Artifacts
Artifacts are items endowed with magical or divine power. They are so unique and prized that characters encounter them only very rarely.
Unlike items that an alchemist can make, artifacts are always permanent and cannot be destroyed by ordinary means.
Few succeed in making them - only a handful of masters of their field (powerful wizards, alchemists) and also the gods, and even they often manage to create only a single artifact in their whole life - only very few have made more.
Cursed Artifacts
Artifacts made with the intent to harm their owner are called cursed. Weapons, armor, necklaces, rings and other items can be cursed. If a character puts on a cursed item, the curse starts to take effect (sometimes activation conditions are required, such as an activity, an attribute of the character, a spoken word and so on).
An activated cursed item cannot be taken off, and in many cases the character will resist doing so. The curse can be broken by a spell, a prayer or a deed, and the character will resist that too. Given the evil nature of the curse, it has no effect on characters protected against evil.
Necklace of the Undead
Price: 1000 gp
The Necklace of the Undead lets its wearer control the undead as if he had one additional feat of Sorcery “Undead” (within Necromancy), and thus the corresponding bonuses.
All spells that create, control or otherwise affect the undead cost only half the price.
The necklace has one drawback connected with wearing it: whoever puts it on partially loses his normal sight and gains the vision of the undead - he perceives the auras radiating from living beings, but of non-living things he sees only their silhouettes.
The Diamond Goblet
Price: priceless
You will hardly find a more precious artifact in the whole world than the Diamond Goblet. This beautiful object was once cut from an enormous piece of diamond by long-forgotten gods from the beginnings of our worlds.
The goblet often passed from one owner to another - the gods gave it to the King of the World. A dark sorcerer wrenched it from the king's hands, the gods of another world took it from him, a mighty warrior won the goblet from them, and this has been repeating for all eternity.
Many years ago the goblet, for which dozens of empires perished, was hidden outside the known world in an unknown dimension, where it is guarded by an immortal hundred-handed giant with three heads. According to legend, no spells, swords or power of the gods can harm the giant.
What power is hidden in the goblet for which thousands of humans, elves and gods have perished?
A god who drinks clear water from the goblet every day becomes twice as powerful as before.
If one of the immortals (elves) drinks from the goblet, he becomes invincible: he gains a +3 bonus to all rolls, spells cost him only half the price (his mana is fully replenished by drinking from the goblet), when casting sorcery spells he feels unshakable assurance (+5 to casting) and he becomes invulnerable to all non-magical weapons.
A mortal who is granted a drink every day from the Diamond Goblet, does not age, does not tire, and the drink fully heals him of any disease or injury. Moreover, he is much stronger than ever before - he gains a +5 bonus to all rolls.
A dead person whose throat has blood poured into it from the Diamond Goblet comes back to life and remains in the world as long as he drinks blood from the goblet every day.
Dizaj's Necklace
Price: 500 gp
This is a cursed necklace made by the mad hermit Dizaj. Dizaj hated wizards and magic in general, and so he made this artifact against them.
If a character puts the necklace on, he cannot cast any sorcery or nature spell. The character cannot remove the necklace himself, and will resist its removal. Any other character can take the necklace off if they tie the victim up or do it while the victim sleeps.
Note: The necklace has no effect on characters who cannot cast spells, and they can take it off themselves.
Dorin's Axe
Price: priceless
In olden times this weapon belonged to the mightiest dwarven ruler and warrior, King Dorin.
Every dwarf hears legends of Dorin the Valiant from childhood and would give a fortune for a mere glimpse of his axe. If some dwarf managed to find it, he could become the ruler of all clans and gain the title of High King. If perhaps someone other than a dwarf obtained it, all dwarves would go to war against him.
The legend further says that the axe lies hidden in Dorin's tomb, somewhere in the Arthari Mountains. Many dwarves set out every year into the mountains, trying to find the axe. In reality Dorin wields it in the Abyss in an endless fight with the Demon Lord, so the axe is lost to mortals.
The axe itself is a perfect weapon, perfectly balanced, with a silver-colored blade and a handle studded with gems. The blessing of the gods gives it unearthly power, thanks to which it can guide the warrior's hand precisely, so it makes even a poor warrior a capable opponent, and a mighty warrior invincible. It raises Rfx to 15 (or adds +3 to Rfx).
A warrior who wields it never loses hope, is protected against spells (+10 to AM), and once in his life the axe can save him from certain death.
It can hit magical creatures including incorporeal ones (Destroyer of Magical Monsters), it does not require as much strength (Lightening), so it is possible to fight with it in one hand, and it is very, very sharp (Perfect Sharpness).
