs.

All effects of the Rod disappear with it.

• All seven parts are simultaneously joinedtogether in the improper order, resulting in a7dl2 x 10 explosion.

• Turn the Rod over to the Queen of Chaos, whowill attempt to pervert its nature and neutral-ize it in the process. (Characters who do thiswill not be treated with respect by the Queen.)

• Find Miska the Wolf-Spider and force bothhim and the Rod to enter the Plane of Concor-dant Opposition together.

The Rod of Teeth is a sturdy length of bone, stud-ded with human teeth. It appears to have beencarved from a human femur, and the teeth aresunk into the bone root-first. Strange runes andwhorls are carved into the Rod, and inix leatherprovides its grip.

It is thought that the Rod of Teeth was origi-nally carved by a powerful defiler named Atlak-Ta, who was the fetish-keeper of Lalali-Puy over600 years ago and served the oba of Gulg loyallyfor more than 11 decades. When Atlak-Ta died,an apprentice named Habbak claimed the Rodand disappeared. It was last known to be in thepossession of a defiler named Xactan, who livedalone in the Tablelands. Xactan was a travelerand explorer of ancient ruins, but seven yearsago he vanished during one of his expeditions.

The Rod of Teeth makes an excellent addition toany villainous wizard's arsenal. It is an evilthing, but it is not overwhelmingly powerful. Itcan exist in the campaign as a temptation tomagic-using characters: Once they start to use it,it becomes hard to stop. Optionally, the Rodmakes a great item to be sent in search of. Apowerful wizard or sorcerer-monarch maydemand that the PCs find the Rod and bring it tohim in payment of some debt, or simply underthe threat of some horrible doom.

Constant. The Rod of Teeth acts as a rod ofabsorption, able to store spell levels equal to thenumber of teeth in the rod. Currently, there are33 teeth in the Rod. Each time a charge isexpended, there is a 10% chance one of the teethwill fall out. The Rod of Teeth is a +2 weapon that

inflicts 1d8 + 2 damage per hit. The Rod of Teethalso provides a +2 bonus to saving throws ver-sus necromantic spells.

Invoked. Any wizard struck by the Rod mustmake a saving throw vs. magic, in addition tothe damage sustained. If the saving throw isfailed, 1d6 spells are immediately drained fromthe victim's memory (highest-level spells first).These spells are transferred to the wielder, whocan cast them as a wizard (wizards add thesespells to those memorized).

Curse. The user risks artifact transformation, ashis or her alignment shifts to chaotic evil. Worsestill, every time the spell-stealing power of theRod is used, there is a 5% chance the Rod willtransfer the victim's psyche instead, suddenlyreplacing the wielder's psyche with the intendedvictim's. (PCs are hence treated as NPCs.) Psy-che-displaced characters retain the physical sta-tistics of the host, but have the mentalcapabilities (proficiencies, spells, and psionics)of the victim. Meanwhile, the psyche-evacuatedvictim's body becomes a mindless husk that diesin 1d4 + 2 days.

This effect can be undone by triggering thepower in reverse or through the use of a wish.

• When all teeth fall out, the Rod is inert.• Return all the remaining teeth to their original

hosts (now long since buried).

93

This seemingly innocuous Scepter is made of acurious blue metal. One end of it is capped by ahollow circlet while two curved horns projectfrom the other end. Overall, the Scepter has thesize and heft of a footman's mace. This artifactwas originally found on Toril in theFORGOTTEN REALMS® setting.

It is said that in long-ago Netheril there livedsorcerer-kings of such might that they arro-gantly considered themselves the equals ofgods, and as if to prove their claim, they crafteditems of truly reckless power. Their wantondestruction worried the other inhabitants ofFaerun, and some even called on their gods tohumble the mighty sorcerer-kings. The worldshook with these battles, or so it is said. In theirarrogance, the sorcerer-kings decided to ridthemselves of these "meddling deities."

Instrumental in this evil plan was GlaerosLhaerimm, a man many sages blame for causingthe spread of Anauroch, the Great Desert.Glaeros crafted the Scepter in a grim process thatdrained the lives of a dozen apprentices. Notinghis ambition, the deities sent minions to stophim, but each one was destroyed by the othersorcerer-kings. Finally, as Glaeros began thefinal stages, the divine minions broke throughhis defenses and destroyed him. The unfinishedScepter was then snatched up by another of theNetherese sorcerer-kings, who used it to escapethe fray.

In the centuries since, the Scepter has turnedup in the hands of many wizards and warlords,the most notable being the lich known as "theHarper King." Stolen from that undead rulerbefore his destruction, the Scepter disappearedfrom view for many years. A dozen years ago, amysterious merchant-mage may have used it inSembia, to fight free of an attack by the Red Wiz-ards of Thay (who presumably knew what hebore). The whereabouts of this mage and theScepter are presently unknown.

The Scepter of the Sorcerer-King is an immenselypotent device that can easily wreak havoc on anotherwise well-balanced campaign—DMs areadvised to think long and hard before introduc-ing this item into the game! Only those DMsready to mercilessly hound the player characterswith the full consequences of its use introducethe Scepter, for once a character wields its power,a celestial alarm is sounded and the powers willnot rest until the Scepter does.

Clearly, the finding the Scepter is an adventurein and of itself. One excellent way to involve thecharacters is to place the Scepter in someoneelse's hands, who then uses it to separate a PCpriest from his god. After 10 days of silence (andno magic), the priest receives a vision of theScepter, with instructions to seek it out. (The PCis likely to discover that he is not alone in thisquest!)

Particularly vindictive DMs might create a sit-uation that allows the PCs to have their cake andsicken on it, too: One person in the party couldfind the Scepter (and use it), only to have thegroup's cleric discover he must destroy it! (Thiscase of double jeopardy is only recommendedfor those players able to role-play the conflictwithout lingering ill feeling.)

Anyone who finds the Scepter is well advisedto keep it hidden, using the powerful item onlyfor the most desperate situations and thenimmediately hiding the item again. Indeed,

95

there is even the possibility that the mortalowner of the Scepter might, on the llth day ofpossession, receive a visit from a very irateavatar!

Constant. The Scepter automatically reboundsany magic or psionic power targeted specificallyagainst its wielder (area effects are not included),and then magnifies the damage and durationtenfold (if possible). A magic missile curves backon its caster and inflicts [1d4 + 1] x 10 damage,for example.

Invoked. Nine times per day, a touch of theScepter (which requires a successful attack rollagainst unwilling targets) can heal or harm, as thewielder wills. In either case, the gain or loss is2dl2 points of damage; furthermore, 1 of thesepoints is always a permanent gain or loss. TheScepter cannot alter a creature's permanent hitpoint total by more than 9 points, and when thisnumber is reached, the creature is no longeraffected by this property of the scepter, for goodor ill. The creature's death will not change theScepter's count (a resurrected being doesn't startover with the opportunity for another 9 weals orwoes).

Once per day, the Scepter can dispel magic auto-matically. The item to be dispelled must betouched by the Scepter, and a successful attackroll must be made if the item is held by an oppo-nent. Each time this power is used, there is a 2-in-6 chance to drain the item as per a rod ofcancellation and to create a permanent magic-dead area with a 60-foot radius. Only artifactsare immune to the effects of this magic-deadzone.

Curse. For 10 full days from the instant theScepter is used, the influence of a single, ran-domly-chosen deity is banished from the worldwhere the character resides. Note that thisaffects only a single world. If, for example, thedeity is barred from Toril (in the FORGOTTENREALMS® world) it could still potentially be

96

active on Selune, the moon of that world.While banished, the deity cannot observe,

control, contact, or influence beings and eventson that world. The god cannot enter that worldas an avatar, by manifestation, vision, or posses-sion, nor can it send any of its Outer Planar min-ions or items, except through the aid of others.Note that a gate opened from the barred worldto the deity's plane is still possible. While thediety is barred, new spells cannot be gained byany priest or ranger of that following. One deityis affected per use of the Scepter, although thosewhose area of control includes magic areimmune.

Given the devastating effect of this item, thedeities of those worlds where the Scepter isknown (Toril, for instance) have carefullyinstructed their senior priests as to what theScepter looks like and what should be done if itappears. Most often, the powers demand thedeath of the wielder. Deities themselves areblind to the location or presence of the Scepter,and must rely on the eyes of their followers.

• Destined to rid the world of meddling gods,the incomplete Scepter can only be destroyedby using it to slay a god.

• The Scepter is destroyed when the last of thesorcerer-kings (now potent liches) are hunteddown and killed. Of course, the Scepter ispowerless against its makers.

• The Scepter is destroyed when all the gods for-swear any further attempts to involve them-selves in the affairs of mortals.

The Seal is a 3-foot-tall golden jar containingfour gen that correspond to the four elements.The vessel is sealed with lead and inscribed witha silver talisman bearing Jafar's name. This itemis found only in Zakhara.

Jafar the Incomparable, first sha'ir, made theSeal in a distant age, when the four genie lordsgrew jealous of his power and sent an army toharass the people of Zakhara. While the Seal wasin his hands, the genies obeyed all men perforce,much as the dao now serve all yak-men, andZakhara enjoyed a golden age. After his death,Jafar's foolish students quarreled over the Seal.While they squabbled, their own gen unitedagainst them, stole the jar, and it has remainedhidden ever since.

The Seal has been hidden by the genies and isalmost impossible to find—it is protected byguardian and slayer genies somewhere on therim of the world. The PCs should find the Sealonly if the DM wants them to have unprece-dented power over the four genie lords (to makethem cooperate, for instance). And they shouldnot be allowed to keep it, but destroying the Sealhas terrible consequences as well. All sha'irs willbecome the enemy of the owner, as they covetthe Seal and fear any other who has its power.As soon as any of its powers are invoked, allgenies are aware that it has a new owner, thoughthey do not know where it is. Characters shouldsoon have their hands full just trying to hangonto the Seal.

Therefore, once the need for the Seal haspassed, it is best removed from the campaign.The easiest method to accomplish this is to allowthe genies to recover the Seal. If the characterscovet it, the task of getting the Seal away fromthem becomes an adventure in itself. And whenthe genies regain the Seal, it will be hidden farfrom mortal eyes.

Constant. The Seal's owner gains the abilitiesof a sha'ir at a level equal to his own in any otherclass, and sha'ir gain an additional four levels.The Seal functions as a protection from geniesscroll; no genie can ever destroy the Seal or harmthe owner of the Seal.

Invoked. The owner can demand three ser-vices (not wishes) of a number of genies not toexceed the owner's Wisdom score.

Random. The Seal has one power each fromTables 17-20: Elemental Air, Earth, Fire, andWater.

Curse. Whenever the owner demands a servicefrom a genie, he must roll a successful Charismacheck or the genie is unmoved. Furthermore, suc-cessfully commanded genies loathe their masters,and although they cannot harm them, they willwork indirectly against the mortal. Misfortune andwoe follow the owner of the Seal—strange acci-dents and coincidences caused by vengeful genies.

• The Seal must be carried by a tortoise to everyshrine in Zakhara and blessed by a Moralistpriest at each one.

• The Seal must be cleansed with the breath of asoul, softened in the water of life, heated witha spark of the sun, and opened with a moun-tain's heart.

• The Seal must be placed on the brow of theForgotten God.

97

The Silencer of Bodach is a mighty two-handedbroadsword almost 7 feet in length. Its blade islong and straight, and made from an unidentifi-able alloy of red metal harder than enchantedsteel. The blade is diamond-shaped in cross-sec-tion and is unusually wide—nearly 7 inches atthe hilt. Its only decoration appears on the cross-guard: a red, glowing rune of ancient designwhose meaning is now lost. The hilt is made ofblack, watered steel and is wrapped with braxathide. The pommel is crafted in the shape of aserpent's skull.

The sword appears to be too large andunwieldy for any warrior short of a half-giant'sstature, but it is amazingly light and well-bal-anced. The massive blade is far lighter than asteel edge of the same size. This item is found inthe DARK SUN® setting.

In the ancient wars that ravaged Athas, thecity of Bodach was a great neutral power. Itsarmies and magicians jealously guarded thelands of the city-state while the rulers refused alloffers of alliance with the warring defilers andpreservers. Eventually, the great defiler war-lords decided to eliminate Bodach, and a greathost gathered to destroy the city.

The leader of this host was a human defilerand warlord named Irikos, "the left hand ofRajaat." It was Irikos's ancient duty to destroythe race of orcs, and when the last orc was nomore, he turned to the conquest of all who didnot stand with Rajaat's captains.

Irikos possessed a powerful weapon namedthe Silencer. Using the weapon, he and his hostsystematically destroyed the armies of Bodachand sacked the city. Still, the last and most pow-erful sorcerers of Bodach managed to cast amighty spell of destruction against the defilerwarlord, which blasted Irikos to ashes even ashis hordes threw down Bodach with fire andsword. Only the Silencer survived.

About three Kings' Ages ago, a wanderingadventurer named Rimmon discovered the

ancient weapon in the heart of Bodach's ruins.With it she led a band of heartless raiders androse to great power. However, Rimmon daredtoo much. In her arrogance, she gathered ahorde to attack Balic, but only succeeded inangering Andropinis himself. The sorcerer-kingand his soldiers slaughtered Rimmon's desertrabble, although it is recorded that the bandit-queen slew a hundred half-giants with theSilencer before she was killed herself. The swordwas reportedly carried away from the defeat byone of Rimmon's lieutenants, a wily elf whoescaped into the wilderness.

Over the years, the Silencer has appeared in thehands of a succession of slave tribes, raiders, andsavages. Twelve years ago, it was recovered by apatrol of Tyrian soldiers from the lair of a fiercebandit and brought back to Kalak's armory. Butwith Kalak's death, the sword has disappearedagain. It is thought that one of Kalak's templarstook the blade and fled into the desert.

The Silencer is a powerful and evil weaponthat deludes its owner to dreams of gloriousconquest and righteous destruction. In fact, itsextremely impressive array of offensive powerslend a fair amount of credence to these urgings,and there are few more powerful weapons to befound anywhere in the DARK SUN campaignsetting. However, the Silencer is, to coin a phrase,a "double-edged sword."

98

In dealing with the Silencer, the old adage of"He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,"is very accurate. If a player character gets his orher hands on the sword, allow him or her tobecome intoxicated with new-found power.With a weapon of this great power, a charactercan unite the raiders of the desert, tame the thri-kreen of the Hinterlands, or master the giants ofthe Silt Sea. In time, the character can shake thegolden thrones of the sorcerer-kings themselves!

Yet one day it will come to an end.Like all the petty warlords and bandit-kings

who have previously owned the Silencer, thecharacter will eventually find himself con-fronted by an enemy beyond his power. Thecharacter's empire will then collapse around hisears before the might of an angry sorcerer-king,if not the Dragon itself.

Another campaign use for the sword could liein its potential as a weapon for Good. A greatquest in search of a weapon potent enough toassassinate a sorcerer-king might be built aroundthe legendary blade. Tracing the weapon'sbloody trail across the Tablelands and bringingit to bear against a villain could make a fineadventure.

Several of the sorcerer-kings of the Tyr regionknow of this weapon and remember it fromIrikos' days. They will recognize the potentthreat it poses and act to take it for themselves ordestroy it altogether. The PC who holds thisweapon will be inviting the wrath of the sor-cerer-kings themselves!

Constant. The Silencer of Bodach is a two-handed sword +5 that swings like a long sword.The blade is incredibly sharp—it ignores anynonmetal armor and passes through withoutresistance. (Targets wearing nonmetal armor areeffectively AC 10, but may count magical adjust-ments and Dexterity bonuses.) Tree trunks orstone walls can be hacked through at a rate of 10feet per round. The sword also provides a +2Armor Class bonus to its owner.

Invoked. By swinging the weapon in great,horizontal sweeps, the wielder can effectivelyattack all creatures in a 10-foot radius. Theswordsman suffers a -4 attack penalty whenassailing multiple targets this way, unless theenemy is very closely packed (e.g., a shield-wallor pike formation). If the wielder uses the bladein such a reckless fashion, he must also makeattack rolls against any allies within the 10-footradius of the sword.

Three times per day, the sword can release amammoth blast of pure force at any target up to20 feet distant. This has the effect of a 40-foot-square earthquake spell. Gates are sundered,walls collapse, small buildings are destroyed,and trees uprooted. When aimed at living crea-tures, a normal attack roll must be made (as iffiring a missile weapon, and without the sword'smagical bonus). Any creature struck suffers5dlO points of damage.

Three times per day, the sword can project atower of iron will psionic power for up to oneturn.

Random. The sword possesses three abilitiesfrom Table 21: Enchantment/Charm, and oneability from Table 33: Protections.

Curse. The sword thrives on bloodlust. Everyweek, the character must save vs. death or per-manently lose 1 point of Wisdom.

The sword also inflicts artifact possession, seek-ing to drive its owner to deeds of conquest andviolence. The owner will attempt to seize com-mand of any group, of any size (the bigger, thebetter), and then lead his forces against any foe.Worse still, the possessed character develops afanatical hatred of those who would defy orimprison Rajaat.

• Melt the Silencer in the Dragon's breath.• Break it on an anvil of meteoric iron.• Dissolve it in the foam of the sea (suitable only

on Athas).

99

This sword has a 6-foot blade and a 2-foot hilt,and it can be easily wielded with two hands byany warrior. The blade is rippled, with a vein ofgold running down the center. The hilt iswrapped in red leather flecked with gold. Theguards are of unicorn horn and the basket is aleering, bearded face from pommel to guard.

The history of Kas the Bloody Handed isirrevocably linked to Lord Vecna, for his Swordwas created by Vecna's own skill. Kas wasVecna's lieutenant, his warlord and assassin,and the Sword was his symbol of authority.

The Sword was as evil as its maker, and itwhispered dreams of treachery to Kas untilfinally, blade in hand, he confronted his dreadmaster. The battle between the two was titanic,and both are said to have died in the end. Allthat remained behind were the Sword of Kas andthe Hand and Eye of Vecna.

Although the Sword is thoroughly evil, playercharacters can be allowed to use the it, thoughonly for a short period of time. Any appearanceof the Sword of Kas should be matched by theintroduction of the Hand and Eye of Vecna aswell, since the Sword exists to destroy Vecna.Any use of the artifact should be built aroundthat story.

The Sword may be discovered by the playercharacters as a prelude to an adventure involv-ing the Hand and Eye, as the owner of the Swordbecomes obsessed with finding Vecna's artifacts.This leads the party into the DM's plannedadventure for the Eye and Hand.

The sword is also the bane of the Cult of Vecna,since the death of Vecna's followers indirectly ful-fills the Sword's goals. Thus, the Sword could leadthe characters into a conflict with the cult ofVecna (which in turn leads to the Eye and Hand).

100

The Sword of Kas is intelligent (Int 19, Ego 20)and communicates telepathically, revealing onlytwo, random powers when first touched.

Constant. The Sword acts as a +6 defender(double damage to planar beings), grants fore-sight, and defiles holy water within 30 feet.

Invoked. Upon command, the Sword canshield (3/day) or bestow fire giant Strength (+4to hit, +10 damage, 1-turn duration, 3/day).

Random. The Sword grants three abilities fromTable 24: Immunities and two abilities fromTable 25: Major Spell-like Powers.

