Lost Artifacts of GreyGhast

ost
L A rtifacts
of Greyghast
A MAGIC ITEM COMPENDIUM

THE LOST ARTIFACTS
OF GREYGHAST
(A 5TH EDITION MAGIC ITEM COMPENDIUM)
AS SCRIBED, ASSEMBLED, PROOFED, AND BOUND BY

MARA TALLACK—ADEPT OF THE SCHOLAM OF GREYGHAST
OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED AND SPONSORED BY

HEADMASTER PATRICIAN THETCH IR’HAWKINS
AUTHORIZED TO THE REGISTRY OF RESTRICTED VOLUMES

BY CHIEF JUSTICAR ELEANORA THIMMIG
IN THE 45TH YEAR AF (AFTER THE FOUNDING)

Credits
Lead Designer: Flannel J. Gary
Editor: Mike McMullan
Cover Illustrator: Katy Grierson
Layout Designer: Nathan Paoletta
Interior Illustrators: DS Blake, Stephanie Brown, Katy Grierson, Dan-

iel Johnson, Ken Kokoszka, Amber Kommavongsa, Kathleen O’Hara,
Jake Tacito, Paula Wisniewska
Additional Contributors: James McCarthy, Andrew Sego, Michael

Smar, Greg Spanier, Jeff Stormfury, Braeden Weiss
Project Management: Flannel J. Gary
Playtesters: D’Andrew Brown, Jeff Booth, Cheryl Coffin, Josh Fred-

erick, Heather Gaesbad, A.J. Grayson, Ronnie Helms, Patrick Jerome,
Marina Lara, April Lowther, Roger Mitchell, Carly Russell, Jim Ster-
ling, Leo Sullivan, Roger Turner
Special Thanks: Every single one of our backers on Kickstarter, the

community over at /r/dndnext on Reddit; all the fans of manysided-
dice.com; and everyone who has ever rolled some dice to play a sto-
rytelling game of adventure
Lost Artifacts of Greyghast is a trademark of Many-Sided Dice Publishing.
Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity and are not
Open content: All trademarks, proper names (characters, locations, etc.), dialogue, narratives,
artwork, origins, variant rules, and item names.
Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity, the materials in this book are
Open Game Content and may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
LOST ARTIFACTS OF GREYGHAST
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTIONS 9 Finery of the Duke of Gaw 72
Special Thanks 9 Great Bear's Folly 74
How This All Came To Be 12 Haberdasher's Mael 76
Hand of The Pact 78
CHAPTER ONE 14 Kelorien Surcoat 80
How to read this book 14
Leaden Mantle 82
CHAPTER TWO 16 Mantle of Charity 84
Variant Rules 16 Martyr's Shift 86
Patchwork Cloak 88
CHAPTER THREE Poacher's Clothes 90
ARMORS & SHIELDS 19 Pontifix 92
Armor of Guile 20 Raven's Stole 94
Bade of Inx 22 Shade of Life 98
Baneful Parma 24 Shaed of Secrets 100
Corwiss Heirs 26 Slipquick Silks 102
Cray of the Dead God 28 Skyfire Hraick 104
Halnifar's Breastplate 30 True Ward of the Archmage 106
Heraldic Shield of Marquis Voca Caparison 108
Stasch 32
Hollow of War 34 CHAPTER FIVE
Hornwail Cord 36 HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR 110
Lassiter's Convictus 38 Ash of Yesterday and
Plate of Gaw 40 Tomorrow 112
Plate of the Lost Emperor 42 Braed's Cage 114
Shattered Standard of Wex 44 Censer of Love 116
Springmail 46 Circlet of Endings 118
Thunderhaeld 48 Docker's Shield 120
Widderstad's Pavisis 50 Fire of Life 122
Guise of the Death Bear 124
CHAPTER FOUR Hand of Zeal 126
CLOAKS, CLOTHES, & ROBES 52 Heart of the Mountain 128
Billowing Cloak of Father Helm of Prey 130
Wind 54 Laffetr's Pince-Nez 132
Blisterkrau Shroud 56 Medallion of Wrath 134
Bluehorn Cloak 58 Monocle of Vice 136
Clan Tarsainn 60 Nail 138
Cloak of the Eldest 62 Obscurant Vane 140
Coat of the Vagabond 64 Paolos' Crown 142
Dilansuite Regalia 68 Periapt of Understanding 144
Driftcloak 70
Price of Morning 146 Book of Names 222

Rage of the Mountain 148 Chronicler's Book 224
Riverstones 150 Darkle Fas 226
Trust 152 Lord of Stories 228
Valorious Brille 154 Pactkeeper 230
Visor of the Gladiator 156 Viscount Ecchli's Register 232
Xandergrapheis 234
CHAPTER SIX
GLOVES & FOOTWEAR 158 CHAPTER NINE
Abin's Course 159 CURSED & FORBIDDEN
Baxeae Rootgiant 162 ARTIFACTS 236
Boots of Proteas 164
Calling Boots 166 CHAPTER TEN
Conqueror's Tread 168 INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS 238
Coward's Shield 170 Adze of Becoming 240
Firmament 172 Aubritan's Sacrifice 242
Gloves of Inx 174 Box of Princely Comeliness 244
Gloves of the Winter Court 176 Caufwein Stradgart 246
Gloves of Ynx 178 Feranimus Joiners 248
Hands of Fate 180 Fiddle of the Mad God 250
Hoarding Gloves 182 Freell Tarp 252
Path of Light 184 Gambler's Box 254
Porter's Gloves 186 Goodfellow Edge 257
Rushboots 188 Harp of Cerwyn
Sandals of Path 190 Ebonflowerwood 260
Tides of Wile 192 Hurricane Gallichon 262
Warboots 194 Kortholt of the Brigh Delac 264
Lesserie Lute 266
CHAPTER SEVEN Rodings Bench 268
RINGS, BELTS, & Rotool of the Fletch Sender 270
ADORNMENTS 196 Scorpion Lute 272
Accursed Ring of Krin the Shandalplai 274
Arcane 198 Short Supply of Lavishness 276
Artha's Belt 200 Skirlflute 278
Harrower's Line 204 Sola Scriptura 280
Pyre 206 Vessel of Men 282
Revealers 208 Woodsman's Knife 284
Ring of Bhaa 210
Ring of Forgiveness 212
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ring of the Gray 214 RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS 286
Rings of Barrow 216 Aegiaen Scepter 288
Baneslayer 290
CHAPTER EIGHT Battlewale 292
TOMES & CANONS 218 Blessed Many 294
Atlas of Forever 220 Body of Power 296
Corestaff 298 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Eighth Wand of the Good Man 300 WONDERS 382
Holy Order 302 Agate of Time 384
Irresistible Wind 304 Ambrosia 386
Lament of Naamah 306 Barony of Haverwood 388
Keeper of Ravin 308 Bastard Sand 390
Knockstick 310 Bastian Churn 392
Lignum of Aeg 312 Blood Jar 394
Manikanta's Storm 314 Brucker's Pipe 398
Passtaff of the Wandering Dome of the Lost 400
Brother 316 Draught of Perfect Health 402
Rod of Divine Favor 318 Executioner's Silks 404
Pattern of Eternity 320 Faahngheim Birken 406
Shanhighter 322 Fatebox 408
Solace of Continuum 324 Feast 410
Staff of Primordial Winds 326 Felsheet Quality Parchment 412
Wand of the Sky 328 Fingersmoke 414
Green Rider's Wale 416
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hallfallen's Scraed 418
WEAPONS 330 Hoardstones 420
Blaque Rider 332
Holy 422
Bleeder 334
Lesser Phylactery 424
Divider 336
Liar's Dice 426
Father of Tribes 338
Lifedust 428
Finger of Madness 340
Long Breath 430
Flashwood Rapier 342
Orichalcum's Rain 432
Hartlight Beacon 344
Master Key 434
Hood of the Lazy Kill 346
McNarb's Crest 436
Lenma's Dirk 348
Muria's Jessamine 440
Martyr of Inx 352
Penitent's Chains 442
Odomic Dart 354
Promise 444
Olaf's Rock 356
Seed of True Sight 446
Regulator 358
Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt 448
Raptor and Thorn 360
Stopchalk 450
Rathian Arquebus 362
Unbroken Chain 452
Render 364
Worms of Purgation 454
Shudderwein 366
Slirk's Tongue 368 APPENDICES 456
Stick of Brute 372 Items by Type 456
Sword-Breaker Dagger 374 Items By Class 461
Trapper's Bow 376 Items By Background 467
Wicked Gents 378 Items By Complexity 473
Zephyr Spines 380
INDEX 476
DEDICATION
To the Late Night Shift,

Without whom I might not know what d20’s are
To Jimsy, Jeff, Ronnie, and Roger,

We played beautiful games
To Dad,
For being my hero and saving me
Introductions
Special Thanks
First, I want to thank the whole team at Lost It really is an honor to be able to create the
Artifacts of Greyghast for their efforts. If you’re artwork that will give those stories a shared
reading this, oh Constant Reader (to borrow a visual language and cement those tales in the
jib from the King), it may seem like we’re tak- minds of the players.”
ing a little bit of a victory lap here… you’re not
wrong. That’s exactly what it is. But, every- Katy Grierson, Cover Artist and Illustrator
one that worked on this book deserves a few Kovah’s Art
moments to take their bow. kovah.co.uk
Hold your applause, though, until the end. In
“I think my favourite part is still the front
no particular order (because a tiny bit of chaos
cover for the book itself, it was an enjoyable
just feels more natural):
challenge to do especially with the lighting
and I feel it is a super successful image over-
Kathleen O’Hara, Illustrator all. In terms of illustrations, my favourite is
Many-Sided Dice Publishing certainly Lament of Naamah, there is some-
kathleenohara.us thing gloriously spooky about a gnarly leg
“My favorite pieces are Render, Great Bear’s bone magic staff!
Folly, and Green Rider’s Wale. All of these I’ve loved working on every aspect of this proj-
have an epic quality which I love. I’ve created ect, a big thanks to Flannel for the great art
the best work in my current portfolio while direction for the cover and helping me push it
working on this project. It gave me a means to final as well as being brilliant to work with.
to create beautiful and amazing illustrations The rest of the team have all be great, art feed-
that are completely in line with what I want back has been spot on and it has been great for
to do as an artist.” me to work with so many talented people as
and it’s been refreshing for such a big project
Ken Kokoszka, Illustrator
to be so well organised!”
Ken Kokoszka Illustration
kenkokoszka.artstation.com Paula Wiśniewska, Illustrator
“My favorite pieces for this book were the Aiane ART
Worms of Purgation because it was my first aianeart.com
commission for the project and set an awesome “I extremely enjoyed working on unusual
tone for the world-building that we as artists items, which were more challenging in terms
were allowed to contribute to; Shudderwein of its design. Things like tools (Shandalplai),
because nothing says ‘Fantasy Roleplaying musical instruments (Harp of Cerwyn Ebon-
Art’ like designing an awesome greatsword; flowerwood and Kortholt of the Brigh Delac)
and the Zephyr Spines because I had the or wonders (Promise, Liar’s Dice and Faahng-
opportunity to push myself artistically to ren- heim Birken)… brainstorming and designing
der an interesting perspective and landscape. them was something I enjoyed greatly.
Working as a part of Creative Team was sat- Being the first large project I’ve worked on,
isfying and joyful. The best part of working I’ve loved the whole process. It’s given me the
in team is to meet new people, exchange expe- opportunity to create art I’m proud of, and
rience and get productive feedback stimulat- work with a team of very talented artists.”
ing improvement of art skills. I love that I was
able to work on pieces which were connected Stephanie Brown, Illustrator
with each other and even if each one represents Offbeatworlds
different story, all of them create the beauti- offbeatworlds.com
ful world full of amazing objects, ready to be “My favorite pieces for this book were the
grasped by the readers. Artwork which is car- Revealers, Braed’s Cage, and the Draught of
rying the meaning is the best outcome of cre- Perfect Health. They all had elements of them
ative process I could have wished for.” that were challenging and pushed my creative
abilities, such as painting a new creature, try-
Amber Kommavongsa, Illustrator ing to show what each item actually does in a
Many-Sided Dice Publishing still image, or just creating a glass bottle that
amberwavesofrice.artstation.com is shaped like a heart (not an easy feat!).
“My favorite finished pieces are the Shattered
This was the first freelance project I’ve had
Standard of Wex, Thunderhaed, the Kel-Orian
where I was also working with other artists
Surcoat, and Rage of the Mountain because of
and it was great to be able to talk to them and
the lighting set up and the process it took to
give and receive feedback in a very professional
find the right angle to showcase these artifacts.
but friendly way. If anyone was stuck with an
As for favorite piece to work on I’d have to say
idea, it was very easy to bounce thoughts off of
Blisterkrau Shroud and other unusual items,
each other and create some very epic finished
they really stretched my creative muscles.
art. It was a very fun experience.”
Working on the art team has been a pleas-
ant time and a positive learning experience. Nathan D. Paoletta, Layout Designer
Everyone has been so helpful providing feed- ndpdesign
back and ways to improve as we brought these ndpdesign.com
artifacts to life. It’s been a joy overall to see the “This scope and scale of this book is what made
work and effort that has gone into making this it so fun to work on for me. Not only did I have
book happen.” the challenge of presenting a lot of information
in a usable way for you at your table, I had
Daniel Johnson, Illustrator to figure out ways to unify this collection of
Many Sided-Dice Publishing amazing art produced by the rest of the team.
danjohnsonart.carbonmade.com
By keeping the layout elements of the book
“Amongst the art I’ve created for the book, my
clean and simple, the art gets to shine at a
favourite would probably be Aegiaen Scep-
glance; then once you get into reading the
ter, I found it pushed my abilities while also
text, you find so many unique elements to play
being the most enjoyable to do. Interpreting
with!
the more interesting items like Hood of Lazy
Kill and Stick of Brute has also definitely been Working with the team has been a very col-
a highlight. laborative and positive experience, and being
able to bounce thoughts off of everyone and
get input from experienced eyes improved the
design every single time.”
10 • INTRODUCTIONS • Special Thanks

Jake Tacito, Illustrator like Abin’s Course, the Barony of Haverwood,

Jake Tacito Comics and Illustration McNarb’s Crest, and the Unbroken Chain.
jaketacito.com Working on this book was a big undertaking,
“I had an absolute blast working on this book. but the creativity and hard work of everyone
I don’t typically do a lot of traditional fantasy involved made it easy to stay excited at every
artwork so obviously this had me breaking out step. I got to dive into flavorful, strongly voiced
of my comfort zone a bit, but I quickly grew to text about unique gaming material every day
love it. It was also great working with a team for weeks, and I learned more about editing in
of artists for the first time, as we were able to that very intense time than in months of other
draw ideas and inspirations from each other’s work. This project was a blast.”
work, which was a very unique opportunity.
Flannel J. Gary, Author and Project Lead
I think my favorite piece I worked on was the
Hand of the Pact. At first I had a hard time Many-Sided Dice Publishing
thinking of ideas from a pretty short descrip- manysideddice.com
tion, and I ended up doing several sketch ren- “My favorites are the the Blisterkrau Shroud
ditions without being happy with any of them. and the Barony of Haverwood. Not only is
I then took a more vague approach and took a the artwork on point, for both, but they bring
lot more of the lore into account and ended up something new to the table for magic items in
with something I’m really happy with. Also fantasy roleplaying—they really say what I
I learned that demon hands are really fun to want to say about where a game’s own cre-
draw.” ativity can go. One attunes by overthrowing a
government… how cool is that? That’s a whole
DS Blake, Illustrator adventure arc, NPCs, encounters, scheming,
Idle Toil and rich roleplaying opportunities—all to
Idletoil.co.uk attune something! The other is a magic item
“The Skyfire Hraick was a piece that just fell that is, literally, an empty place—a verdant
together perfectly from the description of the patch of land that rewards the player who
item; showing use and purpose as well as attunes to it with divine “right of kings” sorts
appearance. This is my first professional expe- of bonuses over time and with investment. If I
rience working in tabletop gaming art, a field can make a tiny mark on a 5th Edition game of
that has long been a great inspiration to me, any kind? It’s there… things like that.
and it was an excellent introduction and a fine Many-Sided Dice Publishing—everyone on
working experience.” the team—loved the collaboration with other
artists and designers. We appreciate the Kick-
Mike McMullan, Editor
starter community and all the Twitch chan-
Many-Sided Dice Publishing nels, Youtube gamers, Twitter folk, and fellow
manysideddice.com publishers that have supported us. We hope to
“I was, as an editor, in the unique position of continue making content for years to come.”
reading every single part of every single entry,
and that makes it very hard to pick a favorite.
The items that most stick with me, and make
me consider what they say about the games
they are in, are those that have a tendency to
change how the player views the game or rad-
ically alter a character’s point of view. Items
11 • INTRODUCTIONS • Special Thanks

How This All Came To Be

I won’t give you my whole history—you didn’t end—was and still is humming along. This is a
pick up this book for all that rambling on. Maybe great credit to those folks over at WotC, right?
in another supplement, I’ll go through that (it’s It’s a challenging dance to give the fans enough
a long story, but a good one—my “coming to structure to keep it all working and strong
gaming” tale involves skydiving and romance while giving them enough space to “make it
and meeting Christopher Reeve). their own,” and I am giddily impressed with
the D&D team for knowing how to do that two-
For now, I’ll just give you the recent stuff. Less
step jig just right.
“the origin story” in all its rich narration and
more of a “how did we get here” monologue. So, after about two dozen such posts from me
on Reddit about Magic Items, Adventure Ideas,
Sound good?
and how to play some Monsters, I got it in my
This book started out as a series of posts on Red- head to start a blog to archive it all. So, I kicked
dit, in the /r/dndnext subreddit. Fifth Edition off manysideddice.com and started posting up
had just come out and old and new players, ten- week after week, participating in the Internet’s
ured and spry DMs, and everybody all oooh’d rich roleplaying game communities. While I
and aaah’d at how pretty it was and how fresh loved going to the places where my collections
it felt. were referenced—blogs and forums all over the
You remember that, right? Well, if you were Internet—home was always /r/dndnext. It’s a
around for the days of 3rd and 4th Edition, the great community and the moderators deserve
clean lines and vibrancy of 5th was like cool some praise here for their curation of it.
water after a day of hard work. All the grit and (and not a small amount of forbearance… I
sweat of running those games washed clean posted up hundreds and hundreds of bits of
with the coming of something that swept away content, adventure, etc.—it’s a wonder nobody
the dross. If you weren’t around then? I suggest grew too tired of me)
one of these days getting your group together to
I took a break from updating Many-Sided Dice
dive deeply into the fantastic work of the early
in early 2016. Like any passionate social hobby,
3rd Edition days.
sometimes you need a breather. 2016 was mine.
If you’ve been around far longer? That year involved a lot of adventures in real-
I salute you, you old soldiers and queens and space and if we ever meet at a convention or
cutthroats. You don’t need me telling you something, I’ll be happy to regale you with the
what’s what. weirdfun I had for those thirteen months. I’m a
chatty Cathy, as it goes.
Anyhow, the homebrew world was young that
Fall. 5th Edition promised a lot of great tabletop But, during that year “off”, I still got email
experiences, but the Unearthed Arcana cycles maybe twice or so a month from a fan or a
had not yet really kicked in yet. People like me wanderer-by asking “hey, could you put all
and dozens of others just took it upon ourselves these items into a PDF?” Once or twice, some-
to share and share and share. New monster one would offer to do it for me. A few people
idea? No problem. New items? Why not? wanted our Trap collection compiled or wanted
us to start creating Archetypes. By far the most
The creative homebrew content community—
popular request was “Have you thought about
both from the “author” end and the “reader”
Kickstarting a book?”
12 • INTRODUCTIONS • How This All Came To Be

The site kept a regular pace of traffic, pretty So, on a quiet Tuesday, I reached out to an illus-
decent traffic, too. It wasn’t any real effort to let trator and asked them “how does art work?”
that make it’s server costs back without me at
It was an honest and naive question, sure. And
all. All in all, my mood was the same… hesita-
it can be a nervous experience to seek the opin-
tion. It just sounded like a lot of work. A LOT
ion or advice of strangers, but at the heart of me
of work.
is my work. I’m a Project Manager by profession
I didn’t have dozens of items. I had hundreds. and I’m used to not knowing everything (or
sometimes anything) about an objective. That’s
I didn’t have sentences of content for each, I had
what subject matter experts are for. If you want
paragraphs. Heck, for some, I had PAGES.
to know how printing works? Ask a printer. If
And, if I’m honest? I’d probably only ever play- you want to know how playtesting works? Ask
tested about a third of them, myself or with my successful playtesting groups. If you want to
usual group. know how “art” gets done? Well, just go ask
No, I thought. No. some artists.
To make a book? What the heck do I know about In the end, I couldn’t have had a better and
making a book?!?! more helpful informant than Ken (who is an
illustrator for this book). Between him and the
But, 2016 wound down and there I was, Spring
many others I talked to after, I sketched out a
2017… bored. Super bored. I wanted to get back
project plan and making my assumptions. The
into a game or something, pick that D&D fun
ball started rolling and I put together the collage
back up, but my usual group was a bit scattered
of work needed from not a few people. A dozen.
(we’ve all been there, right?). I looked over the
More. This wasn’t going to be a delicate thing,
messages from Many-Sided Dice.
this was going to be a monster of a book.
Book.
Well, I thought at the time, once I saw all of
Book. it laid out in my fancy software and in Gantt
A book. charts and crudely translated process tem-
plates… I thought “good.” Had it looked like a
How about you make a book? small thing, a simple thing? I probably wouldn’t
Why not make a book? have done it.
I’d love a book. The group of players that shrug off bother-
ing with a townmaster who needs some orcs
I’d back a book.
hunted? They’re the same group that hears the
Etc. word “dragon” and races off into the country-
Eventually, I found myself giving excuses to side without a second thought.
people around me—friends and associates in This book was my dragon.
real life—about how I didn’t know about Kick-
And I couldn’t have asked for a better party
starter and I wasn’t sure I could get it all going.
to help me chase it down and kick it right in
I was making my excuses to friends who just
the teeth.
shrugged back—who was I trying to convince,
afterall? At some point, you’re really only argu-
ing with yourself. Later w/Love,
Flannel
13 • INTRODUCTIONS • How This All Came To Be

Chapter One
How to read this book
Each item comes with six elements: Additionally, you’ll notice that the power level
of the items in this book aren’t explained in the
• A Title (that you are welcome to change if
same way they are in other magic item books or
need be);
supplements—this is on purpose.
• A short snippet of Narrative to give flavor to
Instead of “rarity,” each item in Lost Artifacts
the item, it’s effects, or maybe just the emo-
of Greyghast is given a rating for “complex-
tional tone of how it could be used by a PC;
ity.” Complexity is indicated with the following
• An Appearance describing what anyone symbols at the header of each item:
seeing it or picking it up might notice (with
a few Perception challenges to notice espe-
cially weird or subtle details); SIMPLE
• An Origin that tells you some details about
where the item comes from or how it was
made in our own very generalized world—
for the vast majority of the items, the Ori-
gin also comes with a special and neces-
sary condition for attunement; MODERATE
• A paragraph or two of System information
to let you know how the mechanics work;
and
• An Illustration of our interpretation of
how it might look.
Any of that can be changed or reinterpreted by
you, the DM, as you need and we encourage
ADVANCED
you to fit our items into your world as you like.
However, the reason we include all these parts
is to help DMs (who already have a lot to do)
with the heavy lifting of item creation or expla-
nation. Sure, you could come up with an origin
for that magic hammer all your own, but we
include a history, NPCs, distant geographies, All items are safe for virtually any power lev-
conflicts, motives, and references to lost ages or els, but for those that want to meet their play-
great wars from ancient times that make it easy ers’ expectations and keep their games running
to give players a sense that the item comes from smoothly, we suggest that Simple items will
somewhere and is important without putting a offer the least amount of rules and the quick-
lot on the DM’s plate. est play. These are great for new players and
14 • Chapter One • How to read this book

veterans that don’t want to be bogged down in And if you’re still desperate to sort this all by
complicated mechanics and options. recommended class level (which you don’t need
to do, to be sure), our best advice is to bring in
Moderate items will have straightforward rules
Simple items between 3rd and 6th level; Moder-
for how to use them, but do come with excep-
ate items between 7th and 12th; and Advanced
tions and sub-rules that may not be ideal for
items at 13th and higher. But understand that,
new players or casual players. We suggest that,
for higher level characters, most of the items in
as a rule of thumb, anyone not properly familiar
this book—while they’ll be fascinating and use-
with their own character’s class, race, feats, etc.
ful—might not be worth sparing an attunement
might not be a good candidate for a Moderately
slot that could be better used for a +3 sword.
complex item. But, for those with a good footing
Food for thought.
in the rules of 5th Edition, they’re perfectly fine.
In the end, we offer that virtually all of the items
Advanced items require being very familiar
in this book should be safe for your game. We
with the normal rules and very confident in
encourage you, as the DM, to interpret them as
how combat, spells, and checks work. These
you see fit and adjust or rule accordingly to suit
items often have dual purposes, unconventional
you and your players. We provide the item, but
trade-offs, and sometimes risks from NPCs.
how it really exists in your own world? That’s
Advanced items may be ones that require long
your choice.
term investments that more seasoned players
may be better equipped to judge or effects so
wild that casual players might not appreciate
the real risks involved.
15 • Chapter One • How to read this book

Chapter Two
Variant Rules
All of the items in Lost Artifacts of Greyghast To support that, we have two Variant Rules
are perfectly compatible with 5th Edition, they we welcome you to adopt or adapt to your
demand no special rules for Identification or own game.
use, and they are all setting-neutral.
VARIANT RULE –
The attunement requirements are included in ACTIVE IDENTIFICATION
the Origin section because we want to highlight
The Active Identification system of magical arti-
that they’re not a requirement of the System for
fact discovery and adoption relies on the extra
those games that don’t want to deal with all the
sections provided for each item in this book
fluff. You can use normal “standard rules” for
beyond just the System mechanics.
attunement instead of our own special tasks and
efforts and still enjoy the items. First, all items have an Appearance. This is the
normal description that should be read out
Just taking the System section for the item, a
upon seeing and finding the item. It takes no
DM or player can make full use of the fun and
special check or ability for the DM to reveal the
function of the artifact. We want to emphasize
item’s Appearance. Some items indicate a Per-
that clearly.
ception check (Passive or Active, pending your
But, for those who are willing to slip into the game) that reveals a strange additional sensory
warm waters at the deeper end of the pool? experience when either handling or being close
The additional content sections are there to to the item.
give the items, as they may exist in your game,
Second, all items have an Origin. The use of
a rich context and opportunities for excellent
the term “artifact” here in this book is differ-
roleplaying.
ent than how the term is used in official books
like the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Rather than
indicating rough power-level and rarity, it rep-
resents only rarity. The items in Lost Artifacts of
Greyghast are either all unique or very nearly
so, intended to be a singular remaining magi-
cal item from a lost time or a secret group. As
such, their Origin stories give details about
their age, creators, journey through the world,
or meaning.
After being given the Appearance, a player
should get an opportunity (just one) to see if
their character has ever heard of or read about
the item. By thinking back through their formal
and less-than-formal education and experience,
a player may roll one of the Knowledge-related
16 • Chapter Two • Variant Rules

Ability checks listed with the Origin of the item. The initial roll represents everything the char-
acter knows. If they were to conduct research
Note, if the character is not Proficient in any
in a library or seek out the knowledge of a wise
of the Knowledge-related Abilities listed, they
scholar, they may have another chance to reveal
may not roll. The Origin also indicated certain
the Origin. DMs are encouraged to consider the
classes or backgrounds that grant the character
merits of backgrounds like Sage or the resources
advantage on the attempt.
available to Acolytes and Criminals to find the
On a success, the character gets to know the right books or scrolls that might be a key to
Origin of the item in full detail. The narrative revealing a long lost knowledge.
or history provided may be completely true or
Active Identification does not interfere with the
may be the folklore that surrounds the item (a
utility of the Identify spell, which reveals the
combination of truths and mystery), this is up
item’s System section and attunement require-
to the DM. Regardless, the Origin reveals how
ments; but, the spell cannot give the Origin.
the character may attune the item and what-
That should be left to other forms of Divination
ever details the DM wishes to reveal about the
or pure Knowledge checks.
System for it—either a summary of the major
theme or the whole System in detail. Nobody needs Knowledge to get the instructions
for the item’s use, with that spell, but it may be
On a failure, the character simply doesn’t
a character doesn’t realize that the magical pipe
know the history and Origin, nor anything of
they use to cloud the minds and thoughts of oth-
the attunement and System. They just never
ers was created by an Archfey in the old times to
learned anything about it at any point in their
sow chaos and discord in the world in prepara-
life. It is a mystery.
tion for their invasion of the mortal plane.
STEPS OF ACTIVE IDENTIFICATION DMs are encouraged to consider the story
1. Discover the item, the DM shares opportunities for those that aren’t sufficiently
the Appearance curious about why that artifact exists in the
2. DM confirms which Knowledge-related first place.
Abilities are key to revealing the Origin
VARIANT RULE –
3. Player(s) confirm which Knowledge-re- ECHOES OF THE PAST
lated Abilities they are Proficient in Each item has, swirling within it, Echoes of the
4. DM grants advantage to any Player whose Past—memories of the times it was used and
character fits the profile for advantaged the people or creatures that wielded it.
Class or Background based on the Origin The narrative short story and the Origin that
5. Player(s) roll against the appropriate DC accompanies each item can be used for some fla-
listed with the Origin. On a failure, they vor when high level Divination magic is used in
do not know what the item is. On a suc- your game or for characters connected to pow-
cess, the DM reveals the whole Origin erful Beings.
and attunement for the item along with For spells like Legend Lore, both the narrative
as much of the System mechanics as they and Origin have ready flavor and pre-provided
deem relevant. details you can weave into compelling visions
For those who failed their Knowledge-related and portents. The narrative may be an event
Ability check, there may be options available to that happened long ago in your campaign’s his-
try again, but those must come with a signifi- tory or far more recently (begging the question
cant change in the source of the information. of where that encounter, death, horrific event,

or dungeon may be in your world). The Echoes For those characters connected to a supernal
of the Past, for these sorts of spells, give life to force or power like Clerics, Druids, Paladins,
the item and are a rich bed for everything from Warlocks, and even Sorcerers, DMs may wish
rumors to dreams, both before they’re found to grant favor or fortune to those individuals
(lying in wait in some dungeon) and after (as that cross paths with a powerful artifact whose
the owner dreams of old lost kingdoms and Origin intersects with the wants, fears, needs,
their item used to slay monstrosities). or history of the Great Being or Force they’re
intertwined with. This can come in the form of
DMs should feel encouraged to expand on the
Inspiration, visions of quests to follow, or even
Origin and narratives to fit their game world
experience points.
and story.
For example, the Shudderwein—a sword that
The Origin can be taken as folklore or real his-
was forged to kill deities in the ancient past—
tory, depending on the details of your own
may bring heightened interaction and attention
game world—after all, not being 100% true
from the Patrons of some Warlocks or those
doesn’t mean it isn’t descriptively or poetically
gods or goddesses that recognize it. A Cleric
true (whether a person from some ancient time
that carries Shudderwein may be given visions
truly existed and did the things in the Origin or
or divine instructions as to its destruction or use
not, the stories told about them still point to the
against the divine minions of a rival evil god.
item’s actual power).
A Fiendish Warlock may find their devilish
Most of the items in this book share character Patron trying to manipulate them into adven-
names here and there across each other (in no tures where it might be used to strike down
particular historical order), most of the Origins Celestial creatures. The Echoes of the Past in the
have recurring events or references to prior ages. item are apparent to class-connected NPCs and
Great Powers.

Chapter Three
Armors & Shields
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ARMOR OF GUILE … 20 LASSITER’S CONVICTUS … 38

BADE OF INX … 22 PLATE OF GAW … 40
BANEFUL PARMA … 24 PLATE OF THE
LOST EMPEROR … 42
CORWISS HEIRS … 26
SHATTERED STANDARD
CRAY OF THE DEAD GOD … 28 OF WEX … 44
HALNIFAR’S BREASTPLATE … 30 SPRINGMAIL … 46
HERALDIC SHIELD OF THUNDERHAELD … 48
MARQUIS STASCH … 32
WIDDERSTAD’S PAVISIS … 50
HOLLOW OF WAR … 34
HORNWAIL CORD … 36
NOTES
Armor of Guile
Paulo laughed and laughed and
laughed, wading through the
attacks and cackling like a mad
drunk the whole way. Arrows
splintered to pieces off of his
magnificent breastplate. His
side ached from gales of guf-
fawing as the soldiers charged
him, spears at the ready. He
very nearly soiled himself in
glee as he saw the great lop-
ing bugbear roar in frustration
at how deftly the magnificent
matching shield deflected the
big gob’s woofing swings.
Paulo had waded into their
camp an hour ago and was
beside himself with joy imag-
ining the accolades he would
get from the King… and the
presents… and the gifts… and
the—ahem! His was a smug satisfaction at the invulnerable splendor encasing his body, right up
until his squire, Willis, started squinting quizzically at him. The look on the old, toothless man’s face
went from curiosity to disbelief to annoyance to determination as he walked up close, drew his rusty
old knife, and put it right through Paulo’s heavy steel gorget, mail, leather, and throat. As the young
warrior bled out on the ground, the old thief spat.
“Lying twat.”
APPEARANCE well as the Unreal. It was their broad theory and

An unfashionable, lightweight, green and pink true belief that illusions were not (as most arcane
silk scarf roughly five feet long. The material is scholars believe today) false things, but were
delicate and expensive, but garishly colored. the truest magic of bringing into being a thing
that wasn’t yet real. They believed virtually all
ORIGIN magic, from conjuration to evocation, was just
Arcane DC 13, History DC 15; Advantage a more rote form of this practice: the imagining
for Illusion School Wizards and anyone of a thing not real, the weaving of it into this
with the Charlatan background world, and the effects playing out against the
The long-dead Gnomish kingdoms of the far collective disbelief of that world (including the
North were famed for their artistry in both the specific individuals confronted with it).
Real—mechanisms and inventions that made The Armor of Guile was one of their finest
them the dominant power of the Third Age—as proofs; the armor itself is nothing so much as
20 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Armor of Guile

a lightweight scarf that one must wrap around Every Resistance added to the armor decreases
their midsection. Attunement requires sincere the DC of the Wisdom Save by 5 and must be
belief on the part of at least one other sentient and accompanied by an appropriate visual on the
intelligent creature, within sight or hearing range, part of the wearer. The DM is encouraged to set
that the wearer can conjure magical armors. a high bar for quality description, so Necrotic
Resistance may require dark, hideous skulls for
SYSTEM rondels while Bludgeoning Resistance might
The Armor offers no protection from the ele- require abundant heavy underpadding. Suc-
ments or natural hazards and is extremely frag- ceeding on the Save means the creature is com-
ile (an Athletics check of 15 would be enough to pletely unaffected by the illusion and may act as
rip it into pieces, destroying the item; a natural though it isn’t there; to them there is no armor,
fire that does even 4 damage ruins the Armor). only a pale pink and green scarf (ugly at that)
The Armor heals itself from such damage wrapped around the wearer’s midsection.
slowly, over 1d4 days, and cannot be the target
of spells intended to hasten the process. Failing on the Save means the creature not only
believes it is real but will subconsciously pull
So long as the Armor is attuned and intact, their attacks and finesse their damage to the
however, any and all attack rolls against the extent appropriate to the illusion. So, a cultist
wearer are made against an AC appropriate to who fires off Necrotic blasts fails their save and
the illusion the wearer chooses to employ, and believes the wearer has Necrotic damage Resist-
any damage from direct attack rolls (not area ing armor on; that means they will do damage
effects nor things Saved out of) may be reduced as though that Resistance were real (halving it
by illusory Resistances. The more unbelievable and rounding up).
and rare the armor imagined, the lower the DC
for the Wisdom Save required to disbelieve it. Out of combat, once per scene, a creature may
have a Wisdom Save to disbelieve an illusory
Using a Bonus Action, the wearer may create Armor upon first seeing it after being away
illusory armor around themselves, bound only from the wearer’s illusion for a significant time
by their imagination and the wit of those observ- between exposures. Constantly being in the
ing. Simple and common light armor starts at wearer’s presence means there’s no chance for
a DC 25 to disbelieve and looks to be of basic a new Save. Whenever the Armor is “different”
craftsmanship, the sort of item one would expect or has been changed, all creatures that see it
any cheap armorer to have. Well-crafted and immediately get a new Save. The illusion stays
more common medium armor starts at DC 20. even when the wearer falls or is unconscious,
Master-crafted and heavy armors start at DC 15. but fades away very slowly over the course of
an hour.
NOTES
21 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Armor of Guile

Bade of Inx
“You don’t want to do this,”
Darkraven grumbled at the
guards—bows drawn and
gleaming, sharp points of a
dozen arrows aimed with mili-
tary precision at his chest.
Broadways was three paces
behind the grim and—
frankly—overdramatic hal-
fling. It seemed like every time
they ended up in a twist he’d
start in with the mysterious
and harrowed demeanor. The
old paladin was convinced the
man was too in love with his
own reputation.
It was exhausting, in no small
part due to the fact that thirty
minutes ago the rogue was
making fart sounds during
breakfast trying to get laughs.
It was indecent. If he had it in him to hate anyone, Broadways figured, he’d come close to hating
Darkraven.
He’d bet money the little thief gave himself that name, too.
As the soldiers drew their bows back another inch, Darkraven ran his finger along the edge of his
buckler—small, shiny steel thing it was. Milking the suspense for everything it was worth.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A simple, round, bronze buckler eighteen inches Arcane DC 14, History DC 18; Advantage
across with a pitted and notched surface betray- for Arcane Trickster Rogues and anyone
ing hard use over some years. with the Sailor background
The Bade was one of many shields created by
the ancient empire of Inx, used primarily by
their fighting men and women at sea. When
ships would clash out in the far blue and crews
of shiphands and soldiers would surge at each
other, back in the age many thousands of years
before proper siege weapons or ballistas, spears
and axes and bows were the great threat to both
boarding parties and those repelling them.
22 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Bade of Inx

Few exist anymore, those that do being lost to During this turn, should the bearer be the tar-
sea and time, but the rare remaining ones have get of a ranged attack that misses, they may use
been a powerful tool for the quick and close their Reaction to deftly interpose the Bade and
killer. send the attack back in the direction it came
from, the projectile or force strikes the surface
Attunement requires a short rest of being shot
brilliantly and bounces back at a perfect angle
at by, or otherwise subject to projectiles from,
to return the attack.
an expert or master of ranged weapons, learn-
ing the weight and balance of the Bade while it The range limits of the attack are still counted
learns its bearer. DMs are encouraged to have a from the original source, including the distance
strong definition of what expert or master might of the projectile or force in returning to the
mean here, as the individual should be extraor- attacker; should the remaining range fall short,
dinary and may be the subject of the party seek- they are not struck by it (i.e. a ranged attack
ing out such a paragon on a side-adventure. spell with a 60 ft. range limit and sent from 30
ft. away could be reflected back on the attacker,
SYSTEM but if done from 40 ft. away the blast would
Once attuned, the Bade counts as a +0 magic travel 20 ft. directly at the originator before
shield. At the beginning of the bearer’s turn, being spent).
they may forego the normal AC bonus offered
Should the returned attack strike its original
by a shield in favor of using the Bade to reflect
source, it does half its normal damage (rounding
incoming projectiles (any, so long as they come
down) before any other modifiers are applied
from ranged attack rolls—including magical
(like Resistances and features).
projectiles or forces).
NOTES
23 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Bade of Inx

Baneful Parma
The camp was quiet, but the
old paladin was not.
“You can come out. I know it’s
time… I’ve been waiting.”
The moon was new and the for-
est dark, and had there been a
fire it would have been help-
less against the flowing night
spilling out from the treelines.
Broadways was cinching his
last gauntlet, breathing even
and slow while sounds—inhu-
man and uneven—spat and
hissed and shuffled around him.
There were… twenty? Maybe
more. His old campaigner’s ears
knew their business, and the
things in the dark were wait-
ing. If they were autonomous,
they’d either chatter or rush all
together. If they were only min-
ions of some chief evil, he’d be
chiming in right about now…
“Huuuuuman… yooooooo naaaawt weeeelcomb… naaaawt heer…” a voice from over his left drawled
out–the Night’s Tongue. He’d heard it often enough that he could place it easily. And, as he picked up
his small oval shield and tapped the rim on his chestplate, the flash of light bought him two things:
A split second advantage to rush the bastard, and a moment of joy as he heard the horde scream in pain.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A small oval leather shield—not quite twenty Religion DC 14, History DC 16; Advantage
inches long and fifteen at its widest part—with for Paladins, Necromancy School Wizards
an irregular polished white stone, nearly six and anyone with the Acolyte background
inches across, in the middle. Perception DC 15 The Parma is an artifact of The Haxian, a zeal-
notices the leathery patches on the surface are ous cleric who three-hundred years ago was
herring-bone patterns of aged humanoid skin responsible for cleansing the Ophea of the mon-
and the stone is the top of a skull. strous undead that dwelled there. Each patch
sewn into its surface was cut from the forehead
of an undead creature slain by his wrath.
24 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Baneful Parma

In the center of the shield is the cleric’s own smack the rim of the shield against a hard sur-
crown, the bone dome of his skull, ivory-white face and cause a flash of pure, radiant, divine
and polished to a high-gloss shine. light to arc out around them. This light has
the effect of causing any undead creature that
Attunement to the shield requires the killing of
hasn’t yet acted to lose its turn. This divine vig-
a necromancer, his last moments of life leaving
ilance may not allow the wielder to do anything
his body while on the shield. The Haxian was
else during that round, but the power bound to
said to have done this ritualistically, strapping
the Parma gives them at least this much of an
the dark mage down onto the shield to ensure
instinctual edge. Anything both faster than and
they died squarely upon it. For this reason,
surprising the wielder will avoid this, but any-
as well as the oddly horrific materials of the
thing slower than they are will be affected.
shield, most of the faith’s champions—even the
most righteous and intense—find themselves Second, the wielder may perform a shield bash
unequal to bearing it. by taking an Action to use the shield as an impro-
vised +0 magic weapon, doing 1d4 + Strength
SYSTEM modifier in Bludgeoning damage (unless any
Once attuned, the shield counts as a +0 magic features, feats, or other rules the character is
shield and provides two boons to the bearer. able to employ allows for a shield bash with
First, on any round the wielder is considered Proficiency Bonus). A successful shield bash
surprised, they may still roll initiative despite forces Exhaustion 1 on undead creatures, if the
not being able to take a turn. After what would hit is a critical hit, it forces Exhaustion 2. Note,
be their turn, they may use their Reaction to Exhaustion does not stack, the shield bash only
imposes either Exhaustion 1 or 2.
NOTES
25 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Baneful Parma

Corwiss Heirs
The pass is narrow. The pass is
everything. Nothing may come
through the pass.
The words Meilla told her were
ringing in her ears, while her
heart thumped in her chest.
She’d been at it for a half-hour.
Teller had fallen back. Stecksie
was down and she shouldn’t
spare a moment to see if he was
going to get back up.
All that mattered was the pass,
and—choking it, filling it—the
countless bodies and somehow
less countable mass of con-
scripts behind them. She’d held
off dozens and dozens and doz-
ens… maybe hundreds. She’d
felled many, but turned back
many more. Some had fallen
down the cliff, and she won-
dered between grunts of pain
and screams of challenge if
they survived.
A big one came through the
line, leaping two dead things
that used to be soldiers, lying
on the ground in a lover’s
embrace; she turned his sword
and then broke his jaw and still
she held the pass.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
The two shields are bold, curved rectangles Religion DC 13, History DC 18; Advan-
(three feet high) of blemishless gold, bright and tage to Paladins and anyone with the Folk
shining. They bear no seams, no ornamenta- Hero background
tion, but on their surface are faint shadows that During the Third Age, when the war reached
seem to move this way and that. Perception DC the lands of Daelt ir’Corwiss—a violent storm
15 to notice that the shadows are those of chil- of blades and rage and magic and fire from the
dren playing South, on it’s way North with no great care for
26 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Corwiss Heirs

what lay between—it took his fields, his small- SYSTEM

folk, and his two children: Cora and Teirk. So long as the oath is kept, the Heirs are usable
He waited four years, until the war had died, to their fullest. They count as +0 magic shields
and divested himself of all his wealth. Turning and, when strapped to each forearm, they
to the gods, he asked for vengeance and sac- grant the wielder the ability to use the shield
rificed everything to get it. His screams and bonuses for both at the same time (rather than
pleading were met by a conflagration from on being limited to one shield bonus). In addition,
High. The scar in the land from where the High once an attack is declared against the wielder
touched him cradled his body, and he woke to by an adjacent opponent, the shieldbearer may
find the Heirs laying beside him. use their Reaction to pre-empt it and deliver
their own Shield Bash with one of the Heirs
And with them, Daelt roamed the lands of com-
(1d4 + Strength Bludgeoning damage, plus an
mon men and women, protecting the weak
additional amount of Radiant damage equal
from the strong and weeping for those he had
to the number of months one has been pro-
long ago failed.
tecting the child up to the shieldbearer’s Profi-
Attunement requires an oath, made to any ciency Bonus).
Gods or Goddesses that may care, to protect a
The wielder may use the Heirs (either) to Shield
child from all malicious mortal harm. This act
Bash as an attack (should they have an option
replaces the Bond for the shieldbearer to an
to attack), but doing so means that one shield
appropriate Bond regarding the child.
is not being used to grant the normal AC bonus
until the beginning of their next turn.
NOTES
27 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Corwiss Heirs

Cray of the Dead God

Teller started the careful pro-
cess of wrapping the long
strap of boaxhide around her
midsection. Around, then over,
then around, then over—the
motions were familiar to her, as
common as brushing her hair
out of her eyes. It was more
than a ritual, it was the only
truly peaceful moment she had
these days. The armies were
spread out below them, this
morning and every morning.
The rest of her comrades were
tired, they’d spent the night in
fitful watches, waiting for hell
to climb the hill.
Today, the lower encampment
was—-if anything—larger
than the last one; they had
charged up toward Teller and
her comrades yesterday, nearly succeeding in killing them all. Now? Soldiers, pink-faced and ready,
were lined up to storm the earthy mound again and give them all a death long in the coming. But that
wouldn’t be until the horn signaled an advance and that never came before dawn.
Without worry and almost without care, Teller continued the ritual, taking her time and doing it
right, wrapping herself in the protection of her clan and family and preparing herself for the blood to
come.
If the Emperor wanted this hill, she’d make his very best bleed for it.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An extremely long, single piece of hide, irregu- History DC 18, Arcane DC 22; Advantage
lar in width and ranging from a few inches to a for Barbarians and anyone with the Out-
little broader than foot here and there. Much of lander background
the surface is blackened, seared by flame here When the cultists of the Child God came to the
and there. Perception DC 14 notices that it is windswept tundra of the southlands, they were
always warm to the touch. escaping persecution from the Old Empire and
seeking a place to call forth the horror that stood
as the center of their worship.
28 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Cray of the Dead God

The Child had never touched this world directly, SYSTEM

though its servants had murdered nations in Once attuned, the Cray grants the wearer an
the past in an attempt to bring that about. Gen- inconsistent, but powerful, defense against
erations of perverse arcane and divine ritual mortal harm. So long as the wearer of the Cray
labored to birth the creature into our world, and is otherwise unarmored and carries no shield,
if they had succeeded—had it not been for the these benefits come into play.
sacrifice of nearly every living member of the The DM should deal nine cards from a conven-
Intuer Clan in fighting back the first few steps tional deck of cards to the wearer (the numbers
of the infant demigod into the world—there 2 through 10). With a Reaction, taken after a suc-
would be no living thing left today. cessful attack and damage are rolled (but before
Lanaria of the Wild, the Clan’s matriarch, fought damage is resolved), the wearer may play one
it back through the rift in reality the cult’s rit- card and add that number to their AC. When
ual had created to spawn the horrific thing. The a card is played, it must be set aside. The value
Clan slaughtered every witch and warlock that on the card is the AC bonus the Cray grants the
night, and—from the hide of the arm that Lena- wearer until the start of the wearer’s next turn.
ria had severed from the Child—their Sayers Once all of the cards have been played, the Cray
fashioned a ceremonial cray as a trophy to be must be re-wrapped to earn them all back—this
passed on to the champions and heroes of their requires 10 minutes of careful concentration and
people for centuries to come. both hands.
None of the Inteur survive. The last of their The Cray provides no protection against Psy-
Clan died long before even the Elvish nations chic damage, however, and must be ceremo-
had formed a civilization. The Cray has served nially re-wrapped each morning before dawn in
heroes and horrors alike, ever since. order to maintain attunement. Should the Cray
become unattuned, it does not work for the pos-
Attunement requires a deliberate, ritualistic sessor ever again.
wrapping of the leather around one’s body in
a ceremonial observance of one’s own possible Should the wearer deliver the killing blow
and welcomed (if the spirits demand it) death. against any creature with Legendary Actions
and pass the Cray along to a worthy new cham-
It is only this acceptance, honestly made, of the
pion, some of the Cray’s power stays with them.
bearer’s potential demise that brings the Cray
Any armor they wear is considered at least +1
to life.
and magical for the rest of their life. Note, this
does not add additional bonus to any armor
(wearing +1 magic armor does not grant one +2
bonus) and armor with a higher magical bonus
overrides this effect (+2 armor would replace
the +1 magical bonus).
NOTES
29 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Cray of the Dead God

Halnifar's Breastplate
Broadways looked up.
Hrast and his horde of flapping
monstrosities soared high over
him, headed right for the now
tired and enraged darkgnawer. It
bled a rancid ichor down its side
and panted through yellow and
rotted teeth, staring hate at the
old paladin, catching its breath
and looming enormous over
the trees. With him, Meila was
flying, encased in purple light,
the tail of her comet streaking
proudly behind her. Those two
were as different as water and
oil, but they charged in together.
To his left, Teller and Wyatt
were sprinting for the mon-
ster. Teller’s eyes were serious
and dark, her greatsword held
high. She cut the picture of the
fury of the wild, the strength of
her people, and the rage barely
contained beneath. Wyatt’s
lanky frame bounded with
her, three arrows nocked in his
bow, the casual and smart grin
he usually sported replaced by
grim dedication.
To Broadway’s right Oakley was a great and ferocious bear, bounding over rocks and fallen trees, teeth
bared and a purposeful intelligence behind the eyes. His head was low, his gaze never moving from the
thing. Chrimstin raced along with the bear, daggers drawn. So, he hadn’t run after all… even facing
certain death. Some people, Broadways mused, just surprised you.
And, as the paladin stood there, with everyone charging toward the demon, he called its name. As the
thing roared back, crouched to unleash that unholy power again, the old warrior smiled. There was
no better way to go out, than beside old friends.
30 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Halnifar's Breastplate

APPEARANCE SYSTEM
The charcoal dark breastplate bears a large, Once attuned the breastplate counts as +1 mag-
single symbol upon it—a character in some ical armor, and at the start of the wearer’s turn
long forgotten language that glows and pulses they may grant their Action, Bonus Action, or
lightly with an irregular rhythm. Reaction to an ally within earshot. This can
allow that ally to have two Actions, Bonus
ORIGIN
Actions, or Reactions in their own turn as a
Religion DC 13, History DC 19; Advantage result (as the wearer loses that action until their
for Paladins and anyone with the Soldier next turn).
background
In granting the additional action to an ally, the
The stories of the great heroes and legends of wearer must define what should be done with
the Old Empire, before the reign of the Exiles, it. If an attack, they must verbally direct what to
are filled with tropes written boldly. attack and how. If a spell, then which spell and
Clad head-to-toe in gleaming armor, Cap- where to cast it. If a feature or special ability, that
tain-General Halnifar, of the Children of the must be called out along with the desired effect.
Morning, killed the Greater Lord Demon of the Even Reactions must be framed as granting the
Skhiux, whose true name cannot be known, action to the ally for a specific hypothetical—i.e.
and cast its body into the darkness between “If that goblin tries to run, kill it” would grant
worlds—the great echoing chasm of nothing a Reaction to an ally to use for an Opportunity
that keeps the heavens apart. For his valor, Hal- Attack should that goblin trigger one, or “keep
nifar was raised, bodily, to serve as the hand of your Shield ready” could grant a Reaction to an
The Highest, guarding the fabled Great Temple ally for casting Shield, should they need to. At
of Light. His heavenly raiments replaced his minimum, the wearer should define whether
earthly ones, and Halnifar took his place as a the receiver of an action should use it to attack,
Deva of the highest order. cast a spell, move, defend, use an ability, or use
it for some other clear combat purpose.
His armor, weapons, and the tools of his work
were taken by the faith, held as sacred artifacts The ally does not have to use the granted action,
and spread throughout the world. Eventually, but if they do not it is lost at the start of the wear-
in the Purge, these artifacts were all lost. er’s next turn. As the order must be heard by the
ally, DMs are encouraged to consider the Per-
Attunement for the breastplate requires killing
ception challenges of different environments.
a demon while wearing the armor.
Should the ally not use the action as directed,
or at all, the breastplate loses the power to grant
another one for 1 hour.
NOTES
31 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Halnifar's Breastplate

Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

Patrician Fylo von Crenum
stood in the practice yard with
his peers and sworn mortal
enemies. The young men stood
about in the very finest hose
and boots and waistcoats with
perfect silk blouses. Their man-
icured, perfumed, and oiled
style dripping with the weight
of money and privilege. Not
a one of them knew the first
thing about a real sword fight,
but then… none of them much
needed to, either.
As they stood, Baron ir’Da-
la’s son (Fylo’s least favorite
cousin) showed off his rapier—
tempered steel embossed in
gold filigree with a circle of
pearl in the heart of the tapper-
peak. Tasteful. Fylo was hardly
jealous though, he’d seen the
same weapon in a gentleman’s
shop at the capital last season.
Wotley (of the Haverwood Wotley’s) sighed and flapped his hand, dismissing the artisan’s work as he
brandished his shield: a thing of elvish design, shaped like a woman’s hip and elegantly flowing into
rings of pure silver toward the hem, the steel enameled a bright green with emerald dust mixed in to
give the whole thing a glittering shine.
Hamlin (the son of a bitch) shrugged at all the bold showing off and nodded over to Marquis Stasch’s
firstborn over by the fence, his heraldic shield over his shoulder in the perfect display of casual afflu-
ence and feigned disinterest.
It was stunning. Bold lines with a thick golden border—daring, challenging the eye to look away.
The steel was polished to a mirror shine. Subtle. The crae of the peak was—oh, gods—was that bone?
Pure bone? Glossed to a piercing shine? And it had a shadowmark. That complete cunt had a damn
shadowmark…
Fylo felt woozy and nearly fainted. He found himself shamed and aroused and angry and jealous. It
was perfect.
32 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

APPEARANCE and it still bears some of the power of the kiss

A handsome, crested steel shield with a white of a goddess.
enameled surface and thick rolled golden edges. One may attune to it only if one is noble blood,
Perception DC 15 notices the hint of a crown in titled as nobility, or after participating (win or
the shadows that play across the surface. lose) in a duel with such nobility.
ORIGIN SYSTEM
History DC 14, Religion DC 19; Advan- Once attuned, however, the shield allows the
tage to Clerics and anyone with the Noble bearer to use their Charisma Bonus instead of
background normal shield AC, given that the bearer is unar-
The Marquis Chance Stasch, famously wealthy mored and wearing clothing worth at least 1000
and indiscreetly ambitious about one day join- gp. It is a dueling shield, and loses its power
ing his house with the royal family in a distant (and the granted AC bonus) if the wearer is
kingdom to the East, was the most exquisitely obscured or unable to show off their finery.
defined man of his time. His line stretched back At any time, the bearer may choose to retire the
to the Old Empire, his progeny were born into shield. Doing so means it may never work for
levels of sovereign prestige most nobles spend them as a magic shield again, however, a sec-
a lifetime acquiring. ondary effect takes hold.
The goddess of coin and prosperity, one of the So long as the shield is hung in a place of honor
newer deities that appeared in the heavens (visibly) on property owned legally and fully by
during the Second Age, fell in love with him the shield’s owner, it grants the owner a faint
and as a token of her love, kissed his shield glimmer of the blessings the lady once granted
and promised him generations of plenty and the Marquis and his lineage. After taking a
her own protection. For centuries and through rest (short or long) either within sight of the
many political and national upheavals, the shield or in the same building or structure as it,
House of Stasch survived. Most loved and most any rolls for random treasure, gold, valuables,
blessed by the lady of opulence. income from businesses, etc. in relation to the
Gods and goddesses, however, are fickle. The owner are made twice and they may pick the
House of Stasch fell, quickly and within a gener- result of their choice. This lasts for a number of
ation, when her eye turned to a young priest of days equal to the owner’s Proficiency Bonus.
her faith in the West. A young man who would DMs should note, this means random gold gets
one day spread her name to all continents, to two rolls and the shield’s owner may select the
all people, and place her name on high over an value from those two results, but also if there
empire that spanned half the world with him as are treasure tables in play for items then they
her lover and Prophet. may select from two results as well. Such are
Few of the Marquis’ prized possessions survive the subtle benefits of the blessings of a goddess
today. But, the heraldic shield of his family does of coin and wealth.
NOTES
33 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

Hollow of War
The sound was a deep well in
the winter, long and empty
and without life.
Raxback Will, four feet of
thick muscled Clansire to the
dwarves of the Bronzeway Val-
ley, stood before several dozen
chittering and fierce warriors
of the tunnelers. Their claw-
like hands gripping staves and
clubs, waiting to pounce at the
first twitch.
The sound was a crisp haunt-
ing wail, the sound of a mother
mourning a child.
A few leaned back away from
the stout warrior, their chiefs
clacking angry sounding
admonitions while the thing
before them scowled and beat
his shield again.
The sound was death, pure and
focused, the sound of a high
sky wind sweeping alone and
broad through the Bronzeway,
calling the end of life and the
unconcern of the turning of the
world.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A thick, brass shield bearing a strange cunei- Arcane DC 17, History DC 19; Advantage
form and resembling a gong as one might find to Paladins and anyone with the Hermit
in some mountain monastery. Perception DC 15 background
notices names in dozens of languages etched The Hollow of War is a relic from the days when
into its surface. the Dragonborn ascetics of the peaks shared
common cause with the dwarves of the West-
ern mountain range. Against the purges of the
Empire, in the days of the line of Exile, they
traded, mingled, and fought together. Even their
broader theologies found places to overlap.
34 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hollow of War

Several generations of cultural exchange had Action (both), or the Action and Bonus Action
benefited both by the time of the Cataclysm. and Reactions (all three).
The Hollow was repurposed during the Battle Using one’s Action, beating on the shield in just
for Toren Stream, it sent hundreds fleeing into a the right place with a Performance check DC 10,
red rout in terror. one may force a Wisdom Save DC 10 for all crea-
tures around them. If incorporating their Bonus
One must be proficient in heavy armor to use
Action as well, beating a haunting counter-tone
the Hollow, due to its weight and the manner in
to the brassy ringing sound, the DC for both the
which it manacles to one’s arm. One must also
Performance check to be made and the Wisdom
have at least a Strength of 17 to wield it. Lacking
Save increase by 5 to 15 each. If incorporating
either requisite leaves it largely useless.
their Reaction on top of it all to scrape a jar-
Attunement requires adding one’s name, in ring scream against the metal of the shield, they
one’s native high written language, to the sur- increase the DCs again by 5 to 20 each.
face. DMs should note the difficulty in etching
Once which actions are being used is decided,
magical steel and may incorporate significant
the Performance check should be rolled. On a
challenges to accomplishing this.
failure, nothing happens. On a success, all crea-
SYSTEM tures that can hear (within 60 ft.) are forced to
Once attuned, the shield counts as a +1 magic make the Wisdom Save. On a failed Save, they
shield that allows the user to beat its call with are Frightened for 1 minute. On a success, they
any metallic object and strike fear into one’s foes. are unaffected. Note the investment of actions is
declared first, before any roll.
The challenge and effect are greater depend-
ing on whether the wielder chooses to use their If used this way, the shield may not grant an AC
Action (alone), both their Action and Bonus bonus for that turn. Once used, the ability can
used again only after a Short Rest.
NOTES
35 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hollow of War

Hornwail Cord
“What’s to stop us just club-
bin’ that pretty face flat and
tossin’ whats left into the brine,
neh?” First Mate Sorka’s face
was a deep rouge leather, hard-
baked by decades of sun out on
the open waters, and Courser
had never known it to hide a
lie. The old boatswain meant
it. They’d kill him as easy as
sinning and leave him lost at
sea, just another cautionary
tale for the boys at the docks
that dreamed of plunder.
Still, he held onto the rigging
of the shilemain, the tension
in the air almost thick enough
to taste. Twenty hands of all
shapes and sizes, a few officers,
a dead captain, and a locked
captain’s chest that held the
promise of easy money nobody
would be looking for out here.
“You’re a piece of right dung,
Sorka,” was all Courser could think of and, rather than sound fierce, it came across as simply buying
time. The old sailor laughed, deep and true, and casually motioned for one of the deckmates to walk
over and bring Courser off that rail with prejudice.
Those two quick, thoughtless handwaves were enough to make the young man grin, even as the griz-
zled thumper unfurled his club.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A light-weight armor—made to cover the torso History DC 17, Religion DC 19; Advantage
and hips—made from intricate and tightly for Druids and anyone with the Outlander
braided, twisted, laced, and wrapped pieces of background
hard, aged brasscord rope. The Svimm Empire, a distant and ancient power
crushed by the expansion of the Exile kings,
were an unlikely power in the old world. Metal
being rare in those lands, their war-criers and
artisans created impossible and arcane weapons
to fight their battles with. Svimm Cord Armor
36 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hornwail Cord

was fabled to have been made using alchemical wishing to harm the wearer (in any way) find
techniques that were considered forbidden by they cannot approach close while the wearer
the Exiles when they conquered half the world. is fighting another. Once a creature makes an
attack on the wearer (successful or not), all
The Far Walkers of Svimm (a sect of outlanders
other creatures with an Intelligence of at least 4
that roamed the wilds hunting for cults and con-
find they cannot approach within melee range,
spiracies in service to the Black Spider in the days
and if they are already in melee range they take
before the Bending of the Heavens) are depicted
the opportunity to move away from the pair as
in several old texts as wearing such armor.
soon as they can, if they have the ability to do
Attunement requires spending more than half of so safely (they may feel they are not fleeing in
one’s time away from other intelligent human- fear, so much as compelled gently in their sub-
oids, over the course of a week. The Far Walk- conscious to move for an advantageous reason).
ers were isolated wanderers and warriors, this
There is no Save or Resistance for this effect,
World using them as antibodies for the infection
such are the irresistible powers of supernal
of dark magics, and their tools cease working
Reality. Should the creature in combat with the
when exposed too long to civilization and each
wearer die, fall unconscious, or otherwise flee,
other. Attunement can be lost should the bearer
the effect goes away for all. Also, being affected
spend more than half their time around other
does not prevent anyone from using ranged
intelligent humanoids in any particular week.
attacks against the wearer or using Ability
SYSTEM checks that don’t require melee range.
Hornwail Cord counts as +0 magic light armor, Constructs, Beasts, and Undead ignore
allowing 12 + Dexterity modifier for AC, and this effect.
weighs 20 lbs. While attuned, however, the
armor subtly affects those around it: those
NOTES
37 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hornwail Cord

Lassiter's Convictus
For a man his size, Broadways
was fast. Always had been; it
was an advantage he’d care-
fully cultivated for years, and
times like this reminded him
of how lucky he was to have
been born with fast feet. He
managed to cover a third of
the distance between the great
stone doors and the raised dais
on the far side of the chapel
stretch before the congregants
had even noticed the clamor.
His friends stayed back, and
wisely. They knew the drill.
Raveller Thorpe had to be
stopped, and this dark ritual
with him. The sallow faces
in the crowd went from sur-
prised to annoyed to furious
in moments, and the armored
old paladin hurled himself up
the processional. One hundred
yards, maybe… keep going.
He felt the sting of some hex
or curse tossed at him and
still raced on. He knocked two
thin-armed cultists out of the
way—hearing a satisfying “crack” as he shattered one of their jaws with his shield. Seventy yards.
And another sting. Fifty. Yells. Screams. Another. The pain was intense, but still he ran on.
And as Ravell looked in bewilderment at the large metal figure barreling towards him, he croaked one
word more glorious than any Broadways had heard in weeks…
“…crap.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A set of half-plate armor, seamless and with- Religion DC 13, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
out rivet or joint, the pieces hovering loosely to Oath of Devotion Paladins and Divina-
over and next to each other in a haunting and tion School Wizards and anyone with the
unearthly perfection, with a faint wind (no Soldier background
more than a light breeze) surrounding it silently.
38 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Lassiter's Convictus

The Convictus was found, not created. SYSTEM

Lassiter was the old soldier of the Lost Country, Attuned, the armor counts as +0 magical half-
a fabled hero that walked the hills and plains plate. The wearer now has advantage on Saves
and forests of that now cursed place bringing against magic—all such Saves. The spirit of the
retribution and peace wherever he went. His old soldier steels them, body and soul, through
end at the hands of the great winged death that the unearthly armor. All spells requiring a Save
was the Black Tyrant is a story told by old bards by the target, however, cause the wearer to suffer
to somber men of righteous mien. A cautionary from flashes of ancient memories—of Lassiter
tale that the greatest of heroes die, that not all and his crusade. When forced to make a Save
stories are bright. against a spell, after the effects are resolved, the
wearer takes 1d4 Psychic damage.
A century after Lassiter died, it was said, a
token of respect and honor was carefully placed In addition, the wearer may not spend Inspi-
where he had fallen so long before. Whether by ration for any reason. The only thing they can
gods or men, priests or sages, nobody knows ever do with it is give it to another (represented
who laid the armor on the ground he died on all by their giving an encouraging gesture of some
those years past. The Convictus is, but evidently kind). They may still earn Inspiration, and
not as a part of this world at all. grant it to others in this way, but cannot spend
it themselves.
Attunement requires forswearing the tides of
fortune entirely: making an oath to the cosmos,
and any caretaking deities or powers that gov-
ern them, that one walks an orderly path. The
renunciation of Fate is no small matter to the
Hosts above.
NOTES
39 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Lassiter's Convictus

Plate of Gaw
“I’ll give you one free hit, Peele.
Make it count, because after that
I’m going to come over there
and twist your head around
backwards,” the low rumble
of Wilkerson’s voice reverber-
ated from within the stout and
unforgiving-looking armor.
Most men had cowered back
and away when he came to col-
lect for the King, but there was
always one fool who thought
himself especially clever.
As Peele stared, question-
ingly, at the large man in the
grey metal, he found in himself
a well of courage few would
have dared; clenching the long
steel in his hand, he stepped
and then walked and then ran,
holding it overhead and bring-
ing it crashing down on the
fighter’s helmeted head.
The sound was like an axe hitting an anvil, as the sword screamed its ineffective defiance and Peele
stared, terrified at what he’d just done. Not a scratch. Not rocked an inch. This, truly, must be his
death. His folly.
Inside the armor, Wilkerson whispered a prayer and hoped nobody tried anything for a moment or
two.
APPEARANCE Duke of Gaw’s son—centuries ago when that

A set of full plate armor with intricate grooves duchy could still be found on a map—was a
along the surface in a labyrinthian pattern over weak man more comfortable with a wine glass
each piece. than a sword. But, intent on winning some glory
by conquering their neighbors in the kingdom
ORIGIN of Hoff (which most Sage’s agree probably was
History DC 14, Arcane DC 16; Advantage not a real place, but such are stories), the Duke
to Fighters and anyone with the Enter- tasked his sorcerers and smiths to make the
tainer or Noble backgrounds most brilliantly protective suit of armor their
If the baudy stories told by the drunks, and crafts could manage.
encouraged by the Bards tell any truth, then the
40 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Plate of Gaw

Despite the eventual owner’s unworthiness of source other than Psychic and Poison) to be
their talents, they went to work crafting one of taken by the wearer is over twice their Class
the most defensible war-garments in existence. level, the armor plates thicken dramatically
in response. The joints stiffen and the leather
Attunement requires the taking on of a squire of
and padding swell within the suit, almost too
at least modest birth, and the armor only works
constrictively. Reduce the amount of incoming
when helped into it and out of it by the squire.
damage by twice the wearer’s Class level as the
Should this habit be broken, the armor no lon-
armor shrugs off the force and power behind it.
ger works for the owner ever again.
Until the armor returns to normal, the wearer
SYSTEM is considered Grappled and is disadvantaged
Once attuned, the armor protects the wearer as against being Shoved prone. The armor returns
+0 magical full plate armor and, in the event of to normal at the end of the wearer’s next turn,
massive amounts of damage, will alter itself to though if the attack was a Critical Hit the dura-
protect even more. tion is one turn longer (ending at the conclusion
If (after all Saves, Resistances, Immunities, and of the turn after the wearer’s next turn). Any
Features) the amount of damage (from any damage taken while in this state is reduced in
the same manner as in the initial strike.
NOTES
41 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Plate of Gaw

Plate of the Lost Emperor

Lightning flashed over the
empty leagues of hills and
wastes.
Kix Boyd had spent the last
four weeks wandering this des-
olate place, and regretted the
adventure that brought him to
it. Alone and wet and tired, he
walked on, almost praying the
storm would strike him down.
At least he wouldn’t have to
put up with the chaffing of wet
leather against his skin and
could get a decent rest, then.
Gods know the open grasslands
aren’t much for shelter and this
ruin of a place didn’t even grow
what one could call a grass.
A fire, oh, he’d sell his firstborn
(if he had one) for a decent fire.
Already, his feet were numb
with chilly wet.
As he made his way in the dark,
in the distance an armored
figure glinted with the latest
crash of sky fire. Standing sen-
tinel and quiet, Kix thought it
a man until he got closer. The
hooves of his old swayback squelching the mud as they cautiously approached. Bizarre, that.
Just armor.
Who stands up a scarecrow of empty armor in the middle of—wherever this was?
From head to toe, it was a dull bronze—the color of a rich man’s bathtub. And, from the top of the hill
it stood on, Kix imagined he could’ve seen for miles around in every direction had it not been for the
dark and downpour. With each flash of lightning, the patterns of wasted trees and scorched ground,
rocky crags and sheared hills all seemed to orbit this one spot as though the armor were some poor
soldier, given orders to stand a lonely watch over the desolation. Rumor had it that a great empire
once stood here, in these dead lands. Something about a folly of heroes as well, blighting the place.
Kix didn’t believe in folklore, but profit? Kix Boyd started counting the bottles of wine this thing
would buy as he pulled a tarp out of his saddle-bag to get to securing the bundle.
42 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Shattered Standard of Wex

APPEARANCE only thing they left was the armor of the last
A dark, bronze armor—seemingly hand- Himdan emperor, standing alone amidst the
beaten—with small indentations over the entire ruination his defiance caused.
surface. The style is noticeably archaic. Per- Attunement requires a vow to protect a city,
ception DC 15 notices a stillness and quiet that made to the gods and goddesses that still hear
comes on around the armor when it is touched. such prayers. The vow must be honest and,
ORIGIN while the maker need not stay there, they must
dedicate their lives—so long as they have the
Religion DC 17, History DC 19; Advantage
Plate of the Lost Emperor—to its people, pros-
for Knowledge Domain Clerics and anyone
perity, protection, and governors. DMs should
with the Noble background
alter the wearer’s Bond to reflect this connection.
The Himdan Dynasty—great emperors and
empresses that ruled the lowlands to the SYSTEM
East during the earliest days of the Dwarvish Once attuned, the Plate of the Lost Emperor acts
Dominion—is gone. Proud and old, their lin- as a +0 magical full plate armor that requires
eage refused the orders of annexation from the a Strength score of 18 to wear properly (or
Dwarves for decades, defiant in their belief that else all Ability checks, Saves, and attacks are
their own people were not going to sacrifice at disadvantage).
their will to the strange new god the Domin- The armor spurns magical and martial power—
ion’s theocracy was centered around. the lament of the last Himdan ruler lives on
In those days, so many centuries past, the new inside of it. All spells cast by a creature within
empire had more zealotry than power and most 5 ft. of the armor fail: any spell slots or points
of the nations and kingdoms in their expansion- spent are not lost, nor the Action considered
ist path laughed off the threats. But, during the used, but (if caught by surprise while trying
reign of the last of the Himdan emperors, the to cast near the armor) the Action they replace
Dominion chose to make an example of the larg- it with is disadvantaged. For example, a wiz-
est of the cities in the Eastern lowlands. ard may attempt to cast next to the armor—not
knowing its properties—but while they would
Details about how it was done, or how quickly,
find out they cannot, they would still get to take
vary between scholars of our era. The most
a different Action like attacking (and that Action
skeptical stories, however, still speak of giant
would be disadvantaged).
engines of destruction raining down pestilen-
tial chaos on the hundreds of thousands of peo- In addition, the wearer of the armor may extend
ple that had not yet fled the city. And, in the this radius to 10 feet for one round, if they take
aftermath of this extermination, every building no Action and no movement—letting their still-
and tower and wall was crushed to pebbles and ness amplify the negating effect.
dust. An erasure of a thriving port city, and the
NOTES
43 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Plate of the Lost Emperor

Shattered Standard of Wex

The glade was quiet, the air
still and empty. Though over-
grown, and rich with life, there
was something more than men-
acing about the way the vines
coiled down from the trees.
Something almost sinister
about the color of the moss—
not simply green, but a green
that one saw and almost tasted
in seeing it. The place was old,
the stones, weathered as they
might be, looked like pieces of
broken pottery lost to the ages.
Halwayte had spent his entire
adult life looking for this place,
where heroes fought monsters
and both fell to the dull ache
of history. What injury they
wrought here was healed—but
healed perversely. It would be
a surprise if anyone in a thou-
sand leagues knew what it was
or that it was here.
The shield lay on its side, worn
and weathered, wood rotted, smelling like the green of the moss. The last thing Wex would have
remembered was the sweet rotting smell, of a thing alive that should not have been, and realizing it
was everything.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An old and beaten wooden shield, circular but Arcane DC 16, Nature DC 22; Advantage
for the large gash roughly the size of a boot on for Druids, Great Old One Warlocks, and
one side. anyone with the Hermit background
In the time of Uday Vet’Verain, the high acolyte
of The Listener at the Door, during his reign of
terror over the lowlands—fully four thousand
years before the Exile Kings—his war against
the Wayfarers ended up devastating the land
and bringing an unholy and unspeakable touch
of the other side to this world. The result was
the instant screaming death of everyone in the

surrounding countryside. Everyone, and every- broken dimensions, it offers only a +1 bonus to
thing. Such are the horrific powers of the Great AC rather than the normal +2, though it does
Old Ones. count as a magical item.
The shield of a thoroughly unremarkable casu- Once attuned, the shield provides the bearer
alty in that cataclysm, a youth named Wex who with the ability to draw upon the horror of
was the first to fall to the horror, lay in the glade that fateful battle. They may, using their Reac-
that has grown around the forgotten site. The tion, will the shield to form the rest of itself
power of the Wayfarers, along with that of the from the swirling, chaotic energies that broke
Elder Thing that blighted the land and then it. The cracks and gaps in the shield fill in with
evolved with it, fused into a shattered meta- a hard, glowing, gold and green energy that
phor: the natural-and-unnatural thing that was brings the shield’s AC bonus to overall +3 (2 for
that wooden shield. a full shield, +1 for magic). The shield lightly
vibrates with power and maintains this state for
Attunement is required for its deeper mysteries,
1 minute.
and is achieved through an active—potentially
lethal—encounter with a servant of a Great Old While the Standard is activated, the wielder
One or aberration in a purely natural place (not may spend their Reaction in a given round to
a city or a location permanently inhabited by use the shield as protection from an incoming
intelligent creatures). Necrotic or Poison attack’s damage—doing so
grants the bearer Resistance to such damage
SYSTEM
from that single attack, though they may repeat
To use the item as a wooden shield requires the process for attacks in upcoming rounds.
absolutely no attunement, so long as one is This use is declared before the attack is rolled,
proficient. If doing so, given its fractured and after it is declared.
NOTES

Springmail
When the dark knight put his
lance through Wendel’s chest,
it seemed as though all the joy
of the world was gone. The
warrior’s last desperate act
was to take Wendel with him
as he died. To the others, it—
that terrible strike—happened
almost in slow motion. There
would be no great laughter
ever again, this mad adventure
would only haunt them all for
the rest of their days.
The Prophet of Lindelwood,
the Mad Walker of the Green.
Wendel, what his parents
named him. If anyone of them
had deserved to see this out, it
was him.
That’s what they thought, any-
way. The lot of them gathered
around his body, the knight lying dead in the rain by the clearing. They stood around as the skies
soaked them, and shook their heads grimly. Paulo wept.
The druid’s body started changing, rotting away before them, more quickly than should be possible—
the sight of his teeth baring from drying and moldering lips a horrifying sight. His body caved in, and
maggots and insects crawled out of orifices. His eyes shriveled in their sockets beneath the lids and
even his bones appeared to fall apart into dirt and dust. Wendel had decomposed into nothing within
moments, and daisies began to grow from where his body had fallen.
As they stood, dumbstruck and confused, they heard movement from where the knight had finally
died. The four of them all spun around quickly, drawing weapons and ready for their vengeance only
to find a naked Wendel, Prophet of Lindelwood, pulling off one of the knight’s boots.
He stopped for a moment, rain making his usually pale skin even pastier looking… “What…? They’re
better than mine.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A scale mail armor made of small, flat stones— Arcane DC 15, Nature DC 19; Advantage
each perfect and immaculate. A maroon stripe for Circle of the Land Druids and anyone
runs diagonally across the chest. Perception DC with the Hermit background
15 notices this stripe is dried blood.
46 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Springmail