The Dagger of Chaos
Price: 5000 gp
This weapon is undoubtedly one of the works of Chaos. At first glance it is an ordinary weapon with a purplish blade, but in reality it is an enchanted weapon. It can guide its wielder's hand, adding +5 to Str and Rfx, but there is one catch. If the attack roll with the dagger is divisible by three, instead of wounding the victim it hits someone else. If no one else is within reach, instead of damage it heals the person by 1 level. No Control of Chance can be used when fighting with the Dagger of Chaos.
The Thunder Hammer
Price: 10,000 gp
According to legend, Dwatah once fought Helkaglin with the Thunder Hammer for rule over the icy peaks of the Arthari Mountains. Dwatah won gloriously and drove Helkaglin and her barbarians far away to the cold south. It is not certain whether this is the same hammer, but its properties are truly remarkable:
In combat it gives off loud thunder that causes severe pain to everyone within 10 meters (except the hammer's owner): Whoever fails a Con + 2d6 / 18 roll has a -3 penalty to speed. It also carries the enchantments Magical Strength and Brutal Strength.
As Dwatah's weapon it is, naturally, of archmaster quality.
The Staff of Chaos
Price: 1000 gp
The Staff of Chaos is a mysterious artifact from ancient times. It is glossy black and its head is adorned with a black diamond. At medium range it can wound any character (or damage a thing) for any number of health points, but it wounds the user of the staff just as much.
Staffs of Chaos are rare, because with every use the staff has a 2d6 / 12 chance of vanishing. Vanishing does not destroy the staff, it only teleports it to another world.
The Magic Bottle
Price: 1000 gp
The Magic Bottle looks like an ordinary glass bottle half full of water.
The inside of the bottle opens into the sphere of Water, from where its contents are constantly replenished with clear water. You can draw a liter of water from the bottle at a time. It refills within a minute.
Conversely, if someone pours, sprinkles or throws something into the bottle, that thing vanishes from the bottle and passes into the sphere of Water.
The Crystal Sword
Price: 10,000 gp
The Crystal Sword was made a thousand years ago by the elven smith Nevelin. He ground the blade from a piece of rock crystal and studded the hilt with clear diamonds. He put a powerful spell into the weapon that gives it the power to guide the owner's hand and protects the weapon from damage. It thus contains the enchantments Perfect Sharpness, Diamond Hardness and Magical Strength, and has a +5 bonus to speed.
It is said that the Crystal Sword was stolen from Nevelin by imps, who forgot it in a mountain cave. Since then the Crystal Sword has not been seen and Nevelin searches for it in vain.
Bow of the Goddess Tanalé
Price: 10,000 gp
This bow (or rather set of bows) was the goddess Tanalé's gift to her faithful. Mostly it is owned by her high priests, but some pieces can be found elsewhere too. The bow carries the enchantment Long Range (it has half the penalties for distance), for its 100 lb it needs much lower strength (5 lower requirements) and it loads itself (Quick Loading).
It has one more special ability. Its arrow causes the struck victim to fall violently in love with the first person (of the opposite sex) they see. This is a roll:
MR + 2d6 / 15 + 2d6
If the arrow hits a magical creature, it may destroy it on the spot:
Dan + 2d6 / 10
The Sword of Luck
Price: 10,000 gp
The Sword of Luck is a magic weapon with no combat bonus but with one interesting property: the owner of the sword may three times a day reroll a roll that failed (it must be a roll related to the sword, i.e. an attack roll, a defense roll or a speed roll).
Some swords of luck allow more frequent rerolls (these are much rarer) or may have another magical property.
Besides swords of all types, you can also find axes, maces, knives, bows and other weapons of luck.
Nagier's Staff
Price: 10,000 gp
The sorcerer Nagier became famous not only as a wizard and author of many spells and books, but also as a battle sorcerer. In a staff duel he had no equal, not only thanks to his skill, but also thanks to a special magic staff he made himself.
Nagier's Staff can be used by any wizard who knows the spell “Create Staff”. Unlike an ordinary staff, Nagier's Staff cannot be destroyed by a spell - that only breaks the bond between the staff and its owner.
The power of this staff is double (so it also has double the magical abilities).
The staff knows all staff spells and needs only half the mana to cast them.
The Ruby Goblet
Price: 5,000 gp
This golden goblet studded with rubies is constantly filled with the finest wine (+3). If someone drinks wine from the goblet or simply pours it out, within one minute it fills again from the sphere of Water with quality wine (the wine in the goblet refills at a rate of one liter per 10 minutes).
Ring of Power
Price: 1,000 gp
The Ring of Power strengthens its wearer's magical abilities. Its power, however, is untamed and rebels against whoever puts it on: it burns him with pain, haunts him with terrible visions, tortures him with shrieking wails in his mind.