Curses. First, the Sword inflicts 2d20 damagethe first time it's touched. Second, all powers failwhen it's brought within 60 feet of Vecna or hisartifacts—something the Sword is not aware of.Third, the wielder risks artifact domination; theSword's goal is destroy Vecna and his artifacts.Last, it must be quenched in blood once per dayand will try to control its owner to do so. If suc-cessful, the character is compelled to kill (evenanother PC).

• The death of Vecna, now a demi-god.• The sword is hammered into a plowshare

with the cudgel of St. Cuthbert.• All memory of Kas must be wiped from Oerth.

The Teeth of Dalhvar-nar are a set of 32 ancientred dragon teeth: four 6-inch incisors, two 18-inch upper fangs, two 12-inch lower fangs, four8-inch canines, eight 6-inch canines, four 4-inchbicuspids, and eight 2-inch molars. They are car-ried in a deep, coppery-red dragon-hide bag.

Long ago, as the ancient red dragon Incendaxsought to increase his territory, he chanced upona large group of young mages and their teachergathering spell components, and he murderedthem all. The guild's archmages were so out-raged that 13 of their greatest members bandedtogether to kill the dragon. They tracked Incen-dax to his lair and collectively attacked him withmagic so potent that a massive explosionresulted. When the dust settled, all thatremained of the two forces were the teeth of thedragon.

Dalhvar-nar was a young cleric of some witand ability, whose path to fortune took him tothat cave centuries later. With a bit of magicalguidance, he found a patch of loose shale withinand cleared it away, exposing a dark passage.Dalh crawled through, found a huge chamber,and was amazed as he looked upon the scorchedwalls and blasted boulders remaining from thegreat battle. Dalh searched through the cavernand eventually discovered the dragon's teeth.He then gathered them up and stuffed them intohis pack, figuring a wizard might pay a hand-some sum for them.

On the way back to town, Dalh heard some-thing heavy fall to the ground behind him. Heturned to see what it was and found that one ofthe large dragon fangs had fallen out of hisbackpack. In amazement, Dalh watched as thetooth buried itself into the earth, whereupon theground trembled, and up sprang a mighty mon-ster! Dalh quickly readied for battle, but insteadof attacking, the beast kneeled at his feet andwaited to be commanded. Instead of selling theteeth, Dalh decided to experiment with them.

The cleric's friends thought it quite odd whenthe once-generous Dalh suddenly grew extremelypreoccupied with his possessions, constantlyitemizing them and angrily demanding the returnof everything he had ever lent to another. Thenhis order disowned him, having heard reports ofhis raiding traveling caravans. At last, Dalh van-ished after taking up residence in a remote moun-tain cave. It is rumored that he was last spotted inthe clutched talons of a giant gold dragon.

The curse associated with the Teeth of Dalhvar-Nar suits it better to used by soon-to-be villain-ous NPCs, rather than one of the playercharacters . . . unless the DM wants an anti-social, treasure-hungry, miserly PC wreakinghavoc upon the entire campaign.

An adventure might begin when the playercharacters enter a town to rest and recuperate.That night, the quiet town is attacked by a groupof monsters led by a "mad old hermit" who liveson a nearby mountain.

Constant. A character holding any of the Teethis able to detect the exact number and type of allgems and precious metals within 60 feet. Havingany of the Teeth on their person also allows thecharacter to speak and understand the language

101

of red dragons, and the tongue common to allevil dragons. Finally, possessing any of the Teethgrants a character immunity to all forms of fire.

Invoked. These powers are released only ifthe Teeth (not including the molars) are thrustpoint-first into the ground. If the surface is anyform of soil (clay, dirt, sand, etc.), the Teeth sinkin and a monster emerges in 1d4 rounds. On anyother surface, or if dropped on their sides, theTeeth lie there until picked up. After being used,they magically reappear among the rest of theTeeth in 1d2 + 1 days.

Summoned monsters serve the owner of theTeeth for 30 rounds and follow all other guide-lines specified in Monster Summoning I. Each ofthe 18-inch upper fangs summons one 7-HDremorhaz or three 15-HD fire giants; the 12-inchlower fangs each summon three 7-HD wyvernsor four eight-headed, 6-HD hydras; the 8-inchcanines each summon six 4-HD fire toads; the 6-inch canines each summon 1dlO 2-HD lizardmen; and the 4-inch bicuspids each create a 60-foot-diameter wall of fire 20 feet high and lasting20 rounds.

The eight molars work in the following man-ner: The tooth must be physically planted in ahole 2 inches or deeper, which takes 1d4 rounds.After the dirt is patted flat (one more round), apuff of smoke issues forth, engulfs the character,and endows him with its power. The DM shouldroll 1d8 and consult the following table:

1) The user can teleport without error.2) The owner can invoke from his palm a 6-

foot-long cone of magical fire, growing from 3inches at the base to 3 feet at the end.

3) The owner can fly (as the spell) for 25 turns.4) The character can make a suggestion with a

duration of 21 hours.5) The holder can invoke domination with a 200-

yard range.6) The owner can transmute rock to mud (or the

reverse) in a 100-foot cube.7) The wielder can invoke improved invisibility

with a 10-round duration.8) The user can invoke disintegrate.

All powers of the molars have a "castingtime" of 3, once the character is empowered.Spell-like abilities may be interrupted andwasted, just like normal spells.

Curse. The character possessing the Teethimmediately becomes chaotic evil in alignmentand cannot bear to be separated from the Teeth.He will immediately retrieve any Teeth that fallupon an impenetrable surface, ignoring any-thing happening around him.

After possessing the Teeth for one week, thecharacter begins to horde all his possessions,developing accurate lists and going so far as tospend vast periods of time counting them— valu-able or not. In the third week, the owner searchesfor a large cave extending deep within a moun-tain, to dwell in solitude. In the fourth week, any-one approaching the character or theirpossessions is perceived as a thief. The characterreceives a -5 reaction adjustment to former friendsand will immediately attack approachingstrangers. Once the cave is established, the char-acter assumes the habits and attitudes of anancient red dragon. They maintain a haughty andcondescending attitude, they enjoy surveying thesurrounding countryside from their cave, a fiercehatred of gold dragons develops, and the owneraspires to establish and hold a large territory.

When the teeth are no longer possessed for1d4 + 2 weeks, the character returns to his origi-nal alignment and loses the traits of the dragon(in reverse order) over a period of two weeks. Atthe DM's option, the side-effects of alignmentchange remain with the character.

• Allow the Teeth to soak in 32 doses of sweetwater for 1,000 years, whereupon they will rotaway.

• Pull all the teeth of a conscious ancient reddragon and replace them with the artifactswithout explaining what you're doing.

• Bathe the Teeth in the breath of 32 differenttypes of dragons within 32 days.

102

The Throne of the Gods is an ornate chair, largeenough to seat a storm giant. Scintillating gemsand mosaics adorn its arms, back, and legs. TheThrone itself protrudes from the rear wall of a100-yard-diameter cavern and sits upon a floorof billowing clouds.

When the gods created the multiverse, theyneeded a way to communicate with mortals onthe many planes, so they merged their powersand created the Throne. The wondrous chairexists on all planes simultaneously, and it can beused by any god. Its existence has long sincedrifted into the legends of many planes, but it isthe one on the Prime Material Plane that is dis-cussed here.

On occasion, an individual strives to preserveand protect the gods' Throne, but over the yearsmost of them have banded together into a small,fanatical cult called the Seekers. In their questfor the Throne, the Seekers have dispatchedemissaries throughout the lands, seeking signsof the artifact in ancient religious texts. Many ofthese tomes describe a divine throne located atthe center of a mighty mountain, but as the reli-gions share no common geographical location,the Seekers believe the Throne moves about in amanner that is incomprehensible to mortals.

On rare occasions, mortals have found theThrone, and Randyl the Bold was one of them. In amountain reputed to hold great treasure, Randyl'sparty fought many battles in twisting tunnels formany months. Randyl was the only one to findthe Throne room, but he was tired, bleeding frommany wounds, and oblivious to his surroundings.He rested upon the huge Throne, unaware of itstrue nature, wondering how he might be strongenough to escape, when he was engulfed in abright blue glow. Randyl leaped from the seat andwatched in amazement as his arms, chest, andlegs expanded with bulging muscles. Not under-standing what had transpired, Randyl fled theroom and escaped the mountain.

Years later, the Seekers heard of Randyl'sexploit and sent Zatar the mage to question himabout it. Although the Seekers normally col-lected information about the Throne to preventpower-hungry despots from finding it, Randyl'stale sparked a flash of greed within Zatar; hewas overwhelmed by the unlimited magicalabilities that might be his.

Secretly Zatar put together an expedition, andafter many long months of searching and manygreat perils, Zatar and his company found theThrone. Greedily he approached it, climbed uponthe mighty seat, and sat there, running his handsover the treasures that protruded through theivory and gold mosaics. Suddenly, an eerie blueglow radiated from the throne, engulfing themage and blinding his companions. When thelight receded, the party found a crumpled,whimpering figure on the Throne. Zatar, now ababbling idiot, attacked his companions, whokilled him in self-defense and quickly departed.

The Throne of the Gods is an artifact designedfor high-level parties. While any character cansit on the Throne, the trick lies in deciding howthe artifact will react. If and when a charactersits upon the Throne, the DM should instruct theplayer to declare what his character is thinking.The PC's response determines the invokedpower or subsequent curse.

103

One possible adventure might find the partyin a dying village. Approached by an elderlyshaman, they are told of a mighty wizard whodestroyed their holy idol. Ever since its destruc-tion, the village has been slowly wasting away.

Unable to face the rigors of the journey him-self, the shaman gives the PCs a drawing of anidol. He tells the PCs that they must seek amighty throne that lies deep within a nearbymountain, sit upon the chair while staring at thepicture, and think only of the idol. The shamanwarns the party that thinking of anything elsewill unleash the fury of the gods upon them all.

Finding the chamber wherein the Throne lies isstuff for an excellent adventure in itself, but theaddition of a powerful band of Seekers that zeal-ously attempts to prevent the party from achiev-ing its goal will spice up the scenario nicely.

Constant. An anti-magic shell radiates from thebase of the Throne and fills the entire chamber—only the Throne is unaffected.

Invoked. A character sitting upon the Thronewith a clear, concise desire in mind has an 85%chance that the Throne will fulfill his request.The Throne reads the character's desire andresponds to it within one round.

A single prime attribute score can be raised upto 3 points—not to exceed 20 points—if a PCrequests this. The player must speak in charac-ter, i.e., he cannot say "I want my Strength scoreto improve." Rather, he must say, "I wanting tofight with the endurance of a giant," (increasingConstitution) or "I want to be as strong as agiant" (increasing Strength). Similarly, experi-ence levels can be raised to within 1 point of thenext level, but the request should center on thecharacter desiring to be better in his class.

A magical item also may be granted to a char-acter on the Throne. PCs requesting any itemwith variable bonuses receive a +1 magical ver-sion of the item. Others who desire a morepotent version of an item they already possess

will add +1 to it (to a maximum of +3). Obvi-ously, the exact item should be clearly visualizedwithin the character's mind.

Curse. The gods are offended when meremortals use the Throne of the Gods, even if theyhave humble intentions. Normally, the Thronegrants 85% of reasonable requests. If the requestis not granted, then the gods were displeased forsome unknown reason. The character will sufferinstead (determine randomly) a -1 cursed item, -1 to all prime attributes, or he'll be teleported 10miles away.

Any character daring the throne for a secondtry immediately incurs the wrath that matchestheir folly (listed below). Those foolish enoughto attempt a third try instantly find themselvesalone, in a face to face battle with a random godon its home plane.• A character desiring godlike powers has all of

his prime attributes reduced by 2.• If the character desires a magical item or

device belonging to a god, an item buried inthe throne, or a second magical item, the godgrants the desire with a twist: The characterreceives a -4 version that appears to be theitem requested if analyzed by any and allmeans.

• Should something not specifically listedunder the invoked powers be desired, thecharacter is teleported in a random direction toa location 1dlOO miles away.

• Lacking a clear, concise desire in mind willfind the character entirely at the mercy of thegods. One of the three above fates shouldeither be hand-selected or randomly deter-mined.

• Force any major power, under pain of death,to unmake the Throne.

• Wish it had never been built 1,000 times.• Dissolve the entire mountain currently hous-

ing the throne, using 1,000 transmute rock tomud spells cast by fiends.

104

There are three elements in the Triad of Betrayal: acoin, a golden circlet, and a dagger. The Coinappears as a common copper piece, both sidesdepicting a fat-jowled merchant. One face smilescajolingly and the other sneers scornfully. TheCirclet is simply an unadorned circlet of beatengold. There are no other identifying marks to befound on the circlet, not even the runes or mark-ing typical of other powerful magical items. TheDagger is double-edged, with a nasty barb at itstip and a blood groove that runs the length ofthe blade. The hilt of the Dagger is wrapped inmottled snake skin, though none can say for cer-tain what type of serpent it came from. Thepommel bears a bright (some would say flam-ing) red garnet.

The Triad of Betrayal was created for the godHiddukel by the mastersmith-god Reorx. Then,Hiddukel imbued each of the artifacts with hisessence and set them free in the world, to thwartthe will of the goddess Mishakal. The Triad ofBetrayal was Hiddukel's answer to Mishakal'sCircle of Love, and each of the Evil artifacts fol-lows its Good counterpart.

The Triad first appeared in the Age of Might,when Hiddukel convinced Reorx that theseitems were necessary for the world. Trusting hisfellow god, Reorx did as he was asked, not fore-seeing the other's evil intent in the matter. WhenHiddukel enchanted the items with evil and setthem free in the world of Krynn, he placed themwhere they would be sure to attract attention.The malevolent diety knew that the Triad wouldeventually end up in the hands of those whowould use them for evil, and Hiddukel wasready to push them along that path.

The three pieces of the Triad are the Coin ofLuck (also known as the Coin of Greed), the Dag-ger of Vengeance, and the Golden Circlet (alsoknown as the Circlet of Pride).

Since the Triad of Betrayal was created tocounter items created by the goddess Mishakal,the pieces of the Triad constantly follow in thepath of the Circle of Love. Hence, the Triad canbecome involved in the campaign by having thePCs discover one or more parts of the Circle ofLove.

Constant. The Coin acts as a luckstone, some-times adding a bonus of +2 to any die roll (roll1d6: even = +0; odd = +2).

The Dagger functions as a dagger of venom, butsecretes its own extremely potent venom (suc-cessfully save vs. poison with a -2 penalty or die).

The Circlet can command up to 8 HD of crea-tures, once per turn. Commands must be onlyone word, spoken in a tongue that can under-stood, and each lasts for one round. (Alterna-tively, the user can focus on a single creature ofup to 4 HD and within 60 feet, and control thatcreature as long as concentration lasts.) When thispower is used, Hiddukel places into the mind ofthe user an offer of great power in exchange foran oath of service. If the person accepts, the fullrange of powers becomes available.

Invoked. After the Coin has revealed itself as atool of Hiddukel, the user can cast continual dark-ness 15' radius. Once per turn, the bearer also can

105

cast suggestion on anyone, but only to sow dis-cord. Finally, it can cast curse and bestow curse(the reverse of bless and remove curse).

If the Dagger is used for vengeance, it canbe used to backstab at +4 to hit. It inflicts 1d4 +2 damage and requires a successful savingthrow vs. poison with a -2 penalty to avoiddeath. On a roll of 18-20, the Dagger injects asecond dose of poison, requiring a second savevs. poison at -4.

The Circlet can be used at will to heat or chillmetal and to cast modified command spells ofseven words or less. It also adds +2 to Charisma,but subtracts -2 from Wisdom.

Random. The Coin can create a 20-foot anti-magic shell at Hiddukel's whim, which he doesto place the bearer at a disadvantage so that hemust bargain even further for his life. In thisway, Hiddukel ensures that no bearer of the Coinwill escape his grasp.

The Dagger and Circlet have no random pow-ers.

Resonating: The Triad has no resonating pow-ers. True to the name of betrayal, each of theseitems works separately only. While they mightbe used by the same person, the items can neveradd their powers together, for cooperation is notin the nature of Evil.

Curse. Anyone invoking the Coin of Greed'spowers must make a successful system shockroll or become scarred and lose 1 point ofCharisma. The user of the Coin eventuallybecomes more corrupt, greedy, and jealous, untilhe precipitates his own downfall or until Hid-dukel can betray him in a fashion befitting suchan evil god.

The Dagger slowly gains control over itswielders, especially those who harbor resent-ment or jealousy. With each use, the Daggergradually shifts its user's alignment towardchaotic evil (as follows: lawful good, neutralgood, chaotic good, lawful neutral, neutral,chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, chaoticevil). The Dagger renders the user suspicious,paranoid, and temperamental. Anytime a PC orNPC does something the bearer might consider

a threat, the bearer must make a Wisdom check,minus the number of times the character hasused the Dagger. If the check fails, the characterflies into a rage and must attack the offender.Finally, the Dagger calls out to its previous own-ers. Any owner who has a combined Intelligenceand Wisdom of less than 27 pursues the Daggerfanatically, seeking to possess it again.

Anytime someone uses the major powers ofthe Circlet, they lose 1 hit point permanently.However, these hit points can be recovered byattacking someone with bare hands, feet, orteeth—a successful hit drains 2 levels from thetarget and restores 2 hit points, up to the user'soriginal maximum. However, each time thispower is used, the user must make a successfulsystem shock roll or permanently lose 1d3 Con-stitution. If the Constitution score falls to 0, theuser becomes a mindless spectre and the Circletmoves on to another owner.

This artifact ultimately corrupts the user, leav-ing him conceited, arrogant, and boastful. Onlythen can the user attract minions who share hisprejudices and hatreds.

• Coin: Place it atop its counterpart in the Circleof Love, the Hands of the Healing Spirit. Dagger:Clash it against its counterpart in the Circle,the Armband of Trueheart's Warding. Circlet:Place the Ring of Nature's Love, the Circlet'sopposite, within the boundaries of the Circlet.

• Return any part to the god Reorx, who wishesto atone for the evil his creations havewrought.

• Coin: Re-mint it in the fires of the 13 volca-noes around Sanction. Dagger: Throw itthrough a portal into the Abyss, where Takhi-sis reigns and tolerates no meddling fromHiddukel. Circlet: Place it upon the head of acompletely pride-free individual of lawfulgood alignment, where it shatters into 1,001pieces.

106

It's one thing for a wizard to recharge a wand—a few spells, a little time, and poof, the work isdone. Recharging wands, though, is small pota-toes. No mage will ever gain fame powering upitems because there is far more respect for themastery and skill it takes to create new spellsand new magical devices. Certainly no magewill ever impress his peers with a title likeTheobard, the Mighty Recharger; better itshould be Theobard the Ingenious, Theobard,Master of Thunder and Lightning, or Theobardthe Mystic Craftsman. At least these are impres-sive cognomens that reflect honorably upon thewizard.