The Springmail of the Farthest Reach is an arti- The DM should roll 1d10 to determine distance
fact of the time when the Zeal Riders fought (multiplying the result by 5 feet) and 1d12 to
their endless war against the Principalities of determine direction (like a clock face); at that
the Mad and the Feyland Courts. The Wild was distance, in the indicated direction, a rootball
alive with great titanic conflict then—the Glass starts growing over the same time as the body is
had shattered in the forgotten places of the decomposing. Once the decomposition is done
world—and the Arch-Fey raced to spread their the rootball, now a large 5 ft. diameter weave
domain into our reality. Decades of blood and of thick and strong vines and branches, cracks
madness followed, the Druids of the Reach died open. The owner of the Springmail comes spill-
by the hundreds. Then, as unpredictable as they ing out, covered in a gelatinous slime, wear-
had come, the Fey—one quiet morning—van- ing nothing. They spend their first turn “back”
ished. Whether by some great ritual, repairing Prone and Blinded, unable to take any action
the wall between our world and theirs, or some other than moving. If they have at least one Hit
alien logic that no mortal could hope to under- Die available, they must roll it and replenish
stand, the result was the same. that many hit points (as though spending one
during a Short Rest); if they do not have any
The Druids that remained watched the old
remaining Hit Dice, they have 1 hit point.
places, and watched them for centuries, in case
the fey returned. The Springmail was only one When they are reborn in this manner they have
of their fabled artifacts created during this long 1 Exhaustion, but regain any missing body
period, and the only one to survive the thou- parts, lose scars or blemishes, and remove all
sands of years since the last Zeal Rider passed other conditions they were under the effects
on from this world. of (except the temporary Blindness and Prone,
which go away after their first turn “back”).
Attuning to the Springmail requires burying it
no deeper than a foot under loose soil and leav- Should they reach their own remains, now rot-
ing it there, unguarded and unhidden, for a ted to dirt and dust, they may take their full turn
full turn of the moon. One cannot come within kneeling over them in thanks and with bless-
a mile of it, nor have anything come on one’s ings to the power of the wild. Doing so recovers
behalf, for this time. The Riders of old had a half of their current maximum hit points.
much easier time of this, when the world was
Should the direction and distance for the root-
all wild and vast.
ball be over a chasm or hole, it forms some-
SYSTEM where on the side of that gap as many feet down
as would measure the rest of the distance. DM’s
Once attuned, the mail counts as +1 scale mail
are encouraged to be creative in these situations;
(though made of stone) and weighs twice as
emerging from the ball will not ever be imme-
much as normal scale mail. The first time the
diately, naturally hazardous (like falling or the
wearer is reduced below 0 hit points in a given
like) but moving from that spot may present
day, their body begins to decompose rapidly
such hazards.
where it lay over the course of 1d4 rounds.
NOTES
47 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Springmail

Thunderhaeld
Teller stared at the great, lum-
bering man. He’d only been
with the group for a week, and
already she couldn’t stand him.
Huge, ugly axe on his back and
a feathered leather shield over
it, scraggly-haired and thick-
bearded—he was everything
her tribe hated. When the peo-
ple of the Reaches and High
Places come to the kingdoms,
most take them for brutes and
illiterate savages, and Brau
was why. He was crude, filthy,
and little more than an animal
most of the time.
No self-respect there, she rolled
her eyes at the lazy way he
scratched himself while they
walked on. Here, truly, was
a savage. May the Mountain
Gods and the Death Bear eat
his whole clan.
To her surprise, the skies cack-
led and rumbled, and a soft
rain began falling on them.
Groans of dismay from the
rest rose above the whish of the
summer storm. Oh, yes, boots
would get soaked. But from
Brau there was only a belly laugh as he stripped his vest off and ran about catching the rain in his
mouth, greasy hair plastered to his head. He howled something into the sky, with a grin on his face,
and gave Teller a wink.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A beaten, leather-covered shield of a very Religion DC 18, Nature DC 23; Advan-
irregular and asymmetrical shape, with eight tage to Path of Totem Warrior Barbarians
crooked sides of different lengths and large and Druids and anyone with the Sailor
eagle feathers along one side. background
In the oldest time, the time before the true First
Age, the gods and goddesses had not yet carved
48 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Thunderhaeld

up the world and argued about who would rule Attunement requires a pledge to the Great Spirit
what. Some fought bitterly over the domains of Grandfather Thunder that one will bring the
of war or longevity, some over who would be haeld to a worthy successor, made during the
loved by the mages, some wanted to lord over height of his fury (in the middle of a storm,
the turning of civilizations. Grandfather Thun- when he is closest to the world). It is a promise,
der only wanted to rule the clouds and the rains, with all the consequences of invoking the name
and in the bargaining over the great things the of a sleeping god, to not let the haeld fall out
rest let him have his want in favor of his sup- of history, but to always find it a worthy bearer
port of their machinations. when one can no longer carry it.
In the end, they laughed. For what is the rain SYSTEM
when one rules War? Grandfather Thunder Once attuned, the bearer may treat the haeld as
only said, “All armies must march, and it is I a +0 magical shield that offers them a choice to
that will have say over how far, how fast, and if either “stand tall against the storm” (gain Resis-
they will reach battle at all.” And Grandfather tance to Cold, Lightning, and Thunder damage)
whispered the story of that happening through or “find solace in the storm” (natural rain from
the winds and distant storms to his first fol- high clouds heals 5 hp at the start of every turn,
lower, a clansire of a tribe lost to memory and if standing in it wholly; being struck by natu-
time. That clansire went on to create the Thun- ral lightning from a storm cloud cures Disease,
derhaeld (“haeld” meaning “shield” in that old Poison, any Petrification, Curse, or Exhaustion).
tongue of the high places), to mark the day he The decision is made when the winds or rain of
was touched by his god. a storm first come.
That story, in its many variations, can be found If one does not give the haeld to a worthy suc-
in the barbarian clans and goblin tribes of the cessor when one knowingly crosses paths with
high mountains of the North. them, they may earn the wrath of Grandfather
Thunder (and be harassed and cursed until they
find that person and give them the haeld).
NOTES
49 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Thunderhaeld

Widderstad's Pavisis
“Try again you ugly, thrice-
blind, wankers!” Dirty Vronn
shouted down the hill at the
fast approaching hobgoblins.
They kept a tight formation,
their heavy shields effortlessly
deflecting Windsong’s arrows
as she dropped them down on
their heads.
“Dennis, we should fall back,”
the elf cautioned. She was the
cautious type. Also tall. Too
tall, really. And she called him
Dennis, and he hated that.
“You don’t bring a knife to a
swordfight, Winnie,” the gnome
was beside himself in glee as he
fired another bolt and punched
an angry hole through one of
those hob shields with it—the
faint sound of a bastard catch-
ing it in the chest was satisfying.
And, then, smooth as water,
he slid back behind his shield,
muttered a word, and rolled
back around the other side,
crossbow reloaded and mania-
cally exuberant.
“I got more for you right
here!” he screamed down the
hill, “Bastards!”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A four-foot high shield, criss-crossed on its dark, Arcane DC 15, History DC 18; Advantage
polished oaken surface with strands of various for Illusion School Wizards and anyone
kinds and widths of metal in a curiously chaotic with the Soldier background
fashion. The bottom of the shield has two cross The pavisis was one of the single most devas-
braced rails, allowing it to stand on it’s own. tating inventions during the time of the first
Great War, after the reign of Malleus Exile I. The
Gnomish clans and artificers came together to
50 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Widderstad's Pavisis

take all they learned of siegecraft, battle from the Gnomes of the old kingdoms fought off the
countless skirmishes, and conflicts between encroaching Empire of their age. As a Bonus
other people and nations and distilled that Action, the shield-bearer (once it is deployed)
knowledge down into some of the most defini- may use it to automatically reload a ranged
tive scholarly essays on the next thousand years weapon they are holding. The arrow or bolt,
of military technology. however, is illusory in nature. The bearer must
not move more than 5 ft. away from the pavisis
Attunement requires reading a book (even a
after it is deployed or it will need to be re-at-
basic primer) on Gnomish siege warfare or sto-
tuned before it can be used this way again.
ries of great Gnomish battles. Doing so requires
several hours with the appropriate tomes. Each shot taken with illusory ammunition has
a chance of failing to completely materialize in
SYSTEM the minds of those watching. Should the dam-
Being a standing shield, it does not need to be age rolled be minimal (the lowest damage possi-
wielded to gain its benefits. It provides mobile ble for that weapon, usually just a 1 on the dice)
cover all by itself (Light, +2) but takes one then everyone witnessing it (those conscious,
Action to deploy or pack back up. and active, even if not paying direct attention)
Once attuned, however, its true power becomes is considered to have Resistance to any further
evident and one finds it easy to understand how illusory ammunition for 1 minute.
NOTES
51 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Widderstad's Pavisis

Chapter Four
Cloaks, Clothes, & Robes
CHAPTER CONTENTS
BILLOWING CLOAK OF KELORIEN SURCOAT … 80

FATHER WIND … 54
LEADEN MANTLE … 82
BLISTERKRAU SHROUD … 56
MANTLE OF CHARITY … 84
BLUEHORN CLOAK … 58
MARTYR’S SHIFT … 86
CLAN TARSAINN … 60
PATCHWORK CLOAK … 88
CLOAK OF THE ELDEST … 62
POACHER’S CLOTHES … 90
COAT OF THE VAGABOND … 64
PONTIFIX … 92
DILANSUITE REGALIA … 68
RAVEN’S STOLE … 94
DRIFTCLOAK … 70
SHADE OF LIFE … 98
FINERY OF THE
DUKE OF GAW … 72 SHAED OF SECRETS … 100
GREAT BEAR’S FOLLY … 74 SLIPQUICK SILKS … 102
HABERDASHER’S MAEL … 76 SKYFIRE HRAICK … 104
HAND OF THE PACT … 78 TRUE WARD OF THE

ARCHMAGE … 106
VOCA CAPARISON … 108
NOTES
Billowing Cloak of Father Wind

The lions were released and
skulked across the sand at him.
Thumping. Prowling. Snarl-
ing. Stalking. The stranger
only walked towards them.
The crowd murmured, a great
grumble of knowing. They’d
seen this show before.
As the first great cat bounded
once, twice, and then leapt at
the stranger it turned in the
air and slammed onto its side–-
squawking and wild-eyed. The
beast clawed the air and had
difficulty finding its feet as the
stranger plunged a casual knife
into its neck, smooth and silent.
The other two raced in, intent on
tripping the man-thing down.
But as they approached they
were shunted right and then
left, chaotically. They clawed,
they missed. They roared and
the sounds were muffled under
the din of the wind now howl-
ing about the arena.
The stranger looked up to the stands, and the crowd went wild… spinning the dagger in his hand,
he looked back down at the fearsome things trying to murder him. His eyes went wild and his hands
dropped their weapons. His fingers clawed at his throat, he stumbled—first right and then left—and
fell… eyes bloodshot… turning blue…
Hours later, the servants were throwing buckets of water on the blood-soaked earth and picking up
pieces of the now very dead young hero. Into the pile the bloody beige cloak went along with some
decent leather pants and a boot from another fight. Lord Ahnash would have them cleaned and given
away to the poor, as all the clothes of the fallen were.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A heavy beige cloak with a dark blue stain History DC 21, Arcane DC 24; Advantage
across it. Perception DC 13 notices that the stain for Way of the Elements Monks and Nature
is the enormous blood spatter of some inhu- Domain Clerics
man creature.
54 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Billowing Cloak of Father Wind

It was hatred that ended the Empire of the SYSTEM

Skylord, back when the Arch-Elementals still Once attuned, the cloak imposes disadvantage
fought their eons-long wars and played their on any non-magical ranged attacks against
cosmos-spanning games of intrigue. The irrec- the wearer, as the immediate few feet around
oncilable differences between the Primordial the them are filled with swiftly blowing but
Elementals and the gods and goddesses of the silent winds.
world they were creating led to jealousy and
In addition, the wearer may will the bound
anger and spite and, eventually, pure loathing.
winds to do their bidding, though at some risk
And when the then-young deity, the Mother of to themselves; every time the winds are called to
Earth, kidnapped the children of the Arch-Ele- do anything the resulting air pressure changes,
mental Skylord of the Winds, and bound them pockets of vacuum, and seething psychic rage
to serve the mortals of the soon-to-be world, the of the elementals imposes Exhaustion.
Creation War began and lasted for a small eter-
By using their Reaction, the wearer may take 1
nity. The world we have is not the world that
Exhaustion to have the winds interrupt a crea-
was meant, and the sorrowful artifact of the Bil-
ture’s turn at any point and impose a Shove
lowing Cloak of Father Wind is one of the last
on them (the winds are considered to have an
remnants of the proto-world that was before.
Athletics bonus equal to the wearer’s Profi-
Attunement requires breathing the cool, high ciency Bonus and are always advantaged). The
winds that chase each other amongst the peaks attempt causes the Exhaustion, whether it suc-
of the mountains. ceeds or not.
When making a melee attack, the wearer may
take 1 Exhaustion to have the winds add force
and speed to the strike. This advantages the
Attack roll and adds 1d6 Force damage.
NOTES
55 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Billowing Cloak of Father Wind

Blisterkrau Shroud
“I do not love you, Quix. I
don’t even hate you. I regard
you in the same way I regard
the paper on which I scribble
my careful messages or the
base metal I forge into some-
thing of use. You are mortal,
which means you’re one of
millions times millions of pes-
tilential, short-lived things in
the world and all others that I
may use for a larger purpose
but have no time to fret about
if not.
“Should I tell you my pur-
pose? Again? I’ve told you
before, of course. Your mind
cannot hold its grandeur, and
naturally burns itself free of
the knowledge each time. You
used to speak clearly, that stut-
ter is a sign you’re slipping
more. Your soul cannot handle
the burden of my majesty. But,
because it makes me laugh and
happy, I’ll tell you again.
“Sshhhhh, careful boy, shhhh.
No crying yet. I haven’t even
started. You’ll need to steel
yourself, you always scream at
the end…”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pink and white robe, made with some fine Arcane DC 17, Religion DC 19; Advantage
and light material, and sized for someone with for Fiendish Warlocks and anyone with the
a slight frame. Sage background
The wars of mortals are won with diplomacy,
bargaining, and some military force—the fool
thinks it requires only the last. Great rebellions
have overthrown powerful entrenched authori-
ties only to themselves fracture and dissolve for
56 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Blisterkrau Shroud

lack of a solid web of support built by friend- administration, the institution of a different
ships, allies, and the careful sale of power, pres- form of rulership, the ruination of a governing
tige, and resources to enemies. Paper wins wars, authority, etc. It can be a large scale chaos (as in
as they say in the old country. a great city), or a very small one (as in a remote
and tiny village or tribe).
In the vast expanse of the planar hells, it is no
different. The Fiends have brokered the Great SYSTEM
War for eons, serving no side while facilitat- Once attuned, the Shroud grants the wearer a
ing treaties, exchanges, and accords. The Blis- Fiendish Inspiration dice. Complementary to
terkrau, a Fiend of the Eighth Gate who bro- one’s own Inspiration—which can be used to
kered the exchange of the Lands of Inx to the grant advantage one’s own roll—the Fiend-
Lost Powers, took his reward and turned his eye ish Inspiration may be spent after an Action is
toward the ruination of another sort. His war- declared but before it is rolled, but only to dis-
locks have worked, both knowingly and unwit- advantage someone else’s roll. The wearer can
tingly, for millennia towards this new end. His only store 1 Fiendish Inspiration at a time and
Shroud has been passed from cult to cult, from regains it only by turning down Inspiration
Warlock to Warlock, and grants its bearer a part offered by the DM.
to play in the great plan.
Note, the DM must grant the player Inspira-
Attunement requires the overthrow of a legit- tion and that player may turn it down to gain a
imate government or institution of authori- Fiendish Inspiration. Of course, once an Inspira-
ty--this may be in the form of the disgraceful tion is so corrupted and stored, they may keep
ousting of a mayor, the bankrupting of a town’s the next Inspiration gained as normal.
NOTES
57 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Blisterkrau Shroud

Bluehorn Cloak
He’d come a long way, and the
hulking things he followed no
more registered his presence as
out of the ordinary than they
would their own. They grum-
bled about the weather, about
the low quality of the weapons
they’d been given by their com-
mander. They bristled about
something (another soldier?)
doing something (it sounded
like a bad bargain?) the week
before with some group (who
knows?). They were, though
monstrous and hideous, like
any common warriors in any
army. Concerned with wet
boots and boredom, hoping to
go home, talking about hus-
bands and wives.
But Reinhardt had to follow
them, had to find their leaders
and then follow those leaders,
and on and on up the chain to
the real authorities. The war had gone on so long. Too long. He’d been skulking after goblins and bug-
bears and ogres and worse for months. Learning. Thinking. Waiting for the right time to strike the
head off of this whole evil empire.
APPEARANCE of the Unseen Vocker’s last angry gasp becomes

A deep and dark blue heavy cloak. Perception the quintessential foundation for a common
DC 15 notices the garment has no seams at all. spell conjuring fire; and on, and on.
ORIGIN A piece of the Lord of Skies’ great cloak, a pure

and brilliant blue scrap of unearthly cloth, lay
History DC 16, Religion DC 18; Advantage
dormant for eons until found by Gnomish
for Battlemaster Fighters and anyone with
adventurers in the Third Age. Passed down
the Sage background
through generations—worked by Gnomish
When the Great Powers fell in the First Age, magewright apprentices that stumbled across
pieces of them were cast to the winds and car- it in a storeroom—it became a finely draping
ried off into the world: a hair from the head of princely cloak to present as a gift to the King on
the Golden Lady would resurface in many hun- his son’s Becoming Day, in the times of the Old
dreds of thousands of years as a rope of pure Empire of the Fifth Age. From there it was lost
radiant light, used by a great hero; a fragment
58 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Bluehorn Cloak

to time, only to be found by grave robbers in the of their Reaction for the turn as they are peeking
far East and traded away as frippery. from behind the cloak and somewhat wrapped
up in it. Bludgeoning and Psychic damage will
The Bluehorn Cloak can be attuned only by a
ignore these bonuses entirely.
soldier, and only one who has fought in a war.
Anyone with the Soldier background, or experi- The wearer may also, with both hands, draw
ence in formal martial conflict between nations, the cloak tightly around themselves and—at the
may attune it with a night’s rest by sleeping on cost of their Bonus Action, keeping in mind that
top of it. While sleeping they will see visions they will have sacrificed any Reaction for the
of the Great War of the Powers in the First Age round, just as the Heavy Cover example—may
in their dreams—a violent and bloody clash of crouch and huddle within it for Total Cover.
Metaphor and Dimension and Plane and Hosts While wrapped up in the cloak for Total Cover
long forgotten. they are immune to all damage types except
Bludgeoning and Psychic and are disadvan-
SYSTEM taged regarding non-attack activities against
Upon attunement, the cloak itself is imperme- them like Grapples or Shoves.
able to nearly all forms of damage. The wearer,
To unwrap and uncover one’s self takes 5 ft. of
in normal course, is considered to have Light
movement (representing the wearer rising from
Cover, though anything ignoring cover ignores
their deeply crouched position while keeping
this bonus. Should the wearer use a free hand to
their balance). Also, given the brilliant color of
grab the hem of the cloak and raise it as a shield,
the cloak, individuals or creatures with line of
or draw it around themselves as if for protec-
sight are advantaged against a wearer attempt-
tion, they may take advantage of Heavy Cover;
ing Stealth.
however, doing this will also cost them the use
NOTES
59 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Bluehorn Cloak

Clan Tarsainn
Unfurling the wooly over-
wrap delicately, Teller breathed
deeply, her chest rising and
falling three times in care-
ful rhythmic patience. The
war would begin tomorrow,
the blood and the battle, the
maimed and dying. She would
be responsible for many of
them; children would hate
her, and wives and husbands
would years later recall the
spectre of death that took their
loved one. That spectre having
a long braid of blonde hair and
a howling fury in her eyes.
The garment was precious to
her, she supposed as she ran
a hand along the bright blue
edge. She remembered wearing
it during the Long War, and
during the Purge. She hated it,
and loved it. It was the purest
essence of her responsibility in
this world. To be the hero her
people demanded, and to carry
the burden of the bodies that
heroism made.
As she wrapped it around her
midsection and over her shoulder, she prepared the day’s events in her mind. Talk first—bargains,
promises. Brodie and the others were counting on her for this. Then, when the deals were made, battle.
But here, at least, was her chance to save a few before then.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A greyish, woolen short robe, with several Religion DC 15, History DC 19; Advantage
cords of similarly greyish wool apparently used for Barbarians and anyone with the Out-
as ties. lander background
Every tribe and clan of the far South, and the
high places in the West, has a Tarsainn: a cere-
monial garment of wool worn loosely as though
60 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Clan Tarsainn

a toga or short robe. In the second age, when that has a class level in Barbarian, has a Savage
magic poured itself into the world through the Attack, is orc-blooded, or worships ancestors,
holes and sieves of a fracturing cosmos, these spirits, or totems. The garment simply com-
ritualistic trophies were infused with the great mands the respect of those who, even if only in
spirits of their wearers and became not just the their soul, understand it.
ritualistic clothing of their honored warriors,
Second, once per Short Rest the wearer may
but the embodiment of the history and destiny
use the result of the most recent d20 roll in a
of the whole tribe.
combat (regardless who rolled it or what it was
Woven into the fabric of each is a thread of des- rolled for, so long as it was “official”) on their
tiny itself, from the Plane of All Futures. very next Action, Bonus Action, or Reaction
(whichever comes first). For example, if the last
Attunement to the Tarsainn requires joining the
attack the monster rolled was a 17 on their d20
ranks of the tribe’s honored. Birthright means
(and the wearer’s turn is next) the first Action,
little, which means that, if the elders of the tribe
Bonus Action, Reaction the wearer takes may
that owns that Tarsainn accept the wearer as
use that 17 in lieu of rolling. This does mean—
one of their sacred protectors, the garment will
however unlikely—that if the wearer rolls a 20
become flush with its power.
on an attack, has not expended their “once per
SYSTEM day” use of this ability, and gets another attack
Two things happen upon attunement: for any reason, they may elect to re-use their
own 20.
First, the wearer gains advantage on social
interaction rolls (Persuasion, Insight, etc. or The strands of fate are subtle, but ever present.
otherwise noted by the DM) with any creature
NOTES
61 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Clan Tarsainn

Cloak of the Eldest

The mire is all mind.
The ocean is vast.
The universe wide.
The brain-think-breath-pulse-
things breed and fall apart.
The master of all blesses his
truest.
The drip is forever.
The acidic moist is truest.
Warmth and cold and hard and
soft.
APPEARANCE other side is pushed through a seam in the Uni-

A swirling, multi-shade grey cloak with a shiny verse and falls into this world. The Eldest—per-
and wet look to it. haps the oldest of all the Great Powers, and most
alien—slowly dripped a creature into the world,
ORIGIN over eons untold. Drip by drip, drops separated
Arcane DC 18, Nature DC 23; Advantage to by ice ages of time. And, when enough had
Warlocks, Circle of the Moon Druids, and seeped through, it was taken up by a cult that
anyone with the Hermit background worshipped the Eldest through an aspect of Its
There are things that darkle and tinct on the True Being—that of an ooze-like god.
other side of the wards and walls that guard The liquid creature lived at the center of a cen-
this Reality from the Great Powers that lost the tury of ritual and craftsmanship, the cult even-
Creation War. When the gods and goddesses we tually turning it into the Cloak of the Eldest,
know ended the life of the last Fiend and Out- granting their most honored the chance to join
sider, they erected great barriers to keep their the great ocean of Primordial purity and master
kind out; these barriers, however, have cracks death itself. The Cloak was last seen before the
and crevices that are endlessly probed in the Purge, before the Old Empire banned magical
Vast Dark. artifacts and burned witches that hoarded them.
Sometimes, a trickle of power works its way Attunement requires the ability to speak to the
through in the form of the Patronage some grant Cloak in Primordial and give respect to the
mortals. Even more rarely, though, a piece of that Great Old One that birthed it into this Reality.
62 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Cloak of the Eldest

SYSTEM At the start of their next turn, and the begin-

The wearer, once attuned, is blessed to survive ning of each of their turns, the wearer must roll
their own death through a harrowing transfor- an Intelligence Save DC 10. On a success, they
mation the Cloak forces upon them. remember who they are for the moment and
may direct the ooze or oozes’ actions (as they
Should the wearer drop below 0 hp, for any rea-
all occupy the same space to start, they must at
son, roll 1d4 and consult the table of changes:
least move to occupy their own spaces on the
first turn). On a failure, the wearer is lost in The
1D4 DESCRIPTION Mire—the subtle mind of the Eldest, grand-
father of all oozes. The DM is encouraged to
Wearer turns into a Black have the oozes act in accordance with their own
1 Pudding nature for that turn. The wearer may assert their
control instead of rolling their Save by spend-
2 Wearer turns into a Gray Ooze
ing 1 Inspiration, but this must be done before
Wearer turns into an Ochre Jelly the roll.
3
The only way to turn back is with the destruc-
Wearer chooses which ooze
tion of the ooze or oozes the wearer turned into.
4 to turn into, roll again as they
become more than one ooze Even self-destruction will cause this, should the
wearer be able to take enough control to do so.
Upon the last ooze being destroyed, the wearer
So long as the roll keeps turning up 4, the is born screaming mournfully from the muck
wearer turns into more and more oozes. Keep with only 1 hp; the wearer may elect to spend
rolling until no more 4’s are rolled. 1 Hit Dice at that time (should they have one
This gives a bizarre opportunity to turn into unspent) and roll for additional starting hp.
several creatures. All oozes that are the wearer They are covered in vile oily substances, vom-
have the stats of those oozes from the Monster iting onto the ground while crouched on their
Manual along with documented abilities and hands and knees.
limitations. Due to the low Intelligence of oozes, The Cloak’s abilities may be used once per day,
it is hard for the wearer to remember they are recharging its connection with the great beyond
a person, and not be lost in the swimming and at midnight.
dark fluid thoughts of an ooze. It is easy to for-
get one’s self.
NOTES
63 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Cloak of the Eldest

Coat of the Vagabond
64 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Coat of the Vagabond

“Stranger,” Father Brickell’s voice broke the silence, ”a gift for you.” The old devout offered the man
a freshly baked pot pie.
The man rose, slapping dirt off of his hands—planting the last of the saplings had left him smelling
of rich earth and a hard day’s work.
“Thank you, Father. I greatly appreciate it.”
Both of them laughed nervously, each remembering in his own way how they’d met. The man took
the pie and tucked it away inside his coat. The awkward silence continued for a heartbeat, and then
another; Brickell broke the silence.
“I— I apologize, sir. I was untoward and afraid when we first…”
The man waved his hand. “Apologies are unnecessary, Father. I arrived during a wrong time. I under-
stand how it can seem… well, a stranger from afar, a lingering curse plaguing your village. I’ve—
Well, let’s just say I’ve dealt with the like before. I’m just glad I was able to help.”
From the porch of the old priest’s bare but well-kept temple house, the two surveyed the village; the
building itself stood firm, as did the local tavern. The rest? Well, the rest would take time and work.
The only cure for these things, after the cancer is cut away—time and maybe years of work.
“Good for that,” replied Brickell, “You know, that pot pie was made by Miss Jessica, she’s quite fond
of you; even before you were exonerated, she defended you ardently. I’ve no idea why she’s turned so
shy all of a sudden.”
The man allowed himself to look over to the tavern. He saw her standing there, trying not to stare
back, her golden hair flowing down upon soft shoulders. He allowed himself a moment to dream…
her head resting upon his chest… a ring… a home… a child… a primeval forest sickeningly per-
verted with the acrid odor of 100 burning sacrifices set to summon a Gate Crasher to bring horror and
death… He stopped dreaming and returned to the now.
Three hours later, countless leagues away from Father Brickell and Jessica, the Vagabond finished his
pot pie, snapped sparks from his fingers, and entered a primeval forest.
APPEARANCE there been such a meet, where those that guide

A long, weathered coat with two deep pockets the course of mortal nations and cities would
in the front. Perception DC 15 notices that the send their wise and learned to congregate and
color of the coat shifts depending on the envi- consider the course of history.
ronment and the time of day. Perception DC 17 Guided by the desire for common understand-
notices a faint and ever-present smell of ozone ing—and defense—in a world increasingly hos-
permeates the air around it. tile to magic, these theurgists created powerful
ORIGIN arcane wonders to safeguard order, and estab-
lished a secret cabal of the wise and devoted
History DC 19, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
to watch over the rise and fall of nations. Their
to College of Lore Bards and anyone with
mandate was written on the stars, their oaths
the Folk Hero background
given to the concert of heavens, and those Great
In the Third Age, hundreds of years gone, the Powers that stood against the chaos and rage of
theurgists of all of the great civilizations gath- a world in anarchy.
ered in conclave. Neither before nor since has

Their original name was a closely guarded secret still exist, descendents of the original compact,
amongst the theurgists, their existence largely while less credible stories exist that say some
unknown beyond that conclave, but stories of the Vagabonds learned to escape death and
would crop up from time to time of their trav- wander mortal lands still. The only treatise on
els and deeds—the only name ever attributed to them, in the possession of a College of Lore,
them was “the Vagabonds”. was written by a rural harvest priest in the West
and tells a story of a stranger that came through
Those stories hint that they come out of seem-
during a time of blight and famine claiming to
ingly nowhere to quell border skirmishes or
be the last Vagabond before vanishing in the
stem the tide of disasters. Some tales have them
night, never to be seen again.
turning away horrors that tried to claw their
way into our world from far flung hells or sav- Attunement requires taking up the mandates of
ing lost wayfarers in the wilderness. the compact, made so long ago. After donning
the coat for one day, the wearer begins to have
What became of the Vagabonds is unknown.
visions of past, present, and future cataclysms.
There are some credible stories that such people

These visions come during times of calm, when The dreams the wearer has become focused,
resting or sleeping, and do not stop. Some and are always of things soon to come to pass—
visions may be of terrible battles, easily recog- glimpses of a future horror or disaster whose
nizable as historical events, but some depict certainty in the skeins of Fate is not yet certain.
destruction or tragedy that have clearly not yet These dreams come inconsistently but, after
happened like the destruction of villages known having one, the wearer may choose (after the
to be fine today. The visions interrupt any rest rest is complete) to teleport themselves and a
and one cannot get the benefits of a rest while number of other creatures to or in the direction
they happen. of the vision’s location.
The visions only stop when the wearer agrees to If the wearer chooses not to teleport they may
become a Vagabond or removes the coat. or may not have another vision, but can only
teleport immediately after one—while the
SYSTEM dream is still strong in their mind. The telepor-
Once attuned, the visions stop invading the tation takes the individual or group to where
mind of the wearer so intensely and often, they must be, which may be the middle of a
though they still occasionally dream of these catastrophe or somewhere nearby. The magic
things. These dreams do not interrupt or inter- that governs the ultimate destination always
fere with the benefits gained from resting, and brings the Vagabond to where they must be, at
may come during any rest—Short or Long. that time, even if it isn’t where the wearer thinks
The Coat grants the wearer the effects of Com- they should. Not all roads are straight. Note that
prehend Language and serves as a minor Bag of while the visions and dreams are intense, they
Holding, with roughly half the space of a nor- are not dependent on being unconscious—it is
mal one. There is space comparable to a large possible to move and speak while having them,
backpack or moderate size trunk. though anything strenuous would break the
mild trance.
In addition, the Coat grants Advantage on any
Saves to resist or survive the effects of natural The magic that the Coat draws from, and the
environments and exposure to natural weather. compact that allowed its creation, are more frag-
This includes freezing or blistering tempera- ile now than in eras past. A failure to heed the
tures, parching dry wastes or sweltering humid- dreams too often risks the Coat unattuning and
ity, and any natural climate or conditions related possibly losing the last of the wondrous power
to them. it was created with.
NOTES

Dilansuite Regalia
Viscount Echeleon II, in splen-
did form and fashion, swirled
gracefully around the ball-
room, flitting one way and then
another. Parting and returning,
twirling his partner so closely
one could swoon at the daring
flourish, he stamped a backturn
and paced away with such bra-
vado that it was like watching a
play in three acts.
All the very best people were
here, the birthday of a Peer was
a time of careful courtly games-
manship and everyone who
was anyone was playing. Bar-
oness Troot and her husband,
well didn’t you hear about the
new commission he bought for
their son? The entire Horwale
family were present, with their
signature emerald brooches,
and of course they had a son
who was of an age to wed…
Echelon gripped his partner’s waist and bent him back to the floor, dipping low enough for the young
man’s hair to whisper-swish the immaculate white floor. The music stopped, and the gentry clapped
and the Viscount stood—dismissing the boy—and bowed. Finally, with an exceedingly precise and
graceful bow, he burned the life from everyone within the Chateau with fire and screaming bright
lights, breaking the whole manor apart in horrific devastation
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A set of semi-formal clothing, of an old fashion History DC 19, Arcane DC 22; Advantage
but made for someone of privilege or wealth: for College of Lore Bards and anyone with
cross patent shoes, blue thilecloth chased in sil- the Noble background
ver, navy short coat with dynes of silver, and Lord Bauer, the Marquis ir’Dilansuite of the
a pench collar over braids of ribbon. Very fine Last Ghate (a city in the north several centuries
hose and colia. ago), was a forward-thinking and innovative
theorist. His wealth and status afforded him the
luxury of finding, researching, and studying
the near-forgotten (and sometimes lost) arcane
68 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Dilansuite Regalia

mysteries of houses and civilizations long dead. SYSTEM

And, in his thirty-fourth year, he had fashioned Once attuned, the clothing serves as an arcane
a wardrobe of painstaking detail and magecraft. focus for the wearer and can be called upon
Few pieces still exist from his frippery, but his to replace a material component with a gold
Regalia—in its entirety—does. The Regalia is cost (consumable or not, so long as it’s a “gold
a set of exceedingly nice clothes of a style that cost” to the spell) less than their Proficiency
would be seen today as “charmingly anachro- Bonus x 1000gp. Each time it is used in this way
nistic” in noble circles. They are the attire of a (replacing a material component with a cost), a
gentleman or noble, on their way to a day’s cof- slight tear can be found in some of the seams
fee with the best class of peer. or threading of the attire. This damage causes
the whole outfit to cease to work as an arcane
Attunement requires an almost ritualistic don-
focus and cannot replace gold cost components
ning of the Regalia while carefully repeating the
until mended.
mystical words Dilansuite himself had woven—
and virtually coded—into the garments. Mending the garment requires either 1d4+1
rounds of care with appropriate Tailor’s Tools
(no roll is necessary, but one’s Actions must
be used) or can be done easily with the spell
Mending. Dilansuite himself was rumored to
have at least one master tailor in his entourage
at all times.
NOTES
69 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Dilansuite Regalia

Driftcloak
“Do NOT look down, Harold!”
Hax’s voice was a mixture of
fear and commandment.
“Whatever you do, just keep
your eyes shut and do not look
down!”
Harold did as the mage bid,
had learned long ago that it
was just a good idea to do as he
was told. He could slip a purse
as well as anyone and skiv a
rope and hide in a pickle bar-
rel, but when it came to doing
fancy things or weird stuff…
…well, better led than dead.
He felt a hand grab his arm
and pull him.
“There we go, just keep ’em
shut, pal,” the wizard’s sooth-
ing demeanor took over for the
shouting one.
Eyes (and fists) clenched tight,
Harold tried not to think about
the fall that must be down
there-–and then screamed like a
tiny, pretty girl when another
hand grabbed his ankle.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A knee-length, mustard colored cloak with a History DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
high collar. The clasp is large and round and for Transmutation School Wizards and
bears a rune-like symbol. anyone with the Guild Artisan background
The Driftcloak was an unlucky experiment of
the College of Builders—the stonewright acad-
emy of fame which oversaw the creation of
wonders in the Last Age. The Builders labored
under the desire to construct a better world,
one magnificent architectural project at a time.
70 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Driftcloak

The hope had been to create a cloak that would look down and keep their eyes shut. This does
mimic the soft falling abilities some wizards not grant any flight or movement; the wearer
were able to conjure up with a little practice, but is treated as having 0 movement and the Blind
where they had vision and desire they lacked condition. So long as they keep their eyes shut
foresight. and take no Actions, they do not fall.
As word spread throughout the continent of The effect can be kept up for as many rounds as
their hubris, in studying arcane techniques to one has Proficiency Bonus, or can be ended ear-
augment their material expertise, they were lier—at the moment the wearer opens their eyes.
attacked in a brilliant and devastating cata- Though the wearer cannot move about on their
clysm by the Entropists, a cult of mages from own power (in any way, naturally or arcanely),
the South who jealously hunt those that would they may be moved by others and appear to be
expand upon the arcane arts they believed was virtually weightless for those purposes.
their own birthright.
If the wearer attempts to use their Reaction to
The Driftcloak must be attuned after a fall— arrest their fall just before hitting the ground
unaided and natural—of at least 20 ft., in (like deploying a parachute in a controlled,
order to fully expose the garment to a free fall last-second moment), they must succeed on a
moment. Wisdom Save, DC equal to 10 + 1 for every 5
ft. of fall (up to a maximum check of 25). For
SYSTEM
example, if attempting to arrest their fall before
Once attuned, the cloak allows the wearer to they hit the ground on a 40 ft. fall would require
spend their Reaction in response to falling to succeeding at a Wisdom Save DC 18 (40 divided
arrest that fall entirely, so long as they do not by 5 = 8; 8 +10 = 18).
NOTES
71 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Driftcloak

Finery of the Duke of Gaw

CLANK
The Paladin’s sword stracked
against the marble post, rever-
berations sending angry and
violent objection up Sir Broad-
ways’ arm. The young woman
just grinned at him, almost
lazily leaning against the
stoney pillar while the large
man’s companions stood wait-
ing for word of what the hell to
do next.
“Are you done?”
Broadways snapped the greats-
word back faster than any man
his size had any right to, a blur
of martial form, and thrust it
forward at the witch.
The scraping sound of the
point against the column made
everyone wince, save her, and
he could not begin to under-
stand what kind of cruel sor-
cery this must be. She beamed
up at him.
“I think we’re done.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
Very fine vestments: a silken tunic in black History DC 13, Arcane DC 18; Advantage
and gold paisley fringed in brindenlace, a pair for Enchantment School Wizards and any-
of royal blue herringbone breeches, doveskin one with the Noble background
leather bootlets, and a spillory cloak of pure The Duke of Gaw—ruler of a wide, rich land
white farmalan fur. of dark soil and excellent vintages—was known
centuries back for his extravagances, and, most
notably, his wardrobe was the envy of both
peers and the King himself. It was said that
none could match him in splendor.
His finery was made by his personal sorcerer, a
dark figure who made them for dark purposes.
72 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Finery of the Duke of Gaw

The Duke died in battle, ominously, when his higher than 6. The splendor elicits such feel-
tent was overrun by wolves in the night. ings of either awe or avarice that, minor as they
might seem, any attackers subtly attempt to
Attunement requires, as a precaution on the
harm the wearer without injuring the finery.
part of the artificer, being carefully dressed in
the Finery by a sorcerer who themselves must The clothes are perfectly gaudy and over-
be at least basically familiar with the manner wrought. They restrict movement such that any
in which a servant dresses their noble master roll based on the Dexterity modifier is disad-
(requiring the Noble background or some sig- vantaged, due to the cut and stitching of courtly
nificant exposure or upbringing in being a noble attire. This is also why the AC is a flat number
or aristocratic attendant). and the wearer cannot add their Dexterity mod-
ifier, despite being unarmored.
SYSTEM
Anything with an Intelligence Score lower of 6
Once outfitted properly, the wearer is infused
or lower is immune to this. Such creatures do
with an aura of awe and respect; the finery—
not understand or appreciate the finery on that
including all of the jewelry, lace, and other
level, and one’s AC with respect to them is 10.
minor elements—grants an AC of 18 against
attacks made by anything with an intelligence Donning takes 10 minutes, doffing takes 1 minute.
NOTES
73 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Finery of the Duke of Gaw

Great Bear's Folly

As Quinn looked over the field, he
wondered if he’d ever get it plowed
in time. Only a few weeks left of
the right weather, and he’d hardly
enough money to feed himself and
the family, much less pick up extra
hands.
He watched with sad and serious
eyes as his younger brother pulled
the plow through the south field.
Though half his age, Brenn was
twice Quinn’s size—a giant of a
man, really. Rumor was, in town,
that Brenn’s father and Quinn’s
could hardly have been the same, but
the old boys that were still around
did a fine job hollering at such gos-
sip and correcting those what said
so. Brenn was a runt as a child, if
anything, the spitting image of his
older brother made small. Quinn
remembered taking him out when
the boy was 15 or so and telling
him he better plan on buying a good
mule, as he weren’t big enough to do
much on the farm his own self.
To look at him now, though, you’d
never guess it that boy was this
same man.
Brenn ran away shortly after that, joined up with some brigands and turned to a hard life. A few years
ago, he turned back up as a great strapping lad, large as an outhouse. Brenn was, as a youth, inquis-
itive and bright, but the man that returned seemed to have lost all the fire and light the boy’d had.
Quinn thought on it, while Brenn put down the plow to drink water from the barrel by the treeline—
like a horse or cow might. The great big lout could hardly string two sentences together, these days,
and oft as not soiled his own pants while working the plow.
Strong, sure… but slow. Ate enough for four. Cried at night, with a haunted look in his eye like he
was mourning the passing of some part of himself.
Quinn shook his head. The world was big, and every time he thought about leaving this damned farm
behind, he’d look over at Brenn and find himself (for the time being) cured of the curiosity about what
lay out there in the world.
74 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Great Bear's Folly

APPEARANCE These are the tales of the people of the north.

An overlarge bear-fur cloak with a braided Scholars find them an almost impenetrable mix
leather tie. Perception DC 17 notices a cool of metaphor, truth, and hearsay.
breeze passing when the fur is touched. Attunement requires capturing a bear and
ORIGIN returning it to its den. The totemic symmetry of
this act is pleasing to the spirits that still remem-
Religion DC 15, Nature DC 19; Advantage
ber the Death Bear and her cub, though neither
for Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarians
lives anymore.
and anyone with the Hermit background
The old folks say the Death Bear’s own cub SYSTEM
wandered out from the Den—the secret place, Once attuned, the cloak grants the wearer Resis-
high in the mountains, where she has hiber- tance to both Cold damage and adverse wintery
nated for hundreds of thousands of years, wait- conditions. In addition, whenever the wearer
ing to wake and devour the world. rolls a Critical Hit on an attack they may choose
to do maximum damage on that hit, or not.
The cub, larger than the greatest ancient wyrms
and towering high over the trees, roamed the If they do not choose to do maximum damage,
northlands, searching for its mother and bring- they roll damage as normal.
ing earthquakes and storms wherever it went. If they choose to do maximum damage then,
The old people have stories of this or that vil- after the damage is resolved, roll 1d20. This
lage, these or those people from the ancient roll cannot be the subject of spells, abilities, fea-
songs, laid to waste by (or saved by a hero from) tures, or other influence. If the result is higher
the careless travels of the child of the Death Bear. than their Proficiency Bonus, they grow (phys-
One tale, about a heroine with golden hair and ically) 1/2 inch taller and gain 2 lbs. of mass.
the strength of twenty grown men, has it that the This growth is painful, and the wearer may not
cub was driven back to the mountains with fire take a Reaction until their next turn. If the result
and steel but, just as it was about to back into is lower than their Proficiency Bonus, they must
the high places where the Den was rumored to subtract 1 from either their Intelligence or Wis-
be, it slipped and tumbled down the mountain dom score.
and was impaled on a great fir tree. The story In lieu of losing Intelligence or Wisdom, the
claims the lament of its mother brought a frozen wearer may spend an Inspiration point; but
era that lasted until the Second Age. may only do this once per day.
The heroine, however, skinned the bear’s tail Should either Intelligence or Wisdom reach 3,
and fashioned the hide into a cloak. She alone the wearer loses the ability to gain Inspiration.
survived the long winter, and carried the sub-
tle curse of its mother: to be strong, to wander,
to fade.
NOTES
75 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Great Bear's Folly

Haberdasher's Mael
It had taken most of the night,
but the whole set was finished.
A week’s take went into the
new threading and hem, those
cuffs had been a huge bother
of course… but now? Perfect.
More than that, the whole
thing just felt “right.”
Leigh shook the garments out,
knocking bits of this and that off
of the splendid cloth and admir-
ing his handiwork. He was anx-
ious to get started, tomorrow
was going to be cleverly done.
All that was left was a good
night’s sleep, and a bit of
preparation, and he was going
to walk right up to the Arch-
duke at the gala tonight. Him,
Leigh of Wetside, son of a failed
brewer and king of the useless
people of the streets in the
cheap part of town. He’d walk
right through the door and
drink the fine wines and then
put fourteen inches of steel in
the old Archduke’s neck and
get away scot-free.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A set of clothes—including breeches, hose, History DC 19, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
doublet, and more—that are of oddly different for Divination School Wizards and anyone
styles. The breeches, shirt, and waistcoat appear with the Charlatan background
to be part-way through a process of being tai- The Mael came from several strides of fabric,
lored from a comfortable arrangement of gen- commissioned by a king in the old empire a cen-
tleman’s day-clothes to a more rugged design tury ago, intended to provide royal tailors and
suitable for travel. seamstresses with the highest quality material
possible to create the most wondrous clothes
they could imagine. Ultimately, the enchanted
cloth was found disappointingly unexciting
once turned into a set of clothes—whether due
76 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Haberdasher's Mael

to a lack of skill or too-high standards, no one Once the Mael is re-tailored the wearer may
now knows—so was tossed away into a chest select one—and only one—new Proficiency
and left to the dust. that corresponds to the proficiencies of the sort
of person that would wear that garment (a Save,
When the empire fell to the invading hobgob-
check, weapon, armor, skill, etc.), and when
lins of the younger kingdoms, the chest was
wearing it they have advantage on Deception
taken and the boring (seemingly useless) clothes
and Performance checks to maintain a facade
were traded away to eventually be lost, sold
that they are that sort of person.
and transported all over the continent. It wasn’t
until a young sorcerer bought them on sight For example, if re-tailored with charming and
from a fripperer in Greyghast, many years ago, fashionable buttons and regalia, one may pass
that anyone discovered their hidden properties. as aristocratic (and could choose to be Proficient
in a particular Gaming Set, to reflect their high-
Attunement requires expertly re-tailoring the
class forms of entertainment or a language dis-
clothes into a new outfit that speaks to the sort
playing high-speech); or, if done in a style rem-
of abilities the next wearer would want, and,
iniscent of a Master of Arms with appropriate
once donned, the clothes are attuned to that
militaristic adornment and severe cut, one may
person until re-tailored again. Re-tailoring the
pass as a weapons and combat expert (and gain
Mael requires a check of DC 25 with appropriate
a Proficiency in a particular weapon or possibly
tools, and this check can be attempted by any-
an ability like Intimidation).
one on behalf of the intended wearer.
The clothes must be re-fashioned to re-attune
SYSTEM
and cannot grant the same Proficiency twice in
The clothes were made from stretches of fab- a row. Should the tailoring check roll a 1, the
ric that were magically seasoned in the drifting clothes are damaged and require advanced
extradimensional waters of the Plane of All Pos- arcane reconstruction (beyond simple Mending)
sibilities itself. They draw into themselves the to return to a functional state.
intended, and imagined, qualities of the people
whose garb they resemble.
NOTES
77 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Haberdasher's Mael

Hand of The Pact

Krehl looked on as his body
hit the ground with a horrific
crack. There he lay. The bat-
tle raged on, but there he was.
Eyes open, by the gods, just
staring at himself. Someone
should toss something over his
head, really. It was unsettling.
Krehl paced back and forth,
wanting to bite his nails,
but unable to—afterall, they
weren’t nails. He didn’t know
what a soul was made of, but
he could confirm it didn’t have
nails one could bite.
Back and forth. Slow and ner-
vous. He knew better than to
scream or cry out or try mov-
ing anything. Not since last
time. He just watched, watched
them fight, watched them run from here to there and back. Watched the shadow over his body grow
longer. Watched as the clock ran out.
APPEARANCE The watchful eyes of other Great Beings could,

A shawl, made of a dusky grey cloth, with swirl- and often did, miss the quiet movements, so
ing black spirals that can be seen in bright light. focused were they on the cataclysms and wars
that their minions and followers engaged in.
ORIGIN
The Endless and their servants survived like
Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 21; Advantage a cancer in mortal villages and proto-nations,
for Fiendish Warlocks and anyone with the whispering dark things to the right people and
Acolyte background turning their little pockets of the world into the
The Endless, a cabal of Fiends from the Greater sort of hells that soften the gates keeping the
Fourth Malebolgia, had been—back before the Fiendish out. With the rise of the New Pantheon,
even the old tribes were young—the most active however, several crusades decimated their num-
in recruiting cultists and warlocks to their cause ber, and with the fall of Aluat, one of the End-
in our world. Where their counterparts raged less’s favored avatars, the cults that followed the
and terrified the mortals, using heavy-handed Fiends all fell away and vanished in time.
tactics like great demonic monsters and insidious The Endless exist yet, but their power is greatly
evil mages, the Endless had found that the uni- curbed. The Hand was Aluat’s own favorite gift
verse polices subtle plans far less than bold ones. to the faithful, a way of both empowering them
and keeping them well in check.
78 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Hand of The Pact

Attunement requires forming a minor pact with For Warlocks that have made pacts with Fiends
one of the servants of the Endless. This happens already the terms are generous and they roll
when the Hand is worn while taking a long and 3d6+1, while any other Warlocks roll 2d6+1
restful sleep. An emissary from one of the hells and all others classes roll 1d6+1. The result is
they control comes in dreams, a beautiful man the number of turns one’s soul remains on this
with gold eyes, in a banquet hall of fine mar- plane before being pulled to whatever dark
ble and abundant joy—a party, with music and dimension the Endless have in store. The soul
rich food, delicious wine, polite chatter amongst may take no physical actions during that time,
dozens of guests. The emissary offers to awaken nor cast any spells, and is invisible, and inau-
the Hand, but only if you will stay at the party dible. Limited movement around the body and
for a time. He assures you that you can leave some Intelligence-based actions are possible.
when you like. If agreed to, the Hand is attuned
All healing or restoration of hp for the empty
when one wakes up.
body is reduced by 1, but if the body ends up
SYSTEM (after this reduction) being healed for 1 hp the
soul returns—being pulled gently back into
The pact is simple. The Fiends want the wear-
one’s own form. If not healed then, at the end of
er’s soul, but are perfectly happy to wait until
the duration, the soul is lost and the body truly
the wearer decides they do not wish to live any-
dead. No resurrections or reviving is possible.
more. The Hand grants the wearer Resistance to
Fire and preserves them from Death for a time. Every time the dead body is struck with Radi-
ant damage the time until the soul is taken is
When worn in bright daylight, the wear-
reduced by 1.
er’s shadow does not cast a mortal form, but
resembles a giant, dark clawed hand grasping Unattuning to the Hand requires thinking of it
gently. Unless distracted by conversation or before going to sleep. In dream, the golden eyed
other spectacle, Perception DC 12 notices this man and the party are waiting, and he will gra-
bizarre occurrence. ciously accept that the wearer must leave. The
guests will be disappointed, but they applaud
So long as the Hand is worn over any other clothes
the wearer as servants show them the door.
and armor, the wearer does not age. Any natural
When the wearer wakes, if they conducted
or supernatural attempts to age the wearer fail.
themselves gracefully and well during the party,
Any unarmed attacks by fiendish or celestial
the Hand is no longer attuned—and may never
creatures are made at disadvantage—very few
be attuned again by them. If they made a fuss or
want to touch an artifact made by the Endless
were ever rude, the Hand is still unattuned but
for fear of their trickery. In addition, the wearer
they wake up covered in hellish symbols and
no longer rolls Death Saves. When the wearer is
wicked runes of declared vengeance. DMs are
reduced below 0 hp (and would trigger Death
encouraged to make of that what they will.
Saves in upcoming turns), they instead must roll
to see how long their soul lingers outside of their The pact is simple and one can “walk away” at
body before moving on and resolving the pact. any time.
NOTES
79 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Hand of The Pact

Kelorien Surcoat
The Half-Flyers had got-
ten away with a good score
in the fading light over the
Shrikespire. As the sun
dropped behind the horizon
and the chill of an evening
breeze blew across the faces of
the gang, their leader—Mac
Laeiee, King of Scourges and
Scroungers—leaned against
the chimney of the four-story
corner building and caught his
breath, panting puffs of mist
with each grinning exhalation.
Good bit of robbery. Breddert
grabbed the little one’s purse
and Gamthem (indelicately)
tore the pack off the big fellow,
tripping him in the process. A
scramble around the building,
while the rubes yelled for help,
and up the ready ropes for a
frantic climbing. By the time
those bastards find a way up,
the ‘Flyers would be gone…
easy as–
A groan from the south face
of the building turned into a
hushed series of murmurs and whispers. Mac froze. The murmurs turned into the sound of swords
being unsheathed. Then grunting. As he made his way cautiously over to the ledge (not wanting an
arrow in the face), expecting to see angry foreigners sixty feet down, he was met with a sharp kick to
the jaw that brought stars to his eyes.
The sight of the little wiry man with his great hulking friend riding on his back, climbing angrily over
the lip, would stay with Mac for the rest of his life as a lesson in how little he knew about the world.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A fine, tewl and cotton, light robe in striking History DC 14, Arcane DC 18; Advantage
blue and gold cheque. for Rangers and anyone with the Criminal
background
80 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Kelorien Surcoat

The Surcoat is one of the lesser known artifacts SYSTEM

cultivated by the fabled adventurer and bounty While wearing the Surcoat, one’s encumbrance
hunter, Count Ecol. An excellent artificer in his maximum and related limits are divinely
own right, the Count hunted criminals for years enhanced. This affords two key benefits.
in the northern mountains and created a num-
First, the wearer’s encumbrance weight is
ber of worthy tools to help in that work. The
increased by ten times. While the weight of
Surcoat was perhaps the most useful in those
objects are not a problem up to that new limit,
deadly passes.
balancing very large things can be a challenge
After losing most of his party on a dangerous all by itself. If carrying any object or mass of
hunt for a gang of outlaws, during a violent objects larger than one’s own size category
storm up in the peaks, the Count took shel- (Small, Medium, Large, etc.), a Dexterity Check
ter with his remaining comrades in deep cav- DC 10 will be required at the end of any full
ern where they waited for several days for movement and after taking damage from any
the winds and freezing rain to calm. Of all the source. For every size category larger, past the
Count’s fabled tools and weapons, nothing he first, the DC for the check goes up by 5. On a
had created or commissioned would have saved failure, the load of objects is dropped.
them; a wagon tipped over, causing several
For example, if the wearer is Medium sized, the
men and women to be pulled off the side of the
DC to keep balance and grip after a full move-
mountain while trying to hold onto the ropes
ment with a Large sized object would be 10. If
and keep it from falling.
a Huge sized object (or mass of objects), the DC
When he returned to his manor, he worked with would be 15.
his sages and adepts to create the Surcoat as a
DMs should consider the damage to objects that
form of both penance and wisdom—learning
weigh so much and are so large from even short
from his mistakes, preparing for future hazards.
heights.
What was the County of Ecol is gone, fading
over the centuries while the wonders the Count Second, Athletics and Acrobatics checks for
created were thrown to the winds: traded, sold, activities like climbing, jumping, swimming, etc.
lost, and found over and over. Few of his cre- treat extra weight carried by the wearer--within
ations remain. their new encumbrance--as normal. The wearer
would not be disadvantaged to carry people on
To attune to the Surcoat, one must—swearing
their back as they swim a lake or climb a cliff
before gods and men alike—take on the busi-
face. Heavier armor does not present such pen-
ness of hunting a fugitive pursued by a law-
alties, either. DMs should note, however, that
ful official offering a bounty. Whether one ever
holding onto the wearer when performing these
catches them or not is immaterial, though oaths
activities may require those passengers to make
tend to be heard by Beings, great and small,
occasional checks of their own.
who may not take lightly to one ignoring them.
NOTES
81 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Kelorien Surcoat

Leaden Mantle
Paolo wasn’t as worried as most
would have been. The creature
was inside, and no doubt there
were horrors that would come
out of the walls and dust and
shadows to plague them as the
gang charged. The thing was
unclean, and its lair was no
better.
It had been a quarter mile since
he’d seen a living plant and the
woods—gnarled and grey—
nearest the tomb were silent
and still. One can forget the
sounds of a living wilderness,
but when they vanish entirely
what their absence creates is
somehow even more cacopho-
nous. Or maybe that was just
his pulse thundering in his
own ears.
He heard Timik vomit, doubled over and groaning, as they approached the door. The few minutes that
followed were harrowing and bloody, and the screams would stay with him for the rest of his life. As
his comrades fell, one by one, he alone made it to the inner sanctum and it’s master, ready inside. He
shook out his cloak, took a deep breath, and prayed as he made his way inside.
APPEARANCE secrets. Most magic is a matter of careful schol-

A cloak of flexible strips of a deep grey springy arship and study, but for the Blackwoods it was
steel, each partially overlapping another. The trial and error and consorting with dark powers
lining is a thick leather. Perception DC 15 notices for knowledge mortals aren’t yet meant to have.
the leather is some kind of dragonhide. Theirs was the work that laid waste to the island
nations that ruled the eastern seas, so long ago.
ORIGIN Their actions blighted the northern mountains
Arcane DC 17, Nature DC 21; Advantaged in the time of the Voghunbeast.
for Warlocks and anyone with the Out-
The world is only better for that cabal turning
lander background
on itself, but even the fallout from the Coven’s
The Mantle is an artifact of the wild experiments own internal wars led to centuries of fear and
of the Blackwood Coven, a collective of wizards mistrust of arcane study without state-sanc-
and warlocks that sought to perfect their mas- tion. The Exile Purges of the Old Empire might
tery of the world, and the things in it, through never have happened had the common folk not
almost reckless study of the deepest magical feared magic as much as they had in the days
82 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Leaden Mantle

following the Blackwood Coven’s experiments cloak calms and severs the ghastly connections
seeking mastery of the land itself. between the great beings of the world and
their lairs.
Attunement requires a day and night spent
within the domain of a Dragon or other deeply So long as it’s attuned and worn, the wearer
arcane creature; one need not see the thing or may be protected from the effects of a Lair
intrude openly, but must spend the entire time Action that targets them. When they are the tar-
in whatever place the creature’s power and get of a Lair Action, before rolled or enacted, the
presence truly touches. player may roll 1d20: on odd results, the effect
works as normal, but on evens it is completely
SYSTEM ignored. Note that any effect that does not tar-
Wearing the cloak gives disadvantage to Stealth get them and instead affects the overall land-
Checks, as it softly ticks and tinks against itself scape or an area (earthquakes, floods, etc.) may
and catches (if faintly) the light too easily. Once still impact the character, but they are advan-
attuned properly, however, the broad and heavy taged on Saves against these such effects.
NOTES
83 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Leaden Mantle

Mantle of Charity
Sophia pulled her worn leather
boots off with all the groans
and aches of an old woman
lowering herself into a bath.
She hadn’t seen her twenti-
eth birthday, but she’d seen
enough in the last year to make
her friendly with a bottle on
those nights the group camped
without a fire.
Wendell was showing off his
new warhammer to Teller.
Broadways was already snoring
in his small pavilion. Sophia
pulled up her worn bedroll and
settled back to count the coins
they’d taken from the brigands
that jumped them earlier today.
Eight imperial silver, thick and
heavy. Enough that there’d
be threats. And, sure enough,
right on cue—
“Hey, Sister… hey! Are we
gonna do this every time?”
Squib Tanker, their tracker,
called from across the fire. eyes
locked onto the money she held
in her hand.
Sophia just closed her eyes and made sure to say loud enough, “It. Isn’t. Ours.” to the groans of half
the camp. She eased up, aches and pains and all, left hand clutching the purse, right hand slipping
around her well-pitted and weathered mace.
“Just like last night. One apiece. The rest we donate at the next village. Anyone has a problem with
that, I start loosening teeth—also, just like last night.”
Furrowed brows turned into resigned nods, and at least one vulgar hand signal. Sophia leaned back
and prayed for them.
APPEARANCE in the shoulders. The cloth is nearly white,

A sturdy-looking robe of coarse, but well-made apparently sun-bleached. Passive Perception at
and heavily stitched, cloth. It is broad and wide a DC 15 notices it smells faintly of oranges.
84 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Mantle of Charity

ORIGIN Attunement requires a week of temple service,

Religion DC 16, History DC 19; Advan- as an initiate. Many priests have long seen those
tage for Clerics and anyone with the Guild days behind them: fetching water, lighting can-
Artisan background dles, copying texts, servicing the departed, etc. It
is somewhat boring work, but it is the work that
In the earliest times before the Old Empire,
keeps the faith going. Failure to devote one’s
when the Divine Council was newly formed in
self to these duties, or making glaring mistakes,
the heavens and the world had not yet known
may require doing it over (a full week). The
the terror that comes from the priests of fiends,
would-be wearer of the Mantle should attempt
clerics and faithful divines were said to have
this for one week in game and then roll Religion
been clad in miracles and walked the earth
DC 15 to determine if the work was done well;
bringing prosperity and blessings to all.
failure means they must start all over again.
By and large, this is a farce—those times were as
bloody and dark as these—but when the faiths SYSTEM
were stronger there were still some greater The robe thrives when one is prudent, charita-
works. Amongst these were the Mantles of ble, and selfless. For every 1000 gp donated to
Charity; something between a penance and a the needy or to the faith itself, the robe gains 1
gift, these were bestowed on wandering clergy charge. There is no maximum to the number of
who ministered to the poor and remote peoples. charges the Mantle may hold.
Those who wore the Mantle were well-loved From then on the wearer may spend 1 charge
and respected by villages and towns, especially and 1 Action simultaneously, in a moment of
by the governors, rulers, and elders who saw to focused and clear personal devotion, and all
the prosperity and wellbeing of the community. creatures within 5 ft. gain 1 hp.
NOTES
85 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Mantle of Charity

Martyr's Shift
The others were drunk or
laughing or both, a high fire
popping and hissing while
they celebrated. The road had
been long, the journey fraught
with peril, and today they won
through. That… thing… was
dead. And the long miles and
weeks of hunting it back to its
manse, dispatching its min-
ions—even with the losses
they suffered and the friends
they buried—all worth it. As
Sir Broadways watched them
all smiling and cheering each
other through the gap in his
tent, he felt the costs more than
the joy.
He took off his heavy golden
armor, piece by weighty piece,
and slowly lay each down with
care and respect. He took his
padding off, the old quilted gar-
ment common to thick plate,
and knelt in his shift. The old
blood stains–-here, from that
crossbow bolt last year; there,
from the ax of that vile dark
thing from his youth-–were
accented by a fresh one, still
red and damp and sticky. The
creature had conjured some
fierce and dark lance and there is where it would have killed him, had the old paladin not stopped it.
A cheer went up in the camp, along with the explosive and infectious laughter of Tanner. Let them
enjoy themselves, Broadways thought, I can still pay the costs…
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A sweat-stained long undershirt with faint, but Religion DC 12, History DC 18; Advantage
visible, rusty-brown stains in various places. The to Paladins and anyone with the Acolyte
stitches and seams are made in golden thread. background
86 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Martyr's Shift

The old orders of knights and The Faith from their Reaction (assuming they have it available)
the long fallen Northern Empire still carry some to remove as many of the rolled damage dice as
of the artifacts of power or piety with them. they want.
Among these few and far flung pieces of careful,
For example, in the case of a greatsword attack
and divine, blessing are Martyr’s Shifts—seem-
against them that hits and does 3 (dice one) + 5
ingly normal, though well-made, cloth long-
(dice two) +2 (strength) damage against them,
shirts. One would mistake them for any such
they may elect to use their Reaction to activate
shifts, which an armored or active individual
the shift and take the 5, the 3, or both away–-
might wear under their clothes in any part of
this has no effect on the remaining non-dice
the world.
related damage.
But these were created through an extended
Doing so, however, runs a 10% chance of remov-
and deliberate pledge, to their now half-for-
ing 1 permanent maximum hp from the charac-
gotten goddess, that their wearer would trade
ter for every dice removed. So, removing 1 dice
their life—in what bits and pieces they must—to
of damage is a 10% chance, removing 2 dice of
fight righteously on for Her glory and to protect
damage is a 20% chance, etc. These hp removals
Her people. They’re the simple clothes of a long
aren’t a curse (and cannot be fixed by removing
dead pious warrior, as venerable as the bones of
curses or magical restorations), they’re a cost.
a Saint. One must be baptized, wearing only the
They may not be wished or miracled back in
shift, in natural waters (no given faith or creed
any conventional magical sense as they aren’t
required, only a rebirth and personal oath to
“lost.” They’re freely given away, divinely.
live to protect the weak) in order to attune.
Finding and returning the shift to a priest or
SYSTEM temple of the old Northern faiths (virtually
Once attuned, the shift allows the wearer to non-existent, but a few old hermits or commu-
negate damage against themselves after the nities might remember those gods) may restore
damage dice are rolled. those “paid” hp to the character at the cost of
ever being able to use it again. DMs are encour-
After a successful attack hits them, and after
aged to make finding such people or places
the damage dice are rolled but before they are
whole adventure arcs on their own, as worship
applied to the character, the player may use
of those old gods is rare.
NOTES
87 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Martyr's Shift

Patchwork Cloak
Varain told the shopkeeper he
was from the Far North, about
what life had been like in the
village by the Stone Hill as a
child with the wars raging on
and on and on farther South.
He talked about an old sway-
back horse he missed—his
father’s—and shared a joke
about the unreliability of bar-
barian tribe cast-offs.
Verain told the innkeeper he
was from the North, about
what a childhood in the capital
had been like and how strange
country ways still seem to him
years later. He talked about
never having known his family
or anything of them, growing
up just another street creature.
Verin told the captain he was
from here in the Midlands,
about his family’s money and
how he missed the simplicity
of the country estate. He talked
about the fickle nature of the
gentry during the war.
Vorin told the shopkeeper he
was from South…
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A cloak made of dozens and dozens of small Religion DC 15, Arcane DC 20; Advantage
and irregular patches of fabric: some ruddy to Bards, Trickery Domain Clerics, and
and worn wool, some fine silks, some shiny like anyone with the Charlatan background
metal, and some leathery or furry. The God of Beginnings and Ends had a daugh-
ter and, in a calamity lost to time, she took her
own life in grief (for, you know, this is why we
have winters and why the folshop birds sing
their mournful song as the cold comes). Such
was his despair that he wandered for a time
88 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Patchwork Cloak

in the mortal world, taking the stories of those SYSTEM

who had also lost loved ones or things precious Once attuned, the wearer may select an individ-
to them and stitching them into a cloak of many ual (a stranger or someone they already know)
vibrant and dull patches. It served to remind and derive Inspiration from their Backgrounds
him of the size and richness of his world. as well as his own: earning Inspiration for their
And when he had heard all the stories of the Personality, Ideal, Flaw, and Bond and able to
world, tasted the pain and resolution of those use the Proficiencies from the individual’s Back-
who had lost their own loved and precious ground (though at only half of the wearer’s own
ones, he slit his own throat and ascended back Proficiency Bonus).
into the Heavens. The cloak was carried off by a Every new change in Season, they may add
beggar who became a king and then a hero and another individual (maximum of four) and ben-
then nobody again. efit from their Backgrounds as well. This gives
These are the tales the Bards tell, the story of the the wearer many more opportunities to earn
Patchwork Cloak and the power to be had in the Inspiration, and they may now hold up to 2
stories of others. Inspiration rather than the usual 1.
Attunement requires divesting one’s self of all The wearer’s mind, however, becomes more and
their worldly possessions, with no expectation more clouded and crowded by the personalities
of their return, and then one day of travelling and backgrounds they collect and histories that
amongst only strangers. fill them. They lose touch with their true selves
and what is real. Saves against Illusion and
Enchantment magic are disadvantaged.
NOTES
89 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Patchwork Cloak

Poacher's Clothes
“Can we set a fire or not?!?”
Harris was now yelling up at
the old Paladin, who towered
several good feet over him.
They’d been at it all night. The
group had picked up the delver
down in Farahtown: solid
reputation, could charm the
pants off a lock., knew his way
through hob ruins. Expert, you
could say. But, with a good
reputation comes some bad
spots. Bit of a lazy thing, hear
tell. Bit of a priss.
And from the looks of it, Broad-
ways was about two seconds
from slapping the teeth out of the
little gnomish gander. Hardly
started this adventure and they
were ready for a fight. The oth-
ers just turned away, suddenly
finding the grass more interest-
ing than the coming ruckus.
“I said we can’t. Too dangerous. We’ll eat cold and sleep cold. You can have my tent, Mister Pale, if
you must. But no fire,” Sir Broadways—Brodie as the gang called him—was patient and kind, but his
thick brow was furrowed enough to plant corn in. This sorta thing had been going on since breakfast.
All the while, Wat reclined against a stump of a gnarled oak tree, pulled his hood up against the light
rain, and worked himself to a nap, listening to the coming scrap. City-boys and girls, the lot of them.
All shivering and miserable. What a useless bunch.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A set of common tan hunting or exploring History DC 10, Nature DC 15; Advantage
clothes: trousers and long-shirt that are loose for Rangers and anyone with the Criminal
and outfitted with clever ties to cinch close to or Sage background
the joints when needed, a longcoat that folds Outlawed nearly two centuries ago in most of
down for easy carry with a waterproof hood, the settled world, the works of the Tailor of
and a three-tailed scarf of robust design that Cragg were burned and classified as subversive
unfolds to a short poncho. Passive Perception artificing by virtually every nation and empire.
DC 15 notices that, when watched too long, the Still, you can no more take quality larcenous
clothes seem to shift in hue and texture. goods out of the market entirely than you can
90 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Poacher's Clothes

take piss out of a beer once the halfling pisses damage or Exhaustion from exposure. The
in your beer. clothes retain much of the wearer’s natural
body moisture and they need only drink water
Poacher’s Clothes were the least of his creations,
once a week (rather than once a day). One is also
truly. An alchemical and arcane-enriched suit of
advantaged on Stealth checks in natural envi-
travelling clothes that were specially designed
ronments, and need not have tents, blankets, or
to help the crook on the run.
bedrolls to enjoy a comfortable full night’s rest.
Attunement requires outfitting one’s self and
In addition, the Poacher’s Clothes shift and
being away from populated civilization for at
adapt (as an illusion) in the eyes of any given
least 12 hours; the magic that empowers the
viewer and even let the wearer attempt to hide
clothing was designed to keep the set from
in plain sight. On one’s turn, one may take an
being used in urban and settled towns and areas
Action to focus the effect on one target, forcing
(the Tailor of Cragg was careful that they should
them to make a Wisdom Save DC 15 (though
seem mundane to any authorities when he was
creatures with an Intelligence Score of 3 or less
in town). If one is within a major settlement of
are immune). On a failure the wearer is consid-
people (defined by the DM, but must be limited
ered hidden from the target until the start of
to areas incorporated as formal cities or towns,
their next turn (the effect is brief). Attacking or
or large settlements at least), the clothes only
otherwise drawing new attention to one’s self
appear to be ill-fitting beige drapery and have
will break this concealment, as normal.
no magical properties at all. Once attuned, they
regain their properties the moment they’re a To the target it suddenly becomes very hard
stone’s throw away from the settlement. to distinguish between the wearer and other
things in the background, the mind constantly
SYSTEM
forcing itself away from the confusion. If so hid-
The Poacher’s Clothes grant the wearer Resis- den, and not changing targets, the wearer may
tance to the natural elements—naturally occur- maintain the concealment without granting a
ring heat, cold, wet, arid landscapes, etc.— new Save by neither moving nor acting.
which grants advantage on all checks to resist
NOTES
91 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Poacher's Clothes

Pontifix
“Brother! I have come from the
eastern islands, from our mis-
sion there. Please! Oh, Righ-
teous Hand, please help us!
My initiate, here, is hurt. We
were attacked by brigands on
the road. Sorea calum natura,
Vei? Desol dite?”
“Comrades! There’s a bor-
der clash to the north, near the
mountains. We’ve only just
come from the slaughter. Help
my novice, here, he took sev-
eral unworthy to their graves
early, bless the Mailed Fist and
his chosen. And I need fresh rai-
ment, and a bath. Duty bound,
Honor bound, Faith bound, eh?”
“Priestess of the Mael! We
have snuck here under the
cover of the Lady of Darkness,
blessed be her impenetrable
shadows. The oppressors of the
Golden Light were all about to
the south of the city, and we
had to shed all our possessions
to throw them off the trail.
Help my darkpage, please—
he’ll need some coins as well—
just a few to buy our passage to
the Far Mount. May Blindness
Be Our Guide!”
“Keyholder! The vessels trapped us in Olycon last week, we only just managed to escape here, to the
grand temple. Harbingers of the Beast destroyed the gifts we were bringing to pay for passage and
give in donation to the Farer above. Do you have any manner of wand or perhaps scrolls we would
borrow? Yes? Thank you. Blessed be the River!”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A flowing robe of shimmering slivers and pol- Religion DC 21, History DC 27; Advantage
ished brass sewn onto cream-colored linen. for Clerics and anyone with the Acolyte
background
92 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Pontifix

The Pontifix was one of the great banes of the SYSTEM

faithful in most cities. There are many layers When attuned, and so long as it’s worn, one may
to a given temple and faith— the interior mys- use the robe once per day to use the domain
teries, the secret rituals, the hidden words and spell list of another faith or pantheon as though
vestments—most of them hidden from out- it were one’s own, sneaking and stealing power
siders or common members. The Pontifix was from the gods themselves under cover of the
created by the priests and devotees of the Lord God of Lies and his considerable ability to cover
of Stories, the God of Thieves and Lies, and up such indiscretions. So long as the wearer
was intended to advantage his faithful in a possesses a symbol or artifact of the other faith
world full to the brim with ritualistic and dog- (their holy book, their sigil, etc.), they may use
matic organizations. the domain spell list the DM references for that
The Pontifix is, religiously speaking, so hereti- faith. If one cannot normally cast domain spells,
cal as to be almost beyond the definition, and the robe grants a use of one of the 1st level spells
the theocracies of the world would kill anyone on that list.
found with it in their possession on sight. Additionally, the wearer is also advantaged on
Attunement to the Pontifix requires a loyal, all Religion checks for that faith or pantheon
intricate oath to serve the God of Lies and and in any social rolls against members of it.
deceit; this oath may be a lie, itself, but being
insincere requires a Deception check DC 25 to be
sufficiently convincing. Reneging on true oaths,
faithfully sworn, may be dangerous (DM’s are
encouraged to bring to bear all manner of hell
for that).
NOTES
93 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Pontifix

Raven's Stole
94 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Raven's Stole

I want to tell you a story.

I know you’re not much for the faith, and I’m not going to press you about that today. Not today.
Don’t tell your mum I let you off the hook about that, neither. She worries about you, you know.
Anyhow—the story’s one I never told you when you was little. I didn’t figure you’d understand it.
But, strapping and grown as you are, off in the world coming to and fro, maybe I should stop under-
estimating you, huh? You’re a big lad, near about as big as me, maybe it’s time you learned a thing.
So, the gods are real— I know you know that, but you don’t know it in the way I do. Your mum tells
you the nice stories, like the one about the world coming together or the fancy tales of this or that
miraculous blessing. And those are true enough, or in their way true. I’m not saying she’s lying, or
wrong, but its folktelling for sure.
The real gods, the real and true ones? They have no fancy stories, boy. They live lives of great immor-
tal conflict and pain, treachery and war. They’re forever destroying each other and themselves and
still find time to save us all, when saving’s what we need.
So, I’ll tell you about your ancestor—a giant himself, or mostly one—who followed one of the dark
stars of the heavens, a goddess of death. But not a cruel death. She was the calling bird in the night,
that led those who passed to the next world, and her war was against the infernal forces that bound
her.
This story is about a time she was trapped, bound to a form here in the world, and how your great-
great-great-great-whatnot grandsire saved the true Lady of Death, who then saved us all from the
worst of hells. It’s not a tale your mum would tell you… it’s a true one.
APPEARANCE There are many deaths: brutal ones, terrifying

A thickly-knitted, coal-black shawl of the sort an ones, even fateful and benign ones.
old woman of distinction might wear, though One goddess of death, in particular, embod-
slightly threadbare. ies death as change. Her fables, those that can
ORIGIN still be found, feature her as a mortal woman—
sometimes bound in the form of a crone by other
jealous deities, sometimes willingly taking the
for Trickery Domain Clerics and anyone
form of a young lady. They all tell similar sto-
with the Folk Hero background
ries, usually of her finding a hero or heroes and
There are many gods and goddesses, or beings leading them to some great challenge or reward.
so old and powerful that they might as well
The stories are the trite narratives of old poetry;
be regarded the same, and even amongst only
the reality is more ominous by far.
the deities that govern this or that part of our
world. There are many. The gods of war are Disguised as a young woman, a goddess of
many. Lesser and Greater, known by many and death made her way through the world seek-
few names, worshipped by these or those peo- ing a long and brutal revenge. She connived
ple. Mortals rarely know it, and temples still and pursued her prey quietly, adopting new
observe their rituals and rites, all unaware of the forms and staying below the attention of her
pantheons in the heavens that all listen together. divine peers.

And when she and her followers finally tri- Attunement requires abandoning one’s own
umphed, her true self revealed, it was her identity. This renunciation requires they cease
siblings—aligned in the heavens—who using their given name when meeting anyone
trapped her. new, keep their true place of birth and origin
secret, adopt a new personae, and distance
Bound her to the form of a crone, cursed
themselves from their past. Those who already
to wander.
know them do not count for this oath. DMs are
The Raven’s Stole is a piece of a goddess of encouraged to note that an NPC recognizing the
death’s own power, bound to physical form. individual’s accent or manner as being from one
Whether she ever returned to her place in the place or another is no great violation, nor is use
godhead, or was lost, is unknown. But this piece of one’s background traits for Inspiration, but a
of her being survives, and has made its way genuine change of name and apparent identity
through our world for millennia. is required.
On any day this is significantly violated the
wearer cannot, while attuned, gain Inspiration.