As soon as a character puts on the ring for the first time, he must succeed in a roll:
Wil + 2d6 / 2d6+ 7 + power of the Rings
If he fails, he cannot bear the torment of the ring and throws it away. Moreover, for two weeks he will be unable to cast spells, and for another half year afterwards he will be plagued by nightmares and visions (his mana will recover only at half the rate).
If the character succeeds, then within one month he masters the ring completely - as long as he wears it on his finger, his magic will be increased by the ring's magic.
If a character wants to have two or more rings, he must master all of them at once - it does not matter whether he mastered them separately before.
The rings do not stay mastered permanently. If their owner is weakened by spellcasting, exhausted or otherwise afflicted, they may try to break free of his will.
Rings of Living Fire
Price: small 1,000 gp
medium 3,000 gp
large 10,000 gp
The Rings of Living Fire were forged in ancient times by giants who mastered the Supreme Art. The rings became part of the plane of existence of Fire, and yet they still belong to our world.
This deed angered the Lord of Fire and brought his wrath down upon their heads. As punishment he summoned the Firestorm, which scorched the giants and their secret workshops with them. Nevertheless, several giants escaped him with the rings, and these are now among the treasures of Illiador.
What power do the rings hold?
Small rings hold 3 MP of energy per day, from which fire spells up to level 1 can be cast.
In addition, they increase the chance of casting all fire spells by +2 and make MP recovery one step faster.
About forty of them were made in total.
Medium rings allow casting spells worth up to 7 MP per day. They add +5 to casting all fire spells, make MP recovery one step faster and halve the damage caused by fire. With their help, fire spells of level 3 can be cast.
In the whole world you will find only fourteen such rings.
Large rings were made four, and only two have survived. With them you can cast any fire spell up to level 5, and they hold 15 MP per day; they increase the chance of casting fire spells by +10, make MP recovery two steps faster and make the wearer immune to fire.
Rings of Dark Fire
Price: 100 gp
The Rings of Dark Fire are cursed by the gods of Evil. Priests use them as punishment for thieves who break into their temple.
At first glance a Ring of Dark Fire looks like a nice golden ring, usually with a misleading inscription (Ring of Power, Ring of Strength). If anyone puts it on, the ring begins to glow and blacken and wounds the victim for 1 HP every round. Naturally it cannot be removed by any ordinary means - the character must cut off the finger or the hand to get rid of it. It can be taken off only after sprinkling it with holy water or with an appropriate prayer or spell against evil or curses - but then the ring loses its effects. If the victim is killed by the ring or cuts off the finger, the ring cools down and looks like new.
Horn of Hope
Price:
+1 1000 gp
+2 5000 gp
+3 10000 gp
The sound of the Horn of Hope boosts the morale of those fighting. If a mighty warrior blows it, even the most cowardly soldier feels hope.
Every comrade-in-arms who hears the sound of the horn gains a bonus of +1, +2 or +3 (depending on the kind of horn) to Rfx for 10 rounds and a bonus of +2, +5 or +10 to courage. The horn can be used only once a day.
The Sapphire Eye
Price: 500,000 gp
Whoever puts on the ring with the Sapphire Eye gives himself over completely to magic. His intelligence, will and charisma, magic and MR increase by 5. Mana regenerates twice as fast as before.
For its services the ring drains his life force - all physical attributes decrease by 5 (but not below -9) and the character will suffer occasional hallucinations.
The ring consumes the character completely - and he will not take it off at any price - this is a roll
Wil + 2d6 / 2d6 + 10 + number of months
worn
On a success, the character takes the ring off, and until his death the ring is forbidden to him - he cannot put it on.
The number of months is the time for which the character has worn the ring. After one year the ring grows into the character and cannot be taken off (it comes off only after his death).
No one other than the character himself can take off the ring without cutting off his whole finger.
Sarinian Swords
Price: 10,000 gp
The secret of making Sarinian swords was discovered ages ago by the grandmaster smith Mitan. The swords have a dark bluish blade, are of archmaster quality and can neither break nor go blunt. They weigh a mere half kilogram. What sets them apart from other weapons and makes them the most sought-after artifacts is their ability to cut through almost any armor, as they have WP 20 and count only half of the armor. Mitan made five swords, but paid for his art with his life: one of the buyers did not want to pay him the price asked and killed Mitan with his own weapon.
Axe of Seven Souls
Price: 1,000 gp
This axe, ordinary at first glance, is in reality a powerful magic weapon. The only thing by which it can be recognized is the seventh elven rune carved on the blade. The Axe of Seven Souls is shrouded in so many mysteries that we do not know who made it or why, nor even how many of them exist in the world.
The axe itself guides its owner's hand, thus increasing his Rfx and Str by 7 (but not above 14). If held in both hands, it increases the wearer's mental resistance by +7 and creates an impenetrable field that reduces the hit of all missiles aimed at him by 7.