Of course, making magical items has a purelypractical side, too. What is made can be used,and this is more often the motive for creatingmagical goods. Most the wizard or priest cre-ates for personal use, but there are reasons tomake magical items for others. Many are madeto be given as gifts or bribes. The gift of a longsword +2 won't hurt when seeking the localbaron's permission to build a wizard's tower orwhen smoothing over that embarrassing prob-lem when the laboratory explodes in the centerof town. Magical items can also be used to paytaxes. In fact, clever kings insist wizards pay inmagic. Making magical items for friends andcompanions is an act of generosity and kind-ness. It also strengthens the adventuring party,especially since a spellcaster cannot do every-thing personally.

Of course, a wizard also could do it formoney—and some do. (This is unthinkable to adevout priest, except perhaps for those devotedto a deity of wealth or greed.) There are fewcustomers, though, who can pay enough tocover the time, ef for t , materials, and riskrequired to create a magical item. A permanentmagical item can take months of continuouseffort (no adventuring allowed). Worse still (formages), the permanency spell sucks away lifeand vitality. Few wizards are willing to draintheir own lives for the sake of a few coins.Those who are willing are often driven bypathetic motives. If a wizard needs to raise

cash, there are easier and far less debilitatingways to do so.

Ultimately, there is one often overlookedreason for creating magical items—ego.Whether they like it or not, wizards and priestsare mortal, and with death their names eventu-ally fade. The few who have escaped the obliv-ion of time did so by giving their names towonders of arcane craft. Some, through theirspells, are known only to other spellcasters; asatisfying, perhaps, but less than universalrecognition. It is only by the creation of won-drous and great magical items that a wizardcan hope to achieve true fame. Even the com-mon folk have heard of such devices as Buck-nard's everfull purse and Keoghtom's ointment.

Before a spellcaster can even begin makingmagical items, there are a few prerequisites thatmust be met. The spellcaster must be of suffi-cient level and must have a place to work. With-out these basic needs fulfilled, it is impossiblefor the spellcaster to even hope to create anymagical item.

A player cannot simply announce that a PCwizard (or priest) intends to start making magi-cal items. Spellcasters have to attain specificlevels before even the most basic fabricationcan begin. Lower-level spellcasters are stillworking at their studies or devotions, gainingthe skills, knowledge, and insights needed tomaster the tricky business of artificing magic.The level requirements are summarized onTable 4: Level Limits for Fabrication.

Once a spellcaster reaches the required level,it is assumed the necessary skills have beengained through research and study to createthe listed group of magical items. The characteris not limited to known magical items within

107

that group but can try to create any item solong as it falls within that category. For exam-ple, Feran, a priest, is now able to makepotions. He is not limited to the potions listedin the rule books—he could try to make uniquepotions, such as a potion of trap finding or an oilof silence. The knowledge of potion brewingimmediately allows him to undertake his ownexperiments.

Of course, merely being of the minimum levelis no promise of ability. Most powerful magicalitems require high-level spells, with the levelsneeded to cast them well above the minimumsrequired to create items.

Table 4: Level Limits for Fabrication

Magical Item

ScrollPotionOther Item

Minimum Level:Wizard Priest

7911

9911

Integral to the process of wizardly fabrica-tion of magical items is the mage's laboratory.This is more than a mere workshop. It alsomust serve at times as a forge, study, dis-tillery, cloister, greenhouse, observatory, incu-bator, and even prison. Within its walls, thewizard must be able to deal with virtually anycontingency, from quelling a rampaging ele-mental to dissipating the toxic fumes ofstrange orchids.

A basic laboratory must have at least 500square feet of floor space—a 25-foot x 20-footroom. It is a good idea to have a larger space sothat valuable equipment can be stored well outof the potential blast radius of one's latestexperiment. It is best if the furnishings are sim-ple (several large tables, bookcases, cupboards,chairs and stools) and sturdy; wizards have away of spilling caustic fluids or starting acci-dental fires. A small furnace of some sort isabsolutely necessary, as many preparationsrequire rare elements to be melted and mixedwith other exotic ingredients. Any wizard whoplans to make magical weaponry or armor hadbest install a forge where these larger items canbe heated and hammered. It is possible to dothis work in a blacksmith's shop, if the smithcan be convinced to give up his shop for weeksat a time.

With all the heat, fumes, and smoke, ventila-tion is important. The easiest solution is to haveseveral large open windows. If these are well-placed, they can serve as a simple observatory,too. Celestial sightings are important to manyarcane processes, a fact that helps to explain thetendency of wizards to build their laboratoriesin towers.

Most wizards must assemble sizable libraries(books of calculations, formulae, celestialmovements, herbals, and more), and it is com-mon to sequester these in a safe corner of thelaboratory, far from flame and possible explo-sion. Well-to-do wizards may keep a separatelibrary to lessen the risk, but they must still

108

consult books in the midst of their work. Atleast one small bookcase is handy.

Finally, there is always the need for a large,clear floor space. Elementals must be sum-moned and diagrams drawn. These take space,and doing them in the laboratory attracts lessattention than working on the front stoop.

A room and its furnishings are not all that thewizard needs. There are a large number ofsmaller tools and devices necessary to completethe laboratory. Each must be made with carefulprecision by skilled craftsmen, often using rareor unusual materials. The minimum cost of out-fitting a laboratory is 2,000 gp (for potions only)or 5,000 gp for a complete set-up. There is nopoint in spending any less, for the character willalways discover some vital piece of equipmentis missing, even if it is only used it once and thenstuck on a shelf to gather dust. This cost pays forbeakers, retorts, distilling coils, copper kettles,alembics, scales, weights, mortars, crucibles,

herbs, armillary spheres, tongs, ladles, bottles,charts, rare earths, exotic waxes, candles, aro-matic oils, chalks, and more. Once these goodsare obtained, the wizard must pay 10% of theoriginal cost every month just to maintain andreplace tools and basic materials.

Compared to wizards, the needs of priests arefar simpler, a point most priests make withpride. Their efforts, unencumbered by needlessparaphernalia, highlight the divine superiorityof priestly power. They do not need to mix, dis-till, or transmute magical power; prayers anddevotion are sufficient.

Jealous wizards claim that priests are boundby needs even more rigid than their ownresearches. Where wizards can blend, distill, andexperiment, priests must perform ceremonies

109

Area of ControlAge, timeAgricultureAirBeautyChaosChildrenColdCourageCraftCreationDeath, destructionDiseaseEarthFate, fortuneFire, heatFood, hearth, homeFriendshipHealingHeavens, nightHuntJusticeLoveMadnessMagicMercyMorningNatureOceansOrderPainPoetry, writing, musicProphesyProtectionRoyaltySun, lightThieves, deceptionTrade, contractsTravelTruthVengeanceViceWarWealthWeatherWineWisdomWomen

Suggested AltarClock tower, sundialField, orchard, barnRooftopBathMoveableNursery, orphanageGlacier, snowfieldArenaWorkshopField, springGraveyard, battlefieldSwampCaveGambling denSmithy, fire pitKitchenTavernSickroomObservatoryForestPrisonGardenWastelandWizard's laboratoryAlmshouseFacing eastGroveShipRoyal courtTorture chamberLibrary, theaterLibraryFortified towerPalaceOpen to the skyThieves' guildMarketplaceGatesMazeCrossroadsDen of iniquityArmory, castleCounting house, mintOpen to the skyVineyardLibraryNunnery

involving elaborate trappings and rigid ritualsto achieve the same effect. The truth is that nei-ther group is as free as they claim or as hide-bound as the other believes.

Before magical items can be created, a priestmust first prepare a specially consecrated altarto the appropriate deity. It must be prepared bythe same priest who will later use it—onepriest cannot "borrow" the altar of another(and especially not one of another faith!) tomake magical items. Size and space are onlyimportant in their relation to the deity's needs.Feronelle, a priestess of a god of knowledge,could create a personal altar in the small libraryof her house. Talafar, a druid, needs to buildhis in at least a garden, if not deep in the woodsthemselves.

The first step in preparing an altar is select-ing an appropriate site. The altar can always bepart of a larger temple or the priest can stepup a personal altar elsewhere. This might bea chapel in the keep, a grove in the deep woods,or even a small table in one's study. For thesepersonal altars, the location must reflect thenature of the deity. Suggested locationsare given on Table 5: Deities' Altars. Otherscan be devised by the DM or proposed bycharacters.

The suggested altars are not always specificsites. Some only require that a condition be met,such as the priest of a morning deity setting analtar at an eastern window. Others require sitesnot likely to be found in a typical priest'sdwelling. The priest of a vengeful god is goingto have to make special arrangements to have analtar at a crossroads (an ill-omened location).Sometimes arrangements can be made withowners or officials—the followers of gods of jus-tice are allowed to maintain altars at local pris-ons in exchange for their help and services, forexample. Owners of gambling dens are usuallywilling to rent out a small alcove that a priestcan dedicate to the goddess of fortune. (Ofcourse, the owner might become upset if thedeity is too generous in answering her peti-

110

tioner's pleas.)Whatever the site is, it does not have to be

extraordinary. Any serviceable location thatmeets the requirements should do. Still, achoice location certainly reflects well on thepriest.

The site must be specially consecrated beforeit can be used. This requires exacting rituals toinvoke the deity's attention. While the ritualsvary depending on the deity beseeched, allrequire the expenditure of at least 2,000 gp.This money is spent on materials needed forthe ceremony—special vestments, candles,chalices, and the like. The necessary ritualstake at least one week to perform. Duringthese rituals the priest cannot be called awayto other duties. At the end of each week, acheck is made to see if the power's favor isgained. The chance of success is a percentageequal to 5 times the character's level, plus anadditional 5 for every consecutive week spentin prayer. A 7th level priest who spends 5weeks in devotion would have a 60% chanceof success [(7 x 5) + (5 x 5) = 60]. The priestautomatically knows when these prayers havebeen heard.

Even after the prayers, the consecration is notcomplete. The deity's attention has been gained,but the priest's devotion must now be proven.The priest must surrender something of valueor perform a special quest, whichever isdemanded by the deity. The DM decides whatmust be given up or what quest will be under-taken. E f fo r t should be taken to match thedemand to the nature of the power. A healinggoddess might require the priest to go amongthe poor and heal one hundred of the sick. Awar god might instruct his priestess to go to thecourt and chastise the king for cowardice. Agod of wealth might ask for the character's gemof flawlessness (assuming the character has one).Only after this demand has been met is the altarfinished.

Once the altar has been consecrated, it remainsso unless it is defiled or the priest who created it

dies. Just what might cause defilement is left tothe DM's discretion. (Holy symbols of a rivaldeity are quite likely to be effective in this case.)The altar has an aura of the deity's blessing thatfunctions as a permanent bless spell with aradius of 10 feet. This only benefits priests anddevout worshippers of the deity, however. Thisaura can be temporarily broken by a dispel magicspell.

The last prerequisite of making any magicalitem applies to the player, not the player charac-ter. Before a player character can begin work onany device, the player must have the DM'sapproval. The item, with all its powers and limi-tations, must be described to the DM, preferablyin writing. This gives the DM a chance to con-sider the item's effects and make adjustments ifneeded. Furthermore, it gives the DM a chanceto figure out what the PC must do to create thedesired item.

Players seeking approval for an item mustremember that the DM has the right to say yeaor nay. The DM can ask for changes in thename of play balance or fun and can outrightveto the project as being too powerful. DMsconsidering player requests should rememberto be flexible. Look for ways to accommodatethe player's desires without ruining the cam-paign. Be cooperative, not antagonistic. Offerimprovements and refinements to make theitem better.

Whenever a character wants to create anitem, the DM must determine if the item isstandard, nonstandard, or semistandard. Thisclassification is important to the creationprocess since it will affect the time, resources,

111

and diff iculty needed to create a magicaldevice.

Standard items are those already known inthe campaign world. Normally this includesall magical items described in the DUNGEONMASTER'" Guide and the Tome of Magic, butthe DM can rule that seldom-found devicesfall under the nonstandard classification. Stan-dard devices also include simple variations onan existing item. A ring of magic missiles thatfunctions just like a wand of magic missiles canbe classed as a standard item. Since the effectsof standard items are already well known inmost games, there is little difficulty in ap-proving these. In these cases, the DM needsto decide just how the item is made, notwhether it is balanced. A standard magicalitem is also somewhat easier to make than aunique item, since there exist formulae andtexts to advise the player character on theneeded procedures.

Nonstandard items lie at the other end of thescale. These are typically original items, magi-cal devices that have no counterpart in any ofthe rule books. Items that deviate greatly fromthe standard description are also nonstandard.For example, a wand of frost that gains chargesby absorbing spell levels (like a staff of power) isa nonstandard item. The DM can also rule thatseldom-discovered magical items are nonstan-dard, such as the iron bands of Bilarro. The DMshould consider these items carefully, sincetheir powers may have unforeseen conse-quences on the campaign. For the player char-acter, nonstandard items are harder to makesince there are no guides or formula books tohelp the character. In this case the character isworking in a void.

In a few instances, the DM can position anitem between standard and nonstandard. Theitem is very similar to a standard item, but hasenough differences to make it questionable. It isperfectly legitimate to classify such items asneither fish nor fowl but somewhere inbetween. For convenience, such items are

termed semistandard. A wand of disbelief—onethat affects illusions similar to a wand of nega-tion's effect on other wands—could be classedas a semistandard item. It would function in thesame manner, but has enough differences that itcannot be called standard. For the character,there may be texts that help with the work, butonly some of it. The rest must be discovered bythe spellcaster.

Making a magical item is not an easy task.While most players and DMs know this, there isalways a question of just how difficult it is. Howmuch time and effort should a player characterspend to create a potion of fire resistance? Is creat-ing a short sword +1 harder than making a ring ofspell storing?

To help the DM answer these questions, everymagical item can be assigned a difficulty rating,a number that measures the comparative effortneeded to create that device. A potion of fire resis-tance has a lower difficulty rating than a ring ofspell storing. A scroll with one spell has an evenlower difficulty rating.

The difficulty rating is used to fix the amountof time needed to create the magical item, thecost of the components, and the chance that theitem will be successfully created. Items withhigh difficulty ratings take longer to make, costmore, and, when all is said and done, are morelikely to result in failure. On the plus side, itemswith high difficulty ratings are usually quitepotent, as befits the powerful forces needed tobind the magic together.

The difficulty rating of an item is based onmany factors, including the number of times theitem can be used, how many spells must be usedto create it, what processes must be followed tomake the item, and whether the item is standardor nonstandard. Every factor is assigned anumerical rating or multiplier, and by totalingthese, the item's difficulty rating is calculated.

112

All magical items can be divided into five cat-egories of use: single-use, limited-use, recharge-able, permanent, and multiple-use items. Theseclassifications progressively increase the diffi-culty rating of the item.

Single-use is just what it says—the device isconsumed the instant it is used. Lacking anypermanence once their stored magic is acti-vated, these items tend to be the least difficultto make.

Limited-use items are those that can be acti-vated several times or are simply created ina larger quantity, thus allowing several ap-plications. This increases the difficulty overa single-use item, but since the item is eventu-ally consumed, it falls below the rechargeablecategory.

Rechargeable items are those that can be usedmore than once and can have power restored tothem. While these items technically have a fixednumber of uses, recharging can make them near-permanent. Thus, they are more difficult tomake than disposable items, but not as hard astruly permanent devices.

Permanent items are those that have constantmagic, usable over and over again. Such itemsare hard to make, not only because of their diffi-culty ratings (which tend be quite high), but alsobecause of the need for permanency spells to bindthe magic.

The most difficult items of all tend to bemultiple-use items. These are devices thatcombine several different categories of use. Arod of terror is both a +2 weapon (permanentuse) and is a non-rechargeable device (limited-use). The rod's difficulty would be increasedby both usages, making it even more difficultto create than either a permanent or limited-use item.

Single-Use ItemsPotion of flyingOil of disenchantmentScroll with one spellScroll of protection from coldRod of cancellationOne bean from a bag of beansOne pinch of dust of dryness

Limited-Use ItemsPotion of extra-healingScroll with several spellsAny ring of wishesRod of resurrectionWand of negationGem of brightnessNecklace of missiles

Rechargeable ItemsSee Appendix A

Permanent ItemsRing of chameleon powerStaff-maceCloak of the batSword +1

Multiple-Use ItemsRod of smitingRod of terrorBeaker of plentiful potionsDeck of many things

Another factor that affects the difficulty of anitem is the spells needed to create it. Everyspell cast, whether it be the intended finalmagic or merely part of the process to shapeand contain that magic, increases the difficultyof the spell.

The difficulty factor of a spell has nothing todo with any other requirements the spell mightpose. In this respect, a magic missile is just asdifficult as the enchant an item spell, although

113

the latter is a far more taxing and time-consum-ing spell for the wizard to cast. Casting times,material components, and the like must still befollowed for the spell to work.

The construction of every magical itemrequires physical materials and processes, bethey hand-forging exotic steel into a blade, dis-tilling an infusion of herbs and fluids for apotion, weaving spider silk into cloth, or what-ever. The steps required to make a magicalitem also increase the difficulty because thereare more chances for something to go wrong—and a f f ec t the materials needed—in theprocess.

In certain instances, processes sometimesmanage to create more processes, thus increas-ing the item's overall difficulty. To make a longsword +3 frost brand, the DM decides the wizardneeds to mix an alloy of steel and powderedremorhaz blood, hand-forge the blade in a1,000-fold technique, quench it in polar snow,and etch magical runes into the surface beforecasting the spells. However, these proceduresin turn make new difficulties, for the steel mustbe heated in a forge filled with ice that burnsand then hammered on an anvil carved fromglacial ice.

The number of processes needed is calculatedfrom the difficulty factors as explained in Calcu-lating Item Difficulty, below. The Item Particu-lars section lists suggestions for materialsneeded to make an item and steps a player char-acter might have to perform.

Using the categories described above, the DMcan calculate the difficulty rating of any item.This is the DM's task—it is not the purview ofthe player. Players can give a suggested diffi-

culty rating when they describe the item (andmany DMs will appreciate this thoughtfulness),but the DM has the final say on the matter.

The first step is for the DM to decide whatspells are needed to create the item. This shouldinclude those spells necessary to prepare theitem, create the magical effect, contain thateffect, and every spell used to create a charge.(Because each spell adds one point to the diffi-culty, spellcasters often make wands and othercharged items with a minimum number ofcharges and then later add more through theless demanding recharging process.) Each spellused is 1 point of difficulty, regardless of spelllevel.

To this is added the difficulty factor for theusage of the item, as listed on Table 6: UsageRatings. If the item is a multiple-use device, thefactors of all usages that apply are addedtogether. The usage difficulty is added to thecurrent total from spells.

Finally, if the item is nonstandard, the total ismultiplied by 2. If it is semistandard, the diffi-culty increases by 10 or is multiplied by 2,whichever is less. There is no multiplier orincrease in difficulty for standard items.

This total is the base value for creating the item,which determines the special materials andprocesses that must be used to make the magicalitem. Dividing the base value by 10 (fractionsrounded up) determines the number of specialprocesses that must be taken to prepare the itembefore any spells are cast.

These processes add to the difficulty factor ofthe item. Each step adds 1 point to the item's

UsageSingle UseLimited UseRechargeablePermanent

Difficulty23510

114

difficulty rating. In rare instances, this can cre-ate more processes, if the difficulty increases tothe next decimal order. When this happens, itmeans the spellcaster must do another process,usually on the materials, to ready them for thefinal shaping.

