Have you ever created an artifact? Please share!

[random user]

I'm looking for some ideas to flesh out my world with some backstory, and I'm thinking legends of old might be neat.

To that end I'm looking for some artifacts to base stories around. I don't plan on having my characters find any of these (though of course who knows what can happen), but they would help me with flavor. To that end, I'd like to ask your help; if you have ever created an artifact, I'd like to hear about it -- with or without backstory. If you have the time to post a backstory, great! If not, I'll think of something. I'm just looking for the spark of cool artifacts, especially any that have unique abilities.

For example, instead of just finding some old ruins of an immense set of towers, I'd like to be able to tell the bard (as an aside I think having a bard in my party is influencing my desire to have more backstory... it's always great when my party is just wandering around and my bard busts out with something relevent I told him privately out of game about 5 sessions ago... it really makes him more like a bard, filled with all sorts of random knowledge):

Most people don't know the origin of the temple or why things that die there come back as undead. However, you know that 2700 years ago, a wizard trying to become a lich managed to get his hands on [insert artifact]. He did [explain some aspects of the artifact] in an attempt to gain even more power.

Powerful leaders from the neighboring lands set apart their differences to fight this wizard and trapped him in his main tower. In desperation, the wizard [used the artifact in some unintended way] and cursed the land in the process and destroying the artifact. While many adventurers are content to simply explore the ruins in search of treasure, you know of a prophet who once believed that the land could be uncursed by [insert something relevent to the artifact's effects].


Thank you in advance for any help!

Edit: ps if this belongs in house rules I understand; I looked at the description ("Post your house rules, custom classes, spells, feats and other stuff here.") and wasn't sure... they are sort of like custom magic items. Does that make this belong in house rules?

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Artifacts are fun

But the best way to use them, I think, is not to let the players know that the powerful item in their possession is a coveted artifact. Discovering such by experiment is always more fun.

Now regarding your back story. There is nothing wrong with your basic back story. However, there really is nothing remarkable or intresting about it either. If it is not about a lich and undead, it is about a great demon and hordes of minor demons. But since you seem to just be using that as a jumping off point or example, I think I can suggest something more intresting for you. Of course, my ideas may end up not fitting your campaign at all.

So lets see what I can come up with, without using any of the following:
Powerful Wizard
Liches and Undead
Demons
Extraplanar travel

I have it.

The Glorious Banner of Rourk the Magnificent

Rourk was the one time ruler of the known world. He was the greatest military leader that the world had known. He was never defeated on the field of battle. He was never bested in personal combat. He quite simply was incapable of losing a fight. He sought the favor of a queen, and offered her his love. She refused him. He offered her any treasure she desired. She demanded the world.

His loyalty to his master was absolute, and he did as he was bidden. Such was his skill in battle that no man under his command ever fell. Armies that met him on the field were smashed beneath his might. Opposing soldiers would cross the field and serve him rather then fight him. Every king and emporer and warlord surrendered to him rather then face inevitible defeat. And Rourk took his armies to every corner of his world.

When Rourk returend to his queen, he presented her with the crowns of a thousand kings, and gave unto her the world. The queen was not satisfied. "Those armies follow you, not I. Those kings knelt to you, not I. History shall remember your greatness, not mine. You have given me nothing." The ambitious queen turned her back to Rourk, and took her own life.

Rourk demanded of the gods to give him back the woman he loved. And the gods refused, saying that they would not force her to choose what she did not want. Rourk was furious. "I am greater then you, and you too shall fall before me. Give me what I demand, or I shall seize it from you. The gods told Rourk no. Death came to claim Rourk, and Rourk defeated even death, and death became Rourks servant. And he declared war on the gods them selves.

And the gods gave battle.

Armies of demons and angles came to the world, and the world burned. But Rourks armies knew only victory. Not even the gods could stand before Rourk. The armies of the gods were driven fleeing before him. And Rourk then stormed the gates of heaven and hell, and made the gods kneel before him. He found his queen, and offered her the world, and heaven, and hell.

And still she refused him. "You have destroyed the world I wanted with your battles. And even the gods acknoledge your greatness, not mine."

So Rourk responded "I have slain men and women, demons and angles. None stand before me. I have known only victory. I surrender then, to you. You have defeated me, where not even the gods have.

And the queen accepted his surrender.

And with Rourk no longer leading his armies, Rourks armies were destroyed utterly by the gods, and cast down from being men to being goblins, Orcs, an Ogres. Always seekeing battle, but never knowing victory, unless they were following Rourks banner.

Description: Rourks banner is an ancient tapestrry, bearing a red dragon on a white sun on a red field. No army following this standard has ever been defeated. It will follow its owner magically, so that the leader need not hold it himself in battle.