The catch is that after seven living beings (even animals or non-intelligent ones) have been killed with the axe, the axe vanishes irretrievably. According to our guesses, after a certain time it reappears within 700 km of the place from which it vanished (but it is possible that there are more axes, and these vanish irretrievably after killing seven beings).
Tamil Necklaces
Price: 1000 gp
No one knows exactly where the Tamil Necklaces come from. According to one legend, they were handed out to people by Zaag, the god of blood, so that for his greater glory they would kill themselves and their enemies. For the Tamil Necklaces have the ability to double the damage their wearer deals and takes when fighting with melee weapons (even unarmed). They have no effect on spells, ranged weapons or prayers.
Vampire Bane
Price: 1000 gp
At first glance, the Vampire Bane is an ordinary dagger with a black blade. In truth it is one of the mightiest weapons against the undead, especially the higher ones. In an ordinary fight it behaves like a common masterwork dagger, but once it gets within medium range of an undead, its blade begins to glow and the dagger "awakens". It guides its bearer's hand, raising his Rfx and Str by +10, but allows him to attack only the undead. It can also harm any undead, and against it they have only half their armor.
An undead slain by the Vampire Bane cannot rise again and departs to the Abyss of the Damned. In that case there is a 1d6 / 4 chance that the dagger breaks, loses its power and becomes useless.
No undead can take the Vampire Bane in hand, for its touch is worse for them than a high priest's holy water (30 HP per round).
The Velathor Scroll
Price: priceless
At first glance a perfectly ordinary piece of parchment, it is in truth one of the most interesting artifacts of all.
Each side of the scroll bears one text:
After reading the first side, the reader can look into the mind of any creature (reading takes 5 rounds, the effect then lasts about 10 minutes), no matter how strong or powerful that creature is. The owner of the scroll does not even need to see it or be near it; it is enough that he knows its name or has seen it at some time in his life.
After reading the second side, the reader sees all the deities of the whole world. He sees everything the gods are working on, whom they help and whom they harm.
The thing has one drawback: if the reader fails a roll of Int + 2d6 / 15, he goes mad on the spot, for he cannot bear such great knowledge. Reading this side of the scroll takes 10 rounds and the vision lasts as long as the reader wishes (he must fully concentrate, as when casting spells).
Besides knowledge, much evil was also put into the scroll, and it affects its owner, especially when the scroll is used. He then suffers unfortunate accidents that may end in death: a flowerpot falling from a window, wild beasts, a sudden landslide and the like. This curse also extends to the character's blood relatives.
Zar-sawal's Rings
Price: 500 gp
Zar-sawal's Rings look like worthless brass trinkets. Three times a day they allow their wearer to strike with accuracy three points higher, i.e. they give a +3 bonus to hit with any weapon (including missile or thrown weapons) or unarmed.
Sorcerers' Bane
Price: 10,000 gp
The Sorcerers' Bane is a magical sword made for fighting against wizards. It radiates a strange aura that makes its bearer almost immune to being hit by spells, for it raises his antimagic by 20. This aura suppresses all magic: no healing potions or spells work on the owner of the sword, his own artifacts and magical items lose their effect (this also applies to cursed items), and he cannot cast spells himself.
The sword is not cursed, but it cannot simply be put aside. If the owner wants to give it to someone, he must roll on Will:
Wil + 2d6 / 20
The owner may repeat the attempt to give the sword to someone at most once a day (further attempts fail automatically), and he cannot try to give the sword to the same person twice.
If someone wanted to take the sword from him, the owner of the sword will regard that person as his worst enemy (unless he succeeds in a roll).
Wil + 2d6 / 25
The sword works against all creatures bound to magic and against magical monsters. It deals one step higher damage multiplier to all of them, counts only half their AC, and harms all magical creatures fully regardless of their immunity (Destroyer of Magical Monsters). It also harms spectral creatures.
The Golden Ball
Price: 10,000 gp
The Golden Ball is about 30 cm in diameter and weighs 5 kg (it is hollow inside). It is said to bring its bearer luck and protect him from death. Long ago it belonged to forest nymphs, who played with it. One day an unknown stranger visited the nymphs and seduced one of them. She gave him the Golden Ball as a token of her love, but the stranger left her and sold the ball. Since then it has changed owners many times, until it found its way to the prince of thieves in the city of Kiredon.
So much for the legend. The Golden Ball really does bring luck (it has three interesting properties):
— If the owner is struck by a fatal blow, there is a 1d6 / 5 chance that the wound does him no harm at all.
— The ball begins to hum darkly whenever someone with ill intentions approaches its owner.
— The ball absorbs all damaging spells aimed at its owner (he must hold it in front of him).
On the other hand, it is very heavy and bulky and hard to carry around.