For example, a wizard wants to create a ringof spell storing. The DM decides that the follow-ing spells must be cast: contingency and Tenser'stransformation (since wizards lack the priest'simbue with spell ability spell), along with enchantan item, permanency, and the four spells that thering will store. The difficulty from spells, then,is 8. Since the item is rechargeable, the usagedifficulty is 5, but the item is standard, so nomodifier is applied for this. The item's base dif-ficulty is 13. Two special processes are requiredand each process adds 1 to the total difficultyrating, for a final difficulty score of 15.

But what if the player had proposed a ring ofspell storing that absorbed matching spells cast atit? For spells, the DM might add steal enchant-ment to those already listed, making the diffi-culty rating from spells now 9. The item is stilltechnically rechargeable, so the DM does notchange the usage and the total becomes 14, butit is clearly not a standard magical item. Sincethe player specifies that the ring can only absorban opponent's spells of the same type thatit can cast, the DM decides it is a semi-standard item. Since adding 10 is lessthan doubling, the base difficulty is now 24.Three special process (24/10 = 2.4, rounded up to3) are needed and the item's final difficulty is 27.

Because they devote themselves to a particu-lar field of magic, wizard specialists gain a +5bonus to success checks for making magicalitems within their field, i.e., those magical itemsthat duplicate the spells of their school. Ofcourse, specialists cannot create magical itemsthat duplicate the powers of opposition schools.

One condition that changes with every magi-cal item is the list of materials the player charac-ter must use to make the item. A wizard cannotmake a bastard sword +2 with an ordinary blade.The vessel for this magic must be special or themagic won't take. Part of the DM's job is tochoose a list of materials the player charactermust assemble.

The first question, of course, is how manyitems should the player character be required toget? Too few will make the task too easy, and toomany will make the player frustrated andunhappy with the DM. In general, the numberof separate components should reflect the com-plexity of the task. Therefore, as a guideline, onespecial material is required for every 5 points ofthe final difficulty, rounding fractions up. Forthe ring of spell storing in the example above,three different materials would need to beshaped into the ring before it was ready. Themore difficult modified ring would need six spe-cial materials.

Knowing how many things are needed doesnot answer the question of what they shouldbe. What is needed to create a magical ring?Since this is magic, it could be anything, purelyand simply. However, it is best for the atmos-phere of the game when these components atleast seem logical. In making a ring of waterwalking, it hardly makes sense for the wizard togather a gold ring, five cockatrice feathers, apinch of vampire dust, a piece of glacial ice,and a hair from a living hill giant. What dothese things have to do with walking on water?It would be far better if the character needed asilver ring, a piece of sea-green turquoise, thescale of a flying fish, some water touched by agiant water strider, and the skin of a watersnake. These items at least have some relationto the desired effect—silver for the foamywaves, turquoise for the color of the water, andso on. The guidelines below will help in prepar-ing necessary lists.

115

• The total value of the materials needed shouldbe equal to 100-1,000 gp x the difficulty rating.

• Choose some items based on the property ofcontagion. This means that anything that wasonce part of or touched by a thing retainssome of the properties or connections to thatthing. The scale from a medusa's snaky hairmight be needed to create a potion of flesh tostone. The medusa has the power to turn mento stone, therefore her scale would magicallycontain some of that power.

• Choose other items based on the property ofsimilarity. Here, items that look alike in formor have similar properties are magically con-nected. A ground diamond might be neededto make dust of stoneskin. Diamonds are hard,just as flesh transformed by the spell is hard.

• Choose some items that are perishable. Thisprevents the spellcaster from just stockpilingmagical ingredients for later use.

• Select the items with adventuring in mind. Acharacter needs element X to make her magi-cal ring. Far better to send her and her friendsoff on a daring search for element X than to lether find it at the market.

• For particularly difficult items, choose at leastone item that is inherently impossible ornonexistent. Then, do not explain how to getit. The player character must discover a meansto collect the impossible item. Most often thiswill require a special spell to bring about theresults. A periapt of proof against poison couldcall for a gem hatched from a poisonoussnake's egg. Clever wizards might look for away to polymorph the unhatched insides ofthe egg, thus fulfilling the condition.

When choosing these materials, there are twoother caveats to bear in mind, both more compli-cated than simple guidelines. These problemscould be called butcher shop mentality and magicsupermarkets.

Butcher Shop Mentality. It is easy, from theguidelines above—particularly the laws of con-

tagion and similarity—to justify the body partsof nearly every monster as useful for magicalitem creation. Making a scroll of stone to flesh? Acockatrice feather quill would be quite handy.Forging armor of etherealness? Where did I putthat jar of phase spider blood? This kind ofbutcher's bill could go on and on.

Some of this is certainly appropriate. Afterall, tracking down and slaying a rare and fear-some monster in order to complete a magicalitem is not a bad reason to adventure. Whenplayer characters start treating monsters asthings to be skinned, bottled, pickled, andplucked, then there is a problem; the DM has letthe situation get out of hand. At this point,adventuring is a euphemism; "harvesting" is abetter, if more callous, description for what theplayer characters do.

There are several ways to prevent this atti-tude from taking root. First, the DM shouldvary the types of materials spellcasters willneed, so that not all are plucked or drained fromliving things. A stone to flesh scroll might need achip from a sculptor's waste pile. Armor of ethe-realness could be made just as well with a bottleof ethereal air taken from that plane. By build-ing a variety of material needs, players (andtheir characters) are never certain of what isnecessary and what is not.

Of course, there are those who will still solvethis question by taking tissue samples of every-thing in sight. It might be useful and it mightnot, but the character is prepared. If it becomesnecessary to foil these characters, make thematerials needed things the adventurer cannot,or should not, kill—a hair plucked from thebeard of Zylos the dwarven king, or a reddragon's scale, freely given. Placing conditionson the materials ("freely given," "plucked by avirtuous maiden," "by the light of the moon,"etc.) renders randomly gathered materials allbut useless.

Magic Supermarkets. Another thing toavoid in a campaign world are magic shops—

116

117

either places that sell finished magical items orthose that sell magical supplies. The reason toavoid the first is relatively obvious: If charac-ters can buy the magical items they need, whymake them? This effect ively kills a wholesource of potential adventures, not somethingthat helps build a colorful and interesting cam-paign.

What is the harm of stores that just sell thematerials—eye of firedrake or vampire gravemold? Again, if a character can buy eye of fire-drake, there's no need to adventure for it. Theminute a player character decides to make amagical item, the DM has a starting point for awhole host of adventures, which is what thegame is all about. Why give these up?

Besides, grocery shopping for magical sup-plies is not exactly a medieval concept. Groceryand general stores stocked with everyday goodswould be a foreign idea to a medieval knight.Instead he would rely on local craftsmen, farm-ers, peddlers, market fairs, and a handful ofmerchant importers. Supplies would be haphaz-ard, making it impossible to buy things "off theshelf."

Consider what a freeman in a small villagehas to go through just to make sausages. Hecan't go to the grocery store and buy a poundof sausages or even a pound of meat becausethere isn't a grocery store. First he has to raise apig and fatten it up. He and his kin have tobutcher the pig, dress it out, grind the meat,prepare the casings, pick the herbs for the sea-soning, stuff the sausages, and smoke or saltthem for storage. Since sausage is in a lot moredemand than esoteric materials, the spell-caster's job cannot be the easier one! Allowingcharacters to find everything in stores isn't fan-tasy adventuring, it's going to the mall infunny robes.

Ultimately, creating a magical item should bean intimate and personal experience for thespellcaster. The player character needs to beinvolved in every step of the process, from find-ing just the right ash-wood rod to casting the

last spell that binds it all together. Getting theitems does not have to be difficult, but the playercharacter should have to make some effort forevery piece. Perhaps only coal from that strangeoutcropping in the hills and tin from the localmines are needed, but the PC has to get eachitem separately. There is no one place that haseverything that is wanted.

The materials needed to create the item obvi-ously vary quite a bit. Potions and swords arevastly different things; even potions of waterbreathing and fire resistance would hardly use thesame goods. Suggested components, based ondifficulty rating, are found in the sections appro-priate to each magical item.

Even if all the materials, steps, and spells aregathered, performed, and applied, success isnot guaranteed. There are many chances alongthe way for the character to make some small,virtually unnoticeable error—a line drawnbadly here, a syllable mispronounced there.Therefore, after the character has completedeverything, the DM secretly rolls percen-tile dice to see if the spellcaster's efforts weresuccessful.

For every item, the chance of success startswith a base value. This value varies accordingto the item made and the character's class.Whatever the number, it is improved by addingthe character's level and worsened by subtract-ing the item's difficulty rating. In some casesthere may be additional bonuses or penalties,either as explained under Item Particulars or asset by the DM. After the final number is fig-ured, the roll must be equal to or less than itto succeed. Otherwise, the whole process is afailure.

With most failures, all that is left is a lump orpuddle of inert, nonmagical material chargedwith crude energies that render the item use-less. The materials used to create the item are

118

spoiled and cannot be refashioned for anothertry. The spellcaster must start over fromscratch.

Should the die roll be 96 or greater, the spell-caster has not just failed, but has accidentallyperverted and twisted the process to create acursed magical item. The magic is there, butnow it works in detrimental ways. An intendedlong sword +1 becomes a long sword -1, a bag ofdevouring is created instead of a bag of holding,and so forth. When a cursed item is created,the item detects as magical and the spell-caster has no idea that there are any flaws.Only by using the device does the error becomeapparent.

The range and nature of magical items aresuch that each has its own special needs andrequirements. These include varying amountsof research time, materials, processes, and evenchances of success. The sections that followpresent rules and guidelines for the generalclasses of magical items. Some of this ap-pears in the DUNGEON MASTER1" Guide underTreasure and Magical Items; it is restated herefor clarity and convenience. In instances wherethe rules differ, those given here should takeprecedence.

In most cases, the information applies equallyto both wizards and priests, particularly in rela-tion to materials. However, the methods for cre-ating the same item may vary substantiallyfrom one class to the other. Each section pre-sents general information first, followed by anyspecial notes that apply to only one characterclass.

Scrolls are the easiest and among the firstmagical items created by spellcasters—priests at

seventh level, wizards when they attain ninthlevel. Creating a scroll is mostly a matter of col-lecting the right materials, carefully working outthe transformations needed to transcribe thespell, and then doing the actual writing. Mostscrolls require no lengthy research or compli-cated processes, only a knowledge of the spell tobe transcribed.

The character, whether wizard or priest, mustbe able to cast the spell normally, whether it isan existing spell or one of the character's owndevising. For calculating difficulty, spell scrollsare always standard magical items. Protectionscrolls can be standard or semistandard, depend-ing on the effect.

No matter what the scroll, three distinctmaterials are always needed: a quill, paper,and ink. All must be special, as ordinary itemswill not do. Ideally, each component shouldreflect the nature of the spell or protectiontranscribed, although this is not an absoluterequirement. Table 7: Scroll Materials indi-cates the number of unique materials and theircomplexity.

Common goose quills will never do whenwriting a scroll. The pen must, at the very least,be exotic, plucked from some rare creature. Thechance of success is greater if the quill is gath-ered by the spellcaster personally. Every spellinscribed requires a new quill. Those alreadyused are tainted by lingering energies thatwould ruin any later work.

The material written on is the least unusualpart of any scroll. Most scrolls are of paper, thebest of ordinary surfaces. Papyrus or parch-ment can also be used, though less successfully.Truly extraordinary scrolls are written on fanci-ful substances—snake skins, peeled bark, silkcloth, supple leather, even carved into stonetablets!

Blending the ink is the most demanding partof any scroll. Bizarre combinations of ingredi-ents may be needed and everything must becarefully measured, mixed, and filtered. The inkmust be brewed in single batches. Each batch

119

takes a day to brew and thereafter remainspotent for two weeks.

The task of calculating and inscribing the spellonto a scroll takes one day per spell level. Wiz-ards must have the appropriate spell book athand, while priests must work before their altar.Otherwise, the process is the same for both. Pro-tection scrolls require 6 days of uninterruptedwork. A single scroll holds 1d6 spells and thisnumber varies each time, even if the same spellsare inscribed. A failed success check for anyspell automatically fills the rest of the sheet—usually with a large ink blot.

When calculating the difficulty of a scroll,each spell inscribed is checked separately. Eachspell counts as a standard single-use item. Nospells are actually cast to make the scroll, butscrolls have a special modifier of 1 point forevery level of the spell inscribed. This difficultyrating is then used to determine the number andtypes of ingredients needed.

DifficultyRating3-45-910-14

15+

QuillAny1 rare1 exotic

1 exotic

MaterialsPaperAnyAnyAny

1 rare

Ink1 exotic1 exotic1 rare,1 exotic2 exotic

Typical Material TypesAny. Quills from wild songbirds, eagle feath-ers, paper, papyrus, parchmentRare. Plumes of jungle birds, porcupine quills,rice paper, silk, palm fronds, squid ink, glac-ier water, a woman's (or a man's) tearsExotic. Molted feather of baby roc, phoenixplume, cockatrice feather, plume from thefeather crown of the Lord of the Birds, pow-dered dragon blood, the sap of Yggdrassil(the World tree), a drop of nectar of the gods

The base chance of success for inscribing ascroll is 80% plus 1 point per level of the wizard.In addition, using paper gives a 5% bonus unlessa special material is required, while papyruscauses a -5% penalty.

If a 96 or greater is rolled when making thesuccess check, the scroll is cursed. No morespells can be inscribed on the scroll. The casterdoes not know his work is flawed. The curseonly takes affect when that spell is read, andany other spells on the scroll remain unaf-fected.

Wizards. Wizards actually have fewerdemands on them than priests when it comesto creating scrolls. The only time the wizardneeds a laboratory is when blending the ink forthe task. After this, the inscribing can be com-pleted in any quiet place, so long as there is atable (or something that passes for it) andspace to lay out a spell book. A few rural-minded types have even gone so far as to dotheir work outdoors, making a picnic of thewhole thing. A wizard can read personallywritten scrolls without resorting to a read magicspell.

Priests. Although they are freed from the lab-oratory requirement, priests do not have asmuch leeway in where they do their work. Afterthey have combined the ingredients for the ink,everything must be placed on the priest's altar.The priest spends a day in prayer to imbue thematerials with the power needed to make thescroll, and then must do the inscribing at thesame altar.

After scrolls, potions are the next most popu-lar choice for magical creations. The little bottlesof fluid are relatively easy to make and can begiven to companions. They even make goodgifts for local knights and servitors of greater

120

lords. Of course, all that hard work can go downthe drain (literally) in the hands of one butterfin-gers, or up in steam too close to a dragon.Potions are primarily a wizard specialty,although some—particularly healing—can becreated by priests.

A spellcaster must have a formula beforebrewing can actually begin. Wizards cast contactother plane, spend hours poring over mildewedbooks, and perform risky experimentation togain these formulae. Priests resort to communespells and prayer for their knowledge. Theprocess takes 1d3 + 1 weeks, but can be inter-rupted for other activities. Fortunately, this steponly has to be done once because the formula isthen set.

Of course, the spellcaster could try to usesomeone else's formula, but like trying to copya restaurant's secret recipe, the result is neverquite the same. Just as every cook adapts recipesto suit their tastes, a spellcaster must personal-

ize every potion formula. Working from some-one else's formula does make the job easier,however, reducing the number of weeks neededby l.

Not every potion can be made by every spe-cialist mage or priest. Table 8: Potion Schoolslists the school or sphere needed to create a par-ticular potion. Specialists unable to use the par-ticular school of magic or priests without accessto that sphere cannot create the potion named.Oils are marked by an asterisk, and those itemsthat are in bold type are found in the Tome ofMagic.

Although no spells are cast in the process ofbrewing a potion, the level of the spell thepotion duplicates is added to the base difficultyof the spell. The 3rd level fly spell matches theeffect of a potion of flying, resulting in a difficultymodifier of 3. If no spell matches the desiredeffect, the difficulty modifier is equal to thecombination of spells that best approximates

121

PotionAcid resistance*Animal controlAroma of DreamsClairaudienceClairvoyanceCurdled deathDiminutionDisenchantment*Dragon controlElemental controlEle invulnerability*Ele. Plane InvulnerabilityElixir of healthElixir of youthESPEtherealnessExtra-healingFiery burningFire breathFire resistanceFlyingGaseous formGiant controlGiant strengthGlibnessGrowthHealingHeroismHuman controlImpactInvisibilityInvulnerabilityLevitationLongevityLoveMurdoch's insect wardPersuasivenessPlant controlPolymorph selfPreservation*Rainbow huesSlipperinessSpeedStarella's aphrodisiacSuper-heroismSweet waterTimelessnessTreasure findingUndead controlVentriloquismVitalityWater breathing

School/SphereAbjurationEnchantment /CharmEnchantment/CharmDivinationDivinationNecromancyAlterationAbjurationEnchantment / CharmElementalElementalElementalNecromantic (p)Time (p)DivinationAstral (p)Healing (p)Invocation /EvocationAlterationProtection (p)AlterationAlterationEnchantment / CharmAlterationDivination (p)AlterationHealing (p)Charm (p)Enchantment/CharmCombat (p)Illusion / phantasmAbjurationAlterationNecromancyEnchantment/CharmAbjurationEnchantment / CharmPlant (p)AlterationTime (p)AlterationConjuration/SummoningAlterationEnchantment /CharmCharm (p)Any priestTime (p)Divination (both)Necromancy (both)Illusion / PhantasmTime (p)Elemental

PotionAcid resistance*Animal controlAroma of dreamsClairaudienceClairvoyanceCurdled deathDiminutionDisenchantment*

Dragon controlEle. control,ele invulnerability,Ele. Plane invulnerability

Elixir of healthElixir of youthESP

EtherealnessExtra-healing, healingFiery burningFire breathFire resistanceFlyingGaseous formGiant controlGiant strengthGlibness, persuasivenessGrowthHeroism, super-heroismHuman controlImpactInvisibilityInvulnerabilityLevitationLongevity

Love, Starella'saphrodisiacMurdoch's insect ward

Plant controlPolymorph selfPreservation, timelessnessRainbow hues

SlipperinessSpeedSweet waterTreasure findingUndead controlVentriloquismVitalityWater breathing

Suggested MaterialsWax, sap of a rubber treeHair of animal typeJackalwere spittle, muskEarwaxFragments of a crystal ballPoisonFairy wineWater from a nonmagicalPrime Material worldDragon blood

Material from appropriateElemental PlanePurified unholy waterGinseng juiceThread from a mindflayer's robeEssence of ethereal planeHoney of giant beesTar from a tar pitAsh made by dragonfireAsbestos, glacial iceVapor from a cloudVampire's grave earthGiant's fingernail clippingStew cooked by a giantA gem freely givenAcorn, dried sea spongeLock of a great hero's hairA king's hairIron from patriarch's maceWater from a mirageAn adamantine nailDandelion seedsWine poured by oldestman in the town

Tears of a jilted loverFleabane flowers, hair of aflea-less dogSap of a poisonous plantFreshly shed viper's skinPowdered amberWater exposed to a rain-bowGrease from a grease spellSweat of a fast horseAbsolutely pure waterDust of a diamondVampire bloodLiar's sweatCoffee beansSahuagin wine

122

the effect. There is no spell equivalent for apotion of fire breath, so the DM chooses the 3rdlevel flame arrow and 4th level shout spells asroughly equivalent effects, for a total difficultymodifier of 7.