SYSTEM inside their body. A deep purple light glows

Once attuned, the wearer may use their Reaction, from their eyes and mouth, while whatever
in response to an attack, to release the power spark of life keeps their form going is given
bound into the Stole. Upon doing so, the shawl the Frightened condition (even if the creature
explodes into an unkindness (flock) of dark is Immune). At the start of that creature’s turn,
celestial ravens that rush the would-be attacker. they may attempt a Wisdom Save DC 15 to
expel the unkindness. They may attempt a new
If the attacker is a living creature, the unkind-
Save at the start of each of their turns.
ness explodes through them immaterially and
the creature is filled with visions of their own Should the creature—living or undead—suc-
death—or a possible one. The visions are har- ceed in their Wisdom Save or take damage from
rowing, and cause their attack to be made at a living attacker after while affected by it, the
disadvantage. At the start of their next turn, the Stole’s power has no effect on them ever again.
creature must succeed on a Wisdom Save DC 15 In either case the Stole falls to the ground by
or their attacks during that turn are also made at the target, returning once again to the form of a
disadvantage, their mind filled with agonizing normal knitted garment.
depictions of their own demise. Anyone touching the Stole who is not attuned
If the attacker is undead, the spectral unkind- feels a deep, bone-chilling coldness and takes 1
ness flies into them and swells with power Necrotic damage.
NOTES

Shade of Life
The thing flapped its spongy
pink wings and murmured a
sound like something between
breaking glass and a minor
chord played on a menacing
viola. The haunting rhythm of
its words made Brother Service
cry out as blood dripped from
his nose.
The whole party was brought
to its knees by the sound,
Meilla began beating her own
head against the smooth stone
floor over and over, trying to
escape the pain and torture.
Even Broadways backed away
a step, falling to one knee and
cursing through the undulat-
ing echo in the chamber.
It moved forward, an irregular
lurch on feet hidden, thank-
fully, behind a flowing purple
robe. The grey tentacles around
its mouth groping forward,
a manic and evil look in its
glowing white eyes. Never had
such pure light felt so horrific.
Charles Doyle, whom the eldest
of the glade called Edewan—
though he was uncomfortable
with that name, as it sounded
incredible stupid—moved ner-
vously forward as his friends
anguished, pulled his axe from
his belt, and slammed it home
with full force between the eyes
of the damned creature.
98 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Shade of Life

APPEARANCE Attunement requires the careful, ceremonial

A toga-like robe, made of many yards of a pale donning of the robe, which takes nearly two
yellow cloth that glistens as though wet. hours. Once donned and attuned, it empow-
ers the wearer to oppose the monstrous forces
ORIGIN that seek to pervert this plane of existence. One
History DC 17, Nature DC 23; Advantage becomes an agent of this reality, even if not one
for Fighters and anyone with the Out- of its true champions.
lander background
SYSTEM
The Shade is a robe, made in the open and loose
So long as it is worn properly, and attuned, the
style of the kingdoms of the West, woven from
Shade grants the wearer a Resistance to Psy-
the fine threads of wispvine that blanket the
chic damage and makes them hazy and almost
jungles in the farthest corners of the Far Reach.
imperceptible to aberrations and monstrosi-
It was formed, over millennia, by the great
ties; all attacks and ability checks made phys-
expanse of untamed green.
ically against them by such creatures are made
A whole garment slowly, slowly, slowly grown at disadvantage.
into existence over thousands of years by the
One cannot Dash, however, while wearing the
spirit that moves the whole world. Its pur-
Shade, too delicately is it wrapped and too eas-
pose, to trap and kill alien things that come
ily will it come loose. Should one Dash, the wrap
from beyond the Planes and stars. The wars of
comes undone and must be carefully donned
mortals are brutal and fast, but the war of real-
once more to benefit from the magic.
ities is eons slow in its maneuvers, and each
move to keep the horrors at bay is measured
in generations.
NOTES
99 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Shade of Life

Shaed of Secrets
“Where’d you get it?”
“I really don’t remember. What
does it matter?
“Well, if I’m buying some-
thing special like this, I want
to know—now don’t start with
me, Karl—I want to gods-
damned know nobody is going
to kick in my door because
some fool, let’s call him Karl,
sold me some young lordling’s
favorite cloak.”
“I didn’t steal it, get off my
back. How much can you give
me for it?
“Where’d you get it?”
“From a guy.”
“What’s his name?”
“I’m not that good with names.
Besides, I’m not sure it was his
real one. What does it matter,
honestly?”
“If it were a shoe, it wouldn’t.
But this thing keeps—I
dunno—shifting about. It’s…
Look, I don’t want any part of
this, alright? Thing gives me
the creeps.”
“Well, if it helps any, he was
young and looked kinda poor;
a nobody.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An inky black cloak of some high quality cloth. Arcane DC 13, History DC 18; Advantaged
Perception DC 15 notices that the black is unnat- Bards and anyone with the Entertainer
urally dark and deep, and the cloth seems to background
twitch very subtly when approached.
100 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Shaed of Secrets

Nobody knows where it came from, a rare SYSTEM

enough thing in a world of Diviners and Sages, Once attuned, the cloak grants the wearer
but suffice it to say it is old and it is strange and advantage on Stealth and Intimidation checks
the cleverest minds in the Young Kingdoms (from the cunning and subtle movements it
have failed to completely unlock the secrets makes in response to the wearer’s conscious
of its craftsmanship or purpose. It moves and and unconscious whims).
flows at the merest thought, and seems to quiet
It may serve as a blanket, and shortens or length-
and be soothed in the presence of music.
ens by up to 50% at a thought. If the wearer
The stories about it come from every land. Worn takes a Bonus Action to grab the hem and draw
by a mysterious hero on the road or a travelling it around themselves it grants Resistance to
minstrel or a powerful wizard or a cut-throat in Slashing and Piercing (non-magical) damage.
the dark alleys. There are hundreds of tales of While not Vulnerable to Fire damage it loses
the Shaed. None of them known to be true, but its special properties for one minute should it
all told and retold in the rural inns and taverns come into contact with any flame (magical or
of a dozen nations and cities. non-magical).
Attunement requires a night spent away from In addition, any fey creatures that see it for the
all light, no matter how dim or distant, which first time must succeed at a Wisdom Save DC
is no easy task near cities or even farms; the 15 or lose their next Action. They still keep their
wild itself can pose a challenge, given stars turn, may move or speak or use Bonus or Reac-
and moonlight. tions, but cannot use an Action.
NOTES
101 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Shaed of Secrets

Slipquick Silks
Kelvin moved like ink poured
over a polished stone—every
turn was as slick as oil and
his shape in the half-light was
dark and fluid. The Houngang
lunged this way and that, try-
ing to wrap their large, pow-
erful hands around an arm or
a shoulder or anything, but
every time they touched him,
they found him slipping away.
Four giants, all grasping at a
man moving like water, cack-
ling taunts and pissing them
off beyond all measure.
As one guffawed in triumph,
wrapping the thief in a bear-
hug and lifting him six feet
off the ground, Kelvin stared
up into its elated (but some-
how still angry-looking) face,
and called him a name so offensive it doesn’t translate into the common tongue at all, before falling
through his thick and strong arms onto the ground—hitting the creature in the fruits and slipping
between his legs. Cackling wildly.
APPEARANCE regime and most historians believe none sur-

Silk leggings, long shirt, gloves, and slippers vived the end of that age.
all dyed a deep and smokey charcoal grey. The Originally intended for assassins, the last
baggy clothes are cinched with white silk rib- known set of Silks was written about by a cor-
bons at the joints. sair over a century ago, in a travelogue describ-
ing the pirates of the Eastern seas, and one par-
ORIGIN
ticularly lethal altercation his crew had with
Arcane DC 14, History DC 18; Advantage
buccaneers led by a darkly dressed man. They
for Transmutation School Wizards and
repelled the boarders, capturing many, but the
anyone with the Sailor background
darkly dressed man evaded capture on the ves-
The Silks are a careful combination of sartorial sel (not a large place) for nearly an hour.
(“of and pertaining to the craft of tailors”) genius
Attunement requires a morning calisthenic rou-
and Transmutational alchemy, made during the
tine after donning them, stretching and twist-
Rebellion, in the First Reign of Malleus Exile
ing methodically to get just the right fit. This
of the Old Empire. Only a few full suits were
takes several hours the first time, but can be
created by the magewrights outlawed by that
102 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Slipquick Silks

maintained daily with only 20 minutes of rou- can move through flawlessly), and even move
tine. Failure to keep the schedule results in through enemy spaces without needing to make
unattuning the item. a check.
SYSTEM Should the wearer slip from an attempted Grap-

Once attuned, the silks feel almost frictionless ple or Shove, they may use their Reaction to
and allow the wearer to escape all Grapples, take an Opportunity Attack against the creature
grant advantage to avoid being Shoved at (so that attempted it.
long as they use Acrobatics to defend), squeeze Wearing anything (backpack, armor, belt, etc.)
through narrow spaces without movement pen- over the suit negates its benefits for as long as
alties (if they could wiggle through at all, they that item is in place.
NOTES
103 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Slipquick Silks

Skyfire Hraick
Teller held Broadways upright while
the old paladin coughed up the last
of his life into the cold, coarse sand.
Remy refused to look at him, stand-
ing over near the waves. The sound of
them breaking over and over helped,
it made it harder to hear the man’s
ominous groans. Nobody held it
against him, Remy’s attitude, that is.
They were close—him and Brodie—
and losing their leader wasn’t half as
painful as losing one’s partner.
Nevertheless, Teller propped him up
and whispered some of the songs of
her people, rough men and women
that wrestled death and fought the
spirits with bone knives in their
teeth—glorious stories. Most thought
she did it to soothe his pain, but she
did it to guide his passing.
Only Viyan Vronn refused the solem-
nity of the occasion, though she’d
given them their few minutes of
expressive sorrow. The old woman
waited as long as she could—out of
respect for their heathenry and lack of
faith—and when it seemed they were
done sobbing and keeping their lips stiff, she started calling into the wind a low and dark and bellow-
ing chant that sounded like whatever whales humping must sound like.
The skies darkened. The winds picked up. And twelve bolts of lightning, one right after the other,
crashed down onto the paladin—the shattering sound of a mountain of glass exploding.
The scorched earth around Broadways steamed and spit the falling rain back, Teller was a mess of
burns, but all the shock and anger flowed away as Sir Broadways of Gaw took a deep, full breath
and—to the gasps of everyone but Viyan—opened his eyes.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A hair robe, course and scratchy. The color is a Religion DC 17, History DC 21; Advantage
motley of green, brown, blue, and grey dyes. for Tempest Domain Clerics and anyone
There is a crust of salt at the hems, as though it with the Sailor background
was washed in the ocean.
104 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Skyfire Hraick

The people of the northern seas are hard and Death Saves involved. If the would-be attuner
cruel, both to each other and (far more) to out- did not die, they are at 1 hp.
siders. Their land is cruel. Their god, even, is
cruel. The storms that come to their shores are
SYSTEM
violent and frigid. They have been settled there Once attuned, the wearer can feel natural com-
for longer than recorded history allows for, in ing storms ahead of time by several hours and
the libraries and academies of the world. How- the robe takes on the faint smell of ozone.
ever, as their land offers little in the way of In addition, the Hraick grants the wearer the
riches or wonders, resources or materials, they ability to call down the grace of the old storm
are a lone people and no useful study of them god through his skyfire—it is not natural or
would make practical sense. even genuinely magical lightning, but some
That being said, one travelogue does mention other force that arcs down from the sky in a bril-
them with some passion and depth. In it, the writ- liant icy blue conflagration. The fire judges the
er—a learned woman from one of the colleges of worthy and unworthy, it heals and burns.
the now long gone western kingdoms—detailed Calling the skyfire requires the target to be
their peculiar faith; a true and deep hatred of, within 120 ft. of the wearer, with an open and
and bizarre love for, their storm god was a cen- clear view of the clouds in the sky on the part of
ter of their society. They speak of him like a cus- both the wearer and target. Using an Action, the
tomer might speak of a vendor with whom a wearer must beseech the storm god (or whom-
long, detailed, complicated contract existed for ever of his servants may be listening now) to
hundreds of barely connected services. judge the target’s worth. If asked to judge their
In the book, the writer describes their magic as worth as true, what follows will be an attempt
being angrily ripped from the clutching, greedy to heal the target; if asked to judge their worth
hands of the storm god and how death and dis- as false, it will be an attempt to harm the target.
ease was his natural payback against his people The target will either gain or lose hp based on
when their guard was down. She wrote about the request, but the source of the healing or
their ceremonies being often fatal, even wed- damage is the wearer’s own hp. The wearer
dings, and how they took omens from their must roll 1d4: a 1 means 25% (rounding up) of
deity as being trickery as often as portent. the wearer’s current hp is applied, a 2 means
The writer went on to detail their sacred objects 50%, a 3 means 75%, and a 4 means 100% of their
and places. The Hraick was one. current hp is used. For example, this means a
wearer that had 60 hp remaining and attempted
Attunement requires surviving being struck by to harm an enemy with this ability, then rolled
natural lightning, not caused or sent by mor- a 3, they would apply 45 damage to their target
tal. Natural lightening called down by a deity and lose that same amount of hp themselves.
would be acceptable, even if this action was
requested by a mortal, but no magic can be used If the wearer is reduced to 0 hp, they fall Uncon-
by any mortal to cause it (and natural lightning scious and must be doused with cold water (at
is not the same as a bolt from a spell). Unless least a gallon) to rouse them. This healing or
Immune to Lightning damage, the DM should damage is brought in a violent and brilliant dis-
roll 1d20 upon the would-be attuner when they play that Stuns anyone within 30 ft. of where
are struck: if the struck individual is Resistant to it strikes, unless they pass a Constitution Save
Lightning, they are instantly killed on a 1; if the with a DC equal to 10 + the wearer’s Proficiency
struck individual is not Resistant to Lightning, Bonus + the result of the d4 roll.
they are instantly killed on a 1-3. Revivals or The skyfire can only be called once per day.
Resurrections may be possible, but there are no
105 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Skyfire Hraick

True Ward of the Archmage

“Then do it, Kalacus! Do it! If
you think you’re so bad! Come
on! I knew your mother when
she was worth two pennies,
you mangy dog! You’re made
of weak stuff and you look like
whatever I emptied my own
bowels of this morning, here
here! Wanker!”
Sage Millen shouted from
across the room, his bushy
grey eyebrows dancing up
and down with each punctu-
ated insult. Rocking side to
side, from one foot to the other,
bouncing almost, he taunted
the young mage mercilessly, in
his own amateurish fashion.
“I suspect you have relations
with hogs, I do! Yes, yes, hogs!
You like that? Come on, stop
trying to conjure and do something. I have had more difficult pisses than this, you stupid man-boy!”
He was almost laughing and cackling as the young magus threw increasingly serious discharges of
lightning at the doddering old bastard. All striking true, but none doing anything. After the fourth,
the younger fellow nearly passed out. After the sixth, he did.
Sage Millen walked over to the upward-facing, half-lidded wizard—groggy and moaning in his
exhaustion—and pulled a small coin purse free of his belt, jingling the contents greedily with half-
toothed smile.
“Idiot,” he whispered, to the cheers of the old men standing all around. It’d be fine drinks for the old
bastards tonight.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A long black robe of matte black wool, with Arcane DC 17, History DC 23; Advantage
white cuffs and hem. It appears to be the sort of for Wizards and anyone with the Sage
garment a magistrate or a person might wear. background
The inner sanctum of the Scholam, the great
school of magic in Greyghast, is home to sev-
eral fraternities of study. The most secretive,
and least known in the broad world, are those
106 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • True Ward of the Archmage

old wizards that came years ago and never left. SYSTEM
None of them ever seeing the world at large, Once attuned, the robe grants the caster immu-
and having no interest in it, they are (almost nity to one spell that’s been cast into it—the
entirely) old, cynical, learned, and now lon- garment absorbing the energies of the magic
ger concerned with any serious study of the as they come to clash against the wearer. This
arcane arts. They spend their time gambling lasts so long as the garment is worn and, so long
and drinking and hazing the younger adepts. as one has an Inspiration unspent, the wearer
One of their fantastic creations, only whispered may select a second spell from those cast into
about in quiet libraries and never confirmed, is the Ward to be immune to. If that Inspiration is
the True Ward. spent, the second Spell no longer holds in the
Under its plain black exterior, beneath the fabric robe and the wearer is no longer immune to it.
itself, every inch is laced with tightly stitched Spells from scrolls do not work with this effect,
arcane words and symbols in bright stunning only those spells one knows and can cast.
purples and yellows, glowing with intent. Reconfiguring the spells in the robe requires
Attunement requires a patient preparing of the going through the attunement procedure again.
robe (taking nearly an hour) and casting one’s
entire allocation of spells into it (if one cannot
cast any spells, it cannot be attuned).
NOTES
107 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • True Ward of the Archmage

Voca Caparison
Mad Hanz stared at the goblet:
inewiss crystal cupped at the
base by a twisting silver stem.
The cup was worth more than
the entirety of Hanz’s earthly
possessions combined. Even
serving him a drink with it, as
tattered and unkempt as he usu-
ally appeared, was an extraordi-
nary act of either inattention or
manipulation.
Given that the Duke was not
known for foolish behavior or
careless error, Hanz figured it
was the latter.
The man was no friend of the
free powers and had a reputation
for brutality: against the green
mages, the wild seers, even the
less orthodox of the priests here
in Gaw. That Mad Hanz of the
River would be invited to discuss
urgent matters meant he was
next. Or, at least, that was what
the moon had said, and the fish
had shown him the same in their
dances.
He took a drink, and another, the
conversation light and uninter-
esting. As his body slowed and grew more rigid, as the muscles hardened and his fingers froze, the
Duke grinned. He let out a triumphant laugh, cackling at his victory and brilliance. He would raise
the power of the Academy high, he would crush these so-called “free powers” of the world.
Hanz sat, unblinking, and let him have his joy. Then, unmoving, expressed a word made of unutter-
able speech and set the treacherous man on fire.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of overlarge trousers and similarly Arcane DC 19, Religion DC 22; Advantage
loose-fitting shirt. The cloth is sack-weave and for anyone with the Acolyte background or
the whole garment seems like it would need ties Sorcerers
and belts to wear it properly.
108 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Voca Caparison

The Voca Caparison, clothes worn by the last SYSTEM

son of the Rivermaster in his travels through- When attuned, the wearer is proficient in both
out the world, are a powerful and rare artifact. Deep Speech and Primordial for as long as the
They represent how the burden of the arcane clothes are worn. In addition, while worn, the
in this universe was once on those of will and clothes may speak from the mind of and will of
breeding, rather than those of study and engi- the wearer in the somewhat haunting unknown
neering. Once, it is frequently said amongst His tongue of the Supernal realms: words laced
adherents, the Rivermaster—the great Being with power, ancient beyond time, and impossi-
from which all magic flows—invested arcane ble for a mortal to be proficient in.
power in the flesh itself, and only later did mor-
The words the clothes may speak for the wearer
tals learn to evoke it.
satisfy the Verbal component of any spell, and
The style of the outfit is old and the cloth, require the barest thought to be used in this way,
though sack-weave in appearance and texture, even though the language itself is incomprehen-
is made from the echoes of raw arcane power sible to others (any Arcane check made to know
made physical as it passed into this world. what Spell the wearer is casting is made at dis-
Attunement requires spending a number of advantage, due to this strange otherworldly lex-
weeks equal to the wearer’s Proficiency Bonus icon). Being Paralyzed or otherwise rendered
in silence. Saying nothing. No intentional, or mute does not affect the Caparison—so long as
unintentional, verbiage at all. The Caparison one can think it, the clothing may speak for you
requires contemplation, abhorring the lying (though spells causing silence in an area will
words of men and women. still be a problem).
NOTES
109 • CLOAKS, CLOTHES, AND ROBES • Voca Caparison

Chapter Five
Head, Neck, & Eyewear
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ASH OF YESTERDAY AND MONOCLE OF VICE … 136

TOMORROW … 112
NAIL … 138
BRAED’S CAGE … 114
OBSCURANT VANE … 140
CENSER OF LOVE … 116
PAOLOS’ CROWN … 142
CIRCLET OF ENDINGS … 118
PERIAPT OF
DOCKER’S SHIELD … 120 UNDERSTANDING … 144
FIRE OF LIFE … 122 PRICE OF MORNING … 146
GUISE OF THE DEATH BEAR … 124 RAGE OF THE MOUNTAIN … 148
HAND OF ZEAL … 126 RIVERSTONES … 150
HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN … 128 TRUST … 151
HELM OF PREY … 130 VALORIOUS BRILLE … 154
LAFFETR’S PINCE-NEZ … 132 VISOR OF THE GLADIATOR … 156
MEDALLION OF WRATH … 134
NOTES
Ash of Yesterday and Tomorrow

Diogenes knelt in the grass
where he’d built his small fire as
the others waited patiently. His
ritual was small, but it was his
and it was important to him.
To know the ways of the world
and hear the waves of reality
crashing over the rocks—so
one knows where they are—one
must take delicate care to pre-
pare delicate truths.
He took his hand to the fire and
tamped it down; the burn was
not severe, and if it were he
could heal that later with one
of the leather pouches on his
pack, but it felt nice–-it always
did. The burn reminded him of
what it was like to smoke back
before he was… this. When he
had another name and did not
know the truth of things. Use-
less thing, he was. It would
shame him, were he capable of
feeling shame anymore.
The grey ash was warm as he tucked it into an envelope of raw, untreated owlskin. He mused on how
hard it was to make leather from owlskin and how little any of his companions knew of it. He must
have found people like them normal once, but now they were just strange, blind, deaf things. If they
hadn’t shared a common goal… well…
He slipped a pinch of the ash out of the pouch and rubbed it over his eyes until he felt sure they were
dark and his eyelids were well covered. He took a breath, eyes clenched shut, and opened them again
to see what delicate truths the day held.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A delicate greyish-pink pouch of thin and worn Nature DC 17, Arcane DC 26; Advantage
hide with a few pinches of ash inside. for Druids and Divination School Wizards
or anyone with the Hermit background
The Druids of the Long March have passed on
the knowledge of making it for more millenia
than anyone could count, and how they’ve done
112 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Ash of Yesterday and Tomorrow

that is beyond mortal reckoning—even amongst When ashmarked, and regarding a creature
themselves. One always knows, just one in or person, details about its past, present, and
the whole world, and when they pass another future become more real. So long as they take
dreams. Such is the way the slow, rumbling no Actions, after the first round of Concen-
hand of the universe works. tration (at the end of their turn), the DM may
reveal hints and obscure information on where
There is no craft. No spell. No instruction. Just
the creature is from (“from” could mean a lit-
visions, and those just for the single, unlucky
eral birth place, the wispy visions showing a
person charged with the knowing. Finding the
city or identifiable geography, or mean some-
pouch in this reality is akin to finding a needle
thing more recent and glaring, like faint images
in a world of haystacks; it is not so much pow-
of a cave with a creek running by it to represent
erful as it is one of the rarest things in creation.
a bandit’s hideout).
Attunement to the pouch requires abandoning
A second round of Concentration, having taken
all of one’s possessions. Whatever the wearer
no Actions, and the DM may reveal the health
owns and has on them at the time it is touched
or Resistances of the subject (but always indef-
counts as a possession. Once they part with all
inite, like saying they are at least twice as vig-
of them—giving them away, losing them, leav-
orous as the ashmarked to represent roughly
ing them, but not selling them or trading them
twice the hp, or seeing hazy visions of the crea-
away—the pouch is attuned.
ture shrugging off firebolts in some fight to rep-
SYSTEM resent a possible Fire Resistance).
Any ash tucked into the pouch and left for a day After the third round of Concentration, hav-
grants the wearer the ability to look on any nat- ing taken no Actions, the ashmarked sees brief
ural creature and divine their lineage. The ash glimpses of what will be and the DM may reveal
must be applied like eyeshadow, thickly over the next action the creature will take (in combat
the eyes and the bridge of one’s nose, and doing that may mean showing them vague images of
so (with any practice) takes only moments. using a breath weapon on the fighter over there,
While wearing the ash, faint images flicker and out of combat if may be that the the shopkeeper
haze in the surrounding area for the ashmarked, is about to lie).
wisps of things that used to be and ghosts of
things that have yet to occur. Note that the ash is If Concentration is broken (no Feats or Features
a focus, the power comes from the pouch. may offer help with this particular Concentra-
tion check), the ash ceases to work for the rest
of the day.
NOTES
113 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Ash of Yesterday and Tomorrow

Braed's Cage
Vargenheim was a torn and
bloody mess, a walking hor-
ror. His long hair plastered to
his head and neck, with bare
bloody patches where it had
been pulled out, his body a cat-
echism of lacerations, bruises,
broken parts.
With great exhaustion (and a
low growling moan) he swung
his axe high over his head and
turned a slow walk into a roll-
ing stride, then into a sprint-
ing ferocity, as he raced back
towards the Long Strider and
his cabal of gibbering golems.
There was fire in Vargenheim’s
eyes and a certainty that he
would kill the abomination,
and its spawn, and no doubt
die in the attempt.
And as they swarmed—bit-
ing and clawing him from all
angles—his axe ripped their master in two, from groin to chest, and Vangheim died satisfied that he’d
done one last turn in the world properly.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A circlet of hammered bronze, wide-rimmed History DC 18, Arcane DC 22, Advantage
and thickly made. to Barbarians and anyone with the Soldier
background
Braed is a folk hero of the Western Shores, a fig-
ure said to have been a giant and a king, who
rescued the Dragon Princess and toppled the
Old Warlord of Inx. His story is one of myth,
primarily. In truth, Braed lived eight thousand
years after Inx was an empire fallen, and was a
martyr—at best—who died protecting his tribe
from a dark monster with a name lost to time.
His Cage, a ring-like crown forged by his own
114 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Braed's Cage

hand in the fires of his village when the dark- can take +1; 4d6 rolled, can take +4). Once
ness first came, is all that is left of his legacy. they have taken 5 extra damage in this way the
wearer may use their Reaction, triggered when
The circlet is attuned when the wearer is brought
any attack reduces them to 0 or less hp, to call
down from full to half of their hp by one attack
on that pain and suffering and remain at their
from a creature the wearer has never spoken to.
Proficiency Bonus in hp instead.
It goes from cold and inert to eerily warm and
very faintly humming. This may allow the wearer to survive extraor-
dinary punishment, and even mass-damage
SYSTEM instant death, living to fight another round.
Once attuned, any time one is attacked with Once they have taken advantage of the Cage’s
a weapon in battle, one may elect to (after the power of endurance, the wearer may go through
Attack and damage rolls are resolved) take an the cycle again--taking extra damage to fuel a
additional 1 hp of damage for every damage new Reaction to remain standing.
die rolled in the Attack (example: 1d6 rolled,
NOTES
115 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Braed's Cage

Censer of Love
“Keep them off me just a little
longer!”
Brynn Ebonflowerwood knelt
in the grass while his comrades
up ahead clashed with the
giants. They weren’t supposed
to be this close to the Rahnwa-
ter. Brynn thought he’d have
more time, maybe tonight at
the soonest…
He pushed the thoughts out of
his head and raised the vile of
pulpy-red liquid. Holding it
up to the light, he confirmed it
was the right tincture. Can’t
be too careful, of course. As
the battle raged on up ahead,
he poured a little of the mix-
ture into the hollow of the gold
bauble around his neck, a cin-
namon and lemon scent filled
the air.
Snatching up his uncle’s
rapier, he raced for the treeline.
“Alright… everyone… make
some room!”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A gold chain with a small censer attached to it. Religion DC 13, History DC 16; Advantage
The censer has three holes and a depressed cav- to Trickery Domain Clerics and anyone
ity on one side. with the Criminal background
Amongst the prized possessions of Mercy
of Renoa was a necklace given to him by the
Duchess Anastasia Al’Alberata, also known in
later years as the Witch Hag of the Lost Mire.
In her youth, and before her change, she was
a dabbler in the arcane arts and bestowed the
brigand king with a trinket of her own design,
intended to entrance him and lure him to her to
love her forever.
116 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Censer of Love

What she hadn’t realized at the time was that, times the worth of a capable man or woman
of all the heroes and villains in the world, the in a year (if a skilled hireling could make 500
gods—most notably, the God of Chance, Ill gp a year, then 5000 gp; DM’s are encouraged
Fate, and Great Luck—had chosen Mercy to be to select an appropriate number for a fortune).
a confounder of plans (great and small) made They must lose it or win it, completely, and all
by those around him all his days. The charm did in one evening.
not work as intended, and the resulting folly
drove Anastasia to drown herself, leading to the
SYSTEM
wide-known story of the Witch Hag. When attuned, and once the owner has poured
some wine or spirits (even crudely made) into
The trinket went on to be passed down, from the hollow, the censor treats all Inspiration dice
father to son to uncle to nephew, for generations rolls as being at least a 10 for the next minute.
of his bastard line. When rolling with advantage from Inspiration,
Attunement requires the attention of the God pick one d20 to be the Inspired die; if it rolls less
of Chance and trickery, by either winning or than 10, count it as having rolled 10.
losing a fortune in gambling. A fortune, here, The God of Chance doesn’t mind tipping the
being goods and money equal to at least ten scales once in awhile.
NOTES
117 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Censer of Love

Circlet of Endings
As the beast swung its mas-
sive axe in a brutal down-
swing, akin to a tree falling,
he roared his rage and pain
into the blow. So heavy was
the strike, so fast did the great
sharp head of it arc through
the air, that the Green Knight’s
squire gasped—forgetting his
instruction, dishonoring him-
self with fear.
And as the blade struck the
knight’s armor with all the
force of a storm on the ocean,
the world burst into the flap-
ping of countless birds-–ripe
with life and hope and prom-
ise—flying up and up… and
then descending on the giant
like an angry rebuke from the
sky itself.
The heavy axe was nothing to
the whirlwind of white, like
fighting the wind with your
bare hands.
APPEARANCE chain of destiny, by the immense will of the uni-

A bangle made from supple and green holly verse itself to serve as though the antibodies
branches with tiny flowers here and there, not of this world—cold, distant, mysterious, and
large enough to wear on one’s head, but too inscrutable—the Green Knights were raised up
large for a wrist. Perception DC 16 notices that by gods and goddesses who so loved the world
the very small flowers fall and new ones grow they required champions to save it. The Knights
slowly in their place every few minutes. were given gifts of the land and sea and sky, but
those gifts more personal than the strange and
ORIGIN often dark powers of their counterparts.
The time of the Knights ended when a Druid
for Oath of Ancients Paladins and Druids
memember of the Stones—a conclave of them
or anyone with the Soldier background
from the South—embarked on a century long
The Green Knights were mistaken for Druids hunt and slaughter of every last Blessed of the
in oldest times. Where the Druids were chosen, Green. On slaying the last, Myer of the Wind,
passionlessly and as part of a great unending the Stone Druid’s last words were, “I am sorry,
118 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Circlet of Endings

but it was my Purpose.” She weaved the Circlet equal to their Proficiency Bonus. The wearer
and left it on the Knight’s body. The magic that turns back into their normal form after a num-
preserved her for those decades waned, and she ber of rounds equal to their Constitution Modi-
crumbled to dust—her task in this world finally fier—and no sooner.
complete, never knowing why or for what ulti-
A flock of hillsparrows has the same stats as
mate reasons. Such are the ways of Druids.
a Raven, but with 4 hp each and without the
Attunement requires dipping the Circlet into Mimicry special ability. No flock may be more
pure and natural flowing water during the than 10 ft. away from another—they must main-
first rays of morning, at which point the circlet tain a rough cohesion together. Flocks may not
expands and can be worn on the head. take Actions different from each other in a given
turn; either all flocks take the same action or
SYSTEM some of the flocks take no action, but one flock
Every morning, the Circlet must be watered may not choose to Dash while another chooses
lightly; a half-a-handful of any water will do. to attack a creature. This doesn’t mean the flock
Any morning it is not watered, its beneficial must all target the same creature, only that if
effects cannot be used. some are going to attack then each flock must
When worn, and upon the first critical hit the attack something or do nothing as opposed to
wearer takes, instead of the attacker rolling some other action.
damage the wearer may choose to explode into At the end of their change the wearer may
a fantastic number of white and tan hillspar- choose to rematerialize in any space occupied
rows—tiny, common birds found in most for- by a flock. If all the flocks are destroyed before
ests. Each flock of birds take up one 5 ft. space, the wearer comes back, they come back at the
the number of flocks the wearer turns into is location of the last flock and are at 0 hp.
NOTES
119 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Circlet of Endings

Docker's Shield
“Come on, now, Master Vacheck, surely you didn’t think I was going to simply let you and your
band of petty thieves and murderers just walk into my Daima and sack it like common burglars in a
jewelry shop?
“I’ve waited for this moment for weeks—you didn’t know that, did you? I was watching you when
you crossed the Faetan Peaks, I sat in the grass and watched you sleep under that great oak. My crea-
tures will take your friends, those still alive, down into the dark and play with them like dolphins
might play with a baby floating in the sea.
“…so. Do your worst.”
“…”
“…”
“…well? Are you just going to stand there?
“…are you… slow?
“This is getting awkward.”
120 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Docker's Shield

APPEARANCE SYSTEM
A soft black and red quarter-mask designed to Once attuned, the Shield grants the wearer
fit over the eyes—but without any holes to see deeper power than mere sight ever provided.
out of. Wearing the Shield renders one somewhat blind,
though a form of Blindsight takes over in a 10 ft.
ORIGIN
radius around them within which one can make
History DC 17, Arcane DC 22; Advantage out forms and objects like echo location.
to Way of Shadow Monks and anyone
with the Criminal background This is enough to sense and interact with solid
things nearby without issue and largely as nor-
The Blackworks of Greyghast may have been mal, though it is not sensitive enough to make
the foremost suppliers of dark and nefarious out things as small as ink-raised letters on a
magic artificery in the world at one point, but page or the swirls of paint on a canvas. One
their chief rival—the Wainsguild—were a close would sense the dimensions of a coin, but may
second. The guild was a thieving outfit in the not know what kind it is.
second capital of the Empire of Shadows, a
great city ruled by the monsters and alien things While wearing the Shield, when in the pres-
that perverted the land in the Years of Terror ence of eminent danger (enemies around, traps
long ago. What’s an enterprising heavy to do or hazards, and/or reasons a person might
when darkness pervades everything? The guild be wary for more than imagined reasons), the
had their own solution, and created Docker’s wearer may spend an entire round standing in
Shields to make the most out of the perpetual one place and Dodging incoming attacks while
night that covered the Empire. Most of them listening to the movements of the air, the smells
have been lost in the years since, though some of sweat, the trembling on the ground, etc. If
are still sacred to certain monasteries of shadow they do so then, at the start of one’s next turn,
in the North. they gain 1 Inspiration. Note that they could
spend multiple rounds in this way to gain
Attunement to the Shield requires wearing it for multiple Inspirations, either back-to-back or
an uninterrupted week and then succeeding in throughout the combat.
a Wisdom Save DC 15—on failure, the process
must be started over again. Sitting in pitch and Any Inspiration beyond the first is lost after
blind darkness (which is what it feels like, as it 10 minutes.
blocks all light from the eyes) can unnerve even
the bold.
NOTES
121 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Docker's Shield

Fire of Life
Wyatt died on that bridge. He felt his
bones snap and the weight of the giant
club crushing him against the stones
like you’d crush a beetle under your
thumbnail. The pain was real, and the
echo of it in his mind was more tortur-
ous than the impact had been.
He saw, for a moment, his friends rush-
ing forward to attack the giant… and
then Wyatt of Dew Point saw nothing.
Darkness, smoke, heat, fire, stink,
grinding and roars in the distance.
The darkness gave birth to a blasted
outcropping of grey and ragged stone
crushed under a red and acrid sky, and
Wyatt found himself surrounded by
every hell he’d ever imagined.
“Ho’ Wyatt…” the grumble and grind shaped itself to words, “You trouble again?” The grind turned
into a low cackle—the sound like dropping gravel into a pond—deep, round, and and full of finality.
“You trouble. I give you back?” it asked. It always asked. The answer was always the same, and It
insisted on asking each time.
It just wanted him to beg—to plead—so he did. He lamented his fate, he squeezed out insincere tears,
he spent days beating his breast and wailing for help. It denied him. It toyed with him. It lied and
cajoled him. It watched him scream himself hoarse—again.
After days in that hellscape, Wyatt returned.
Appearing out of nowhere, naked, just moments after he left, watching his friends attack the giant
and force it back on the bridge to the other side. Wyatt took a deep and labored breath of air that now
seemed so fresh as to taste sweet. He knelt over the polished grey amulet laying on the ground, his
clothes and arms surrounding it.
Every time it got worse; to the others he seemed to be the man that never died, but he remembered
finding the wonder in a pile of clothes, untouched for decades. He often wondered why that man had
never come back.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A amulet of brilliant gold with a round, pol- History DC 18, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
ished red stone set in the center. The chain is for Fiendish Patron Warlocks and anyone
long and exquisitely braided. with the Acolyte background
122 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Fire of Life

Of the many sins of the Fiendish during the SYSTEM

First Age, their pollution of and theft of con- Once attuned, the wearer is protected from Death
trol over the River was the most egregious. It in this world. Before the gods and goddesses of
might have been the case that the Great Pow- death, or their servants, can claim one’s soul it
ers, during the wars for Creation, would have escapes to the hell it now knows the location of.
paid them all little notice—schemers they might
When the wearer’s hp drops below 0—and they
be—but when they stole the current of magic are subject to Death Saves as normal—they are
that flows through all realities for themselves? A immediately transported from where they were
temporary truce was called, and the forces that in that moment to one of the many hells of the
levelled mountains and gouged new oceans in Fiendish. As this isn’t the wearer’s own tele-
the world in a struggle for domination stopped portation, the magic originating with one of
to punish the Fiends for their hubris. the underbosses of hell themselves, any force
Their battle was swift by the reckoning of the or spell that requires a Charisma check (or any
times—only a few of what we would think of as other check or Save) is ignored.
millennia—but it was enough time for the dark None of the wearer’s clothing, items, or equip-
underbosses of the Fiendish to steal away what ment comes. Even the Fire is left behind.
they were truly after. It was worth the death and
Once there in the underhell, they wearer spends
blood and pain to pluck from the River one of a number of days communing with the Fiend
the deepest stones it held, a polished red gem that is lord there, trying to bargain for their
that held the key to escaping the hell they saw return. Every day, the amulet’s owner may
coming for them at the end of the War. attempt a Persuasion or Deception check DC
The Fire of Life was made to save them from 20. If they fail, the “day” spent is for nothing
being locked away in the darkness, but the gods and the Fiend taunts them and lets them starve
and goddesses were not so easily thwarted. and waste away. While the owner cannot truly
Rather than allow the amulet to free the Fiend- die there, the pain and torment of deprivation
ish to come back to our World, it would only is real. They may lose weight, grow pale, etc.
allow those from here to escape there. Useless to After their failure, the next day happens imme-
diately—for storytelling purposes—and they
all of them, so they first thought, but the Fiend-
may roll again. This continues until they suc-
ish found other ways to use it, and spread their
ceed in the check.
own influence in the world.
Success indicates the Fiend is sufficiently
Attunement requires finding one of the many
pleased, and with a simple gesture returns
hells in the planescape; one need not go to a hell,
the wearer to the place and, roughly, the same
but intimate knowledge of how to get there is
moment they left. Roll 1d4: the result is how
the key. Once the wearer completes this planar many turns they were “gone” before they can
study and research, the amulet glows faintly. re-enter play. For the wearer, days (or weeks or
DMs are encouraged to consider what arcane months) may have passed—and they do age—
maps, ancient texts, or long lectures might be but for everyone else? It was moments.
necessary to learn the coordinates and paths to
The owner returns with half of their hp (rounded
another plane.
down) and Exhaustion 1.
The difficulty of the check to convince the Fiend
goes up by +3 every additional time one is
transported within the same day. When the DC
exceeds the owner’s ability to succeed on the
check, they never come back.
123 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Fire of Life

Guise of the Death Bear

There was nobody left. Sar-
kani was dead—not dying,
but gone. His body, there in
the grass, a wet mess of ragged
flesh and protruding bone.
Deserae was dead as well. Four
hundred miles together, so far
from home, bright eyed and
willful, and now her face was
a cold surprise—staring off to
nothing, her spirit vanished.
Even Braut, the Giant of the
Vanguard and the Breaker
of Stone, lay in the tall grey
weeds—not long til the next
world.
Arcasta, the witch that laid
waste to the people of New
Haven, stood on the precipice
of the stoney cliff overseeing it
all and laughed wildly into the
storm.
Grau barely survived the hur-
ricane of malevolent energy,
but it took its toll. Burns, at
least two broken ribs, and he
could feel his jaw dislocated. It
all hurt. And it was all nearly
over. And he would never hear
his friends laughter again.
So, he gave himself over—one last time—hunching in the alien weeds and rocky purple soil. Staring
up the cliff at the evil thing that brought them to this, he felt the cold rush behind his heart and the
emptiness spread through his muscles. He felt light for a moment, one painful and long moment, and
then felt his body tearing itself half-apart. The sensations were always the same, and the pain would
fade. But, for now, it was agony. The agony roused the Bear.
A deep-throated howl rose up from down in the valley while Arcasta posed at the lip of the drop,
around her an ugly, inhuman fury that sounded like the breaking of a world raged with wild energies.
But below, down in the darkness, something with terrible red eyes began ascending hand-over-hand
with ravenous purpose.
124 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Guise of the Death Bear

APPEARANCE about, the ruination of some significant aspect

A headdress made from head of a great black of one’s life, or an injury to one’s reputation in
bear. The fur is stiff and dark, and the hide a non-trivial way. The Death Bear is a spirit of
reaches down just past the shoulders when not only what comes after life, but of furious
worn. vendettas, and only satisfying one can wake
the Guise.
ORIGIN
Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 18; Advantage SYSTEM
for Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarians Once attuned, the headdress feels cold (not
and anyone with the Folk Hero background painfully, just clearly unnaturally) and one
dreams every night of hunting betrayers and
When the world was young the spirits of the
avenging slights from one’s past.
Wild and the Wastes fought their petty wars
for dominance, and the Great Beings, the Totem Once per day, when an ally rolls a Death Save,
Lords, and all the other fabled powers of the the wearer may use their Reaction to give them-
world were born from them—child-demi- selves over to the underlying and seething fury
gods conceived in conflict. Amongst them (if of the Death Bear that keeps itself barely hidden
the stories are to believed) was the Rahl, the beneath the wearer’s consciousness.
Father Bear, the Long Walker, the Keeper of the On doing so, the wearer first gains a number
Streams. He refused to take sides and, for that, of temporary hp equal to 1d4 x the Proficiency
both the Wilds and the Wastes hated him. Some Bonus of the ally that is dying. Their hands and
stories say one or the other did him in, but none feet grow long and powerful claws, knotted and
truly know which killed him. Both sides blamed bony joints, and irregular cords of muscle. Treat
each other, and used it as a pretense for more unarmed attacks as +0 magic weapons doing
war, but—some time into the Third Catanthia 1d6 Slashing damage.
of Pace when the conflicts were at their peak—
Father Bear’s body was found broken and life- Their face twists in a rictus of teeth, rage, and
less in the high places. madness—with bristling tufts of black fur
sprouting all over—while their eyes become
A turn of the moon later and both the Wilds and blazing, bright unnatural things that grant Dark-
Wastes were driven from the peaks by a dark, vision to 240 ft. and advantage on visual Percep-
monstrous fury. A spirit of revenge and pain, in tion. Every time they take damage in excess of
the form of a giant black bear. Or… so the sto- their Class Level, they gain 1 Inspiration point,
ries say. though they cannot exceed their maximum. The
Several tribes in the high places kept to a small wearer is also considered to have the monster
worship and honoring of the Death Bear: a sym- type Beast instead of Humanoid.
bol of revenge, a symbol of great sorrow. The This form lasts for a number of turns equal to
Guise has been handed down from tribe to their Constitution modifier.
tribe, from champion to champion, always to
those who have suffered greatly, and the last Any remaining Inspiration is lost after the Guise
stories of a bearer date back to well before the drops away.
Old Empire’s fall. Should the bearer of the Guise find a worthy
Attunement requires exacting brutal revenge champion to pass it on to, the old spirits of the
upon someone that has wronged the would-be world bless them for remembering the ancient
bearer. The vengeance must be for a genuine ways; the now-former wearer gains a perma-
loss, such as the death of someone they care nent Resistance to Cold damage.
125 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Guise of the Death Bear

Hand of Zeal
“Foul creature, brought from
below to hound and plague us,
there is no place for you or your
kind in this world. You’re a dis-
ease in the field, a blight in the
orchard. You’re the swarm that
comes from the autumn winds,
but this one—here—is pro-
tected by the Mother herself and
you have no power anymore.”
Brother Service watched
the old priestess banish yet
another one… he felt his own
faith weak that he could not
so gloriously do the righteous
work he’d dedicated himself to.
He’d never seen someone so
filled with power and so secure
in its use. He’d never seen a
true cleric before, it seemed.
More the shame.
APPEARANCE To attune to the Hand one must be able to cast

A taqiyah, or fez-like hat, brimless and flat on divine spells, and conduct formal religious
top, made of pure white wool. observances (prayers, blessings, giving counsel,
sharing the word) to a community of people
ORIGIN (numbering at least a dozen) for one month.
for Clerics and anyone with the Acolyte or SYSTEM
Sage backgrounds Once attuned, the Hand catches the attention of
the divine caster’s deity with every spell. The
The Hand of Zeal was not always an uncom-
caster must verbally calls for their god or god-
mon item; created by senior priestesses and
dess’ assistance when casting a spell, it must be
divines of the True, they were intended to pro-
topically appropriate for the deity in question (a
mote greater passion and promote greater devo-
god of war is unlikely to care for pleas to calm
tion to the faith itself, rather than the power that
and bring peace to foes, but may respect an
comes with it. The Sisters of the True are long
earnest need to befuddle enemies or lure them
gone now, buried under the weight of the cen-
into lowering their guard), and the player must
turies of war and conquest that felled the West,
fashion a plea, request, or demand using at least
but some of their Hands are rumored to still
eight words.
hide in sacred places in the world.
126 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Hand of Zeal

When this is done in conjunction with cast- impassioned or perfectly framed invocation that
ing a spell there a chance, equal to their Pro- hit just the right desires of that deity, the DM
ficiency Bonus (so a 4% chance if the bonus is may allow the roll to have double the chance
+4), that the spell works as normal—hit or miss, this happens (so the example Proficiency Bonus
so long as the spell itself wasn’t stopped—and of +4 would give an 8% chance).
the the spell-slot is not lost. For particularly
NOTES
127 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Hand of Zeal

Heart of the Mountain

The old warrior trod slowly
up the hill, his companions
dodging and weaving behind
him. The beast’s first volley—a
boulder the size of a wine
cask—crushed and shattered
against Ser Broadway’s thick
armor.
With a grunt, and a barely
audible sigh, he pressed on—
one foot, and then another. Up
the hill, ever up the hill, as the
creature’s allies rained stone
down upon him. The rest of the
group hunkered tightly behind
their paladin as he continued
his ascent.
Another stone, lobbed in a high
arc, similarly shattered against
Broadways, him the unrelent-
ing storm. He faltered only a
moment, cursed from within
his metal shell, and slowly con-
tinued up the path.
APPEARANCE influence of those Powers not so wed to static

A thick helmet of rough and ugly stone, accented wants and needs.
with the glint of minerals and thin veins of a The Beings that shaped the Planes of Elemental
light-colored ore. Earth held out the longest, stubbornly digging
in and refusing to be moved. The least of their
ORIGIN
warriors would make the mightiest of those Ele-
mentals found in this world today look like a
for Fighters and anyone with the Sage or
child beside a giant. Such were the old Powers
Acolyte backgrounds
that tossed up Mountains and flooded conti-
During the Creation War, when the Great Pow- nents to make oceans.
ers struggled for this universe and the right to
Some of the gods and goddesses that won and
shape it to their will, the champions of the Ele-
laid claim to this world chose to rule benignly
mentals were the first to fall. Their play in the
and allow the other Powers that opposed them
Contest was short, so narrow and focused as
to leave unharmed. Some, however, were cruel.
they were. What separates this world from the
From the tip of one finger of one of the great
worlds found in the endless Planes above is the
128 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Heart of the Mountain

Arch-Elementals of Earth and Stone, a divine reduction is 6 (6 – 0 = 6). This damage reduction
trinket was made—an insult to the Elementals lasts until their next movement taken.
that believed this world could be theirs. Thou-
This damage reduction can be against all criti-
sands of years later, this trinket was fashioned
cal hits from all damage types except Radiant,
into a powerful helm.
Lightning, Force, and Necrotic.
Attunement requires learning the Primordial
If damaged by a critical hit from one of those
name for the stone and elements contained in
four damage types, the Heart grows and begins
the helmet and speaking them into the bowl of
covering more of the head; another, and it starts
the helmet, an act of respect to the great Being
to cover parts of the neck more broadly; after
that died in the War. One must be Proficient in
the third, it extends onto the shoulders and
Heavy Armor to wear it.
imposes a disadvantage to Athletics and Acro-
SYSTEM batics; after the fourth, it covers the upper body
in rigid slabs of heavy rock and further imposes
Once attuned, the wearer may activate the
1 Exhaustion after wearing it for longer than
Heart with a thought. The wearer gains a dam-
1 minute. On the fifth, the helm becomes too
age reduction against critical hits at the end of
heavy and overgrown to use, now completely
their turn equal to 6 minus the number of 5 ft.
unwearable, and the wearer must succeed at
spaces they moved during their turn. For exam-
an Escape Artist check DC 15 or be stuck and
ple, if moving 30 ft., they would benefit from
trapped within.
no damage reduction (6 – 6 = 0); moving 15 ft.
means they would get a damage reduction of The loss of the War comes with consequences—
3 (6 – 3 = 3). If not moving at all, the damage even the artifacts from it suffer them still.
NOTES
129 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Heart of the Mountain

Helm of Prey
The trail had been long and
horrible. Seventeen weeks
on the road, patrolling up
and down the Kline Trail, all
exhausting. Half the group had
been a grumbling and tired
mess barely a month in, and at
this point almost everyone was
ready to quit. Mutiny was at
hand, surely; they all knew it,
they were only waiting for the
first of them to suggest it in
more than a joking way.
But Ser Broadways was hard
to turn against. Not just
because the old paladin was
a straight shooter, a decent
leader, and as trustworthy a
chief as any of them had ever
worked under, but because the
giant golden sword on his hip
and the fluency with which the
tall man wielded it served as a
fair deterrent.
Finally—just when the mood
of the group was about to break—he called for them to trek back to the village. Just two more days of
bad food and cold weather and they’d all get some coins and try and forget how rough this gig had
been. The only one of them who hadn’t complained a bit was Oakbreaker, but the wildman hardly said
anything one way or another for months. He was a quiet, slow, trudging figure. Behind the helmet,
he could be old or young—none of them, save Brodie maybe, had ever even seen his face.
So when he stopped in the middle of the road, listening for something on the breeze, and then sprinted
like the wind toward the treeline, what should have been a cause for alarm only left the group of
enforcers staring, mouth-agape, and the loping figure.
And then the arrows came.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A solid steel armet with broad steel antlers Nature DC 16, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
extending from its crown. The helm is polished for Druids and anyone with the Outlander
to an almost mirror-like shine. background
The wars against the Fey continue, quietly and
in the dark and forgotten corners of the world.
130 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Helm of Prey

The druids and divine champions that fight the SYSTEM

encroaching madness live and die unknown Once attuned, wearing the Helm causes the
and forgotten, year after year. The battles have perception of the wearer to shift, taking on the
grown smaller, and more brutal, as the Glass manner that prey animals perceive the world
grows thicker between our world and theirs. (like deer or bison), rather than predators (like
The wild creatures and provocateurs that come wolves or cats).
through are more desperate, more destructive
The wearer’s sight ceases to be binocular and for-
than ever before, but the time of great battles
ward looking (predator’s eyes are arranged this
spanning weeks and months of blood and
way, to gauge distance and depth for hunting),
magic have passed.
and instead they find that they see peripherally
One day, the Glass will be impenetrable. It is a as though their eyes were on the sides of their
war of attrition. head. Their field of vision is greatly increased,
But of the many weapons and wonders the despite no physical changes taking place.
countless sects and coteries of champions on Similarly, their ears pick up sounds more omni-
our side—the Knights of the Green, the Wander- directionally and with greater sensitivity, while
ers, the Lost Circle—have made or wielded over their sense of smell becomes heightened. Physi-
the millennia, most have been lost. Some on the cally, the wearer feels alert and calm most of the
far side of the barrier between our worlds, some time, as though their body is storing energy for
destroyed, and many simply left in the far and when they may need it in an instant.
forgotten places where their bearer died—none
The Helm grants advantage on Perception
there to pick them back up. The Wild takes them.
with respect to detecting stealthy or hiding
And few know how or where to find them.
creatures—so long as they can be seen, heard,
The Helm of Prey was worn by the last cham- or smelled—within 120 ft. Any sneak attacks
pion of the Lost Circle; she died standing watch or surprising attacks made against the wearer
over a crack in the Glass for eighty years, dying are made at disadvantage and, with a Reaction
a sharp-eyed old woman, ready as ever to pro- (after either such an attack, whether a success
tect us from the mad things that would come or failure), the wearer may immediately take
and make a brutal game of the world. a Movement without provoking Opportunity
Attunement requires sleeping for one night Attacks (as their body is primed to flee with the
amongst a collection of wild prey animals: deer, least provocation during surprises). Note, this
doves, squirrels, and any other animal not a sig- doesn’t pre-empt the attack, only offers a free
nificant predator of others. The necessary behav- Movement afterward and only for attacks that
ior can be compelled magically, but DMs should the wearer could not anticipate.
note the duration of most animal-influencing In addition, the wearer may use their Reaction
magic. Physically binding or injuring the animals in response to a declared ranged attack, that
to accomplish this causes the Helm to lose the they can see and anticipate, to force the attacker
last of the magic it retains from those old times. to make their roll at disadvantage.
NOTES
131 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Helm of Prey

Laffetr's Pince-Nez
“He’s over there…” Sabya
called out, pointing with his
larian-made sword toward
the outcroppings overlooking
the long valley. His comrades
tensed. They did not like this
place, nor did they like the
things that crept and hid in the
shadows around it.
While they made their way
down the gully, and watched
the sun fade behind the peaks
of the far end of the lost and
lonely stretch, they gripped
their leather-wrapped handles
and nocked their arrows and
glanced nervously left and
right and up and down—wait-
ing for the ambush they knew
would come.
All, save Sabya.
He strolled and hopped down the face, lightly and without much care. Not that he was brave (he
wasn’t) and not that he was unworried (he was), but he knew the things were still gathering. Their
assault was only half-formed and this was poor ground to make their stand should it soon come.
He could see them floating this way and that, flitting by with curiosity and malice. They didn’t know
he could see them, and that was the only advantage they’d have when the time came.
APPEARANCE passed her eyepieces onto the College of Lore

A nose-bridge pinching set of spectacles, made and from there they’ve found their way into
of a dull tin-looking material. The lenses are the stories of dozens of would-be successors to
bifocal, of a rose-tinted glass. her legacy.
ORIGIN Her own creation, the Pince-Nez were pains-

takingly crafted over several years with help
Arcane DC 16, Religion DC 19; Advantage
from the last devotees of the Temple of the
for Sorcerers and College of Lore Bards
River, the sorcerers and natural mages who
Corona Laffetr wrote all seventy volumes of worshipped a goddess of magic long since gone
her Survey of Things Unseen in the field, in the from the world whom they believed would one
muck and mire and hazard of the world, over day return.
one hundred and eighty years ago. Dying an
old woman, surrounded by grandchildren, she
132 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Laffetr's Pince-Nez

Attunement requires careful cleaning and pol- attacks, even lockpicking done chiefly by feel
ishing of the lenses with magical cloth: really or sound, etc.). The bifocal arrangement of the
any will do, so long as it has an inherent magi- lenses simply impedes one at range, making far
cal property (only passive properties that don’t objects tricky to properly see and judge.
require activation or choice count as inherent,
However, while wearing them, one receives a
anything requiring decision or are “turned on”
number of benefits: advantage on Intelligence
for effect do not).
and Investigation checks and Saves vs Illu-
SYSTEM sions, the ability to read any written language as
While wearing the Pince-Nez, one is disadvan- though they had that Proficiency if they succeed
taged on Perception as well as on all Actions on an Intelligence Save (DC 10 for any common
where clear visual perception and targeting are Humanoid language and DC 15 for all others),
necessary (ranged attacks, spell attacks, throw- and Truesight to a distance equal to their Profi-
ing things, investigating at some distance, leap- ciency Bonus in feet.
ing down from a ledge, etc.). Actions that do not Taking the glasses off causes the lenses to cloud
require acute visual perception or the judging and requires polishing again—a process that takes
of distance are not affected (conventional melee at least 1 minute, but may be done with any cloth.
NOTES
133 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Laffetr's Pince-Nez

Medallion of Wrath
Chang hated “adventuring.”
She hated monstrous things,
by and large, with their strange
looks and worse smells. She
really hated the open road. She
hated scavenging and the cold
and the wet and—oh, Father on
the Mountain—did she ever hate
dungeons and crypts and tombs.
Why the others insisted on
kicking in the door and explor-
ing every dark hole in the
ground was beyond her.
Chang thought all this over
(yet again) as she drank her
beer and waited. She heard a
man stumble into a table in
the corner behind her—her
heart leapt in her chest—but
he apologized and the others
invited him to sit. She watched
the skulking little Halfling girl
make her way around acting far more drunk than she was, but nobody noticed her lifting their purses.
Chang rolled her eyes, what a disappointment.
And then…
She heard someone to her right call someone else a bastard, their voice starting to take on that edge of
warning to whomever he was talking to. And the recipient of the insult retorted with a slander about
someone’s mother.
Chang hated adventuring, but this—this coming carnival of blood and regret—oh, she did love that.
APPEARANCE and nations call “civilization” are truly barbaric.

A broad and ugly medallion, large enough to The term itself is a catch all, often an unfair
eat a meal off of. The whole piece is a crudely one, for anyone who doesn’t speak a common
beaten bronze with cuneiform-like writing tongue (common to whatever kingdom chooses
stamped into the center-piece. to claim its own speech as civilized) or hold to
the social assumptions of the vast cities or coun-
ORIGIN tries that dominate most of the world.
History DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage The Clan of Rath, a tight and isolated collection
for Barbarians and anyone with the Out- of tribes in what is understood to be the distant
lander background West, discovered the more mysterious workings
Not all people, or communities of people, of Enchanting a thousand years before the Elvish
beyond the circle of what the Midland empires made their transition from natural sorcery to more
134 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Medallion of Wrath

lettered studies of magic. They were amongst the they only want to shove the wearer instead; if
first people to document schema for artificery and they meant attack with a sword, they will swing
the creating of imbued works of both art and war. the sword). DMs should note, this is a compul-
sion that takes over for only (and literally) the
One of their more martial creations was a chest-
hostile act the subject had in mind; killing some-
piece of bronze, round to honor the fury of the
one isn’t an act, but the result of one.
sun (which their land of grass and desert well
respected), to be worn by their clansires and This hazy manipulation of their mind continues
champions in battle. When a mighty warrior until they achieve their original objective and
took the field wearing it, their prowess was complete the act. For example, as long as the
truly put to the test as all the rage and bloodlust wearer remains unshoved by the subject who
would turn on them. wanted to shove the target (by superior Athletics
or being hard to reach), then the subject will con-
The Clan of Rath died out. The last known
tinue to be compelled and advantaged to attempt
descendent having passed centuries ago, beaten
it, and will continue to try. The subject may elect
by a mob in the streets during the Purge of the
to stop at the end of any of their turns and shake
Old Empire—their works lost to time and dust.
off the effects of the medallion by taking a num-
Attunement requires picking an honest fight ber of Psychic damage equal to the Attack or
(compelled neither magically or through decep- Ability bonus they were compelled to perform—
tive means) with as many able and experienced the strain of exerting one’s own will takes its toll.
strangers (they must have an attack bonus of at
Once the compulsion is over, in any case, the
least +1) as one’s Proficiency Bonus, all while
subject knows something strange happened to
wearing nothing protective (no armor). Killing
them and may believe, depending on the cir-
any of the combatants is not allowed, and if one
cumstances and creature, that a madness took
dies then the medallion cannot be attuned at
them over or that someone was controlling their
all. When the last opponent falls unconscious or
will. DMs are encouraged to consider what an
yields, however, the medallion hums lightly (Per-
average, undereducated person might think of
ception DC 25 to notice).
having a fit of rage against someone that lead
SYSTEM them to attack someone else, as well as what a
Once attuned, any creature within 30 ft. of the learned, magically experienced person might
Medallion that is naturally (absent magical com- think. DMs should also note, while this may
pulsion) intending or attempting an act of vio- cause someone to attack the wearer instead of
lence against anyone else finds they are com- another person, the effect is subtle and small and
pelled and advantaged to instead attack the they are under no compulsion to do so again.
wearer. They feel confident and strong, seeing the Should the wearer leave line of sight for the
wearer as the ideal or necessary victim of their subject, the effect is broken and cannot be used
hostility, and will attempt to attack the wearer to on them again (ever). Should the medallion be
the degree they’d intended for the original target taken off, they lose attunement and may not
(if they only mean to shove the original target, attune the item ever again.
NOTES
135 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Medallion of Wrath

Monocle of Vice
“My Lord Gaw, this is very
fine wine—have I not said
so?” Barris Channen, Baron of
Underwood, sipped from his cup
demurely, the smoke from the
Duke’s pipe hanging in the air
above the finely wrought bell-
wood desk, smelling of lemons
and grass, the whole affair richly
intoxicating to the eye and taste.
“You have, Barris, and I will
pass your compliments to
Stevris; he had some delivered
last winter and I rarely get
so fine a company as yours to
enjoy it. Another?”
“Oh, no… no, no. I’ll lose
myself and end up flashing my
arse to the crowds from your
balcony, I’m afraid.” They
both chuckled. A fine evening’s
distraction.
Barris adjusted his eyepiece, in
fashion these days for those of
means and peerage, and spent
a half-a-heartbeat quiet while he sipped again. Ah… well, that was interesting.
Clearing his throat, he leaned forward conspiratorially.
“Have you ever thought about—and forgive me if this is forward—new leadership on the council?”
Duke Gaw raised a hint of an eyebrow and drank deeply, buying a moment to consider this unexpected
turn in the conversation.
“Again, no offense to Lord Boht, but it seems you are the stronger hand when the council meets. I only
thought that you might have interest in a change…”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A thick monocle of smokey glass, with a rim History DC 16, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
that resembles braided strings and ropes in for Sorcerers and Warlocks or anyone with
a lovely silver metal. The chain appears to be the Noble background
woven strands of a silvery metal, like a very
loose, thin rope.
136 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Monocle of Vice

The Monocle was part of the court of Empress SYSTEM

Terani IV, one of the last of the Exile queens Once attuned, the monocle allows the wearer to
that conquered much of the known world ages learn the hidden desires of a sentient and intel-
ago. The empire had been founded on a mis- ligent creature after a few moments of study. To
trust of—and aversion to—magic, plunging the do so, the wearer spends 1 Inspiration to make
world into a dark age of power where bloody an Insight Check against a DC equal to the Intel-
wars raged and nations fell. ligence Score of the subject.
Toward the end of the Exile dynasty, many of On a success, the wearer gets a brief flash,
the descendants relaxed the prohibitions of their from the subject’s imagination, of them hav-
forefathers and Terani was said to have fond- ing accomplished the thing they most want in
ness of shoring up her own power through the the world at that moment. This says nothing of
creation of arcane instruments, both illegal by the reasons, only an image of them triumphant
the charters of the empire for generations and in whatever manner makes the most sense to
considered taboo by the culture at large. In the subject. When looking at a woman through
exchange for the help of a cabal of sorcerers in the Monocle, the wearer may seem glimpses of
the empire (secretive, and traditionally killed her walking through a finely made manor with
under the law), Terani turned the hatred and servants doting on her—which may imply that
disgust of the kingdoms on the witches and she desperately wants to be wealthy or perhaps
warlocks that consorted with forbidden powers, only that she desperately wants to live in that
sparing the outright persecution and extermina- specific place (which may exist).
tion of the sorcerous.
DMs should note that, while some creatures
The Monocle gave its wearer unnatural insights may only focus on immediate wants and desires,
into the strands of fate and desire that turn the more intelligent the target the more grand or
and twist around the hearts of mortals, having complex those desires are likely to be. A com-
been made from an actual piece of the skein of mon man may simply want to live a long life
Fate—drawn into this world by powerful sor- or avoid a conscription into a war, an ancient
cery and the sacrificing of dozens of witches dragon may have some considerable and epic
and warlocks. desires that are not easily attained (otherwise,
Attunement requires watching the death of a why wouldn’t they have attained them?).
witch, warlock, or cultist through the Monocle. On a failure, the subject is immune to all such
Whether by one’s own hand or someone else’s future attempts to use the Monocle on them. If
doesn’t matter. the Monocle is used on a creature with an Intel-
ligence less than 10, the wearer takes 1d6 Psy-
chic damage (regardless of success or failure on
the Insight roll).
NOTES
137 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Monocle of Vice

Nail
The massive, mailed fist
crashed into Ubaid’s face
again–-loosening a tooth and
welling copper-tasting spittle
in his mouth. He stared at the
half-orc, the soldier’s knuckles
must be aching by now.
“Where is it?” the pale green
sergeant of the Emperor’s Fin-
est barked again. Ubaid spit,
a pink foamy splat, onto the
stones and looked up into his
captor’s face. There was no
joy in this. None. None of this
made him happy. He figured he
might ask again…
“I cannot give it to you.
Please,” Ubaid tried pleading,
why not? He had no pride left,
he’s lost that a long time ago.
“You do not want it. It is a heavy blessing. Your life is worth more, officer. Please… I will leave and
take it with me, the Emperor has no fear from it being in his lands. Let me take it away and die with
it, let it claim no other foolish young man.”
The fist crashed into his nose, again, and as Ubaid felt it break… and then unbreak… he wept.
APPEARANCE That young man brought irrigation to the

A heavy, thick, roughly hewn iron nail roughly nomadic people of the west, taught stone cut-
two inches long. ting to the dwarvish clans, pointed the first sail-
ors in the direction of a near land they could
ORIGIN sail to with their primitive boats, and helped
Religion DC 17, History DC 22; Advan- the Old Empire develop steel before any others.
tage for Monks and anyone with the Guild Those that still remember the Builder, a faith
Artisan background now long abandoned, remember these stories.
The Builder. The Great Smith. God of civiliza- Sometimes the young man is the same that was
tion itself—of the great achievements of stone first touched and sometimes there are stories of
and steel and sail—chose a young man to be new people taking up the work.
his paragon, to bring creation to the uncreated But all of that is in the past, and Nail is all that’s
wilds and domain to the domainless tribes. To left—an artifact possessing a fraction of the
aid him, he drove one solitary nail into his fore- power it must have once had to raise the great
head to pierce his brain and provide a conduit cities of the world from the nothing that had
to the heavens of the Smith. existed before.
138 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Nail

Attunement requires driving the Nail into Should the bearer not have an unspent point,
one’s forehead. they lose this benefit, but regain it the moment
they earn another Inspiration point.
SYSTEM
Once attuned, and so long as it remains in the Should the bearer ever part with Nail, it ceases
head of the bearer, any Critical Hit the bearer is to work for them ever again, even if re-attuned.
subject to from a non-natural source is treated Should the bearer find someone else to take it, will-
as a normal hit. Swords, arrows, other weapons, ing to attune to it without magical influence over
magical attacks generally, spiritual attacks, etc. the decision, the bearer may pass Nail on. Upon
are considered non-natural; fists, claws, etc. are the new person’s attunement, roll 2d6. If both
considered to be natural. results are even numbers, the now former-bearer
may add the higher of the two to their maximum
In addition, so long as the bearer of Nail has an hp. If both results are odd numbers, they subtract
unspent Inspiration point, Nail grants advan- the lower of the two from their maximum hp. If
tage on Saves against magic and magical effects. one is even and one is odd, nothing happens.
NOTES
139 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Nail

Obscurant Vane
“You’re damned, you know
that, right?”
Wexel Don Specci held his
crossbow level at the approach-
ing figure. The same one he’d
seen around down the last
few weeks. The same one that
made a bloodbath out of the
mercenaries he sent to get rid
of the guy. The same one who
came here to revenge himself
on the killing Wexel had paid
for down in the villages of the
Marshes.
Chickens were coming home
to roost, but Wexel—coward
he might be—wasn’t going to
let this stranger have the last
laugh.
“I’ll— I’ll pay you! Yes? Look,
how much would it really
take? You’re unarmed and I may not be much of a soldier, but I’m a good enough shot to put this bolt
through you,” Wex was rambling. He cursed himself silently, this man wasn’t going to be scared of
a bumbling aristocrat.
“You better aim for the heart, then. You do it. Or I’ll never stop coming for you,” the stranger replied,
never missing a pace or a step as he came closer and closer.
Wexel experienced three great revelations before the darkness took him. First, that it was his own greed
that had brought him to this place. Second, that the world was full of strangers, and one never knows
who is bringing one’s death with them. Third, that some of those strangers, it would seem, cannot die.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A beautiful jade box with a braided gold lan- History DC 13, Religion DC 19; Advan-
yard fixed to the top. tage for Monks and anyone with the Noble
background
The last Emperor of Ave Cro, nestled undis-
turbed amongst the peaks of the far western
mountains, lived for seven hundred and thirty
years—longer than all of his progeny and long
enough to guide the course of his corner of
140 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Obscurant Vane

civilization to advancements other nations saw SYSTEM

as miraculous and awe-inspiring. He served as Once attuned, the Vane prevents the owner
counselor to his descendents’ reigns—building from aging either naturally or magically and
the future one year at a time. He was known will not let them die a natural death. While dis-
during those centuries as “the old emperor,” ease, illness, starvation, dehydration, exposure,
all record of his name erased from their history etc. all affect the owner, none of these can ulti-
(though a few scrolls and tomes survived in mately kill them. Instead of dying from these
other places in the world). effects, the owner takes 1 Exhaustion. Should
The Vane was the product of his own study and the condition or affliction persist (like continu-
communion with the heavens. It gave him the ing to starve another few days or be damaged
longevity to be wise and the resilience to with- by a disease to the point of dying again), the
stand the brutal politics of his age. owner takes another Exhaustion.
When the empire fell, the Vane passed from This continues until the owner takes 5 Exhaus-
scholar to opportunist and back again, over and tion—they cannot earn a 6th.
over. The last recorded sighting of the Vane was This protection has no effect on violent or
almost a century ago in the distant free cities unnatural deaths from magic, weapons, attacks,
of the east, though the veracity of that is hard etc. DMs should note that for the purposes of
to determine. the Vane, even suffocating or falling a great dis-
Attunement to the Vane requires a day and a tance counts as “natural.”
night, alone, telling it all of one’s secrets and
failures and hopes. None can overhear, or it
does not take. But, when attuned, the Vane
knows one’s name (their truest name, writ on
the heavens) and keeps it safe.
NOTES
141 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Obscurant Vane

Paolos' Crown
“So, you kill the whole tribe?”
the angry, pink-faced drunk
shouted from the high balcony
while patrons nodded and
shook their heads and drank
their drinks and grew bored.
“I did! The whole lot of them.
I juked and jibbed and jived—
Thank you, dear,” Wrench Liv-
ers took the cup from the bar-
maid, and gave her a cocked
eyebrow of interest, before
turning back to his story.
“And I jibbed and jived, you
see. And then, just as they
had me surrounded, I called
out from behind the trees,”
he paused for effect—it was
always good to pause during
this part. He reclined in antic-
ipation, kicking his legs on the
large table and snuggling with
his newfound lady friend.
The crowd stared at him in various states of interest and boredom… which turned to curiosity… and
then confusion.
The angry man garumphed. “See, now you can’t even tell it straight: you were surrounded, but then
was behind trees? You’re a fool, liar as like, too,” he turned to walk off.
“He may be a fool, but you’re the dandy little girl I’m going to have licking my boots in a minute,”
Wrench said as he walked into the tavern—wet from the rains, his sword already drawn.
APPEARANCE The story of the crown is told and re-told, but

A wide-brimmed hat made of oiled leather. few think it is real. As it goes, a bard during the
The style is old, but fashionable—something a days of the Republic—nearly a thousand years
young lordling might wear on a long hunt. ago—crowned himself with it before Emperor
Paolos II himself as a joke. The most com-
ORIGIN mon version of the tale goes onto say that the
History DC 15, Arcane DC 19; Advantage Emperor was so amused that he had his great
to College of Lore Bards and anyone with viziers enchant the “crown” so that the bard
the Entertainer background could perform even more splendid comedy.
142 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Paolos' Crown

A truer and deeper story, however, is that the One “self” remains where they are standing,
Emperor saw little humor in the act—vain and while their other “self” may appear at a distance
insecure as he was—but, knowing the popular- of up to 10 ft. times their Proficiency Bonus. For
ity of the man, the Emperor waited three days example, if their Proficiency Bonus is +2 then
before taking any action. Smiling and applaud- the other self may appear up to 20 ft. away.
ing the joke the whole time, secretly waiting for
Each self has the natural skills, proficiencies,
the right opportunity.
and class features the wearer has, but only an
As a token of his favor, he offered to have his equal division of any bonuses or hp. Divide the
adepts and viziers enchant the hat, to which current (and maximum) hp of the wearer in two
the wily bard agreed, but not before burning an (rounded down) and give the result to each self.
arcane symbol under the brim to disrupt what- The wearer’s Proficiency Bonus is, along with
ever curse might be in store for him. Always act- any Ability Score modifiers, similarly split in
ing the fool, he was, but not truly a fool at all. two—which does mean that negative modifiers
are also reduced by the process.
The hat was enchanted to kill the bard when
worn next, but—with the disharmonious rune The Crown duplicates any non-magical object
perverting the curse—instead the bard both carried by the wearer. The two selves share the
died and very much did not. How that is pos- same pool of spells, slots, points (like Inspira-
sible is subject of some debate amongst those tion or spell points), features, and any per day
who study folklore. Was it a metaphor? A res- or per rest abilities. Each self may act inde-
urrection? Is the story a lie? This is the trouble pendently of the other, help each other, or do
with stories and why Sages despise the songs anything the wearer could do. They look exactly
that keep some history alive. like the wearer, and any attempt to determine
otherwise based on appearance or manner fails.
The Crown can be attuned by the apprecia-
The wearer may keep this split active for up to
tive, genuine, entertained, and simultaneous
1 minute.
applause of at least 100 individuals (uncom-
pelled by magic of any kind). This requires a Should a self be dropped to 0 hp, they simply
Performance check at DC 20; one may try again disperse into nothing. Should both selves be
with disadvantage if one fails, but must wait a dropped to 0 hp, the wearer replaces the last one
week before attempting this again. to do so, re-forming themselves with 1 hp.
SYSTEM At the end of 1 minute, the wearer may re-form

Once attuned, the wearer may take 1 full turn into one of the selves while the other dissipates.
to split themselves into two people. Doing so All objects created with the Crown vanish as
requires unbroken Concentration until the start well. The current combined hp of both selves
of their next turn. is added together to establish the wearer’s cur-
rent hp.
NOTES
143 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Paolos' Crown

Periapt of Understanding
“What yer donn anderstan,
Broodie, issa ter bate sooch a
theng rai, yer naed isser rai
tools an thang,” Burchester
droned on in his overwhelm-
ingly generous accent while Ser
Broadways tapped a golden-ar-
mored finger on his knee. Sit-
ting around the fire, a long day
of travel ahead, it seemed impo-
lite to interrupt the dwarf while
he explained the finer points of
the especially incomprehensible
martial arts of his people.
“Teka bigbig raed on–“
“Wait… a what?” impatience
overruled the old paladin’s
politeness. He was tired and
the headache of trying to deci-
pher the squat man’s jargon
was not helping that.
“A. Big. Big. Raed. Won” the stout, and not a little drunk, ranger parsed.
“A red one? A big red, what? A Dragon?”
“Rai. Yea. Bigbig. Saw, yer wanna wha? Bigbig sward it? Shet planner, Broodie. Raed ons, them, best
ter fait wit a wegen-acks”
“A… what?”
“A wegen-acks. Ar, um… whassat… witter rawlin?”
“A wegen?”
The dwarf was red-faced now, and not entirely from the whiskey, He pointed over to the cart they’d
been using to carry the goods and made a pantomime of it rolling back and forth.
“Wait… a wagon axle?”
“HAH! YEA!” the round, puffy-faced man slumped down and took another drink, pleased with
himself and looking for all the world like he’d solved some great arcane mystery. Ser Broadways sat,
looking confused… then frustrated… then near to angry…
“What kind of stupid damn nonsense is that? A Wagon axle? You’re saying I should refrain, sir, from
attacking a bloody dragon with a sword in favor of a damned cart-shaft?!?!?”
“…tha’s righ’, ayup.” and the dwarf went back to his drink.
144 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Periapt of Understanding

APPEARANCE SYSTEM
A circle of thick and square silver links. Percep- Once attuned, though, the wearer finds they
tion DC 15 notices that each link is seamless and are superiorly gifted with insight into the many
feel warm to the touch. ways common objects around them may be used
in personal combat. While wearing the Periapt,
ORIGIN
any improvised weapon starts with a rating of
Religion DC 13, History DC 17; Advantage 0. For every successful hit against a creature
for Clerics and anyone with the Hermit (actively fighting back, in genuine combat), add
background 1 to the rating of the item. For every critical hit,
The Periapt is a Dwarvish creation from the bar- add 20. Once the rating reaches 100, the bearer
baric tribes that roamed the Southern mountain. gains Weapon Proficiency in that item in par-
Pursued and subjugated by the Dominion for ticular, and those exactly like it with minimal
centuries, the tribes survived by thin fortune variation (the DM is final judge of similarity).
and a hard, brutally defiant culture that found Appropriate new damage dice and weapons
what weapons they could where they could. properties should be created by the DM (Pro-
ficiency in “Tavern Stool” may wind up mak-
Their champions would wander the peaks and
ing tavern stools 1d6 bludgeoning weapons,
crags and bring justice and order to the many
for example).
clans and tribes that had already fallen to the
God-King of Stone and Bone, freeing them from Also note, this would make it possible to gain
the tyranny of the Dominion. Proficiency in Martial Weapons if used as impro-
vised ones over time. If the Periapt is taken off,
Attuning to the Periapt requires a full night’s
any items in progress (those with less than a 100
rest and speaking Dwarvish for a few minutes.
rating) return to 0.
One does not have to know the language to par-
rot it, but doing so may require a Performance
check at a DC 15, which is only possible after
being coached by someone that does speak the
language, to get “right.”
NOTES
145 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Periapt of Understanding

Price of Morning
One foot. Two. One foot. Two.
Sabyah walked. (One foot.
Two.)
Gleal was dead. (One foot.)
So was Brother Service of the
Radiant Order—and a good
one he was. (Two.)
Over years and over miles.
(One foot.) They had come and
fought the hordes of Kalanji.
(Two.) The monsters had dev-
astated the villages of the
high places. (One foot.) Fam-
ilies dead, burned thatch huts
worth nothing to most (Two.)
but worth everything to the
poor souls that lived there.
(One foot.)
His master had told him on a
burnt morning, such as this
(Two.) that he would return and bring with him the (One foot.) vengeance of three generations of
subjugation. (Two.) And for miles and years, he had nurtured the Price. (One foot.)
And today, the Great Haggash, itself, would be paid his due.
(Two.)
APPEARANCE as the wars, but no less passionate: What would

A bronze ring, large enough to fit around a thin they bring to the coming things that would live
wrist; a line runs around the middle, glow- and breathe and love and die? What kind of
ing lightly. world would this be?
ORIGIN A marginal goddess, long since gone or dead—

who can know?—created the Price of Morning,
fashioning it from her own body. She placed it
for Knowledge Domain Clerics and anyone
before the golden and dark gods, the bringers of
with the Acolyte background
law and chaos, those that governed the stars or
After the Creation Wars, when the world was the songs of the earth. By her edict, the only she
young and the deities not yet defined in their ever made, the Price could only be wielded by
domains and hierarchy, a struggle for what a someone who believed in destiny and—so—
orders to establish commenced—not as bloody believed in the gods.
146 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Price of Morning

The deities stood at odds, all together, and bick- Afterward, every time the bearer gains a level,
ered over who should carry it—their eons long they must invest at least 1 hp from the hp gained
argument yielded only one agreeable answer in the Price. They may elect to invest more than
out of thousands of disagreeable ones. In the 1, but 1 is the minimum. Any invested hp is not
end, mistrustful of each other, they decided to applied to maximum hp for the bearer.
let Fate itself determine who carries the Promise
The Price creates a charge within itself for every
and insist that it pass from mortal to mortal (lest
point invested. Every 10 hp that are invested,
any god or goddess attempt to hoard it).
grants a +1 magical bonus to all of the bearer’s
In all the world, there are few things the gods attacks.
and goddesses don’t touch. But the Price is one.
And the bearer may, only once, discharge all of
It made its way through history without the
the hp stored within the Price to unleash a dev-
influence of divine machination. It may be one
astating explosion of power. The bearer can do
of the few pure magics still in existence. Much
this a single time, ever, and must declare they
of its power has dwindled, and the miracles
are going to use it before the attack roll is made.
it performed are no longer possible, but what
remains is still a wonder. After the roll, but before the hit is confirmed or
resolved, the bearer may use hp stored in the
Attunement to the Price requires placing one’s
Price on a one-for-one basis to improve their
self beyond the influence of deities, and a
roll (if using 2, their to hit result increases by
renunciation of loyalties to any particular god
2; if using 5, then it increases by 5). If the attack
or goddess. DMs should note this does not
is successful, after this adjustment, the remain-
mean one cannot still pray to deities, or even
ing hp stored is converted to an equal number
that one cannot be a Cleric, but only that the
of d4’s of Radiant damage added to the normal
would-be bearer would have to remain neutral
damage.
to the worship of any particular deity. Also, it
should be noted, that this may come with some Once discharged, the Price falls away from the
small or severe retribution, depending on what bearer—inert. They may not re-attune it ever
any given god or goddess thinks of such mor- again. They regain all of the stored hp back,
tal hubris. adding them to their maximum hp (but not cur-
rent, as they are “spent”) except 1. That, too, is
SYSTEM part of the Price.
Once attuned, the Price sinks into the flesh
around the bearer’s windpipe—encircling it
painlessly. To others, the metal ring appears to
pierce the neck tightly.
NOTES
147 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Price of Morning

Rage of the Mountain

Sir Broadways cursed softly
under his breath as, once
again, the cautious plans and
tactics were trashed. A morn-
ing’s work, plotting and plan-
ning, giving directions and
orders… all wasted. Myra
would be in place up in the tree
on the ridge, the Caiat would
be masking his presence in that
unsettling ritual.
It was going to be a quick and
decisive battle, with only as
many casualties as needed to
get Vogh Farak to yield.
And as the paladin knelt in
the brush, ready to charge
the encampment, a familiar
howl told him that once again,
Poda Fin had crapped all over
everything.
He watched the barbarian
racing toward the clearing—
swords over his head and a wild
joy in his face. Screaming his
name over and over. Scream-
ing in that strange tongue of
his. Broadways cursed again.
That fool was going to get himself killed.
Complete. Horse’s. Arse.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A clay vial on a long bronze chain. Religion DC 17, History DC 22; Advantage
for Barbarians and anyone with the Sage
background
The spirit of Rage, a legendary tribal warrior
of the lost peoples of the north, was so cen-
tral to the faith of thousands of nomadic tribes
and clans—back before the Third Age—that
to this day an able scholar can find dozens of
148 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Rage of the Mountain

interpretations of his adventures or accomplish- SYSTEM

ments in a dozen languages. Once attuned, the Rage rewards those who
The most popular story involves his descent tempt Death. Whenever the wearer falls in battle
into hell, the parlay with the great demon spirits and makes Death Saves, there is a small chance
of the earth, and his saving dragons from death of them gaining bonuses to their maximum hp.
in the dangerous places deep below. The figure For every Save they choose to fail on purpose,
of Rage is one of defying death, and much of the they have a cumulative 25% chance of gaining
mythology of those savage peoples involved a 1 maximum hp afterward. This gain won’t save
great fear of dying, so it would only be natural to them from death, but should they be revived
deify a character that could walk into lethal haz- they may keep it. So, for example, when forced
ards and underworlds and return unscathed. to make their first Death Save, they may elect
But the stories of Rage go on for centuries. In to auto-fail it (25% chance, later). On their next
different times and places. Sometimes he is turn, they may elect to fail again (total 50%
depicted as a bold and ancient savage, some- chance). If they are healed or if they die, they
times a wily and sneaky thief, sometimes from may roll a percentile dice to see if they gain 1
the north, and sometimes the west. His defiance maximum hp or not (50% chance). Note, if they
of death, and the necklace he wore, are the only die, this may raise their maximum but does not
constants in all the tales through all the cultures change their current hp.
he is found. The spirit in the vial is old and wise, any
Attunement to the Rage of the Mountain attempts to “game” the system through petty
requires falling to near death in combat with combats or collusion with allies fails. It has been
strangers. In this way, the spirit that inhabits the around long enough to see the liars and petty
vial is woken up and blesses the wearer. deceivers try and try again. If a particularly
egregious attempt to take such an honor unde-
served happens, the spirit may steal maximum
hp away permanently.
NOTES
149 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Rage of the Mountain

Riverstones
Wain glanced back at the door
behind him—the pounding
was emphatic now. They really
wanted to get in.
“I said I know what I’m doing!”
he called out to his friends.
“Dammit, Blinda, knock it
off! Give me a little more time,
that’s all…” Blinda was trying
to sound reasonable. The witch
was always trying to sound
reasonable. More study, cau-
tion, care. Her kind, her and
even Meilla, they were scared
of magic. They feared it, that’s
why they held it at arm’s-
length in books and beakers. None of that mattered and she wouldn’t understand. He had to show her.
He looked over the door one more time, and the heavy shelves he pushed over to block it. Once they
heard the scream they’d really try to bust it in. They’d try to blow the door, no doubt—such a waste
of a spell and a door. But, it looked solid, and with a few motions he did his best to ward it against
entry for at least a few minutes. With one hand, he gripped the spoon and with the other, the stone.
From outside the room, Blinda and Meilla listened to horrific screams within and felt cold all over as
hoarfrost formed on the old oaken door.
APPEARANCE the pure quintessence can take many forms: a

Two smooth semi-regular stones, as one would brightly glowing water, pale white reeds, even
find along the banks of a cold creek in the small ethereal fish and dragonflies that flit
mountains, identical in size and no larger than silently through the air.
a robin’s egg each. Perception DC 14, in low The sorcerers of the old times, who kept the
light, reveals they glow with chaotic patterns of river pure and secret, they were closest to their
colored light; Perception DC 24 may notice this goddess. But, as with all things, the greedy and
in daylight. curious and proud would come to lay claim to
ORIGIN it and pervert it for their petty wants and needs.
It was a rare priest of the Waters that could pull
Arcane DC 14, Religion DC 18; Advantage
manifestations into this world, and the won-
for Wild Magic Sorcerers and anyone with
ders they drew from the flowing power fell into
the Acolyte background
the hands of wizards and warlocks who sought
Rare is it that a piece of the great River of magic, power but not understanding.
which flows through and around this world
Riverstones were the rarest of these wonders,
(and others), comes to this plane by itself.
and the last recorded appearance of them pre-
Sometimes by hazard, and sometimes intention,
dates even the discovery of steel.
150 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Riverstones

Attunement requires removing one’s eyes, using The Riverstones allow the owner to adopt the
only natural means and by one’s own hand, sight of almost any beings in existence.
then placing the stones in the sockets to heal
When chaotic and swirling (the resting state for
around them without interference or magical
the stones), sight is as normal vision for that
assistance. DMs should note that mustering up
character (if the owner normally has Darkvi-
the will to do this may require Wisdom Saves of
sion or other vision abilities inherently, they
a significant difficulty (DC 25); on a failure one
lose them).
must complete at least a Short Rest to try again.
If one is not Proficient in Medicine they lose 2 By spending 1 Inspiration, however, the owner
hp from their maximum hp permanently, as may shift the stones to a specific Type of vision.
they do terrible additional harm to themselves. Returning the stones to their resting state (and
purely normal vision) takes an action.
SYSTEM
In addition, whenever a spell (at the maximum
Once healed sufficiently (usually one day,
level a caster is naturally capable of) is cast
during which one is Blind), the faint light the
within 120 ft. of the possessor of the stones, the
stones give off washes over their surface and
deep chaos of the River takes over and changes
the stones appear to shift and flow chaotically
them to a random Type of vision. Roll a d12 and
from color to color, and even material to mate-
consult the table below (note that unless listed
rial (shifting from stone to metal to skin to bone
with Blindsight, one’s normal vision also still
to energy in various patterns, shades, and hues).
applies to any Types):
D12 TYPE DESCRIPTION VISION RULES

Soft pink tentacles sprout Darkvision 60 ft., can “see” the class and/or type of
1 Aberrant
from the eyes any creature
2 Bestial Deep brown, wolfish eyes Darkvision 120 ft., advantage to Perception (vision)
Truesight 10 ft., can identify any divine spell cast by

3 Celestine Gold, glowing eyes
sight
4 Constructed Chiseled stone eyes Blindsight 30 ft., immune to Illusions
5 Draconic Red, reptilian eyes Darkvision 240 ft.
Tremorsense 30 ft., can tell the difference between

6 Elemental Swirling fire and water eyes
natural and magical substances on sight
Polished and shiny white Cannot disbelieve any Illusion; can see, with disad-
7 Fey
eyes vantage, through materials less than 1 inch thick
8 Fiendish Void black eyes Truesight 5 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., can see alignment
Yellow eyes in black sockets

9 Monstrous Darkvision 120 ft., cannot be surprised in combat
that move independently
10 Primordial Bubbling grey sludge eyes Blindsight 10 ft., disadvantage on Intelligence
Darkvision 30 ft., can only see living creatures and

11 Dead Rotting, pustulant eyes
non-magical objects
12 Lost Inert, black eyes Blind
151 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Trust

Trust
His breathing was slow. He
could feel them all around, edg-
ing closer and panting noisily.
He could smell their sweat
(that they sweat at all said
a lot) and hear the sound of
grating metal on a softer and
more muted… something. He
could hear the tendons in their
hands creak. He could feel the
heat from their bodies as they
approached—also telling.
And as the first one raised its
arm (the drift of air upward
with a soundless whoosh
rather than a whiiip) told him
something flat had just moved
upward. The groan of leather
boots and sound of a pulse rac-
ing told him he should move.
Shifting barely a hand’s width to his left, he felt the… ah, it was an axe. He felt it glance down his
side harmlessly.
It was what he needed—context. With that kiss and those motions, he know where best to drive his
fingers. Finding the thing’s eyes. Taking them from it. Hearing it scream.
The sound of feet shuffling at him—its friends—made him smile. They smelled more scared than
dangerous.
APPEARANCE the initiates and novices of their order that

A form-fitting blindfold mask, made of dark the world they lived in was foul and danger-
green leather, crafted to resemble a stern and ous, and the best way to reinforce that was by
open-eyed gaze. handing out blindfolds the first day. Their order
eschewed the more esoteric instruction their
ORIGIN monastic counterparts developed over the cen-
Religion DC 14, History DC 19; Advan- turies in favor of a brutal and clear training.
tage for Monks and anyone with the Sage
Let the mountain gardens and hidden temples
backround
teach meaning and form and various philoso-
When the Hallow Street Monastery was formed phies of oneness—Hallow Street would teach
in the first days of the reign of Hazzan Exile II, its students to reshape the world into a better
the devotees took it upon themselves to teach place. No matter the cost.