Game definition:
The banner grants +20 Str, +20 Con, Regeneration +20, Damage Reduction 50 / +5, a +20 deflection bonus to AC, and +30 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy and intimidation checks. The bearer also gains the benefits of Power Attack, Cleave, Sunder, and Great Cleave. The user may create a Daerns instant fortress, and can create food and water for anyone who follows him. He may also cast an anti magic shell with a 100 yard radius (the banners effects are unaffected by this). Alternatively, the banner weilder may cast dispell magic at 20th level as a free action once per round.

Soldiers who are led by this banner gain 15 /+3 damage reduction and +6 Fast healing, and are under the effects of a Prayer spell.

Humanoid / Demhuman, and Goblinoid Soldiers who are opposing a force led by this banner must make a Will save at DC 20 every round that they can see the banner or join the weilder as though Dominated.

Clerics and Paladins are immune to this, and will not follow the weilder of the banner. Instead, they will oppose the weilder.

The gods will damn any man who follows the banner leader, and for each day the follow Rourks banner, they must make a Fort save or become an Orc. There is a 50% chance that a force of outsiders will attack the weilder, consisting of either Demons or Devils, with the force consisting of at least twice the HD of the army they are attacking. If the outsiders exceed 100 HD, they are led by an avatar of any one of the gods.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[RithTheAwakener]

I must say, i love that story behind the Banner. Great artifact!

 

[shilsen]

Here's a minor artifact I created for my last campaign. Ended up taking the PCs (who got TPKed) to a planar campaign from a Greyhawk one.

Orb of Souls:

An Orb of Souls consists of two parts - (1) a small spherical (egg-sized) crystal globe, with tiny indentations around the sides, and a central section that has the ability to slide around (strong conjuration aura); (2) a foot-long ivory rod (strong transmutation and enchantment auras). When touched to each other, an opening appears in the top of the globe, which one end of the rod can fit into. Once the two parts are fitted together, spinning the rod makes the sliding section of the globe spin, and when it comes to a stop, one of the indentations glows for a moment. Activating takes a standard action, requires two hands (one holding globe and one spinning rod), and draws AoOs. The protections bestowed by an Orb are all at 20th caster lvl, for purposes of dispelling.

An Orb can be used thrice daily. Each use of the day lasts as follows: 1st - 1 hr; 2nd - 10 minutes; 3rd - 1 minute. Only an attuned creature can use an Orb. Any time an Orb remains within 60 ft of an intelligent, living creature for at least 12 hrs of a given day, the individual is attuned to it (and develops a tiny blue orb-shaped tattoo on a limb). An individual can only be attuned to one Orb at a time and only a dozen individuals can be attuned at once to a single Ord. If an attuned creature spends a period of 24 hours more than a mile from the Orb, the attunement ends (though it can be re-established) and the tattoo gradually disappears over time. When an Orb is activated, all attuned individuals within 60 ft attain the traits of a particular extraplanar creature, according to the following list. In the first few uses an individual will not know what traits it has attained except through trial and error, but after a few uses the individual is made mentally aware of what traits it is receiving. Most users will not notice that few of the uses provide the traits of a good creature, and those occur only very early in the Orb's use by a particular user. Most traits will be those belonging to evil outsiders, such as devils and demons.

Over time, the Orb develops a hold on the souls of its users. Under certain circumstances, the Orb can actually absorb the soul of a user. If all attuned users currently benefiting from a use of the Orb die but there are other living attuned creatures within a mile (but not currently benefiting from the Orb), the Orb instantly absorbs both body and soul of each dead user. If all attuned users currently benefiting from the Orb die and there are no other attuned users within a range of a mile, the Orb does not absorb the bodies but does absorb all the souls, and then promptly transports itself to the presence of its creator.

Origin:
Orbs are created by powerful evil outsiders from the Lower Planes such as demon lords or devilish rulers and deposited on the Prime Material Plane for the express purpose of gaining souls. The few Orbs in existence usually find their way into the possession of powerful individuals and adventurers, who benefit from their protection. When these individuals eventually die, the Orb returns to its creator, usually containing the souls of numerous powerful individuals. These souls are extremely valuable and may be used for arcane rituals, in trade between powerful evil planar creatures, to aid in the resurrections of deceased outsiders, etc. Legend says that there have been a couple of isolated cases where a soul was actually placed into the body of an evil outsider and later regained its memories, but whether this is fable or truth is difficult to say.