Potions are either single or limited useitems. If the entire potion must be drunk, as inthe case of a potion of flying, it is a single-useitem. However, there are many potions thatcan be partially consumed and still provide abenefit, making them limited-use. A potion offire breath, for example, can be used up to fourtimes.

For every 5 points of difficulty a potion pos-sesses, one special ingredient must be suppliedfor it. Potion ingredients can be virtually any-thing, although it should include at least someform of exotic liquid. This does not have to bethe bodily fluids of some monster, as any liq-uid that is hard to get will do. Melted snowfrom the peak of the highest mountain, waterfrom the depths of the ocean, or wine from atyrant's cellars are all perfectly acceptabledemands.

Aside from fluid, at least one ingredientshould embody the property of the potion,whether the material is mundane or exotic. Fora potion of growth, a ground acorn could beused. ("From the little acorn grows the mightyoak.") A potion of fire breath could requirekerosene or red dragon's spittle. Table 9: PotionMaterials offers suggestions as to what mightbe appropriate. These are only suggestions; theDM is free to decide upon what seems appro-priate to the individual campaign. These sug-gestions run the gamut from absurdly easy(acorns and fleabane) to near impossible (bot-tled essence of the Ethereal Plane). Not all ofthem involve slaughtering some creature—characters may have to use cunning, trickery,and persuasion to get some of the materialssuggested.

Wizards. In addition to ingredients, wizardsmust spend time in the laboratory blending and

brewing the ingredients together for the potion.Every 10 points of difficulty require the comple-tion of one special process to create the potion.The DM chooses the process required, remem-bering to add 1 point to the base difficulty forthis step (which may, in turn, require anotherstep). Suggested steps include:

distillationevaporationextraction of vital oilsleaching

infusionfermentationseparationpurification

Whatever steps are chosen, the wizard's totalcost for all steps is 100 gp per point of difficulty.This money is spent on the reagents, weird fuelsfor alembics, and other minor exotics needed tobrew the potion. The total processing takes anumber of days equal to the difficulty rating ofthe potion. When the time has passed, the DMsecretly checks for success.

Priests. Disdainful of the laboratories ofwizards, priests are spared the arcaneprocesses of potion blending that wizardsmust go through. Instead, the ingredients aregently mixed and placed upon the special altarto receive the deity's blessing. The priest mustfast and pray. Simple liquids and 4 hours ofrest per night are all that are allowed to thepriest during this time. After the priest praysfor a number of days equal to the potion'sdifficulty rating, the DM secretly checks forsuccess.

Potion brewing has a base 70% chance of suc-cess, with a +2% bonus for every level of thespellcaster. Wizard specialists gain an additional+5% bonus to this number. The potion's diffi-culty is subtracted from this and the result is thepercentage chance of success. That number orless must be rolled using a dlOO. If the die roll is96 or greater, the potion automatically fails and

123

is cursed. Cursed potions are typically deadlypoisons, although some may result in the effectsof a potion of delusion—in this case the casterbelieves that the desired potion has actuallybeen brewed. If this is the case, the DM shouldnot reveal that a cursed potion has been made. Ifthe check fails but the result is not cursed, thespellcaster can easily tell (by color, stench, andso forth) that the potion has failed.

When a spellcaster decides to create a magicalring, wand, or other device, the chore of makingmagic is no longer a simple task that can be donebetween adventures. Making permanent magi-cal items requires skill, planning, and a lot ofcommitment. Given the rewards, who wouldexpect it to be anything but hard?

The first task in making a permanent magicalitem is to learn what must be done. Unlikepotions, which are common enough for magesto write down, the formulae for a magicalsword or wand of fire aren't collected in recipebooks. Wizards view knowledge as power—notsomething they like to share with potentialrivals.

Researching a magical item requires that thecharacter discover the materials, steps, andspells needed to create the device. Carefullyposed commune and contact higher plane spellswill bring results, and the services of a sage willspeed up the process. The player character mayuse magic to learn what spells are needed for theitem while a sage researches the materials (andwhere to find them) at the same time. For allthis, the DM must have answers.

The first step is to approve the item the char-acter wants to make. Characters cannot makemagical devices of artifact strength. Intelligentitems have their own drawbacks that rule theseout, too (see Intelligent Magical Items, below).It's not that player characters cannot create intel-ligent items, but the costs are likely to be more

124

than the player is willing to pay. Even so, there isstill a wide selection of magical items to choosefrom. Characters can make items already listedin the rule books, or they can experiment withentirely new devices.

If the item is already described in the game,the DM must decide whether it is standard ornonstandard. If the player character has onealready, the device is certainly standard; other-wise it's a matter of how rare the item is andwhether the character has seen or used thedevice before. Trying to make a long sword +2luck stealer based on hearsay is a lot harder thanactually having one on hand to use.

If the item is brand new, the player mustprovide a complete description of what theitem will do. Most players will add notes con-cerning the materials needed and propose howdifficult the task should be. While useful, theDM really needs to know what the effects ofthe item will be—effects of powers, range,damage done (if any), duration, maximumnumber of charges, and any other pertinentdetails that apply once the item is created. TheDM can deny or change any of these to suit thecampaign; the player does not have the right todictate the game! Ideally, DM and playershould cooperate to create a magical item boththink will make an interesting addition to thecampaign. Only after the final form of the newitem is approved does the DM worry abouthow it is made.

With the first stage finished, the DM mustcome up with a list of spells needed to make thedevice. Permanency is automatically required, asis at least one enchant an item spell. If the itemduplicates a spell, that spell is clearly needed.Furthermore, if the spell's power is variable (bylevel, for example), it must be cast at a levelequal to or greater than the final effect of theitem. A wand of fear requires the use of the 4thlevel wizard's fear spell. Although the wandduplicates the effect of a priest's cause fear, thatspell does not have the range or area of effectneeded to create the item.

Some items combine several different powersin the same device. In this case, one spell isneeded for each effect. For example, when mak-ing boots of the north, a priest would have to castpass without trace (to move without leaving atrail), free action (for half movement on ice), andendure cold (to keep the wearer warm).

Not every magical item has a spell counter-part, so in these cases, the DM can either choosea combination of spells to achieve the effect orcan insist the player character research a newspell just to make the device. There is no spellthat creates extra-dimensional spaces quite likea portable hole. The DM could require two spellsto achieve the result—in this case, Leomund'ssecret chest to make the space and duo-dimensionto make the collapsible hole. For a mirror of lifetrapping, the DM can reasonably insist that thecharacter research a new spell to create theeffect.

Finally, there are those rare items that neitherwizard nor priest can make alone. Such devicescan only be made by the cooperative effort oftwo player characters or a player character and adevoted henchman. Normal NPC spellcasterssimply will not spend their abundant free timeto cast spells at the beck and call of a playercharacter.

After totalling the difficulty for spells and theusage (remembering to modify the result if theitem is nonstandard), the DM can determine thenumber of special materials needed, based onthe item's difficulty divided by 5. The total costof the raw materials should range from 1,000-10,000 gp per point of difficulty. Suggested rawmaterials are given below, according to the formof the item.

The difficulty rating also determines the stepsneeded (one step for every 10 points of diffi-culty). Remember to add 1 point to the difficultyfor every step required (which may then requirean additional step). Like materials, suggestedsteps for different types of items are listedbelow.

Rings. The basic component of any ring is theband and the more mundane materials for itsmaking, including gold, silver, brass, elvensteel, dwarven iron, metal taken from a fallenhero's armor, hardened magma, or heartwood.Exotic choices include woven ivy, snake skin, ora live worm, all permanently polymorphed tosteel. In addition, the metal can have materialsadded to it. Powdered ram's horn, ground gem-stones, feathers, hair, or scales are only a fewpossibilities. The ring need not be plain andunadorned (contrary to the DUNGEONMASTER"' Guide). It can be set with gems,pearls, carved with runes, pierced and filigreed,or even colored with bright enamels made fromthe saps of tropical trees and minerals found farbeneath the earth.

There are many processes in making a ring.Typical steps include:

making a moldcastingtemperingpolishing

melting the alloyweldingsetting stones

Special materials may be required for thesesteps. The mold may require a perfect impres-sion of something—a chameleon or a phoenixfeather. Cast rings might need forms carvedfrom the wax of giant bees or ice from a frostgiant's lair. Rings can be tempered and testedwith all manner of substances. A ring of shock-ing grasp might need to be tempered by thejolt of an electric eel while a ring of fire resis-tance might actually need tempering in theheat of molten lava. Water from distant oceans,rare wine, or even a diluted potion can alsobe required. Even polishing a ring mightrequire special materials—a paste of powdereddiamonds, oil scented with the juice of Under-dark fungi, or the scaly hide of a dangerousmonster.

Wands and Rods. Get past the notion thatwands are made only of wood and rods of iron,

125

and a host of intriguing materials can be used.Anything that is basically a stick will do—iron,steel, silver, bone, brass, copper, or crystal.Even wood or iron need not be ordinary. Thecharacter might need the first maple sapling ofspring, the heart of a 500-year-old oak, woodfound only on a distant continent, pure iron orefrom a fallen star, or the iron scepter of a dwar-ven king. The device may require a piece ofsteel so perfectly shaped that it rings a singlepure note when tapped. In the most extremecase, the material may be a nearly impossibledemand—an icicle for a wand of frost, a piece oflightning for the wand of the same name, or asingle diamond crystal for a rod of splendor. Inthese cases, the character has to learn just howto collect and keep that material!

Other materials may be needed for the stepstaken in making the wand. These steps mightinclude:

lathingsteepingtoolingsanding

carvingpolishingenamelingmounting

If other materials are needed beyond thestick, the most obvious additions are ornamen-tations fashioned to it. Gems, beads, pearls, andbands of silver or gold are common. Moreuncommon components are feathers, exoticleather, adamantine wire, skeletal claws, andthe like. These may sit in, dangle, rattle, wrap,or point; a wand can have more than just astick, too.

The carving can be as simple as runes to aselaborate as pierced designs that leave the centerof the shaft hollow. To carve the runes anddesigns, the character could use specially madechisels. The shafts, especially wooden ones,could be steeped in strange fluids to absorb their

126

essence. A wand of illusion could be soaked inwater from a mirage, a rod of terror in the coldsweat of a scared man. Like rings, exotic materi-als could be needed for polishing, such as giantwasp venom for a wand of enemy detection. Rareearths would be useful for glazing the shaft withcolorful designs, while it could be scoured in theblast of a sandstorm.

Staves. Unlike wands and rods, these arealmost always made of wood, if only becauseother materials tend to be too heavy. Thus, theselection of the wood has greater importance. Astaff is a personalized item, so it is seldomenough just to get the right type of wood. Thebranch chosen must have character—gnarls,whorls, twists, and knots that match the per-sonality of the spellcaster. Thus, finding theright wood for a staff is a matter of patienceand searching.

Once the right piece of wood is found, thematerials and procedures that can be used onstaves is like that used on wands and rods.There is a feeling among many wizards thatproper staves ought to be more flashy, with dan-gling bits, big gems, crystals, carved faces, andgewgaws, than the average wand or rod. Priests,however, opt for stark austerity or holy symbolstopping their staves.

Weapons. Although magical weapons areamong the most desired items by other classes,wizards and priests have very little cause toactually make them. After all, what is a magegoing to do with a two-handed sword +1 ? Notsurprisingly, most magical weapons are eitherdaggers and maces, made by fighter/magesand fighter/clerics, or are given as gifts to lordsand kings. Generous and far-sighted wizardsmay also make weapons for their fellow adven-turers, both as tokens of friendship and practi-cal business. Fortunately, weapons last for along time—centuries or more—thus accountingfor the preponderance of enchanted bladesfound in most campaigns.

Making a magical sword (or whatever) startswith the weapon. Of course, no off-the-black-smith's-rack-plowshare-beaten-into-sword willdo. The weapon, whether it's a stone club,rapier, or Vindish punch-dagger, has to be spe-cially crafted. Take, for example, a typical mag-ical sword. Steel garnered from weirdsources—fallen stars, ancient battlefields, or thesap of an ironwood tree (it's a fantasy worldafter all)—is forged in the heat of fires stokedby equally strange fuels (molten lava, concen-trated sunlight, or the breath of a captive hell-hound) to fashion the rough vessel for themagic to come. Once shaped and tempered inexotic fluids—running spring water, orc wine,or black dragon acid (without dissolving theitem, of course)—the blade can be etched andthe hilt, made of more expensive materials, canbe bound to the tang. Now the sword is readyfor enchantment.

The processes used in most weapons include:

forgingetchinginlaysharpening

temperingcastingpiercingbalancing

Not all weapons are made of iron and steel,though. Arrows, slings, bows, javelins, andspears must be cut, carved, rivetted, planed,fletched, and more. Each of these can requireunusual materials—feathers, sinews, woods,leathers, even thread. The wide variety of mate-rials allows the DM to specify virtually any typeof treatment for these materials.

Armor. In many ways, the materials and treat-ments needed for magical weapons can beapplied to armor. When making plate mail, forg-ing, tempering, and the like are required, andcertainly the materials must be unique in at leastone way. However, there are additional stepsthat may be necessary. These include:

127

fittingsewinglacingengravingpaintingchisellinglacquering

weldingchasingboilinggildingrivettingembossing

A good deal of this depends on the armorbeing made. Plate armor does not require boil-ing unless the DM has some arcane purpose inmind, but boiling is necessary to make properleather armor.

Miscellaneous Magical Items. This categorydefies any simple listing of materials and proce-dures. What is needed and works well for a pairof boots of striding and springing is hardly suitablefor a gem of seeing! For some items, the materialsare obvious. A cloak of protection needs specialcloth, thread, and clasps. A lyre of building needsjust that, a lyre, although it may have silverstrings and a frame made of carved jade. Someitems are only a single component—a gem of see-ing is a gem. In this case, additional materialscan be things needed to empower the device.The gem might need to be bathed in water froma magic font spell, exposed to the gaseous breathof a green dragon, or heated in the flames of aprophetess's campfire. A pearl of power mightneed to be taken from a patriarch's ring. Thechoices are as many as the types of items.

Once the character knows what materialsand processes are needed (and has completedany adventures required to gather these), theactual making of the device can begin. Thismay require special arrangements, since thecreator must stay with the work at all times.Others can be relied upon to provide craft skillsthe PC does not have (an armorer can hammerout the sword or shape the helm, for example),

but the character must supervise every minuteof every step. Once the process begins, it can-not be interrupted or set aside, or all work tothat point is lost.

The total time needed to create the magicalitem (i.e., all of the processes necessary) is anumber of weeks equal to the item's difficultyrating, plus another 2d6 months. Making vesselsfor permanent magic is not a speedy process!Once everything is ready, the final step is taken:All other necessary spells are cast in combina-tion with enchant an item.

When all of this is complete, the DM checksfor success or failure. The base chance for theitem is 60%, minus the item's difficulty. Thisvalue is improved by 1 point for every level ofthe character. If the check is successful, thedesired item is created. If the check is failed, alleffort has been wasted. Should a result of 96 orgreater be rolled, a cursed magical item has beenmade. In this case, the PC can only assume thatthe effort was successful until someone actuallyattempts to use the device.

Some characters may want to create intelli-gent swords or other magical items. While this ispossible, few players, once they know the costs,will want to actually follow through on thedesire, for intelligence can only be imbued intoan inanimate object at the cost of the character'sown life. By obsessive desire or intense prayer,the caster's life-force is transferred into the item.All that remains of the spellcaster is a lifelesshusk. Once locked within a magical item, the PCis trapped. The mortal body cannot be raised inany fashion, nor can the caster's spirit be rein-carnated.

"Great," some players may think, "I'll play amagical sword!" If the DM believes the playercan master the challenge, this can be allowed.There are, however, several limitations that the"sword-character" must abide by.

128

• The character loses all statistics but Intelli-gence and Wisdom and loses all class and raceabilities. Obviously, the character cannotmove of its own accord, pick items up, orinteract with the physical world in any way.The intelligent item does retain its alignment(with all those effects on its owner).

• The PC can only communicate by speech andonly in previously known languages.

• The PC loses all experience points earned. Itnow earns experience points only for activi-ties it participates in. An intelligent swordonly earns XPs for slaying monsters. No XPsare awarded for achieving story or adven-

ture goals. Note that only player-types (asopposed to other intelligent items) trackexperience.

• For every 100,000 experience points earned,the intelligent item gains one power, startingas if it were an Intelligence 14 magical sword.It then progresses through Table 113:Weapon Intelligence and Capabilities in theDUNGEON MASTER Guide, gaining onepower per 100,000 points.

• The item has an ego rating and can attempt topossess its owner, but only when the DMdecides a personality conflict should occur(see the DUNGEON MASTER Guide).

129

Every wizard or sorceress with any ambitionwants to make magical items. Desire and talentdon't always translate into time and resources,though, so truly wise mages often make chargedmagical items. These have the great advantageof needing to be made only once. Thereafter,charges to the item can be restored with muchless effort and time.

Not all magical items can be or need to berecharged. One-shot items—mostly potions andscrolls—are consumed or blanked in use andclearly cannot be recharged. Permanent magicalitems—swords, armor, cloaks, most rings, andmiscellaneous magical items—never expendcharges and thus do not need to be recharged.The only magical items that can be recharged arethose with (ahem) charges—wands, rods, staves,and some rings. Even then, the presence ofcharges is not a guarantee; particularly powerfuldevices cannot always be recharged. A listing of

the more common rechargeable items can befound in Appendix A.

Magic is seldom logical, so most items arerecharged according to their own unique for-mula. This is the type of thing that builds mem-ory (or bookkeeping) skills in wizards. Someitems can be recharged only by wizards, othersby priests, and a few require the services of both.Most absorb the energy of a specific spell but,yet again, a few absorb virtually any type ofmagic. A few particularly heinous items drawtheir charges from the life force of a being (suchas the staff of the elements). Not only do wizardsof good inclination view these as morally bad,but such items are not normally consideredrechargeable, so the rules for recharging theseitems do not apply. Furthermore, a wizardwielding a staff of the elements is not going to findmany friends among the Elemental Planes!

130

There are some rules that apply to all recharge-able items. These rules are the proof to spellcast-ers that the underlying structure of magic (ormiracles) is logical. Others consider these rules asign that spellcasters have too much time ontheir hands for theorizing. These are very gen-eral rules, but no exceptions have yet beenfound.

• An item being recharged must have at leastone charge remaining. Items that do not haveat least one charge cannot be recharged. Themagic that binds and stores the charges is lostwhen the last charge is used.

• An item can be recharged only by a spell-caster able to cast the spell and of the sameclass as the person who made the item. Apriest could not use a priestly detect magicspell to recharge a wizard's wand of magicdetection—unless, of course, the priest (or oneof that ilk) made the wand in the first place.

• An item can only be recharged with spells ofequal or greater power than the greatest abil-ity of the device. This rule has two effects.First, it encourages low-level spellcasters tostudy and learn. Although 1st level mages cancast burning hands, recharging wands of fire isbeyond their scope. True, such wands can beused to create burning hands spell effects, butthe same wands can also be used for fireballand wall of fire spells. The greatest of thesespells requires a 7th level caster. Second, itoften forces mages to make a temporary sacri-fice by using a higher level spell for a lesserstored effect.