The allure of a pretty man or woman, of shin- arcane sight to mitigate the blindness also unat-
ing gold armor or expensive weapons, even tunes the cloth permanently. While worn and
the joy of a bright and clear day… all of these attuned, one is considered Blind–-with all that
things betray the Truth, that the world is made condition entails.
of the stench of the wicked and the grime of the
squalid. After two years, initiates were allowed
SYSTEM
to take their masks off, having endured (and Trust grants the wearer three abilities.
committed) atrocities without the weakness of First, the wearer may take as many Opportu-
having to see it. nity Attacks as their Proficiency Bonus (and are
The order was responsible for some of the most assumed to have as many Reactions as needed
horrific riots and slaughters in the capital’s his- to do this). Second, the wearer may attempt an
tory, as well as some of the bravest service in Opportunity Attack using a Reaction against
times of woe. anyone within 5 ft. that makes a successful
attack against them. Third, by spending a Hit
Trust is one of the few remaining blindfolds Dice, the wearer gains Blindsight at 5 ft. for
from that ancient time. Each mentor gave their one minute (negating the negative effects of the
initiate’s blindfold a name, to guide them on Blind condition for that range and duration).
their path. Trust was special, worn by one of
their heroes (or one of their horrors, depending The wearer may only gain these benefits during
on whose history you read). a turn they do not move. If they move under
their own power or anyone else’s (through a
Attunement requires wearing the blindfold. Shove action, for example), they cannot take
Taking it off, one loses all the benefits of the item advantage of these abilities.
and may not re-attune it. Using remote or other
NOTES

Valorious Brille
“Do it again, Teller,” Savien
Manyfold’s rich and upbeat
tenor sang out in contrast
to the otherwise dreary and
cloud-smothered day. The fat
drops of rain that slipped and
slopped through the trees had
long ago soaked them all to the
bone. Everyone was surly, save
the barbarian and the Many-
fold. They played at wooden
swords as the group stumbled
up the narrow road, joking in
Teller’s native Seriak to the
consternation of the rest.
“Like this? With both hands?
Or like we did before?” Tell-
er’s long hair was plastered to
her head and shoulders and her
boots squelched as they walked
along, but to look at her, you’d
think she was as happy as a pig
in a mud-puddle—joking and
dancing back and forth with her
long wooden creft, play-acting
a fight with the bard.
Meilla watched them chatter on back and forth in that savage tongue, more than a little frustrated at
having no idea what they were saying. They’d done the same two maneuvers over and over. If the rain
hadn’t pissed her off enough, and their buoyancy hadn’t pissed her off enough, it was the two hours
of the same theatrical sword moves over and over that did.
If yesterday was any indication, they’d be at this for hours yet. Teller was easily twice Savien’s size,
and Meilla couldn’t figure what the point of it all was. Artists… what was the point of them?
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of steel-rimmed eyeglasses. Arcane DC 19, History DC 23; Advantage
for College of Valor Bards and Battlemas-
ter Fighters or anyone with the Charlatan
background
The College of Valor has two faces. The most
public one being the sort of finishing school for
154 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Valorious Brille

nobles’ sons and daughters learning the gentile extraordinarily close ties to them. Memoriza-
and honorably ways of leadership and martial tion takes one week per form, and at the end
refinement. Those that come out of that instruc- of each week an adherent must make a Per-
tion go onto promising careers in the military, or formance check DC 10. Should any fail, that
even governing. They adeptly fence, and excel form will take an additional week of practice
at the sport of dueling. and memorization.
The other face, however, is more secretive. It is SYSTEM
less about the fine art of finessing maneuvers Once attuned, the Brille lays bare all the hidden
with blades against other high born aristocrats, truth in the world regarding an opponent, and
and more interested in killing monsters with the real and true name of that one moment—
weapons in the dangerous and dark places in which the wearer may call upon themselves.
the world.
One per day, upon being attacked, the wearer
The Six-Point circle, hidden in the corner of may use their Reaction to perfectly and seam-
the College’s heraldry and most of its tomes, lessly mimic the attack in return—including the
represents the many dangers of the world: the Attack roll and damage done. The only require-
warlord, the witch, the aberration, the beast, ment is the ability to do damage of at least one
the ethereal, and the darkness. Initiates into of the types of the attack (so, if someone attacks
the deeper mysteries of the College are taken the wearer with a Slashing weapon the wearer
through careful education, folklore, and fear of must be able to do Slashing in return; but in
the danger represented by these incarnations the case of someone attacking with a Slash-
and dedicate their lives to keeping them at bay. ing weapon that does additional Poison dam-
The Brille’s lenses are made of polished, thin, age, the wearer still only needs to be able to do
transparent, and flawless discs of diamond— Slashing to mimic the attack).
clear and hard. By themselves, to those unaware Any damage type the wearer’s weapons cannot
of their magical properties, they’d appear to be do are lost, but any additional damage types the
worth a small fortune; the truth is that finding wearer’s weapon can do have effect (so, with
anyone wealthy enough and willing to pay for our previous example: if in addition to Slash-
such a lavish item, usually only affordable to ing, the wearer’s weapon has Cold damage, the
those in the highest echelon of society, is so hard Cold damage could apply as well).
as to make them nearly worthless.
This attack is made after the damage dice are
Attuning them requires memorizing the six rolled and before damage is applied, as even an
forms martial combat from Master Requis’ Trea- overwhelmed wearer may strike back—with
tise on the Purest Form, a rare book available perfect form—before they fall.
only through the College of Valor or those with
NOTES
155 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Valorious Brille

Visor of the Gladiator

The large man stalked Paolo
around the ring. The smell of
sweat and mud and money
filled the air of the basement
of the Four Horse Inn, as doz-
ens of gamblers and pimps
and brutes all crowded the
rail. Paulo knew the odds were
hugely in his favor, the large
man was lame with a pro-
nounced limp and moved like
he was a full 80 years old. He
banged into the rail once or
twice, following the nimble
Paulo around and around.
This was going to be easy.
That visor on his helm, the
large man’s helm, was simply
a dumb idea. Paulo liked going
into these bouts armored, but
lightly–-speed was important
in these underground brawls.
This guy clearly didn’t get the notice, though. The whole bronze visor seemed to obscure his vision
to the point of blindness—Paulo didn’t see why he didn’t rip it right off. It must be impossible to see
more than a foot in front of you with that thing on.
Nevertheless, the large man stumbled left and right and followed the rogue about. Paulo started to
bore of the chase and darted in suddenly, so fast the crowd didn’t even have time to react. But, as he
swept low and leapt up into the thrust, the large man—even more quickly—put all three feet of his
sword through Paulo’s neck… twisted… and then stumbled back, tripping over his own feet.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A bulky and thickly crafted bronze visor, made History DC 13, Arcane DC 17; Advantage
as though for a full plate helmet. to Champion Fighters and anyone with the
Criminal background
The Visor was made by Baron Hollock, an infa-
mously wealthy former-pirate-turned-noble, to
rig gladiatorial contests in his youth. It wasn’t
long, however, before the bookies and managers
realized the ruse and banned such equipment.
Of the many schemes Hollock juggled in his
long and notorious life, the Visor was far from
156 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Visor of the Gladiator

the worst, yet in the centuries since the fall of the SYSTEM
Eastern Kingdoms… it’s the only one still circu- Once attuned, the wearer may elect to visually
lating amongst opportunists and the greedy. sight a creature to target with the Visor raised
Any respectable underground fight, in these and then use drop it into place (raising and low-
modern times, has appropriate mages or checks ering the Visor takes a draw or stow action, the
on the introduction of arcane advantages. The wearer’s normal limitation of how many they
Visor eludes them all. Say one thing about the may make per turn still apply).
Robber Baron Hollock, he knew how to cheat a Once having sighted their target and dropped
contest; the Visor can be made to fit nearly any the Visor and, so long as it stays down, the
helmet with a sturdy and rigid structure, with wearer may make one attack at advantage
even basic smithing skills. which does their maximum damage on a hit.
Attunement requires winning an honest- They may take this immediately or in any turn
ly-fought single combat, against a challenging the Visor is still down (saving it for a later round
opponent, while wearing the Visor (a challeng- or action). If the wearer moves more than half
ing opponent will have an equal attack bonus their normal movement in any turn after the
to the wearer, victory being the only one of the Visor is down, they fall Prone at the end of that
two above 0 hp). The Visor, without attunement, turn.
imposes enormous visual challenges; the wearer
must roll 1d20 at the end of each turn, on 1-10
the Visor imposes Blindness until the beginning
of their next turn.
NOTES
157 • HEAD, NECK, & EYEWEAR • Visor of the Gladiator

Chapter Six
Gloves & Footwear
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ABIN’S COURSE … 159 GLOVES OF YNX … 178

BAXEAE ROOTGIANT … 162 HANDS OF FATE … 180
BOOTS OF PROTEAS … 164 HOARDING GLOVES … 182
CALLING BOOTS … 166 PATH OF LIGHT … 184
CONQUEROR’S TREAD … 168 PORTER’S GLOVES … 186
COWARD’S SHIELD … 170 RUSHBOOTS … 188
FIRMAMENT … 172 SANDALS OF PATH … 190
GLOVES OF INX … 174 TIDES OF WILE … 192
GLOVES OF THE WINTER WARBOOTS … 194
COURT … 176
NOTES
Abin's Course
Watching Ferail hop down
from his horse, one leg swing-
ing wider than it needed to and
two quick pats to the old grey’s
neck, before pulling free—the
whole series of otherwise for-
gettable motions made Broad-
ways both elated and enor-
mously sad. Chorom Zaet had
been his friend, his confidant,
had been the one to start him
on his own Path, had shared
with him the Way, and his
passing had been particularly
hard on the old paladin.
Ferail took the opportu-
nity for the break and fed the
old grey horse. Oatcakes,
looked like. Choron hated oat-
cakes, wouldn’t eat them and
wouldn’t have fed the grey any, either. Broadways felt the urge to stop the young man, right then and
there, but stopped himself instead—such a trivial thing, not worth confusing the boy.
It had been three weeks together, Ferail with the group, and not once had the young man said more
than two words to Broadways in that time. He had jokes for Meila and traded news with Teller, but
he’d been avoiding the old man at every turn. It made Broadways suspicious. It wasn’t until last night
that he’d let all that wariness melt away to whatever this melancholy was.
In the middle of the meal, when the others were turning their bedrolls out, the young warrior took a
bare moment and whispered.
“I’m sorry I left you, Brodie—I’m sorry to have put all this on you. The Way is a circle, and long is
its course.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
Lightweight black leather boots, designed long Religion DC 14, History DC 18; Advantage
and high—almost to the knee—with bold buck- for Monks and Paladins or anyone with
les on the sides in a distinct military fashion. On the Sage background
each ankle is a pale gold circle. Abin of Hoff was a priest of the Order—a sect
in the Third Age that believed their duty and
purpose to be the upholding of the ideals of
their heavenly goddess. Before their great Cat-
aclysm—which shattered the Order into the
159 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Abin's Course

hundreds of squabbling rival (and sometimes both. If they already have both, they are granted
warring) faiths that brought unintentional a +1 to their Wisdom score. The player may not
chaos to the world for centuries in their strug- choose to avoid this progression afterward, and
gles for purity—his oath and promise to Her the DM may level their character for them if they
Most Divine was held to be the truest sacrifice do not execute this Divine mandate themselves.
and most honored service ever taken on.
SYSTEM
He would give his life, suffer the pains of death, Once attuned, and so long as they are worn,
and forego the rewards of the great heavens for the wearer becomes the next link in the great
eternity in his love and devotion to her mis- chain of being that Abin started. It is revealed
sion to bring peace and justice to this world. He to them that they are his reincarnation. Some-
has been with us ever since, in different names where in the world, a previous reincarnation of
and times, a divine soldier of order and peace him just died—moments before. And the wear-
(though that peace is sometimes bloodily fought er’s whole life has been a prelude, preordained,
for). His boots are the last of his artifacts, those to be the vessel for the next rebirth. The wearer
things imbued with this promise; they are all is still themselves, but they are also Abin and
that is left to anchor him to the world the hundreds of others who he has become over
The boots are only ever found in dangerous or millennia.
remote places. Sometimes, places no mortal has The wearer of the Course is granted two pow-
ever trod. ers. First, they are Resistant to Radiant damage
Attunement requires a choice, and that choice (as the Heavens watch over them). Second, the
can only be made in the first minute upon wearer’s relationship with death changes and
touching the boots. The choice is simple: either they have the chance to live on.
you accept the burden—The Way, an oath and The wearer fails Death Saves on 1-15 instead of
path of conduct blessed by the sovereign gods 1-10; and, on their third failure, their body dies
and goddesses of this world—or you do not. If and the boots vanish. The wearer’s soul is lifted
rejected, the boots slowly vanish and cannot be from their remains and moves (instantaneously)
located again by the same person. They mani- across space and back in time to the birth of a
fest somewhere else in the world, waiting on the child.
right person to come.
The rebirth comes with five anchors to the
If accepted, the PC must take their next level soul, of which the DM may select two to keep
or levels in Monk or Paladin until they select unchanged while the Player may choose to keep
a Monastic Tradition or Sacred Oath. If they the remaining anchors the same or change them
already have a Monastic Tradition or Sacred (to the extent possible, given the new character
Oath, they must progress their levels in Monk is one level lower than the previous).
or Paladin until they have an archetype from

that awaited them. And then, sometime recently,

ANCHORS DESCRIPTION a pair of boots crossed their path—perhaps on
an adventure somewhere dangerous or in a
The natural Race of
the previous character mysterious place—but they took them on and
Conception
(including sub-race) and accepted the choice. They are the rebirth of Abin
homeland and all the people he ever became (including
The current, natural Abil- the previous wearer). DMs are encouraged to
Incarnation ity Scores of the previous give a plausible story, working with the player,
character and name on the visions or dreams the new wearer may
have had or turns of fate that occurred to bring
The Background of the
previous character (includ- him to this party.
Incubation
ing personality, flaws, etc.) Not all who are born again find their way to
and childhood details
where they last fell, but most do. This is one
The Class/Archetype of of those times. One may pass the boots onto a
Maturation the previous character and worthy successor to escape the cycle, and DM’s
alignment
are encouraged to think of who such a person
The Feat selections of the might be and the challenges it might take to
Expression previous character and lan- convince them to take up the blessing and bur-
guages known den of eternity. If one finds a worthy successor
and leaves The Way, the now previous wearer
gains +1 Wisdom and dreams occasionally of
Where there is a conflict of level or RAW, the things the new wearer or subsequent wearer’s
DM may adjust elements of the Rebirth to of the Course are doing in the world for the rest
accommodate, reasonably. of their life.
The new character will have been born, lived, The Way is a circle and its course is long.
and possibly even adventured in the world.
Their whole life, they never knew the destiny
NOTES

Baxeae Rootgiant
The hulking figure of Sir
Broadways came racing out
from the tree line, and just as
quickly lurched to a halt as
the paladin saw the Creature.
Scales and gaping maw, its
breath the smell of ozone burn-
ing and charred bodies. His
rag-tag group had come all this
way to stop it, but now… so
close… he wondered how.
The dragon towered over him,
easily twice his height (and
Broadways a startlingly tall
figure, himself), and its baleful
eye looked down on the golden
armored threat. It spoke in
waves of hate and the sound of
continents moving.
“I… remember you. Yes, I
remember. You were the one
that felled Kharixax those years ago! You and–-” her speech was cut short by the bellowing challenge
shouted from behind the old soldier. A half-elf, stripped to the waist, and stripping yet more, and
marching without care toward the indigo monstrosity.
“Ho! Foul thing. Ho! You are not wanted! You are not wanted! I cast you out!” Seenlie was hoarsely
calling out over and over, walking closer and closer, passing a dumbstruck Broadways and castigating
the dragon.
“I will break you over my own knee and the knee of my mother and the wild will end what perversions
you’ve done to this place. Face me! FACE ME, YOU M****F****!”
And the mostly-naked unarmed half-elf charged.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of lorenwood bark sandals, delicately Nature DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage to
made with thin strips tightly woven together. Druids and Necromancy School Wizards or
The sole appears to be made of intergrown roots anyone with the Outlander background
of a darker shade. Lorenwood trees used to grow in great wild
forests that blanketed the Western marshes in
the time before Krin the Profane blighted the
region in his pursuit of dark immortality. Very
162 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Baxeae Rootgiant

few letters and studies survive documenting complex rituals, some may choose to do little
that sorrowful time when heroes still roamed more than say a few words, but no true blessing
the West and fought back the undead minions can be coerced, and what the last of the Green-
of the legendary Necromancer. It is the rare Sage walkers want for it (or why) is as inscrutable as
or Bard that knows of the Lorenwoods any- they are.
more, and even more rarely of the Druids that
cultivated them.
SYSTEM
The Baxeae offer the wearer the strength to
When Helm of the World Tree was still a mor- remain unmoved, unimpeded, and unthrown
tal man, touched by the wild powers to ful- from where they stand on natural ground (raw
fill his destiny but not yet one with the great earth, sand, even unpolished stone). While
earth, he fought his way through the unliving wearing them, one cannot be knocked Prone,
throngs—protecting their master in his quest Shoved down, thrown, or propelled away phys-
for lichdom—to steal away one sapling. And ically from where one stands.
from it he preserved the last of the power of the
Lorenwoods by crafting it into the Baxeae. Further, all Grapples initiated by the wearer
while on natural ground are made at advan-
Though delicate and light, fragile and thin, the tage—even against creatures up to 2 size cate-
Lorenwoods’ roots were the purest magical gories larger than the wearer—and breaking the
connection to the World itself in existence. So wearer’s Grapple cannot be advantaged on the
the Baxeae were handed down from Druid to part of the creature held. The spiritual roots of
Druid, to stand firm against the darkness until the Baxeae, like the physical ones of the Loren-
the End. wood trees, run impossibly deep.
Attunement to the sandals requires taking a These benefits are lost to the wearer if carrying
blessing from a Druid, anointed by them in the more than 10 lbs. of gear, arms, or equipment.
service of this Reality. Some have their own
NOTES
163 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Baxeae Rootgiant

Boots of Proteas
Kirig Vul had been murdering in these forests for nearly twenty years and was regarded far and wide
amongst the gobs and hobs as one of the most dangerous warchiefs in their collective history. Sure, he
hadn’t any of the high weaponry or infrastructure of his more distinguished cousins in the any of the
hob nations, and didn’t have the brutish might of the bugbears either, but his band of gobs were no
less lethal in their element. Theirs was the warband that turned this corner of the Emperor’s domain
into a no man’s land where even the Emperor’s own elite soldiers avoided scouting.
And here, the gods of the dark and warm were blessing Kirig. A lone stranger, mashing a turnip in a
pot just as bold as you please. It’d be a quick kill, then, maybe a look at what’s in his pack, then maybe
take the head and leave it at the edge of the wood for a solid message to the Emperor that his subjects
were not welcome. It’d been years since they’d done that.
But, the stranger… wait… he was gone. Suddenly, as though he’d not been there at all, and were it
not for that pot Kirig would have thought it all an illusion. He felt a panic rise; the unknown was bad
business for a brigand. As he stood and started backing away, he bumped into someone behind him.
Someone tall. Someone that had not been there a moment before.
164 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Boots of Proteas

APPEARANCE can truly duplicate. Attunement requires being

Woven boots, made from a thick and dark buried alive in the boots for three days. No food
blue grass. or water, no external assistance, just the ability
of the wearer left communing with the soil and
ORIGIN the earth on a deep and somewhat madden-
Nature DC 16, Arcane DC 18; Advantage ing level.
for Druids and Arch-Fey Warlocks or any-
one with the Sage background SYSTEM
Once attuned, the boots allow the wearer to
In the time of the Weylthia Courts, which ruled
sink into and merge with natural ground for
the Great Circle of the Fae before the Planar
extended period of times.
Godlings and Material Powers grew the uni-
verse, an Arch-Fey of the Hard Green formed Using an Action, the wearer may drop into nat-
a proto-world for its own amusement and curi- ural ground they are standing on, falling deep
osity. The worldling was small and simple, below the surface and merging with the soil,
bizarrely vibrant wild grasses grew and strange roots, clay, sands, and/or rocks underneath.
beasts grazed it and in the flash of an eye, after One is immune to all damage types while
centuries of gardening, it was voided from exis- merged except Necrotic--which is a Vulnerabil-
tence as the Fey found a new distraction. Such ity now should the patch of ground or any space
is the fickle nature and power of the Arch-Fey within 10ft. of where the wearer merged be the
target of Necrotic damage.
Just as carelessly, it took a pair of boots made
by a primitive sentient tribe that had developed The wearer has a movement while merged
there and dropped them into the now-expanded equal to twice their Proficiency Bonus in feet per
real world. Maybe for a whim, maybe for a pur- turn. While merged with the ground, the wearer
pose—hardly a mind existed that could pene- may spend Hit Dice to heal with their Action
trate the motives of one of the Court. as though in a Short Rest, but at the rate of one
per turn.
The boots are made of the bare substance of pure
Creation and they grant the wearer an affinity Emerging imposes 1 Exhaustion on the wearer
for the earth in ways no arcane or divine powers and requires a Bonus Action.
NOTES
165 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Boots of Proteas

Calling Boots
“Let me go or I will burn you
all, each of you, one by one.
Ashes and charred, sticky
bones the lot of you. I will call
the red river flows of the deep
and violent turning of the
world to my aid and watch you
die as easily as chopping apples
for grinning children.”
Kevick stood before the gal-
lows while the guards and offi-
cials watched, while the crowd
murmured.
They had doubt. Worry. Fear.
“Premier Kaine, I’ll leave this
town and never return—I give
you this one chance, and only this
one chance—unbind me or die.”
The sweaty-browed governor
looked uncertain, the Regula-
tors unwilling to come much
closer, the crowd at a near
panic. Kevick hated lying to
these country bumpkins, but he was damned if he was going to hang for trying to save this stupid
little village. Taking one slow breath, he looked at the Premier, squinted in silent apology, and set him
alight with a dazzling explosion of smoke and brimstone and fire and light from the ground.
APPEARANCE draw from the River Beyond. The power is

Black leather boots with thick steel stitches. everywhere, in everything, in the air and the
flesh and the trees and the unseen things.
ORIGIN
Cleric Valhorphian Smoot, the last priest of the
Arcane DC 17, Nature DC 22, Advantage
fabled Golden Scales, who took his pilgrimages
for Sorcerers and anyone with the Sage
to the eight corners of the world to have the
background
great Wyrms bless him and his quest (now for-
The power of sorcery is not the power of wiz- gotten), died nearly a thousand years ago. Over
ardry. The simple think them the same, spells the centuries that followed, the cults and reli-
and pinches of powder and rattles of trinkets gious orders that worshipped and revered him
and great flames and winds and creations as the greatest prophet of the Draconic lines
abound, but the adepts and sages of the Scholam held his staff, stone, clothes, and boots as relics
draw from their science, and the true sorcerers to be honored with great ceremony.
166 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Calling Boots

His boots, the Calling Boots, are the least and

last of those treasures, all others lost to time. MINOR LAIR ACTION
To attune the boots one must have the blood of Evoke 1 damage of that type to every 5 ft.
a dragon. Draconic Heritage Sorcerers automat- space adjacent to one’s self (one’s own size
may influence this, clearly) with fire and
ically have this requirement, as do Dragonborn
magma exploding in small fits and pockets all
themselves, but all others must imbibe a vial of around or icy hail and winds whipping about
pure dragonblood from a pureblood dragon. one’s self, etc.
This can be difficult to find on even the most
Evoke all the damage from the previous
exotic black market. option on a 5 ft. space one is adjacent to by
creating an isolated and intense version of
SYSTEM that effect: a serious gout of lava and brim-
Once attuned, the boots call upon the deep well stone in one tight place or a thick, oily cloud
of power in the blood of a dragon—the damage of poison, etc
type is based on the dragon blood in an appro-
priate way (DMs are the final arbiter, but red Once one has drawn power from that area (the
dragon blood is Fire, white is Cold, etc.). While surrounding 5 ft. spaces) there is none left to
wearing the boots, at the start of one’s turn, one draw until the next day. But, so long as one
may take an Action (before moving, if moving moves around to new and wholly untapped
at all), and bring into effect a minor and local- areas (sharing no space with a spent area), one
ized special Lair Action by drawing the natural may do this every turn.
magical energy of the world around one’s self
into sharp focus and giving it definition.
NOTES
167 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Calling Boots

Conqueror's Tread
“The Overhand does not judge
you. He does not hate you. You
are not his enemy. You should
count yourself lucky, as he
destroys his enemies. You, crea-
ture small and ill-made, are his
property. You are his mule and
his sword and his toy and his
tool, you will never see another
day under the sun as a thing
free to roam and walk the land.
You will not know a moment
of selfishness. He releases you
of your selfishness.
“He gives you the gift of liv-
ing for others and for giving
your youth and vigor and fire
and industry and, ultimately,
life to the betterment of a great
nation. You are blessed. And I
am blessed.
“For I serve my god well and
he raises me to glory.”
APPEARANCE Schism. This relic was his greatest creation, and

A dark, iron armored boot (only one) chased in a much sought after artifact of power among
silver. The bottom of the boot is made with shal- those that idolize the old ages when the theoc-
low treads of the same smokey-grey iron. racies of power reigned most supreme.
The Tread is a boot, armored with dark iron and
ORIGIN
chased in silver edging. A left boot, made with no
Religion DC 14, History DC 18, Advantage
fellow. Attunement requires the successful mem-
for Clerics and anyone with the Soldier
orization of the laws regarding slavery, inden-
background
tured servitude, and acquisition of living prop-
The cleric Banto Homeikas, servant of the Over- erty of at least two nations (requiring Proficiency
hand—God of Subjugation from the old time— in History and Religion), and six months of
read the stories and liturgy honoring Vox the proper study with appropriate texts. After study
Profane—also called the Butcher of Lindale- the wearer may attempt one knowledge-based
wood—and regarded it his most holy mission check of their choice at DC 20, and a failure
to return the faith to its roots after the Great means they must study for another six months.
168 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Conqueror's Tread

SYSTEM Should the creature escape the Grapple them-

Attuned, the boot allows the wearer to Grapple selves (unassisted by others), the boot ceases to
a creature already Prone while using a Bonus be able to Grapple that creature ever again. The
Action, by placing the tread of the boot over Tread recognizes strength and dominance, and
its neck or face (if it has one) and pinning it to obeys not the weak.
the ground. This leaves the wearer’s hands free
while the Grapple is made and the hold is con-
sidered maintained with advantage.
NOTES
169 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Conqueror's Tread

Coward's Shield
Kerg stalked the little man
around the chamber. Every
time he got close, the little
man would bounce away from
him and Kerg would hit a soft
invisible wall.
But, Kerg was clever. The mas-
ter’s always said so. And he
noticed the little man getting
tired. Breathing hard. Slow-
ing down. Eventually, this soft
wall thing would stop getting
in the way and Kerg would
smash the little man’s little
head.
Swing after violent swing hit
nothing and hit it hard. Kerg’s
confidence waned. Oh, Gods,
did he hate the little man. Why
wouldn’t he just stand still!?
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of leather gloves, with odd-shaped metal History DC 13, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
plates of different sizes and materials riveted to for Arcane Trickster Rogues and Sorcerers
various parts. or anyone with the Folk Hero background
Horatio Gold—self-proclaimed Greatest Thief
of the Southern Baronies, nearly a century ago—
was a hated figure in mercantile and noble cir-
cles for decades. Between his pure hubris in
preying on the wealthy elite and passion for
170 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Coward's Shield

arcane tinkering, he made a large and almost him with their sword using coin he lifted off the
folklorish reputation for himself that survives dumb brute a few minutes before.
to this day.
SYSTEM
Horatio the Untouchable. Horatio the Blessed. The gloves count as +0 magic weapons for the
Were it not for a coalition of mercenary sor- purposes of unarmed and improvised weapon
cerers hired by the Dukes of the capital, in the attacks. In addition, the wearer may use their
last year of the Long Summer, he might have Reaction, in response to a declared attack, to
retired safely and well. But, while one can back away from the attack 5 ft. and throw an
threaten either the pride or money of the pow- invisible wall in their place. The wall imposes
erful, one shouldn’t tempt Fate so much as to disadvantage on the attack, which is then
threaten both. resolved.
The natural mages and their sorcerous powers This back away does not impose an Oppor-
proved too much for the old rogue, his body left tunity Attack on the part of creature already
in a pauper’s grave. attacking, but may cause one from others if the
wearer leaves their adjacency in their move.
Attunement requires surviving a critical hit,
from a martial weapon, by someone unaware Holding anything in one’s hands removes
the wearer just stole money from them. Horatio, this benefit.
himself, paid a drunk to take their best swing at
NOTES
171 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Coward's Shield

Firmament
Callie lifted herself off the ground, spitting out blood and taking a quick inventory of her injuries.
Nothing broken too badly, although her jaw felt as though it was fractured. On hands and knees,
pushing herself upright, she looked out across the cavern and saw the creature tear Saidalon apart.
Two great clawed hands gripped him like a child would a toy and pulled him apart with a roaring glee.
She grimaced as she found her feet, and willed herself forward, one painful step at a time.
The others were fighting and losing. Broadways took a hit that sent him flying across the chamber
and crashing into the high corner so hard Callie knew he couldn’t have survived it. Another step, and
another, and she was jogging, limply.
Meilla conjured an enormous dark creature and it leapt at the dragon, as the others were doing their
best to avoid its bite and breath. Still, Callie picked up the pace; the aches gone and her ankle feeling
fine again, she brought herself up to a run.
And with every step, faster. More certain. She was sprinting. She was almost flying. As as the beast
looked up at the figure racing toward it, it paused. And as she took a careful hop, turn, and flipped into
the air, it raised its clawed hands to shield itself. Her jaw felt fine, she was pissed, and as she crashed
into its enormous spined head, it roared in shock and defiance.
172 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Firmament

APPEARANCE Attunement requires a pilgrimage to the ruins

A pair of well-made, but commonly styled, of the monastery, long abandoned and fallen
brown slippers. Perception DC 15 notices that some eight hundred years ago. Nothing but
the material is oddly warm to the touch, as lush and overgrown foliage lives there now. It
though always in sunlight. is a peaceful, lost garden, nestled amongst the
harsh wintery slopes of the mountains.
ORIGIN
Religion DC 16, Nature DC 21; Advantage SYSTEM
for Monks and Circle of the Land Druids or Once attuned, the slippers bless the wearer
anyone with the Outlander background with every step they take on natural ground.
Whether tundra or grass, uncut natural stone
The monks of the Eastern Mountains traded for
or desert sand, every 20 ft. of movement the
centuries with the Wandering People, the mys-
wearer takes on natural ground grants them 1
terious men and women who moved from place
hp at the start of their next turn (up to their hp
to place in the far kingdoms, held conclaves in
maximum). However, if wearer starts their turn
the forests, and formed secret covens in the
on unnatural ground, ground under the influ-
hills. These secretive people were as chaotic and
ence of a magical effect (a persistent effect like
free as the wind, and wherever they went they
the Grease spell, for example), or in the air (due
brought joy and terror. During the reign of Mal-
to flying or falling or other such circumstances),
leus Exile the III, they were hunted to the peaks
they do not gain the hp generated the previ-
of the mountain range and there found common
ous turn.
cause with one of the last holdouts against the
regime—the quiet, secluded monastery of the Mindful of the dangers of too much power, the
Order of Natsu Copperblood. creators of the sandals also made the effect stop
working should the wearer grow too strong.
One of the gifts the Wanderers gave the mon-
Should any Ability Score exceed 17, the san-
astery, to form their bond, was a pair of thin,
dals no longer grant hp; but if then passed on
immaculately constructed slippers. The material
to a worthy young hero, otherwise unknown to
feels warm to the touch and, though smoothly
the current wearer, it gives the previous owner
made, one can almost make out the coarse sen-
a number of permanent hp as a final blessing
sation of raw packed earth when wearing them.
equal to their Proficiency Bonus.
NOTES
173 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Firmament

Gloves of Inx
Through the roar of the crowd
and the snorting, angry demon-
strations of violence from his
soon-to-be opponent across the
Callway, Soren was cold and
quiet. They did not love him,
and he did not love them. They
did not come to share his victo-
ries, but to see his death. He was
not any more interested in giv-
ing them their wish this week
than last, or the week before that.
He slipped the fingerless leather
gloves on, then his boots, his
mail… all while the booing
and cheering and booing and
cheering washed over him. The
stationer handed him the most
useless halberd he’d ever seen.
Dented, pin bent, rusted and
pocked with misuse. The haft
even rattled cheaply. The Lord
of Games must be getting very
tired of his wins, indeed.
His opponent swung a vicious looking flail of gleaming—and was that glowing?—steel. He looked
for all the world like a shaved bugbear, skin all and pink and oddly loose. His weapon was in stark
contrast, shiny and new and sharp.
It didn’t matter, though. Broken halberd or not. Rusted sword. Crack handled mace. It never mattered.
The shame, though, was the constant reminder that this was all, truly, he was good for.
APPEARANCE certain cultures and times, but the form of dev-

Fingerless sailcloth-like gloves with leather astation and slaughter in others), there was a
patches sewn into the palms and knuckles. time when the Abjurers of Inx—the empire that
ruled the South in the Second Age—dominated
ORIGIN the Conjurers amongst the mages of that land.
It was then footsoldiers of Inx were given items
for Abjuration School Wizards and anyone
such as this: The Gloves. Many other enhanced
with the Soldier background
and powerful trinkets abounded amongst the
In the Essence Wars, the great ages-old and Abjurer armies, but only the Gloves (and few
ongoing conflict between the major schools of pairs of those) have survived this long.
magic (taking the form of friendly rivalry in
174 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of Inx

Attunement requires practice and training with d12). In the case of a weapon with more than
a different Martial Weapon each morning for one dice (Greatswords, for example), then only
week; adequate training is determined by roll- one of those dice goes up 1 in size, not both. The
ing a successful attack vs AC 10 after each prac- wielder is also granted Resistance to the dam-
tice, each day. Should any of them fail, the prac- age type of their weapon, but only from mun-
tices must start over fresh. dane sources (i.e. if using a sword then it grants
Resistance to Slashing damage, but not Magical
SYSTEM Slashing damage).
Once attuned, gloves grant the wearer a greater
lethality with whatever weapon they hold. The benefits are only granted if the wearer
is using one weapon. Should they use more
The damage dice for whatever non-magical than one weapon in a given round, they
(non-silvered) melee weapon the glove-wearer lose attunement.
is using is increased by 1 size (d4, d6, d8, d10,
NOTES
175 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of Inx

Gloves of the Winter Court

Londa stood nose-to-nose with
the king’s champion. There in
the middle of the palace hall,
her comrades fending off the
guards still pouring into the
chamber, she moved with the
deliberate confidence of an
experienced fighter. His face,
in contrast, was a vivid and
bright impressionistic painting
of rage and pain and fear. She
felt in control, the music was
playing and she could feel the
warm approval over her shoul-
der like a father’s love.
He squirmed and screamed
as she moved back and forth,
listening to the clashing of
swords and yelling of orders.
She trusted the rest, they’d
keep these two-penny soldiers
from interrupting.
With great pain, the large man
raised a mailed fist and drove it into the side of her face—it moved faster than it had any right to. She
felt something crack, the world went spinning bright, but still she held on. She could feel his pulse.
She wanted to scream out in agony, both from the savage blow and the loathing she felt at that moment
for herself.
As he rained blow after blow upon her, he grew slow and clumsy, bleeding profusely, lips turning blue.
When he fell, and she with him, Londa was a motley of cuts and blood and bruises, teeth missing, part
of her scalp torn away.
And all the while, she felt love and heard music and wept through the shattered eye socket for how
well she had done. She grinned out her whisper, “Enjoy hell, bastard.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
Lace gloves, of a kind a wealthy aristocrat Arcane DC 18, Nature DC 23; Advantage
might wear to a dinner with royalty. Perception for Arch-Fey Patron Warlocks and anyone
DC 14 notices they are chilly to the touch and with the Noble background
never warm. The Winter Court of the First Lord of the Saeling
Talanal was a hidden palace (in a hidden valley)
high in mountains no living intelligent creature
176 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of the Winter Court

dared go. The fey are mad—all the stories say creature’s flesh effortlessly—past armor, skin,
so, of course—but those of the Saeling Talanal and muscle— grabbing them by their bones and
are a truly alien form of madness. The court is viscera and causing excruciating pain. While
littered with the perfectly frozen, anguished Grappled in this way, the creature is disadvan-
faces of those who have fallen to the devoted taged on any Concentration checks.
of the Lord. A great garden and menagerie of
At the start of the creature’s turn, if the Grap-
excruciating pain forever preserved in perfect,
ple is maintained, they take 1d4 cold damage
icy beauty.
for each hand used in the Grapple. The number
The Arch-Fey, herself, carved her kingdom of hands used for the Grapple must be decided
from the rocks and peaks and was spoken of in when initiated. Only by releasing the target and
hushed tones amongst even others of the Fey. doing it again can one change that.
Most courts have their passions—rage, lust, a
DMs should note that if both hands are used,
fascination with chaos or conquest—but the
they do 2d4 Cold damage, but this makes any
Winter Court was shocking, even to the other
other attacks or use of the hands impossible
bright luminaries of the Arch-Fey. She is Lord
(spellcasting, drawing or stowing, etc.). If both
of the Court, her own form mutable and beyond
dice from a two-handed Grapple (individually)
our definition, and she tends her garden with
get a 4 the creature must succeed in a Consti-
cruelty. Her warlocks, in our world, are some of
tution Save, DC equal to the glove-wearer’s
the most dangerous. The gloves were her own
Charisma score, or take 1 Exhaustion. If the
creation, sent to her loyalists to find her new
glove-wearer only uses one hand, there is no
and interesting pieces for her gallery.
Constitution Save against Exhaustion required.
Attunement to the gloves requires dying of
Should the creature fall to Exhaustion 6 (and
exposure. One must reach exhaustion level
die) their body vanishes, transported through
6 due to extreme cold and the elements, after
the Glass between our world and the Feyvion
which (should one survive) the gloves are
(the lands of the Fey). Their body becomes a
attuned and the Lord of the Court takes spe-
fresh novelty in the frozen gardens of the Lord
cial notice of the sacrifice. DMs should note this
of the Winter Court. If the Lord is delighted by
does not mean the wearer lives, and that might
the new trophy (be it something she has never
require exceptional medical skills or reviving
seen, or something particularly spectacular), she
magic to accomplish.
grants the glove-wearer an Inspiration point.
SYSTEM If, however, she is not just unimpressed, but decid-
Once attuned, the gloves allow the wearer to edly annoyed with the piece she may develop an
initiate a Grapple with a creature (all normal enmity for the wearer. DMs are encouraged to
restrictions, like size, still apply here) and, on consider the ways an Arch-Fey might hunt for,
a success, the wearer’s hands sink into the find, and punish those that trifle with them.
NOTES
177 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of the Winter Court

Gloves of Ynx
Love is war. That’s what
Grekvoke believed and in this
moment, close enough to see
every bead of sweat on his
opponent’s brow—each weary
line of the Captain’s weath-
ered face—he really felt close,
emotionally, to the man. They
were locked in the most honest
moment of their lives.
Raef would likely try and ruin
it, the child-like sneak would
be circling around to the sol-
dier’s flank, and it lit a spark
spite of in Grek. It would only
spoil this. The ache in his
arms as he held his nicked and
scratched falchion in two large
hands, his shoulder forward
and bracing? It was sweet and
dangerous. The Captain’s own
axe kissing his sword and the
old man leaning into it just as
deliciously… divine.
They were entwined in their rage and gamble. This was skill and vigor at work. This was true combat.
The spells and hexes and sneaking arrows in the dark were all unholy and cheap… but this moment,
snarling back and forth with a true warrior? Not giving an inch, risking evisceration. This was love.
And he wanted to savor it for as long as he could.
APPEARANCE elite, mage-twinned knight that championed

Very thin, very finely crafted red leather gloves their ancient tradition of war with the finest
that extend down to the forearm, in a style that blades and utmost skill. Ynx was a kingdom
wouldn’t be out of place in a fencing bout. of subjugators and paladins, Inx was the land
of eternal rebellion and revolution, thieves and
ORIGIN striders. The two served as the tempest that gave
History DC 17, Arcane DC 25; Advantage birth to heroes that would come to be many of
Champion Fighters and anyone with the the gods we know… at least, if you believe the
Soldier or Noble background oldest stories of lost cultures.
In the days before the old empire, during the The Gloves of Ynx were once a common item
great Purges with their rival, the kingdom of Ynx amongst the Swordsmarche. Attunement
trained and deployed the Swordsmarche—an requires a morning prayer at dawn with one’s
178 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of Ynx

favored weapon and the abandonment of Profi- has the added condition of preventing either
ciency in three weapons of one’s choice (selected party from moving the other (all movement is 0
from those one is Proficient in on the Martial for both) as well as requiring both hands of each
Weapons list). to maintain (thus, no further weapon attacks
while locked together).
Once selected, one may regain those Profi-
ciencies as any other character might through At the start of each participant’s turn, they may
Downtime or Feats. The wearer, like the ancient attempt to overpower the other with an Ath-
Swordsmarche, eschews all lesser instruments letics check versus the opponent’s Athletics—
of their warfare for their truest weapon. this counts as their free object interaction for
the round. The larger weapon (determined by
SYSTEM damage dice) is considered to be advantaged on
Once attuned, the gloves grant the wearer the this check. If the weapons are the same size, no
ability to engage in specialized maneuvers advantage from size is granted. On a success-
with an attacking, armed foe. In Reaction to a ful overpower the opponent is either knocked
weapon attack against them, the wearer of the prone or shoved back 5 ft. (winner’s choice). On
gloves may use their already in-hand weapon a natural 20 on the overpower roll, the winner
to check the strike. One must choose to use this may choose to do both.
ability when the weapon attack is declared.
After combat, the survivors gain 1 Exhaustion
Using their Reaction, the wearer may interpose for every such overpower they succeed at. This
their weapon in mid-strike, the wearer and the exhaustion may be removed with 1 hit dice for
opponent now locked in a fierce weapon-to- each point, without the need for a short rest,
weapon clash by an unseen force. This Grapple and via normal rules and spells.
NOTES
179 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Gloves of Ynx

Hands of Fate
“The skein of the world is
tightly woven from the ambi-
tion of great men and the tyr-
anny of greater ones. The book
of Chance Mislaid tells us that
the only way forward, through,
and above the fray of what the
common people think of as
Chaos is to wrestle with that
skein and wrest control of this
thread or that from those that
would pursue their mortal and
tawdry ends.
“We, who sit athwart history
are charged with the duty to
commit great crimes… steal-
ing the successes and failures
of men and turning them to
a more pious purpose. Heroes
must spare some heroics, mon-
sters some monstrosity. Fools
some folly. Paragons some
exceptionalism.”
–Fourth Canon of St. Raius of
the Temple of Chance
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of silver-threaded gloves. Perception DC Religion DC 18, History DC 21; Advantage
15 notices they leave a very brief ghostly image for Trickery Domain Clerics and anyone
of themselves as they move. with the Charlatan background
Blessed by the God of Chance and Fate, the
Hands were worn by the fabled Mercy of Renoa,
who stole freedom from a destiny he didn’t
want—wresting it from the fabric of reality
itself. Or, so the story goes. Regarded by most
as a long-dead Brigand King (at best) or just
180 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Hands of Fate

another thieving elvish scum (more commonly), which bind all events together, to capture that
the Renoan nevertheless earned his reputation actuality for themselves. Doing so requires one
in those years (long gone now) for escaping con- spend an Inspiration point.
sequence far too often.
After any dice is rolled, but before the result is
Attunement requires the sacrifice of the wear- fully described (one may interrupt during the
er’s ability to channel divine power to turn the description), the individual performing the
undead; Fate does not see the dead, and one action has their dice value stolen from them.
must turn a blind eye to them to be seen by Fate. This could be the d20 from an attack or a d6 from
Once done, the god of risks allows the wearer to the damage of a sword or even the Recharge roll
steal Fate from others. But, as a Being of chaos for a breath weapon. The value is “stolen,” and
and passion, the wearer may also sacrifice in its place is nothing. Most of the time, this will
someone else’s ability to channel divine power mean a failure or “no damage” given that a sto-
so long as that creature agrees to it, technically, len value is essentially “rolling 0.”
for even a moment (no mind-controlling mag-
The wearer “keeps” the total from the dice
ics, but any mundane methods are acceptable).
that was stolen (keeping in mind that, if a roll
No take-backs.
required more than one die, they can only keep
SYSTEM one of them). They may hold onto that value
until they get another Inspiration point (which
The wearer, once attuned, may then spend Inspi-
removes the retained value). Until that time,
ration to steal a dice roll from another within
though, they may use it in the place of a single
sight. Upon seeing an Action taking place, the
dice roll of the same dice type (if a d20, can use
wearer of the Hands may use their Reaction to
in the place of one of their own d20 rolls; if a d6,
reach out and pull on the strands of Fate (visible
then one of their d6 rolls, alone or amongst oth-
as ephemeral threads and strings made glow-
ers) for their own actions and activities.
ingly visible in the air itself when touched),
NOTES
181 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Hands of Fate

Hoarding Gloves
The sword cleaved through
Vogh Maute’s gorget and
clanged against the sandstone
floor, exploding tiny drops of
blood all around as the chunk
of metal bounced and bounced
and lay still.
Bishwat rolled around Vogh
Korda’s left as the hobgob-
lin raised his mace: the dread
Mali’s Fury that felled doz-
ens in the battle of The Five
Plains. Behind the soldier,
Bishwat reached up–-strain-
ing on his toes to reach the haft
held high-–and twisted it free
of the old campaigner’s grip,
bringing it sailing around in
an underhand swing that broke
through the plate greaves and
crushed the bastard’s knee in
from the side.
As the Vogh’s screams died into gurgles of pain, Bishwat looked across the hall at the officers and their
staff: all dead or maimed or crawling away… He bent at the waist, propped his hands on his knees and
felt all the old aches and pains come back. He was getting too old for this, and so young.
APPEARANCE the Western Marshes. Nearly single-handedly,

Rough and thick leather gloves, sun-bleached he survived famine and cold and curses and
grey. The fingers appear to be stained with old plagues, roaming up in the passes in a murder-
dry blood. ous spree. The Old Soldier—the god of war once
worshipped by the martial cultures of the West
ORIGIN in the Second Age—blessed Wex on his death
History DC 18, Arcane DC 22; Advantage (of old age, unbeaten) and the pale grey gloves
for Rangers or anyone with the Soldier he wore took to divine power.
background
Attunement requires developing a Proficiency
The mad ranger Vetter Wex held off thirty years in the Goblin language. If one already has it,
of armies, from the Imperial First of Old Empire the gloves attune with only a few minutes of
to the raids of the Yellowhand and Smallwood proper fitting.
tribes to the devastatingly driven hobgoblins of
182 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Hoarding Gloves

SYSTEM If successful, then on the same turn they Disarm,

The gloves confer the ability (if not otherwise and now have ready an opponent’s weapon,
possessed) to attempt disarms against oppo- they may use their Bonus Action to attack with
nents with special considerations, only possible that weapon as if Proficient. If the weapon has
if their hands are free going into the disarm— any magical properties that are passive (require
wielding no weapon, shield, or item. no decision to use, options to do things with
charges, etc.), the wearer may use those prop-
To Disarm requires an Action and an opposed
erties even if Class, Race, attunement or other
Athletics vs. either Athletics or Acrobatics check
restriction would normally prevent them. Any
against the opponent. If the targeted weapon is
active abilities (ones that must be chosen or acti-
held with two hands the attempt by the wearer
vated to work) cannot be used.
is disadvantaged. Upon successfully disarm-
ing an opponent, separating them from their At the start of the wearer’s next turn, if they
weapon, the glove-wearer is considered to be are wielding the disarmed weapon, they gain 1
holding the weapon themselves in a ready man- Exhaustion. Avoiding this is as simple as drop-
ner; this is considered their “Draw or Stow” as ping the weapon at the end of the previous
well for the turn. If they do not have the free- turn’s activities. Dropping, in this manner, can
dom to draw or stow (having already used it), be done in their own square or any adjacent one.
they cannot perform this Disarm.
NOTES
183 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Hoarding Gloves

Path of Light
“I saw the path…” the girl
said, “I saw it and I followed.”
She was a slip of a girl, and
the large man in his beaten
but polished armor breathed
heavily as he towered over her.
These woods were no place for
children. Her presence would
only make this harder. His
colleagues were startled when
she came bounding out of the
bushes and Kilrock nearly put
an arrow through her tiny
beating heart before catching
himself and shuddering at the
thought of what he’d almost
done in haste.
“Get behind me,” the large
man said in a weary tone that
brooked no argument. Losing
her smile, and listening for
the first time to the sounds of
branches breaking behind her,
she went pale and scrambled
behind the towering armored
man.
The bounding creatures leapt fallen trees and scrambled faster than any man or beast Sir Broadways
had ever seen. Long limbed and hairy, hunched and running low like wolves, but he knew that when
they stood they’d tower over even him and he was, himself, a giant of a man. Changers. Evil, slaver-
ing beasts made from cursed lineage. His colleagues armed themselves and crouched waiting while a
horde of them crashed through the twilight trees. Following the glowing footsteps, they couldn’t help
but find their prey.
APPEARANCE The boots were crafted and seasoned by the

A pair of dark kurian-leather boots, almost higher order priests of the Growing Dawn.
black, stylized with brilliant gold filigree. Only a few pairs have ever been created (mak-
ing them very rare) and virtually none are ever
ORIGIN seen off the feet of the truest champions of that
Religion DC 12, History DC 15, Advantage small and obscure faith.
for Clerics and anyone with the Acolyte
background
184 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Path of Light

The wearer must attune to the boots over the difficult terrain, entanglement, grappling,
course of a full, out loud, reading of The Light Saves, or other such challenges may still apply.
(the Church’s holy book). Though not long, as
However, each step taken in the boots—no mat-
religious texts go, doing so would take an ear-
ter the circumstances— leaves a perfect boot
nest speaker most of an afternoon.
print glowing in the ground that lasts roughly
SYSTEM 20 minutes. The boots leave a trail of glowing
Attuned, the boots slip on easily and allow the footsteps that leads directly to the wearer. For
wearer to increase their base movement by 10 many the curiosity of a trail of glowing and
ft. In addition, the wearer may ignore any dam- radiant footprints is too tempting not to investi-
age from stepping on or through things lower gate, and the Dawn intended this effect to bring
than the boots (mundane obstacles like caltrops, people to his servant that they might follow the
magical damage from Spike Growth, etc.). Any light and then follow The Light.
NOTES
185 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Path of Light

Porter's Gloves
Lernxt followed the half-orc
around and he grumbled. He
thought he was hot stuff, of
course—a prince of thieves
and a master assassin. Show-
ing off for the rest of the group,
making everything a contest
between the two of them.
Men. Orcs. “Assassins.” All
the same, really, and he was all
three—and always have to be
“the best.” Well, fine; let him
harumph and bother about
everything she did, check up on
every lock she picked. She’d been
stealing keys from his pouch
one at a time all morning—at
some point, something good was
bound to come out of it.
Some groups form out of righteous causes, some out of common goals. Lernxt and Boyd were only
part of this gang for a short while and only for the money. Few adventurers survive having two rogues
eyeballing each other night after night, waiting for the other to break out the knives. Well, she wasn’t
going to be caught sleeping, that’s for sure. First, a few more of his keys.
Then it was just a matter of not getting killed.
APPEARANCE unforgivable acts of larceny, accomplished

A pair of gloves with cutouts over the palms through high-magic), the Porter’s Gloves were
and the underside of the fingers, leaving them one of his less useful—but most popular—arti-
bare when worn. The material is metallic and facts. Reinch might still be alive today had he
gives an almost mirror shine to them. not turned down the (very sobering) request to
join the Blackworks of Greyghast’s underworld.
ORIGIN
The artificers of the Blackworks don’t ask twice.
for Thief Rogues and anyone with the To attune them, one needs to wear them for a
Criminal background solid week (never removing them) and steal
(from the unwary and unallied) at least one
Made by Manastag Reinch, an innovator in the
item per day, worth no less than 1 sp but no
area of general high-magic burglary (hanged
more than 2 sp. The calibration of the gloves,
twenty years ago for committing several
for attunement, is very precise.
186 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Porter's Gloves

SYSTEM must be accurate despite this, using two phys-

Afterward, the gloves have 5 charges and ical descriptors (shape, size, material, texture,
replenish 1d4 charges per day. color, location on the victim, etc.).
By taking an Action, cupping one’s hands By spending more than 1 charge, the would-be
together, and spending 1 charge, the wearer gets thief gets a mental picture of a number of objects
a mental picture of an object a target creature equal to the number of charges they spend. The
possesses that they may choose teleport into wearer may pick one of the described objects
their hands. The object must be small (it can to teleport.
be no heavier than 1 lb.) and worn or carried Noticing the loss of an item, if in the hand of the
on this Plane. The object can be only a few feet target, is immediate. Noticing the loss if carried
away (if using a grid, an adjacent square/hex). on them directly requires a Perception check DC
The DM will describe the object, but they are 15, though this check is disadvantaged if the item
encouraged to keep their description vague. It was inside another object (purse, sack, pouch).
NOTES
187 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Porter's Gloves

Rushboots
Now that the brush was
cleared away (thanks to Meil-
la’s controlled inferno) what
they saw was arresting and
ominous. A long hallway cut
right into the side of the hill,
tiled with clever small colored
stones depicting a winding red
path that extended farther than
any of them could see. The lit-
tle crimson stones almost
pleaded “walk on me, for I am
the safe way through this hell.”
Mosaics and frescos on the
walls ahead, too dark to make
out perfectly, said this was the
horrorful tomb they’d sought.
Simon stared down the hall,
into the dark. The others were
restless and more than once
Broadways seemed to want to
stride right in, but he knew
better. They all did. This hall was death and one that might go on for a thousand feet or more. And if
reputation was to be believed, none of them—not even Simon, who’d kept them safe through the lost
temples and hidden gardens of adventure—would be able to spot or disable all the security built into
this place.
Giving the old paladin a knowing look and a stern nod, and giving the rest of his comrades a slow
and patient glance that said “if I don’t make it back…” Simon kicked the mud from his boots, took a
deep and lasting breath (could be poisonous clouds down there) and took off like a rocket, ignoring the
entreaties of the red path.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of well-worn hide boots with a pro- History DC 19, Arcane DC 22, Advantage
nounced tread underneath them. Rather than for Arcane Trickster Rogues or anyone
laces, the boots have many oddly positioned with the Criminal background
buckles and straps to ensure a tight and cus- In the underguilds of the middle-empire, there
tom fit. are two major schools of thought regarding
dungeon delving: one holds that it should
be done only by the most skilled engineers of
deadly traps, but a younger movement that has
a more practical view of it all. For this second
188 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Rushboots

group, the best way to disable a mousetrap is to SYSTEM

trip the damn thing—so long as one can avoid Once attuned, and so long as the wearer has
the hammer. moved 10 ft. in one direction prior to tripping
For four hundred years, these two factions a trap or a hazard not immediately causes by
fought a silent war of one-upmanship between a creature (like a bridge plank breaking), they
each other, cracking open the dark places of the may spend an Inspiration point to pre-empt
world and bringing back the treasures and idols the trap’s effect by moving an additional 5 ft.
as a sign of philosophical (and skillful) superi- in any direction (potentially putting the wearer
ority. It was friendly rivalry that only caused a outside the range, path, area, etc. of the trig-
few deaths and skirmishes. gered effect). This expenditure of an Inspiration
must come with a suitably relevant description
Rushboots were created by the latter faction. A
of how the wearer jumps, jukes, twists, flips, or
difficult enchantment to bind to footwear, nev-
otherwise squeaks out an extra bit of momen-
ertheless some of their Arcane Tricksters and
tum, as related by the player. In the case of traps
sympathetic Abjurers made them as a fad for
that cause attack rolls (firing darts, as an exam-
nearly two generations.
ple) the attacks are at disadvantage should the
Attunement requires escaping (not disabling, wearer take their 5 ft. adjustment.
but surviving) a trap, activated without knowl-
The wearer may increase the 5 ft. to 10 ft. by
edge or care, that has the potential to outright
electing to take an Exhaustion along with the
kill them. From a DM perspective, it must be a
required Inspiration expenditure, which rep-
trap they aren’t actively trying to trip that they
resents the physical exertion and possibly
simply come across through speed, guile, or
minor injuries associated with such death defy-
luck and might manage to survive—the poten-
ing athletics.
tial damage outcome, however, must be enough
to outright kill them.
NOTES
189 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Rushboots

Sandals of Path
Sun Ko walked through the
marketplace, ignoring the hus-
tle and din of the hundreds of
people, animals, and excite-
ments as he made his way
towards the old Shaw building
at the far North corner. Peo-
ple, unwittingly, parted before
him—avoiding his gaze and
going about their day of buy-
ing and selling and yelling and
clamor as though he were not
there.
Cutpurses and thieves all
moved past him, like water
around a stone. Merchants and
barkers turned their attention
to others. Horses stepped aside.
As he approached the shambled
building, long ago turned to a
privileged haunt of the under-
ground parasites of this bazaar,
even the heavies stationed casually about the perimeter found this or that more interesting than Ko;
it wasn’t until he stood there, before the Grim Shaw himself, and his retinue, that anyone thought to
protest the interloper’s presence.
“Grim,” Ko addressed the old dwarf softly, “…it’s over.”
APPEARANCE invest the wearer to pass with dignity through

A pair of wood-soled sandals with the unclean and unwashed of the world, they
twine toeholds. are the last remnant of that finer time and
noble people.
ORIGIN
Attunement requires the wearer rest amongst
a great crowd for a full day (sunrise to sunset)
for Monks and anyone with the Urchin
while quietly and unresponsively sitting in con-
background
templation of the needs and greeds and wants
The Sandals of Path, a low artifact of the dis- and wills of the living creatures around them.
tant East once worn by courtiers and diplomats Observing their nature, meditating on their
in service to the Great Skychild Emperor, were behavior, the wearer must not react to any of
made from the leather of the Tinuk—aged and their abuses or questions—pressing for peace
tanned over a mortal man’s lifetime in the wind- and silence inside themselves.
swept passes of the high places. Intended to
190 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Sandals of Path

SYSTEM stranger walking down the street that they were

Attuned, the sandals allow the wearer to move uninterested in remembering. Vague, unspecific.
through crowds of people without molestation, For those actively pursuing the wearer, their
barely noticed. Passive Perception is disadvantaged. The san-
Anyone not actively (violently) aggressive dals also protect from violence and aggression
towards the wearer, actively pursuing them, or by imposing disadvantage on the Ability checks
anyone who does not know their name within and Attack rolls against the wearer.
15 ft. of them simply moves aside, unwittingly Note that all of these benefits require the wearer
captivated or distracted by other events. The to move no faster than a walk (maximum 5 ft.
effect is maintained so long as the wearer is per round), attack nobody (though Ability
moving no faster than a walk, aggressing against checks may be allowed against anyone aggress-
nobody, and saying nothing. It is not the same ing against them), and say nothing. Should any
as Stealth, as all are aware of and see the wearer, of those be done on the wearer’s turn, the san-
they just regard him or her as another face in the dals lose their beneficial properties until the
crowd and go about their business normally. wearer can take a quiet 10 minutes to meditate.
Those affected will remember the wearer as well
as they would remember any perfectly random
NOTES
191 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Sandals of Path

Tides of Wile
Lyra’s form was perfect, each
movement written in space
and punctuated with certainty.
Khyrax, dreaded golden wyrm
and the Harrower of Bright-
keep, raged silently with each
blow. The beast rocked back
on her haunches and her gaze
narrowed in concentration and
barely disguised fury.
But, still, the quiet and somber
elf planted a hand and threw
her body over it, landing in
graceful pose on point long
enough to bring her other leg
around in a spin that struck
the dragon above her knee—
the Harrower rocking off-bal-
ance again.
Over and over, back and back,
feet and yards and more… the
monk pressed the silent attack
and the dragon hardly had a
moment to unleash the death she held in her breath. She suffered strike after strike, waiting for an
opening, waiting for the small thing to tire. Every time an opening presented itself, it was gone in a
flash. For the rest of the group, watching on behind the rocks, it was a dramatic tension… a brutal
assault hidden behind the guise of an almost artistic series of movements.
Lyra turned and braced, bringing her elbow up above her brow, knocking the beast’s chin backward,
and continued to drive the fight deeper and deeper into the cavern.
APPEARANCE There are some who see their connection to the

Two tightly woven, thin ropes (barely thicker Great Elements in terms of their raw substance,
than string) of brilliant white and silver threads. such as the wizard who sends icy blasts or the
Each is several feet long. priest who calls the lightning. But, for those of
the deeper way, they know the chill and the
ORIGIN sky fire are only the physically-forced repre-
Religion DC 19, Arcane DC 25; Advantage sentations of the Truth. The heart of the planes
for Monks and Wild Mage Sorcerers or from where these forces come are not bathed in
anyone with the Acolyte background energy, but in essence. And essence is neither ice
nor electricity.
192 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Tides of Wile

The monastery of the Heart of Elemental Second, the wearer may use their Action to
Essence teaches their chosen to understand the knock an opponent back with careful and delib-
meaning behind the raw power and, in con- erate and irresistible force. The wearer must
templation and study, to harness their body declare this use and then roll an unarmed attack,
to evoke that Truth. That all force is one force, on a successful hit they forego all damage (even
that words are also fire and motion is a storm. if a critical hit) and the creature is knocked back
A thousand years before the fall of the Old a distance based on their size.
Empire, they gave those with the potential such
things as the Tides, and finding them now is like
finding a coin in a world filled with desert sand. SIZE DISTANCE
Rare. Precious.
Tiny 15 ft. knockback
Attunement requires tying the Tides in an intri-
cate pattern around the fingers and thumb, Small 15 ft. knockback
forming a sort of net-like groove from the
long strands with precise knots decorating the Medium 10 ft. knockback
design. There are a few (very few) tomes or per-
sons that know the pattern, but they exist. With Large 10 ft. knockback
the help of either, this tying is easy.
Huge 5 ft. knockback
SYSTEM
Once tied properly, the Tides attune themselves Colossal 5 ft. knockback
and the wearer can call upon two powers.
First, the wearer is advantaged on Perception
and Investigation checks when using their The wearer cannot take movement or Bonus
hands directly. Fingers that could feel nothing Actions during the remainder of the turn
but smooth stone can now feel the well-hidden (though those may be done before taking this
cracks and imperceptible texture distinctions action) and if something gives the wearer an
that were unclear before. They can feel the vibra- additional turn or Action they lose that as well.
tions of conversation or movement through a This attack is always the final Action they take
door, though unable to hear it directly. in the turn. They get their Reaction as normal.
NOTES
193 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Tides of Wile

Warboots
Colonel Drey, chief of General
Westrauch’s own staff, stood
in the middle of the battle and
tuned out the blood and death
and screaming and the smell of
excrement and crying of the boys
too young to have to go through
this very necessary business of
national pride and valor.
Every once in awhile, as the
fight raged on and the man
walked through the lines, some
bastard would think to make
themselves a name and Drey
would have to kill him. A half-
dead pikeman boldly charging,
left with half a face. A pair of
farmers with leather poorly
strapped to them, and what
might have been cleavers, run-
ning into the officer’s shield
and then the officer’s mace
running into their heads at
high speed.
War was sad. Death was depressing. And Drey was tired. Ten thousand men in these hills, slicing and
beating each other to death on a crisp autumn morning. And as a boy, no more than ten, raced up his
hill, screaming his nonsense tongue in defiance and glory, Drey kicked his chest in, watched his body
roll and tumble down, and wanted to go the hell home.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of heavy, dark brown boots with thick History DC 14, Arcane DC 20; Advantage
brass banding about the ankles and calves. A for Eldritch Knight Fighters and anyone
stylized crown on a plate of silver serves as a with the Noble or Soldier backgrounds
topbuckle over the shin. The elite guard of Emperor Malleus Exile II,
formed after his father’s death and during
the years of the Second Purge, were known as
Marchers. Units of no more than eight or nine,
led by an officer of renown, all armored and
perfect, and always marching. Drills. Ceremony.
Procession. Investigation. Patrol. Murder, some
whisper. Genocide. Worse.
194 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Warboots

Their official name was the Emperor’s Own, but The boot wearer gains a direct Immunity from
the common folk knew them as the Marchers, damage coming from anything underfoot,
and their coming meant celebration and fear. and Resistance to damage centered around
Their officers were equipped, at great expense, the lower legs by half, rounded up. One may
with Warboots. A careful creation of Iarno, the ignore all of the damage from caltrops outright,
chief sage to the Emperor. for instance, but only half from thigh-high fire.
DMs are encouraged to consider traps and area
Attunement requires Proficiency in heavy
effects and whether the damage comes from
armor and walking 100 miles in the boots, at
the ground, is simply low to the ground, or
which point their unique properties come alive.
comes from another direction. Fireballs are a
SYSTEM whole omnidirectional area and should not be
On attunement the wearer’s base movement is Resisted, but a field of thorns may be.
reduced by 5 ft., as the boots are heavy and not In addition, one may use a Bonus Action to lash
designed for true running or sprinting. How- out a kick (considered an unarmed attack roll
ever, while wearing them, one suffers no Exhaus- that does no damage) against a creature Medium
tion for overland travel while walking and may or Small that, on a hit, forces a Constitution Save
receive the benefits of a Short Rest while walking on the target DC equal to one’s own Strength.
(though any other normally prohibited activity, On a failure, the target is knocked down.
like fighting, may interrupt that rest).
NOTES
195 • GLOVES & FOOTWEAR • Warboots

Chapter Seven
Rings, Belts, & Adornments
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ACCURSED RING OF KRIN THE REVEALERS … 208

ARCANE … 198
RING OF BHAA … 210
ARTHA’S BELT … 200
RING OF FORGIVENESS … 212
HARROWER’S LINE … 204
RING OF THE GRAY … 214
PYRE … 206
RINGS OF BARROW … 216
NOTES
Accursed Ring of Krin the Arcane

As the earth came pouring
and tumbling down—a dark
flood of soil and stone and mud
and sand—Belinda recited the
half-remembered parable of
the day the Spider riddled to
the wandering man about the
nature of what is beautiful.
The dark was moist and warm,
the cavern rumbling and
grumbling its collapse. She felt
the pressure around her—at
first an embrace, then a seam-
less prison—and felt her body
grow distant and cool. The
sensation was like sleeping
in a room where the fire went
out: ever colder and colder, but
subtle and slow, until the dry,
chilly feeling was deep in her
flesh.
As the rumble slowed and muffled—dozens of feet of earth all around—she meditated to drown down
the perfectly normal panic, and hoped her comrades would be along soon to dig her out.
APPEARANCE death, and there killed a god and birthed the

A dark black ring with a wide band, on top is a Spider into our world.
spider-like figure made from small bones. Krin, who hides, having sacrificed his soul with
his mortality, blessed and cursed to serve the
ORIGIN
darkness and live to see the end of time.
for Necromancy School Wizards and any- The stories and fables are old, now. Old enough
one with the Sailor background that most people, most cultures have forgotten
them. But, the ring of Krin the Arcane survives
Krin the Profane. The Twice-Cursed. The
and the power over the death it brings comes
Devoured. The Arcane.
from far beyond this world—beyond even the
Krin, who travelled the world with a cote- might of gods.
rie of heroes, smiting demons and mad crea-
Attunement requires an old and obscure rit-
tures in the far corners of the world. Krin, who
ual, once practiced by the followers and cultists
whispered in the dark—across the stars and
that worshipped Krin centuries ago, whereby
beyond—to a power from beyond our universe
the ritualist promises his body to the will
and traded service for survival. Krin, who ven-
of the Spider—the God-killer, the Devourer
tured forth into the Tomb, a place of horrors and
198 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Accursed Ring of Krin the Arcane
of Worlds—upon their own death. DMs are Should they choose to remain aware, they may
encouraged to note that the ritual is needed for still take some Actions (all at disadvantage, no
attunement, whether anyone’s listening or cares exceptions) and movements (always as though
about the promise cannot be known. Difficult Terrain, also no exceptions). They lack
the fine motor controls to perform dexterous
SYSTEM activities like using most tools or even satisfy-
The ring, once attuned, allows the wearer to ing somatic components for spells, but other
take an Action and arrest their own life and bio- basic physical activities are possible. Given their
logical processes (breathing, eating, excreting, labored speech, due to a dry and unresponsive
the need for warmth or water, etc.). Their body throat and tongue, they may speak in a hushed
becomes, for all intents and purposes, a corpse whisper at best and all of their social Ability
for up to their Proficiency Bonus in hours. Once rolls are at disadvantage. They are Immune
they enact this change, their current hp is set to disease and poison, and Resistant to magic.
to half of their maximum hp, rounded up— They may return to normal with one minute of
regardless of whether it was higher or lower at concentration. While in this state, creatures may
the time of the change. notice they are not truly dead with a Perception
Should they choose to rest—do absolutely noth- check DC equal to the Passive Deception of the
ing, go dormant—they will return to full life and ring-wearer (10 + full bonus for Deception).
health (maximum hp) at the end of the period If their body takes enough damage to be
automatically, but no sooner. While in this state, reduced below 0 hp while changed, they die.
they are indistinguishable from a dead body Resurrection or similar magic may or may not
(both mundanely and magically). They perceive work, depending on what the Spider is offered
nothing, they can do nothing. in return.
NOTES
199 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Accursed Ring of Krin the Arcane
Artha's Belt
200 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Artha's Belt