Creatures and Abilities (all optional):
All creatures give darkvision 60 ft. unless stated otherwise
Achaierai - SR 19
Angels - Low-light vision, immune to acid/cold/petrification, resist electricity 10 and fire 10, protective aura,
giving +4 deflection bonus to AC and +4 resistance to saves, as well as a magic circle against evil,
and a lesser globe of invulnerability, with radius 20 ft
Archon - Low-light vision, immune to electricity/petrification, +4 racial save vs. poison, aura of menace, magic
circle against evil, tongues, greater teleport
Arrowhawk - Immune to acid/electricity/poison, resist cold 10 and fire 10
Azer - Immune to fire, vulnerability to cold, SR 13+class levels
Barghest - Scent, DR 5/magic
Chaos Beast - Immune to critical hits and transformation, SR 15
Couatl - Telepathy 60 ft., ethereal jaunt
Demon - Immune to electricity/poison, resist acid/cold/fire 10, telepathy 100 ft., summoning
Devil - Immune to fire/poison, resist acid/cold 10, see in darkness, telepathy 100 ft., summoning
Eladrin - Low-light vision, immune to electricity/petrification, resist cold/fire 10, tongues
Elemental - Immunities (poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning), not subject to criticals
Fiendish - DR 5/magic (or 10/magic for 12+ HD), resist cold/fire 5 (or 10 for 8+ HD)
Formian - Immunities (poison, petrification, cold) and resistances (fire/electric/sonic 10)
Genie (Djinni) - Immune to acid, telepathy 100 ft.
Genie (Efreeti) - Immune to fire, telepathy 100 ft., vulnerable to cold
Genie (Janni) - Resist fire 10, telepathy 100 ft.
Githyanki - SR = level + 5
Githzerai - SR = level + 5
Guardinal - Low-light vision, immunities (electric & petrification), resistances (acid/sonic 10), +4 save vs. poison,
Speak with Animals at 8th lvl as free action
Half-Celestial - Immune to disease, resist acid/cold/electric 10, DR 5/magic (10/magic for HD 12+), +4 save vs.
poison, SR = level +10
Half-Fiend - Immune to poison, resist acid/cold/electric 10, DR 5/magic (or 10/magic for HD 12+), SR = level + 10
Hell-hound - Immune to fire, scent, vulnerable to cold
Inevitable - Construct traits, DR 10/chaotic, fast healing 5, low-light vision
Invisible Stalker - Elemental traits, natural invisibility
Lillend - Poison immunity, resist fire 10
Magmin - DR 5/magic, elemental traits, immune to fire, vulnerable to cold
Mephit - DR 5/magic
Night Hag - DR 10/cold iron and magic, immune to fire/cold/sleep/fear, SR 25
Nightshade - Aversion to sunlight, DR 15/silver and magic, immune to cold,
telepathy 100 ft., undead traits
Planetouched (Aasimar) - Resist acid/cold/electric 5
Planetouched (Tiefling) - Resist cold/electric/fire 5
Rakshasa - DR 15/good and piercing, SR 27 + level
Rast - Flight 60 ft. (good), immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold
Ravid - Flight 60 ft. (perfect), immunity to fire
Salamander - Heat (1d6 fire), immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold
Shadow Mastiff - Shadow blend, scent
Slaad - Fast healing 5, immune to sonic, resist acid/cold/electric/fire 5
Tojanida - Immune to acid & cold, resist electric/fire 10
Xill - SR 21, Planewalk
Xorn - DR 5/bludgeoning, immune to cold and fire, resist electricity 10, tremorsense 60 ft.
Yeth Hound - DR 10/silver, flight 60 ft. (good), scent

 

[RangerWickett]

Only a few artifacts showed up in the last game I ran. *sheepish grin*

Okay, so 4 artifacts is a bit much, but it was basically the fantasy equivalent of World War II.

The Torch of the Burning Sky. A torch carved from a mighty demon's thighbone, infused with the essence of an angel's fury, and the dreams of a tortured dragon child, this artifact could only be activated by using it to crush the skull of a living person, consuming their soul. Flames would be crackle atop the torch, and if the wielder desired, he could call forth a firestorm to strike his enemies, or a pillar of fire to lift up anyone in his line of sight, teleporting them to anywhere in the world where the sun shined.

The Torch could only be used during the day, but that was never much of a problem. An immortal half-Orc emperor used it to lead his armies across the world, conquering every land that opposed him. Today, the Torch is hidden somewhere in a secret tomb, behind countless defenses, to make sure no one can ever conquer the world again.


The Aquiline Heart. A giant heart, ripped from the chest of an eagle that was hundreds of feet long, the Aquiline Heart is said to grant immortality to anyone who drinks the blood still pumping from it. It used to belong to the Stormchaser Eagle, a nearly god-like creature that helped shape the primordial world, but was then slain by one of its counterparts, the Flameset Dragon, who bit out the heart and hid it in the depths of the earth. It is also said, however, that if the rest of the heart is eaten, the world will end.