In addition to these absolute rules, therecharging process often has special require-ments that must be met for the attempt to suc-ceed. While there is no limit to what might berequired, some are more common than others.

• The spellcaster must be of a specific level,greater than the normal minimum needed to

cast the spell. This ensures that the spells usedto charge the item are of appropriate power,particularly when the range, damage, and/orintensity vary by level. It also reflects the diffi-culty of getting the charge to hold in thedevice.

• The charge may require additional spellsbefore it is complete. For wizards, the mostcommon of these additions is the enchant anitem spell, especially in the case of powerful orunusually charged items. This spell must beused whenever the stored charge does notmatch the spell used to charge it. A wand ofillumination can create a sunburst effect notexactly reproduced by any spell. Therefore,enchant an item must be used to transform theother spell (continual light in this case) into ausable charge.For priests, there is no single spell that pro-vides this function. Instead, the priest mustcarefully choose spells that combine to createa logical alternative. There is no priest spellthat matches the staff of slinging's catapultpower. Instead, it is achieved by combininganimate rock and shillelagh when recharging anitem.

These two conditions are only the most com-mon requirements encountered. Others can cer-tainly exist if the DM so chooses, ranginganywhere from special material components totongue-twisting recitations. The demands ofmagic are not always logical.

Wizards, with their penchant for wands androds, are more often called upon to rechargeitems than any other spellcaster. Indeed, a goodmany wizards spend an indecent proportion oftheir free time in magical item maintenance.

Before starting, the cautious wizard deter-mines whether recharging is needed or not.Filling an item with more charges than it wasmeant to contain (over-charging) has disastrous

131

consequences. More than one sorcerer's toweror mage's laboratory has been devastated bythe explosion that results from applying toomuch magical energy. Extremely cautious wiz-ards (some might say timid) won't even con-sider beginning until they have a full slate ofprotection spells on hand, just in case of anaccident.

The first step in actually recharging an item isto prepare it to receive the spell. This requiresthe use of an enchant an item spell. This providesa channel to shape and hold the charge. No itemcan be charged if it has not been so prepared.Note that since the item is already enchanted,the casting only requires 12d4 hours to com-plete. All other requirements and restrictions ofthe spell still apply, except that the spell auto-matically succeeds.

Once the item is prepared, the wizard caststhe necessary spells to create the charge. Thismay be as simple as a single common spell(magic missile to recharge a wand of magic missiles)or a combination of spells. For convenience,Appendix A lists the spells required for themore common chargeable items. If this combina-tion requires an enchant an item spell, a secondone must be cast; the first prepared the item andthe second shapes the charge. Casting a secondenchant an item is best done from a scroll, tonegate the lengthy casting time (otherwise, it is12d4 hours). Unlike other combined spells (inwhich each charge requires a separate casting ofthe spell or spells listed), the second enchant anitem spell shapes all charging spells cast through-out its duration. Again, the spell is automaticallysuccessful.

When the charging spells are cast, no spelleffect occurs. Charging a wand of fire does notresult in a fiery blast. Instead, the magic isabsorbed by the item. While the spell's castingtime is unchanged, it takes 1d4 hours for theitem to absorb all of the energy. Scintillatingmotes of light and color swirl around the itemduring this time.

At the end of the absorption process, the DMmust secretly check to see if the process suc-

ceeded. A saving throw vs. magical fire must berolled for the item (regardless of the spell cast).Every item being recharged gains a bonus to itssaving throw since it is already a magical item.Other adjustments for the enchant an item spelldo not apply. If the saving throw succeeds, thecharge takes; otherwise the magic simply slipsaway. On an adjusted roll of 21 or greater theitem actually gains 1d3 charges, as it absorbsresidual energies in the area! Success or failureleaves no outward sign, and the DM should notreveal the results of this check.

Once the aura has faded away, it is safe forthe wizard to apply a new charge. After 24hours, the enchant an item used to prepare theobject fades and no more charges can be applieduntil the device is prepared once more. Anextremely fortunate character might be able toapply 24 spells in a single casting—at the veryleast six can be applied, and the average will be11-13.

132

Unfortunately, no wizard, regardless of level,can memorize more than five spells of a givenlevel. Since a wizard must gain a full night'ssleep before rememorization can take place,most of the charging opportunity within a 24-hour period is wasted. Many wizards offset thisinefficient situation by either employing multi-ple scrolls with the appropriate charging spells(which is somewhat wasteful, too) or having awizardly companion sit in on the chargingprocess. Two wizards can memorize twice thenumber of the appropriate spell(s), enablingthem to more fully utilize the 24-hour chargingperiod. This doubling up reduces the number oftimes enchant an item needs to be cast, savingcountless hours.

While charging an item may be tedious oreven frustrating, it is not particularly dangerous.The greatest risk comes in accidentally over-charging the device. When this happens (and ithappens only infrequently), the result is a sud-den release of all of the stored magical energytherein—in the form of a tremendous explosion.The amount of damage done depends upon thetype of item. Wands inflict 50 points of damage(1/2 hp per charge), rods cause 100 points ofdamage (2 hp per charge), staves cause 150points of damage (6 points per charge), exceptfor the staff of power, which causes damage aslisted, while any other devices cause 8 points ofdamage per charge released. The blast affects allwithin a 30-foot radius, and other items withinthis area must have a saving throw vs. disinte-gration rolled for them. For characters, a savingthrow vs. magic reduces the damage by half,although this will do little good in manyinstances. In all cases the item being charged iscompletely destroyed.

Clearly, over-charging is a fate to be avoided.Thus, most wizards make use of the identify spellto determine the relative strength of theircharged items. It is a good practice to wait until

the item detects as weak before beginning thelengthy business of recharging.

In her last outing with the rest of her compan-ions, Ramona the Eloquent fired off 10 chargesfrom her wand of paralyzation to pull the group'sfat out of the fire—a fire giant's hearth, to beexact. Having managed to survive, the wizardwants to be sure her wand won't go dry on theirnext outing, so she sets about the business ofrecharging it. Consulting her references, shefinds, as she suspected, that hold monster is thenecessary charging spell. No other spell isrequired in combination.

Ramona has been paying careful attention toher wand use, so she knows that in addition tothe last 10 charges, she has used her wand atleast 12 other times. There are at least 22 chargesto be replaced before there is any danger ofover-charging. Nonetheless, the wizardremoves all her other magical items from thework area, in part because they can interferewith the enchant an item spell, but also becauseit is prudent.

The day before she begins, Ramona eats well,sets up a cot in her workroom, gets lots ofsleep, and then memorizes spells. At 12th levelshe can memorize four hold monster spells andthe necessary enchant an item spell. She also hassome hold monster scrolls but decides againstusing these.

The next day Ramona begins casting herenchant an item spell. The casting time result is 32hours, which will take Ramona more than 3 fulldays to work through (a maximum of 8 hourscasting each day for enchant an item). After thefinal 8 hours of casting enchant an item, Ramonaimmediately casts her first hold monster spell.Exhausted, she tells her apprentice to wake heras soon as the aura fades.

Two hours later, the apprentice rouses thewizard. Ramona casts her next hold monster spelland then sleeps. This process repeats until all

133

four spells are cast. The charging takes a total of13 hours.

For each spell that is cast, the DM secretlyrolls an item saving throw, including a +3 bonusbecause the wand is a magical item. Thin wood(the wand's material in this case) has a savingthrow of 11 vs. magical fire. The four adjustedsaves are 11, 4, 19, and 21. Since the last roll isgreater than 20, the DM rolls 1d3 and comes upwith a 3. The wand actually gains 5 charges, onemore than Ramona suspects.

Since Ramona must now gain a full night'srestful sleep before she may again memorizeany spells, and she has chosen not to use herscrolls, the 24-hour duration of the enchant anitem spell will fade. Thus, to further rechargethe wand, Ramona must repeat the entireprocess again, spending several days castingenchant an item.

Although the need arises less frequently, priestsalso can recharge magical items. As they lack thesame spells as the wizard—particularly enchant anitem—priests use entirely different methods forthe recharging process. The general principles ofpreparing the item and shaping the spells thatmake the charge remain the same, however.

In recharging a magical item, priests have oneadditional and obvious condition that must bemet before any progress can be made. The powerof the item must fall within the range of spheresgranted by the priest's deity. For example, adruid, no matter what level, is unable to restorecharges to a clerical rod of passage. This itemrequires the use of astral spell, a spell not grantedto druids. The druid can use the item, but mustfind another priest willing to recharge it—notalways a sure thing, given the elitist tendenciesof some religions.

134

If the priest can recharge the item, it must firstbe prepared for casting. Unlike the wizard, thispreparation does not involve the use of spells.Instead the priest must fast and pray to gain thedeity's blessing in the task about to beattempted. For each day spent in prayer, there isa 10% chance the deity will respond favorably.During the vigil the priest cannot adventure,pray for spells, or take actions beyond simplerest and water. Both the priest and the magicalitem must be together at a site sacred to thedeity—a temple, shrine, grove, place of power,or whatever. Of course, only priests who are trueto their calling can hope for a response. A priestintuitively knows when the prayers areanswered.

Once the item has been sanctified, it remainsso for 2dl2 hours. After this, the priest mustentreat the deity's favor once more. To actuallycharge the item, the priest must cast a bless spellupon the item and immediately follow this with

the spell(s) necessary to create the charge. Thespells needed for known magical items are listedin Appendix A. A new bless is required for everycharge attempted.

From this point onward, the process is thesame as that for wizard items. The charge takes1d4 hours to be absorbed, and during that timeit is enclosed in a sparkling aura. At the sametime, the DM secretly rolls an item saving throw(vs. magical fire) to see if the charge holds, witha modified score of 21 or greater resulting in 1d3charges.

As with wizard items, there is always the dan-ger of over-charging, and the resulting explosionfollows the rules already given. Since the explo-sion is essentially an overwhelming wave of thedeity's power, the priest charging the item (andother priests of the same faith) only suffer 1/2damage, reduced to 1/4 if a successful savingthrow vs. spell is rolled. All nonpriests that arein the area of effect suffer full or 1/2 damage as perthe normal saving throw rules.

Shayla, an llth level priestess of a goddess ofmedicine, was loaned a staff of curing by herGrand Matron with the understanding that itwould be returned intact. Being virtuous, Shayladecides that this means she must restore allthree charges used during her recent adven-tures. To do this, Shayla makes arrangementswith her temple's High Priestess for use of thechapel.

At dawn, Shayla begins her fasting and prayer.After twenty hours of prayer and a four-hourrest, the DM makes the first check. There is onlya 10% chance that her prayers will be heard, sothe die roll of 37 means that nothing happens.Shayla continues with her prayers—twentyhours of devotions followed by four hours ofrest. With each passing day, the chance of suc-cess increases by 10%. Finally, after seven daysof prayers (70%), Shayla wakes with knowledgethat now is the time.

135

The DM checks and finds that the item willremain sanctified for 14 hours, but does not tellthis to the player. Shayla immediately casts abless spell followed by a heal spell, the spellneeded to create a charge in the staff. (Heal isnecessary since the staff can be used to restoresanity.) As Shayla is llth level, she can only casta single 6th level heal spell. Instead of giving up,however, she decides to sleep for 8 hours andthen pray for the spell so that she can cast itagain. She stretches out on her pallet beside thenow-glittering staff.

Eight hours later, the priestess wakes andbegins her supplications for a heal spell. Theprayers take 1 hour, so 9 have passed since shestarted. Taking a chance, Shayla casts another setof bless and heal spells. Should the item becomeunsanctified before the charge is absorbed, thespells will be lost. Fortunately, there are still 5hours remaining, so the second charge is alsoabsorbed. Shortly afterwards, the item is nolonger prepared.

The work done, the DM secretly makes savingthrows, one for each charge. The staff is a fairlypowerful magical item, so the DM allows a +4 tothe saving throw. The modified results are 19and 6. The first charge takes, but the second is afailure, perhaps due to some slight oversight onShayla's part.

Appendix A provides a list of the more com-mon chargeable magical items found in theDUNGEON MASTER" Guide and the Tome ofMagic. The appendix does not list every charge-able magical item that could exist, for DMs andplayers both have the ability to devise new itemsfor the game.

New magical items are recharged according tothe rules already given. In most cases there is lit-tle question concerning the spell(s) needed tocharge the item or the maximum number ofcharges. The spell should be the one that bestmatches the effect of the magical device and is ofequal or greater power. If no single spell exists,the DM can specify a combination of spellswhere each embodies a property of the device'seffect. Normally these are the same as the spellsneeded to provide charges when the device wasfirst created.

As for the maximum number of charges, thisis normally fixed when the item is created.However, if the number is unknown, decidewhat the device most closely resembles—wand,staff, or rod—and apply the charge limit forthat item.

136

The following is a list of some of the more common magical items that can be recharged. Magical itemsand spells that are in boldface are found in the Tome of Magic.

ItemDisintegration chamberRing of the ramRod of beguilingRod of securityRod of alertnessRod of passageStaff of powerStaff of slingingStaff of strikingStaff of curingStaff of commandTeleportation chamberWand of elemental transmogrificationWand of fireWand of polymorphingWand of conjurationWand of misplaced objectsWand of enemy detectionWand of magic missilesWand of paralyzationWand of corridorsWand of frostWand of fearWand of size alterationWand of secret door & trap locationWand of lightningWand of illuminationWand of illusionWand of metal and mineral detection

Spells Needed to RechargeDisintegrateBigby's clenched fistDominationGate and restorationAnimate objectAstral spellGlobe of invulnerabilitySpike stonesMagic missile or shillelaghHealChangestaff and charm monsterTeleportPolymorph any objectWall of firePolymorph self or polymorph otherPrismatic sprayThere/not thereTrue sightMagic missileHold monsterDigCone of coldCause fearEnlargeFind trapsLightning boltLight and fireballImproved phantasmal forceLocate object

137

Although many artifacts have their powers fullydescribed, there are just as many others that donot, and the tables for these are presented here.To determine the unlisted powers of an artifact,the DM need only find the appropriate table inthis section and then either select a power thatseems appropriate or roll the dice to come upwith one.

The multitude of tables provides broad cate-gories to define the various artifact powers,and DMs are urged to choose powers from thelists rather than rely on dice rolls. Blind chancecan easily lead to curious and illogical results,destroying the continuity of an artifact's natureand history. There are only a few items wherecompletely random selection is truly appropri-ate. This method works well for the Horn ofChange and possibly a device like the Machine ofLum the Mad, where randomness is a basictheme of the item, but it is applicable to fewothers.

In addition to selecting powers, the DM mustalso decide how the power is applied. A sug-gested use is given for most powers, but thiscan hardly account for all of the different possi-ble shapes and uses. A character can strike anenemy with the Sword of Kas, but it would bequite a trick with Heward's Mystical Organ. As aguideline, hand-held items (swords, scepters,etc.) should touch the target to activate a power,while those items that are worn are activatedby thought or a spoken command. The large,immobile items (like the Machine of Lum theMad) either have immediate effects on charac-ters or charge them with powers that can bereleased later. The Machine could, for example,immediately increase prime requisite abilityscores or lock in a character's mind the knowl-edge needed to cast a fireball (once, or evenonce per day!).

Most of the random artifact powers duplicateexisting spells and have the same restrictions.Clearly, as magical items, material componentsare never required. Spells that vary by levelshould operate as if cast by a 20th level wizardor priest (within the limitations of the spell)unless otherwise noted. Powers marked in italicboldface are taken from spells found in the Tomeof Magic.

Some of the random art i fact powers areunique. These are described where they appear,but because of the necessity to be brief, not everyrule can be covered. DMs are once more encour-aged to resolve these as they think best. Individ-ual judgements add to the campaign's uniqueflavor. As an aid to judging and designing newartifacts, each table has a brief description of itscategory.

Two tables given here—Table 29: Nature andTable 30: Necromancy—are never used in thisbook. This is not an oversight. These tables areprovided to round out the set for those DMswho want to design their own artifacts.

This set of tables cannot include every possi-ble power an artifact might have. In addition tothe tables here, there could be others for everyimaginable topic. Available space demands itstop somewhere, though. DMs wanting morevariety should add whatever powers theywant, creating new tables if they see the need.DMs with this ambition are not limited to theAD&D® game rules. Other genres, from horrorto science fiction, can also provide inspiration.For example, many of the mutations found inthe GAMMA WORLD® game could becomestrange and wonderful powers of a bizaareother-worldly device.

In short, have fun, experiment, and expand.

138

These powers primarily negate things, properties, and powers. Unlike offensive spells, the powershere are not intended to destroy those things properly in their place, but instead to remove enchant-ments, bindings, and the like that perhaps do not belong. The artifact can:

Die Roll12345678910

111213

14151617181920

PowerCast abjure (3/day)Cast avoidance between a creature and the user (1/day)Cast banishment by touch (1/week)Instantly dismiss an elemental (1/week)Cast dismissal upon any planar creature by touch (1/week)Cast dispel evil/dispel good (1/day)Cast dispel magic by touch (1/day)Cast holy word/unholy word (1/week)Cast Hornung's random dispatcher by touch (1/week)Cast imprisonment/freedom by touch. Imprisoned creatures can be freed by namingthem (1/month).Cast knock (3/day)Cast lower resistance (7/day)Have minor spell turning constantly in effect while the artifact is in hand. 1d4 isrolled to determine maximum level of spell turned whenever the user is affectedby a spell.Cast purify food & drink upon all items within a 10' radius of the artifact (7/day)Cast remove curse by touch (3/day)Have repel insects in a 10' radius constantly in effect while the artifact is in handCast repulsion upon one named creature (1/week)Cast spell turning for two turns duration (1/day)Dispel illusions within a 60' radius (3/day)Have turn wood constantly in effect while the artifact is in hand

139

Cataclysms can never be intentionally called upon by the artifact's owner. They occur at unplanned times.While a character might get lucky and trigger an incendiary cloud just as orcs storm the stronghold, the cata-clysm takes no sides. Human defenders and orc attackers are equally vulnerable to the artifact's vengeance;even the artifact's owner is fair game. All of the cataclysms described here affect an area one mile in diame-ter. Everything within that range is subject to the awful effects of the cataclysm. The artifact will:

Die Roll12

3

4

56

78

91011

1213

14

15

16

1718

1920

PowerCast Acid storm to rain down upon the area of effect for two full turns.Create a permanent aura of desolation that settles over the area of effect. Individuals ofgood alignment are haunted by terrifying dreams and suffer -2 penalties to THACO andsaving throw rolls while evil creatures gain +2 penalties to the same. Plants twist andwither, crops fail, and herds grow sickly.Blanket the area of effect with a blizzard, dropping temperatures to 0° F and inflicting 1d6points of damage per hour to those unsheltered. Overland movement is impossible. Thestorm lasts 1d6 + 12 hours and snows remain 1d3 days (summer), 2d6 days (spring/fall),or 2d20 days (winter).Ravage the area of effect with call lightning for 72 hours (432 bolts), randomly striking anytargets.Create a cloudkill spell upon the area of effect for 1d6 hours.Form a ring of creeping doom around the area of effect that constricts in a solid blanketinward, not diminishing until the center is reached (4 hours to reach center).Settle a death fog over the area of effect that remains in place for 2d20 rounds.Strike the area of effect with a permanent drought. All water present or brought into thearea of effect evaporates instantly.Strike the area of effect with an earthquake spell.Rain afire storm down upon the area of effect for 2d6 rounds.Flood the entire area of effect, destroying buildings and fields. All living creatures unableto fly risk drowning in the rushing waters. The waters recede to safe levels in 1d6 hoursbut remain covering land for 2d20 days.Sweep an incendiary cloud through the entire area of effect.Settle an insect plague upon the area of effect for 1d6 hours that, in addition to other spelleffects, destroys all vegetable matter.Instantly create a permanent magic-dead area of effect. Nonartifact magical items do notfunction within the zone, spellcasting is impossible, and all existing spells are instantlynegated, including permanent enchantments on creatures. Summoned beings areinstantly driven back to their own planes.Create a meteor swarm to rain down upon the area of effect for 1dl2 hours (8spheres/round, or 480/hour), randomly striking targets within the area of effect.Create a permanent spiral of degeneration that settles upon the area of effect. Only arti-facts remain unaffected.Create a permanent wildzone in the area of effect.Transfer the entire area of effect to a randomly chosen lower plane. The artifact is nottransported.Strike the entire area of effect with a storm of vengeance.Create permanent wolf spirits to guard the area of effect that are hostile to all nonanimallifeforms.