Watching Herzorie take the risks she did made everyone uncomfortable, she knew that. Racing past
Sir Broadways toward the gaping maw of some diabolical horror, kicking in doors that Kurt was care-
ful to tease open, even smarting off to the constables in this town or that.
They thought something was wrong with her, or maybe a madness was tucked away at the back of the
bard’s mind. Even when Behera or Brodie or the others would corner her about a night spent drink-
ing too much, or fighting too much or provoking too much, it was all noise to her. She didn’t want to
die, not at all. There wasn’t a woman half so much in love with life as she was—she knew that to her
bones—but they didn’t understand, and couldn’t. It was a tiresome argument.
Only Marcus saw her… or it… or, hell, Herzorie didn’t even know how to frame it. Only he saw the
Reason, and him only that one time. Unlike the others, Marcus knew something about loss; he never
talked about his brother, or why he couldn’t go home, but that couldn’t stop the details from coming
out over the years in a dozen tiny ways. Herzorie had never heard the first story of the boy, but she
knew the brother’s name—knew he had been taller than Marcus and a bit older. She knew he’d had a
wife and child, and she knew he was dead.
Marcus understood. The rest didn’t. Herzorie shook her head: there was more important work to do
than worry about those that worried about her.
She unfurled her bow, there in the black shadows of the treeline. Kurt and Brodie had said to wait
until they gave the signal from the other side of the goblin camp, but all this thinking had roused an
emptiness in Herzorie’s heart. Maybe she’d see her again, today.
The bard smiled, and aimed at the closest creature.
APPEARANCE goddess or this pantheon or that deity—tightly

A greying, broad, hardened leather belt— gripped every corner and aspect of existence.
creased with use, and ringed with dull and It was both a time of great order and great chaos,
pitted steel studs. Perception DC 15 notices as the heavens fought each other as much as the
that despite the age, a blood stain on the front things that live beyond our world. That time is
remains fresh—never entirely drying or dulling. mostly past, heaven hears less than it once did.
ORIGIN In a remote corner of one of the southern lands,
Religion DC 14, Nature DC 17; Advantage in a village of farmers and clansires, a boy
to Barbarians and anyone with the Out- named Sindar grew up under the dutiful care of
lander background his older brother, Arthas. Their father—a great
warrior for the clan—having passed when they
In prior ages, the gods and goddesses that rule
were young, Arthas raised his younger sibling
all of the heavens still listened closely to the
in their father’s place: teaching him how to fish
wants and needs of mortals. Those ages were
and forage, how to lead a mule team, and how
times of miracles, of holy wars led by beauti-
to wield a sword. The boys were close com-
ful celestial giants and avatars of the most high.
panions, despite their age difference. As Sindar
The seasons were blessings and punishments,
grew strong, and near as tall, as his brother he
feast and famine were part of the tapestry of
looked more like his mother than father, and
prayer, indulgence, vanity, and sin. The many
Arthas was proud of him.
dozens of hands of the divine—this god or that

On a cold Autumn day, in an afternoon prac- The gods hear little anymore, but the totemic
tice with half-sharp swords and the beaten and spirits that still watch over the clans and tribes
hardened leather armors the family had handed of the world were listening that day. And their
down for years, the two sparred and quipped. help, while not always what is wanted, is nev-
Arthas was trying to teach a particularly com- ertheless just.
plicated maneuver he’d learned in the years
Attunement requires letting the belt bring the
before their father died, Sindar struggled to per-
spirit of a departed loved one, or what is left
form it.
of them, back from whatever resting place or
And by accident—by chance—the younger boy final reward they have been in since passing
lost his footing, or perhaps overreached his away. This cannot be a stranger, or even a sim-
thrust. Perhaps the older boy was distracted ple friend; the power of the belt—touched by
by something or the sun got in his eyes. In a the great spirits of the sun and moon and sky
moment, a flash, young Sindar’s sword tore and earth—only works if there is a strong per-
a gash out of Arthas’ midsection. The began sonal connection between the wearer and the
wound bleeding profusely, both of the boys soul of the departed. DMs should note, bringing
shocked. Keeping pressure, trying to stem the someone back is not a selfless act; the departed
tide, tears streaming from his eyes, Sindar held are not their full selves, having moved on from
his older brother as he passed and screamed to mortality too much to truly appreciate it again.
anything and anyone that could hear for help. They come, and willingly enough, out of love

for the wearer, but they are leaving a deserved wearer is in danger, of any kind, they yearn to
heaven and, so long as the wearer keeps the belt help, and the feeling is clear to the wearer.
attuned, they are kept from returning to it.
In addition, if the wearer suffers an attack that
SYSTEM drops them below 0 hp, the spirit manifests
Once attuned, the belt provides a +1 bonus to and intercedes. The spirit steps into the incom-
AC for the wearer, given it’s wide and thick ing blow or attack—into the path of the arrow
leather providing considerable protection. The or into the swing of the axe, for instance—and
spirit called by the belt is ever-present; and takes all of the damage themselves. Only those
though not visible or audible most of the time, who have lost someone truly close, as close
their presence can be felt on occasion. When the as brothers, can see this manifestation. To any
other observer, it looks like the wearer simply
ignores the devastating attack and its effects.
While the spirit appears. for those who can
see it, it looks as though the spirit dies—the
arrow pierces their chest, they bleed, wounds
fell them, etc.—the apparition is smiling. For
them, this is not a death, it is saving the life of
their loved one. There are feelings of joy at this
that can be sensed by the wearer, and they gain
1 inspiration.
The spirit cannot manifest in this way again for
a number of days equal to half of the wearer’s
Proficiency Bonus, rounded down (For exam-
ple: if the wearer’s Proficiency Bonus is +2 or
+3 they may manifest this way every day, but
if the bonus is +4 or +5 they may only mani-
fest every other day). As the wearer grows up,
grows stronger and more able, the spirit comes
forth less and less.
The wearer may choose to release the spirit at
any time. Doing so unattunes the belt, and they
may not re-attune it ever again. If they release
the spirit, they gain +1 Wisdom, permanently.
NOTES

Harrower's Line
In the Summer of Holstace,
brave Captain Culpa charged
the breach at Manverwald.
Despite the horrors of war, the
almost impossible defense of
the Hobs, and the explosions
and death all around… the day
was won.
In the Fall of Shanth, fearless
Captain Culpa rooted the dark
arcanist Memnon from his
tower, losing half his company
in the ascent and personally
dispatching a dozen vile crea-
tures conjured from the Seven
Hells to protect their evil mas-
ter. As the mage was cast down
from the very top with Culpa’s
shortsword in his chest… the
day was won.
In the Winter of Lingam, the
unshakable Captain Culpa
walked into the den of Helix,
the winged fury and destroyer
of the village of Demos. Alone,
unaided, he hesitated not a bit
as he made his way into the
maw of the cavern and then
made his way out with the
beast’s sizzling head. And as
he dropped it from the bridge…
the day was won.
In the Spring of Aiden, the courageous Captain Culpa—in the midst of the battle of Fartown’s Grael
against the rebel uprising there—knelt in the soft green grass and watched with dim and sad eyes
as the war raged around him. He saw the young soldier, no more than fourteen if a day, run at him
screaming something… something… and closed his eyes as he let the youth stab him in the chest. His
last thoughts were that he deserved it, and peace followed by pity as the darkness came for him and he
felt the boy’s knife begin to pare away his fingers.
204 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Harrower's Line

APPEARANCE Only the Harrower’s Line remains, a perverse

A set of five rings made of twisted metal, with artifact from the fall of something beautiful.
bars and sharp edges folded and beaten at odd Attunement requires putting on all five rings—a
angles, made to be worn on one hand. painful process as the inside of the band is as
ORIGIN jagged and barbed as the outside. Once put on,
the rings sink deeply into the flesh, doing 1d4
piercing damage. Removing the rings requires
for Knowledge Clerics and anyone with the
removing the fingers and thumb, and (even
Acolyte background should they be regenerated in any way) the
In the time before the current Pantheon came to rings may not work for that person ever again.
be, the gods and goddesses we and all creatures
now know, the world endured several genera- SYSTEM
tions of change amongst the heavens. Much of Once attuned, the ring allows the wearer to
this happened long before any creature could automatically succeed in any Save against being
read or write, when the world was a quiet place Frightened, Stunned, or Charmed. This does not
and all the turmoil happened above it. Most do apply to anything that imposes those conditions
not know the gods and goddesses that rule us without a Save. The wearer feels a numbness
now were, once upon a time, not the only ones. inside of them, a reservoir of cool dispassion.
A soldier in the wars for creation itself, one The ring subtly jades the mind the wearer with
demigod—a being of light and truth whose wisps of memories, the gruesome horrors of the
name cannot be spoken in this world anymore, forgotten demigod and his torturing of devils
but references to whom still exist in forgotten and demons. The sufferings, terrors, pain, and
places—lost himself so deeply in the war, and death of this world are simple children’s illus-
the pursuit of order and truth, that he never saw trations of the things that happened in the old
the perversions that overtook him through the times, amongst the Great Powers.
wily corruptions of the Fiends he would capture So pervasive is this feeling, however, that any
and question. Action the wearer wishes to take to directly
Question turned to interrogation. Interroga- help, assist, heal, or support any other creature
tion to torture. And, by the end of the wars, the requires a Wisdom Save, DC 15. On a success,
creature that had once been glorious was a dark the Action may be taken as normal. On a failure,
and twisted cruelty—a god of mutilation and it cannot be taken and the Action is lost. They are
screams. History does not know what happened only subject to this once per desired Action (for
to him, save that his name is lost and barred by example, if they fail the Save to muster the will
the celestials from ever being uttered again. to heal a party member, they may still take that
All his works were destroyed. All his followers Action as normal on their next turn without roll-
burned. All his tools annihilated, save one. ing for a Save). Any day such a failure happens,
the wearer has nightmares during their next sleep
of the suffering of gods and their own failures.
NOTES
205 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Harrower's Line

Pyre
The smell of decay was perva-
sive. It seemed to come from
everywhere, and so thoroughly
infested this place that even a
man strong of will found himself
claustrophobic from the stench.
Amidst the wafting fumes of
rotting bodies, one felt trapped.
And Horace was no exception.
Could be no exception.
The dark thing seemed to float
(a horrific non-walking hover,
likely only barely an inch
off of the smooth floor) that
reminded both Horace and
Qual that no matter what face
this arcane monstrosity wore,
or how sweet its words, it was
not of this world. The face it
wore was that of a comely lady,
albeit clad in ragged grey and
black robes, and the words it
used were dripping with sin-
cerity. Granted, they’d been
chained for seven weeks.
No matter how perfect the room looked, or how pretty their captor, it still smelled like the foul of bodies
left in the sun for a week and she still moved with the alien grace of a secret, hidden monster.
Seven weeks, and nothing. Seven weeks and they were no closer to freedom. Qual had whispered for
Horace to do it, but the sorcerer could not bring himself to. He promised to get them free. He promised
every night. And this morning, he woke in his shackles to find Qual dead.
Horace waited for their captor to return, and readied to set the whole world on fire.
APPEARANCE The Pyre was forged from the screaming rage

A segmented ring, long enough to cover a third and pain of a thousand sorcerers and mages,
of a finger, made of living flame. those of natural and deep magic: the Conflagra-
tion. It is a rumor only, because few know of it
ORIGIN and those who have doubt it actually happened.
Arcane DC 16, History DC 22; Advantage They doubt that a cult of personality surround-
for Sorcerers and anyone with the Sage ing one powerful and unknown woman, long
background ago in the southern valleys, ever existed. They
206 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Pyre

doubt that the cult had brought together the nature of the ring. It requires giving up all care
greatest gathering of magical might ever seen for any person, place, or thing that might have
in the world. They doubt that any outpouring connected one’s humanity to the world.
of power into her being was possible, or that it
occurred. And they doubt that the resulting loss
SYSTEM
of life—so many dead, in a purple and red storm Once attuned, the ring allows the wearer to,
of furious cyclonic lightning—created a craggy once per day, expend every iota of arcane power
and cruel artifact of their power, in the form of in their body and soul in order to burst into an
the ring she would then wear on her finger. immolation of pure quintessential power—
engulfed in a raging, swirling typhoon of magical
But it happened. energies that hiss and crackle about the wearer.
It was the Conflagration that drove the fore- Using an Action, the wearer of the Pyre may
bears of the Exile Emperors to breed a hate and activate the ring and discharge at least one Spell
distrust of magic into their offspring. Genera- Point or Spell Slot, at which point they lose the
tions of family scholars and sages kept record ability to cast any magic and their Proficiency
of the event alive for a century and, when the Bonus (which drops to +0). The storm lasts a
rebellion spilled out over the kingdoms, Mal- number of rounds equal to their normal Pro-
leus Exile (soon to be Malleus I) destroyed all ficiency Bonus and extends a number of feet
knowledge of it. It wasn’t just the confiscation outward from the wearer equal to their Cha-
of magical artifacts, or the slaughter of those risma Score.
who knew arcane secrets: the Purge, as history
forgets, also involved the systematic destruction At the start of any creature’s turn, if they are
of all lore, stories, and record of such miracu- inside the radius of the storm, they take an
lous or devastating power. amount of Fire damage (which ignores Resis-
tances and Immunities) equal to the wearer’s
The dark age lasted for centuries, the Third Age Charisma modifier. Any mundane items that
a black stain on both the Old Empire (now gone) are flimsy and flammable (paper, cloth, wood
and all the nations that bowed to it. no thicker than 1/2 inch, rope, etc.) catch fire
Pyre, however, survived, secreted away by and burn. Any mundane items that are flam-
unlikely allies: the orders that had originally mable but not easily consumed (leather, thick
fought the cruel witch who created it. As the wood, heavy clothes, blankets, etc.) singe, char,
ring found its way from one surging power to and are lightly damaged; DMs are encouraged
another over the years, serving one new master to apply appropriate wear and tear on such
or mistress and then the next, most of its history items. Anything the wearer has on their person
has been forgotten. during this time is immune to this effect. If the
wearer is reduced to or below 0 hp, this effect
Attunement requires the permanent sacrifice of
continues through the end of it’s duration.
one’s Bond. Whatever kept one tied to this world
must be renounced, and the wearer can not The wearer may not access any Spell Points or
have a Bond ever again—such is the unearthly Spell Slots for 24 hours.
NOTES
207 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Pyre

Revealers
While Occam let the demon
swing away at him, fiery axe
trailing a comet of light and
smoke this way and that, the
stern and scarred warrior
stepped out of the way over
and over in a physical taunt
that enraged the dark prince.
Beniss circled wide behind it,
staying out of its reach, out
of its line of sight, trying to
get around it and hoping it
wouldn’t notice. Chains wet
with blood (Its own? One of its
victims’?) whipped gracefully
through the air, so smoothly
that Occam nearly forgot they
were hundreds of pounds of
arcane steel that would slap a
man in half on impact.
As Beniss found his opening
(and Occam took a searing cut
across his already horrifically
puckered and lined chest), he ran a finger along the rings on his right hand. Hard, ghostly images
flew around him, symbols of light and wisping smoke keeping a perfect uniform distance from his
fingers as though locked in orbit around them. Once satisfied with whatever they were saying, he took
a deep breath and pressed his other hand against the giant thing’s leg.
The symbols danced and changed, and Beniss had enough time to call out four short words before a
bloody chain broke most of his ribs and left him dying on the dry, hard ground.
APPEARANCE The single most dangerous mage that ever lived,

A set of three gold rings, with pearl inlay around by the reckoning of the Scholam of Greyghast,
the bands, meant to be worn on the first two fin- was Anna Braun: a Diviner from a distant
gers and thumb. Southern coast responsible for the eradication of
the League of Hoyerwood, a collection of city-
ORIGIN states whose influence was once felt throughout
Arcane DC 18, History DC 22; Advantage the world, but whose history was burned to ash
for Divination School Wizards and anyone long ago.
with the Sage background
Though the culture of avarice for arcane power
in the South has been the incubator for dozens
208 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Revealers

of powerful factions over the centuries—the cannot be done by the one’s self (though some-
Evokers, the Entropists, the cult of the Black one who is Proficient could do it on the wear-
Spider, etc.—it was Anna Braun that more terri- er’s behalf).
fied kings and archdukes throughout the world
than any other.
SYSTEM
Once attuned, the rings allow the wearer to
The League had fought off empires, including draw forth knowledge of a creature by bringing
the Old Empire, resisted invasion, survived its anima (its pattern) into focus.
rebellion, and held off the Exile kings for ten
years of bloody conflict before a truce was The rings must be calibrated to the creature one
declared. With weeks of preparation—using intends to target and it must be in sight, requir-
powerful Divination magic and spellwork not ing 1 Action, as the wearer turns them this way
seen since—Anna executed every member of all and that to focus on the chosen subject. Once
ten royal households within the span of an hour done, thin grey smoke swirls about each of the
and set Cladia (the largest city of the League) rings, showing symbols and runes that describe
on fire. By morning, nothing lived within the the creature’s anima. The ringed hand must be
walls. It is a foolish thing to trifle with those that free and held relatively stable for the symbols to
can pluck the strings of Fate to their favor, even be read and the effects to work. The wearer gets
more foolish to do so with someone for whom to know either the creature type or alignment of
Fate is as malleable as soft, wet clay. the subject—this and all subsequent choices are
made by the wearer.
Though Anna Braun is centuries gone, some
of her creations and tools still exist. Most held If touching the subject with their off-hand (non-
securely by arcane collectors and archmages, to ringed hand) for one round, they get to know
protect them from misuse, but a few—like the either the subject’s name or lowest Ability Score
Revealers—have slipped through the hands and (which ability and the score). If they continue to
pages of history. touch the subject for a second round, they learn
of any Immunities or Vulnerabilities. If they
Attunement requires calibrating the rings in just continue for a third round, the symbols in the
the right manner (turning them this way and whirling smoke reveal deeper truths about the
that until the unseen power that connects them nature of the subject; the wearer gains Advan-
gently vibrates). If one is Proficient in Arcane, tage in attacks, Saves, and ability checks against
this succeeds automatically after a few minutes the creature for 1 minute.
of tinkering. If one is not Proficient in Arcane, it
NOTES
209 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Revealers

Ring of Bhaa
The bow thrummed and the
crowd gasped and the shaft flew
and the kingdom faltered from
the low hills of the Athurlands
to the peaks of the Reedling
Mountains. A thousand peo-
ple stood, mouths agape in fear
and wonder as the bowman’s
voice carried high above them.
“Nobody move. I am Monil,
the last son of the Panrani, and
I am here to end your accursed
line!”
The Palace guard started for-
ward in a clanking and clatter-
ing horde of pride and anger
before the King spoke and
stilled them with a hand wave.
“Monil? I do not know you”
he started, calm and even,
before he felt the shaft of the
first arrow against the side
of his neck and a small gasp
of blood trickle down the side
from the tiny cut it left as it
travelled. Quite a feat, really,
from so far away.
“You have a grievance, let’s speak on it, there’s no need for theatrics,” the old king smiled his best,
and the guards looked poised to race through the crowd—brutally if need be—to catch this assassin.
The bowman sighed. “There will be no talk. I will put this next one in your eye, you switchbacked
snake, and free the realm from your lies!” he said as he drew the arrow back far, straining against the
weight of it.
The old king just chuckled, “You’re mad, of course; one shot maybe, when you had the jump, but now?
Nobody is that good. A wary target? You gave yourself away and signed your death!”
Monil whispered to himself for a moment.
“Watch me.”
210 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of Bhaa

APPEARANCE technology, and it has been part of the stories

A ring made from alternating layers of silver of bakers and writers and blacksmiths and war-
and wood. Perception DC 15 notices it hums riors and kings and fishermen.
when worn. It is a humble, pretty thing.
ORIGIN To attune to the ring, one must wear it for one
Arcane or History DC 28, Advantage to week for each level of their Proficiency Bonus
Wizards and anyone with the Hermit (i.e. Proficiency +3 means 3 weeks to attune).
background
SYSTEM
There, truly, is nothing like it in the world. The Once attuned, the ring grants the wearer an
ring hums as it’s worn in a low, inaudible, furi- additional Inspiration point slot. If the ring is
ous excitement. Few could say what it does. Its ever taken off, the wearer loses this second slot
history is long and its owners have been vari- in addition to their first slot, meaning they can
ous. No faith claims its making, Priests swear gain no Inspiration, until the ring is attuned by
it is not of their god, the wizards understand another (in which case, the former wearer gets
it is not even truly arcane, it is no alchemical their one Inspiration slot back).
NOTES
211 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of Bhaa

Ring of Forgiveness
The first cut opened the crea-
ture’s thigh, the second dropped
it to its knees. It howled in pain
and blew fetid gales of poison
at its persecutor.
Wilkinson spun left, darted
right and stabbed it deeply in
its shoulder while the crea-
ture stumbled. Nearly there.
His own visor cracked open,
his armor a tatter of mail and
leather, he could feel his left
boot filling with blood and he
knew he had little left in him.
Sweeping under the monster’s
next lunge, he moved quick
as the wind, and thundered
a backhand with his bare fist
across the thing’s irregular and
toothy maw. Dagger-like teeth snapped and a deep crack resounded through the chamber. The beast
tottered, mewled, and settled over, slowly nudging away from the champion.
The crowd cheered, and his hand felt numb from where he’d broken it—the last two knuckles pushed
in and flat, the whole area a dark purple.
APPEARANCE the Al’Ahara Vast and surrounding lands were

An iron ring made to resemble a manacle, with vibrant with exploration, and normalization, of
short chain hanging from it that is no longer the arcane arts.
than an inch. In a time before artificing was completely under-
stood, practiced by only a few small and iso-
ORIGIN
lated cultures, their lavish expenditure of mag-
ical power in all areas of their society put them
for Champion Fighters and anyone with
generations ahead of the empires and kingdoms
the Outlander background
throughout the rest of the world. The arcane
The ring was a creation of Luaddin of the prominence of Al’Ahara was well known for a
Al’Ahara Vast, last advisor to the Dins of the thousand years. Though many of their creations
West—a dynasty of rulers that began before the are long since bereft of any lingering magic or
earliest recorded histories we have today, and long since destroyed by rivals, some remain.
finally ended shortly after the rise of the new
The Ring of Forgiveness was one of the least of
kingdoms. In contrast to the fear and super-
these creations, a token of the Dins’ apprecia-
stition of the rest of the world, by all accounts
tion to those who would win their freedom in
212 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of Forgiveness

some high profile gladiatorial contests. As the successful weapon attack, to strike their assail-
contests were originally for criminals to earn ant back. The wearer’s hand must be unoc-
favor and pardon through martial combat, the cupied (no weapon or shield or other item or
ring was a gift given the champions to cement device being held). The strike may take any rea-
that pardon. sonable form of unarmed strike for that hand: a
punch, an elbow, even a full backhanded slap.
Attunement requires defeating a creature one
The strike counts as a +0 magical unarmed
size-category larger than one’s self without
attack (no magical bonus, but using the wear-
weapons, armor, or magic. Killing the creature
er’s normal unarmed attack bonus) that does
causes the ring to cease to work for the wearer,
1d4 + Strength Bludgeoning damage.
and it will never attune to them thereafter. Sub-
duing the creature (knocking out or making If the damage rolled is 4, the die explodes and
them yield) causes the ring to glow with a soft the wearer must roll again (adding the new
white light. value to the previous). The dice must be rolled
and added until no more 4s are rolled. If the
SYSTEM total damage is greater than 10, the wearer gains
Once attuned, the wearer may use their Reac- 1 Exhaustion.
tion, in response to taking damage from a
NOTES
213 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of Forgiveness

Ring of the Gray

Wyatt squatted in a lonely
alley, in the dry, arid city of
Al-Shalaa. He’d pawned his
sword that morning-–notched
and loosely-rattling thing
that it was. The clay bottle
was heavy, the liquor inside
it strong, and the hand that
clasped its neck dirty… a
three-fingered, sand wracked,
yellow-nailed gnarl of a hand.
As he tipped the bottle to his
lips, to escape the memory of
what he’d had and what he
lost, Wyatt lingered on his
butchered hand and whatever
good it was for now. He looked
down at his other, missing
one finger itself (the fore). He
thought about the ring in his
pocket as the wind scalded him
and the sun punished him and the liquor fought its way down, threatening to come back up and slap
the pavement. His head swam. He was flat broke, but he still had a few fingers by the gods… and odds
on him in the fighting pits would be long, indeed…
APPEARANCE valleys and hugged the riverbanks wherever

A ring, the band a beaten oxidized-green copper. they led.
The end of that city, the end of those people,
ORIGIN
came from a wanderer.
Nature DC 18, Arcane DC 23; Advantage
for Druids and anyone with the Charlatan Centuries before they would be known as the
background Wayfarers by the barbaric tribes beyond the
mountains (and many more centuries before
The city of Manoj was a jewel, spreading out the word “druid” would make its way to the
wide in a sprawling lack of concern all over the language of mortals), the servants of the wild
southern valleys, deep within the mountains and the agents of the World roamed free, and
that once dominated the landscape. The city was where they went miracles and horrors went
well protected from nomads and invaders, due with them. As impossible as it is to explain to
to the peaks that surrounded it. Never before an infant why the knife must be used, why the
nor since has such a strangely wonderful cul- flesh cut and the pain must be had—all to root
ture grown to maturity without the pain of war out the infected rot in a bad snake bite—so too
and loss that comes with that growth. Rather are the movements of the druids inscrutable.
than grow around, the city snaked through the Some understand their purpose, some do not.
214 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of the Gray

Some believe they see the larger picture of how SYSTEM

their movements and Actions link, in the great Once attuned, the ring cannot be lost. If one
chain of being, with those that will come after throws it away, it will reappear in their pocket
them, some do not. or palm moments later.
The wanderer that came to the city of Manoj Removing the ring, when worn, requires an
found a lush and rich land, a happy people, and Action and an Escape Artist check DC 5. On
peaceful culture. Bearing gifts, the wanderer a success, the ring comes off with some diffi-
stayed for three days and three nights. Tools culty, but on a failure it does not and cannot be
to better till the soil. Beautiful pottery to hold attempted again for at least two hours. Donning
water for those that fetched it from the river. the ring does not take an Action. When worn, it
Jewelry to adorn their honored families and bends the forces of reality, and the firmament of
rulers. The people of Manoj held celebrations the world itself, to unleash devastating damage
for the stranger bearing gifts. He honored them, when the wearer scores a Critical Hit.
and they honored him. Upon rolling a natural 20 on any weapon attack,
In the years after he left, the sages and wise the wearer must choose—immediately—to
amongst the people of Manoj began to real- either reserve the right to reroll the damage
ize the tools had poisoned their soil. That the from the hit or do maximum damage. They
pottery brought the many afflictions that had must declare the moment the roll is confirmed
spread disease and suffering to their children, by the DM. Any hesitation and the attack is only
the jewelry had cursed and damned them. treated as a successful hit, not a Critical Hit.
The city was abandoned, the people left and If the wearer chooses to reserve the right to reroll
the rulers stayed to die as a form of penance. the damage, then after they roll damage they
The descendents of the people of the lost city must choose to keep it or roll again. If they roll
of Manoj would become part of the many again, they must take the second result. After-
empires that have since risen and fallen. One ward, the DC to take off the ring increases by +5.
of their descendents, a thousand years later, If the wearer chooses to do maximum damage,
raised in the martial culture of the Old Empire, they do not roll damage and instead do what-
would begin a rebellion that would establish the ever the maximum possible damage would be
dynasty of Exile Kings for three hundred years from all appropriate dice. Afterward, the DC to
and destroy great horrors in that time. take off the ring increases by +10.
And the cost was the destruction of a city, If the DC increases to 30, the ring pinches the
now lost to time. In this way, the druids fulfill finger upon which it is worn off, doing 1d4
their tasks. Bludgeoning damage in the process. The ring
painfully squeezes the finger more and more
The Ring of the Gray was found in the ruins of
until bone is crushed and a painful wrench-
what was Manoj, nearly a thousand years ago.
ing tears the finger free. Digits lost in this way
Its power dwindled, its purpose fulfilled, but
cannot be regenerated, short of extremely high
what magic still exists inside of it grants the
level magic (miracles, wishes, etc.).
wearer glorious—if sometimes costly—abilities
DMs are encouraged to consider at which point
Attunement requires forswearing ever having
the loss of certain fingers, critical to normal
children. The cost is dear to those who don’t
operation of weapons or tools, would disadvan-
seek glory and want only a simple life, while
taged Actions.
the ring was made to attract the vanity of the
champions of a lost culture. It has nothing to Should the wearer seek to return the ring to a
give common men or women. druid whom they do not know and have never
met, and should that druid accept the ring, it
unattunes and one’s fingers can be regenerated.
215 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Ring of the Gray

Rings of Barrow
Dosh wiggled his toes in his
boot, checking… always check-
ing… and then wiggled his
fingers in his fists… checking.
Everything in place. Ready.
Alright. Let’s go.
Dagger in hand, he sprinted
across cavern floor, dodging
the swings and swipes of the
goblins as he made a beeline for
the evil priest that ruled them.
As he closed fast the dark cleric
smirked, for Dosh was small
and no warrior and wear-
ing only loose-fitting canvas
pants and the barest of leather
armors… wielding—”Oh,
gods, really?” her expression
said—a dagger of no great
authority.
Three steps. Dosh held his
breath. Two steps. He tucked
his head down. One step. He
closed his eyes.
And ,had they been open when he barreled into the cleric, he would have seen an expression of surprise
and disbelief on the old elf’s face. But he grabbed the bigger man, held on tight, and felt his hands and
feet go numb.
As the two kicked and slapped at each other to get away, Sage took a cautious step back… Dosh stood,
wearing a dark plate armor identical to the clerics’, wielding a glowing mace quite the same.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A set of four segmented rings of blackened steel, Arcane DC 17, Religion DC 18; Advantage
with a white symbol, resembling an eye with an for Transmutation School Wizards and
“X” over it, stylized into the surface of each. anyone with the Charlatan background
The cutthroat and highly illegal Blackworks, a
collaboration of exiled and criminal artificers
in Greyghast, has been a source of black-mar-
ket arcane items for years. Even kingdoms that
have never heard the name, on the other side
of the world, find themselves contending with
216 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Rings of Barrow

the chaos that comes from even one of their cre- Should the defender win the contested roll, the
ations finding its way into the wrong hands. ring discharges the power it had been build-
ing; the ring wearer then takes Psychic damage
Barrow Hocklong was a con artist most famous
equal to the difference between the two checks.
for robbing temples and churches, a highly risky
and extremely lucrative trade if one could make Should the ring wearer maintain the hold until
a convincing enough case for needing access to the start of their next turn, however, they find
the most sacred and private sanctums of a given themselves clad in armor and equipped with
faith. To this end, he commissioned an artifact a weapon nearly identical to the ones the tar-
that would give him some leverage in his trav- get has. The ring wearer is always Proficient in
els, and though intended to be used to pose as these phantom armors and weapons. DM’s are
a champion of this or that god or goddess, he encouraged to make slightly less potent ver-
never got to use it. After stiffing the Blackworks sion of the armor and weapon of the target: the
Barrow, Hocklong was never heard from again. armor rating is always one less (if a +1 armor
for the opponent, the phantom armor is +0 for
His rings, however, have been a favorite of the
the ring wearer; if it grants AC 17, the phan-
deceitful ever since.
tom armor is AC 16), and the weapon damage
Attunement requires a week spent without dice are always one less (if 1d10, then the phan-
wearing or carrying anything heavier than 20 tom weapon is 1d8; if 2d6, then the phantom
lbs. total, while wearing the rings. One must weapon is 2d4). Any natural effects of either the
be worn on a finger of each hand and a toe of armor or weapon apply to the phantom armor
each foot. or weapon (if the weapon does an additional
SYSTEM 2d4 fire damage, so does the phantom weapon),
but any activated effects do not transfer to the
Once attuned, the wearer may conjure replicas
phantom items (if the armor grants spells or
of the arms and armor of those they touch.
an activated effect, those don’t come with the
The ring wearer (so long as they do not don phantom armor).
armor, carry weapons with a damage greater
This transmutation lasts for a number of rounds
than 1d6, or have a total encumbrance is more
equal to the ring wearer’s Proficiency Bonus.
than 20 lbs.) may use their Action to engage a
Once used on a creature, it never works on that
target with a Grapple, while the ring begins
creature again—even if they wear or have dif-
altering the wearer’s attire and one weapon
ferent items the next time.
they are carrying to mimic the armor and one
weapon (ring wearer’s choice) of the target.
NOTES
217 • RINGS, BELTS, & ADORNMENT • Rings of Barrow

Chapter Eight
Tomes & Canons
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ATLAS OF FOREVER … 220 PACTKEEPER … 230

BOOK OF NAMES … 222 VISCOUNT ECCHLI’S
REGISTER … 232
CHRONICLER’S BOOK … 224
XANDERGRAPHEIS … 234
DARKLE FAS … 226
LORD OF STORIES … 228
NOTES
Atlas of Forever
“A man is surrounded by
danger. Those who guard and
protect him are dangerous,
and the world is made of vio-
lence. In the forest, alone, one
need not fear the armed men
of violence. That one has given
up the burden of worry and
wealth. Instead, he is free to
protect himself with his own
peace and with the shield of
deep wisdom.”
“Kings understand this. The
story of a recluse in the woods,
one who is dedicated to the per-
fection of his knowing is easy
to grasp. All tales tell it. Kings
and wise men both love seclu-
sion; one must have it to rule
those subject to their choices—
at a distance—while the other
has it to rule themselves.”
“But, what separates kings and wise men, truly, is what comes of their seclusion and growing wis-
dom. For the former, they find the calm needed to protect those around them from the dangers of the
world. For the latter, they find harmony with the universe and are reborn in majesty.”
–the Last Tale of Thenn Kujari
APPEARANCE aside only for the royal house’s own revenants.

A small book, very thick but only as wide as Renowned for their knowledge and patience,
a grown adult’s hand. It is simply bound and they were the wise old, and young, men and
filled with esoteric philosophy and explana- women of the Court who revealed the won-
tions of the movements of the heavens, in com- ders of heavenly movement and taught great
plex verse. kings and queens the deepest ways of the celes-
tial choirs.
ORIGIN
It was at the height of their influence, in the
Arcane DC 15, History DC 18; Advan- Third Age, that Thenn of the Winter—one of
tage for Monks and anyone with the Sage their own who came to them a stranger but lived
background with them in full respect for forty years and
The Kujari brotherhood was the second most a day—penned the Atlas of Forever in bright,
respected order of servants and courtiers in crackling blue ink. The words he wrote were
the days of the Silverhanded Prince, stepping powerful, the diagrams and study conducted
220 • TOMES & CANONS • Atlas of Forever

carefully. The Atlas was a treasured artifact of Yawning Heavens, and the fourth Hell (amongst
the order for millennia, long after the Silver- other such dimensions) and back back to one’s
hand rulers gave way to the modern nations body. This journey takes 1d6 turns in real-time.
and city-states of today.
Upon returning, one may choose three of four
Attunement to the Atlas requires a full study of Aspects of one’s self to keep.
its contents. This takes a number of weeks equal
Any day the Atlas is not studied, one may not
to 12 minus one’s Wisdom bonus. If the reader
use this benefit. The illumination of how to
has formal monastic or ecclesiastic training, they
return from near-death is forgotten until the
may subtract their Proficiency Bonus as well.
next day they study.
SYSTEM Resurrection also has its price, and the more
Once attuned, the Atlas grants advantage on boldly a soul is written in the fabric of the cos-
any Religion checks after being consulted for mos, the harder it is to return. Every use of the
10 minutes. Atlas to come back to this life has a chance of
failure after the Aspects are chosen equal to
In addition, so long as it is periodically stud-
the reader’s Proficiency Bonus expressed as a
ied—requiring between one and two hours
percentage (so a Proficiency Bonus of 4 would
in a given day—the Atlas provides the reader
mean there is a 4% chance). Should this fail-
with a metaphorical and metaphysical roadmap
ure happen, they are lost forever amongst the
back to life from the nearest areas of what lies
planes and afterlives of a thousand worlds.
beyond death.
Should the reader ever choose, or be forced, to
On failing one’s Last death Save, and within
unattune to the Atlas, then forever after their
the first 30 seconds thereafter, the reader—as a
first Death Save in any encounter counts as a
spirit now far flung out into the expansive astral
failure automatically—the allure of leaving this
realms of near death—may opt to navigate the
world is subtle, but real, for those that know
path through the Realm of Dancing Grief, the
what lies beyond.
Planes of Silence, the Underglass Fields, the
ASPECT EFFECT
The reader may keep their body and make it whole once again, returning to full
Fullness of Body
hit points, rounded down (if not, they return with 0 hit points and Unconscious)
The reader may keep their existing Ability Scores (if not, they must choose one
Fullness of Form
score to reduce by 1d6)
Fullness of Soul The reader may keep their current level (if not, they lose one level)
The reader may increase the number of Inspiration points they can have by 1 (if
Fullness of Fortune
not, they lose all Inspiration and any such increases)
NOTES
221 • TOMES & CANONS • Atlas of Forever

Book of Names
“Are you ignoring me, y’mag-
got? Are you all damneds well
ignoring me, now?”
The large, and drunk, half-orc
had gone from asking for a few
coins for a drink to demanding,
and now had quiclky crossed
the line into threatening while
Tina ignored him and continued
scribbling away in her book. The
tavern had quieted, starting to
take notice of the fight to come.
His grey-green face was blush-
ing a purple with rage.
She wrote about how the half-
orc was tall, perhaps a hand
taller than Ser Broadways, but
had a brow twice as thick.
“Fancy thing too good to listen,
huh? How about I take that book
and shove it right up your a –” his screaming was cut off by a gentle raise of her left hand, as she contin-
ued with her right—tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth a bit in concentration. Brow furrowed.
She wrote about the timbre of his voice, how it sounded like he was from somewhere East, and had
picked up some of the accents found in the villages in those hills.
“I will END YOU! DO YOU UN– ” abruptly, Tina stood up smiling.
“Hello, you’re… is it Rey or Garoc? Which do you go by?” her voice was flat, but pleasant.
“…my… I mean, Rey. Nobody calls me Garoc since I was a child, though,” he said, demeanor changed
in an instant. The purple cheeks were fading and he seemed uncertain as to why he’d been yelling in
the first place.
“Rey, then. Rey, I’m really not going to buy you a drink, you should think about cutting down on
that as well; it makes you angry and rude. I’m going to go visit with my friends now, goodnight.”
She turned, and walked calmly out of the tavern to the disappointed groans of the crowd, and the
confusion of Rey.
APPEARANCE fingerprints on it. The pages have names at the

A thin book, roughly one foot square: the cover top, and scrawled words that are indecipher-
is a regal dark blue bordered in a smooth white able beneath. Perception DC 15 notices there is
metal. The cover also has a dozen small white a faint song eerily playing when it is touched.
222 • TOMES & CANONS • Book of Names

ORIGIN trying to read more than a few lines at a time

Arcane DC 18, Nature DC 22; Advantage may cause the new bookkeeper to pass out.
for Arch-Fey Warlocks and anyone with But with a fresh page, by focusing on an indi-
the Sage background vidual in sight and writing in the book, the
The old things that live beyond the Glass, a bookkeeper may let their instincts take over and
barrier between this world and the underly- begin writing down the obvious traits of their
ing realms of the fey that hide behind it, see subject. The content is not important, it only
this world and struggle in vain to consume it. needs to be specific to one being described: the
In the time before the rise of mortal empires, way they look, act, sound, etc.
when clans of humans and elves and count- After one minute of continuous, uninterrupted
less such lesser species roamed and spread and communion—by observing the subject and
carved out their petty history, one of those great writing—the bookkeeper must roll an Intel-
beings—the Whispering Lady—pushed a book ligence Save DC 25. On a success, appearing
from her great library into the world. at the top of the page is a portion of the True
Though the least of the wild and dark tomes Name of the subject; to the bookkeeper these
in her collection, it would wreak a chaos and words reveal the subject’s birth name and com-
spark a series of dramas so madly delightful mon name (what they are called, what they call
to the alien fey that the sages and adepts of the themselves). On a failure the page goes blank
Scholam have mapped its path through mortal and they must start again from scratch. If a 1 is
history clearly. Its journey through our world rolled on the d20, the true name of the subject is
is punctuated by the actions of great heroes impenetrable forever in this manner.
and terrifying villains and ever the laughter of Having someone’s name will give the book-
things behind the Glass. keeper advantage on any Charisma checks for
Attunement requires pressing one’s thumb to Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation, or other
the cover for a minute, listening to the unearthly social challenges and disadvantage the named
tune emanating from the book. DMs are encour- creature similarly against the bookkeeper.
aged to roll d100 for the number of names con- Should the bookkeeper leave the book with
tained inside. pages still blank unprotected, and it be attuned
by anyone new without interference (a truly
SYSTEM random person, a truly random time), then—no
There are only 100 pages in the Book of Names. matter where they are otherwise in the world—
Each page has one at the top and, once attuned, their Charisma increases by 1. DMs are encour-
the previously unreadable script reveals that aged to think of who might have picked up the
strange snippets and phrases describing the book, and perhaps give mad visions of the new
named character fill their page. Reading back owner to the, now former, bookkeeper.
through these pages causes headaches and
NOTES
223 • TOMES & CANONS • Book of Names

Chronicler's Book
“Dammit Wally, we could
all use some HELP DOWN
HERE!” thundered Old Prash
Cudgel, their little warband’s
resident grumpy bastard. The
big man was hip-deep in gob-
lins, sweating more than any
three men, and whining as
always. Primitives, thinking
only with their weapons.
The looks on the faces of the
priestess and her outlander
friend (Were they sleeping
together? Lovers? Friends?
Whatever, wasn’t any of Wal-
ly’s business) said they weren’t
happy with the young mage
crouching behind the stump,
either—but wars are won with
more than steel, after all. Mar-
cus the Vigilant, of the East-
ern Rebellion, wrote that. Not
that anyone was interested in
scholarship way out here in the
middle of nowhere.
“WALLY! I will twist your lit-
tle peck–OOMPH” Old Prash
took a club to the midsection from a hairy, equally sweaty, thing that had managed to slip his side. The
creature was taller than Cudgel and just as ugly. Something like a hobgoblin, but bigger.
This was what Wally was waiting for… can’t waste paper after all. He pulled his ready quill out and
started scratching in his pale green book.
“The club doubled the barbarian over, but Cudgel’s upswing broke the creature’s jaw,” Wally mouthed,
while the ink sparked and flashed.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A faded green book, thick, and of a skewed Arcane DC 15, Nature DC 20; Advantage to
geometry: five unequal sides, bound in a spiral Warlocks and Divination School Wizards
along one short edge. The cover appears to be or anyone with the Sage background
made of a rough leather. The Emperor of The Long Night, one of the
oldest of the Arch-Fey, bound the Chronicler’s
224 • TOMES & CANONS • Chronicler's Book

Book with threads from the skein of Fate itself. in an unopposed Ability check will advantage
Its crafting took most of an ice age, when the them, as an example. Writing that someone will
world was quiet and even the great gods and fail a Save (triggered by an external event, not
old patrons slept. Had any of his peers amongst directly caused by someone else) will disadvan-
the Great Powers known he was stealing from tage them. If writing that a shopkeeper appraises
Fate to create it, another War would have been an item slightly higher than they should, they
the least of the consequences. would be disadvantaged in their Investigation.
DMs are encouraged to keep this use for truly
In dreams, he passed it on to his last Warlock—a
plausible and simple events and require some
mad creature, alone in the mortal world and old,
creativity in what actual words are to be written
dying of the cold and desolation. Cults came
when describing it in the book.
and went in the ages since, but the book always
found a new master. The trouble it has wrought For unlikely events and wildly improbable
has been the subject of long study ever since. things, or for actions that are opposed by oth-
ers, the actors in question are similarly advan-
Attunement requires making a pact with the
taged or disadvantaged (as the case may be), but
Emperor of The Long Night to protect the book
should the outcome not come to pass as writ-
and pass it to his servants; simply speaking the
ten the writer takes 1 Exhaustion after the event
promise is sufficient. This promise need not be
plays out—the discord in Reality unwinds bits
completed on a specific timeline, as the reck-
of their own pattern. For example: if writing that
oning of time for such beings is inhuman and
one individual successfully attacks another, the
almost non-linear. DMs are encouraged, how-
attacker has advantage in the next turn—but,
ever, to bring the Arch-Fey’s wrath one day
should they miss, the writer takes the 1 Exhaus-
should the owner forget the deal.
tion penalty. Or, if writing that all of one’s allies
SYSTEM Save against an incoming area effect, everyone
By taking an Action and Concentrating until the is advantaged—but should one person fail, the
effect takes place, the scribe may write a simple penalty is activated. Or, should one write that the
sentence into the book describing an action, on shopkeeper (who is a professional that runs a suc-
the part of anyone else whose name they know, cessful business) appraises an item as worth con-
which they intend to have happen the next turn. siderably more than its value, they are still disad-
Should that written action involve another indi- vantaged on their Investigation of the item—but,
vidual—or individuals, or truly improbable if they still succeed, the penalty takes effect.
outcomes—the chances become less favorable. DMs are reminded this applies only to actions or
For coincidental actions and activities that are activities where a PC or NPC (or more than one)
plausible, or “would have happened anyway” would roll a d20, and anything automatic or
with some certainty, and involving only one indi- impossible (requiring no roll) can’t be affected.
vidual, the actor in question is granted advan- As with spells, if Concentration is lost during
tage or disadvantage (as the sentence dictates) on the period of writing and focusing on the event
attempting it. Writing that someone will succeed to come the attempted change in Fate fails.
NOTES
225 • TOMES & CANONS • Chronicler's Book

Darkle Fas
Wyatt let them walk right into
the path of the swinging log.
Served them right, after all.
Always on about him. Always
judging. Them with their
noses high and their ways. If
he’d had rich parents and all
them trappings, he’d have done
better than alright—been more
lordly than their erstwhile
bard, son of some count some-
thing or other—and that’s a
fact.
And that paladin wouldn’t
be so high and mighty. If
Wyatt’d been taught proper as
a young thing, he could have
set his mind on the gods and
being fancy with that sword
and whatnot. He could have
owned the world, but here he
was, sneaking and thieving
for this group of right and full
bastards.
So, the log did the lesson today—ole Wyatt wasn’t useless after all. No big hurt, but enough of a wal-
lop to get their attention. As he thumbed the small book from his pocket, he barked at them all to get
back and let a professional get to the job. Called them all the vulgar names he remembered from his
days in Renoa while he disabled the thing, too.
Only thing Wyatt hated more than uppity folks like this was being broke. World wasn’t fair, he
thought. Not by half.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A very small book, with black parchment pages Arcane DC 18, History DC 22; Advantaged
and an oily-feeling cover of ribbed white wyrm- for Great Old One Warlocks and anyone
hide. Perception DC 19 notices writing in dark with the Entertainer background
ink on the black pages, but not clearly enough Written on the stars, etched on the radiant stone
to read properly. walls of the heavens, is the truth of all things.
The answer to a boy asking for a hand in mar-
riage is already known and there. The answer
to the engineering challenges of tomorrow.
226 • TOMES & CANONS • Darkle Fas

The answer to, “What is the noblest sacrifice?” volume—there must be a passage revealing the
There, like all things. And Can-toi, through His time and means of one’s own death. DMs are
cruel and otherworldly will, had a loyal ser- encouraged to draw from the Dungeon Mas-
vant—his name long forgotten now—that trav- ter’s Guide’s Madness Tables and/or replace
elled this reality to please his monstrous Patron the character’s Flaw with an appropriate disor-
and sow havoc across the continent. der like Paranoia or Obsession.
The bard, a dark figure many folk tales refer SYSTEM
to, was fabled to know the hearts of men and Once attuned, the book provides advantage
women, to whisper truths to kings and queens on any Ability check after 1d6 rounds of con-
and watch them suffer a future unfolding sultation. Questions about the arcane history of
beyond their ability to change it. Though folk- dragons (Arcane check)? How to best pick this
tales about of such a character are ubiquitous, particular kind of lock (Dexterity check, with
those who make serious study of history and appropriate tools)? The clearest path through
lore know that the creature was real. His pow- this specific forest (Survival check)? How to
ers were not inherent, but granted by a Great optimally Grapple a hobgoblin wearing pre-
Old One who so hated the world that he birthed cisely that kind of armor? Any check involving
into it a tome of incredible power and cor- a skill that can be referenced, but only good for
rupt purpose. the very exact circumstances it is used for. The
The bard’s book told the truths written on the book reads the blueprint of all that is or ever
underside of this dimension. It drove him mad. was or will be. This does not grant Proficiency,
of course, only advantage.
Darkle Fas (“volume of raw truth” in the old
tongue) can only be attuned by tasting the Should any of the d20’s rolled for an Ability
madness that took the bard that studied it, by check from this use result in a natural 1 on the
spending an evening straining to read and feel dice, the reader takes a number of d4’s of Psy-
the words on the pages: the shell of sanity that chic damage equal to their Proficiency Bonus.
protects one’s mind cracks, opening it to the The check is resolved as normal, but mortal
wide universe of knowledge and the creeping minds were not meant to be omniscient—even
horror of knowing that—somewhere here in the for a moment.
NOTES
227 • TOMES & CANONS • Darkle Fas

Lord of Stories
Hensie Flashwood didn’t fear death. Mostly because he would never, ever taste it. He thought that was
what he wanted—at least it was what he said he wanted all those years ago. Immortality is attractive
for those who think mortal concerns are the only ones.
This world was dusty and old and smelled of paper. It was dark and cold and was nothing like the
fanciful place he imagined it to be. Hell describes itself as a paradise, but it’s a liar. And maybe in the
end, all stories are.
Hensie laid down, back against the rough wood, staring up at the ceiling of white and brown and black
above him. Waiting and waiting for some liars to tell some lies.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A very old book with a wood cover, deeply Religion DC 13, History DC 17; Advantage
grained and aged. Painted on the surface is a for Knowledge Domain Clerics and College
well-dressed figure in the midst of an oration of of Lore Bards or anyone with the Enter-
some kind. tainer background
228 • TOMES & CANONS • Lord of Stories

Priests say the gods and goddesses are kind or brutally mangled, but they will heal and live
cruel, but, above all else, they are invested in (albeit, with scars or missing limbs, potentially).
this world. It is one of the things that sets them
If brought below 0 hp or subject to an effect
apart from the other Great Powers—while some
that causes death, the writer is transported in
may want to wreak chaos or subjugate others,
that instant to the other-dimensional space the
they all care for this Reality. They, after all, own
book represents in this world. The place is a
it. But the Lord of Stories, whose proper name
lonely, isolated, and empty space—an infinite
has been long lost to time, loved it most of all.
expanse that seems, from the writer’s perspec-
In his mind, all stories live. All the tales and tive to be what a flea might perceive sitting on
songs, every poem and fiction, fire through his the page of a continent sized book. The ground
thoughts and inspire the mortal bards and sing- is an expanse of forever stretching pale white
ers alike. For he so loved the world, and those fibers as big around as a logs, crisscrossing each
that would tell tales in it, he sought to keep other tightly in an irregular plane. Some darkly
them forever and ever. stained stretches of ground as big as a town
would appear as letters from a high vantage
His temple is gone, centuries long since fallen
point. Above is a faint ceiling, barely percepti-
to ruin, but the brothers and sisters that wor-
ble through a haze and hundreds of feet up, of
shipped him in the old times took his Blessings
another page. Time passes here at the same rate
and crafted the book that would bear his name
as in the real world.
for as long as the world still saw a sunrise. In
its pages, immortality waits for those carefully Returning requires someone reading the story
chosen and sanctified. of the writer aloud, in a grand oration; how long
the story takes to tell is based on how much was
Attunement requires recording in the Lord of
written. If the writer is 10th level or lower, it
Stories, on a few blank pages (there are always
takes a Short Rest; if 11th or higher, it takes a
just a few at the end, blank), the whole tale of
Long Rest’s worth of time. At the end, a Per-
one’s life and deeds. Doing so requires eight
formance DC 20 check is required. On a suc-
hours per year of age the writer is, as the details
cess, the writer returns with 1 hp. On a failure,
matter and must be complete. DMs are encour-
nothing happens and one may start over and
aged to consider what Flaws or dark secrets
try again.
some characters have and make sure the writer
does not skip them. The writer may remove themselves from the
book and unattune it only by ripping out their
SYSTEM pages. Doing so reduces their maximum hp by
Once attuned, the writer cannot truly die. In 1d0, permanently; such is the disfavor of gods.
effect, their soul cannot be removed from their DMs are encouraged to consider restoring this
body and their body ceases to age. They can still loss only through some truly divine miracle.
be hurt, injured, rendered unconscious, even
NOTES
229 • TOMES & CANONS • Lord of Stories

Pactkeeper
“…and I’ll be able to save her?”
“Yes, of course, just sign—
there—and I really need you to
take your time with this. You
should read it over, I can rec-
ommend some folks to help if
you… can… wait, can you…
can you read?”
“Aye, sir, a bit–-enough. I was
charge’o keeping books with
Master Filis on the Marrow
Wind for a two year stretch. I
can read enough for this.”
“Good, right. So, here it spells
out–-and I really insist you
read this and get back to me,
truly. That you will be able to
cure her of her affliction. That
you will be granted these mir-
acles. That you may use them
as you will, of course you can’t say where you got them—that’s best for the both of us—and after one
year and one day, all is normal. But, really, you should take this home and read it carefully.”
“And… I’ll be… damned?”
“Well… sort of. No. Not really. Not how you think. I mean, yes, you will be—but not eternally or
anything. When you die, your soul lies in the balance of the gods, as is, so that’s really on you.”
“I’ll sign it, sir.”
“Take your time. Really. It serves us both if you take your time with this.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A perfectly cut, perfectly crafted black leather Arcane DC 16, Religion DC 19; Advantage
book with crisp, fresh parchment and simple, for Fiend Warlocks and anyone with the
but masterful, silver binding. The cover bears Acolyte background
an arcane symbol in silver, that glows faintly The Pactkeeper was made by a defiant and
with a white light. angry Warlock of Szzzathenai, a minor Fiend of
the Chains of Order in what used to be known
as the Underhell. The Warlock—whose own
name was erased from both history and lore
by the cult she founded—spent years studying
230 • TOMES & CANONS • Pactkeeper

her mistress’ Patronage and the movement of A Fiendish Deal involves the exchange of one
the stars that allowed it (and the failures of the of the broker’s spells or Ability proficiencies to
edicts of this world’s deities that made it pos- a willing client in exchange for whatever suits
sible) to make a ledger by which she could one both parties. What the client offers in payment
day rise to murder not only her Patron but the or exchange can be virtually anything, so long
entire Order with her. as it is a thing they do or have; so performing a
service, or even learning a profession, would be
It didn’t work; the machinations of even pow-
legitimate payments but “believing” something
erful mortals must needs wake up early in the
would not be.
morning to get one over on the wily Great Pow-
ers of the Fiendish. However, the result was an The broker must choose a spell they can cast (at
artifact Szzzathenal plucked from the charred the time of finalizing the contract) or an Ability
hands of her wayward cultist and into the hands they are proficient in. Then the terms of what
of fresher minions for centuries. The Underhell is to be done are exchanged, negotiated with-
is gone, and all their Fiends, but the tome sur- out mind-controlling magic or even rolled com-
vives in our world with all of its power. Great pulsion (Persuasions or Deceptions, etc.). And,
cults were grown in previous ages due to the finally, duration: the only two durations are
powers of the Pactkeeper. “until the next night with no moon” or “for one
year and a day.”
Attunement requires buying a soul, as though a
broker. Any mortal will do, so long as they can Once agreed, and both parties sign the book, the
consent to such a thing. It cannot be compelled broker loses the ability to cast that spell or use
from them, nor stolen, nor threatened. They their Proficiency Bonus with that Ability for the
must barter it away willingly and honestly. duration while the client gains it. If a spell, they
The broker cannot lie, nor cheat. They must are considered able to use it once per day. Any
pay something for it, goods or services. The number of Fiendish Deals may be in execution,
consequences of having sold one’s soul in this so long as the broker has something yet to offer.
way are unknown; the broker is not a devil or
At the end of the duration, the loaned spell or
a god. DMs should emphasize the difficulty of
Proficiency returns to the broker. The client is
convincing someone to sell their soul when the
considered cursed (as though the effects of
buyer neither knows the consequences (if any)
Exhaustion 1) until a Remove Curse or similar
nor can lie about them.
magic is used on them—this being the only part
SYSTEM of the arrangement that need not be discussed
Once attuned, the broker may use the Pact- during the deal if the broker does not wish to.
keeper to keep a ledger of Fiendish Deals in the Should the client die during the duration, the
future. These may be made with anyone and at broker is cursed instead.
any time, and they are always finite in duration
and transparent to the contractor.
NOTES
231 • TOMES & CANONS • Pactkeeper

Viscount Ecchli's Register

“Ain’t you gonna shiv ‘im,
Bearl?” the brick-jawed brig-
and asked, mouth agape and
still half-drunk from this
morning’s little bit of robbery.
“Yea, Bearl. Jus’ stick it in ‘im,
go on. Or, lords, I’ll do it mine
own self, if yer want,” more
suggestions from the gallery
of idiots Bearl Webb had man-
aged to gather in his five years
of clean highway banditry.
Two of his mutton-headed
gumps held the fellow: still
proud (even with twenty feet
of crap covered road all over
his fine breastplate), still hand-
some (even after Bearl let Dun-
can smack him around a little),
still haughty (even after Bearl
himself relieved him of most of
his prized possessions).
Bearl looked him over, pulled
out his little book and flipped
through it. After a pregnant
and long-drawn out pause (during which Luncan and Duncan started quietly chatting over the paladin’s
head about whether that armor would fit either of them), Bearl shook his head, slapping the folio shut.
“Nope. Let him go. I’ll kill him…” he quickly flipped open the book, scanning the pages, “Ah, tomor-
row. I’ll kill him tomorrow. Alright. Go on… bugger off in… oh… THAT way.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A small brown book, no larger than a man’s Arcane DC 15, History DC 18; Advantage
hand but as thick as a wrist, with the word for Divination School Wizards and anyone
“Ecchli” on the cover. The pages have tiny, with the Noble background
unreadable words tightly compacted together Famed bounty-hunter, and adventuring leg-
on every page. end, Viscount Emarilious Honstanton Aure-
lious Ecchli kept a stable of well-provisioned
and well-respected wizards at his beck and
call, advising him on state matters constantly.
Through their divinations and portents, he
232 • TOMES & CANONS • Viscount Ecchli's Register

managed to hold onto the County of Herod for like a magnifying glass), and while focusing on
decades and help his people prosper. someone they can see clearly and in unimpeded
detail, the book will show the ideal time or day
So generous was Ecchli rumored to be to his
to kill them.
advisors, that it is said they pooled their bril-
liance and experimented for a year to present Roll 1d12 and consult the table for “when”:
him with a gift on his 50th birthday: the Reg-
ister. It took dozens of adepts, hundreds of
explorers, and powerful magic that has been all RESULT IDEAL TIME
but forgotten today—all that in a time when the On the next turn, within
river of arcane energy that courses through the 1-2 seconds
unseen around us was stronger.
After ten minutes, but
With it, Ecchli would come to be greatly feared 3-4 within the next hour
by those empires and agents that would prey on
After a couple of hours, but
his people. Even moreso than before. As though 5-6 within the next day
a surgeon, and with meticulous care, his foes all
met their end precisely and without even one 7 Tomorrow
single exception. All things die, and the Register
knows when. 8 Next week
Attunement requires comprehending the open-
9 Next month
ing chapter on how the Register works, which
is written in a coded arcane language that may
10 Next year
require considerable study to unravel. DMs are
encouraged to either make this forgotten mag- Next decade
11
ical notation its own Language (and require
developing a Proficiency through Feats or Never
12
Downtime) or create a side adventure to find an
ancient primer on it to help.
SYSTEM Any Attacks, by the reader only, during the

Once attuned, the script becomes fully compre- ideal time to kill them do maximum damage.
hensible and the text on the pages even shifts Attacks, by the reader only, before or after that
to accommodate the reader. After 1 minute of time do only half of normal damage, rounded
perusing the book’s many hundreds of thou- down. The reader may use Inspiration to roll
sands of names, written in tiny script (Percep- twice, picking one result.
tion DC 15 to read one, advantage if using some- Once an ideal time to kill is established, it never
thing to assist with seeing the writing better changes for that subject.
NOTES
233 • TOMES & CANONS • Xandergrapheis

Xandergrapheis
They walked along the road,
Kakri Mung and The Teller,
and tried to forget the ambush.
It wasn’t the first time they
had been robbed. Sometimes,
hell, stuff just happens.
Teller (or THE Teller, pending
who you talked to) had been
one of the fiercest warriors
in the north before coming to
these warmer lands, and she
hardly knew what to make of
some of the inhabitants. Kakri
Mung was the biggest, green-
est orc-est man she had ever
met, and yet his speech, man-
ner, and interests… stranger
than strange.
“So, dear lady, how it works is
you tell me what you want and
then I tell you what you have
to do and then you get it. Sim-
ple, uncomplicated, pure…”
He trailed off, staring far into the distance with his black eyes. He sighed.
“…I wish…”
He took her by the shoulder and stared into her hard eyes.
“…I wish you could see the River,” he whispered, almost tenderly, before turning and flipping back
through his book like nothing had happened.
Teller frowned. Stranger than strange, indeed.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A round and platinum-covered book. A large Religion DC 16, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
hoop of iron binds the cover and pages together. for Wild Magic Sorcerers and Knowledge
Domain Clerics or anyone with the Guild
Artisan background
Magic is a force, a flowing current of power that
constantly surges past us, through us, around
us like a wind we cannot feel. The River is vast

and ever-moving and its caretaker, the goddess be done in order to get it. The writing is indeci-
of arcane magic itself, has no more blessed chil- pherable and causes headaches to anyone that
dren and servants than the sorcerers who are isn’t attuned.
born from it.
What must be done is usually a task or series of
In the Second Age a quiet faith grew up around tasks that seemingly have nothing at all to do
the worship of the Lady of the River, a broth- with what is desired. So long as the task or tasks
er-and-sisterhood of Blood and Water that even- are done, the willing person will inevitably and
tually vanished from recorded history nearly a unfailingly get what they wanted. There is no
thousand years ago with no trace of why. Of guarantee of when, but it will happen. They
their lingering artifacts is the Xandergrapheis, must do this task themselves (though they may
a raw and wild power bound to a book. They sometimes get assistance, it cannot be done for
used it to chart the course of Destiny for matters them).
great and small.
The DM is encouraged to write down the tasks
Attuning to the book requires a symbolic bap- on notecards and hand them to the book’s
tism in a flowing river, during which one must owner for any given request. A given mortal
leave at least one magical item behind in the may have only one such agreement at a time,
waters to be lost forever. and they do not have to fulfill it.
SYSTEM Examples include “I want 100,000 gold”… and

Once attuned, the possessor may consult the they must marry and have a child. Or, “I want a
book once per week, communing with the very particular sword from legends”… and they
eddies and currents of the River, in order to must learn to fly under their own power. Or, “I
divine exactly what one must do to get a thing want to know the layout of that dungeon” and
one wants. This is not a bargain; the posses- they must win an election for governor of a dis-
sor gets nothing directly out of the arrange- tant city-state. The DM is encouraged to make
ment. The possessor may not consult the book the tasks completable, seemingly unrelated,
for themselves. and in need of some effort. The more unrelated
the task seems from the objective, the more
The arrangement is simple. A willing, uncom- challenging the chain of reasons as to why one
pelled, and interested mortal creature may ask would lead to the other. But, no matter what,
for anything. Anything at all. The possessor the task’s completion should either give them
may open and search through the book (taking what they want or cause the chain of events that
1d4 minutes) until they find that exact thing, eventually does.
alongside which is a description of what must
NOTES

Chapter Nine
Cursed & Forbidden
Artifacts
Chapter Ten
Instruments & Tools
CHAPTER CONTENTS
ADZE OF BECOMING … 240 KORTHOLT OF THE

BRIGH DELAC … 264
AUBRITAN’S SACRIFICE … 242
LESSERIE LUTE … 266
BOX OF PRINCELY
COMELINESS … 244 RODINGS BENCH … 268
CAUFWEIN STRADGART … 246 ROTOOL OF THE
FLETCH SENDER … 270
FERANIMUS JOINERS … 248
SCORPION LUTE … 272
FIDDLE OF THE MAD GOD … 250
SHANDALPLAI … 274
FREELL TARP … 252
SHORT SUPPLY OF
GAMBLER’S BOX … 254 LAVISHNESS … 276
GOODFELLOW EDGE … 257 SKIRLFLUTE … 278
HARP OF CERWYN SOLA SCRIPTURA … 280
EBONFLOWERWOOD … 260
VESSEL OF MEN … 282
HURRICANE GALLICHON … 262
WOODSMAN’S KNIFE … 284
NOTES
Adze of Becoming
“All things have a destiny. It
is the fate of the mountain to
waste away to nothing and the
fate of the wind to grow into a
storm. But more deeply than
that, the creations and objects
of the world want to be things
beyond their destiny. Those
things we make with our hands
and hearts, they too want to Be.
“The hammer wants to be a
sledge, or the door wants to
be a gate. If you know how
to listen, you can hasten this
becoming,” Himlaf droned on,
his deep baritone voice never
rising or falling in pitch. The
perfect empty sounds of a one-
sided conversation.
“So… this will make the plate
harder? I don’t get it,” Broad-
ways hated talking to the
arcanist and most mornings
just ignored him, but a mood
had struck the old caster and he was asking about improving the paladin’s dented armor. Seemed like
a fine enough thing while the roads were washed out.
“Yes. It will make the plate more Becoming. Its truer self.”
“So… harder? Better?”
“More real.”
“What’s that even mean, Him?” Oh, but gods above, this is why he avoided speaking to spellworkers.
The squat man laughed, breaking his monotone philosophizing for a pure moment of genuine bemused
resignation.
“Oh, I haven’t any idea-–but, let’s get started, anyway.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A handheld tool that resembles a cross between Arcane DC 15, History DC 21; Advantage
a hand-axe and a small pick, like one might use for Sorcerers and anyone with the Guild
for fine stonework. Perception DC 15 notices the Artisan background
air around the edge of the blade wavers and dis-
torts, as though a mirage on the desert.
240 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Adze of Becoming

The Fourth Smith is a mythical figure found in a words on their card or paper in secret (“Khil,”
few of the oldest cultures in the world—though “Lade,” or “Rove”).
it is given different names, the stories are all
On the count of three, both the DM and artisan
much the same. The artisans and magewrights
reveal their words.
of those ancient peoples held the figure in not
only esteem, but a sort of reverence; it was the If both words match, the item is enhanced;
Fourth Smith that supposedly taught the earli- the symbol glows and a fraction of the power
est wonderworkers to craft the earliest wonders. that flows through the universe is successfully
focused through the Adze as the armor, weapon,
The First Smith, as the legends go, formed the
tool, instrument, or other physical object is
firmament of the Universe. The Second lit and
brought slightly closer to whatever true being
blew power into the first forges of Creation:
it wants to become.
the Sun, the Stars, the tectonic forces beneath
the world. The Third assembled the creatures, This will grant +1 and the “magic” property
great and small, with painstaking care. And the (greatly enhanced durability, counting as magical
Fourth showed the favored amongst them how for damage or Resistance purposes, etc.) to arms
to draw from the currents of magic that thread and armor. Tools, kits, gear, and other objects
all things together to craft miracles. will offer advantage when used for their purpose
and gain the “magic” property as well. DMs are
Few remember the stories anymore, of hea-
encouraged to describe the subtle aura of power
then tales of powerful beings that stand taller
that an item gains, either visually or otherwise.
than gods or goddesses, but the Adze—cre-
Also, while “magic” items are brilliantly durable
ated by one of those now long forgotten peo-
and resistant, they are not indestructible.
ples—remains. The last monument to a time
of wonders. Should the words not match, the dissonance
created reviles the object’s essence. Arms and
Attunement requires crafting 1000gp worth of
armor become -1 and magically fragile; tools,
arms, armor, or durable goods, all of a superior
kits, gear, and other objects become more fragile
quality. DMs are encouraged to consider the
and impose disadvantage when used for their
necessary time, materials, and effort required to
intended purpose. While these objects may still
create masterful things carefully. As a guideline,
have faint auras or signs of being magically
however, a serious craftsperson with the appro-
touched, they also look and feel slightly wrong
priate tools and time should be able to do this
somehow. Like looking at a bad copy of a paint-
within a few weeks if dedicated to it full time,
ing and being unable to appreciate the work
and over the course of a few months if not.
due to its imperfections.
SYSTEM The artisan may use the Adze and their deep
Once attuned, the Adze—when used to inscribe attunement to it salvage a failure (mismatched
and etch the symbol of the Fourth Smith upon words of power), turning it into a success by
a wood, stone, or metal surface—connects the sacrificing 1 hp from their permanent max-
object to a piece of its own destiny, granting imum hp. By burning the raw power of their
it power and inherent magical abilities. Carv- own essence, they may help the object remem-
ing the symbol takes one hour, and it can only ber what it wanted to become.
be placed on an object with enough space and
The symbol of the Fourth Smith cannot be
thickness (1/8th of an inch deep, nearly 2 inches
removed from the object, the properties gained
in diameter)
(positive or negative) cannot be undone short of
The DM should provide two cards or pieces very high level magic. Final success or failure is
of paper, one for them and one for the artisan permanent. The symbol cannot be redone, the
using the Adze. Each will write one of three item is enhanced or slightly ruined.
241 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Adze of Becoming

Aubritan's Sacrifice
When they brought the woman,
her voice was a silent churn of
hacks and dry, silent scream-
ing. She’d torn her own vocal
cords in wild pain, roaring her
anguish for hours. The tem-
ple was too far into the forest,
and Silvia knew it. Delirious
with pain, the woman rocked
back and forth while her com-
panions held her against the
gurney. Her leg was a motley
of bruises, bloody gashes, and
broken bones.
One of the men heaved onto
the temple floor when a bone
pierced through the woman’s
thigh. It was a grisly situa-
tion, and Silvia’s heart wept.
She drew forth a silver-lined
knife—hardly bigger than her
palm—and took the woman’s wrist. Her companions protested for a moment as Silvia cut a deep gash
in the woman’s hand, and then stood confused as she cut a twin gash in her own. Silvia grasped the
agonizing woman’s hand and whispered some words to the Lord of Silver Linings.
“Please, one more time.”
APPEARANCE of that unforgiving land by the Old Empire,

A silver knife with a curiously short, but their priests and priestesses—across many
extremely sharp, blade. The handle is beautifully faiths—developed a resilience and willingness
engraved with two snakes intertwined together. to stand by their deity’s edicts even in the face
of pain and death. It was a time of great strife
ORIGIN and great miracles that ended with the coming
Religion DC 14, History DC 19; Advantage of the faiths of the New Pantheon.
for Life Domain Clerics and anyone with
One sect of those long-dead people worshipped
the Solder background
a goddess of blood, often depicted as weeping
A tradition of martyrdom, complete service, tears or easing pain. Captain-General Aubritan
and sacrifice of one’s own life to the glory of this dul Grade, a mercenary at the front of a thou-
or that god or goddess arose in the Western Des- sand paid swords, was paid to wipe them out to
erts only a few centuries ago. In response to the a man, and succeeded in this task. The Sacrifice
increased persecution of the wandering people was one of the trophies of war he kept.
242 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Aubritan's Sacrifice

For reasons unknown, Aubritan abruptly left It is possible to feel nothing in the morning
the company and dedicated his life thereafter on a day when some great battle ends up tak-
to a penance for the horrors he‘d wrought. He ing place. But any day the ache comes, there is
started a temple in the North, worshipping no certainly going to be a mortal hazard waiting
particular god or goddess, and lived the rest down the path.
of his days quietly caring for a community of
In addition, by taking an Action to cut match-
farmers and tradespeople in a local village. On
ing gashes in the palm of both their own hand
his passing, his personal effects were buried
and the hand of a creature that is not resisting
with him.
(they do not have to be willing, they only need
Attunement requires sacrificing 1 permanent not be struggling against the effect), and grasp-
hp from one’s maximum hp. The pain of that ing those hands together, the owner may take
moment is intense, but afterward only ever any Disease, Poison, Curse, or Paralysis onto
serves as a dull ache on the odd morning. themselves (any future Saves against these will
be made at disadvantage for the owner). They
SYSTEM may also transfer a number of hp to the other
Once attuned, the owner feels an ache some- creature up to twice their Class Level.
where in their body (back, wrist, etc.) on any
This ability may be used only once per day and
day where a mortal threat is imminent. This is
refreshes at dawn. Each use grants 1 inspiration
not to say that all violent situations trigger this,
the following morning.
as many of these sorts of events are a function of
chance and most are not truly life-threatening.
NOTES
243 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Aubritan's Sacrifice

Box of Princely Comeliness

“How do I look?” Flynn peeked
up from his case, cutting a fine
profile against the morning
sun while the others looked on.
The motley crew just stared
at him, he’d been at it half the
morning and none of them
really appreciated just why he
felt the need to dress up and
shine when all they were going
to do was walk another twenty
miles through this hellishly
humid jungle.
But, like clockwork–-fine and
uncaring-–the bard had woken
up without fail at the crack of
dawn, fogging the tiny camp
with the smell of vessayne per-
fumes and leaving traces of
conalite powder across this or that while he puffed and primped and oiled his way to a sense of nor-
malcy… every morning.
Mad. Truly.
APPEARANCE Were it not for the ever-expanding borders and

A lacquered cherry-wood box filled with constant wars, that crash might have come. The
various powders, bottles of oil, and groom- instruments and automata, artwork and arcane
ing accessories. novelties all vanished when the nations fell to
the rebellion. But, a few wonders from those
ORIGIN lavish times still exist.
The Box was the result of a generation of work
for Bards and anyone with the Noble or
by master artificers, commissioned by the Vis-
Entertainer backgrounds
count Blackwood—whose vanity was the sub-
Amongst the many open rumors of the courtly ject of many bawdy songs and stories back in
in the Old Empire was that the aristocracy had the Third Age.
wasted enormous fortunes in the pursuit of
Only one Box is known to exist. Last been seen
lavish comforts and fine living. That not only
in the hands of a genocidal cult a century ago.
was this frivolous, but it was done to such an
extreme that half of the empire was in barely Attunement requires a careful cleaning and
concealed debt so deeply that a whole economic organizing of the contents of the box, and having
crash was likely at any time. one’s first makeover done with it—performed
244 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Box of Princely Comeliness

by a trained man servant or lady in waiting. Charisma score for the day (and only the day
Thereafter, they are not needed. itself, the effect vanishes by sundown) with the
result (though they need not choose to do this
SYSTEM and may let the Wisdom check result simply not
Once attuned, the box is much like a Disguise come into play at all). If they elect not to swap
Kit (but, obviously, filled with make-ups, out the score, their Ability scores remain normal
blushes and rouges, oils, and perfumes). Each and the box may not be used until the next day.
morning, taking an hour, the owner may use
the make-up box and its magical properties. The box replenishes its stock of powders, oils,
The box makes the ugly comely, the tongue tied lotions, and accessories at dawn. Should the
more dashing, and the wallflower into an allur- preparations and make-up be ruined, the effects
ing magnet of attention. go away instantly—this includes going under-
water, being caught out in a moderate rain, sub-
So long as nobody has seen the owner (no sen- ject to high humidity, excessive sweating, dirt,
tient creature) yet that day, after the hour of grease, and mud, etc.
prep, the owner may roll a Wisdom check at dis-
advantage. If they wish, they may replace their
NOTES
245 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Box of Princely Comeliness

Caufwein Stradgart
It was an old song she knew
from when she was a girl. In
the camps, after they finished
the work in the village, they’d
gather and bloody each other
with sticks and rocks. When
someone won or everyone
stopped trying, she’d go home
and her mother would be play-
ing the tune. It was the song of
her people, it would remind her
forever of home.
And so, covered in someone
else’s blood and watching the
others pull themselves up from
the muck. The beast’s chest
still and yet steaming with the
lightly misting rainfall… she
sat on the grass, a dry patch
raised from the mud, and
pulled her caufwien free. The
tune she played was the tune of
home and it reminded her that
this—all of this horror—would
pass one day.
APPEARANCE the darkness that would consume the whole

A wind instrument of some old sort, with a world.
broad round base like an especially fat smoking Their warriors were strong, their elite swords-
pipe. It is off-white and made of a hard material. women a wonder of death, and their spell-sing-
ers able to accomplish magic that any wizard
ORIGIN
would give their right hand to have returned
to this world. But, like all civilizations, theirs
for Barbarians and Bards or anyone with
passed. And what is there now is a shadow of
the Entertainer background
what once was.
The tribes of the East, the famed savages and
The caufwein is a wind instrument made from
peoples of the winter deserts, are amongst the
yak bone, roughly the size of a potato. Carved
most stalwart and dangerous in the world. From
precisely, it produces a sound like a long, low,
the youngest times, they stood at the gate of hell
hooting owl and is still played with some
itself, the Rack Chasm, and kept the horrors at
seriousness by the last of the old tribes. The
bay. Generation after generation, fighting back
246 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Caufwein Stradgart

Stradgart is one of the last of the instruments of

the fabled barbaric spellsingers of old. RESULT EFFECT
Attunement requires whispering the appro- [Self] Heal 1d4 hp
5
priate blessing, in the old tongue, as one kills
a creature of the dark. DMs are encouraged to 10 [Self] Remove 1 exhaustion
make finding that blessing and what the old
peoples of the East considered a “creature of the [Self] Suppress effects of a
15 Poison or Disease (and those
dark” to be accessible and interesting. Possibly,
Conditions) for 12 hours
the focus of it’s own adventure.
[Self] Suppress effects of a
SYSTEM 20 Curse for 12 hours
Activating the caufwein requires 10 minutes
[Self] May spend Hit Dice as
of playing the long, haunting, sad notes that it 25 though during a Short Rest
makes in a strong, but simple tune; at the end
of 10 minutes, roll a Performance check. The May extend these effects to
30 one other person in sight
higher the check the more strongly the music
aids the player.
A higher check returns all the benefits of the

lower Results. Once played, the caufwein
requires a Short Rest in order to evoke the magic
of the music again.
NOTES
247 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Caufwein Stradgart