The Aquiline Heart actually doesn't make you immortal. It does have miraculous healing powers, which will grant you regenerative powers for a year, but its main power is harnessing magic. The myth of immortality was created because the cave in which the heart was hidden was home to the psychic incarnation of time. Thus, anyone drinking heartsblood would become timeless - unaging, and impossible to kill. They could only die if they were devoured by a dragon, or if someone drank the blood from their heart. The latter act, however, turns the blood drinker into something like a vampire, who turns into snakes instead of bats and rats.


The other two are even more complicated, and very setting dependent.

 

[Gulla]

I have a few artifacts floating around. As the players get knowledge skills past 30 (total, not ranks) they should know about 'mystical old stuff' so I let them know about important artifact now and again.

The most interesting is the Twin Swords of Hieronius. Originally these were the weapons of the chosen Champions of War and Chivalry. Two identical Holy Avengers with additional powers:
Each could open a Gate to call the 'corresponding' Arch Angel (of cource the Angels would be _very_ displeased if this was used without dire ned)
They also bestoves a set of 5 benefits/effects linked to the portofolio it served. (I don't have my notes for the details here.)
And the swords are intelligent.

The swords judge their wearer and only reveal their powers as they deem the bearer worthy.

So the backstory.

First a little background on my take on portefolios and gods:
Every portefolio of a God is 'guarded' by an Arch-Angel. So for Hieronius we have the Archangels of Valor, War, Chivalry and a few more. These are advanced Solars (often with Divine Rank 0) and in the case of Hieronius support their own chanpters of the Paladin Order.

The Twin Swords were given from the Archangels of War and Chivalry to a pair of twins. Champions of Hieronius and great heroes. Their first major deed was defeating a Great Red Wyrm together to save a chapterhouse of the Order and release the surrounding country from the dragon.

At the time of the Great Shism in the Church (A full scale conflict between Good and Law with Chivalry and War on opposite sides.) the twins ended up on different sides. The Archangel of War fell and his Champion with him. The two brothers fought a mighty battle witch naturally the Champion of War was winning.

The Champion of Chivalry led his knights in a charge an engaged his brother, and due to his still pure soul and his brothers loss of power caused by the fall, the Champion of Chivalry won. As his brother lay fallen at his feet he did not manage to kill him, and left him with a last hope of redemption: If he would admit the faults of his ways and ask forgiveness, it would be granted.

The Champion of Chivalry then returned to the Headquarters of the Order. He laid down his weapons and his sword in his private chapel, and sat down to wait. He is still waiting 875 years later. He will not do anything until his Brother returns, or news is brought that he is dead. Then his soul will go to its final reward.

The Champion of War is still in firm belief in his master, the Fallen Archangel. He is forever refighting the final battle against his brother, and his soul can only ever be free if the Fallen Archangel is destroyed. The angel is beyond redemption.

Today the Sword of Chivalry is still as it ever was. The Sword of War is twisted through the fall and is an exact opposite of its twin. If anyone could find the Fallen Archangel, destroy it, and bring the fallen Champion (or his remains) and his sword to his Brother both swords will be cleaned again. In my world this has just happened, and Hieronius left the Sword of War for the Paladin who finished the Quest (the players are about level 17) but took the Sword of Chivalry back to its Archangel.

Håkon

 

[grodog]

In my two artifacts articles published in the Living Greyhawk Journal (co-authored with Erik Mona), we had to cut material that was later published on Canonfire! Some of that cut content included my outline for how to introduce artifacts into a campaign:

Strategies for Introducing Major Artifacts into Your Game

The following guidelines should help a DM who wants to introduce a new major artifact into her campaign, but who doesn’t know where to begin. This blueprint can also be used to retool a published artifact to fit another campaign setting, or to design an artifact from scratch.

1. Select the type artifact you want to bring into play: evil vs. good, natural vs. divine, earthly vs. multiversal, etc. This decision should be based on the type of impact you want the artifact to have on your game. The Hand of Vecna will create a completely different adventuring environment than the Mighty Servant of Luek-O. Think about how your players will react to either the temptation to use ultimate power, or being opposed by it, which should help steer your decision accordingly.


2. Decide the artifact’s age; its original creator(s) and their race(s); why it was created; any natural enemies and/or allies of the artifact and/or its creator(s); and its means of destruction (if this is known). Expand on these foundational ideas to flesh out the artifact, as you would one of the main NPCs in your game. You don’t necessarily need to start out knowing everything about any artifact, although deciding what is common knowledge is a good place to start. The more thought you invest in an artifact up front, the fewer internal inconsistencies you’ll have to fix later while detailing its abilities, curses, myths, owners, etc.