140

The powers of this table are associated withweapons, and as such they generally give advan-tages to their owner in melee combat. Thesepowers are different from those found on Table31: Personal Enhancement, which alter the pos-sessor's own abilities and scores. The powershere are effective only when the artifact itself isused as a weapon. The artifact can:

The powers on this table relate to the ability tosummon creatures or objects from other placesor to create things out of thin air. The artifactcan:

Die Roll123

456789

10

11

121314

15

16

17

18

19

20

PowerCause paralyzation by touch (3/day)Provide initiative each combat roundHave blur constantly in effect whilethe artifact is in handCast choose future (1/day)Provide double attacks per roundCast energy drain by touch (1/week)Cast fire shield (1/day)Cause an opponent to fumble (7/day)Cause an opponent to suffer greatermalison (7/day)Imbue the user with skills with theweapon, regardless of classCast harm upon an opponent struckby the weapon (1/week)Cast improved invisibility (1/day)Cast mirror image (7/day)Imbue the user with combat skillswith two weapons at no penaltyBe aware of its surroundings. Theuser is never struck from behind andnever suffers penalties for fighting indarkness.Cast slay living upon an opponentstruck by the weapon (1/week)Imbue the user with all benefits ofweapon specializationCast Tenser's transformation upon theuser (1/day)Function as a vampiric regenerationringCast warband quest (1/month)

Die Roll123

456

789

1011

1213

1415

1617

18

19

20

PowerCast aerial servant (1/week)Cast animal horde (1/month)Cast animal summoning I-III withthe user choosing the type of crea-ture summoned (1/day)Cast animate object (1/day)Cast call lightning (1/week)Cast a conjure elemental spell of theuser's choice (1/week)Cast Leomund's secure shelter (1/day)Cast fabricate (1/day)Call upon Leomund's secret chest atany time, using the chest to storethe artifact when not neededCast maze (I/week)Cast monster summoning I-VII withthe user choosing the type of mon-ster summoned (1/week)Cast prismatic sphere (1/week)Summon 1d4 berserkers as a horn ofValhalla (1/week)Summon a genie (1/week)Summon an invisible stalker(1/week)Cast summon shadow (1/week)Inscribe a symbol of the user's choice(1/week)Cast trap the soul upon a creature bytouch (1/month)Cast unseen servant to constantly beat hand and serve the userCast weather summoning (1/week)

141

These powers, unlike those on Table 11: Cataclysms, affect only the owner of the artifact. Once a curseis triggered, the presence of the artifact is not important, since the effect centers on the character andnot the item. Most curses end when the character voluntarily surrenders the artifact, whether it isgiven up, lost, or stolen. The artifact will:

Die Roll12345

6

78

910

11

12

1314

15

1617

18

19

20

PowerInstantly pollute all holy water within 30' of the userReduce the user's Charisma by 1d4 pointsInflict a -1 penalty on the user's saving throws vs. magicInflict a -2 penalty on the user's saving throws vs. poisonCause the user's touch to rot away wooden items the size of a bow or less in1d4 daysCause the user's touch to kill plants (inflicts 1d6 points of damage to plant-basedcreatures)Cause NPC reactions to the user to be never better than neutralInflict insatiable hunger upon the user, who must eat a full meal once everywaking hourInstantly change the gender of anyone handling the artifact for the first timeInflict deafness upon the user, who can only hear voices at a shout. Spellcastersmust shout their spells to be successful.Inflict an incurable disease upon the user. At the start of each month a savingthrow vs. death must be made to avoid losing 1 point of Constitution. When theuser's Constitution reaches 0, death occurs.Cause the user's touch to have a 50% chance of draining the magic from anynonartifact itemInflict 5dlO points of damage upon anyone handling the artifact for the first timeCause a 50% chance of the user being struck by a geas each time a power of theartifact is used. The geas must be completed before the artifact can be used again.Age the user 1dlO years each time the artifact is used. Although the user suffersall the effects of aging, death by old age is not possible as long as the artifact ispossessed.Afflict the user with lycanthropyCause the user's touch to be poisonous (successful saving throw vs. poison or 2dl2points of damage are inflicted)Inflict photosensitivity upon the user, who suffers a -1 penalty to all die rolls whileout in daylightCause the user's personal possessions to gradually disappear as if lost. Little thingsdisappear first, then larger possessions, until the user is stripped of all worldlygoods.Cause the user to become forgetful, starting with small details and progressinguntil full amnesia occurs

142

These powers are oriented toward finding anddiscovering things hidden, but not necessarilyunknown Thus, the table includes the power todetect poison, but not that of forseeing thefuture Learning what is not normally revealed,such as alignment, is covered on Table 16: Div-ination. Unless otherwise noted, these powersare in effect whenever the artifact is held orworn The artifact can

Divinations are the counterpart of detections,revealing things unknown or uncertain Unlikemost detections, these powers tend to revealintangibles—things that cannot and could neverhave been seen without the aid of the power Inmost cases the artifact must be touched to thedesired target of the power The artifact can

Die Roll1

2

3

4

5678910

11121314

1516

17181920

PowerProvide a +1 bonus to the user'ssurprise rolls while the artifact isin handImbue the user with all benefits ofthe appraisal proficiencyHave comprehend languages con-stantly in effect while the artifact isin handHave detect charm constantly ineffect while the artifact is in handCast detect evil/detect good (3/day)Detect illusions (3/day)Cast detect invisibility (3/day)Cast detect magic (3/day)Cast detect poison (3/day)Have detect snares & pits constantlyin effect while the artifact is inhandDetect stonework trapsCast detect undead (3/day)Cast emotion read (3/day)Cast extradimensional detection(3/day)Cast, find traps (1/day)Have infravision constantly ineffect while the artifact is in handCast locate object (3/day)Cast true seeing (1/day)Cast wizard eye (3/day)Cast wizard sight (3/day)

Die Roll1

23

45

6

7891011121314

151617

18

19

20

PowerCast analyze balance by touch(7/day)Cast augury (3/day)Permit the user to commune with adeity associated with the artifactAny question about the artifact orits powers will not be answered(1/week)Cast consequence (1/day)Permit the user to use contact otherplane through the artifact, whichselectively screens out all informa-tion relating to itself or its powers(1/week)Cast detect lie upon any creaturewithin 10' (3/day)Cast detect scrying (1/day)Cast, divination (1/day)Cast divine inspiration (1/day)Cast ESP by touch (3/day)Cast find the path (I/day)Cast foresight (1/week)Cast identify by touch (1/day).Cast know alignment by touch(3/day)Cast moment reading (3/day)Cast past life (3/day)Cast patternweave by touch(I/day)Cast personal reading upon a crea-ture by touch with no knowledgeof birth or other informationrequired (3/day)Cast read magic by touching theartifact to written material (3/day)Cast stone tell by touch (3/day)

143

These powers grant knowledge of or control over the elemental forces of Air. Most function iden-tically to the spell of the same name. Some are activated by the touch of the artifact while otherstransfer their power to the wielder. The artifact can:

Die Roll123456

789

1011121314151617

18

19

20

PowerCast aerial servant (1/week)Cast cloud of purification (2/day)Cast cloudkill (l/day)Cast conjure air elemental (1/week)Cast control winds (3/day)Create a windstorm equal to a djinni's whirlwind. The storm lasts for 1 full turn(1/day).Have feather fall constantly in effect while the artifact is in handCast % (3/day)Change the user (and all possessions carried) into a gaseous form, vulnerableonly to area-effect spells. The user can remain gaseous for 2d6 rounds and canmove at full normal movement rate (1/day).Cast gust of wind (5/day)Cast solid fog (1/day)Cast stinking cloud (3/day)Cast wall of fog (3/day)Cast weather summoning (1/day)Cast wind walk (1/day)Cast wind wall (1/day)Have zone of sweet air (10' radius) constantly surrounding the user while theartifact is in handOpen a portal to the Elemental Plane of Air. The passage can be traversed inboth directions and the portal remains open for 1 hour. Any creature can use theportal.Imbue the user with immunity to the hostile environment found on the Elemen-tal Plane of Air and the ability to fly through it normally while the artifact is inhand.Send messages in a fashion similar to a whispering wind. The user need onlyknow the name of the recipient before whispering a message to the sky. Theuser's voice will reach its target within 24 hours, if that person is on the sameplane (at will).

144

These powers grant knowledge of or control over the elemental forces of Fire. Most function iden-tically to the spell of the same name. Some are activated by the touch of the artifact while otherstransfer their power to the wielder. The artifact can:

Die Roll1234

56

78910111213

14151617

181920

PowerCast chariot of Sustarre (1/week)Cast conjure fire elemental (1/week)Cast delayed blast fireball (1/day)Imbue the user with the ability to breathe a cone of fire 30' _ 10', inflicting 1d6points of damage per level (1/day)Cast fire burst (3/day)Imbue the user with the ability to assume the form of a small fire elemental,changing body and possessions into flame. All within 5' suffer 2d6 points ofdamage each round (successful saving throw vs. spell halves) and the user'sphysical blows inflict 2d8 points of damage per hit. The user is immune to alltypes of fire. The form lasts 2d6 rounds.Cast fire shield (1/day)Cast fireball (3/day)Cast fireflow (3/day)Cast flame strike (1/day)Cast flame walk (3/day)Cast Forest's fiery constrictor (1/day)Imbue the user with immunity to the hostile environment found on the Elemen-tal Plane of Fire while the artifact is in handCast light (3/day)Cast Malec-Keth's flame fist (3/day)Have protection from fire constantly in effect while the artifact is in handImbue the user with the ability to sculpt normal fire by hand (no damage suf-fered). The fire can be fashioned into any shape the user is capable of making,but does not gain any special powers because of this. Sculpted fire holds its formfor 1d6 turns before reverting to normal.Cast sunray (1/day)Cast wall of fire (1/day)Open a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The passage can be traversed bothways and the portal remains open for 1 hour. Any creature can use the portal.

145

These powers grant knowledge of or control over the elemental forces of Water. Most functionidentically to the spell of the same name. Some are activated by the touch of the artifact while oth-ers transfer their power to the wielder. The artifact can:

Die Roll1234

567

89101112

1314

1516171819

20

PowerCast airy water (3/day)cast cone of cold (1/day)Cast conjure water elemental (1/week)Transform small quantities of liquids into holy water or unholy water (dependingupon the item's nature) by touch. Up to 1 pint can be so transformed (3/day).Cast create water (1/day)Cast ice storm (1/day)Shoot a watery blue beam at a single target. If struck, the target must roll a suc-cessful saving throw vs. death. If the saving throw is failed, the target is slain as itmelts into a puddle of ooze. If the save is successful, the target still suffers 2d8points of damage. This power is not effective on water-based creatures or thosethat lack solid structure (puddings, oozes, etc.) (1/day).Empower any basin of water to function like a magic font spell by touch (1/day)Cast metamorphose liquids by touch (at will)Cast Otiluke's freezing sphere (1/day)Cast part water (3/day)Imbue the user with immunity to the hostile environment found on the ElementalPlane of Water and with the ability to breath normally there while the artifact is inhand.Render any small body of water into a reflecting pool (1/day)Imbue the user with all sailing and navigation proficiencies for as long as the arti-fact is in the user's possessionTransform any small body of water into a time pool (1/day)Cast wall of ice (1/day)Imbue the user with water breathing while the artifact is in handImbue the user with the abilities of water walk while the artifact is in handTransform the user's body into liquid. The character can move through water atnormal movement speeds and take the form of a water weird. The user retains allnormal abilities but cannot venture more than 30' away from a large body ofwater. The user is immune to water-based attacks and suffers only half damagefrom electrical attacks. Fire-based attacks cause double damage, while cold-basedspells cause no damage but force the user to revert back into true form. Thepower lasts for 1d6 hours or until cancelled by the user (1/day).Open a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water. The passage can be traversed bothways and the portal remains open for 1 hour. Any creature can use the portal.

146

These powers grant knowledge of or controlover the elemental forces of Earth. Most functionidentically to the spell of the same name. Someare activated by the touch of the artifact whileothers transfer their power to the wielder. Theartifact can:

The powers on this table are charms, holds, sug-gestions, and other abilities to influence theminds of creatures. Most operate directlythrough the artifact—the owner must presentthe device boldly when activating the power.The targets are then possibly entranced by thepower radiating from the artifact.

Die Roll12

3

4

5

6

78

910

11121314151617181920

PowerCast animate rock by touch (1/day)Imbue the user with the ability toappraise gems and jewelry as longas the artifact is in the user's posses-sionCast conjure earth elemental(1/week)Imbue the user with the ability todetect depth underground as adwarf while the artifact is in handImbue the user with the ability todetect gems while the artifact is inhandImbue the user with the ability todetect stonework traps as a dwarfwhile the artifact is in handCast earthquake (1/month)Cast fist of stone upon the user(3/day)Cast flesh to stone by touch (1/day)Imbue the user with the gem cuttingproficiencyCast meld into stone (3/day)Cast move earth (1/week)Cast passwall (1/day)Cast sink (1/week)Cast stone shape (3/day)Cast stone tell (3/day)Cast stoneskin (1/day)Cast transmute rock to mud (1/day)Cast wall of stone (1/day)Open a portal to the ElementalPlane of Earth. The passage can betraversed both ways and the portalremains open for 1 hour. Any crea-ture can use the portal.

Die Roll1

2

3456

789101112

131415

161718

19

20

PowerIncrease the user's Charisma scoreby 3, with the enhancement onlyaffecting the opposite gender. Theuser need not present the artifact,but the power vanishes when theartifact is no longer possessed.Imbue the user with the effects ofanimal friendship while the artifact isin handCast charm monster (1/day)Cast charm person (2/day)Cast charm plants (5/day)Cast cloak of bravery/cloak of fear(2/day)Cast command (7/day)Cast confusion (1/day)Cast demand (1/week)Cast domination (1/week)Cast: emotion (1/day)Imbue the user's gaze with theeffects of cause fear while the deviceis in handCast feeblemind by touch (1/week)Cast forget by touch (3/day)Cast geas by touch. The missionmust relate to the goals of the arti-fact, if any (I/month).Cast hold person (1/day)Cast hypnotism (1/day)Cast Otto's irresistible dance by touch(1/day)Cast quest by touch. The missionmust relate to the goals of the arti-fact, if any (1/month).Cast suggestion (3/day).

147

This table is a collection of powers where the user benefits from good fortune. Some powers arestraightforward, many are unusual, and a few are quite potent. These powers tend to be automatic aslong as the user possesses the artifact. The artifact can:

Die Roll123

4

5678

9

101112

1314

15161718

19

20

PowerGrant a +1 bonus to all of the user's saving throw rollsGrant a +1 bonus to the user's THACOGrant a +1 bonus (assuming a high roll is good) to all instances of dicing for adivision of treasure, including magical items (but not other artifacts). This bonus ismandatory and cannot be declined by the user.Permanently imbue the user with all knowledge of the gambling proficiency. If theuser is already is proficient in gambling, the ability score improves by 1 point.Grant a +1 bonus to the user's encounter reaction rollsImbue the user with natural luck in combat, granting a +1 bonus to all surprise rollsGrant a -1 bonus on all of the user's initiative rollsGrant the user a change of luck. Once per game day, the player can choose to haveany single die roll rerolled—an attack roll, damage roll, resurrection survival roll,etc. The second roll is the actual result.Grant the user incredible luck. Once per game week, the user's player can choose toalter any situation by naming an incredible coincidence, as long as it does notinvolve magical items or directly cause the death of a creature, and that event willoccur. For example, an evil wizardess could be made to trip over her own robes inthe middle of spellcasting, but could not fall off a cliff to her death.Grant the user's adventuring group automatic surprise (1/week)Allow the user to always find suitable work, regardless of status or skillsPrevent the user from ever being completely destitute. Should all of the user's fundsbe consumed, some lucky chance happens to provide just enough to get by—areward, coins in the street, a kind stranger, etc. The amount found is never much,but it sees to basic needs.Always grant fair sailing winds to any ship or wind-powered vessel the user is onPrevent the user from ever being the target of pick-pockets, thieves, house-breakers,or con artists—except for those who are specifically after the artifact. The powerdoes not prevent general hold-ups by bandits and the like, only individual thefts.Cause merchants to never overcharge the user, always offering the best dealsPrevent the user from ever getting lostAllow the user to always sell goods at 50% greater than normal pricesPrevent the user from ever going hungry. If the user is unable to buy or find food,some fortunate circumstance occurs to provide a meal. A deer may wander too closeto camp, or an innkeeper may extend the hand of charity.Cause the user to always appear innocent of crimes. The user is never suspected oraccused of a crime unless there is no other possibility. Even then, plausibleexplanations cause a reaction roll to see if the story is accepted.Cause all spells cast by the user to operate at maximum effect

148

These powers undo the woes and harms of the world and make it a better place. Most are triggered bya touch of the artifact to the person healed or cured. Only a few are constantly in effect. The artifactcan:

Die Roll1234

5678

91011

121314

15161718

1920

PowerConstantly provide the user with the benefits of accelerated healingCast aid (5/day)Cast breath of life (1 /week)Render one creature permanently immune to a specific disease or poison by touch(1/week)Cast cure blindness or deafness (3/day)Cast cure critical wounds (2/day)Cast cure disease (3/day)Cure insanity or restore the mind of one affected by feeblemind or similar spells(1/week)Cast cure light wounds (7/day)Cast cure serious wounds (3/day)Purge from a body the effects of any drug, including drunkenness, by touch(1/day)Cast heal (1 /day)Grant the user the power to heal as per the paladin's ability to lay on handsRestore hit points to the user by draining 1d6 points from every other creaturewithin 10'. The drained points are added to the user's but cannot exceed theoriginal hit point total.Cast neutralize poison (3/day)Cast raise dead (1 /week)Cast regenerate (1 /week)Place a creature in stasis, halting all further decay and damage. The inert body isimmune to gases, fire, cold, or lack of oxygen, but can still be harmed by physicalattacks. Damage from these attacks is subtracted immediately, but death does notoccur until the stasis is lifted. No further damage affects the body but all damagesuffered and poisons still in the system continue their normal course as soon as thestasis is ended. Only willing targets can be placed in stasis and the effect lasts 1week or until the user of the artifact cancels it. Those in stasis are completely inert,including all mental and psionic powers (1/week).Cause all healing spells applied to the user to be doubly effectiveErase scars and other disfigurements caused by battle (at will)

149

These powers are similar to those found on Table 33: Protections, preventing the user of the artifact fromcoming to harm. Those found here, however, are much more sweeping—these provide a complete shieldto some effect. Unless otherwise noted, immunities are constantly in effect—the character need onlyhave the artifact at hand to gain the benefit. The artifact can:

Die Roll1

2

345

6

789

10

11

12

1314

151617

18

19

20

PowerImbue the user with immunity to all normal diseases—colds, flu, black death, evenfood poisoning. This does not include diseases caused by spells or monsters (such asmummy rot).Imbue the user with immunity to all magical diseases. While it offers no protectionfrom something as mundane as a cold or flu, the immunity does work against dis-eases like mummy rot and the results of cause disease spells.Imbue the user with immunity to all forms of disease, both normal and magicalImbue the user with immunity to magically caused fearImbue the user with immunity to all forms of gas. The user must still breathe, how-ever, and so could suffocate or drown.Imbue the user with immunity to charm- and hold-based spells and spell-likeeffects—except those caused by artifactsImbue the user with immunity to missiles from magic missile spellsImbue the user with immunity to all forms of psionicsImbue the user with immunity to all magical mental attacks. The character is still vul-nerable to psionic attacks.Imbue the user with immunity to all forms of paralysis, including all hold-basedspells, the results of web and entangle spells, and the likeImbue the user with immunity to cold temperatures as low as -50°. Saving throw rollsvs. magical cold gain a +2 bonus.Imbue the user with a magic resistance of 20% or grant a 20% bonus to any existingmagic resistanceImbue the user with immunity to all forms of poisonImbue the user with immunity to normal fire and provide a +2 bonus to saving throwrolls vs. all forms of magical fireImbue the user with immunity to all forms of electrical attackImbue the user with immunity to energy drainingImbue the user with immunity to illusions, always revealing these as shadowy forms.This power does not reveal anything where the physical form has actually beenchanged, such as polymorphed objects or creatures.Serve as a moral guide. Whenever the user intends something evil or unlawful, theartifact delivers a powerful, numbing shock. No damage is taken, but the user is para-lyzed for 1d6 rounds. The shocks end when the character gives up the intention or thetemptation is gone. Note that this power is only suitable for lawful good varieties ofartifacts.Imbue the user with immunity to polymorph and shapechanging spells and spell-likeeffectsImbue the user with immunity to petrification.