Feranimus Joiners
The sounds of battle raged on
and on. Broadways held the
line against the creature, pes-
tilent and reeking of abyssal
corruption. While Gainsway’s
comrades fought back its min-
ions and the old paladin kept
the hulking monstrosity at bay,
she was busy with her satchel
and its precious contents.
Gainsway was scared, it
was impossible to not be, of
course—but still, she had
faith in her friends and knew
the secret to turning this tide
would be found in the Box.
Sinking to her knees behind the
corpse of one of the pitbeasts
Brodie had smited, she fished
the Box out of her bag and
placed it almost delicately on
the blood-soaked grass. As she
raised the lid, she felt a wash
of heat to her side—Brodie was
locked tightly in close quarters
with the thing and either he or
it ignited a conflagration of fire all about them. The thing’s minions hackled and chottled their foul
language while the rest fought them back.
Inside the Box, neatly arranged on velvet rainers, side-by-side, was a collection of carefully wrought
iron wands–-she’d found them years ago, back when she and Broadways had first met. Her brow fur-
rowed and her fingers danced over each. Maybe this one… no. That? It almost felt right… but… ah!
Her eyes went hard and clear, she selected the third from the left.
Spinning around and sprinting toward the unclean thing, she murmured a word and the short iron
poker came alive in bright white fire.
APPEARANCE and weighs nearly 30 lbs. Inside are over a

A copper box, nearly eighteen inches on a side dozen iron wands, dark and gothic in design.
and cubical, with truly ancient cuneiform-like Each bears a different symbol, runes of an
symbols stamped into the smooth faces and ancient culture.
smooth, reinforced corners. It has no handles
248 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Feranimus Joiners

ORIGIN the box be left in a place devoid of these forces,

History DC 14, Arcane DC 18; Advantage to it will become unattuned over the course of a
Abjuration School Wizards and Sorcerers or few days.
anyone with the Guild Artisan background The wands are used as though branding irons
In a quest for a more permanent solution to the and strip Resistances and Immunities from the
problem of elemental power held by the reckless creatures they are applied to.
and natural mages of the wild lands, a conclave To use a wand, one must remove it from the box
of wizards from the Old Empire came together (only one wand may be outside of the box at
to purge the sorcerers from every city, nation, any given time, or else the delicate arcane mech-
and kingdom under the control of the Throne. anisms break down and the entire box becomes
Sages disagree on exactly why the Old Empire unattuned). There is a wand for each type of
fell to the Exile Rebellion, which installed the magical damage (Fire, Necrotic, etc.). The wands
dreaded Malleus Exile I on the Throne, began are attuned to the owner as much as the box
the years of Purgation, and started two centu- is, and may not be used by anyone else. Once
ries of cruel order in which magic was virtu- removed from the box, the wand draws on the
ally eradicated from the empire (and nearly the reservoir of power the box creates and the end
world, given the size of that nation). But they with the runic symbol glows a bright hot white.
agree the inquisitorial attacks by the wizards, One may only brand a creature whose move-
upon the sorcerers and druids in the pre-Exile ment is 0, as any significant moving about ruins
years, were a catalyst for the fear and hatred of the attempt. Applying the brand requires an
magic—as practiced by those not of the Faith— Athletics check DC equal to the creature’s Con-
that fueled the fire to come. stitution Score, and a full round, ending on the
The Feranima were created as tools of torture beginning of the wielder’s next turn. Hold-
and suffering, intended to force the wild and ing the brand requires Concentration as the
dragon-blooded mages to confess and betray wielder channels the power of the wands into
their kind. After the Purge they were lost. After the brand; losing Concentration results in the
the fall of the Old Empire and the death of the brand not working. Should the creature move
last of the Exile, they slipped into an obscured away during this process, the brand fails.
history—centuries of being lost and found, only On a success, however, the brand will reduce
to be lost again. any Damage Immunity the target has, of the
Attunement requires spilling the blood of a sor- type corresponding to the wand used, to a
cerer or druid upon the lid. Resistance. It will reduce a corresponding Dam-
age Resistance to no resistance. This brand is
SYSTEM permanent, and may not be removed with any-
Once the box is attuned it draws power from the thing less than miraculous or extremely high
surrounding forces—light, heat, sound, motion, magic (wishes, the intervention of powerful
etc.—and focuses all of it into the wands. Should beings, etc.).
NOTES
249 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Feranimus Joiners

Fiddle of the Mad God

“Bold lines, a walnut patina,
craftsmanship that would
impress even the most jaded
artisan. The brass roundels
and pure white gut… truly,
this is a fiddle made for a
courtly musician, my lord. I
can only tell you that it wasn’t
crafted by any mortal hands.
The Fiddle was conjured into
being by The Lord of the Blue
Tower… I shouldn’t say much
more than that;the Fey are jeal-
ous and it is best if we don’t
speak too much of the Lord of
the Blue. His, though, are the
hidden places of the Yanlands,
beyond the setting sun. And
he dropped it into the world to
sow chaos and confusion…
“…oh, that? That’s just my troupe in the woods practicing, my lord. Would you like to come and join
the dance? We float, you see… we all float there…”
APPEARANCE this world. There they grew beautiful and dark

The fiddle takes on the appearance most pleas- kingdoms, always in the periphery of the ones
ing to whomever looks at it. Where a noble we see in this reality.
musician might see exquisite filigree and rich Do the fey kingdoms move ours? Or do the
lacquer, a country entertainer might see strong, changes in our world manipulate theirs?
durable stock and practical brass knobs. Per- Nobody knows, but the Lords and Ladies of
ception DC 15 notices that the fiddle wavers in the Fey Courts and their grand empires harbor
appearance subtly. a jealousy all the same; being shackled to our
ORIGIN world chaffes. And the oldest amongst them,
who remember best the times before the walls
Nature DC 13, History DC 19; Advantage
were erected by the deities and demigods of our
for Arch-Fey Warlocks and anyone with
world, they seethe at their prison in the world
behind the Glass.
Not all fey are mad. Some, and this is true,
After eons of staring at our world, barely and
evolve well beyond what mortals understand
rarely able to touch it, the Lord of the Blue
madness to be. In the aftermath of the First
Tower—one of the oldest of the Arch-Fey—cut
Age, after the wars for control and dominion
out his own heart, and sacrificed it upon an altar
amongst the powers of the world, the Fey were
of his children’s bones, to shatter the Glass. But
chased into the hidden places between places in
250 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Fiddle of the Mad God

the power of the pantheons of gods and god- Concentration as they resist the effects of the
desses is not so easily challenged. He cracked song. Playing without allows them to achieve
the wall between our worlds, and a sliver of the effect without the risk of losing Concentra-
that glass fell into this one. It has no form, no tion, however they become subject to it as well.
true substance, and took its first shape (the one
Playing the fiddle requires a full turn during
it is now bound to) from a wandering minstrel
which the fiddler may move, but take no other
whose name has long since been lost to time: his
Actions. During the first round the song is
own fiddle, which he had thought was lost the
played, all creatures within 60 ft. who can hear
day before
and are not mindless suffer movement penalties
The Lord of the Blue is still dying, groaning his as though moving through difficult terrain, and
last breath on the other side of the Glass. Time this cannot be overridden by any creature, class,
does not pass the same here as there, and his race, or spell effects or abilities. The unsettling
death has lasted millennia. Will last for millen- warp of reality makes it difficult to walk, run,
nia yet to come. climb, swim, or fl on a physical and metaphys-
ical level. The fiddler may elect to stop playing
Attunement requires developing the Flaw
at the beginning of their turn.
“Recklessness.” As the fiddle only plays for
those who truly let go, whether they should or During the second round the song is played, the
shouldn’t. DMs are encouraged to let the player fiddler may bring the power of the song into
know that only through several overt and play to cause all creatures within 60 ft. to have
risky acts of recklessness (involving real poten- movement 0. Any creature wishing to break
tial mortal harm to themselves, or others they free from this hold must succeed in a Charisma
would not wish that on) can one truly change Save with a DC equal to the fiddler’s Passive
their Background Flaw. Performance (10 + full bonus for a Performance
check). On a success, they move as though in
SYSTEM
difficult terrain and cannot be reduced to 0 by
Once attuned, no matter the intention of the the song for 24 hours. On a failure, their move-
player… the song played from the fiddle is ment is 0. They may repeat this check every
always the same: a slow, droning hum, the round, at the beginning of their turn.
soft musical scream of a mad immortal raging
against their captivity and dying alone. Anyone The fiddler may continue playing for up to
hearing this song feels unsettled, unless truly a total of ten rounds; but if they play for all
mindless. If listening for too long, the madness ten, the song ends abruptly, all listeners take 4
of the tune starts to permeate their being. Exhaustion, and the fiddle may not be played
again for one day.
The fiddler may play either with Focus or not.
Playing with Focus requires them to maintain
NOTES
251 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Fiddle of the Mad God

Freell Tarp
Broadways had come to listen very closely to what Quick Bill said. The rotten, lying ne’erdowell was
as likely to take your purse as shake your hand and nobody in the camp gambled with him anymore,
but when it came to delving into the dangerous places, there wasn’t a more self-centered and selfish
bastard in five nations. One thing you wanted out of the guy leading you through dark passages was
that guy having a high opinion on the value of his own life.
More than once, Broadways had been grateful to have the old brigand about. Usually when he found
or uncovered some hidden menace they’d have walked right into.
So, when the lazy old gnome spat his chew on the floor in the middle of the deep and cavernous hidden
temple they’d been exploring, and said that seven quick moving things had just run across that pit
they’d avoided the day before, the old paladin pulled his steel and forgave the bastard for most of his sins.
Whatever was coming would be in for a surprise.
252 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Freell Tarp

APPEARANCE tarp—the sort of thing a traveller might use to

A tarp made of irregularly patched and stitched keep the rain off or make a tent of—though it’s
together pieces of oiled leather with a soft a bit larger than it needs to be at 20 ft. by 20 ft.
cloth backing. Attunement requires the investment of 1 inspi-
ORIGIN ration point spent to the item and maintained
with a similar cost of 1 inspiration per week,
thereafter.
for Rangers and anyone with the Criminal
and Sage backgrounds SYSTEM
Freell Breneshlibidon was a gnomish inventor, Once attuned, the tarp may be folded and kept
more interested than most in practical applications rigid and willed to rigidity. Loosening it again
of arcane technology as it related to the careful requires physically unfolding it and willing it
acquisition of goods not-necessarily-purchased. pliant. The tarp is able to hold its rigidity with
In the thieves guilds and cabals of the Western weight on it up to 150 lbs. per layer of thickness.
kingdoms and cities, his was one of the most For example, one can fold it in half (10 by 20 ft.)
common names when tradesmen and women of and it will stay rigid like a board with up to 300
crime talked shop and compared methods. lbs. on it. One can further fold it in half (5 by 20
ft.) and it will hold up to 600 lbs.
He was, of course, unceremoniously hanged
from the walls of the capital in the seventh year In addition, the owner senses anything touch-
of the reign of Malleus Exile. Nevertheless, ing the tarp as though they had Tremorsense.
some of his works are still around. One can, it should be noted, attune multiple
Thin and flexible, well-oiled and maintained, to tarps… if one were to find them.
the casual observer it would look like a common
NOTES
253 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Freell Tarp

Gambler's Box
It was an addiction.
At least, that’s how it started.
Jain stared at the simple box
by his feet and tried to tune
out the noise and bustle of the
gambling hall. He ran a fin-
ger over the grey and puck-
ered scar that ran the length
of his forearm and did his best
to ignore all the shouts of glee,
and groans of disappointment,
amidst the clatter and clinking
of coins and mugs and dice.
He’d nearly died—he should
be dead. The thought wouldn’t
escape him. He should be dead.
He should be dead. The moment
the thing played its final set,
before Jain could even look up
from the cards, the gaping maw
of a horror from some dark and
perverse hell leapt out at him in
the otherwise still and quiet comfort of his quarters. He barely fought it off, throwing himself out of the
third story window and praying he’d bought enough time.
He had.
It was gone again in moments, and as he laid there on the street with broken bones and a violent gash
ripped through his arm, his heart thudded adrenaline and terror.
For the third time this month, he brought the box here. A den of gamblers and con artists, all. His
conscience wouldn’t let him leave the damned thing somewhere an innocent kid might find it; at least
these men and women knew how to play—had a chance—and besides… they were scum anyway.
Who’d miss them?
It was the third time he’d sat in this hall and contemplated leaving it. But something niggled in the
back of his mind, a voice that might have been its or his… surely, his luck might change, right?
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A plain, clean, unfinished pine box the size of a Arcane DC 16, History DC 19; Advantage for
loaf of bread. Perception DC 17 notices the box Fiendish Patron and Arch-Fey Patron Warlocks,
never quite touches anything else around it. dis- and anyone with the Charlatan background
placed by a fraction of an inch. The Great Powers that hide behind the world—
from the heavens, from beyond the stars, from
254 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Gambler's Box

beneath the firmament—play out their power Attunement requires dipping one’s pointer fin-
struggles against each other, and mortal civili- ger in the blood of a Fiend and one’s middle fin-
zations rise and fall in the balance. Sometimes ger in the blood of a Fey, then drawing a circle
they sow chaos, sometimes they invent new on the lid of the Box with them. Whether freshly
order. Sometimes, they bring war, and some- collected, found, or purchased—or otherwise
times a profitable peace. conjured—does not matter.
But, despite their conflicts being vast and long, SYSTEM
they aren’t strangers to petty personal ven-
Once attuned, the Box can be opened at mid-
geance. It is a fair and great mistake, on the part
night only. Prior to that, it may be opened, but
of mortals, to think they only seek grand designs.
it appears empty.
The Gambler’s Box started its tenure in our
Should any other intelligent creature be within
world as a Fiend’s curse; it conspired with cults
sight or sound of the gambler when they open
and witches and warlocks to create and deliver
the Box, it remains empty. But, when opened by
the Box, passing it to a former follower who had
the owner without any other intelligent creature
turned to a new path. Despite the cost (as such
around, the Box has all the pieces and compo-
beings can only reach our world occasionally, and
nents of a game inside, and the fiend bonded to
with great difficulty), and despite the waste of
the Box is summoned to play. Winning the game
arcane and material resources (in the form of doz-
earns the gambler a prize, losing brings them
ens of the dozens of mortal servants that died in its
closer to unleashing a small hell.
creation), so very much did it lust for its revenge
that it burned most of its power on the Box. If the gambler has an unspent Inspiration point,
the game is random: roll 1d4 and consult the
Though intended to lure the wayward follower
table to see what game the Box reveals that
to it and unleash a hellish creature upon them,
night. If the gambler does not have an unspent
the Fiend failed to account for the follower’s new
Inspiration point, the fiend chooses (and DMs
Patron and its interest in her survival. The Arch-
are encouraged to pick one that is least favorable
Fey, from their vantage point beyond the Glass,
to the gambler). Either way, the fiend remains
perverted the Box and its design. Rather than the
invisible and intangible; they play through their
owner of the box facing the Fiend (and their god-
own form of telekinesis and cannot be the target
like power) in a test of wills and wits—one which
of spells or effects.
the owner would doubtless fail—the Box would
summon a lesser fiend. In this way, the games Whole Bones - The Box contains irregular bone
would be more amusing and their newest min- dice, and the first to roll a total value of 7 on 2d6
ion greatly advantaged to win. wins. The fiend begins the game by rolling 2d6.
The dice float out of the box and jangle together
The enmity between the Fiendish and the Arch- with a dull clicking sound before they are
Fey is a history of twisted, chaotic, and brutal dropped into the open Box. Because the bone
betrayals. Mortals would do well to avoid them. dice are lopsided and roughly hewn, a skilled
D4 GAME AND DESCRIPTION
1 Whole Bones - a game of pure chance using dice
2 Dragonchess - a game of intelligence and strategy
3 Portents - a game of deception and misdirection
4 Thanty - a game of perception and attention

legerdemain artist could manipulate the roll. Proficient in Playing Card Sets, they may make
With a successful Sleight of Hand check, DC their Save with advantage.
equal to the Passive Perception of the fiend (18),
Thanty - Three three bent cards appear in the
the gambler may change the value of their roll
Box, and the game is played on the lid. One
by their Dexterity modifier. Should the check
card is the black dragon and two are white chal-
fail, the fiend notices and the game is forfeit;
ices. The cards are turned over, face down—the
the gambler loses, and a disembodied chuckle
backs are a distracting whirl of colors and light
of disapproval can be faintly heard. Should
meant to entrance. The fiend moves the cards
the fiend roll 7 before the gambler, the gam-
around, beside, over, and under each other at
bler loses. Should the gambler roll 7 (assisted
a faster and faster pace for 10 minutes. At the
by their Sleight of Hand or not) before the fiend
height of the flurry of motion, they stop with the
does, they may treat the roll of any d6 the next
cards lined up—side by side. The DM should
day as an automatic 6 without having to roll it
write a letter on an index card—either an L, M,
(this is declared before they have to roll). They
or R—and keep it secret: this is the true location
can grant this automatic 6 to someone else by
of the black dragon. The gambler should roll
having them touch the Box at any point that
a Perception check. For every 10 on the result,
day. If it isn’t used, it goes away at midnight. If
they get one guess at where the black dragon
the gambler is Proficient in Dice Sets, they may
is (for example, if their check is a 13 then they
make their Sleight of Hand with advantage.
have one guess, if their check is a 28 then they
Dragonchess - An illusory (but very real-feel- get two guesses). If the total of their check is
ing) set of ivory and bloodstone pieces appear under 10, they automatically fail, having been
in the box, and hovering above it is a similar led to answer incorrectly by the fiend through
illusion of the familiar round and checkered deft movements. If the total of their check is
board. Over the course of an hour, a game is at least 30, they automatically succeed. After
played by the gambler and the fiend. At the end their guess, or guesses, the DM should flip over
of that hour, the gambler rolls an Investigation the index card. If the gambler got it wrong,
check, DC equal to the Passive Deception of the they lose the game. If they get it right, they are
fiend (18). If the check fails, the gambler loses. If immune to the Blinded condition for the rest of
the check succeeds, the gambler is advantaged the next day. If the gambler is Proficient in Three
on Investigation or Deception checks for the rest Dragon Ante Sets, they may make their check
of the next day (they must choose one, however, with advantage.
when they win). If the gambler is Proficient in
Every loss by the gambler adds a counter to
Dragonchess Sets, they may make their Investi-
the Box, indicated by a deep gouge in the lid.
gation check with advantage.
When there are more losses than gambler’s cur-
Portents - A simple deck of cards appears in the rent character level, the fiend materializes and
Box, and the game is played on the lid. Portents may take a full turn before initiative is rolled
is a game of skepticism and bluffing, and the use for combat. Their CR is equal to the gambler’s
of illusion is a legitimate part of the game. The current character level and is not bound to a
goal is to make your opponent select poor cards particular form; DMs are encouraged to select
from the face up piles either by insinuating fiends, devils, demons, etc. as they will for the
and maneuvering your own play to fool them fiend to manifest as (so long as the CR is cor-
or outright masking the true card’s value with rect). The fiend is permitted to escape its prison
magic. The game takes two hours to play. At the for as many rounds as the gambler’s Proficiency
end of the game, the gambler makes a Wisdom Bonus, after which it returns to the Box, the
Save, DC equal to the fiend’s Passive Wisdom count returns to 0 for losses, the gouges vanish,
(19). Should the Save fail, the gambler loses. If and the Box unattunes.
they succeed, the gambler may auto-succeed at
one Wisdom Save the next day. If the gambler is

Goodfellow Edge
Gwendolyn held the mask in
her hands and cried.
The rest of the fellowship were
sleeping, but she told them
she’d take the watch and spent
the time finishing the stitch-
ing. In truth, she needed most
of that time to settle herself.
She stared into the empty eye
holes, holding it in such a way
that she looked it directly in the
face. The hairline was straight,
better than she’d ever done
with socks or dresses in her for-
mer life as the eligible daugh-
ter of the great Baron dul Rath.
The knife saw to that, too, it
seems. Unmaking a person as
well as making one.
If the Keyholder or Weilon of
Kor woke and saw her with the
mask—saw how she had to create it—she was done for. It was all she could do to hide the excesses of
her Pact from them. She didn’t want to, but they wouldn’t understand.
They had hints, of course, but vague hints of her Patron were safer than knowing. If they knew what
she’d done… what she’d had to do…
The thought shamed her, and doubly so as she realized how normal it all seemed now. She no longer
had bad dreams of the things she’d done, and enjoyed the fruits of them more and more. That’s what It
wanted, It even told her that this would happen. She hadn’t believed It. And that was sad, a sadness
that wouldn’t leave her.
She slipped the mask on, felt the warm kiss and embrace of the Master of Revels, and her crying turned
to joy and her sadness to a madness that felt like springtime and tasted like whatever kissing a god
must taste like.
The Keyholder woke first, as always, and frowned at the gruff, unshaven mercenary standing watch
over by the fire.
“There’s something… unnatural about that, Gwen.” he said as he slipped on his socks and rubbed the
sleep from his eyes. He didn’t approve of this sort of thing, however she did it.
Gwen, her voice deep and gravelly with that same Western accent that mercenary had, laughed and
smiled.
257 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Goodfellow Edge

“Lighten up, Burton,” he hated when she called him by his old name, “You just miss my irresist-
ible… mmm… self. Maybe I’ll stay this way, huh?” She lewdly joked and chuckled while grabbing
her crotch. Others, waking, laughed along with her. That Gwen, always full of life and mirth. Not a
care in the world.
APPEARANCE In a desperate act of love for the creatures and

A seamstress’s trimming knife, a hooked blade things that lived and breathed, the angelic figure
no more than a few inches long, thin and sharp fell from the heavens in a screaming comet and
for ripping seams and paring away overhangs. levelled the mountains that once towered over
The handle is a deep black with a beautiful the lush grasslands of the South—only desert
pattern of silver lines wrapping around it in a sands and cruel, starved trees have ever grown
swirling pattern. there since. And, in the middle of it all, the giant
charred husk of a herald of glory still clutches
ORIGIN its message in one hand: ”The Changer lives.”
Only one cult, now long since extinct, ever fol-
for Warlocks and anyone with the Hermit
lowed the Changer-of-Ways. All lost to mad-
background
ness and despair. The Goodfellow Edge, a hum-
The Changer-of-Ways is gone. Whatever It was ble looking tool and the only existing horror
and whatever Its wants, all was lost to even from those warlocks, is also the sole remain-
folklore and myth thousands of years before ing artifact of the Patron exiled beyond the
the coming of the great nations and civilization. Planes themselves.
Neither fey nor fiend, not a god nor a great out-
Attunement requires speaking the true name of
sider, It swallowed whole many of the powerful
the Changer. DMs are encouraged to consider
divine and dimensional creatures mortals now
the difficulties of learning about a Great Power
worship or follow. The last reference to It came
even the other Great Powers fear to name, and
in the form of a warning from one of the holy
the consequences for a world where such a crea-
servants of the Most High.
ture is heard of again.

SYSTEM This becoming changes the owner’s appearance

Once attuned, the owner may use the Edge to to the original person’s—not as an Illusion, but
temporarily become another person. physically; they change height, skin tone, hair
color, build, etc. Any scars, tattoos, or other
By carefully using the Edge to cut the face from
physical essentials to the person are made real.
a living humanoid—around the jawline, behind
Their voice changes to that of the original per-
the ears, along the hairline, etc.—the owner may
son, including accents and common idioms they
remove it and keep it with them. This scrap of
may have said often. Their race changes (DMs
face is warm to the touch, it twitches and moves
are encouraged to select one item from the orig-
silently, all the signs of being somewhat alive.
inal person’s race as a trait the owner now has
The owner may keep a number faces in this
and remove one from the owner’s own race;
manner equal to their Proficiency Bonus.
this may be an Ability bonus change or other
The person it is taken from may well die after- inherent trait at DM’s discretion).
ward, but so long as they are alive through the
As long as the original person is still alive, the
process of their face being removed the magic
owner is advantaged on any Ability checks both
works. Should they live, however, the magic of
they and the person whose face they are wear-
the Edge prevents any arcane, divine, or other
ing are Proficient in.
spellwork from regenerating or regrowing their
missing face. Removing a mask takes 1 minute and the owner
must make a Dexterity Save, DC the number of
When the face is sewn into a proper mask—to
hours they’ve been wearing it. On a failure, the
make it wearable—the owner may take 1 min-
face and mask are ruined and cannot be mended
ute to careful don it (lining the eyes and mouth
or used again. On a roll of a 1, the mask can-
and edges up just right) and steal some of the
not be removed short of miracles or high level
true being of the person whose face it was.
magic (like a Wish) and the Edge cannot casts
off its attunement, and cannot be re-attuned.
NOTES

Harp of Cerwyn Ebonflowerwood

“Stop it!” the rot-toothed
thing screamed in a voice made
of equal parts whales-humping
and whiney old woman.
“But,” Flynn mused as he
plucked another string, “I’m
not done with the…” he
paused for dramatic effect so
obviously that everyone else in
the room—including the other-
wise terrifying wights giving
his friends a’whoopin’—rolled
their eyes in consternation.
And still pausing.
And one more pregnant beat.
“…accompaniment!” he
jabbed with a cocked eyebrow
and ruthless bon vivance.
The lichling howled in fury,
called down a dark spell woven of deep entropy and the stuff of nightmares, and as the crackling pur-
ple and black lightning arced out from its body, Flynn plucked a minor G. The room exploded in light.
APPEARANCE great effect. His signature achievements were

A serving-platter sized stringed instrument isolated to helping sailors and ships’ mates with
(something between a half-harp and lyre), in scrolls to mend this or move that. A good busi-
grey ironwood with shining metal strings. Per- ness, and it kept him away from his family of
ception DC 15 notices the strings are white gold. ill-repute.
However, he had a secret love for music, and a
ORIGIN
never-fulfilled desire to see the world as his fore-
bears never did. His Harp was his failed chance.
for College of Lore Bards and anyone with
the Urchin background The Harp is made in the style of the old Free
Cities. Attunement requires proper tuning of it
Cerwyn Ebonflowerwood—of the Renoa Ebon-
(Performance check DC 20) and taking at least
flowerwoods, half-elf bards and brigands and
a short rest that’s spent picking and plucking to
ne’er-do-wells of the seas and shanties—was
feel it’s quirks. After, the marvelous thing grants
the only progeny of that clan to bother with the
the player a transformative power.
proper study of the arcane arts, and that to no
260 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Harp of Cerwyn Ebonflowerwood

SYSTEM
When within 30 ft. of a spell being cast (this D10 TYPE
doesn’t include spell-like abilities some mon-
1 Acid
sters have, like Dragon breath weapons or the
natural psychic and magic damage of Mind Cold
2
Flayers, for example), the player may use
their Reaction to play a chord of such power- Fire
3
ful delight and enormity to change the damage
type of that spell as it comes into being. 4 Force
The player must make a Performance check
against the spellcasting Save DC of the caster 5 Lightning
and if successful they may change the type of
6 Necrotic
damage (or one of the types if more than one)
to another type of damage randomly (roll 1d10
7 Piercing
and consult below table). If using an Inspiration
Point while attempting this (declared before the Poison
8
roll), the player may (on a success) pick the type
of damage instead of it being random. Radiant
9
10 Thunder
This ability does nothing to spells without a

damage type.
NOTES
261 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Harp of Cerwyn Ebonflowerwood

Hurricane Gallichon
“The storm had come, and
come and come,
As the old people said it would,
with their oft-wrong stories,
And we, none, took serious—
for were they not wrong so oft?
Nothing left in its wake, our
doubt was no shelter”
—the Bard of Gilleland
APPEARANCE It once brought a harmonious peace, its sound

A lute made of cyrewood, splotchy-grained and was the crisp and thriving tone of music in
hardened with age. motion and melody light on the breeze. Now,
however, its sound is muted and quiet, the
ORIGIN brightness in its strings given way to a calm.
Arcane DC 11, History DC 15;, Advantage Little is known about where it came from, but,
to College of Lore Bards and anyone with in the years after, it was carried by a wild mage
the Entertainer background to comfort his sanity as he walked through the
The Hurricane Gallichon was made before the harrowing lands beyond the mist.
great cataclysm and is now a faded and ghostly Attunement to the gallichon requires a day of
grey, almost as though the wood itself had pet- careful meditation and never speaking above
rified, though it doesn’t feel stoney or espe- a conversational tone: speaking too loudly on
cially hard. purpose will break this attunement.
262 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Hurricane Gallichon

SYSTEM and make a Performance check. The total of the

Attuned, the instrument brings a quiet and calm check represents the percent chance the instru-
to an area, like the eye of a storm. Using a Reac- ment casts Counterspell or negates (entirely) a
tion, one can strum a tuneless melody through Wild Magic Surge about to happen.
the gallichon and attempt to counter a spell or If spending an Inspiration Point after the check
Wild Magic surge. To do this, use a Reaction is made, the percentage chance is doubled.
NOTES
263 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Hurricane Gallichon

Kortholt of the Brigh Delac

“The Congregation wiles and
pomps,
For ever day and shine again,
When Revelrie and Revelire,
Set to dance the feet of men,
The king! The king! In tally
grey!
No clever boy denies the fey.
While the song pipes on and
on,
And while the lights burn
bright and strong,
And breathless servants play
along,
There’s no time left to die
today.”
–written in blood in the under-
jail of Kremen Hold
APPEARANCE He brought wild song and wild fire, started

A wind instrument nearly fifteen inches long, wars and genocides that ended with the death
as thick around as a lady’s wrist. The body is of a god. Such are the games the Great Pow-
a pale, bone-white stone with ribbons of gold ers play.
twisting their way down the length. In the eons since, the fey have locked him away
in their own realm behind an adamant wall of
ORIGIN
lightless black stone where most of his power is
checked. Not all beyond the Glass are evil, not all
seek the ruin of mortals—though their motives
are nevertheless inscrutable to our minds.
The Grey Dancer, an Arch-Fey of the Near Twi-
This prison held perfectly, until the rise of the
light Courts, brought blood and madness to the
gnomish kingdoms in the Third Age. Peering
freeholds of men and dreaming things during
into the world at the artificery of the gnomes,
the Seventh Falchion of the Lording. The care-
their brilliance and innovation, the only son of
lessness of those that kept safe our world led
the Dancer—Brigh Delac—crafted the Kortholt
him to turn dozens of cities and villages into ter-
and imbued it with arcane powers discovered
ror-filled chaos for half-an-age.
264 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Kortholt of the Brigh Delac

by the tinkerers he watched through his scrying SYSTEM

mirror. When Delac was conjured from the fey Once attuned, the instrument grants the player
realm by a cabal of warlocks, he presented the a form of limited and temporary immortality.
instrument to them as a token of respect from So long as the player spends a full round play-
his lord father, and into the world the Korholt ing, and so long as they continue playing and
went. taking no other action, they cannot drop below
Attunement requires playing a full Revelrie for 1 hp. They can move as normal, but the song
fey creatures. This takes one hour in the com- cannot be interrupted (teleportation, changing
pany of at least three of them, delighting and forms, etc. likely interrupt the song) to keep this
pleasing the audience on a Performance Check benefit.
DC 20. Should the d20 show an odd number, Should the player be attacked while playing and
the Revelrie turns into a Revelire and the joy take damage that would reduce them below 1
turns to anguish and rage and madness and hp, all damage beyond the amount required to
blood. The fey won’t attack the player, but their bring them to 1 hp is ignored, but the player
madness causes them to seek out any other vic- must make a Concentration check as though it
tim for their dark designs. On a failure, they were all taken. If the player loses Concentration,
are unimpressed, and teasing the fey may not The Korholt ceases to work until midnight.
be wise.
All the damage ignored in this way instead
thunders and pounds against the obsidian
prison of the Grey Dancer. One day, when
enough is applied, the walls will shatter. DMs
are encouraged to consider the implications of
an Arch-Fey bent on genocide of his kind being
released into the worlds.
NOTES
265 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Kortholt of the Brigh Delac

Lesserie Lute
It gave Prence dreadful head-
aches every time, but then
again… why would the gods
have given us wine if not for
the pleasure of headaches?
That sounded almost wise.
He’d have to (ouch) remember
that one.
Kendra charged forward,
ancestral Sword of Whate-
veritwas held high. The Tat-
tler strode forward, Book of
Thingsandsuch in front of him
like it was a holy relic. Shorty
Shortpants—-he name escaped
Prence for the time being—
dug his heels into the dog he
was riding and hollered the
name of some place that was,
no doubt, stupid and pointless.
Prence, however, closed his eyes (damn, that was a bad headache) and strummed lightly, content to
let the great and small do their whatever. He missed the College, not half so full of themselves there as
these “adventurers.” The giant, lumbering horror lurched forward—its skin blotched and rotting, its
face a slack of unthinking hunger.
It even (oh, word) smelled horrid. Still, however, while the group pressed on with the cutting and
slashing and poking and screaming and lights and whatnot, Prence just plucked about with his lute.
Waiting.
As the enormous undead monster raised up, screaming its rage against the scratches and nicks and
burns it’d been given, Ponce grinned widely, raised his hand, and strummed a chord that blew its
head clean apart.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A broad lute with a deep redwood bowl, a bright Arcane DC 14, History DC 16; Advantage
oiled birch neck, and strings of several different to College of Lore Bards and anyone with
materials: platinum, silver, copper, steel, brass, the Entertainer background
and gut. It is a garish looking instrument. The Lesserie Lute is a delicate, arcane wonder.
Created during an almost enlightened age, back
before the rise of the Eastern Kingdoms and
their brutal notions of civil order and security,
266 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Lesserie Lute

the Colleges of Lore collaborated on an explo- audible and well-projected sound (screaming,
ration into the power of harmonics. Specifically, roaring, loudly growing, talking, etc. but not
on creating devastating arcane effects from the whispering or humming or purring). While tar-
potential dissonance of countermagic. geting them, the Lute shifts tones and textures
It wasn’t enough that they studied counter-spell- to a harmonic accompaniment to the target’s
ing and anti-magic, that might have been accept- sound. The player need not be able to see the
able to the Schools and Academies of arcane lore target, only hear them.
that used to dot the coastal cities along the whole During that targeted creature’s next turn, if
stretch of the East. No, instead they sought to they continue to make vocalized and audible
push the boundaries of both and create forces sounds—even if briefly—the player may use
that would actively release raw arcane power in their Reaction to twist the harmony into a dis-
the collision of magical phenomena. sonance that shreds the fabric of reality around
For this, and other less academic reasons, the the target.
wizards and mages petitioned various gover- The DM should roll 1d20, with the result as the
nors, kings, and courts to ban the Bardic stud- target number. The player then must roll 1d20;
ies of those institutions. The political squabbles should the two match, the target takes a num-
were one of the key factors in the fall of virtu- ber of Psychic damage equal to the player’s Pas-
ally all such collegiums—even amongst the wiz- sive Performance (10 + the full bonus for Per-
ards—by the beginning of the Third Age. formance checks). Every round before this that
But, the Lesserie Lute survives—named for the the player maintained their playing on the same
city of its birth, now long since turned to ruin. target, without using their Reaction, the range
for what counts as “matching” increases by 1 in
Attunement requires playing the lute in the
both directions
style of the Lesserians for a few minutes. DMs
are encouraged to make it a challenge for the For example, if harmonizing for two turns on the
would-be player to find appropriate music or same target, and then using their Reaction, the
guidance to duplicate the style of a culture now player rolls 1d20 and the result is 14. They may
dead for so long. then count all numbers with two steps of what
they rolled as “matching”: from two less than
SYSTEM their rolled number to two higher—so 12-16
Once attuned, and so long as the player keeps would count as “matching” the DM’s result.
the Lute tuned each morning (requiring a care- Should the player roll a 1, however, several
ful ten minutes of focused effort, only possible if strings on the Lute snap under the weight of
Proficient), one may use it for the rest of the day the power it is channeling. Both the player and
to unleash truly devastating forces. the target take the Psychic damage and the Lute
Any turn during which the player uses an Action will need to be re-stringed before using it again.
to play the Lute, striking just the right harmony DMs are encouraged to consider the difficulty
with the sounds and noises going on around of finding some of the types of string.
them, they may target a creature vocalizing any
NOTES
267 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Lesserie Lute

Rodings Bench
“Master Blakk, I assure you,
this is our finest.” the pale-
faced elven shopkeeper stood
and bowed, seemingly at the
same time, in a graceful dis-
play of respect and expectation.
His grey hair still had a few
shocks of yellow, and the large
glasses he wore served to make
him seem far younger than he
likely was. Blakk appraised
him as much as the box. The
magewright had to be north
of two-hundred; that said as
much about the quality of his
work, the longevity of his busi-
ness, as the fine chest’s wood-
work did.
It was three feet high, stained an almost purple-red with a hol-oil and walnut mix. Pinned in oak. The
corners braced with bronze chaffing. It was beautiful, there wasn’t a doubt.
“And inside… while it will not replace a proper forge, foundry, and libricum? It will serve for most
purposes.”
As the old elf unlocked the box, opening it like a flower to the sun in the morning—its hinges silently
swinging wide and the unfolding of the shelves and levels quiet and smooth and certain—Blakk
smiled. It was perfect.
APPEARANCE guarded) design from some of the finest artifi-

A heavy trunk with fine decorative steel corner cers in Greyghast, the bench is named after Hox
moldings, eighteen inches wide as well as deep, Rodings—who made his living as an indepen-
and nearly three feet tall with thick leather dent artificer to several mercenary groups in
straps on the back. the wars.
Once opened (a simple lock and key are pro-
ORIGIN
vided), the interior unfolds mechanically—with
spring steel, gears, and strong hinges—into a
for Transmutation School Wizards and
workbench 6 feet wide and nearly 2 feet deep
anyone with the Guild Artisan background
with numerous shelves and alcoves rising above
A Rodings Bench is more than a portable Tin- the work surface. A tiny forge is set into the left
ker’s Tools or Woodcrafter’s table. Far more. alcove, the heat from it encased within its own
The trunk never weighs more than 100 lbs. Brentine field, with an aperture large enough
Based on a two-hundred year old (and carefully to move an object into and out of it (provided
268 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Rodings Bench

its no larger than a grown man’s forearm); on or be content to hunch over it while standing.
the right is a series of clamps and vices over an Its real utility is in its ability to reduce the time
adamantine plate shaped to the size of a small needed to craft objects once one is attuned to
anvil-top, allowing one to hammer and bend it. Attunement requires the creation of five dif-
and fix objects in place for brute manipulation ferent items using the various represented tools
or arcane infusion. (something alchemical, something wooden,
something with leather, etc.). Once done, the
The shelves are lined with pillhide, providing a
bench is attuned.
soft and secure grip on glass and clayware. The
underdrawers are partitioned for reagents: liq- SYSTEM
uid, solid, even gaseous. For the attuned owner, then, the gold (and, sub-
The whole bench is a magnificent set of Alche- sequently, time) required to craft a magical or
mist, Poisoner, Tinker, Woodworker, Arcanist, mundane item is reduced by 20%. It can only
Jeweler, Leatherworker, Smithing, and general craft appropriately sized objects (the forge, for
crafting Tools as well as an enormous spell com- instance, can only handle things roughly a foot
ponent pouch. It is magically durable (objects and a half or two feet long, while the bench
inside the bench, when stored, are invulnerable couldn’t be made to build a suit of plate armor)
to external forces), and, even if tumbled vio- and only up to Rare scarcity.
lently, the contents inside never shift out of the It cannot be placed within any magical hold or
place they were in when closed up. other-planar storage space.
It takes thirty minutes to pack or unpack the
bench, and one must have their own seating
NOTES
269 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Rodings Bench

Rotool of the Fletch Sender

Hildie watched them have at
the door. Legs crossed, sitting
demurely, trying not to laugh
and hurt their bruised egos.
Manus pounded at the door
with his warhammer, scuffing
and then denting the haft, curs-
ing in that prudish way he had;
the Bitterbalt twins tried shov-
ing, then incanting, and even-
tually just blasted it with fire in
a futile attempt to burn it down
(centuries old, four inch thick,
oak is not so easily dismissed).
Even the Scrimmage-of-Power,
their lofty and pretentious wiz-
ard, found his incantations to
be less than sufficient.
She let them take the time,
watched them fail, and eventu-
ally when they all gave up and
looked to her for help, she let
them have it.
Standing up, and pulling a
bizarre device from her pack,
the tiny Rogue elbowed them
all out of the way. “Next time you guys want to make fun of my kit, remember… none of you know
anything about doors.” A slam of the metal rod, a crack, and the oaken door broke wide open to the
frustration of most of the crowd.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A strange tool that looks like a combination of a Arcane DC 17, History DC 21; Advantage
gardener’s spade, crowbar, and metal crossbow for Wizards and anyone with the Guild
covered in haphazardly placed runes and sym- Artisan background
bols. Perception DC 15 notices the crossbar is The Rotool is one of the cleverest inventions of
pure adamantine. the Halfling engineer Fletch Maninhollersend-
ingvoll. A complexly enchanted tool, of a design
that took several years to finalize, it’s rare to see
them outside the hands of more adventurous
270 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Rotool of the Fletch Sender

delvers from the young Halfling free states in with crossbeams up to 5′ wide extending from
the North. the arms of the Rotool). Based on specific com-
mand words, known to the attuned owner, the
Attunement requires a developing Proficiency
metal shapes and rebalances itself for the task.
in the Rotool, which may require appropriate
The DM is the arbiter of whether a non-mechan-
Downtime or the Skilled Feat to gain.
ical tool would make a task easier, and if so then
SYSTEM the Rotool is able to shift to accommodate.
Once attuned, the Rotool weighs 25 lbs. and When wielding it for any of these tasks, or
can serve as a pick, shovel, crowbar, chisel, pile, related ones, the owner is advantaged.
grapple, and brace (able to brace a doorjam
NOTES
271 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Rotool of the Fletch Sender

Scorpion Lute
As the Hobgoblin shakhac—
war captain—howled and
pointed… as his men charged,
weapons oiled and gleaming…
as the sheer enormity of being
cornered at last dawned on Sil-
vertongue Songsteven of Scar-
let-town (a name he’d come
up with himself, of course),
he nearly broke himself in half
with laughter. This couldn’t
have been better. Four weeks
tweaking noses in hob country
and the best he’d managed was
a bar brawl and some minor
thank yous from some com-
moners. This, though!?
This was perfect.
Songsteven unpacked his fine
and polished walnut lute, and
tuned it casually while watch-
ing the horde race at him a few
hundred yards off. He looked
behind him at the crevasse and
the river below. At least a cou-
ple of hundred feet. Rocks. Cer-
tain death.
His comrades looked shaken. The Wizard was flipping madly through her book.
A smile, the plucking of a perfect sharp note, and the bard turned to leap magnificently over the cliff’s
edge.
As the wind whipped his hair and cloak back, he could almost make out the shock of his (former?)
comrades as they yelled. He smiled. He hoped they made it through this one; the story would travel
so much better if there were a few witnesses to this daring leap.
He held the lute under him as he fell, laughing madly all the way down.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A gorgeously designed lute, the bowl of which Arcane DC 10, Religion DC 14; Advantage
is painted a swirling pattern of reds, oranges, for Rogues and anyone with the Enter-
and blacks and polished to a mirror-like shine. tainer or Folk Hero background
272 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Scorpion Lute

The Scorpion Lute, in contrast to many won- an average person. The lute is ornate and beau-
drous artifacts of the old ages, is broadly tifully sculpted.
famous. In fact, the name of “The Scorpion
The lute floats in any water or water-based envi-
Lute” has been misattributed to many instru-
ronment, not because it’s airtight or truly buoy-
ments. The stories speak of golden songs from
ant; it simply cannot sink, which says nothing
golden strings that bring fires from the heavens
about the holder being strong enough to hold
or the conjuring of great beings with a brightly
onto it while they themselves are sinking. When
glowing lute.
something harmful is imminent from a direc-
The truth is simpler and less colorful. tion, it simply doesn’t happen on the opposite
side of the lute and reality wraps back around
The God of Chance, in his never-ending game of
that fact with minor pushback on the incoming
lethal roulette with members of the more avari-
source of damage
cious and thuggish bloodlines of Half-Elves in
the East, dropped the lute in the world to tempt The lute, then, when one holds if flat and tucks
them to high adventure and dramatic risks. tightly behind it, is +2 cover (though not a
shield). An inferno on one side of it is simply
Attunement requires playing one perfect A
room temperature directly behind it (though the
chord. No check is required for anyone with
heat blast the lute isn’t blocking is still lethal).
Proficiency in the instrument. For anyone else,
If one were to stand on it and fall 100 ft., one
even ten minutes of careful help from someone
would hit with all the speed appropriate, but
who is Proficient should suffice.
the lute would immediately negate the force on
SYSTEM impact (and no force means no damage). How-
The lute cannot be destroyed. This is it’s only ever, if one simply held it close while falling,
real power. whatever part of the body hits the ground or
isn’t directly over the lute would not be pro-
It is preserved by divine favor, arcane luck, and
tected at all by the instrument.
tightly woven pacts with the skies and the earth.
The lute doesn’t injure back, it simply cannot It cannot be transformed. It cannot be altered.
be injured, and the effect is much like striking a It counts as a magic weapon (though still an
sword against a hard, dirt packed ground. If one improvised one), and the owner could hold up
were to hit a rock wall with it, the lute will be a city’s multi-ton gate of iron if they propped
intact without a scratch, though for the wall it is the lute under it.
like being hit with handheld stones thrown by
NOTES
273 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Scorpion Lute

Shandalplai
“We lost everything, don’t
you understand that you hoke-
jumped layabout!”
To watch the unbridled rage of
a “master of the arcane arts”
was something more than
funny to Pret. Of course, the
quiet permission from his rain-
soaked and weary comrades for
this display of pure frustration
was less funny. Soon enough
they’d get to sniping at each
other and, at the first sign of
trouble, they’d all be well and
truly screwed. Still, the old
tracker just leaned against the
wet tree and paired another
sliver of wood from the stick
he’d been working this last
hour.
Somewhere four hundred feet
down the gully, their wagon,
and everything they had, was smashed and buried and soaked. Still, Pret carved his stick and listened
to the short mage rail against the wind and rain and fate.
“And you just sit there whittling! That’s the gall of it! Why aren’t you helping!?!”
Pret spit over to his right and ran a thumb along the edge of his stick—now resembling a thin but
cleverly cut sword.
“Things out there right now. A few of ’em. Figure I could baby you for the last hour or start doing
something useful.” He stood and twirled his wooden sword, nodding at its weight and balance, and
then dropped into a low crouch and charged into the thick of the trees while something shrieked its
own attack.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A complex woodworking tool with several Change Origin Mechanic to “Nature DC
sharp and well-oiled blades, like a small fin- 16, History DC 21; Advantage for Rang-
ger-plane joined to an angle bore, with a whit- ers and anyone with the Guild Artisan
tling knook on the side. background
274 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Shandalplai

The gnomes of the hill villages north of the SYSTEM

city are well-known for holding onto the older Once attuned, the owner may make weapons
artifacts of their fallen empire. For generations on the fly and much faster with greater effect.
clockwork and tool-making had been mainstays
With a sufficient length of straight wood (which
of their artisan guilds, but a lesser known tra-
could be difficult to find) and an hour of effort,
dition of woodcraft took hold centuries back
one may roll a Dexterity check DC 15. On a
and—while mostly ignored by the master gov-
success, one may craft a one-edged, sharpened
ernors and councilors of their cities and towns—
wooden weapon with the stats of a short sword
they too made wonders.
and half the weight. This wooden sword is frag-
The Shandalplai is perfectly useless as a weapon, ile, and can only survive a number of successful
but magnificently useful in making them. attacks equal to one’s Proficiency Bonus before
Attunement requires earning Proficiency in being dulled and ruined.
the Shandalplai (this may require appropriate The wooden sword is considered a +0 magic
downtime or the feats). weapon that does Slashing damage for all
strikes except the last one (growing more blunt,
the last strike inflicts Bludgeoning damage).
These swords look completely mundane, even a
bit childish, resisting even Divination detection.
Magical wooden swords created in this way
retain their magic for up to a number of weeks
equal to the user’s Proficiency Bonus.
NOTES
275 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Shandalplai

Short Supply of Lavishness
Brand hummed a tuneless old melody that he couldn’t have hoped to have placed, or recalled where
he’d picked it up. The sort of song that was lost to flat notes and rousing cups in any tavern on any
night, but no less enthusiastic for all of that.
“We’re pulling out! Hurry up, for Pete’s sake!”
He could hear Grier shouting in that piping voice of his and soundly ignored it. Setting out on the trail
a half hour early wouldn’t make any difference in the world, but a good pink scrub was positively divine.
Bathing twice a day was only civilized, after all.
APPEARANCE this or that. Perception DC 15 notices it smells

A rosewood box, delicate looking, around the like cinnamon and something a bit sweet, even
size of a two-handed loaf of trailbread, and when closed.
with various bathing supplies inside: a half-bar ORIGIN
of a soft lavender soap, a silkwine kerchief, a
shockingly tiny straight razor, a dish and cover
for Clerics and anyone with the Noble
full of a white powder, and a number of pin-
background
ky-finger-small parchment envelopes of bits of
276 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Short Supply of Lavishness

The Short Supply of Lavishness is one of the SYSTEM

many common artifacts of a tiny cabal of high Once attuned, and upon standing in at least
elves in the far Western forests. Contrary to one foot deep water, the cover opens and the
their counterparts in virtually every other part powder rolls lazily out of the dish, traveling
of the world, civilization found them—and they up one’s arm and neck and flowing into one’s
it—and theirs is a culture that eschewed petty mouth (keeping one’s mouth closed can stop it).
crime and common culture. The soap begins dipping into the water, activat-
Opening the box allows one to rummage ing both the bar and flowing streams of fresh
through and use the items however one wishes, water (no matter what the state of the water is
within reason, however opening it while stand- naturally). The water pours into one’s mouth,
ing in at least one foot of water causes the items the powder works to a gritty froth, the suds
to go to work on the opener. aggressively scrub themselves into the skin, and
the water rinses and cleans. The razor shaves
Attunement requires maintaining a truly aris-
clean any beard, mustache, or stray hair on
tocratic style of living for at least a week, and
one’s entire body below the eyebrows. The pro-
then continuing to do so thereafter to remain
cess takes about 30 minutes and will ruin and
attuned. Basic tents and bedrolls won’t do, but
damage clothes to the point of unsuitability if
exquisite pavilions and furs might. Trudging
worn during this process (including any soft
along a road for days is hardly of class, but a
armor like leather or hide; even magical armors
good horse and master-crafted saddle should
of these kinds).
be fine. DMs are encouraged to keep the owner
well-aware of dipping too long “below their sta- Every two times the Supply is used (it replen-
tion” to maintain attunement. ishes and refreshes itself after a short rest),
remove 1 exhaustion and take 1 inspiration.
Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say.
NOTES
277 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Short Supply of Lavishness

Skirlflute
TEWWWWWEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEE!!!
The sound was maddening and
seemingly without end. Every
time the man in the hat played
the flute something inside of
Lawler died a bit. He could feel
blood seeping from his ear. He
couldn’t quite remember what
day it was today.
T W E W W W W W -
WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
The migraine was intense. He
was crying and sobbing and
couldn’t think past the pain of
the moment.
In a rough, choked voice he
thought he managed to beg—to
plead—to be allowed to answer
any question. If only the sound
could stop…
It must have been a hallucina-
tion (his mind searching for relief
through lies) though, because the
tune came back again.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A small flute, barely larger than a hand, made of History DC 19, Arcane DC 22; Advantage
a charcoal grey hardened clay. The holes along for Fiendish Warlocks and Bards or anyone
the body release a white smoke constantly. Per- with the Criminal background
ception DC 13 notices the flute is always slightly The Fiendish lost the most in the wars for Cre-
warmer than the room to the touch, as though ation, their numbers pared down over the
generating its own heat. course of that bloody Age before the first mortal
thing ever took a breath. Alliances and treach-
eries were common in the titanic clashes above
the firmament, amongst the stars, and behind
the dimensions all folded into each other—the
278 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Skirlflute

only constant being every other Great Power’s SYSTEM

mistrust, fear, and hatred of the Fiends. Once attuned, should the Skirflute be played by
Without allies, given no opportunity to com- any competent flautist (requires Proficiency),
promise, allowed no room for negotiation or the quality of the sound is mediocre at best.
even service, they were cast out of our world to Compared to other instruments of its kind, this
seethe in the dark and organize their complete flute always sounds slightly off in pitch, but not
and total revenge. Revenge against every Arch- jarringly so.
Fey, Outsider, Deity, Old Power, and Entity that But the flautist may use their Action to blow
crushed them beneath the wars and left them to as hard as they can into the Skirflute, forcing
rot in their hellish dimension. every creature with an intelligence greater than
Even amongst other Patrons, none match the 13 that can hear the screech to make a Charisma
incendiary hate the Fiendish have for those that Save, DC 14. On a failure, the creature becomes
stole the world from them. And the Skirlflute is Vulnerable to Psychic damage for a number of
one of the more perfect examples of the cruel rounds equal to half the flautist’s Proficiency
power they wish to unleash through their cult- Bonus rounded down. Should an affected crea-
ists and followers. Its true origin isn’t known, ture be Immune to Psychic damage, it is reduced
only that an underboss of the Fiendish raised to a Resistance; if they have a Resistance, it is
a cabal of warlocks and sorcerers, in the days reduced to normal. The victims of the screech-
before the dwarvish Dominion came to power ing sound feel intense headaches, may end up
in the North, and one of their dark adepts was with ruptured blood vessels about their eyes or
captured and hanged after “conjuring horrors ears, and find it harder to think and focus.
and torment while playing a flute, laughing and Celestials, Elementals, and Fey creatures take
thanking his master for the privilege of service” 1d4 Psychic damage on the beginning of any
(as written in a constable’s ledger, shortly before turn they are within 5 ft. of the Skirflute. The
the entire town was burned to the ground). smoke and heat from it, though barely percep-
Everywhere the Skirflute is found, in this or that tible to mortals, burns its rage into them for the
story from this or that culture, it always accom- sins of their forebears.
panies stories of terrors and fire. After the Skirflute is used, it must be attuned
Attunement requires placing the flute in an again.
intense fire (as hot as a forge) for an hour, with
care to make sure the inferno continues as hotly
as possible.
NOTES
279 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Skirlflute

Sola Scriptura
“Oh, you young idiot, to be
seventeen again! Your whole
life ahead of you! And with all
those possibilities, you decided
to serve the god of laughter and
chance? Are you a complete
moron?
“If you wanted to be pious, you
should have headed—do you
see down the street there? That
big building with the golden
eagle on top? That one? There.
That’s where you should have
gone if you wanted to impress
your family and that girl
that probable spurned your
advances when you realized
what your pecker was for.
“This priesthood ain’t the
kind you write home about,
kid. Our god is a precocious
and, frankly, a jerk; may he be
praised and our fortunes light.
You will be very fortunate to
die with—wait, how much
money do you have? That
much, then. Yeah. If you die
with a penny more than that,
you’ll have made it out ahead. What kind of damn fool joins the Church of Chances? Honestly?
“Eh? What kind of debt? Wait, how much do you owe? On a horse? Lord almighty, boy, bum deal
that—welcome to the brotherhood. I’ll get you a rulebook, but the next decade is going to suck, I’m
afraid. Safest way through, just stick to the book and try not to make any decisions yourself.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A rectangular piece of white doeskin leather Religion DC 19, History DC 23; Advantage
with soft straps around the corners. for Knowledge Domain Clerics and anyone
The Sola Scriptura was one of the last creations
of the magewright Artemis Shoi before the col-
lected faiths of the capital murdered him and
280 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Sola Scriptura

his journeymen by Imperial decree for theft spending an Inspiration and thinking of a ques-
of ecclesiastic secrets. Master Shoi’s only real tion or problem, one may flip the book open
crime was finding a way to communicate with randomly and read from the nearest full pas-
the beings most regard as gods and goddesses, sage. The passage will hold the key to solving
opening a conduit to the Planes far above where the problem or answering the question posed.
these mighty beings ruled and lived. While the
Scripture is often written in archaic languages
few he contacted were surprised that a mortal
and translated repeatedly, to say nothing of
should have found ways to speak with them,
the mythical and folklorish nature of the prose
none were angry and virtually all were amused.
itself. The DM is encouraged to evoke parables,
That didn’t stop the temples and churches from morality play elements, symbolic language, etc.
banding together in a rare display of cohesion, to offer the reader so long as the information is,
petitioning (paying) the crown, and launching a essentially, true.
week-long holy war against the heretics. Such is
The answers found will always be, technically,
the nature of things, so often, between the faith-
true even if the book (and the god or goddess of
ful and their faith.
it) may flavor that information beyond imme-
The Sola Scriptura is a leather book cover, the diate comprehension. A book of devotions to
perfect size and material for wrapping a holy the Goddess of Death, when asked about the
book with convenient cinches and ties to keep it location of an ancient treasure, may open to
attached without damaging the contents. While a strange story about a boy who follows his
wrapped, any book has Resistance to all dam- mother into the afterlife by climbing down a
age types. well, accidentally falling and breaking his neck:
in this case the boy may share the name of a
Attunement, by the bearer, requires genuine
cartographer who once drew a map to the loca-
and proven faith and the holy text of a divine
tion in question, the well may be an actual well
being placed inside the wrap. Possessing divine
somewhere in the world that leads there, or the
powers is sufficient enough, but those without
“accident” may indicate that the place can only
them will be required to perform a true demon-
be found when not looking for it.
stration of devotion.
DMs are encouraged to make the use of this
SYSTEM item less powerful than proper Divination
Once attuned, the holy book inside communes spells, and should not hesitate to have the ran-
with the divine being whom the book is devoted dom passage be the same over and over if nec-
to and allows the bearer to request answers essary. It just has to have truth in it.
to questions, using the text as their guide. By
NOTES
281 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Sola Scriptura

Vessel of Men
“Brother, you should be
proud…” Halbeck grinned as
he heated the pipe and needle
again. He’d been delicately
warming the inks and consid-
ered this tattoo to be his finest
one yet.
“Everyone is going to s***, I
swear. Going. To. S***.” On
and on; he loved the sound
of his own voice, Crawshaw
mused, as the burning and
stinging continued up and
down his back.
I shouldn’t complain, Craw
thought as the needle pricked
him again. He’s good enough
people, him and the brother-
hood. And if tomorrow went
well, the Emperor would favor
him with a reward, no doubt.
Craw wasn’t sure if he could really go through with it, and some of the brothers seemed absolutely
excited to storm the Academy.
It was for the greater good, and he told himself that often, but some of those mages were just kids…
“All done, my man!” Hal beamed at his work and slapped Craw wetly on the back. “Yes, sir, everyone
is going to absolutely s***, tomorrow!” His grin was warm, and Craw would forever remember that
grin with shame and regret.
APPEARANCE advances and discoveries they made were a

A silvery fluid, the consistency of ink, in a large critical factor in the successful centuries of the
clay pot. middle kingdoms.
ORIGIN The Vessel was a regal suit of silver armor,

crafted in the old style of the von Hortenaire
Monarchs, with bold rondels and great, thick
for Eldritch Knight Fighters and anyone
plates inscribed with the royal litany. Worn by
the prince, the hereditary leader of the armies
Before the coming of the Exile Kings, and the of those times by tradition, the Vessel was a
dark age of magic with them, the old kingdoms brilliant symbol riding out amongst the king-
were alive with arcane power and study. Though dom’s soldiers.
reserved for the upper class and wealthy, the
282 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Vessel of Men

However, with the coming of Malleus Exile and Check (with Proficiency) against a DC equal
his Rebellion, no artifact of the old times was to 10 + the Class Level of the person being tat-
safe. The Exiles spent decades eradicating mag- tooed (the Vessel is not easily applied to great
ical influence and invention from their Empire, power). On a failure, the Vessel is wasted and
and they began publicly with the destruction of unusable; one more artifact from ancient times
the Vessel after the fall of the Citadel. and places gone now in the world. If success-
ful, DMs should note, such an attunement is not
Malleus Exile himself, fabled warlord and
easy to later remove.
bringer of a brutal sort of order that lasted cen-
turies, melted down The Vessel while the peo- SYSTEM
ple of the capital watched. The message was The Vessel, once applied, grants the wearer
clear. This new age of men would reject the old, Resistance and advantage on Saves versus
reckless ways of arcane corruption. Malleus spells. However, this also applies to effects
liquified The Vessel with the crown prince still the bearer would benefit from or choose to be
inside it, in a display of power that would be affected by. Any spell that designates a willing
remembered for generations. target or creature. or has a beneficial effect (heal-
What remained of the armor, now a strange, ing, buffing, enhancing, etc.), has a 50% chance
shifting silvery pool, was used by the Exile fam- of failure when targeting the bearer. Should the
ily’s imperial assassins; the power in the armor bearer be one of several people targeted in this
lived, and the people came to fear the men with way, the 50% fail chance applies to the entire
silvery tattoos, perversely named the Vessels spell (targeting everyone). This does not apply
of Men. to Race, Class, Feat, or Ability effects unless spe-
cifically coming from the use of a named spell.
Attunement requires using the liquid to tattoo
one’s body, and the artist must be Proficient For example, Druid Wild Shape is not a named
in Calligrapher’s Tools. It takes roughly eight spell, nor is a Dragon’s breath weapon, but a
hours of application to use enough of the sub- Death Knight’s use of “hold person” or a Flame-
stance for the effect to take hold, at the end of skull’s “fireball” both are.
which the tattoo artist should roll a Dexterity
NOTES
283 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Vessel of Men

Woodsman's Knife
Travel light. Travel fast. That’s
the difference between living
and dying in the wild. That’s
what Faber said, years ago,
and that’s what Wexel took to
heart.
He’d won the knife in a game of
Demon Dice in the low streets
of Renoa. The halfsie that lost
it was awfully mad, that’s for
sure. It took the better part of
a day to figure on what was
so precious about it, but ever
since then ole Wex had been
happy as can be to have it on
his belt.
Let the great bastards of the
world scramble for money and
jewels and load their packs—
the smart money’s on travellin’
fast and light. Just like Faber
used to say.
APPEARANCE was granted one boon—and being the practical

An antler-handled knife, roughly four sort, he asked for a piece of a magical forge hid-
inches long. den within the mine. More as a novelty and luck
charm than anything, truly.
ORIGIN
Years later he’d worked that bit of steel into
History DC 19, Nature DC 22; Advantage
a crude, simple knife, and it’s made its way
for Rangers and anyone with the Out-
through the world ever since.
lander background
Attunement requires visiting the mine the shard
The Woodsman’s Knife was made by a former
came from. Whether anything is left of what
Ranger who took up his luck with the Rock-
was there once is a mystery… it could be thriv-
seeker dwarves and helped with security at
ing operation still, it could be long abandoned
their mine. As a reward for his loyal service, he
to nothing.
284 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Woodsman's Knife

SYSTEM Making a Survival check with the knife, with a

The Woodsman’s knife has only one property, total result of at least 10, the shaft counts as a +1
with an Action and a shaft of wood adequately magical arrow doing Piercing damage for the
straight and sized, the knife can be used to put next two rounds. With a total of at least 20 the
a magically sharp point on the end and imbue shaft counts as a +2. A check total of 30 would
the shaft with true, straight flight as though create a shaft with a +3 bonus. The short-lived
an arrow. magic arrows cannot be preserved for longer by
any spell or effect.
NOTES
285 • INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS • Woodsman's Knife

Chapter Eleven
Rods, Staffs, & Wands
CHAPTER CONTENTS
AEGIAEN SCEPTER … 288 KNOCKSTICK … 310

BANESLAYER … 290 LIGNUM OF AEG … 312
BATTLEWALE … 292 MANIKANTA’S STORM … 314
BLESSED MANY … 294 PASSTAFF OF THE WANDERING
BROTHER … 316
BODY OF POWER … 296
ROD OF DIVINE FAVOR … 318
CORESTAFF … 298
PATTERN OF ETERNITY … 320
EIGHTH WAND OF THE
GOOD MAN … 300 SHANHIGHTER … 322
HOLY ORDER … 302 SOLACE OF CONTINUUM … 324
IRRESISTIBLE WIND … 304 STAFF OF PRIMORDIAL
WINDS … 326
LAMENT OF NAAMAH … 306
WAND OF THE SKY … 328
KEEPER OF RAVIN … 308
NOTES
Aegiaen Scepter
Cormin missed his sister. He hardly
remembered what she looked like, it was
a long time ago, and he forgave himself
(as always) for losing that mental pic-
ture of her. They’d survived the war, the
purge… and he’d been the only one to
survive the bare winter that followed.
She had red hair. She liked climbing trees.
That was nearly two hundred years
ago, and it felt longer. Every sacrifice
made the years seem longer, and even
now—as he stared at his son, foolish
and weak thing that his progeny was—
he was reminded of why he did this.
Reminded of the long game. Reminded
that empires are not destroyed with a
few bold fights, but with the force of the
ages and a will to press on in the face
of difficulty. Especially the difficulties of
his own conscience.
His followers were many, carefully chosen over the generations—brought into the great circle of
being. They knew how he prolonged his life, they knew about all of his children over the centuries.
They honored them. He honored them. The fawn that falls to the wolf is a part of the larger destiny
of the wild.
He would bring the empire to its knees. He was the wolf that leads the pack, the pack would devour
this weak, false, kingdom. He would do it because that was his purpose, and—if he must destroy thou-
sands—then it is to save the whole of the world and all who live or ever will live in it, and not a little
for the redhaired girl on whose bones that salvation was built.
APPEARANCE The druids have more in common with the fey

A two foot long shaft of hewn obsidian, the than most realize: both are inscrutable, hide
glassy surface bearing the marks of being fash- secrets and mysteries, and devote themselves to
ioned by hand with small chipping tools. Per- works that defy explanation. Razing a village,
ception DC 18 notices that, when held near a blessing a king, burning all the trees of a for-
light source, the naturally dark black rock shines est, fighting villains and heroes alike… both are
a translucent shade of deep canopy green. strange and sometimes alien creatures to other
mortals. But that’s where their similarity ends.
ORIGIN
Where the fey serve the whims of their lords
Nature DC 14, History DC 19; Advantage
and ladies and courts, the druids were raised up
to Circle of the Land Druids and anyone
by the inexhaustible will of the universe itself,
288 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Aegiaen Scepter

this Reality, to check the power of those beings By doing so, they lose the spell slot and the
Great and small that would pervert it or shape spell. This means, if bequeathing a cantrip, the
it to their own wants. This world has a will and wielder may not use that cantrip; if bequeathing
a destiny it wishes to fulfill for itself, and the a second-level spell and slot, they lose that spell
druids are the expression of that will and the slot and the ability to use that spell. The indi-
agents of that desire. vidual who is given the spell may cast it them-
selves, as though they were the wielder (using
One of the oldest of those touched and raised
their relevant Spell Save and even consuming
up to hear the call was a lowly farmer (his old
the wielder’s components). The spell may not
name was never recorded), a husband and
be taken back and the spell slot stays with the
father whose fate would have been working the
recipient until the spell is cast (it comes back as
soil as his own mother did, as his forebears had
used). This effect may last as long as the spell
for generations. But the world needed him—
is not yet cast, even if that takes years. If the
why it had to be him, and why it had to be then,
wielder cannot cast spells or does not have slots,
is one of the great mysteries of their kind—and
this ability is simply unused.
Aegias was born.
Second, the wielder may use their Reaction to
His task, his purpose, would not yet be possible
speak a phrase in Druidic (even if not Proficient
for centuries, and so he created his Scepter as
in the language) in response to an ally making
a way to extend his life long enough to serve
an Ability check within 10ft. of the wielder to
it. The stories of Aegias, the horrors and won-
advantage them. By calling on the true words
ders he was said to have performed, are com-
that govern life, the wielder coaxes the target’s
mon to many myths and cultures. Despite many
own body to simply perform optimally. To
mentions of his Scepter, however, very few sto-
the target, it feels faintly as though one is not
ries ever speak of its real power, and fewer still
entirely in control of their own body, despite fol-
know anything of where he came from—or how
lowing through with the action they intended. It
unbelievably long he lived before causing the
is an eerie sensation.
Cataclysm that destroyed what used to be the
City of Praxia, taking him with it. Third, upon the wielder’s death, their body
crumbles into an earthy and fragrant soil. Their
Attunement requires blessing a willing per-
new body grows, instantly, from the person
son with the Scepter. In this act, a connection
they attuned the Scepter with. Their own form
through space and time is made between the
in tears free of the person’s body in a terrifying
wielder and the person. The person must be
transformation, bloody and birthed from the
made aware that they may lose their life, cannot
abdomen. Whatever they had on their person
be magically compelled and cannot be coaxed
when they died remains with their old body
through Ability checks to agreeing. DMs are
except the Scepter, which appears in their new
encouraged to consider the level of dedication
hand. The wielder’s new body is as they were
or selflessness that must be had to be willing to
when they were just past their adolescence, and
give one’s life for another.
begins one level lower than when they died.
SYSTEM If the person attuned with the Scepter is bio-
Once attuned, the Scepter grants three abilities. logically related to the wielder, there is a 50%
First, the wielder may bequeath a spell to chance of gaining +1 to their Constitution score
another. The wielder may remove a spell that (to a maximum of 20). If the person is the wield-
they may cast, from the number they have ready er’s own child, the chance is 100%.
and unused (including the spell slot, if relevant). The Scepter must be re-attuned after a rebirth.
289 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Aegiaen Scepter

Baneslayer
Brother Service gripped the
thin reed in his hand so firmly
that his knuckles—bleeding
and scraped—went white. The
fury of righteous judgment
flowed through him and, in
its power, he felt elation and
pain. That he might die never
crossed his mind, not because
he was certain he would live,
but because he had long given
up the mortal concern of car-
ing for more days in this sad
and brutal world. He lived and
died by his cause and his faith.
And if he were to die here, then
he would simply die here.
The rotted archmage’s tattered
robes flapped and swirled with the gale of energy barely contained within him. It screamed with every
step. He saw Meilla charge in with incantations, her hands dripping with violent energy, and Broad-
ways charge with his greatsword held high. Some small part of him, not yet given over to his cause,
hoped they did survive. Hoped they would live long enough to see another dawn and see love and some
happiness. But, it was a fleeting feeling.
A bright and dark typhoon enveloped him—burning his flesh, rending his skin, tearing his clothes,
breaking his body. He couldn’t quite breathe. He only stared, teeth gritted together, and waited for
either him or it to fall.
APPEARANCE whose sole mission was to find a worthy cham-

A shaft of light, glowing brightly enough to make pion to deliver it to. The Deva’s mission took
a dark room dim. Perception DC 18 notices that her through every corner of the world a thou-
waves of comfort can be felt by being near it. sand times over, over years and decades and
centuries. The speed at which mortals are born
ORIGIN and die is flicker-fast to those whose lives are
Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage measured in epochs and ages, and after nearly
for Light Domain Clerics and Necromancy seven hundred years she feared she would
School Wizards or anyone with the Aco- never find her charge.
lyte background
But new orders and faiths rise and fall, new
The Baneslayer was created by a close cabal of people come and go, and eventually—in the
gods and goddesses, infused with their hopes unlikely tribes of the ancient barbaric ances-
and placed in the hands of one of their favored tors of the Hobgoblin kingdom of today—the
messengers, a Deva of the Middle Orders, messenger found a girl. Hundreds of years of
290 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Baneslayer

ceaseless searching, so long in this mortal world a bonus of two, then the radius is three feet; if
that the Deva knew nearly every inch of it by the bonus is five, the radius is eight. .
heart, and seeing this young girl—only ten—
Any undead creature within the radius of this
was like being shown the Meaning of Life.
light, even in part, loses their Reaction.
Though the messenger had never questioned
her task, it was only then she understood the In addition, the wand allows the bearer to Grap-
scope of its necessity. ple an opponent from a distance using nothing
but focused Divine power. By using an Action
Koriana would grow up to be the Warlord that
on a target within 30 ft., the bearer may initiate
united the first goblin proto-nation, and so
a Grapple using substituting Religion for Ath-
thoroughly cleaned her lands of the influence
letics or Acrobatics. If successful, the target is
of dark magics and vile darkness that it wasn’t
Grappled and an unmistakable and bright shaft
until the rise of the Old Empire that hobgoblins
of light holds them in place. Maintaining it
even had to develop words in their language for
requires Concentration and the bearer may not
undead or necromancy.
move. If they move, or are moved from where
Attunement requires an oath, to those gods and they stand, the Grapple ends.
goddesses still listening, to cleanse the world
If the target is Undead, the bearer is Advan-
of the curse of Necromancy and all those who
taged in this check.
employ it. DMs are encouraged to consider
the consequences of failing a deity, and con- The bearer may attempt to Grapple more than
sider whether any of those who had a hand one target in this way (up to number equal to
in the Baneslayer’s creation even care or are their Proficiency Bonus), but they are disadvan-
around anymore. taged on their check unless all of the targets (not
just one) are Undead. The check is made against
SYSTEM the highest bonus of all those targeted. If suc-
Once attuned, the wand emits a radius of heav- cessful, multiple shafts of light lock the targets in
enly light as bright as a torch for a number of place. If the bearer moves, is moved, loses Con-
feet equal to half-again (1.5 times) the bearer’s centration, or any one of the targeted creatures
Proficiency Bonus, rounded up. For example, if shakes off the Grapple, the effect is lost for all.
NOTES
291 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Baneslayer

Battlewale
Wyatt saw them first and, in
that fraction of a second, he
threw up his ward and stopped
a pitted and jagged axe in mid-
air—only inches from his face.
The rest of the battle was chaos
and screaming.
At the center of it all, Teller
stood boldly, daring the squab-
bling and yipping creatures to
come forward. Wyatt was ever
in awe of her; she was more
than just a warrior, and while
she dodged and weaved around
flimsy and reckless attacks, she
barked out clear orders and
warnings.
“Wyatt, to your right!”
And a quick glance saved the
sorcerer from a heavy club,
whipping through the air
where his head would have
been a moment before. The
others were holding the line
as Teller shouted. She was the
best of them, having taken up
for Brodie after… well, after it
happened. She was the bright
star that guided them. And
Wyatt wasn’t going to let her
down.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A rod of turned oak, stained a deep and bloody History DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
red, with an ivory crown atop it. Perception for Battlemaster Fighters and anyone with
DC 13 notices the color is identical to freshly the Soldier background
spilled blood. In the Fourth Age, when the giants came down
from their cloud-wrapped peaks and waged
bloody war against the Last Exile, the nations
and kingdoms of the world held their collective
292 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Battlewale

breath. An end to the Reign. An end to the dark Attunement requires wielding it during the
power of what the Empire had become. But, entirety of a battle (with no less than fifty par-
despite the odds and in the face of all reason, ticipants, done in service to a cause or objec-
the nations of men fought them back, hounding tive). The gods of war and victory, conquest and
the giants back up their mountains—never to be strength (good and evil ones alike), all bless the
seen again. wielder with insight and authority while wield-
ing the rod thereafter.
The Battlewale was forged to lead armies, and
the rod bears the heraldic marks of the Exile line SYSTEM
of emperors–-conquerors and great generals all. Once attuned, while held, the bearer may use
It was Cora Dantus Exile, sister of the Empress, their Reaction to grant all allies within earshot
who led the march against the giants. Weeks an additional Reaction to use (meaning allies
later, coming down from the peaks with her have two that may be used, normally). Addi-
army, Cora returned with great wagons loaded tionally, this extra Reaction may be used by any
to bear with enormous bloody skulls and pre- who have it to immediately move 5 ft. in any
sented them to her sister: a trophy of conquest. direction. This may invoke its own Opportu-
And, as the people gathered below the palace— nity Attack, however, from enemy combatants
filling the streets to witness Cora’s promotion within range as per normal rules.
to General of the Imperial Armies—Cora Dan-
tus Exile ran the Empress through and toppled This is all accomplished through verbal orders
her body over the ledge. The Battlewale, not yet and warnings from the bearer, if the allies can-
presented to her, was lost in the ensuing chaos not hear them then the power does not work.
and confusion that overtook the royal guards, Should the bearer of the Battlewale fall first in
who battled traitors in their midst, and the riots any combat involving more than three individ-
that ensued. uals, the blessings it bestows vanish and it may
The reign of the Exiles did not long outlast that not be attuned by that person ever again. The
one final treachery in a history of suffering, but Wale respects only the strong.
their standard—the Wale—survives.
NOTES
293 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Battlewale

Blessed Many
“I said, maybe I come over
there and whip your a**, how
about that?!?”
The young pups were barking,
again—new day, new batch of
passers-on-through—and the
inevitable moment over lunch
at the Blackstone Inn when
someone would test their met-
tle against the Stalker. Stu-
pid name, “Stalker,” because
he never stalked anything—
he was just a killer. One very
much gifted with, and gifted
for, the killing.
As Wes ate his mutton, he
tried to ignore the howling of
the adventurous and arrogant.
“Old man! I’m talking to you!
You know, you’re not half so
scary as they say back in Ten-
dale! Just an old bastard with-
out so much as a sword on his
hip. I bet I could come over
there and thump some reputa-
tion out of you, how about it?”
Sighing, and pushing his bowl
slowly out-of-the-way, Wes
took to his feet like every bit the grey-haired bastard he was, slid his empty sheath from the table, and
began holy murder.
APPEARANCE The Many was a solemn creation from the

A two foot sheath of hard worn leather. A thick monastic Order of Eternity—a sisterhood of
smoke seems to fill the hollow of it, occasionally devout priestesses and scholars that made
spilling out and floating downward. study of the flow and forces that govern time
itself. Diviners and scholars during the Third
ORIGIN Age regarded the Order as the foremost mas-
Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 18; Advan- ters of chronomancy in the world, and they
tage for Monks and anyone with the Sage survived the wars and purges of other won-
background derworkers in their now long lost monastery,
294 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Blessed Many

believed to be hidden somewhere still in the bonus (if rolling a 1, it becomes +2; if rolling a
Northern mountains. 2, it becomes +1; etc.). Once it reaches +0 bonus,
the weapon begins to rust and rot away, becom-
The Many was given to their guardian, during
ing useless.
the one year of service that chosen servant would
spend defending the path to the monastery from On a critical hit, the weapon does 1d4 cold dam-
interlopers and those who would do them harm. age to both the wielder and the target as it shat-
It was handed down from chosen to chosen and ters—no other damage is resolved.
regarded as a great honor. The sheer volume and
Only one weapon may be pulled at a time, if
variety of weapons fed to the Many continues to
a second weapon is pulled from the Many,
be a point of arcane speculation to this day.
the temporal magic is disrupted and the item
Attunement requires feeding at least three dif- becomes unattuned to that person forever. DMs
ferent melee weapons to the Many. Any weapon should note that many of the weapons stored
no more than eight inches wide, which is as far in the Many may be from Exotic cultures or
as the mouth of the sheath may stretch, may be peoples long since lost to history, many of the
fed to the Many. Pushing it in, the weapon van- weapons that can be pulled may be too obscure
ishes into the smoke filled cavity. All of these for anyone to be Proficient in at all.
weapons must be without flaw, knick, or dam-
age—in pristine condition.
D10 TYPE
SYSTEM
Once attuned, using a Bonus Action, the owner 1 Club
may grasp the smoke seeping from the Many
2 Dagger
and draw forth a weapon stored inside of it,
randomly selected from all of those ever given 3 Handaxe
to it (see the table below). The space inside the
Many is beyond time, the weapons inside of 4 Quarterstaff
it are in exactly the condition they were when
5 Spear
they were stored, but pull free from the small
wrinkle of spacetime within the sheath. 6 Halberd
The weapon, once pulled, counts as a +3 ver-
7 Longsword
sion of that weapon until the beginning of the
owner’s next turn—it may be used to attack 8 Rapier
as a Reaction only until then. The weapon is
cold to the touch, feels hard and brittle. At the 9 Shortsword
beginning of every turn, the weapon loses 1d2 10 Exotic (no Proficiency possible)
NOTES
295 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Blessed Many