3. Design the artifact’s powers and side-effects (if any); determine the artifact’s sentience (if any; create its personality if needed); determine the artifact’s impact on its surroundings, as it is moved around, or when it stays in one location for awhile (it’s “wake”). Don’t allow yourself be bound by the rules for creating magic items written in the DMG, or by the known meta-magic feats, or the power-levels of ninth-level spells (or eighteenth-level spells for that matter): free your mind from the rules, and design effects beyond the scope of mortal magic. An artifact’s powers should be epic in scope and proportion, not just a series of quickened, maximized, silent spells culled from the PHB. Consider how the artifact’s powers relate to its original purpose, and whether it has gained or lost powers over time.


4. Fill in the artifact’s true history, from its origins through the present (or as much as you’re willing to allow the PCs to discover). Build secondary lore that’s not directly related to the artifact itself (like myths that detail where a soul is trapped when The Void is drawn from a Deck of Many Things). Lay the foundations for some red herrings and false leads.


5. Create legends and stories about the artifact, both true and false in nature, based on the history. Use this folklore to obscure and hide the artifact’s true origins and powers by blurring the distinction between the artifact’s abilities and those of its wielders, and by imagining how a legend would be distorted over a thousand years (or however long it has been since your artifact was created).


6. Build a paper trail for the legends, owners, and signs of the artifact’s presence (its wake above). Then decide who knows about the legends (sages, loremasters, archmages, savants, ancient elves, etc.), and what interest they have in the artifact. These will be the people that the PCs first solicit for advice, so detailing a few in advance is a good idea (Otto, of the Circle of Eight, and the clergy of Phaulkon have strong interests in collecting artifact lore, for example). Decide on the hook that will first set the PCs to seeking the artifact.


7. Place the artifact in its current location, whether that is in the hands of a 14th level paladin, or in ruins long since buried by Lake Matreyus’ waters, or in the City of Brass. You don’t need to design the artifact’s current owner, or its dungeon, right now, you just need to know where it is, and if its moving around, etc. This is the end-point for your PCs, so you should have a fair amount of time before they discover the artifact’s whereabouts. Even when they do find the site, they still need to journey to it (and hope that the artifact is still present when they arrive). Set the whole process in motion, and let the fun begin, one clue at a time.

For a high-fantasy campaign, you can apply these steps to multiple artifacts, which also opens the possibility of artifacts interacting with one another if they’re in close proximity (whatever “close” is to an artifact), and generating strange resonances throughout their surroundings. You can also choose to eliminate artifacts, or to place “purposeless” artifacts: if Vecna isn’t a god in your campaign, then perhaps his Hand and Eye don’t exist; if Vecna has been destroyed, what effect does that have on the Sword of Kas?

If you're curious about the rest of the article, it's at http://www.canonfire.com/htmlnew/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=268

 

[Li Shenron]

Before I even read your thread, for some inexplicable reasons one thing came to my mind: from the old movie "The Goonies", the organ made of bones and skulls on which they have to play the correct tunes in order to open the secret door and flee, and every wrong note triggers a trap. Then I thought, what a nice artifact it would make if it had some wondrous properties of rallying undead to your command or something, but only if you play it correctly.

Then I read your first post and it could actually fit with some of your ideas, such as the fact that "things that die there come back as undead". And a Bard is probably over-qualified to know the legend of this legendary instrument of doom

Finally, artifacts are fantastic as adventure climax but have one serious problem: players tend to want to keep them OTOH an immovable artifact such as this (possibly gigantic) organ would not allow the party to carry it around for next encounters, but it could be used by the PCs at the time of the final confrontation with perhaps the undead wizard. You could put the Bard player on the stage and invent a nice little mechanics about how to play the organ either in the proper "evil" way (creating and controlling undead) or to make it undo its dread deeds and perhaps even self-destroy itself.

 

[VirgilCaine]

No I haven't, but the 1e DMG has a good trunkload of them that it would be easy to devise a better selection of powers for. The powers given seem to be for some kind of sword or weapon or something when most of them aren't weapons...

 

[Hand of Evil]

Eye of Lolth - mostly just prophecy, stating that the ones that could hold the eye for 1000 years would be the favorite and chosen of the goddess. Plot element to war on different houses and keep away/get the ball. The 'eye' was a round globe with writting all over it.

The players got it from a cults horde which had its beginning when a drow house was destoyed and a slave took it to the upperworld forming a spider cult.