150

The powers on this table are a collection of powerful spells, many of which do not fit well into anyother category. These powers must be invoked directly from the artifact and work identically to thespells named. The artifact can:

Die Roll1-34-78-1011-1314-1718-2021-2324-2627-3031-3334-3637-4041-4344-4647-50

PowerCast age object (I/day)Cast animate dead (1/day)Cast blade barrier (1/day)Cast cause critical wounds (1/day)Cast cause serious wounds (3/day)Cast control undead (3/day)Cast control weather (I/day)Cast destruction (1/week)Cast forcecage (1/day)Cast globe of invulnerability (1/day)Cast harm (1/day)Cast hold monster (2/day)Cast liveoak (3/day)Cast magic jar (1/day)Cast mindshatter (1/week)

51-53

54-57

58-6061-6363-6768-7071-7374-7677-8081-8384-8687-9091-9596-100

Cast Mordenkainen's disjunction(1/day)Cause ghoul-like paralysis bytouch (3/day)Cast physical mirror (1/day)Cast prismatic spray (1/day)Cast resurrection (1/week)Cast reverse gravity (1/day)Cast shades (1/day)Cast spacewarp (1/day)Cast telekinesis (3/day)Cast time stop (1/week)Cast veil (1/day)Cast wall of force (1/day)Cast wall of thorns (1/day)Cast wither (1/week).

151

This table contains all of the minor powers that accompany many artifacts. All of these powersfunction as the spells of the same names and only work when the artifact is pointed at or touched tothe target or area of effect. The artifact can:

Die Roll

2-34-56-78

9-10

12-1314-15

1617-1819-2021-22

23-2425-2627-28

293031

32-3334

35-3638-39

4041

42-4344-45

46

Power 1 Cast accelerate healing (5/day)

Cast audible glamer (7/day)Cast bless (7/day)Cast burning hands (5/day)Cast call upon faith (5/day)Cast call woodland beings (5/day)

11 Cast calm chaos (5/day)Cast chill touch (5/day)Cast color spray (5/day)Cast contagion (3/day)Cast continual darkness (3/day)Cast continual light (3/day)Cast control temperature, 10' radius(5/day)Cast create food and water (5/day)Cast curse (5/day)Cast dancing lights (5/day)Cast darkness, 15' radius (3/day)Cast dispel magic (3/day)Cast dust devil (5/day)Cast enlarge (3/day)Cast enthrall (5/day)Cast Evard's black tentacles (3/day)Cast faerie fire (5/day)Cast fear (3/day)Cast fire purge (5/day)Cast flame arrow (5/day)Cast flaming sphere (5/day)Cast gaze reflection (3/day)

47-4849-5051-5253-54

5556-57

5859-60

6162-63

6465-6667-6869-7071-7273-74

7576-7778-79

808182

83-8485-8687-8889-9091-9293-9596-9899-100

Cast glyph of warding (3/day)Cast grease (7/day)Cast hold animal (5/day)Cast hold plant (5/day)Cast hypnotic pattern (3/day)Cast invisibility (3/day)Cast levitate (5/day)Cast magic missile (5/day)Cast music of the spheres (5/day)Cast phantasmal force (3/day)Cast phantasmal killer (3/day)Cast plant growth (5/day)Cast polymorph other (3/day)Cast protection from cantrips (7/day)Cast shadow monsters (3/day)Cast shocking grasp (5/day)Cast shout (3/day)Cast silence, 15' radius (3/day)Cast sleep (5/day)Cast slow (3/day)Cast slow poison (7/day)Cast spike growth (3/day)Cast stinking cloud (5/day)Cast stone shape (5/day)Cast summon lycanthrope (3/day)Cast tongues (5/day)Cast trip (5/day)Cast vampiric touch (3/day)Cast web (5/day)Cast wizard lock (5/day).

152

These powers enhance the ability to manueverand travel quickly. Since most artifacts cannotcarry the user, these powers are activated whenthe artifact is in hand. The artifact can:

These powers are coveted by players, due totheir powerful punch. Unlike those powersassociated with Table 12: Combat, the oneslisted here are not limited to weapons or hand-to-hand combat. These powers must be trig-gered from the artifact and most function as thespell of the same name. The artifact can:

Die Roll1234

567891011121314151617181920

PowerCast air walk (2/day)Cast blink (3/day)Cast dimensional folding (1/day)Imbue the user with double thenormal overland movement rate aslong as the artifact is in handCast flame walk (3/day)Cast fly (2/day)Cast free action (1/day)Cast haste (1 /day)Cast jump (5/day)Cast pass without trace (3/day)Cast passwall (1/day)Cast rainbow bridge (1/day)Cast shadow walk (1/day)Cast spider climb (3/day)Cast teleport without error (1/day)Cast transport via plants (3/day)Cast water walk (5/day)Cast wind walk (1/day)Cast word of recall (1/day)Cast wraithform (1/day).

Die Roll123

456

7

891011121314151617181920

PowerCast age creature (1/day)Cast Bigby's crushing hand (1/day)Fire a black beam of death thatcauses 2d8 points of damage toany creature successfully hit. Thebeam's range is 100 yards (5/day)Cast cause critical wounds (1/day)Cast chain lightning (1/day)Cast claws of the umber hulk(1/day)Inflict an equal amount of damageupon any creature that inflicts non-spell damage upon the userCast disintegrate (1/week)Cast finger of death (1/week)Cast fireball (1 /day)Cast flame strike (1/day)Cast lightning bolt (1/day)Cast mindshatter (1/day)Cast power word, blind (1/day)Cast power word, stun (1/day)Cast power word, kill (1/week)Cast shape change (1/week)Cast suffocate (1 /week)Cast vanish (1/week)Cast weird (1/week).

153

The powers of this table are related to plants,animals, and weather. Most function as spells.Other powers are explained below. The artifactcan:

These deadly powers are among the mosthideous known for artifacts. All affect the life-force of creatures. Unless otherwise noted, theartifact must touch the target for the power to beeffective. The artifact can:

Die Roll1

23

4

567

8910

1112

1314

15

1617181920

PowerHave animal friendship constantly ineffect as long as the artifact is in handCast animal growth (3/day)Transfer one of a creature's powers tothe user by touch. This can includeAC, movement, senses, or any non-combat special ability. The transferlasts 1 hour and then fades (3/day).Imbue the user with the ability to seethrough the eyes of any normal ani-mal. The creature must be withinsight and within 60' of the artifact atthe time of activation. The powerlasts 1d3 turns (3/day).Cast animal summoning III (2/day)Cast call lightning (1/day)Protect the user as if a cloak ofelvenkind were wornCast charm plants (3/day)Cast entangle (3/day)Heighten one of the user's senses—keen hearing, infravision, superiorsmell, etc., granting a +1 bonus to allsurprise rollsCast hold animal (3/day)Have pass without trace constantly ineffect as long as the artifact is in handCast plant growth (3/day)Imbue the user with the ability to usespeak with plants at willImbue the user with the ability to usespeak with animals at willCast transport via plants (1/day)Cast wall of thorns (1/day)Cast warp wood (3/day)Cast weather summoning (1/day)Cast anti-plant shell (1/day).

Die Roll1

23

4

5678910111213

1415

1617

181920

PowerCast Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting(1/day)Cast animate dead (3/day)Cast Bloodstone's frightful joining(2/day)Cast Bloodstone's spectral steed(1/day)Cast breath of death (1/day)Cast cause blindness (1/day)Cast chill touch (3/day)Cast contagion (2/day)Cast control undead (2/day)Cast death spell (1/week)Cast energy drain (1/week)Cast feign death (3/day)Create a window to the border of thenegative material plane that remainsopen for 1 hour. Creatures can passthrough freely from both sides.Cast slay living (1 /week)Imbue the user with the ability touse speak with dead at will, as long asthe artifact is in handCast summon shadow (1/week)Transform the user into an undeadcreature. The user retains all originalhit points and abilities and gains theimmunities of an undead creature.In addition, the user is not affectedby gasses or poisons that wouldharm a living being. The conditionlasts 1d6 turns (1/day).Cast vampiric touch (3/day)Cast wail of the banshee (1/week)Cast wither (1/week).

154

Aside from the massive powers of artifacts, these are powers many player characters dreamabout—the undeserved rewards of simply finding an artifact. Unlike many other powers, thosegiven here can be used virtually without restriction. Unless otherwise stated, these powers last aslong as the character owns the artifact. A few are noted as permanent, remaining with the charactereven after the artifact is gone. Permanent powers take effect as soon as the artifact is touched, butonly once per adventuring group (or until the owner is dead). The artifact can:

Die Roll1234567

891011121314151617181920

PowerCast alter self at willCast clairaudience at willCast clairvoyance at willHave animal friendship constantly in effectProvide the user with the effects of deeppockets, regardless of what is wornImbue the user with invisibility to undeadShield the user constantly with protection from evil/protection from good (as appropri-ate to the artifact)Regenerate 2 of the user's hit points per turnCast feign death at willCast friends at willCast lasting breath at willProvide the user with a permanent +1 bonus to saving throw rollsPermanently increase the user's prime requisite score(s) by 1Permanently imbue the user with the ability to use comprehend languages at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use negative plane protection at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use speak with monsters at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use speak with animals at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use speak with plants at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use water breathing at willPermanently imbue the user with the ability to use ventriloquism at will.

155

156

The powers of this table transcend the limitations of a single realm of existence, allowing the char-acter access to other dimensions. These powers only function when the artifact is present and mostrequire that it be activated by a specific command. The artifact can:

Die Roll1234

5678

9

101112131415

16

171819

20

PowerCast astral spell (1/week)Cast astral window (1/week)Cast binding (1/week)Cast contact higher plane about any topic other than the artifact or its powers(1/week)Cast dimension door (1/day)Energy drain one level/hit die from an opponent on a successful touch (1/day)Cast estate transference (1/month)Open a gate to a particular island of protomatter in the ethereal plane 100' x 100'across. This can be used by the character as a residence, storage place, or evenprison (2/day).Create a 10' x 10' ethereal window, allowing viewing of whatever lies beyond. Thewindow is one-sided, so those being viewed do not know it is there. Steppingthrough the window strands the person in the ethereal plane (1/day).Cast exaction (1/week)Cast extradimensional manipulation (1 /week)Cast gate (1 /week)Cast Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion (2/week)Imbue the user with the ability to phase like a phase spider (2/day)Imbue the user with immunity to the hostile environment of one plane (chosen bythe DM). The power lasts as long as the user possesses the artifact.Open a window to any outer plane. Nothing can pass through the window, butevents can be seen and heard in both directions (1/week).Cast plane shift (1/week)Cast speak with astral traveler (1/day)Summon one non-deity from the outer planes. The name or type of creature mustbe known. Obedience or service is not guaranteed (1/month).Cast wish (1/month).

157

This table contains a collection of powers that enhance the safety of the artifact's owner and, insome cases, any companions present. Unlike Table 24: Immunities, not all of these powers are con-stant or 100% effective. Some function all the time, some require the artifact to be in hand, and oth-ers must be invoked by the user. The artifact can:

Die Roll12345678

910

1112

1314151617

1819

20

PowerGrant an Armor Class bonus of 2 to the user when heldFunction as a ring of protection +2 when heldCast anti-magic shell (1/day)Cast anti-plant shell (2/day)Cast armor upon any creature the artifact touches (5/day)Protect the user constantly with the effects of a feather fall spellCast fire shield (1/day)Generate a sphere of forbiddance, 15' in radius, centered on the artifact. This forbid-dance is not permanent (as is the spell), having a duration of only 2d6 hours. It canbe password locked, however (1/week).Have mind blank in effect as long as the artifact is in handHave negative plane protection constantly in effect as long as the artifact is in hand,with no saving throw necessaryHave non-detection constantly in effect as long as the artifact is in handHave protection from normal missiles constantly in effect as long as the artifact is inhandHave protection from lightning constantly in effect as long as the artifact is in handHave protection from fire constantly in effect as long as the artifact is in handHave protection from paralysis constantly in effect as long as the artifact is in handHave shield in effect when the artifact is boldy presented (5/day)Cast thief's lament on any nonliving item of chest size or smaller by touch. Theeffect is permanent (1 /week)Cast unceasing vigilance of the holy sentinel (1/week)Cast undead ward upon a 100' x 100' cube. The undead are turned as if by an 18thlevel priest (1/week)Cast zone of truth (1/week).

158

Power

Personal Enhancement

Personal Enhancement

Personal Enhancement

Personal Enhancement

Personal Enhancement

Abjuration

Abjuration

Abjuration

Abjuration

Abjuration

Abjuration

Enchant/Charm

Enchant/Charm

Enchant/Charm

Enchant /Charm

Enchant/Charm

Cataclysm

Cataclysm

Cataclysm

Conjuration

Conjuration

Conjuration

Stop Settings Song

159

By permission of TSR Inc this page may be reproduced for personal use only 1993 TSR Inc All Rights Reserved

Character Record SheetsA handy place to note vital statis-tics, equipment, and treasure foreasy reference during play.

Player's Handbook SupplementsGo beyond the basics! Customize your character withspecialized "kits"—from the barbarian warrior to theacrobatic thief. Discover more detail about your PC'sclass or race, more equipment and new magic, plus asmorgasbord of tips for better play. New options andrules interest DMs too.

Complete Fighter's HandbookComplete Priest's HandbookComplete Thief's HandbookComplete Wizard's HandbookComplete Psionics HandbookComplete Bard's HandbookComplete Book of DwarvesComplete Book of ElvesComplete Book of Gnomes and Halflings

DUNGEON MASTER" DecksBanish page-flipping; now the information you needis at your fingertips! Over 400 reference cards perdeck. Each card sums up a single spell, item, orsubject—with symbols for quick identification.

• Deck of Wizard Spells• Deck of Priest Spells• Deck of Magical Items• Deck of Encounters ('94; DM's tool)

Book of ArtifactsArtifacts are rare, magical items of phenomenalpower. This coveted collection features long-buriedfavorites from the original AD&D tomes, all greatlyexpanded for AD&D 2nd Edition players. Alsoincluded: items native to TSR campaign worlds, plusimportant new discoveries. You'll even learn how tocreate artifacts for your own campaign!

Monstrous ManualThe "all star line-up" for the AD&D®game, with spectacular full-colorillustrations. Includes over 600creatures: every monster fromVolumes 1 and 2 of theMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®series, plus favorites from TSRcampaign worlds and many creaturesnever seen elsewhere. A must-havefor every DM.

DUNGEON MASTER ScreenThis self-standing cardboard screenputs vital combat and encountertables right before your eyes. Plus,it hides secret maps and informationfrom players.

1. Start with the basic game rules:Player's Handbook.

2. Add the essentials for runningyour own game: DUNGEONMASTER™ Guide, MonstrousManual, DUNGEON MASTERScreen.

3. Choose a TSR campaign setting(see front) or create your ownworld using DM supplementsand the Historical ReferenceSeries.

Player's Guides to Campaign WorldsAn "explorer's view" of each AD&D® campaignsetting. New for '93:

• Player's Guide to theDRAGONLANCE® Campaign

• Player's Guide to theFORGOTTEN REALMS® Campaign

"Challenge" Adventure SeriesPlay one-on-one™ adventures with your DM oradventure with a small group. Helps low-levelcharacters build experience.

• Fighter's Challenge• Wizard's Challenge• Thief's Challenge• Cleric's Challenge

Tome of MagicFeaturing over 200 new wizard and priest spells plus ahost of magical items. Introduces optional forms ofmagic. No DM or spellcasting character should bewithout this tome for long!

Historical Reference Series(Campaign Sourcebooks)History with a twist—just in time. The tools you needto adapt historical settings to the AD&D fantasygame.

VikingsCharlemagne's PaladinsCeltsA Mighty FortressThe Glory of Rome

Dragon Mountain™The DRAGON MOUNTAIN boxed set is theultimate Dungeon Master's fantasy! It's the world'smost deluxe dungeon, designed to appeal to discrimi-nating and demanding role-players

DUNGEON MASTER™ Guide SupplementsAdd depth to your campaign and bring your adven-tures to life:• Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide

(Running a successful campaign anywhere;carving out subterranean thrills)

• Castle Guide (Adventure in a feudal society—from knightly codes to castle construction)

• Arms and Equipment Guide(Handy for players too!)

• Monster Mythology(Gods and myths of nonhuman races)

• Creative Campaigning (Alternate rules andinnovative settings for extraordinary games)

9 & ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.