Body of Power
“It won’t work, you know,”
Miles grinned over his half-
eaten capon.
“Oh? Why not?” Walks-In-
Terror hardly glanced his way,
as he drained his third cup of
the night, and snapped his fin-
gers for one of his abomina-
tions to serve him.
“Well…” he seemed to think
deeply, the halfling, “What if I
mastered death?”
His host guffawed in riotous
laughter, spilling wine over half
his dinner and causing his usu-
ally stone-faced horrors to break
into what appeared to be smiles.
“You? Oh, Miles, don’t lie
please. I appreciate your com-
pany, tonight, and adore your
pluck, but only I,” he droned
on in-between gasps of catching his breath (which Miles suspected was simply a matter of habit, as
the creature hardly needed to breathe anymore), “…you know.”
The halfling shrugged and pulled his wand free.
“So, you want to do this, then?” he asked, eyes quiet and face bored.
The ghastly figure at the other end of the table sighed (or whatever that was supposed to be, it sounded
like a wheeze) and pulled free an orb of crackling energy from his robes.
“If we must… I’ll miss your stories, old boy.”
And the world erupted in light.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A shard of glass, nearly four feet long, the whole Arcane DC 18, Religion DC 22; Advantage
length of which shines in shades of purple and for Sorcerers and anyone with the Acolyte
refracts rainbows in the light. Perception DC 14 background
notices that it shows the reflection of no mor- The Body of Power was created by an early sis-
tal face in any of its facets, no matter how it is terhood of the goddess of the River, the font of
turned about. magic that flows through all worlds. The Body
was a symbolic representation of a piece of the
actual body of the deity, passed from the higher
296 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Body of Power

priestesses and clerics to the newer generations be able to return in time to continue a combat. If
of leaders in a complex ritual—in this way, they they let go of Place, they could return in a pre-
kept their Lady with them. In truth, though, it carious or dangerous locale—hanging from the
was a shard of bone the goddess broke off of her- side of a cliff, stranded in the middle of traps, on
self during the wars for Creation. She gave it to the back of a dragon, etc. If they let go of Con-
her favored champion, and bound him with the dition, they return with 1 hp and may roll 1d20:
sacred mission to destroy the gods of death (a on a result of 10 through 20, they are restored
betrayal that her servants failed to accomplish). (shed all their negative Conditions, regrow
The Body, and its original purpose (the destruc- limbs, remove Exhaustion and curses, and gen-
tion of Death itself), was lost for an age but, erally other impairments), but on a result of 1
eventually, drawn back to the loyal mortal ser- through 9 the DM should grant them Vulner-
vants of the goddess. As it always will be. From ability to the the damage type that felled them
there they invented their own mythos, and the for one day (if more than one damage applied,
Body’s true purpose remained a secret—and select the more damaging of the two). This Vul-
rare—shame amongst the heavens. nerability can only be removed with high magic
(wishes, miracles, etc.).
Attunement requires the permanent investment
of one hit point, subtracting it from the owner’s As one invests more and more hit points in the
maximum hp. Once the hp is invested in the wand, one finds their consciousness starts to
Body, it begins to glow a dull purple. slip and the line between the object and their
own form dissolves. At 3 hit points, one can see
SYSTEM and hear from the wand as though using their
Once attuned, the wielder of the Body may invest own eyes and ears (this is not activated, this is
up to 10 hit points in the wand. This may be done on all the time, so be mindful of stowing it away
at any time, all at once or in portions over time, in a remote and dark place as one might incur
but any hp invested may not be withdrawn. penalties with Perception using their actual
Upon death—failing the last Death Save—the eyes and ears). At 7 points, one’s mind is so dif-
wielder may call upon the Body to resurrect fuse across the Flow that one is advantaged on
them (though, preferring to pass on from this Intelligence Saves versus magical effects. At 10
life, they may choose not to). points, the wand may hold an additional Inspi-
ration point (in addition to the normal one per
Each hit point invested in the Body grants a 10%
character) and the wielder loses one Proficiency
chance of success when being called back from
earned from their Background, permanently.
near death; at 10 points invested, this becomes
a 100% surety. The wielder of the Body may The Body automatically prevents any other
choose two of three Factors for their return, the attempts at magical resurrection. Note that this
DM selects the third from the table below. does not mean Revival.
The DM is encouraged to consider the risks in Divorcing the Body of Power can only be done
whichever Factor the wielder leaves to chance. by divine intervention, either directly by gods or
through their servants. Once unattuned, it can-
If they let go of control over Time, they may not
not be re-attuned by the same person.
FACTOR DESCRIPTION
The wielder may return at the time of their choosing (at any point in the next
Time hour, even immediately)
The wielder may return at the place of their choosing (anywhere within sight
Place of their body)
The wielder may return free of Conditions, loss of limb, damage, Exhaustion,
Condition curses, and other impairments
297 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Body of Power

Corestaff
“He’s coming pretty fast, can
you hurry up a little?”
“I said don’t rush me! It’s not
like they wear signs around
their neck about this sort of
thing! This would be a lot
easier if I could examine it
closely for even a few minutes,
Pravin.”
“He’s going to eat us alive!
There is no ‘for a few minutes!’
Just give me your best guess!
Hurry!”
“Shshhh… alright… so…
maybe 35 yard tip to tail, eight
prominent horns arranged in
a sapphire pattern, so it’s a…
maybe a Svimozian variety…”
“Pravin!”
“It’s important, they grow
large quickly, more quickly
than you’d think! So, given its
mass and speed and color…
Maybe just over two-hundred
years old?”
“Are you sure?!?”
“No! I am NOT sure. Oh! Oh, it’s quite fast isn’t it?”
“Fine, be quiet. I need to concentrate. Two-hundred… 35 yards… horns… home… please let this
work.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A long, knotted staff of thick vine as hard as old Arcane DC 22, History DC 25; Advantage
oak, polished down by hand and use over the for Abjuration School Wizards and anyone
years. It stands as high as a tall man and has with the Hermit background
aged to a bleached light grey. The Corestaff was created by Willum of Oaths,
an Abjurer from the young kingdoms of the
northwest centuries ago. A court wizard in his
youth, he retired to a distant and quiet rural
298 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Corestaff

land after nearly forty years of service to the By using a Bonus Action and spending 1 charge,
Naswan Queen. Willum’s life was quiet after- the staff-bearer raises the ward—its size deter-
ward, his studies into the secrets of protection mined by how well they know the creature they
and life benefited the hamlet that came to know wish to block.
him as “the old man” well.
The player must correctly guess the Type, then
But, in his 70th year, a dark cataclysm came—a Alignment, then maximum hit points, and then
pestilence spread by a dark mage designed to name of the creature (the DM is encouraged to
set the stage for a great ritual to a nightmare write these down on an index card and set it
from beyond the stars. Some stories feature a aside before they guess, to keep it fair). The first
hero, reluctant or not, who races out to fight correct answer creates a 5 ft. wide by 10 ft. tall
the monsters back. But Willum’s story was wall, faintly wavering but perfectly clear (like
one of failure. The village was destroyed, the the surface of a pool of pure icy water). The wall
land blighted. is is impassable to material and magical objects
and effects.
Willum of Oaths spent the rest of his life hav-
ing nightmares of that time. His failure weighed While this faintly empyreal wall is between
heavily upon him. His last desperate act was the creature in question and the staffbearer, it
creating the Corestaff, hoping to one day find a counts as granting full cover to both. The exact
chance to protect himself and buy him time to dimensions of the wall are difficult (but not
redeem his soul. impossible) for creatures to perceive short of
Truesight; if the creature’s Passive Perception
One must attune to it by expending 10 spell lev-
is greater than 14 they can make out where the
els of Abjuration spells into it. These can be cast
wall ends, but if not then it will largely be a mat-
from one’s own ability, naturally, or from scrolls.
ter of trial and error.
SYSTEM Each correct answer after the first doubles the
Once attuned, the staff serves as a +0 magic width: 1 additional correct answer means it is
weapon (Two-Handed, 1d6 Bludgeoning, Reach). now twice as large, 10×10; 2 correct means it is
The staff has 5 charges (replenishing 1d4 per now 20×10; 3 correct is 40×10. The ward is only
day) and the staffbearer may expend a charge to able to so block the creature in question, for all
call a special ward, which appears and must stay others it is as permeable as air.
adjacent to the staffbearer. A creature, known so
deeply as to know its soul and bones and mind, The staffbearer must spend a charge at the
can be repelled and barred from approaching or beginning of each turn to keep the ward up.
harming the staffbearer by the ward.
NOTES
299 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Corestaff

Eighth Wand of the Good Man

“The world hates you. I hear it.
You think the green is the only
power in the world? You think
the circles and spheres of the
wild are only rich and vibrant
and warm? You. Are. Wrong.
I am the teacher sent from the
Last Places to instruct you in
what the skies and seas and
secret lands really are.”
“The desert is vast.”
“The ocean is crushing.”
“The mountains choke life
from the ambitious.”
“The skies are filled with rage.”
“The earth is home to its own
monsters.”
“I am who was sent to bring
all of these to you and hear you
scream your sins to a world
that drinks them like wine.”
“I am the true wild.”
most primordial and simple

state. Their ambition wasn’t
just to eliminate mortal life,
but every life—including the
lives of the Great Powers that
sought to claim dominion over
APPEARANCE our universe.
A wand, made of a cruel and jagged black ice.
When the Bound were eradicated, mercilessly
ORIGIN and in every corner of the world, the Good Man
Nature DC 14, History DC 18; Advan- escaped. He eluded capture by the agents of the
tage for Druids and anyone with the Sage Wild and the Heavens both, sowing seeds of
background destruction and raising cults (to the great pur-
pose of the Bound) for nearly a century before
The Good Man was the last Son of the Bound—a
he was caught by inquisitorial agents of the
druidic sect that sought to eliminate virtually
Exile dynasty.
all life in a great plan to return the world to its
300 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Eighth Wand of the Good Man
The great irony is that the Good Man, hunted Desert. All creatures within 30 ft. must suc-
for decades by the druids and priests of dozens ceed in a Constitution Save, DC 10 + the wield-
of sects for the crime of attempting an apoca- er’s Proficiency Bonus: on a failure they take 1
lypse on earth and in heaven, was felled by a Exhaustion from the intense dehydration they
patrol of constables hunting an unrelated witch. feel, but on a success they take 1 Fire damage
Fate itself, it seems, had intervened. from the intense heat that fills the area.
One of the weapons of his crusade, the least of Or, with an Action, one may bring about the
them, was a wand he fashioned from the fir- surging, powerful and rolling power of the
mament of what existed before even the gods unforgiving sea in a storm. All creatures within
walked the earth. 30 ft. find themselves choking on chilly sea-wa-
ter (suffocation rules may apply, if the creature
Attunement to the wand requires surviving one
requires breathing) and feel slowed and crushed
month, a full turn of the moon, without any
by ghostly waves. Movement within the radius
trappings of civilization or magical support.
is considered difficult terrain, and anyone wish-
A month of natural ability, crafting no tools,
ing to leave the affected area must succeed on a
using no technologies, relying on no divine or
Strength Save, DC 10 + the wielder’s Proficiency
arcane assistance. Pure survival in the wild. The
Bonus, or find they cannot escape the force of
would-be wielder must make a Survival check
the ghostly tides that surround them.
DC 25. On a success, they survive the excursion
just fine—handling any and all adverse prob- Or, with an Action, one may inflict the worst
lems well. On a failure, they may choose to of the high tundras and great barren peaks of
either stop their month early or press on. If they the mountains upon a single target. Whirling
stop early, they must start over to attune the beneath them, and rising, is a draft of ancient
wand. If they press on, the difference between and frozen air that drops the temperature
the DC and the check’s result is the number of around them to frighteningly low levels. The
maximum hit points they lose due to the harsh- creature must succeed on a Dexterity Save,
ness of the struggle. They may regain these hit DC 10 + the wielder’s Proficiency Bonus: on a
points at a rate of one per night of full, comfort- success they may move 5 ft. in any direction to
able, and uninterrupted rest. avoid the rising frigid gust, but on a failure they
are caught in it and are Vulnerable to Cold until
SYSTEM
the start of the Wielder’s next turn.
Once attuned the wand allows the wielder to
bring to bear, on their surroundings, the fury The targets of these effects are advantaged in
and inhospitable effects of the worst of natural any non-natural environment (cities, buildings,
environments. caverns of cut stone, dead lands, most lairs,
etc.). Should the target of an effect succeed in
With an Action, one may manifest around them- their check, they are immune to the wand for
selves the dry, blistering heat of the Infinite one day.
NOTES
301 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Eighth Wand of the Good Man
Holy Order
The witch had made the rest
kneel. Brother Service listened
to her babbling, and the curious
non-words she mouthed into
the air with haughty demeanor.
Broadways knelt, which sur-
prised Service on every level.
He almost laughed at the sight
of the old paladin grimacing
and staring hatred into the
magus as his body forced itself
down in supplication.
All of them did it. And while
she laughed and cackled, green
energies raking the walls, her
gaze fell upon Service, leaning
on his staff and smiling a dull
and tired smile.
She called him a willful one
and said she had something in
mind for him. She went back to
gurgling nonsense into the air
with the careful determination
of a professor at lecture. All
nonsense, and Service raised
his face to the sky and whis-
pered his thanks to the Lord of
Light and Truth.
She had just enough time to realize her incantations were useless as he lashed out and broke her jaw.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pale quarterstaff, the surface of which is Religion DC 14, Nature DC 18; Advantage
covered in large, grooved patterns. Perception for Clerics and anyone with the Hermit
DC 16 notices they resemble giant fingerprints background
around the surface. The True, may his word hover over all and
bring civilization to the minds of all things,
plucked one perfect and powerful branch from
the World Tree itself, with the blessings of this
world and the choirs of magic all looking on,
and rolled it between his great fingers until it
was smooth and straight and perfect.
302 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Holy Order

And with this union of forces, a congress of SYSTEM

powers rare to see come together in this way, he So long as the Holy Order is attuned, it acts as a
dropped his Order into the hands of the priest +0 magic quarterstaff.
of the first temple to worship him. With the
In addition, its real power lies in the divine
Holy Order, the Sanction of the True brought the
grace that permeates it. While held, the staff
disparate faiths of the world together, and for a
grants the bearer an immunity to mind-altering
time peace and honor ruled.
spells and mind-altering magic done through
The return of the Great Old Powers, long ago verbal or auditory means.
banished, chipped away at this order and the
A dragon’s Frighten ability would still work,
world has been a place of competing wars and
even though it might be a magical effect, as it is
machinations ever since. The Holy Order finds
visual and presence based; a Charm command
strong men and women to carry it, but as the
might simply auto-fail. One would be subject to
True has not been heard from in millennia, it has
an illusion of a bridge, but wouldn’t be subject
lost much of its former power.
to an illusory voice talking and would simply
Attunement requires a blessing and devotion know it isn’t real. A fireball has a verbal com-
to serve the principles of the long extinct Sanc- ponent, but is not mind-altering magic, so the
tion of the True. One need not be a cleric and Order has no protection there.
may worship other deities or even other Great
One still hears things, but the lingering power
Powers, but so long as one pledges and holds to
of the True intervenes and what one hears is
keep to honesty and deceive nobody, the Order
the utterances and underlying false sounds that
may stay attuned. DMs are encouraged to rec-
reveal it as magic. Keep in mind, this would also
ognize that, in this case, any use of the Decep-
make one immune to a colleague’s Bardic Inspi-
tion ability counts as breaking the covenant.
ration as much as their Dissonant Whispers.
The DM should take some care in identifying
whether a spell or monster effect is relying on
mind-altering language or primarily on sound.
NOTES
303 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Holy Order

Irresistible Wind
To the outside observer, the
gesture was small and unin-
teresting. The quiet man in the
road only flicked his stick away
while unshouldering his pack,
just as the brigands demanded.
His calm was infectious, and
his manner deferential. There
was all the concern and excite-
ment of an old woman easing
into a bath.
The stick, however, shot out
impossibly quick and caught
the leader across the throat,
driving him back with incredi-
ble force and fury, the sounds of
choking and gagging followed
soon by a crack that sickened
the few quick enough to notice
anything had happened at all.
A day later, seven men were
found dead in the road.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A primitive hewn rod of nearly petrified wood, Nature DC 18, Arcane DC 21; Advantage
as long as a human arm. The surface is weath- for Nature Domain Clerics and anyone
ered smooth, with bands of beaten copper with the Outlander background
around the ends. The Listeners of the Storm, a sect of penitents
and ascetics in the windswept plains of the
Western desert, spend their whole lives in quiet
contemplation of what has never come—the
fury of the storm, the rage of the Great Fathers of
Wind. It is part of their mythos, of their folklore.
Their cult has grown and shrunk in the centu-
ries since its creation. They have gone through
304 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Irresistible Wind

periods of power and servitude. The only con- SYSTEM

stancy in their entire system of belief being that Once attuned, the wielder may spend 1 Inspira-
the spirits of the wind and storm will one day tion point to throw the rod (20/40), at a creature
come for them and the world—the gales with- no more than one size category larger or smaller
out end, making a harsh tundra of everything. than them using a ranged attack roll; a gust of
The last time the Great Fathers blew was nearly wind flings the rod towards its target with great
three hundred years ago, when the Elemental force. The hit does no damage, itself, but the
Demigod of the West Wind himself came to struck creature may not move forward on their
destroy the mortal creatures that had spread next turn—such is the force of the rod and wind.
throughout the world since It last awoke—a Their Perception is also disadvantaged due to
time before even the ancestors of the dwarvish, the roaring of the harsh gale in their ears and
and they an old race, first left their caves and the grit blasting their eyes.
caverns. The ice age that followed gave birth to The target may move backward freely—the
the lore that would one day inspire the Listeners. rod, however, continues to press against them
And from their devotion to the spirits, and their as they do. If they wish to move to one side or
wish for the coming apocalypse, their shamans another, they must succeed in an Escape Artist
created an artifact of destiny, a tribute to their check DC 15 find themselves again unable to
strange gods. disengage from the effects and unable to move.
If they fail, the condition continues; on a suc-
Attunement requires bringing the rod into
cess, the rod flies past them as they shuffle out
the domain of one of the West Wind’s favored
of the way. Effects that would knock the target
servants, blue dragons. Once within one mile
back do not disengage it from the rod’s force.
of a blue dragon, the rod practically vibrates
with life. Should they be backed up against a solid, heavy
surface (walls, boulders, Huge objects, etc.),
they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every
turn they fight against the wind.
NOTES
305 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Irresistible Wind

Lament of Naamah
As Raxaia took her first step toward the throngs of buzzing, salivating, angry things she could feel the
tension in the air behind her. They were out-numbered ten or twelve to one, if not more. The twisted
creatures of the deep chattered angrily at the group, their dead and pale eyes focused on nothing, but
their keen hearing more than able to locate the intruders.
Broadways frowned, holding his shield before him, waiting for the tide to break and the things of the
dark to swarm. He mouthed a prayer; the very act of piety made Raxaia uncomfortable. He barely
tolerated her on the best days, and for her to bring her Partner’s influence to bear here was almost too
much for him. It was a fortunate thing he knew enough of the world to tolerate a good tool, even if it
had a dark origin.
Each step she took seemed to buy them more time, the creatures flowed away and into the cracks and
crevices of the cavern. Thirty more feet and maybe they could make the bridge before hell broke loose.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A lightly made staff resembling a skeletal leg, Arcane DC 18, Nature DC 22; Advantage
but twisted, warped, and elongated cruelly. The for Fiendish Warlocks and anyone with the
surface is charred on one side. Perception DC Hermit background
17 notices there are faint screaming sounds that Naamah Warmaker. Naamah the Breaker of
emanate from the staff when one’s ear is close. the Realms. Namaah of the Bright Lightning.
The greater Fiend of Cacerat was old when the
world was young and has been one of the prin-
cipal antagonists of the Riders, the New Pan-
theon, and the Elder things beyond the stars.
She is ancient and her plans reach far into
the future. Four-thousand years ago she was
306 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Lament of Naamah

caged by the cultists and warlocks of the Blue SYSTEM

King—an Arch-Fey gone drunk on power in Once attuned, so long as it is wielded visibly,
the world of men—and from her prison in his the first round (even if surprise) of any creature
ethereal tower, she called out a rage and sorrow with fewer maximum hp than the wielder’s
across time. Those words found her first servant current hp is spent in an existential dread they
and partner. cannot avoid. Even resolute creatures, planning
Her name is lost, that warlock, as are the details an ambush and seeing the wielder approach,
of their dark pact. Upon being freed, however, would feel feel fine only until they tried to
Naamah fashioned a staff from the bones and advance on the bearer.
sinew of the Blue King, and over the years it has This dread disadvantages them on their first
passed from loyal servant to loyal servant. round of attacks, though once it passes they
Attunement requires a day and a night in the cannot be affected by it again.
lands or domain of the fey—not easy to find The wielder may temporarily lower their own
and, once there, not easy to survive. This very Charisma by 2 to continue this effect for another
act of hubris powers the staff and the bearer round, and may continue to do so each round
walks with Naamah’s terrible mein. until such a lowering would reduce them below
Charisma 10.
These temporary Ability point losses return
after a Short Rest.
NOTES
307 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Lament of Naamah

Keeper of Ravin
“I’ve got ya’. I’ve got ya’. Breathe—in and
out—that’s it. And don’t move. You don’t want
to know what that leg feels like when you try
and move.” Crawss cradled the young captain’s
head in one thick hand and put pressure on his
chest with the other. All around them, the sounds
of chaos and battle shrieked and clanked and
screamed and groaned on.
Kwile was dying. Or had been. He wasn’t
sure. He remembered the blow, remembered the
moment the world when bright and painful
white and then dropped into pure quiet darkness.
He remembered the smell of saffron and had no
idea why.
And then, like being born, the fork-beaded savage
was holding him and looking at him with soft
eyes of concern. And he wasn’t dead. And every-
thing hurt. And he started crying, because he
was afraid of dying here in the middle of nowhere
fighting a war he had no interest or stake in. He
sobbed, in anguish, he blubbered and lost control
of all the worry and fear and anger.
And at the end, the dwarf patted him on the
chest, like a mother burping a baby, “…right,
then. Your service to the Throne is not yet done,
brother. But we’ll leave the last bit out when we
catch up with the fella’s later, eh?”
APPEARANCE
A large staff, nearly eight feet long, made of a
sinuous wood too thick for a man’s hand to close
around. Three places along its length appear to
be worn smooth as from years of handling.
ORIGIN
for Monks and anyone with the Acolyte
background
308 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Keeper of Ravin

The Keeper of Ravin was the last promise of the rhythm; those unfamiliar with either language
Storm Giants of the Raging Eastern Gale to the will find it impossible to recite properly (Profi-
dwarves of the Dominion when it was young. ciencies or arcane assistance may be necessary).
The then-growing empire, in service and wor- Part of the devotional is the promise to keep and
ship to their dead god-king of Stone and Bone, protect one’s people. In ages past that meant
sought to cleanse the world of the great abomi- whole kingdoms, today it means one.
nations of the Gale. Their war against each other
had lasted millennia, the battles regarded as
SYSTEM
folklore and epic clashes remembered in songs With Attunement, the wielder identifies one
and poems told the night before battles in lesser, person they are now sworn to protect—it does
petty, modern conflicts. The Peace that was bro- not have to be a willing target. The wielder
kered between the Furious and the Protector of the Keeper is now advantaged on all Abil-
was hammered into place with years of negoti- ity checks made for the assistance, protection,
ation, then pinned with the Keeper. or preservation of the target (from an Athletics
check to carry them up a cliffside to a Persua-
The staff, itself, is almost comically large, far too sion check to convince them not to steal some-
large to be used as a conventional walking stick thing that might risk their safety).
or staff.
In addition, the wielder may make a Medicine
Attunement to the Keeper requires the slow, check DC equal to the target’s CR or Character
chanted devotional to the God-King of Stone Level to bring them from 0 hp to 1 hp by using a
and Bone—the focus of the Dominion’s whole Bonus Action. The Keeper counts as a +0 magic
martial culture of conquest—in a combination of weapon, Two-Handed and Heavy, doing 2d6
Giant and Dwarvish with a thick and aggressive Bludgeoning damage on a successful hit.
NOTES
309 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Keeper of Ravin

Knockstick
Broadways shouted above the
clatter and clanking of every-
one’s feet on the stone, his
voice both powerful and laced
with some worry.
“Raffi, how many?!?”
The halfling kept pace, barely,
chest roaring and burning as
he struggled with the exertion
of racing along with the talls up
the stairs of this gods-forsaken
crypt. He stole a glance back,
went pale, and wish he hadn’t.
“Too many, boss!”
The six of them clawed their
way up the stairs, slipping
here and there on the wet
stone. Meilla screamed an
elvish curse Raffi didn’t know
as she nearly toppled over the
side, having lost her footing for
a moment.
Eight of the white, clear-eyed
things were coming, and fast.
They’d killed Braccus, a hired
sword, in seconds with their
fast and long knives. These
were no mindless zombies, these were knowing things. Skilled killers. Things that came out of graves
with purpose, with cunning, with murder in their minds. Braccus had opened one up with a fierce
swing, belly wide, and it only chuckled a foreign tongue and put two feet of thin bone sword into the
half-orc’s eye. Dead. And they were coming on fast.
Raffi pulled his trusty tripstick out of his pocket as they cleared the doorway at the top of the stair,
juked to the side as the rest raced on across the courtyard, and got ready to give someone a tumble.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A short rod of copper, perfectly cylindrical and Arcane DC 13, History DC 18; Advantage
rounded at the ends, nearly two inches thick for Thief Rogues and anyone with the
and eighteen inches long. The surface is covered Criminal background
in etched runes and sigils.
310 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Knockstick

Leave it to the underartisans of the Black- delay between activation and the power kicking
works—an illegal “guild” of magical wonder- in that makes it possible to toss the stick into the
makers that cater exclusively to the thieves and air a foot or two before it “locks.”
assassins and smugglers in Greyghast—to mass Using any type of action (Action, Bonus Action,
produce an annoyance and encourage its use or Reaction) one may “lock” the stick in place
for profit. The Lesser Immovable Rod was an for 1d2 rounds (flip a coin: heads for one round,
arcane project at the Scholam a dozen years ago, tails for two). It cannot be unlocked “early,” so
the hope being to assist the 1st Company with a if the result is two rounds it will fall to the floor
more martial application, but the adept manag- as normal once the second round ends.
ing the research ended up skipping out on the
The most popular use, in the criminal commu-
academic work and took it to the the more prof-
nity, for the Knockstick is to use a Reaction to
itable (and less legal) organizations in the city.
toss the rod out and lock it while an opponent is
The Lesser Immovable Rod quickly lost its formal in motion such that they will run face-first into
name in light of the slang term its users gave it it or trip. After a creature’s movement ends,
on the black market of magic items. The “Knock- should the bearer of the stick choose, they may
stick” is a 20 lb. shock of copper, and many of the spend their Reaction in response to a creature
symbols on its surface are completely pointless moving within 10 ft. of them to toss the Knock-
(on purpose, to confuse the finder). stick out into their path. The creature then must
make a Dexterity Save DC equal to the number
Attunement requires tracing the appropriate of feet they moved during their turn up until
runes—like a combination lock—with one’s fin- that point. This is done to gauge “how fast” and
ger. DMs are encouraged to make finding the how distracted they might be as they were mov-
right black-market adept or criminal organiza- ing. On a success, they take 1 Bludgeoning dam-
tion its own side adventure; though the “combi- age for every 5 ft. of movement taken before
nation” can be worked out over time for anyone running into the stick. On a failure, they take
with patience. It takes one week for someone the damage and are tripped or knocked Prone.
of Intelligence 20, and an additional week for
Large creatures are advantaged on this Save
every 1 point lower, to play with the device long
with respect to being knocked down and any
enough to work out the puzzle of it. Divination
creature bigger than that ignores that part of the
magics can reveal the combination, however, fail condition. All still take the damage, though.
quickly enough.
DMs are encouraged to explore other, more con-
SYSTEM ventional, uses as with an Immovable Rod—
The only use for the Knockstick is to stay put understanding that the shorter duration of
and in place for a few seconds. The effect is very the stick’s power, and unpredictable duration,
temporary. Activation of its power requires no makes it extremely difficult to use for Climbing
more than a thought, with it is a split second or other common activities.
NOTES
311 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Knockstick

Lignum of Aeg
Every morning, without fail,
Pensi wakes with the dawn.
Neither before it breaks the
horizon, nor after it has woken
the great and many faces of
the flowers and grasses and
leaves and vines in its full call-
ing rays. And every morning,
also without fail, she takes out
her mother’s shorknife and
crouches in her polite oilskin
tent and inspects the famil-
iar lettering and symbols on
a handheld stick of verawood,
smooth and straight and dark
and blemishless. Where they
are marred or faint, she deli-
cately fixes them.
She made the mistake of
answering Nalan, yesterday,
when he asked why she took
such care of it; she’d been tired
and had forgotten, for a moment, she was speaking with those who had never been Touched. She was
halfway through explaining that there was a girl not yet born in the South, a girl whose parents are
children today (5 and 3 years old). Parents who will grow up in the cult their parents had founded
to a dark being. A cult that had already fouled the blood of a distant emperor. And that Pensi would
need to be at the girl’s birth on Ejaz Hill—a place she did not know where it was. It would be the only
chance Pensi would have to-
Nalan stared, horrified. Pensi shook her head and made something up about giving gifts. And kneel-
ing over the wand, this morning, she felt her uncertainties fade. As always. The ritual, its simplicity.
It reminded her that the stakes have always been high. And they would always be high.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A one foot long shaft of glossy brown vera- Nature DC 19, History DC 24; Advantage
wood, as thick as a pinky, the grain swirling for Druids and anyone with the Hermit
and distinct. background
When the Last Valley was burned, only the vera-
wood trees survived and they remembered the
devastation. They remembered the monstrous
things that caused it. It was there, from them,
312 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Lignum of Aeg

that the first Wanderer forged the first Lignum lbs. (which may include most chairs, wooden
(archaic Western tongue for “calling wand”). handled tools, small barrels or crates, firewood,
etc. but wouldn’t be enough for most tables
Of them, the Aeg (meaning “protection” or “sal-
or carts). The wooden flotsam flies in quickly
vation”, pending the usage) still survives in the
enough to act as a buffer for the damage. These
world.
pieces cannot be drawn from objects carried or
Attunement requires the careful carving of the worn by others, nor anything secured down.
original symbols and runes of power the Lig-
The DM should determine whether there is No
num was crafted with. Anyone who has been
natural wood in the area (in which case, there
touched by the world, as Druids have, can
is nothing to block the attack), Some (a few
see the ghostly left-behind shades of where
things), or Sufficient (enough that the pieces
and what those runes were. Anyone else will
could overlap and make a roughly 3 ft. by 3 ft.
require some significant Divination magic to
“shield”).
reveal them, as the Aeg is old and far removed
from even folklore. DMs are encouraged to use If there is Some debris, the hp of the impromptu
this as an opportunity to have the finder seek shield is equal to one’s Proficiency Bonus. If
out any Druid or Diviner—which may be an there is Sufficient debris, the hp of the shield
adventure in and of itself. is equal to twice one’s Proficiency Bonus. Any
damage in excess of the shield is applied to the
SYSTEM
bearer as normal. The remains of the debris are
If the symbols are re-carved into the wood, the considered destroyed afterward and cannot be
wand gains a number of charges equal to one’s called upon again. The shield falls apart after
Proficiency Bonus. the damage is resolved.
In response to a successful Attack (before dam- Should the attack be of purely natural means,
age is rolled) that the bearer can see coming, they however (claws, teeth, fists, anything that is a
may—with a Reaction—draw any unheld and completely natural extension of the creature
natural wood, from up to 30 ft. away, in front of themselves and not a spell or spell-like ability),
them as though shield. The force of the strange the shield carefully parts and refuses to block
gravity that draws the wood is enough to move it at all.
any individual pieces that weigh less than 25
NOTES
313 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Lignum of Aeg

Manikanta's Storm
Kudu did not like this place.
Its ceilings looked like the
broad arched cathedrals of the
capital, the glass panes in the
grand windows were pris-
tine and showed hints of light
and shadow on the other side
of their multi-colored mosa-
ics. The air inside smelled
like summer breezes and fresh
rain, but here—hundreds of
feet underground, deep in the
underdark—it was all false.
Its perfection was all the more
menacing for how strange it
should be in this place.
He could hear them coming,
creeping in the shadows of the
great temple, in its corners
and behind its walls. There
were dozens. Too many, really.
The rest of the group was tense
and it would take very little
for much to go wrong. It felt
like a trap. Whoever made this
shrine to the gods and god-
desses of life and purity knew
their business—the tapestries were (or at least seemed to be) fresh calawan-grass woven mats. The
food on the altar was (seemingly) fresh natural harvests, the basin full of clean water.
It was a worship of life, the pulse of the Green, but as Kudu heard the shuffling of small feet and the
chittering of demonic voices, he grimly set himself to remind whoever was master here that the world
begets life… but also, to the peril of the forgetful, brings death. He was the storm. He slipped the rod
into his hand and embraced the gale.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A twenty inch long, carefully hewn, shaft of Nature DC 17, Religion DC 23; Advan-
sandstone with small and regular chisel marks tage for Druids and Way of the Four
all about its surface like an intricate pattern of Elements Monks or anyone with the Sage
divots and depressions that are subtle against background
the fingers.
314 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Manikanta's Storm

The ruler of the distant and long-lost land the easiest miracle (rain). However the week
of Manikanta, the Haja, carved her kingdom plays out, their journey out of the wastelands is
from the wastes and diaspora of the world. likely to be made with at least 4 or 5 Exhaustion,
Where other queens and emperors fought for and possible short- or medium-term Madness.
the greenest valleys and flowing rivers, she fol-
lowed a more ascetic path and built her king-
SYSTEM
dom in the great desert where few bothered Once attuned, the rod acts as though a small
(much less dared) to challenge it. Her people club (+0 magical weapon, 1d6 bludgeoning
suffered, she suffered… but through the power damage, doing maximum damage versus con-
of her will, and her devotion to the lesser wor- structs) and allows the user to spend an Action
shipped aspects of the Great Circle of the World, to embrace the storm.
she settled a great city, The Jewel of Manikanta, Embracing the Storm is giving one’s self over
and enjoyed peace and the contemplation of to the deep and earthy magic that the Storm-
obscure aspects of her Druidic heritage. She and bearers used to commune with their destiny in
her caste ruled the Jewel until the rise of the Old the universe. Doing so causes the bearer to turn
Empire, and the Druids of the Waste were much and spiral into a small sandstorm (5 ft.) for a
feared until that time. minimum number of rounds equal to their Pro-
The Storm was the favored symbol of power of ficiency Bonus.
that line and were enchanted to last as long as the While in this form, they may move through
great desert itself. Even the most knowledgeable other creature’s spaces without penalty, bring-
Adept at the Scholam (with extensive experience ing the wind and sand and fury of the wild with
with magical items) would be shocked to learn them. Any creature one passes over entirely
how old the stone really is. They are unmatched must pass a Constitution Save with a DC equal
in their endurance against the weight of time. to the number of feet the bearer traveled in a
Attunement to the rod requires communion straight line before entering that space (the total
with the creatures, with the deities, of the harsh resetting after occupying any other creature’s
wastelands of the raw desert while surviving its space). So, by example, if one moves 20 ft. and
rigors. The bearer must spend one week with then into a creature’s space, the DC is 20. If one
no food and no water, and may only take such moves 10 ft. then into a creature’s space; then
sustenance as is given (unasked for) by a great another 10 ft. and into another creature’s space,
being. A god may bring water to the lips of their each would have a DC of 10 (count the square
priest in need, but the priest may not ask for you move into as part of the distance).
it. A far wanderer may be brought food by the On a failure the engulfed creature takes 1d4
creatures of the wild, but may not direct them damage and is Blinded until the start of their
to hunt. Placing one’s faith in the powers of the next turn. On a success, the bearer may choose
world is risky, but this is how the Stormbearers either the damage or the Blinded Condition, but
proved their worth. not both, to apply. While “storming” the bearer
DMs are encouraged to make such a journey and is Resistant to non-magical damage. Upon com-
meditation truly challenging. Even a few days ing out of a storm, the bearer gains 1 Exhaus-
without food should reduce most characters tion until they drink at least half a skin of water,
to at least one or two Exhaustion. A full week as they feel dehydrated much like their time in
should bring them very close to death—barring the Wasteland. This effect is cumulative, should
external intervention. Water is both the biggest they “storm” multiple times before drinking.
threat (a few days without could be lethal) and
315 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Manikanta's Storm

Passtaff of the Wandering Brother

His feet were hardened leather,
dark from years of sun and
road. The sands of Eastern des-
ert were hot for most feet, even
through shoes, but he barely
felt it anymore. The tundra of
the North was cold for most,
but he did not note it. The rocks
of the Western peaks were hard
and sharp and offered him no
trouble. The marshes of the far
continent were harsh and teem-
ing, but nevertheless he passed
through them without issue.
Through it all, the old man
passed. He passed the towns
and the people and the hope-
ful and the foolish. He walked
from one sunset to another and
then another. He saw the great
cities of the world, he saw the
cursed ruins in the corners. He
walked. And his stick propped
him up over the years and
miles and decades and leagues.
He was old, true, but healthy
and wiry. Clear eyed and not
yet done with this life. Destiny
and the gods, always another
people behind the next rise.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A five foot long stick, twice as thick as a man’s Religion DC 13; Arcane DC 17, Advantage
thumb, with a bend or crook in the upper third for Monks and Knowledge Domain Clerics
of the length. or anyone with the Outlander background
Of all the places beyond this world, the Fifth
Heaven is the sole pocket of calm amidst the
chaos and determination that consumes the
rest of the cosmos and all the worlds. Grudges
between deities vanish there, hatred and mal-
ice cannot enter, and the white sun that shines
316 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Passtaff of the Wandering Brother

down on those who come to walk its fields and SYSTEM

forests and gardens brings a quiet bliss. First, it serves as a +0 magic staff. Second, so
The Gardener, a proto-Elemental that took no long as it is in hand, one does not suffer Exhaus-
part in the great wars for Creation, settled the tion or fatigue from unassisted travel (walking,
heaven and protected it from the horrors that running), and is advantaged in Saves against
came during the First Age and with a watchful Disease and Poison (natural ones). Third, so
eye they sought (and seek still) to bring the gen- long as the bearer rests next to it, they need not
tle harmony of their realm to the mortal worlds- sleep at all to gain the benefits of a Full Rest,
-all of them. though sitting and doing nothing strenuous is
still necessary for this benefit, and time spent in
The Passtaff came from a tree planted in the
this relaxed and calm state may still be equal to
dark and rich soil of the Fifth Heaven, during
the time necessary for a Full Rest.
a period of reflection when the gods and god-
desses mused on the wonders of life. It was In order to keep attunement to the Passtaff,
placed carefully and with great care into the it must be carried to a new population center
path of a wandering monk and has touched each month or it forever loses its properties for
nearly everyplace mortals go ever since. that individual (though not for new ones) after.
These places may be big or small, so long as
Attunement requires a journey between two
they are new.
cities, and afterwards the staff opens itself to
its bearer.
NOTES
317 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Passtaff of the Wandering Brother

Rod of Divine Favor

There was, truly, nothing left.
No other option. No other way.
They were going to die (cer-
tainly) when this ship went
down; Sophia knew it. The
storm threw them from fore to
aft, the saltwater flooded their
nostrils and drenched them
again and again as the waves
crashed high over the deck.
There had not been sight of
land for weeks. There was no
special luck to save them. And,
heaven help her, her goddess
has quieted and silenced herself
to Sophia’s pleas and demands.
Mysterious ways.
It wasn’t just herself she worried for, but the rest—those who had travelled so far and had only begun
to see the more righteous path.
She held fast to the borline and, though the wet rope was thick and coarse, it offered her an anchor in
the great swaying of the ship. If the Lightbearer could not hear her here, she thought as she pulled the
heavy slipsteel rod from her pack, she would know who else might be listening.
APPEARANCE And when it settled, when the harmonies and

A two foot long scepter made of a crystal, thoughtforms and violent unmakings ended,
capped on each end with crude and irregularly the remaining powers came together and made
shaped iron. a pledge. Evil and good, order and chaos, ele-
mental fury and philosophical demand, purpose
ORIGIN and conservation, deities and patrons and things
Religion DC 17, Arcane DC 23; Advantage even stranger… they all agreed that their conflicts
to Knowledge Domain Clerics and anyone must always be kept above the realm of mortals,
with the Sage background lest they ruin what was left of the universe they
In the Times before, when the world was a mass all fought over. Even the losers of this War for
of conflicting principles and dissonant assertions Creation abided the terms; plotting and planning
in dialogue, discourse, and dissent amongst the a coup from beyond the world only made sense
Great Being—all finding their purpose and pro- if there was a world one day to conquer.
jecting it on the malleable clay of the Expanse— That accord was written on the shifting sub-
there were wars unlike anything mortals have stance of the Mountain of Creation (not a physi-
ever seen. Whole dimensions, physical and dis- cal place, but a deep metaphysical foundation as
tinctly not, winked into and out of existence. What old as the planes themselves), a sliver of which,
form there was changed from moment to moment, chiseled from its enormous face in the scribing
expressing the tides of battle in abstract ways. of the deal, fell into the world.
318 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Rod of Divine Favor

Devotees of one of the most powerful of the

1D10 DESCRIPTION
marginalized and fallen Great Beings—the Ele-
mental Superna of Iron, who was cast out by 1 Great Old One
the deities that won the Creation War and fled
2 Arch-Fey
to the planes he had come from—found the
shard and crafted it into a rod meant to carry the Fiend
3
pledge and check the power of the gods them-
selves. The rod passed from devout follower to 4 Chaotic Evil deity
devout follower, but, as mortals do, they even-
5 Neutral Evil deity
tually forgot their worship and tore their own
cult to ruins with in-fighting and time. 6 Lawful Evil deity
There are no more followers of the Superna Lawful Good deity
7
in the world, and he long ago gave up on this
world for the domination of others, but the rod 8 Neutral Good deity
still contains a fraction of his power and still
holds a piece of the compact in itself. 9 Chaotic Good deity
Attunement requires learning the induction 10 Supernal Elemental being

ritual of the cult to the Elemental God of Iron.
One need not perform it, only learn it in full, in
The specific Power that comes is up to the DM.
order for the Rod to be properly attuned. DMs
What they want or need in order to help is also
are encouraged to consider the difficulty in find-
up to the DM, but they act in accordance with
ing a lost ritual of a lost cult.
their nature; a Chaotic Evil goddess that hears
SYSTEM the call is open to helping, maybe because the
Once attuned, the Rod allows the bearer to seek party or wielder will suit her purposes later, and
favors from the Great Powers that signed the may destroy the creature plaguing the party or
compact of creation. Some are gone, having simply teleport the party to some remote and
been replaced by other Gods or creatures. Some barren wasteland. A Lawful Good goddess is
are new, having taken their place as a Great likely to be helpful, but could very well strip the
Power either in this world as a god or goddess party’s Rogue of anything they’ve ever stolen
or in the spaces just beyond it as a Patron. Some and return them in an instant to wherever they
are smaller and less powerful, while some are came from—she might bind the wielder to an
far older and more devastatingly capable. oath of service. Patrons have their own schemes
and DMs are encouraged to consider what kind
The wielder may use an Action to call upon a
of transaction would make sense to them, what
special form of the Cleric ability “Divine Inter-
sort of geas or pact might they ask of the wielder
vention.” Instead of contacting one’s own god or
for help. Elementals have few petty wants and
goddess, however, the Rod makes the request of
desires, and the greatest—the Supernals of their
any of the Great Powers of the world or beyond.
race—care even less for material things or prom-
First, the wielder should roll 1d20 to determine
ises, but they are jealous and have enemies. They
if anyone responds. If they roll equal to or under
may want the wielder to forswear a god or god-
their character level, something hears them and
dess or accomplish some task that may put them
the wielder should roll 1d10 and consult the
at odds with a deity or a Patron.
table to see which kind of power responds. If
they roll over their character level, then nothing The only condition is that the called Power both
happens and the Rod cannot be used to call for can and will intervene, the extent to which it’s
intervention again that day. completely or partially useful, costs little or
much, is up to the DM.
319 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Rod of Divine Favor

Pattern of Eternity
“I knew what I was. I think
I always knew, in some way,
Daxa. I can remember the
dreams I had when I used to
dream. I can remember the
visions from the greater World,
and the flashes of Truth warned
me over and over that to Be—
to really and truly Be—I would
have to touch that state.”
“I fought it, the temptation to
Be. That gave way to curiosity
and the ever-present drive and
desire to try. It is in us, those
that can feel and hear the cur-
rents of the River, to want to
join it. Do you know that feel-
ing, when standing on a ledge
far above something? That
feeling of urge and want? As
though something deeper than
yourself is reminding you that all you are is the fall and an almost overpowering urge to leap? That’s
the feeling, except it is bolder and more true and more right than anything.”
“I don’t regret the leap, Daxa. I love Being. I don’t really miss much of what I was before. I don’t think
or dwell on it. That is love. Sometimes, though, when all is quiet and still, I try to remember the taste
of a wine I had in the Winter of ’24. More and more, I seem to forget it. All I recall now is that it tasted
like blueberries. I think… I think I liked blueberries.”
APPEARANCE sorcerers came together under the protection of

A wand of irregular and brilliantly shining the priests and priestesses of the temple of the
white crystals. Perception DC 18 notices that God of Order and Civilization—they meant to
the sound of waves can be heard when near it. secret the arcane-blooded away from the hor-
rors taking place nightly. The faithful had saved
ORIGIN dozens, and that particular evening was to be
History DC 14, Religion DC 20; Advantage no different. The few men and women hid-
for Knowledge Domain Clerics and anyone den beneath their floorboards stayed quiet, as
with the Criminal background soldiers and constables ransacked the temple
During the Purge, the destruction of magic (within the bounds of dignity) and left to harass
and persecution of those that could manifest others that might be hiding enemies of the state.
it in the time of the Exile Kings, one cabal of At least, that was the plan.
320 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Pattern of Eternity

But chance or fate or accident intervened, and The wielder must choose a simple object to turn
instead of vanishing into the night as they had into: anything that is no larger than their origi-
always done, the soldiers suspected foul play. nal form, without moving parts, and mundane
They encircled the temple, calling for the faith- (a weapon, armor, a tool, clothing, jewelry, a
ful to send out the criminals. The priests and book, etc.). Spending an Action and an Artifact
priestesses gave the only thing they had to give: Point, they may turn into a perfectly mundane
their lives and their prayers that perhaps their version of that object. Changing back requires
god may save these innocents. And, in their another Action and another point. Each addi-
sacrifice, salvation came. The Great Builder tional point spent beyond the first may draw
reached into the mighty river of magic that more arcane power from the great river into
flows through the world, and drew forth a small their new form.
piece of the riverbed. Placing it within the tem-
For one additional point the object may offer
ple, manifesting it amongst the sorcerers in hid-
either a +1 magical bonus (in the case of weap-
ing, he gave them a chance to escape the fires
ons or armor), a Resistance, or advantage in the
that awaited them above.
normal use of it (in the case of tools or other
Attunement to the Pattern requires saving gear). DMs are encouraged to consider Com-
the life of an arcane caster. It is an act done to mon and Uncommon bonuses granted to other
respect an old god, and cannot be done falsely. magic items for inspiration.
SYSTEM For two additional points the object may grant

an Invulnerability, or the use of a low level spell
The attuned wielder often dreams of what they
with no charges or spell slots needed (no higher
may Become, there being no one clear certain
than 2nd level). DMs are encouraged to consider
version… the comfort of this allows the wielder
Rare bonuses granted to other magic items.
of the Pattern to remove 2 exhaustion with a
long rest instead of the normal 1. The wielder is For four additional points, DMs should allow
also granted a number of Artifact Points equal the wielder to turn into a Legendary version of
to their Proficiency Bonus. These points can be that object.
used to become an object, body and mind and Should the wielder not have enough Artifact
soul, congruent with the a pattern the heavens Points to return to normal, the wand unattunes
intended for them—whatever that may be. and they may not return to their mortal form.
NOTES
321 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Pattern of Eternity

Shanhighter
“This one, oh… oh, yes. Eleven
inches long, made of silbite
wood—hearty stuff–-with a
bindlemoat core. A fine crafted
piece of magic, would you care
to try it?”
“What?”
“The wand, sir, would you care
to try it? Test its balance?”
“Why would I need to test its
balance?”
“Wands are like people, sir;
they have their own moods and
temperament. They are drawn
to certai—“
“It’s a device, wandwright, not
a shoe or a horse. What does it
do?”
“I’m sorry?”
“What. Does. It. Do?”
“Do? Well… you mean to say, by itself?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh… well… not much of anything, I’m afraid. It actually, I suppose, can be instrumental in the
undoing of minor effects.”
“…as in? Undoing a curse?”
“Um… much more… er, modest effects, sir. But, I could tell you more about the length…”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A wand of brass, precisely cut with strong angles Arcane DC 14, History DC 18; Advantage
giving it an almost machine-like appearance. to Abjuration School Wizards and Arcane
Trickster Rogues or anyone with the Sage
background
Shanhighter is an old wand, made for an
unknown purpose some four hundred years ago
by the artificers in what are now the fallen and
ruined free cities of the East. Though the hunt
322 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Shanhighter

for artifacts lost in the world is a lively business, SYSTEM

especially here in Greyghast, the Shanhighter Shanhighter serves as an arcane focus so long as
is on very few treasure hunters’ radar. Likely it’s held in one hand and, with a Reaction, may
used, primarily, as a tool in the hands of arcane be used to conjure a Counterspell a number of
crafters to defuse or strip minor properties from times per day equal to the wandbearer’s Consti-
their creations during the testing phases, it has tution modifier— but only for cantrips or spells
never been associated with any stories of folk- cast from magical items.
lore or adventurous valor.
DMs should note that not all magical effects
Attunement requires the creation of a magical from magical items are spells, Shanhighter only
item, no matter how common, but done flawlessly. allows for the countering of named spells.
The tools of those old artificers recognize only skill.
NOTES
323 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Shanhighter

Solace of Continuum
The hob soldier put two feet
of strong Dekar steel through
Belladonna’s head and—as he
saw her body fall to the ground
and the soldier move fluidly
past and into the next melee
on the hill—Sir Broadways felt
anger, horror, fear, and panic
wash over him.
The magus had been endlessly
cryptic and strange, but she’d
saved his life a dozen times. To
die so quickly, so damn mean-
inglessly…? Broadways shoved
his opponent off of his shield,
opened the creature’s throat in a
brutal and efficient backswing,
and charged up the slope to the
bastard who killed Bell.
As the large man crashed into
the yellow-skinned warrior,
roaring his rage and frustration
over the sound of armor scrap-
ing and groaning. As Broadways held him down in the mud, screaming his curses and raising his shield
to bring the rim down into the shocked face looking up. As the moment hung. As the battle raged on…
The hob put his hands up in front of his face, laying on his back under the hulking golden-armored
man and said, in a choked and gutturally uncertain voice, “Brodie— Brodie, it’s ok. Just— It’s me.
Help me get to my body.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A gentleman’s hraesh: a cane too short to be a Religion DC 17, Arcane DC 22; Advantage
walking stick, carried for decorative purposes. for Wizards and anyone with the Noble
The shaft is a gleaming copper, as thick as a background
wrist towards one end and as thin as a pinky Warrick von Craed, one of the foremost
finger at the other. Perception DC 16 notices that arcanaelogists of the Free Cities, was part of the
there are subtle faces reflected in the surface, of original founding of Greyghast’s Scholam—a
strange people that are not present. place of arcane research and experimentation.
His focus, in his early years, was in the laws and
principles that exist in the upper cosmos for sur-
viving death.
324 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Solace of Continuum

Necromancy having been long banned in the immediately to the body of the creature that
better cities of the east, his studies were mostly attacked them. At the start of the wielder’s next
theological in nature. His work amongst the turn, their body still rolls a Death Save as nor-
devouts of the Goddess of Eternity and the mal, but their spirit may attempt to take actions
muses of Fate were well documented in surveys with the body of the creature they inhabit.
he completed for various colleges all along the To take a turn with the inhabited creature’s
coast. Some of that work still exists today. body, the wielder must take an Action and
Given his noble upbringing, and considerable make a contested Charisma check. If they suc-
fortune, he was able to bring together artifi- ceed, they may take a Bonus Action or Move-
cers and mages from half a dozen nations with ment with the body, and if they succeed by a
expertise in the movements of a soul after it has margin of 10 or greater they may take both a
Bonus Action and Movement with the body.
departed the body. Upon their mastery of some
The wielder’s spirit is not considered proficient,
of the very basic principles of spiritual reso-
however, with the body of the creature and all
nance, they created the Solace. The work was
ability checks (except the contest of Charisma
commissioned by von Craed and took the better
against the creature), all Saves, and all attacks
part of a year.
are made with disadvantage. The creature is
There are few modern artifacts, things created aware of the presence of another spirit inside
in the last century or so, but the Solace is one of their body (even if they cannot explain that
of those shining examples of careful and lasting feeling), and are aware of who it is.
brilliance. This form of possession does not impart telepa-
Attunement requires having an out of body thy, or any mind-reading abilities, and is instead
experience. Any form of astral projection, being a struggle for dominance every moment.
inside the mind of another, or even frequent The creature still gets to take their own turn as
use of remote seeing all train the soul to under- normal, and dispelling the magic on their body
stand and better know how to move free from can remove the wielder’s spirit from them and
the body. DMs are encouraged to see even low force it back to the wielder’s own body.
levels spells as ways to practice being “out of
If the wielder’s body dies, their spirit releases
body” for this purpose.
into the whatever afterlife awaits it and the
SYSTEM creature is free of them. If the wielder’s body
stabilizes at 0 hp and they remain unconscious,
Once attuned, the rod allows the wielder to
they may stay in the creature’s body indefi-
leave their body, at the moment they begin
nitely, but if the wielder gains 1 hp their spirit
dying, and inhabit another.
returns immediately.
After any attack that reduces the wielder
The Rod only imparts this ability once per day.
below 0 hp, the wielder’s spirit is transferred
NOTES
325 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Solace of Continuum

Staff of Primordial Winds

Like something out of a fairy
tale, Warlord ir’Brecht—the
Calamity, the Leveler, the
Tw i c e - R e v i v e d — s t o r m e d
across the broad courtyard.
The city had fallen, the walls
breached by his engines of war,
and now the last of the King’s
Own stood silent in the wan-
ing light ready to meet their
death on their feet and refusing
to give an inch of ground past
the plaza.
But, stalwart though they
were, the Calamity came. A
heavy boot. Another. A relent-
less march, by himself, that
knocked aside the guards who
still thought they had a chance.
Beneath the dark grey plate, a
low laugh and growl fright-
ened back the rest. A stride
became a trot, then a run, and then a wild sprint—the King’s Own holding, grimacing at their com-
ing doom.
And like the unseen hand of God himself, the Warlord’s pace was broken and interrupted and his
hunched strain against the facing wind that appeared from nowhere caused him to scream out in rage.
He attempted a step, but nothing. Mere feet from the line of soldiers, and with a hateful scream, the
giant was halted and found he could go no further.
APPEARANCE the great creatures of Creation. Rock giants,

A solid, pale sweetwood walking stick roughly typhoon braels, the ground-breakers, the grasp-
four feet high with several subtle swells along ing jungles. They tamed all these spirits, and
its shaft. Perception DC 15 notices the whole those they couldn’t they bound.
staff vibrates when the wind picks up. The Staff of Primordial Winds vibrates with
the forgotten gale-lords that were bound to it.
ORIGIN
Attunement requires speaking the names of all
the ancient dark winds and gales that plagued
for Druids and anyone with the Sailor
the world in the time forgotten.
background
Recalling them requires a disadvantaged
When the far Wanderers and the wild talkers
Knowledge Nature DC 20 (failure means one
first came to this world, it was overrun with
326 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Staff of Primordial Winds

cannot ever recall them on one’s own again, a The wind flows out from and around the staff,
gap in one’s knowledge). If using a library, or and initiates a Grapple with all creatures in the
researching them in a place of old scholarship, area you designate (max range is 60 ft.). Targets
one may attempt the check normally (not dis- get to resist with Athletics or Acrobatics as nor-
advantaged). If a Druid asks the living winds, mal against the appropriate size DC. Once a tar-
themselves, for the names they share what they get succeeds against the DC, they are immune to
know freely with no check at all. the effects for a day afterward. Maintaining the
Grapple requires Concentration. Targets larger
SYSTEM than the wind trying to grapple them auto-suc-
The staff counts as a +0 magic improvised ceed on their opposed check.
weapon that does Bludgeoning damage, not
being particularly balanced for combat or One may call only one wind at a time. All winds
designed for striking things with. return to the staff when not called upon. A tar-
get that breaks the grapple of one wind is not
Once attuned, so long as the staff is held with considered immune to a new wind (a genuinely
both hands (requiring Concentration), one may different wind, not the same one). The winds are
use their Bonus Action to command one of the cruel and old powers and, while bound to this
hateful gales in the staff to attack a creature. The particular service, they are not otherwise obedi-
staffbearer’s Proficiency Bonus determines the ent or friendly. Any ranged attacks “through”
size of the gale one may call upon and control or “into” one of them will be done either as nor-
(one can call any equal to or lower than one’s mal or with disadvantage based on their own
Proficiency Bonus): whim (DMs are encouraged to keep this truly
chaotic; the wind may let an enemy shoot a fire-
bolt through it to hit the staffbearer and mess
BONUS WIND SIZE DC
with an arrow shot by the staffbearer’s ally try-
Spiteful ing to hit a grappled target, or the reverse. They
+2 Small 10
Whiff are fickle).
Hateful
+3 Medium 12
Breeze
+4 Dire Gust Large 14
Baleful
+5 Huge 16
Gale
Vengeful
+6 Gargantuan 18
Cyclone
NOTES
327 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Staff of Primordial Winds

Wand of the Sky

Broadways and Teller looked at
each other grimly–-this would
be no picnic. Hunched in the
darkness, four-hundred yards
from the castle wall, it seemed
impossible.
“Too much open ground, Bro-
die” the barbarian whispered.
She’d taken on poor odds
before, and her people were
well-known for their lack of
caution in the face of them, but
there’s a difference between
bold and foolish. And a near
quarter-mile of flat and clear
ground with muskets on the
walls? That was suicide. Even
if they could manage to not be
seen, the ground was a frost
and snow crusted expanse. The
noise alone would give them
away.
“Not enough cover” the old
paladin grimaced to himself softly. There was no choice: live or die, this wa–-
“Cover? Do you need cover?” the piping voice of their gnomish companion broke the grave quiet. Both
Teller and Broadways slumped a bit in their crouch. It’d work, they knew, and the tinkerer had been
looking for a reason to use the thing for weeks…
APPEARANCE are long gone. But, the weapons they made and
A long switch of willow, green and pliable. wielded still exist in the old places. The City of
Perception DC 15 notices it smells like it was Bright Sky, under the benign rule of the Sunlit
freshly cut. King, invaded the city-states in the far South
for centuries.
ORIGIN
Every generation, the fey would come with bril-
liant light and ornate garb to make a campaign
for Druids and Arch-Fey Warlocks or any-
of terror and blood in the streets. After nearly
one with the Folk Hero background
two hundred years of fighting them, waiting in
The old wars in the kingdoms of fey, between fear of them coming, attempts and failures to
those who would remake the wild into their toys stop them, it was a lone Druid who offered a
and those who would save it such perversion, terrible salvation.
328 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Wand of the Sky

When the dukes and magisters all agreed to let sky for a full eight hours. This must be done
her fight the fey back, the next time they were to with nothing (clothes included) between the
come, and to promise to respect that which she individual and the high open skies.
had to do, she stayed and built a small hut on
a hill. The lady of the hill lived for thirty years,
SYSTEM
hardly leaving her little house except for food or At nearly two feet long it is difficult to handle
water. The people that lived in nearby villages and stow easily, doing so takes a Bonus Action
regarded her as strange and eventually, even to properly retrieve or tuck it away without
those in power started to doubt the wisdom of damaging it.
letting this bizarre woman stand sentry with Once attuned, the wand begins with 1+1d4
their promises of support. charges each day (it changes day-to-day). Any
And when the fey came back, and the Sunlit given time of day is either cloudless, typical,
King marched his beautiful armies again, the overcast, raining, or torrential (note this does
lady of the hill called the storms and the rains. not account for wind or thunder or lightening,
The flood washed away and drowned half the only precipitation). The wandbearer may use
fey in three days of deluge, the King never one charge (as an Action) to move the condition
returned. Four whole villages washed away, of the sky one direction either way.
hundreds of people died. As an example, it would take four Actions and
When the sun returned, the great dukes and four charges to turn a cloudless day into a tor-
magisters assembled to revenge themselves on rential downpour or vice-versa. The change
the lady, but found only her hut and some of her in precipitation lasts for one minute and the
effects. Salvation at a cost. weather returns to normal.
When brought to bear in the world, the Wand of Lighter and heavier rains may have adverse
Sky wields the truly awesome effect of bringing effects on Perception, travel, or other elements
the rains and clearing the blue above. Attune- at DM discretion.
ment to the wand requires a rest under the open
NOTES
329 • RODS, STAFFS, & WANDS • Wand of the Sky

Chapter Twelve
Weapons
CHAPTER CONTENTS
BLAQUE RIDER … 332 REGULATOR … 358

BLEEDER … 334 RAPTOR AND THORN … 360
DIVIDER … 336 RATHIAN ARQUEBUS … 362
FATHER OF TRIBES … 338 RENDER … 364
FINGER OF MADNESS … 340 SHUDDERWEIN … 366
FLASHWOOD RAPIER … 342 SLIRK’S TONGUE … 368
HARTLIGHT BEACON … 344 STICK OF BRUTE … 372
HOOD OF THE LAZY KILL … 346 SWORD-BREAKER DAGGER … 374
LENMA’S DIRK … 348 TRAPPER’S BOW … 376
MARTYR OF INX … 352 WICKED GENTS … 378
ODOMIC DART … 354 ZEPHYR SPINES … 380
OLAF’S ROCK … 356
NOTES
Blaque Rider
The world was silent, a slow
motion thudding of blood and
smoke.
The creature was getting away,
its wings beating a storm down
the tower and across the plaza.
Rizik squinted against the dusty
gale, bow cocked, whispering to
the Grandfather of Knives that
his shot find its way.
As the verdant beast pounded
up into the sky, hurt and
angry, seething and wounded,
Rizik could make out the rag-
ged and burned gash in its
flank from the sorcerer’s bolt.
He pulled back hard, near
enough to worry that the
string or bend might break and
this would all be for nothing…
that Mira, laying torn and bloody in the grass, gone and growing cold… that it would all amount to
folly and nothing more.
But, from the corner of his eye, he saw Himlaf—drained as he was from his magical assault—pull the
Rider free and, in a great overhand throw that threw him off-balance and tumbling to his knees, send
the dart flying at Rizik’s profile. The ranger winced at the coming pain, and smiled.
APPEARANCE come from the deep. These are mostly folk-

A finely-tooled throwing dart with a strange, lore, the stories that the old tell the young to
alien pattern of straight lines intersecting all make them behave: ”be good, young’un, or
around its surface. The body is a dark and the shlothgowaits will come from the sea and
smokey metal with a tip of sharply chiseled take you away to their murky kingdom beneath
white marble. the waves.”
While the villages along those shores all have
ORIGIN
their tales, and the details vary as wildly as the
Arcane DC 20; Religion DC 24; Advantage
tellers’ imaginations, the seeds of those stories
for College of Lore Bards and anyone with
are all the same. Long ago, longer than anyone’s
the Sailor background
grandfather or great-great-great-great forbear
The earliest stories of the Blaque Rider are from ever lived, back when the world was young
the people of the eastern shores. There, sailors and filled with more dark places and unknown
and fisherfolk still tell tales of the things that lands than now, a star fell to the sea—burning
332 • WEAPONS • Blaque Rider

straight through a thousand feet of water and bolster the target’s own ability. The owner may
slamming into the floor in an instant. use the Rider as a weapon only, if they wish,
as the decision to use its deeper power is com-
The impact caused the mountains to tremble
pletely voluntary.
and brought things from below up to the sur-
face, waking ancient horrors that had been If calling on the Rider to transfer power, the
asleep since the most primordial times. For a owner must decide—before rolling to hit—
thousand years, or more, great things would which Ability Score will be affected (Strength,
climb from the sea—giant creatures that Intelligence, Charisma, etc.). Once that is
screamed unknown languages and looked like decided, and the attack made, a successful hit
the nightmares of children. Villages were swept the allows the owner to roll 3d6: the result is the
away by their great tentacles, people melted to number of points of that Ability that are tempo-
rotting slime with their breath. rarily transferred to the target. Note that if the
target is made aware of the attack and willing
One faithful servant of one of the gods of the
to be hit, the attack is advantaged. If unaware
seas—for back then there were many, because
or otherwise avoiding it, the attack is made
the seas were vast and mortals few—stole a
as normal.
ship called the Avinash and made her way to
the place the old people said the star had fallen For example: if Strength is selected and the
ages ago. She sailed for one hundred days and owner rolls a 6, then the target adds 6 to their
nights—around and around, searching for the Strength and the owner deducts 6 from theirs.
site through divine augury and visions in her Modifiers and anything based on the Ability
dreams—until one day her god gently parted change accordingly and in an instant.
the waters and her ship eased around and
The transfer lasts until the start of the owner’s
around the empty column in the middle of the
next turn. The owner may opt to extend the
ocean. And on the floor, now laid bare and open,
duration by rolling an additional 1d6 with the
the stories say she found the ruins of a castle of
3d6 rolled to determine the number of points
bizarre stone. And inside that castle, she found
to transfer (so, if rolling 4d6 to determine how
equally bizarre artifacts of power.
many to transfer, the effect will last for 2 turns,
The Rider was one. Laying amongst thousands but if rolling 5d6, it will last for 3 turns, etc.).
of dead creatures, hidden away in a ruin, a The owner may only roll a number of extra d6s
thousand feet beneath the waves. less than or equal to half of their Proficiency
Bonus (if the Proficiency Bonus is +2 they can
Attunement requires casting one’s thoughts to
only roll 1 extra, and if +4 then they may roll 2
the Rider. This can be done by targeting it with
extra, etc.).
a spell that allows for any form of telepathy
or message sending to a creature, targeting it If the number rolled exceeds the Ability Score
with Psychic damage, or a number of weeks of points of the owner (a result of 15 when the
careful meditation and practice (an hour a day) owner’s Ability Score is only 14), then it only
equal to 20 minus the would be owner’s Intel- transfers up to what the owner has (14) and the
ligence Score. remainder is lost.
SYSTEM Should the owner’s Ability Score be reduced

to 0, they fall Unconscious. They cannot regain
Once attuned, the Rider counts as a +1 magic
consciousness until their Score is no longer 0.
dart. With an Action, the owner may make an
Upon regaining consciousness from this experi-
attack that transfers some of their vitality and
ence, the owner gains 1 Exhaustion.
power into another: pouring their own life’s
essence into the connection with the target, to
333 • WEAPONS • Blaque Rider

Bleeder
Poke.
The fight started fiercely and all the money was on Brate to win. Four hundred pounds of angry,
thick-browed, hornet-mad half-giant versus one bold-talking halfling. Both stripped to the waist. One
weapon each. No funny business. First to toss in or die, loses. That’s the rules at Pann’s Delve—at
least, them’s the rules in the basement where the low brawls and cheap fights go down. It only paid 5
to 7, but all the smart money was on Brate.
Poke.
Not because he was bigger or even had a great record (in truth, he was known to be a glass-jawed
wanker), but the huge brawler had put on a pair of leather gloves wrapped in shards and spikes and
wire and glass which looked for all the world like the enormous hands of a vengeful titan… the hal-
fling, however, brought a knife more suited to breakfast than a battle.
Poke.
The little bastard just kept darting in and touching the big one with that knife. Lightly. Again. And
Again. And again.
And after five sweaty minutes, Brate went to a knee. Poke.
And then both knees. Poke.
And laid down and waved a hand, slack-jawed and panting while the halfling climbed on top of him—
standing arrogantly atop the bloody, pained brute—unlaced his breeches and peed in the direction of
an angry and slightly less wealthy crowd.
334 • WEAPONS • Bleeder

APPEARANCE Attunement to the knife requires the slow death

A small knife, only a few inches long and made of an enemy by using, it and only it, over a
of a strange brass-like metal with a wrapped number of hours equal to one-fifth of their max-
leather hilt. imum hit points. For many, such sadism should
be hardly possible.
ORIGIN
Arcane DC 18, History DC 25; Advantage SYSTEM
for Warlocks and anyone with the Acolyte The knife counts as a +0 magic weapon (given
background its short blade and small handle, it’s not par-
ticularly wieldy and counts as an improvised
The Bleeder is a vile thing. It’s origins are dark,
weapon dealing 1d2 Piercing damage). With a
hellish: a cataclysm, the fall of a nation, the
successful strike the knife pokes a small hole
death of a god, the birth of a horror, the destruc-
shallowly into the target. Undead, Constructs,
tion of a whole world and the eternal screams of
and largely Immaterial or Ethereal creatures
its people. A great cackling mad demon laugh-
are unaffected. But, if it lives and it bleeds,
ing and feasting on the flesh of the innocent.
the Bleeder reduces their hp maximum by 1
A foul dimension of pain and purgation. The
(in addition to the damage dealt) and forces a
world before this one, before the First Age—
Constitution Save DC 8 or else the target gains
gone. And amongst the precious few things that
1 Exhaustion.
have breached that reality to this is The Bleeder
And somewhere, with every painful strike…
Once a sliver from the Great Blade of Sholog-
some creature from the depths looks on, only
onoth that severed the Heavens, since fashioned
looks on, and feasts on the joy of the screams.
into an almost harmless looking knife by dark
conspirators of the Old Empire.
NOTES
335 • WEAPONS • Bleeder

Divider
“It looks like they’re all grouped together, Marius.”

Something about the grizzled brawler made Brother Service uncomfortable. Where most of their group
seemed to at least pay lip service to the True and the Way, or act with charity and mercy—hells, or
at least not appear to enjoy the sometimes necessary slaughter they found on their way to the old
keep—Marius was different.
Boring and quiet and seemingly depressed most of the time, given to rant about the injustices of his
brutish life on the roads back when he worked as a caravan guard and prone to drink more than a lit-
tle, their brawler came alive and joyous at the idea of cinching his leathers tighter and bringing pain
and death to others.
It was, Brother Service thought, of questionable moral quality, that behavior.
But, times like this, looking down at the throngs and teeming horde of hobgoblins, all close-packed and
ready to charge in seamless phalanx, well, the priest could appreciate the unique talents of a bastard
such as Marius. He watched the old boy walk down into the path of the coming storm, gripping his
weapon, ready to scatter them to the winds.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A heavy adamantine rod, a full two feet long History DC 16, Arcane DC 19, Advantage
and weighing nearly 40 lbs., with criss-crossing to Fighters and anyone with the Soldier or
grooves covering its surface. Sage background
336 • WEAPONS • Divider

The Lord Marshall of Inx, back during the earli- SYSTEM

est ages of the world, had his Master Smiths and Once attuned, the Rod counts as a +0 light mace
Magewrights spend four years on its construc- and on a successful attack where the number
tion, intending it to be the central figure of his on the d20 used to confirm the hit is even (2,
command and something he could pass it down 4, 18, 16, etc.) the target is knocked backward,
from office-bearer to office-bearer. And (maybe, with preternatural force, directly away from the
one day) a descendent might sit a throne with it. incoming blow. The knockback distance for a
But, old arbiter that he was and not a stranger medium-sized creature or smaller is 10 ft. For
to the work on the streets of his grand city, he every size category larger, subtract 5 ft.
wanted it to be as useful as it was beautiful.
On a critical hit, do not double the damage
Attunement to the Divider requires the lawful dice, instead double the distance. Should the
apprehension of a dozen different criminals knocked-back creature collide with any sub-
using nothing more than the rod, which—until stantial terrain or object (something that does
attuned—counts as an improvised weapon. On not “give”) they take 1d6 Bludgeoning damage
the apprehension and incarceration of the last, from the impact for every 10 ft. of travel.
the rod seems to shift its balance, magically, to
For any creature knocked more than 10 ft, they
the bearer.
are also Prone. The knockback does not incur an
Opportunity Attack from the wielder, and any
Opportunity Attacks made by others due to it
are done at disadvantage—the enveloping force
is so strong and sudden as to make reacting to it
fast enough extremely difficult.
NOTES
337 • WEAPONS • Divider

Father of Tribes
His mother told him, when he
left for the world, that it would
be up to him to keep his tribe
safe. That the great blessings
of The Grandfather were many
and spilled generously to those
who paved the way for the
young to grow old. She was
wise, his mother. She died the
following winter, after the sol-
diers came. The humans, ever
clever and always marching.
Always searching. Always
pushing farther and farther
into places that were not theirs.
He ran with his crew—well,
not his, really. It was Ank’so
Thurak’s crew, he was only one
thane in the bunch. Fourteen
of them. All bloodied and all
grown. They sprinted across
the night-haden field, quiet as
winter and twice as cold. The
light of the camp was ahead.
No doubt some human crew.
Some pink and brown-faced
bunch of interlopers.
He’d been young once, he
recalls telling Makala, the old
spithead chief he ran with then,
that the humans could be reasoned with and that they didn’t need to kill them in the dark like savages.
The spithead was tired and weak and easily swayed, and the next day they were ambushed with light
and fire and roaring and polished steel. He’d lost an eye, then. He’d thought of it as his greatest lesson.
The spirits were not wrong. The Grandfather took his eye so that he might see.
They were not bad. But they were many, and they were greedy, and as he unslung his axe—ready to
keep their brutes from pressing past the line of his crew—he resigned himself to the truth that there
was only the wild. And one must kill or be killed.
338 • WEAPONS • Father of Tribes

APPEARANCE basis for many studies of defensive and bold

An extremely large greataxe, the blade nearly tactical warfare for centuries.
as big as a cart-wheel, with a haft made from Attunement requires the retelling of the story
polished bone. of the Gat, front to end with no interruptions
ORIGIN or mistakes, at a fireside packed with eager lis-
teners. The orcish tribal gods respond to noth-
ing less.
to Barbarians and Rangers or anyone with
the Noble background SYSTEM
The Father is an orcish great axe, old as the line Once attuned, the great axe gives the wielder
of Sag’thorak Gat, the last high king of the orcs advantage in Charisma checks meant to inspire,
of the Southern Hills. He reigned for nearly bolster confidence, and instill bravery in others.
fifty years—several generations—and his stan- It also allows the wielder to use their Reaction
dard was a bold black axe on a field of grey. The to interpose the blade of the axe (broad and
Father is that axe, the fabled arms of one of the thick as it is) between a successful attack made
orcish people’s greatest heroes, who held off the against them—or an ally within 5 ft.—and its
invasion of human and elf alike with his words target. Doing so grants the shielded person
and piety and the Father. (self or ally) a +2 to their AC, as though under
light cover.
Before their civilization fell, the orcs of the
Southern Hills proudly fought back the Blight- Once per day, should an ally be subject to a
-an otherworldly force invading this world Charisma Save, they are advantaged on it if
from beyond the stars. Many of their fables the Father of Tribes is in its owner’s hands and
and epics tell tales of Gat leading his warriors in sight. This benefit is invoked by the ally at
bravely into battle… clash after clash and hor- the point of attempting the Save, however, not
rific slaughter either of his own people or the the owner.
creatures that sought to infest us all with their The whole axe is unwieldy to anyone with
madness and death. less than 17 strength, imposing disadvantage
The manner in which he fought his wars, the on attacks.
brilliance and strength he showed, became the
NOTES
339 • WEAPONS • Father of Tribes

Finger of Madness
“You can’t possibly win this,
Gallie. Don’t make me do it!”
Broadways called as he brought
one great lobstered gauntlet
around, and the Rogue could
feel one of her teeth go loose as
he shouted at her.
Clinging to him closely, she
spat blood across his bare jaw,
“It’s too late, Brodie. I’m sorry,
but it’s too damn late.” Her
voice was pained, her face a
grimace of bruises and regret.
Again and again, the warrior
brought his fist down. Refus-
ing to draw his greatsword,
maybe hoping he could save
her from… from whatever this
was.
And with each blow, his knees
grew a little weaker. With each
strike, his vision dimmer. And
as he stumbled, he looked up
into her battered face and split
scalp—at what he’d done to
her.
“I can’t… let… you… will…
stop… you…”
She choked back raw emotion as she motioned to his side where her dagger remained lodged between
the plates of his armor.
“I killed you a minute ago. I’m… gods damn it all, Brodie, I’m sorry.”
And his world faded to blackness and void.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A dagger of blackened steel with a white and Arcane DC 18, Religion DC 21; Advantage
sunbleached wooden hilt. Perception DC for Life Domain Clerics and Necromancy
15 notices that the dagger is always cold to School Wizards or anyone with the Aco-
the touch. lyte background
340 • WEAPONS • Finger of Madness

The old gods and goddesses of the world SYSTEM

are nearly gone, while many new ones have The Finger counts as a -1 magic dagger (yes,
replaced them here and there over the ages. negative). Against Constructs or Undead the
They had many names. One stole their way weapon does normal damage, but on a success-
through the millennia and was a powerful pres- ful attack against all other creatures the dagger
ence in this reality as recently as the Fourth pierces the flesh of the target and may be held
Age—if the Sages and Priests are to be believed. tightly buried to the hilt with effort on the part
The Decider, the Mad God of Violence and of the wielder.
Ends… his greatest servant was the archmage At the start of each of the victim’s turns they
Tolio of Pensk, who loved death as he loved may attempt (with an Action) to force the dag-
himself, but eschewed the fancies of necro- ger out of their body (opposed Athletics checks
mancy as nothing more than the weak practic- between the wielder and victim) or back away
ing magic tricks to comfort and console their from it by moving at least 5 ft. away from the
fears about the finality that awaits us. wielder. Backing away automatically pulls them
The archmage crafted a dagger, and took his free of the dagger.
own life at the end of its making in offering to At the end of each of the victim’s turns, if the
the Decider. As modernity came the works of dagger is still piercing them, they must make a
Tolio have been lost and the mad god seemingly Constitution Save (equal to the wielder’s Spell
vanished, or was replaced by other high beings Save DC; if the wielder does not have one, then
and deities. But the dagger remains. DC 8) or gain 1 point of Exhaustion.
Attunement requires, by one’s own hand, recre-
ating the death of Tolio on one’s self. Alone in
a room, casting Prestidigitation to remove the
hair and clean the spot on the neck, and then
ending one’s life with dagger by plunging into
the throat.
NOTES
341 • WEAPONS • Finger of Madness

Flashwood Rapier
Polly Flashwood raced across
the rooftops of Renoa, cackling
madly while the Docksiders
leapt and sprinted after her.
“Humans,” she muttered
behind gleaming teeth. She’d
only relieved them of their
money, but when you took a
human’s purse, her mother had
always said, it’s like taking their
balls. So here she was, making
the best of a midnight chase.
They shouted and growled after
her, cursing and promising all
manner of a**kicking when they
caught up. Worst part, they
were succeeding. She glanced
about as she took another leap
to the short two-story tannery
across the narrow alley. Damn,
the Racks… spaced out build-
ings over wide streets. They’d
crowded her to the worst place
to continue this dance.
Polly ran, and slowed as she
saw the thoroughfare-wide gap
between the tannery she was
on and the candleworks she
needed to get to… the ruffians
were closing and laughing.
Pulling old great-uncle Mercy’s rapier, she said a quick prayer to damned-horrible-but-please-just-
don’t-let-me-die god of chance—something like “oh please, oh please, don’t be a complete bastard right
now”—and she sprinted for the edge.
Three steps. Then two. Then one… and, as she pumped her legs, she thrust the rapier out in front of
her boldly—like the masthead of a great ship—and less than elegantly found herself dragged through
the air, like an arrow shot forty feet across the road into the side of the candleworks. Hanging by the
hilt. Feet some twenty feet off the ground. Sword stuck in the old wood. God, it seems, is not without
a sense of humor
342 • WEAPONS • Flashwood Rapier

APPEARANCE Attunement requires recovering it from a thief

A beautifully ornate silver bladed rapier, a gold who successful stole it (without intending to
half basket cage surrounds the slightly curved ever give or sell it back). It is this peculiar act
hilt. A beautiful polished emerald serves as that attracts the lingering amusement of the god
the pommel. of fortune and reckless mirth.
ORIGIN SYSTEM
History DC 16, Religion DC 19; Advantage The rapier counts as a +0 magic weapon nor-
for Rogues and anyone with the Criminal mally, and a +1 magic weapon whenever an
background attack is Advantaged through any magical
influence (spell or other such effect). The God
The robber-baron Mercy of Renoa, sire to gen-
of Chance does love a little cheating.
erations of criminal half-elves in the Eastern
free cities over three hundred years ago, was In addition, by spending a Bonus Action, the
the favored follower of the capricious God of wielder may thrust the sword in a direction
Chance and Luck. An unlikely priest of the and then roll 2d6. The result is the number of
fickle deity, Mercy and his progeny were sub- 5 ft. increments the wielder is dragged by the
jects of great amusement and drama in the ruth- weapon in the indicated direction. The pull of
less urban sprawls of those states. Amongst the the sword is like the firing of a crossbow bolt,
many artifacts collected (stolen) by Mercy (who sudden and jerking. Anyone not Proficient in
stole them) and handed down to (also, actually, either Athletics or Acrobatics has a 50% chance
stolen by) his children and nieces and nephews of losing the sword and not being able to hold
after his death (no body ever found), was his on tightly enough or throw themselves just
famous rapier—the Mercy’s Edge. right with the pull.
Eventually, the rapier passed on (due to a heist) Keeping one’s footing afterward (if staying
to a lesser branch of his descendants, the Flash- on the ground level) requires a Dexterity Save
woods. His great-nephew, Celanon, renamed equal to the result from the 2d6 roll. A failure
it the Flashwood Rapier and fled Renoa and means the wielder falls Prone.
his larcenous extended family on his own Colliding with a creature or object while travel-
adventures. Eventually, the Flashwood rapier ling along this path stops the flight immediately,
was traded for a minor noble title in the city and both the wielder and the creature or object
of Greyghast and, from there, has been lost take 1d4 Bludgeoning damage for each 5 ft. the
ever since. wielder travelled up to that point.
NOTES
343 • WEAPONS • Flashwood Rapier

Hartlight Beacon
They had been chasing him for
near an hour, and Dwight had
all but given up trying to flee.
The wet cobblestones of the
Stacks were hard and his boots
soaked—every slap sent a pow-
erful jarring shot through his
body. His chest rose and fell
like an over-excited bellows, he
was lost and there was nowhere
else to run.
As he put his back to the wall
in the long alley, and watched
the snarling bastards close in,
he felt more sorrow than anger
(though there was a little anger).
He felt more pity than fear.
The big one ordered the other
three to stay mindful and told
Dwight to hand over all of it:
the purse, that ring, and espe-
cially the large black flatbow
over his shoulder.
With quiet care, Dwight pulled the drawstring on his purse and heard the coins clink and chitter
along the stones in the wet, pulled off the ring with a heavy sigh and let it fall into a splish of a pud-
dle, and unslung the polished, menacing flatbow and clenched his eyes tight as he pulled the trigger.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A heavy crossbow made from mirewood and Arcane DC 16, Religion DC 19; Advantage
ebony. The mirror shine of the lacquered wood to Wizards and anyone with the Acolyte
is complimented by exquisite shining filigree or Sage backgrounds
depicting screaming faces and howling spir- The Beacon is a crafted delight from the follow-
its writhing in agony. A haunting white skull ers of the Hidden, a doctrine and faith from the
braces the bow on the end of the barrel. most distant nations in the South and all but
banned in those lands. Countless necromancers
and arcanists have tried over the years to pry its
secrets free for more universal purpose, but the
gifts of gods are not so easily dismantled.
344 • WEAPONS • Hartlight Beacon

Attunement requires picking up the Flaw “Eas- soul—pained, mad, and angry—into the world
ily frightened,” as even handling the weapon amidst a cacophony of terror and sorrow.
for too long wears down the nerves and causes
The area around the shooter goes cold, and a
the owner to jump at even the smallest stimuli.
black and white screaming spectre flies out of
SYSTEM the end skull like a cannon shot, through the
Once attuned, the Beacon serves as a +0 magic target and any creatures in the path of the shot.
heavy crossbow with only one range increment The target takes damage as from a heavy cross-
at 30 ft. The Beacon reloads itself (though it still bow plus 1d4 Necrotic damage. If the shot
takes the same time as reloading a normal heavy hits the target and there are creatures in a line
crossbow) so long as one maintains Concentra- behind them, and within 30 ft. of the Beacon,
tion on it during that time (as a for Concentra- the spectre does 1d4 Necrotic damage to those
tion spell). Conventional ammunition cannot be as well. In this way, the Beacon excels more in
fired from the Beacon, its bowstring being long close quarters.
atrophied, but it summons its own.
The passing spectre dissipates afterward, its
When the owner pulls the trigger in an attack essence destroyed—a harrowing thing, to anni-
against a sentient, intelligent creature there roars hilate a soul. This reality takes its toll on the
forth from the Stygian depths a deep, howling shooter’s own spirit, and they only earn ½ of an
scream (audible through 5 ft. stone) as the ser- Inspiration point when they are given Inspira-
vants of the God of the Dead release a tortured tion; it will take two Inspiration awards to equal
a full Inspiration point that may be used.
NOTES
345 • WEAPONS • Hartlight Beacon

Hood of the Lazy Kill

“Oim tellin’ yers… he come
staaaaaahkin’ in the noight.
Roight up ter yer baid whil yer
slaepin’. His ole gnarly hains
reddy ter chalker loif outer
yer.”
The rest of the group lazed
about the campfire, ignoring
the old ranger’s stories… and
that ridiculous accent. It was
always stories, more and more
terrifying—or at least that’s
what he intended. Whoever
heard of a half-orc assassin,
honestly, and where the hell
was Grimsy? He’d only left to
tend the horses for a moment.
“Yer thenk yer safe, neh? Thenk
yer made’a claaaaaaaayne get-
awee, neh? An ‘en? Pow!
Games’r ov’r, mahn.”
The younger ones were wide-
eyed with rapt attention. Now
the old hunter was just showing off. He told the same story every time they knocked over some rich
man’s baggage train in this part of the empire. They’d never had a problem before.
Where the hell was Grimsy?
APPEARANCE of the capital of what used to be the old Dodan

A black silk hood with little lead weights sewn city-state, he was—through the benevolence and
into the hem with a leather thong threaded manipulations of the Lochers ,a cult of death
through the rim. that once commanded fear and respect in those
times—raised to murder and was regarded as
ORIGIN one of the finest assassins for hire of his time.
The hood was created by several of the cult’s
for Assassin Rogues and anyone with the
more inventive devotees, and was to be pre-
Urchin background
sented to their highest priest as a gift to celebrate
Odom Boyd is a name that still commands some their god’s high holy day. Boyd killed every last
fear, though he’s been dead for at least two or member of the Lochers during the ceremony;
three hundred years (pending the stories you an excellent student is not necessarily a convert.
hear). A half-orcish wretch, found on the streets The hood went with him, wherever he went.
346 • WEAPONS • Hood of the Lazy Kill

There are stories of its use on four continents. So long as the hood is deployed over their head,
Even in the last few dozen years. the victim has the Blind condition and begins
to asphyxiate rapidly. If not released from the
Attunement requires using the hood to stran-
hood, they will fall unconscious in a number of
gle an unsuspecting victim to the point of
rounds equal to their Constitution score, and
unconsciousness.
every round after that they take 1 Exhaustion
SYSTEM until dead.
One attuned, the hood can be dropped around Every time the victim takes damage from a suc-
the head of the wielder’s victim with an Action, cessful attack, the number of rounds needed to
assuming the victim is Medium size. This knock them unconscious reduces by one.
requires an opposed Athletics versus either
Escaping from the hood requires an Action and
Athletics or Acrobatics check. This check is,
succeeding in a Strength Save DC equal to 10
if the victim is surprised, advantaged for the
+ the number of rounds it has been tightening
would-be assassin and disadvantaged for the
around their neck. If the owner takes no other
victim. Once the hood comes down, no hands
actions, using their turn to interfere with the
are needed to constrict the opening, as the
victim’s attempts to escape, this Strength Save
leather thong tightens itself.
is disadvantaged.
NOTES
347 • WEAPONS • Hood of the Lazy Kill

Lenma's Dirk
348 • WEAPONS • Lenma's Dirk

Kurt had no patience for the enthusiastic young bucks and bonnies that they tended to pick up in little
piss bucket towns like this one.
The old rogue was closer to fifty than forty and near sprained his eyes—rolling them hard as he did—
every time a fresh-faced plucky welp with a sword or bow approached their table at this or that inn.
This time it was grinning pair of elves, or some such. Sir Broadways was always glad to have fresh
and eager companions for their journeys, and he’d judge them in the field and train them patiently.
The others found gambling partners, or talent among the newcomers worth befriending.
Kurt just saw a statistical increase in the likelihood of being killed every time they welcomed a new
comrade. They thought it was all constables and robbers, all dash and daring, and had no idea what
sorts of hells and horrors waited out in the far places—the dark places. Kids. Dumb kids, really.
“So… Master Kurtwoin—” one of them piped up as Kurt grimaced. Nobody called him by his birth-
name, not for years, “the good Sir is your martial and tactical leader, and the lady Meilla is the expert
on the underworkings of the arcane. And you? We didn’t catch what fine skill or talent you champion
to keep the light of peace and life burning in these lands.”
Kurt looked at him, doe eyed and eager thing, and pulled his dagger from his ratty belt, throwing
it on the table in front of them. Half-rusted, blunt, and cracked as it seemingly was, their grinning
dimmed in confusion.
“I kill gods,” the old rogue growled back, eroding their youthful joy and optimism down to a nub with
his hard stare.
“Maybe I killed yours, once.”
APPEARANCE But a few result from confluences of events—

A dagger with a deep crack going up the aged accidents of time, space, power, and influence—
blade. The hilt is worn black leather, with a that twist the supernal and natural laws of the
cloudy and dull rough-cut gem on the pommel. world into a dangerous weapon of destiny. Len-
ma’s Dirk was one such accident.
ORIGIN
The Crystal was a remnant of the oldest times,
when a single facet of the soul of a god was
for Thief Rogues and anyone with the
trapped in a faceted stone by the Arch-Elemen-
Charlatan background
tals during the wars for Creation. For what pur-
Some wonders are created by powerful beings, pose, or to what end, nobody knows. Which god
used as weapons against each other in wars or goddess lost some of their soul to the gem,
long forgotten or passed on to mortals to fur- nobody knows. The Crystal was said to whisper
ther schemes or plans in secret. Some are forged lies and false bargains, to speak truths of little
by mages and adepts to steal power from the worth and manipulate mortals to cruel purpose.
workings of the universe and put it into the
Itself a powerful artifact, the Crystal is no more,
palms of their own hand. Some are gifts from
destroyed centuries ago by a common halfling
above. Some are blessings from well beyond
with an uncommon penchant for deceit and
this world.
fraud. Whether Lenma knew the truth behind
the Crystal, knew anything of the oldest wars

for reality, knew the name of the bound god, or Some say Lenma failed, and went on to pledge
even cared… none can say. uneasy loyalty to the bound god and serve the
Crystal thereafter.
The Crystal was carried by Lenma and his col-
leagues across many adventures, all the while Lenma’s Dirk, though, was forever changed by
the bound god working insidious deals and the brush with raw divine power. It has passed
making Faustian bargains. Then, in one shining on from cult, to assassin, to collector and back
moment of opportunity, in the middle of a cha- countless times in the centuries since.
otic battle, the Crystal was dropped.
Attunement requires honing and sharpening
Lenma, opportunist that he was, drew his dag- the dagger with a stone wet with the blood of
ger and rammed it down hard into the stone, the faithful. The confluence of respect for the
nearly shattering the blade in the process. The elemental power that bound the god to the
conflagration of power and rage consumed the Crystal in the old times, and the divine confla-
battle and… stories diverge on the outcome. gration that birthed the Dirk’s strange abilities,
must be attended in this manner.
Some say the Crystal was destroyed, a poetic
end: the deceitful mortal betrays the lying god.

SYSTEM On a successful attack against a creature pos-

Lenma’s Dirk counts as a +0 magic dagger and sessing one of those types, before damage is
grants the wielder a special ability when using rolled, the wielder may elect to do no damage
it against Celestial, Fiendish, Fey, or Elemental at all and instead leave the dagger plunged
creature types. The artifacts of the oldest time deeply into their body—all the way to the hilt.
were made to destroy and confound those crea- The creature feels a strange cold, deep in their
tures, and some of the Crystal’s purpose lives bones, as though the dagger is stealing away
on in the Dirk. their life force.
Removing the Dirk requires an Action and a
successful Athletics check against a DC equal
to 10 + the CR of the most powerful Celestial,
Fiend, Fey, or Elemental the Dirk has ever been
in as that creature died. Only creatures that die
while the Dirk is plunged into their body count,
and the value of the highest CR is the number
you add to 10. If that’s a CR 2 Fey? The DC is
12. If it is a CR 6 Fiend? The DC is 16. The DC
cannot exceed 25, total.
If the Dirk is plunged into a hard-to-reach area
like the small of the back, or some other place
where it cannot be easily reached by limbs or
appendages, the Athletics check is disadvan-
taged. The Athletics check may also be disad-
vantaged should one or more individuals spend
their action to hold the Dirk in place.
So long as the Dirk is buried deeply into them
in this way, all attacks made against them by the
wielder have advantage and the wielder may
reroll damage—taking the highest total.
If the wielder ever causes damage with the Dirk
to a creature of any other type the Dirk becomes
unattuned, forgets the creatures it’s been used
to kill (the highest CR for it is 0), and cannot be
re-attuned by the same person.
NOTES

Martyr of Inx
His body told the story of a
man the world had not yet
stopped trying to murder.
Long gashes, short puckered
grey scars, scabbed-over cuts
all crissed and crossed his tan
skin. Missing an ear. Missing
an eye. To see him was to pity
him, and yet when he turned
that lonely eye on you, a fear
took hold of you deep.
The scarred man carried his
spear as though it weighed as
much as he did, the butt drag-
ging in the dirt and his knuck-
les white in a heavy grip. The
locals didn’t know his name,
though he’d lived in those
parts for years. He rarely spoke
to anyone when he came down
from the hills; his time in town
was always short. Some of the
old men spread hushed gossip that he was a mighty warrior, that they remembered him young and
fine–-not the ragged thing he was now.
Most knew, though, whoever he was, he was all that stood between them and the howling.
APPEARANCE empire—and pledged to save the innocents rav-

A long spear of smooth, hand-worn oak. The tip aged by the generations-long wars.
is a gleaming, well-oiled blade of silvery steel. The god blessed them with the Martyr, the
purest expression of their mission in this vol-
ORIGIN
atile time. This god no longer lives, and only
the eldest deities remember his name. His was
for Life Domain Clerics and anyone with
the sacrifice that allowed the world to move on
the Sage background
from the horrors of bloody conflict and enter a
The Martyr was a heretical item created by a new age of civilization.
small cult devoted to a minor god during the
Attunement requires a pledge to the heavens to
long ago First Age, when the empire of Inx
take the life of no creature. DMs are encouraged
fought its great wars with devastating arcane
to consider the ramifications, be they warnings
might. This cult, name long lost to history,
or something more brutal, for defying gods in
practiced divine magic—frowned upon by the
this pledge.
352 • WEAPONS • Martyr of Inx

SYSTEM (pushing them over a ledge to die when they

Once attuned, the spear counts as a +1 magic hit the ground, poisoning them, using other
weapon. It is Versatile and Heavy: the tip does weapons after to “finish it”), the wielder suf-
1d8 (1d10 if used two-handed) Piercing damage fers the damage and effects instead. Note that
and the butt (if the tip is not used to attack with) as the spear cannot bring a living creature to
does 1d6 Bludgeoning damage. The spear has 0 hp, knocking them out with the weapon
Reach and the wielder may use it to perform a becomes impossible.
Trip attack (opposed Athletics vs. Acrobatics) Causing (directly or not) the death of living
on anything the same size, or up to one size cat- things and suffering the damage from those
egory larger or smaller. actions leaves marks on the wielder. DMs are
So long as the wielder is attuned, the spear can- encouraged to explore permanent scars or inju-
not take a life. Any strike from it that would ries from these transgressions, even after being
reduce the target to 0 hp or lower instead leaves healed. Only divine intervention may remove
them with 1 hp. Should any creature success- these wounds or scars.
fully attacked by the wielder die as a direct Note that the undead and constructs do not
or indirect result of the wielder’s own actions count as being “alive,” in this case.
NOTES
353 • WEAPONS • Martyr of Inx

Odomic Dart
Every hit counts. Move fast.
Don’t pause. Keep moving.
Keep moving. Keep moving.
The young half-orc pulled his
cloak up against the wind and
stayed to the snowdrifts, to the
side of the street. The four men
were dragging his friend off,
presumably to kill him or worse
(and when you’ve seen the
things that exist in the darker
corners of the world like he had,
there was definitely worse), so
this place was absolutely burnt.
Why were they here?
He pulled the dart out, with its
grooved edges and sharp short
point, and muttered something
in crude Elvish. The dart came
to life, glowing a faint orange.
He breathed heavily. One.
Two. Three.
Go.
As he left the shadow, and closed the distance to the man in the back, he cocked his arm and shot the
dart forward like a bolt from a flatbow… fierce and strong and heavy.
The dart flew true and straight and sunk three quarters of the way into the bastard’s skull. He started
falling, but the rogue skipped forward, placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, grabbed the end of the
dart and yanked it out before he’d dropped more than a foot or two. His colleagues had barely noticed
the silent murder and as they stopped, the half-orc had already spun into the shadows of the next alley,
muttered that Elvish word again.
Holding the spike close while they frantically saw their friend fall, he watched as the ruffians began
searching around the area for whatever had just killed their man.
Move Fast. Don’t pause. Keep moving. One. Two. Three.
Go.
354 • WEAPONS • Odomic Dart

APPEARANCE almost folklorish figure in criminal circles today.

A spike of metal, roughly eight inches long The Dart took his name in the retelling of his
and as thick around as a thumb. The sides are stories, and has been rumored to be responsible
fluted and the tip hammered into a short point. for several deaths over the centuries.
Perception DC 17 notices it twitches whenever Attunement requires commanding the Dart in
someone speaks Elvish. an obscure Elvish dialect known to very few
ORIGIN anymore—even amongst the oldest sages of
their kind. DMs are encouraged to consider
who might know, or have a tome about, some-
for Assassin Rogues and anyone with the
thing as forgettable as that one ancient Elvish
Criminal background
word for “hunt.”
Created by the elves that settled the Western for-
ests during the halcyon days of that race’s great SYSTEM
sprawling kingdoms, the dart was a dark and The Dart, once attuned, counts as a +0 magic
quiet secret amongst their kind. Satisfied to be weapon whose damage ignores all Resistances.
seen as haughty, noble, and benign, the darker After speaking the command word it counts as
deeds they committed to maintain their power a +1 magic weapon for one round.
were buried under many layers of intrigue and With a Bonus Action the owner may recall it,
cover-ups. Most popular history regards their with a beckoning gesture, so long as they are
period of prosperity as a function of gracious within 15 ft. But if left stuck in a living creature
rulership and peaceful collaboration with their for at least one round after a successful attack,
neighbors, but it is now an open secret that their and while the owner maintains Concentration,
death squads and assassins were just as respon- the Dart inflicts a number of Piercing damage
sible for sowing the very useful chaos in other equal to half the owner’s Proficiency Bonus
empires as their diplomats were in exploiting it. rounded up.
After the fall of those kingdoms to treachery The Dart may be removed by the creature
and betrayal, one tool in their clandestine arse- with an Action and, if held by them, the recall
nal survived the coming purges of their culture requires a contested roll between the creature’s
and scattering of their people. The Dart was Athletics and the owner’s Charisma.
found and carried for years by Odom Boyd, an
NOTES
355 • WEAPONS • Odomic Dart

Olaf's Rock
“The legends say that Olaf the
Great Bearded One, chief of
the hill giants of Hardar Rem
Kor, had the tribe’s greatest
shamans— Wallace, just shut
up… alright? Look, you want
to hear this or not?”
“Hah… hoo… yeah, sorry.
No, really, I’m sorry, Kendel.
I just-– Come on. Shamans of
the hill giants?”
“Yes, gods damn it all, sha-
mans. They have shamans,
Wallace. And he had them
bless it.”
“But— Come on. We just ran
off some hillies last month, you
saw them. They haven’t got
so much as two wits between
them.”
“Do you want to hear this or not?”
“Heh… sure. Yeah. I guess. Go ahead.”
“So-, the shamans blessed the rock. And with it in hand, they say Olaf beat his enemies about the head
and fa— fine, screw it, fine. No. You tell a story, then. I’m done.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An small irregular boulder, roughly the size of History DC 15, Arcane DC 18; Advantage
a man’s head, with several worn grooves across for Barbarians and anyone with the Sage
broken ridges in the stone. background
Olaf’s Rock is a favorite subject of the Adepts
at the Scholam. An example of how the cultures
and peoples of the world are more the same
than different, even across the Ages. The rock
has been a sacred artifact of the hill tribes to the
West, but before that it appears to have been
a weapon of destiny for a clan of Hill Giants,
and before that an altar the primitive hobgoblin
empire of the Third Age used to sanctify their
holy wars… before that it was a monument…
356 • WEAPONS • Olaf's Rock

and before that it was fabled to have been a dust, getting a feel for its irregular surface in
thing that fell from the sky. quiet meditation.
It’s origins are unknown, only that it is—simple SYSTEM
thing it may be—the oldest artifact of it’s kind Attuned, the rock can be used as a +3 magic impro-
in recorded scholarship. vised weapon that does 1d4 + Strength in Blud-
The rock weighs nearly 25 lbs. Attunement geoning damage. One may never gain Proficiency
requires carefully cleaning it of all debris and in its use. If thrown, it loses its magical bonus.
NOTES
357 • WEAPONS • Olaf's Rock

Regulator
“Cold rolled steel, sir. A pro-
cess—I assure you—-few true
weapon-smiths in the whole
circle of the world could repli-
cate. I admit that what it lacks
in ornamentation it more than
makes up for in practical effect.”
The thick necked gnome was
going on and on, while Dove
only turned the very smooth
length of metal in his hand
over and over. It was unpol-
ished, still had that dull grey
look that all the fine folk and
genteel yahoos spurned; mir-
ror finishes were all the rage,
you know.
Still, it felt good. Better than
good, it felt real. One might
mistake the thing for a small
wagon axle, but to Dove it felt
like a cold, impersonal, unma-
gificent specter of a death. It
helped that it felt heavy enough
to cave a skull in—metaphor is
nice, but open a man’s head
and you win the argument.
“…and— apologies, sir” Dove was brought back to attention with the gentle poke from the smith,
“But, the—er—modifications? I had them made. I will need to make it clear that if you are found with
something like this, I will deny—“
“If I’m caught, they won’t care where it came from; Malleus will have me hanged from the high tower
of the palace. Where I got it will be the least of anyone’s worries.”
He paid the smith’s price, a box he’d killed six men for in the high places. The steel felt good, as he
walked through the bazaar on his way out of the city. Seven angry damns, but it felt good.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An inch thick dull grey stick that looks like aged History DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
wood, but has the heft of solid steel. for Fighters and anyone with the Sage or
Soldier background
358 • WEAPONS • Regulator

Created during the Third Purge of Malleus SYSTEM

Exile—the First Emperor of the Manifest Com- Powerful illusory magic was coked deeply into
pact that swept through the Middle Empire the iron of the Regulator. When carried or held
centuries ago, after the end of the Dynasty of by the attuned owner, it is perfectly invisible
Blood—the Regulator was one of the few weap- (short of Truesight). The attuned owner can
ons of destiny that escaped the sweeps of the always see it (and senses its location within 100
royal elite guard and the Inquisition during that ft., even if it is hidden by another or the envi-
arcane dark age. ronment). It acts as a +0 magical club dealing
Attunement requires keeping the weapon visi- 1d6 Bludgeoning damage and grants advantage
ble and in hand for one week (a potential chal- when used as a ram or hammer to break things.
lenge come time to rest). Stowing it, dropping it, Additionally, once per rest, the first success-
and otherwise not having it in one’s hand at any ful attack on a foe who is not aware that there
time will require starting over. At the end of that is an invisible weapon in the owner’s hand is
time, the Regulator may be stowed as normal. made with advantage, as the magic of the Reg-
ulator numbs their mind to even the hint of the
wielder holding anything.
NOTES
359 • WEAPONS • Regulator

Raptor and Thorn

Broadways groaned as Tanu
turned a tense situation into
what now promised to be a
bloody and expensive one. The
governor’s own guard stood
unmoving and impersonal,
like an iron gate barring any-
one from getting too close to
the aging tyrant.
Then, so low even Broad-
ways—standing right next to
him—had to lean in to hear…
“Tell your boys to put down…”
—ugh. The paladin hated the
way Tanu did that husky thing
with his voice. Around the fire
he was a perfect second tenor,
and here he sounded grim and
dark and old.
“…their toys.” Sometimes,
Broadways was glad his helm
had a visor, as he blew his
cheeks out a bit and rolled his
eyes behind it—solidarity and
all that. Besides, what was no
doubt coming next was going
to be equally over-the-top (it
always was) and it’d be a good
thing to be the stoic one if there
was a chance at finding a dip-
lomatic way around a fight
with twenty elite pikemen.
APPEARANCE shortsword have matching pommels of carved,

A pair of swords. One, and elegant white-bone and glowing, translucent skulls: the rapier’s
rapier, but with a solid and opaque handguard skull radiates a steady blue, the sword’s a con-
of black steel; the other a shortsword with a stant green.
rigid and blocky style to it. The rapier and the
360 • WEAPONS • Raptor and Thorn

ORIGIN SYSTEM
Religion DC 17, History DC 22; Advantage Once attuned, the pair act as +1 magic weapons
for Battlemaster Fighters and anyone with (rapier and shortsword) and were designed to
the Acolyte background work together, and with fury. All attacks with
Raptor and Thorn were created by an espe- either must be made together, in a flourishing
cially dogmatic sect of the Dominion, a dwar- and intricately paired maneuver.
vish empire that codified their reverence for a Both must be used in the same turn (using an
great emperor (who long ago united their dis- Action and Bonus Action, as per two weapon
parate tribes and nations) into a zealous faith attack rules) and rolled together, at the same
that threatened half the world. Under the direc- time, to count as +1 and magic. If attacking with
tion of one of their highest Warmasters, the one or the other individually, they count as +0
Cardinal of Stone, the weapons were blessed and do half-damage (rounding down).
with light and fire drawn down from the heav-
Should either weapon critically succeed, during
ens themselves.
an attack when both are rolled together, both are
These artifacts represent the height of that sect’s considered to critically succeed.
attempt to empower champions able to overtake
The wielder of the blades loses their Reaction
the whole Dominion, and bring finality to and
during any turn he holds one of the swords.
absolute authority over everything that walked
The litanies of combat of the Dominion sect
and breathed in this world.
that created them honored brutal offense and
Attunement to the pair of swords requires the spurned what they considered to be the piti-
death of a heretic (by the reckoning of the Car- able theatrics of counter-attacking a foe through
dinal of Stone’s particular dogma). So long as cheap maneuvers.
the victim is touched by any heretical deity,
which would include virtually every faith in the
world, their death at the hands of the wielder of
Raptor and Thorn completes the price.
NOTES
361 • WEAPONS • Raptor and Thorn

Rathian Arquebus
“Don’t do it, Beck.”

“No, I’m gonna do it.”
“It isn’t necessary at all, though! Look, we have this; there’s only the three, and Teller can handle two
of them herself. You don’t have to.”
“What if they’ve got another one hiding somewhere? Huh? Or two? Remember there was one guy in
a tree at Deimhold—I got him outta that tree.”
“There’s just the three, though—seriously.”
“I’m gonna do it.”
“What if you hit Teller?”
“She’s ain’t as soft as you, she’ll understand—alright, I’m loaded, let’s scatter some bandits.”
362 • WEAPONS • Rathian Arquebus

APPEARANCE class by itself. DMs are encouraged to see this as

A large, shoulder braced three-barreled musket. an opportunity to explore Downtime rules and
The barrels are a swirling pattern of dark steel consider how much practice (surely more than
and shining brass, braced together every six one day) it may take to figure out a complexly
inches of its nearly three foot length with steel designed machine.
bands. The stock is a polished rosewood with
SYSTEM
button-tacking and a shining brass buttplate.
The Arquebus counts as a +0 magic ranged
ORIGIN weapon with a very short range (15/30) and
History DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage the Heavy and Two-Handed properties. Use-
for Evocation School Wizards and anyone less at any meaningful distance, the Arque-
with the Criminal background bus was designed for close-quarters mayhem
and confusion.
The Arquebus is a more recent artifact, created
by the Blackworks of Greyghast—an under- With a successful ranged attack roll, the weapon
ground cabal of artificers and cutthroats across discharges all three barrels and does 1d4 force,
the sea. It was a favored weapon given to their 1d4 fire, and 1d4 thunder damage to the target.
Regulator—the head of security—to use should If the shooter rolls the same value on all three
the constables or, worse, other gangs come look- dice, everyone within 30 ft. of the shooter must
ing to launch an assault on the magewrights. make a Constitution Save, DC 12 + the shooter’s
Proficiency Bonus or be Stunned for 1 round.
Only one was ever created, confiscated by a
patrol of constables many years ago and later However, in addition to that, if the shooter rolls
stolen from the Scholam that kept it under lock all 1’s on the dice, the Arquebus misfires and
and key while studying its peculiar construction. fills the immediate area (a 5 ft. radius around the
shooter) with black smoke that obscures sight
Attunement requires working and practicing
for 1 round. The Arquebus must be cleaned and
with the Arquebus long enough to develop
recalibrated after this in order to work normally
a Proficiency in it; its arcane technology and
again, taking 1 minute of focused attention.
unconventional operation put the weapon in a
NOTES
363 • WEAPONS • Rathian Arquebus

Render
“Hurry! Arla! Wensel! Hurry
the hell up!” Teller screamed
over the din of the storm and
the crashing horror of the cas-
tle’s slow-but-quickening tum-
ble to pieces around them. She
was no clever one, she’d never
claimed it, but she could see
the signs all around. They were
too deep into this monstrous
place, far too deep. It’d be sev-
eral hundred yards of climb-
ing and twisting stairs back
up and there’d be no guaran-
tee that anyone would be able
to get them all out after that.
Wensel was a capable magician, but even he had his limits.
The trio ran up the stone stairwell, dodging tumbling bricks and shoving away the occasional pan-
icked cultist who was no less terrified of the falling palace than they were. And, as they crested the
path that led up from the catacombs into the grand hall that marked (to Teller’s reckoning) halfway
out, Teller went cold and froze at the hopeless sight.
The whole place was a cauldron of red and orange flames, and the searing, naked heat of their devour-
ing rushed her back to her senses in the next moment.
No choice. No damn choice at all. Gripping the long-handled sword she bid everyone stand back, and,
in a perfect and fluid and flowing arc, the ebon stone greatsword tore a black bloody gash through the
world—and shook the mountain itself with its furious cut.
APPEARANCE darker magic congregated—eventually giving

A heavy, six foot long, greatsword made of rise to the Calcikai.
chipped black igneous rock. The long handle is Always a step ahead of their enemies, and those
wrapped in pale leather in a primitive style. faiths that would purge every last one of them
to a man or woman, the Render was both their
ORIGIN best defense and means of escape. The empire
Arcane DC 18, History DC 21; Advantage hunted them for generations, to no avail. It
for Necromancy School Wizards and any- wasn’t until the Purge and the rise of the Exile
one with the Acolyte background Kings, with their indiscriminate hate for virtu-
The Calcikai was a cult of death mages and ally all magic, that the Calcikai fell.
ash priests during the days of the Old Empire. Their last devotee was hanged from the walls
Though magic was more prominent, and those of the capital, one of several wizards that day. The
who played with arcane power honored and magistrates and inquisitors of the Exile Dynasty
respected, the necromantic arts were as reviled that caught him did not even know the cult existed,
then as now. In low slums and secret aristocratic did not care. He and his cabal died alongside street
parties, those looking to explore the limits of magicians, alchemists, and petty conjurors.
364 • WEAPONS • Render

Attunement requires sleeping, sword held close, no distinguishing features—this is the shade of
on a fresh grave for one full night’s rest. A fresh their own death. There are no spirits here or
grave is any formal burial plot that has been ghosts, no undead creatures. The world is quiet,
overseen or consecrated by a member of a rec- void of life, and filled only with the dark repre-
ognized faith, no more than one week buried. sentations of a reality nearly like ours. There is
SYSTEM no food here, nor water.
Once attuned, the sword counts as a +1 magic One may stay as long as one likes, though star-
greatsword. Due to its weight, unless the wielder vation or dehydration might be an issue over
has a Strength greater than 15, all Attacks are time. The creation of or conjuring of anything
disadvantaged with it. organic fails here, automatically, whether crea-
tures or food: magic feels as dead here as any-
By spending 1 Inspiration point, the wielder
thing, and the gods do not care about this place.
may attempt to tear a gash through the barrier
Refreshing divine or Druidic spells is not pos-
between this world and the Lands of the Dead:
sible here. Patrons cannot reach this place and
a mirror of our world, but perpetually twilight
Warlocks may not replenish theirs. Any dis-
and devoid of all true life. A gash between these
ease, curse, poison, or other effect that relies on
two worlds is short lived, and closes within a
the passage of time stops while in the Lands of
number of rounds equal to half the wielder’s
the Dead.
Proficiency Bonus rounded up.
Returning from the Lands requires tearing
To tear through, the wielder must make a spe-
another hole through to our world again—
cial attack with the weapon against a solid sur-
though doing it from the other side requires
face using an Arcane check. Sensing the proper
no check and no Inspiration expenditure. Time
angle and point to attack is tricky, and con-
moves differently over there. The DM should
stantly shifts. The DC for success is determined
roll 1d4 upon the return: however much time
by the concentration, complexity, and types of
was spent in the Lands multiplied by the result
living things in the area.
of the roll is how much time has passed in the
Once a gash through reality is created, anyone real world.
may move through it until it closes itself. If any-
Too frequent use of Render to travel to the Lands
one has Inspiration when entering the Lands of
makes the subsequent attempts harder, as the
the Dead, they lose it.
Lands resent the intrusion more and more. If
The Lands of the Dead, for most, are uninter- used only once a month, there is no increase to
esting. It is a shadow of this world, and while the DC to tear the gash through to them. More
mostly solid it has a slightly blurry and soft feel- frequent use increases the DCs to do so by 1d4
ing to living creatures that visit it. Shadows of for the wielder, and they do not go back down.
people move to and fro in the dim light, but with
DC TYPE
30 Heavily populated with intelligent creatures and natural wildlife (a city surrounded by vibrant terrain)
27 Moderately populated with intelligent creatures and natural wildlife (a town surrounded by vibrant terrain)
24 Lightly populated with intelligent creatures and natural wildlife (a village surrounded by vibrant terrain)
21 Abundant natural wildlife (remote thriving natural habitats)
18 Sparse natural wildlife (places occupied by a mix of unnatural and natural creatures, lands partially corrupted)
15 Wastelands (places nearly devoid of natural life, barren, heavily influenced by unnatural power)
12 Profane places (corrupted domains of dark creatures, areas laden with death)
365 • WEAPONS • Render

Shudderwein
How do you kill a god?
Teller didn’t know. She’d killed
giants and monsters and hor-
rors. She’d killed the Great
Black Bear and the Creeping
Death of the Irewood. But,
standing before this creature,
its wings gloriously spread in
an almost peacock-like fashion,
perfectly made and without a
hair or blemish or sign that he’d
ever stepped foot into the world
of real things… she was cowed.
Even if only for a moment.
There was a glory to it. A maj-
esty. Every graceful beat of
its wings felt like the first boy
she’d ever kissed and the last
time she’d laughed in joy. It
was her father’s pride and the
summer days with her mother,
practicing over and over the
forms and martial arts of her
people. It was a stew she’d
eaten in Renoa. It was the only
joke she ever saw Broadways
tell. It was being born.
It was dying loved. And it was telling her she was loved now, and to come to the light.
She was lost. In that moment, lost, and lowering the sword.
Scael Grotte, their warlock, stood (wisely) behind the barbarian as she stared at the angel floating
silently and seriously toward them, great flaming sword in hand.
“Use the thing, Tel,” Scael whispered in his oily, gurgling bass, “Trust me… we can’t beat him, but
we can convince him to go away. Use the thing. I had a talk with the Great Devourer, and he thinks
it’s a fine bet.”
She shuddered at the thought of the warlock’s Patron having any opinion at all, unnatural thing it
was, and equally at the thought of using the thrumming dark weapon it birthed into the world and
placed in her hand.
366 • WEAPONS • Shudderwein

APPEARANCE Attunement requires renouncing a god or god-

A greatsword, the blade and the hilt both white, dess. Any will do, and the oath to oppose them
with unearthly purple veins. The hilt feels like must be honestly given. DMs should note, dei-
cold, clammy flesh and the entire sword has its ties are of course larger than life and hardly
own pulse. Perception DC 18 notices that the care about the anger of every single mortal in
pulse speeds up when closer to anyone that can the world that hates one or the other of them.
cast Divine spells. But, some will remember the Shudderwein and
the dangers of a mortal wielding it again. Some
ORIGIN may choose to strip them of it, some may choose
Arcane DC 16, Religion DC 21; Advantage to point them in the direction of rivals or ene-
for Warlocks and anyone with the Acolyte mies. Weapons of destiny are no small matter.
background
SYSTEM
The Shudderwein fell from the Outer Stars,
Once attuned, the Shudderwein is a +1 magic
one of the dimensions of grey and infinite wail-
greatsword that destroys the essence of a crea-
ing that borders the lands of the dead and the
ture as surely as it destroys their body. Every
realm of the God of Night and Darkness, in
successful attack against a creature splits the
the time before the first creatures learned to
sword’s full damage without a roll (after any
read or write. The war of Creation was over,
Features, Feats, Spells, or Bonuses).
but the Great Devourer—a Great Old One, an
alien thing locked out of this reality in the after- Half the damage (rounding up) applies to their
math—sought to tear through the Pact that body as normal, deducting hp after Resistances
exiled it and its kind in the aftermath. and Immunities. The remaining damage applies
to their Essence, their pattern in this reality;
Its memory, ponderous and long, would not
deduct the remaining damage from their maxi-
forget the treachery of the gods of darkness,
mum hp and ignore all Resistances and Immu-
those who promised the world and delivered
nities. When their body reaches 0 hp, they die as
betrayal.
normal. When their Essence reaches 0 hp, their
Sacrificing a portion of its power, it tore a stripe pattern is annihilated and the pieces devoured
of flesh from its own back and forged it into a by an ancient alien horror beyond the stars.
weapon of destiny whose great purpose it was
Note that while magical healing may restore
to murder the deities that owned this universe,
the body, nothing restores one’s Essence except
one by one… and any who serve them.
time.
NOTES
367 • WEAPONS • Shudderwein

Slirk's Tongue
368 • WEAPONS • Slirk's Tongue

The creature screeched a noisome laugh as Sir Frum’s longsword sailed down the chasm behind him.
He did not hear it hit bottom. Even one step back would send him down to join it, and the cackling
demon before him blocked the only exit.
Exhausted, disarmed, the paladin tallied his options and found little to be happy about. There was
only the Thing. The Thing he had been sent to retrieve. The Thing his temple asked him to bring back,
to cleanse and destroy.
The fiend seemed to consider Frum’s position, savoring its imminent victory, and that alone gave
Frum time. Reaching back, his hand found the pommel; the others had chided him for carrying the
heavy weapon, insisting he tuck it away in a bedroll, but he whispered a precious thanks for the pru-
dence the heavens had given him. It wasn’t safe, meaning keeping it with him was the only option, and
now? That caution may be what saved his life. Wrenching it free with a grunt, his eyes never leaving
the void-like gaze of the creature, the world seemed to slow to a brutal ballet.
The Thing tore itself free of the boot and buried itself nearly two feet into the creature’s chest, by way
of a great cleaving slash down through its shoulder. It didn’t have time to scream.
A cloying, sickly joy welled up in Frum’s heart: like a choir singing hymns to the dissonant sound of
an organ out of tune. It felt right… but, somehow, also wrong. A laugh, deep and strong, welled up
from the usually stern champion’s belly. As the wretched horror twitched and evaporated into oily
black smoke, Frum found himself cleaning the blade almost lovingly.
He didn’t remember drawing the cloth to do so, or having started.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A long, blackened steel sword. The blade is Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
heavy and wide, the grip is wrapped in a pale for Fiendish Warlocks and anyone with the
leather, and the guard features two tusks from Acolyte background
some beast—one badly broken. Perception DC Slirk was folklore.
14 notices the leather is skin from a humanoid.
A brutish, demon-spawned wanderer that
hunted his own kind in the First Age. A mad
ranger, joyfully devoted to the destruction of
Fiendish minions and those that would enable
them, the stories that feature him are most often
morality plays where some protagonist hopes
NOTES

to find devils for desperate purpose while the detail his cannibalistic urges and the depraved
stalking and cruel form of Slirk makes their games he would make of his prey.
quest a race against time. Such is folklore.
His death can be found in a few rare and forbid-
But several cabals and cults with long memories den texts—all of those under lock and key with
know the truth of it. Slirk was real, and a bane one temple or another. How he died, however,
to their kind and their plans—a marauding psy- is less important than the blessings bestowed
chopath driven to destroy demons and fiends on his sword by the god of madness. Unable
wherever they might be found in the world. to grant Slirk immortality or eternal unlife,
Slirk was not a champion of any gods, nor the like some of his siblings, he kissed the sword
agent of peace or order; his slaughter was indul- to preserve some fraction of the beautiful chaos
gent and reckless. Warlocks, demons, and those the mad ranger brought to the mortal world. A
communities that harbored them. All destroyed sliver of Slirk’s soul bound to the weapon that
with great passion. Slirk was nearly as much of made an art of death and terror.
a monster as those he fought, and several tomes

Attunement requires using the Tongue to kill a But, so deep is its hatred and so overwhelm-
fiendish creature and reveling in the joy of dis- ing the fury and delight of the soul bound to
patching it from this world. it, that, once the wielder attacks any creature
successfully, they must use their next Action to
SYSTEM attack again—slashing and thrusting with joy-
Once attuned, the Tongue functions as a +0 ous bloodlust, taken by the passion of the fight.
greatsword. The tongue cannot benefit from
spells or magical enhancements of any other Should the target die or fall below 0 hp, the
kind. When attacking a fiendish creature, or wielder must still use their next Action to
those imbued with their power, the wielder’s attack the remains—hacking and chopping
attacks are made with advantage: the sword at them, lost in the moment. Rolling a Critical
knows the secret ways and subtle weaknesses Hit, or spending an Inspiration Point, can break
of such foul things. through the mad cycle and allow the wielder to
use subsequent turns normally.
NOTES

Stick of Brute
“I seent him do it, Ha! I seent
him do it. He walked right up
to that guy, the big one there—
no the one on the ground—but
he wasn’t on the ground then.”
“And then— Wait a sec, Rek,
I can tell this… so, like he said
we saw him walk up to that
big bastard there and they had
words. Couldn’t make out what
they’d said, but the big guy
was mad and all his friends
was mad. And then the big guy
just snatches a big ole nasty
axe from one of his friends and
comes at the other guy.”
“No, he had it on his back,
Pil— Tell it right if you’re
gonna tell it. So he pulls his
axe from his clutch on his back
and swings once or twice, but
the other fella is quick. And
then that fella, he takes his
stick in his hand, right? And
he just swings it like you was
swinging anything and lops
the big bastards head right off.
With a stick! Damndest thing
I ever saw!”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A four-foot tall walking stick of gnarled and History DC 15, Arcane DC 18; Advan-
bleached wood, notched and dented from years tage for Illusion School Wizards and
of hard use. anyone with the Entertainer or Hermit
backgrounds
Brute was a vain and famously ill-tempered sor-
cerer from the Low Lands in the Eastern Des-
ert—the historicality of his actually existing as
stories say is much in doubt, but someone like
him almost assuredly was alive and had some
reputation around that time. He was fabled to
372 • WEAPONS • Stick of Brute

be solitary and uninterested in the difficulties SYSTEM

of society. Many plays and stories that feature The stick itself counts as a +0 magic weapon
him emphasize this fact to almost absurd levels. and looks and feels and sounds for all the world
His walking stick was his way of avoiding most (even in the face of strong Divination magic)
conversations (when they got rough) on his like a dry-rotted and thin club of wood barely
journeys to the city. It was enchanted so heav- long enough to use as a walking stick for a short
ily that it tore the barriers between the supernal man. For the bearer, however, the reality of the
and material realms in its very essence. stick wanes just a fraction… and they can see
that the stick is really a viciously crafted long-
Attunement requires fully disconnecting
sword with a razor’s edge.
from one person genuinely close to you—sib-
lings, close friends, parents, one’s benevolent The sword is a few inches longer than the over-
employer—and it is not enough to simply van- lay of the stick, granting advantage to the bearer
ish, the disconnect must be assertive. One must in Opportunity Attacks against retreating tar-
spurn the relationship, burn the bridge, and gets (as they will completely misjudge the reach
scatter those ashes. And only then, does Brute’s of the bearer). The stick, however, is treated as
Stick come to life. being made of wood as far as much of reality is
concerned: it floats, it can even burn. If engulfed
in flame doing more than 20 damage within 3
Rounds, the stick is destroyed—one more arti-
fact lost in the world.
NOTES
373 • WEAPONS • Stick of Brute

Sword-Breaker Dagger
There was no lazier bastard
of a con man than Hillicks
Dale. Nor was there a better
man with a knife. And, while
he dodged and weaved around
the great brute’s slashes and
thrusts, he delicately parried
aside the shiny castle-forged
blade—all the while thinking
about dinner and whether the
money would be good enough
for chicken tonight.
The warrior swung hard and
fast in an overhand chop, but
Hillicks tapped it away with
his knife. He was tired, so
hopefully this wouldn’t last
much longer.
As the fighter spun and
arced his blade upward from
a crouch, Hillicks tapped it
higher and heard the satisfying
crack that meant payday.
A blacksmith, carting some
wares to a client, happened
to pass by while the soldier
stared at his broken blade and
lamented that he’d no time to
replace it.
As he sped away down the back alley, before he could be spotted, Hillicks heard the smithy drawl on
about how fortunate the timing was, as he’d had a surplus of these fine swords from only this morning
and could let one go at a steal…
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A plain-looking triangular-bladed steel dagger. Arcane DC 11, History DC 16; Advantage
to Wizards and anyone with the Criminal
background
374 • WEAPONS • Sword-Breaker Dagger

Sword-breaker Daggers are almost exclusively SYSTEM

made and used by the better-off criminal ele- The wielder may use their Reaction to parry an
ment of Greyghast. While magical weaponry is incoming weapon attack with blinding magical
illegal within the city, the penalties are light and accuracy. The dagger reduces incoming Blud-
fines easy to absorb, except for Sword-break- geoning or Slashing damage from non-magical
ers. They are confiscated on sight and sent to weapons by an amount equal to 1d4 + Dexterity
be destroyed. Such is the level of annoyance modifier, and imposes a -1 penalty (cumulative)
they produce. to the attacking weapon if incoming damage is
Attunement requires carrying no other weapon reduced to 0. The penalty is only on non-magical
and a careful day of practice with it against vari- weapons, as magical ones are far more durable.
ous swords and maces and clubs, all wielded by Swords chip and dull, maces become marred
capable and earnest opponents. and unbalanced, hafts chopped up, etc. When
the attacking, weapon’s penalty equals their
smaller damage dice (-8 penalty on a long-
sword, for example), then the weapon is ruined
and may only be used as an improvised weapon
unless repaired.
NOTES
375 • WEAPONS • Sword-Breaker Dagger

Trapper's Bow
As the Band of Fellows tracked
the dwarf through the crags
and outcroppings for the third
day, they began to feel more
than a little worried. This was
the second time they’d run
across one of the Emperor’s sol-
diers there in the pass. Like the
last one, he was well enough
alive, but tired and bolt-shot
through the leg, barely strong
enough to stand.
They tried their best, as ever,
but (also like the last one)
nothing they could do would
remove the bolts or help the
soldier. The projectile looked
no more interesting than any
ash stick, but the thing seemed
to weigh a ton.
On the fifth day, they saw the
remnants of the squad sent up
here last week… moaning and
half-dead men pinned to the
ground like flies in a physick-
er’s case. They delivered mercy.
On the twelfth, Louis took a bolt in the chest from some far shot, and it was as though he’d been struck
by a double-handed swing of a giant’s club. The cleric went flying and not all their strength could get
him up again.
It was on the fourteenth day that they turned around and went home, never having found the dwarf
they’d come for. It wasn’t the cold or the sun or the mountain that made their choice for them, it was
the great big dragon, shot through with a dozen bolts, howling its last breath… unable to stand.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A large heavy crossbow, built with a standing History DC 16, Nature DC 18; Advantage
bipod, nearly chest high and made of steel and for Rangers and anyone with the Noble
trimmed in copper along the bow. background
The Trapper’s Bow is an artifact of pre-Domin-
ion dwarvish culture. When the clans were inde-
pendent and spread throughout the peaks and
376 • WEAPONS • Trapper's Bow

valleys of the far ranges, competing benignly The crossbow counts as a +0 heavy crossbow.
with each other, their engineers and priests On a successful hit, however, the bolt becomes
created miracles of technology that would be metallic and weighty–-increasing in diameter to
appropriated by the new empire centuries later stay stuck in the flesh, increasing in density and
for more warlike purposes. weight until it is 100 lbs., and threatening the
encumbrance of the target accordingly.
A heavy crossbow, the Trapper’s Bow was fash-
ioned to catch large and dangerous predators. The target may use their Reaction to quickly
All on its own the crossbow weighs nearly 100 remove the bolt from their flesh while it agitates
lbs. It is made of solid steel scribed in dwarvish and vibrates with the coming transformation.
runes and trimmed in copper that doesn’t rust. Doing so causes 1d4 Slashing damage.
SYSTEM The Trapper’s Bow cannot be placed in an extra

dimensional space, like a Bag of Holding or the
The stock of the weapon holds 12 bolts, and
like. Nor can it leave this plane (any magical
serves as its quiver. Any crossbow bolts kept in
movement that involves planar travel succeeds
the weapon become enchanted after 24 hours.
but leaves the crossbow behind).
NOTES
377 • WEAPONS • Trapper's Bow

Wicked Gents
“Well, he just sort of come in
here, as you like–-kicked that
door in entirely and asked for
the biggest and meanest one
here,” Wex was eight shades
of beaten and his face bore the
marks and bruises and lumps
of a man that took a horse’s
hindkick to the face and then
went back to see if that was the
best it could do. A few times.
Marshall Fenxes listened care-
fully. The run-down shack was
a reputed hideout for some of
the less savory folks in lower
Wetside, but a little harmless
mugging here and there was
hardly worth days of reports
and interviews outlining just
how many people “didn’t see
nothing.” This morning, how-
ever, to see four grown men
lying about and near tears
over some other bastard? Well
worth the trip.
“Do you have anything more
than that? What he looked
like? Did he have any marks?
Tattoos? Anything unique?”
Wex looked to the far wall, where a wineskin sagged against the panel, a vicious looking hatchet pin-
ning it to the wall right through the middle—the smell of stale wine hung in the air and purple stains
spread from the floor underneath.
“…well, he’s got the other one of those things.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pair of twin short-hatchets with a steel ball on History DC 15, Arcane DC 17; Advantage
the opposite side of the blades for balance. to Battlemaster Fighters and anyone with
the Charlatan background
378 • WEAPONS • Wicked Gents

The Wicked Gents are uncommon in the greater Bludgeoning on the backswing (this is not an
underworld of Greyghast due to their rather additional attack, this are just the two damages
unimpressive look. Most thieves would rather the wielder can choose between).
a fancy dagger or a serious edged sword rather
They can be thrown (range of 10/20) and, once
than some crude hand axes.
per hatchet per day (twice overall), one may
But the Magewright—and prolific gambler— attempt to throw a hatchet to Disarm an oppo-
Ennis dur Aleour enchanted these two in his nent. If within 5 ft. the throw (using one’s attack
youth as payment for a boat race gone bad, and roll) is disadvantaged, at 10f t. it is normal, and
they’ve been passed through the criminal net- at 20 ft. it is advantaged.
work of wannabes ever since.
Regardless the distance, the hatchet thrown goes
Attunement to the pair takes a week of hiding up to an additional 20 ft. in whatever direction
them on one’s person such that nobody (at all) it had been going, though this cannot be used
notices they are there (Sleight of Hand, roll sets to injure an additional creature, skipping across
the DC against the Passive Perception of every- the floor if nothing is there to obstruct it. In the
one one interacts with; if they are noticed at any event of there being no additional distance for
point, one must start all over). it to go (as when within that additional 20 ft. is
blocked by a wall), it’s blade bites deeply into
SYSTEM
the surface, potentially pinning the disarmed
Once attuned, the hatchets count as +0 light object there.
magic weapons that do 1d4 + Strength Slashing
damage on the foreswing and 1d6 + Strength Pulling the hand axe free requires an Athletics
check DC equal the thrower’s Strength score.
NOTES
379 • WEAPONS • Wicked Gents

Zephyr Spines
Reed leaned back against the
straw, the wind howling out-
side made the inside of the old
barn almost peacefully quiet by
comparison. He’d outlived the
Far Wars, robbing the weary
refugees blind in the hills, and
stood his own against count-
less bounty-hunters and track-
ers. He liked to boast, when
half-drunk with his gang, that
there wasn’t a man or woman
fast enough to put a knife to
him. As he slumped back, the
smell of wet hay everywhere
choking him, he could hardly
believe he’d been so wrong.
He saw, against the half-light
of the lamp beside him, a figure.
The thick-shouldered woman
stood over him, looking down
with cold, dead eyes. In the
moment he’d closed his eyes
to get comfortable, out of
nowhere, she appeared—like
some kind of spectre of ill
tidings.
“Just who the hell are you?”
“Rita.”
Reed blinked away the confusion between the pain in his side and the conflicting estimations in his
mind.
“I… I thought you was dead.”
The elf took a harsh step forward into the light.
“Not hardly.”
380 • WEAPONS • Zephyr Spines

APPEARANCE Attunement requires a leap (from something

Two, fifteen inch long lengths of polished white high) and fall (for at least 100 ft.) unassisted by
bone. The surface etched in a flowing and any magic.
gilded pattern from end-to-end and coming to
SYSTEM
a sharp point.
Once attuned, the Zypher Spines count as +0
ORIGIN magic daggers that pre-empt Reactions taken
Arcane DC 17, Religion DC 25; Advantage against the wielder.
for Arch-Fey Warlocks and Barbarians or After a Reaction is declared by the creature, the
anyone with the Sage background Spines’ wielder may pre-empt that Reaction
The gods of the wind and storm, the Corners, with one of their own. This pre-emptory Reac-
the Fey Court of the Skies… all came together in tion must employ the use of one of the Spines
the old time to murder the Great Father Wind, in some way, most commonly using them as
the being that ruled the Plane of Air. The treach- an Opportunity Attack, though other abilities
erous murder took eons to plot and execute and through Feats or Features may be used (so long
the details of it are long lost to whatever passes as they are Reactions and would use the Spines
for history in the stars. in some way).
But to keep him from coming back, they tore When a Shield or Parry is declared by a crea-
his body to pieces and spread them out over ture as part of a Reaction, as an example, the
a thousand thousand domains in the heavens. wielder of the Spines may take their own Reac-
And from one of these fragments, the Spines of tion to strike with one before the Shield or Parry
Zephyr were created four hundred years ago in is resolved.
the distant Eastern lands past the Bay.
NOTES
381 • WEAPONS • Zephyr Spines

Chapter Thirteen
Wonders
CHAPTER CONTENTS
AGATE OF TIME … 384 HOARDSTONES … 420

AMBROSIA … 386 HOLY … 422
BARONY OF HAVERWOOD … 388 LESSER PHYLACTERY … 424
BASTARD SAND … 390 LIAR’S DICE … 426
BASTIAN CHURN … 392 LIFEDUST … 428
BLOOD JAR … 394 LONG BREATH … 430
BRUCKER’S PIPE … 398 ORICHALCUM’S RAIN … 432
DOME OF THE LOST … 400 MASTER KEY … 434
DRAUGHT OF PERFECT MCNARB’S CREST … 436
HEALTH … 402
MURIA’S JESSAMINE … 440
EXECUTIONER’S SILKS … 404
PENITENT’S CHAINS … 442
FAAHNGHEIM BIRKEN … 406
PROMISE … 444
FATEBOX … 408
SEED OF TRUE SIGHT … 446
FEAST … 410
SORCAGE OF HILLICKS
FELSHEET QUALITY VON GRATT … 448
PARCHMENT … 412
STOPCHALK … 450
FINGERSMOKE … 414
UNBROKEN CHAIN … 452
GREEN RIDER’S WALE … 416
WORMS OF PURGATION … 454
HALLFALLEN’S SCRAED … 418
NOTES
Agate of Time
Nera and the rest climbed
down into the labyrinthine ant
hill of tunnels and passages.
The omnidirectional nature of
the paths betrayed the alien
nature of the thing that lived
here. As they carefully lowered
themselves down a sheer hole
in the bedrock that opened to a
series of off-angled other paths,
she could feel the thing watch-
ing them.
It wasn’t the feeling of being
watched by a mind, it was this
whole place.
This lair, so long and deeply
infused with the thing’s own
wrongness and evil, was
watching them. It was read-
ing them and staring at them
through a thousand flecks and
facets in the rocks they passed.
When time came, she was sure the vain thing would call upon horrors here in the heart of its power.
It would toy with them. Like a cruel child with a fly—plucking wings and laughing.
She’d seen it before. Been trapped in a world that worked to destroy them as surely as the beast that
lived there.
But she had a trick up her sleeve that might just give them all a chance…
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A brilliantly complex geode, the stone irregular Nature DC 17, History DC 22; Advantage
and chunky, with dazzling crystalline minerals for Circle of the Land Druids and anyone
growing well past the edges of rock. Perception with the Sage background
DC 13 notices the faces of hundreds of people in The world speaks not in prose but in action—
the reflective facets, sleeping. not over moments but eons. The Druids, called
forth from the swarm of mortals that live on it,
are but thousands of tiny ants working towards
a goal greater than their knowing and often
over a time longer than their lives.
384 • WONDERS • Agate of Time

It became known as The Pilgrimage amongst Attunement to the Agate requires speaking the
some of their own. To outsiders, it looked like Druidic name for stone. One need not know the
a form of madness; a boy wakes up and knows language to be able to speak the word, but for
he must travel to a distant mountain and spend those not already a Druid it may be a challenge
a year hammering at a rock-face with a stone to get one to share its pronunciation.
and by hand. Years later, a woman of means
abandons her family to go there, doing the SYSTEM
same. Centuries of this. A man wakes up from Once attuned, the Agate’s only property is
a drunken stupor and travels to that cliff (now forcing the unnatural and alien nature of Lairs
showing a vague tunnel-like shape). to cleave to the character’s own Initiative
and activity.
Over the millennia, hundreds of people—cho-
sen by the World to be its Druids, its keepers— All Lair actions taken within a mile of the pos-
would have this geas upon them. None know- sessor of the Agate take place after the bearer’s
ing why. None questioning it. Such is the way own turn, and never any sooner.
of Druids. If the possessor does nothing during their own
Eventually, several hundred meters deep in the turn—neither speaking, nor moving, and taking
rock and hundreds of years ago, a young girl no actions—then the Lair cannot take its turn.
(hands bloody and raw, having pounded at Should the possessor be affected by external
the rocks for months already) broke through to means (shoved, magically controlled, etc.) they
reveal a cavity in the mountain, a cavern, where count as having still not, themselves, done any-
a fist-sized chunk of mineral lay that would be thing and the Lair cannot act.
known as the Agate of Time.
That girl would grow up to be a great Arch-
druid, and the Agate was one of her greatest
tools.
NOTES
385 • WONDERS • Agate of Time

Ambrosia
It was a quiet, serious, and fre-
quent communion.
Every morning, when the
dawn broke over the trees or
peaks or horizon or walls,
Favian Crossley could be
found kneeling already. Head
bowed, a simple cloth sack
spread before him like a small,
ugly blanket, he would take
his peaceful ritual of the day.
With great care and great cer-
emony, he picked up a wooden
bowl no larger than a man’s
cupped hand and rotely filled
it with his own breath. The
deep inhale and exhale was
a comfort to him, he visibly
smiled and relaxed. This was,
as always, his calmest time.
Then, as methodical as always and unwavering from one morning to next, he poured some grain into
the bowl from a small pouch by his right knee—always his right. And, holding that pose, hands by the
bowl resting in the center of the flat sack, pouch to his right, head down, he sat. And sat.
And sat.
The fire came—again, as always—and leapt from his chest. It burst him into light. It was wonderful.
APPEARANCE divine realms and this world there grow both

A pouch of hard white seeds, like over-round the Weeds of Discord and the Flowers of Har-
and over-large grains of rice. Perception DC 15 mony—it is from these flowers that Ambrosia
notices, when in the light, the seeds smell of cit- comes.
rus and appear to swell. For the unbelievers (rare, they are) and the ene-
ORIGIN mies of grace (far more common, those indi-
viduals who have given themselves over to the
Religion DC 15, DC Nature 20; Advantaged
chaotic free powers of the earth or the Great
for Druids or anyone with the Acolyte
Beings that seek to wrest control of it from out-
background
side), Ambrosia is a lingering proof that faith
Ambrosia seeps into the world in the few is not truly gone nor its power truly spent in
places the gods and goddesses have touched this world.
directly. At the junction between the eternal
386 • WONDERS • Ambrosia

SYSTEM The third seed eaten in the same day provides

Fortunate heroes have found small pouches of immunity from the effects of the first Exhaus-
the seeds, in the past. Never more than a few tion one has or gets, though it won’t remove
together, of course, but even those crudely edu- the condition. Thus, if one has two Exhaustion,
cated in the mysteries of Temple and Church the effects of level 1 are ignored while level 2 is
custom (Religion Proficiency) know they can still felt.
be made to multiply by ritualistically exposing The fourth seed eaten in the same day grants a
them to the first rays of dawn; doing so causes Resistance to radiant damage.
1d4 seeds appear with the others.
Should anyone who is not sanctioned by a deity
If there are no seeds left on a given sunrise the (unable to Channel Divinity) eat a seed, how-
pouch crumbles, what divine power keeping it ever, there is a chance that the following dawn
eternally supple and fresh is gone. The seeds an emissary of the heavens will come to reclaim
cannot be eaten at night. the Ambrosia from the owner. For every seed
The first seed of Ambrosia eaten in any given fed to someone not sanctioned in a given day,
day provides 1 hp of magical healing. The seed, there is a cumulative 5% chance a Deva will
soft and plump, dissolves in a summerfruit-like show; this roll also made at dawn. First, they
sweetness in one’s mouth. One can use this on will ask; then, they will demand; and finally,
others, even those who cannot chew it—assum- they will—if not given the seeds—attack.
ing one can get it into their mouth at all. DMs are encouraged to explain to the owner
The second seed of ambrosia eaten in the same that fighting a divine agent may draw the atten-
day provides 1 inspiration, as none can taste the tion of beings greater still. Additionally, it may
food of the heavens and not feel strong, content, be possible to retain the Ambrosia through suf-
and calm. ficient promises and oaths; after all, keeping
what is Theirs should require doing something
They want.
NOTES
387 • WONDERS • Ambrosia

Barony of Haverwood
“Well, I’ll tell ya’, ok? Plucky Jim never did like Cromwell. They’d spent the last few years running
up and down the countryside and the little gentleman was useful—no doubt there—but he was also
a bit of a dandy and whined endlessly about life on the trail.
“So, when Crom comes back from their last stint in the Greyghast and says he got himself a house
with all the money he’d saved from their treasure hauls and some lucky gambling, that was fine. No
issue. Let him be, that’s what Big Brick said to Jim and that was fine.
“However, as of late, bastard kept insisting over the fire that he was BARON Cromwell now. Kept at
it. Correcting everyone all the time. On and on, like a real bastard. Over and over. Even when Plucky
Jim went and saved his skinny tail from that raid last week. Jim says ‘Damn, Crom! I worried we’d
near lost you” and what’s the little differ say while he’s all bleedin’ all over? ‘Baron, Pluck, Baron.”
“If that wasn’t bad enough, His Majesty was the only one of them who didn’t spend the last two
nights soiling himself over the bad water they’d had a drink of from that new cask. Lucky, stupid git.”
APPEARANCE The Barony is a holdover from the ancient days

An undeveloped tract of land. when the gods had been promising with breath
and sighs their assurances to the raw of Cre-
ORIGIN ation—long before they started fighting each
Religion DC 17, History DC 23; Advan- other directly and through proxies for who gets
tage for Clerics and anyone with the Noble to rule it. The Barony was a stretch of firmament
background before mortals ever set foot on the ground, one
388 • WONDERS • Barony of Haverwood

of several, touched by the hopes of the Divine Second, while within the bounds of the domain,
that have all but forgotten it. It is a product of if the owner or anyone the owner allows lev-
the oldest times, and hardly any culture or king- els up (i.e. goes from 3rd to 4th level; and in
dom remembers. this case meaning the moment character stats,
proficiencies, feats, etc. are recalculated and
Stretches of land, like the Barony, are imbued
finalized) then, instead of rolling for hp (if they
with the Divine Right of Kings-–a promise the
choose to roll), they roll twice and take the
gods made to raise up mortals with a piece of
higher total. For some cultures and kingdoms
their power. To set an order to the world more
this may be as much as anyone ever gets out of
directly than with priests and more remotely
it anymore. The last vestiges of power.
than by touching it themselves.
However, should the land be expanded upon or
The Barony exists outside what is now known
developed, Divine Right empowers the owner
as Greyghast, having sat dormant for centu-
yet more. If grown to a County (requiring at
ries. DMs are encouraged to place the Barony
least 50,000gp of improvements or territorial
wherever they like, but to also remember that
acquisition, with many ideas for improvements
it is collection of real acreage in the world. And
in the Dungeon Master’s Guide) and backed by
whether or not the world has kings anymore
the nation, kingdom, or empire in question, the
doesn’t matter, the power is the power regard-
owner may select another Resistance to have.
less the politics of mortals.
If grown to a Duchy (requiring an additional
Attunement requires being nobility or very
150,000gp of improvements or territorial acqui-
high aristocracy—either by birthright or by the
sition) and also backed by the nation, kingdom,
granting of such titles by a nation, kingdom, or
or empire in question, then the owner may con-
empire that has ruled for at least as long as one’s
vert one of their Resistances to an Immunity.
own lifetime—owning the land, and sleeping
one night within its grounds. If long abandoned If grown into a Kingdom (requiring at least
to the wild, it may be forests and pastures with 500,000gp of improvements or territorial acqui-
bare hints of ruined buildings. If more recently sition), the owner is coronated by a temple or
maintained, it may have a manor or a few farm- faith’s highest officers, and the territory success-
houses owned by other NPCs. DMs should fully secedes from whatever nation, kingdom,
keep the Barony small, but functionally realistic or empire it came from, the owner may convert
and worth “developing.” their second Resistance into an Immunity as well.
SYSTEM DMs are encouraged identify the value of

improvements and adjacent lands, and work
First, the Barony, once attuned, grants the owner
with players on the expectation that the Barony
a Resistance of their choice—this is now a natu-
is both very expensive to grow and takes years.
ral part of them wherever they go for as long as
It is a very slow ladder of reward.
they own the Barony.
NOTES
389 • WONDERS • Barony of Haverwood

Bastard Sand
Slips heard them arguing from
across the tavern. The wizard
and the cleric were going at it
all the time, these days—all
the time. Arguments. Threats.
Accusations. They really hated
each other, and if it weren’t
for their leader’s need and the
debt all of them owed him,
those two would have already
unleashed hell on each other
over where someone’s bedroll
went down on any random
night. Children.
As it happened, Brother Ser-
vice had saved his life yes-
terday and Slips would be
damned if he was indebted
to that pompous jerk forever.
Besides… Lauran was kind a
shrill harpy and had threat-
ened to turn him into a stump
a few weeks ago on the road to
back to the city. “To match your height and your thick head, Slip,” she’d said. She was not nice. By
all the five powers, how did he end up with these folk.
He waited until the two were right at that point where they’d start peacocking at each other with more
threats and demonstrations. Egging the other on. Service tapping his great mace against his palm,
shouting at the wizard, while it glowed a pure white. Lauran making the tables shake and the lights
dance, a mystery of unearthly energies swarming around her, begging him to take a swing so her
“eldritch might can teach him that lesson he never learned in the dirthole he grew up in.”
Slips walked up, casually, while wooden chairs smoldered and that vein in the cleric’s forehead nearly
popped. He reached into his bag, the one he’d been saving for just such an occasion, grabbed a handful
of sand—not that either did much noticing—and hit Lauran in the face with it.
In an instant, a beautiful and almost hilarious instant, the tables stopped quaking… the lights went
to normal… the purple lightening vanished… and Lauran was spitting sand out of her teeth and
cursing, her expression going from rage to a moment of concentration, to surprise.
“She’s all yours, mate,” Slips winked at Service and walked back to his chair to watch the finest beat-
ing he’d ever witnessed in his life.
390 • WONDERS • Bastard Sand

APPEARANCE SYSTEM
A pouch of sand that glitters subtly in the light. A half-a-handful (enough to fill an egg) is all
it takes to achieve the sand’s effect. The sand
ORIGIN
regenerates 1d4 handfuls per week, to a maxi-
History DC 12, Arcane DC 19; Advantage mum of 6, so long as any sand remains. Once
for Rogues and anyone with the Criminal the last is used, it’s gone.
or Guild Artisan backgrounds
With a ranged attack (as though an improvised
The criminal black markets in Greyghast are weapon, thus no Proficiency Bonus) from up
home to a special brand of nuisance in the way to 10 ft. away, one may use their Reaction—in
of the Blackworks: an illegal artificing conclave response to a spell being cast by a caster within
the city has been unsuccessful in breaking up range—to toss a handful into their eyes, mouth,
for years. The Fellows, the Greyghast mafia or airway. Should the creature lack any of those,
and empire of gang activity, do a thrifty trade the sand does nothing. Similarly, if the spell
protecting the magewrights and cultists at being cast is from an item, the sand does not
the Blackworks in exchange for equipage that work against it.
keeps them several steps ahead of the law—and
well-rewarded for what crime they organize. On a successful hit, the sand bursts into a spray
that causes a localized Counterspell. On a roll
The pouch itself is non-magical. The container of a 1 to hit, however, the sand is badly fumbled
can be anything, but the sand inside of it regen- (it is slippery and difficult to hold onto) and is
erates so long as it is not entirely used up. spilled on the user in which case any magical
Attunement to the sand requires the weapon- effects or items the user is wearing are consid-
and magic-free beating of an arcane caster; such ered dispelled and/or inert for at least 1 round,
is the sense of humor in the Blackworks. With just until the sand is shaken off properly.
no magical assistance, and no third-party assis-
tance of any kind, the prospective attuner must
physically beat up a person who can cast arcane
spells until they either give up or go uncon-
scious (or die, if doing it particularly ruthlessly).
NOTES
391 • WONDERS • Bastard Sand

Bastian Churn
The tiefling panted and gasped
for air, exhausted from the
beating she’d given the young
gnomish conjurer. Sweat
dripped off her brow and she felt
her heart thundering its protest
in her chest. She just wasn’t
made for this sort of thing.
As Tilbuck lay on the ground, a
motley of bruises and a squeeze-
box of whimpers, Tristal stum-
bled her way over to her pack.
It was here somewhere. Some-
where. No. Maybe in the
pocket, there. No.
She stopped to catch her breath
while Tilbuck stopped groaning
and finally fell unconscious.
Taking a few minutes to cool
off and even pull her boots free
(it looked like she split a toenail on the gnomes helmet, crap), the warlock felt much better and far more
collected. She went through her packs until she found it–-an unimpressive, small, dark brown egg.
To anyone else, it’d have looked like a half-rotten sparrow’s egg. To Tristal, it was a gift worthy of a
king. Or a Tilbuck, as it were.
She spent the next few minutes propping the little gnome up, opening his mouth, and using an old
flatbow bolt to plunge the hard little egg down his throat. The gnome choked once or twice, still
unconscious. It was a brutal sight, as the darkly cloaked and horned witch rammed a stick down the
smaller man’s throat over and over, ignoring involuntary spasms. When Tilbuck came to, throat raw,
cheek torn a bit, spitting wooden splinters into the grass and speaking hoarsely, Tristal only beamed.
“So…” the gnome hacked and coughed as he groaned his way to his feet, “…did it work?”
Tristal smiled brilliantly, “Like a charm.”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
An irregular, rounded object resembling a Arcane DC 19, history DC 22; Advantage
lump of rotted fruit, but hard and petrified. The for Warlocks and anyone with the Soldier
brown and grey coloration is broken up by pits background
and hollows. During the Creation Wars, when the gods
asserted their claim to this world, the Lord of
392 • WONDERS • Bastian Churn

Plagues cursed The-Speaker-of-the-Stars to SYSTEM

suffer a slow and cosmically agonizing death Once successfully attuned, the Churn stays in
that would play out over eons beyond number. the stomach of the host forever, unless removed
The Great Old One would not truly die until surgically or post-mortem. Any attempts to
the moment before the end of this universe, regurgitate or teleport it out of the body fail as
but it would rot from the inside with a divine it lightly adheres to the wall of the stomach and
cancer that would cause it a seeming eternity chooses to ignore the attempts.
of suffering. The Churn relieves its host of the need to eat or
The Churn is an intestinal polyp from the body drink, and grants them a Resistance to Poison
of that dying Great Old One, an alien piece of and Necrotic damage. Unfortunately, the unlov-
hardened rot cast off from one of its great con- ing alien stone also robs them of the ability to
vulsions hundreds of thousands of years ago. enjoy food or drink; they lose their sense of both
Those that still worship and work at the mach- taste and smell (disadvantage on Perception
inations of the creature have secreted it to each with respect to those senses, and any Investiga-
other for thousands of years as cults rose and tion or identifications that would rely on them
fell. The last known warlock to have the Churn like identifying potions or the like).
was a royal attaché to the army of the Old No melding of such different organisms is per-
Empire named Bast, hundreds of years before fect, and should the host suffer a critical hit, roll
the rise of the Exile kings. It bears his name still, 1d4. On a 1, their movement is reduced to 0 for
he was said to have been instrumental in raising the next turn and their Action is taken up by
champions for the Empire. them hunching over in pain, vomiting a pale
grey pus, ribboned with trickles of their own
Attunement requires swallowing the Churn.
blood and bile, onto the ground.
Between the rotted flavor and size, this is nearly
impossible for any creature of Small or Medium The pus bubbles and smokes and, should it land
size to accomplish; the revulsion one feels isn’t on natural ground of any kind, a malformed
just chemical but existential. The Churn itself and otherworldly creature (ranging in size from
resists ingestion, and even Large creatures find a finger to a fist) rises from the muck—a parasite
of some alien origin. These are never the same
it difficult. The intended swallower may get
each time: sometimes they are eleven-legged
one chance to try (only one), and the Constitu-
spider-like things with pale red eyes that clack
tion Save to swallow and keep it down is made
a strange language with beaked mouths, some-
against DC 20 for Large creatures, DC 24 for
times a bat-like creature with one eye off-center
Medium creatures, and DC 28 for Small crea-
on their pink head that flaps poorly away while
tures. DMs should note that just because a crea-
trailing a veiny rat-like tail several feet long.
ture cannot swallow it themselves, this does not
mean it cannot be forced (dangerously) down These creatures die quickly—within minutes
their throat by others. of exposure to this world—and melt into a foul
smelling dust. They have no attack.
NOTES
393 • WONDERS • Bastian Churn

Blood Jar
“Don’t go in yet,” the Keeper
told Kurt in a hushed whisper
that was a touch too loud.
Kurt nodded and pressed in
close next to the witch. Craning
his neck to get close to her ear.
“Alright, but you need to
keep it down. You can’t know
if someone in there has sharp
hearing. The reports say
they’ve got one of them mag-
ic-like folk in there; don’t ya’ll
have ways of hearing stuff
through walls and all?”
The Keeper looked puzzled
for a moment and then leaned
close to Kurt’s ear, much more
quietly than before.
“Right, sorry. I don’t usually
do it this way. The sneaking
around. Their master in there
is supposed to be an Evoker,
though— ”
“A what?”
“Evoker.”
Kurt just looked puzzled. The
Keeper leaned in again.
“Fire magic, blowing things
up.”
The old rogue just nodded slowly. Fire magic. Sure, he thought, but don’t they all do that?
Seemingly able to read his mind, the Keeper smiled: “Not all of us do that. The package I let them steal
doesn’t do that, they’re not likely to know what it actually does. Watch this…”
Both eased up to peek into the window, the room was filled with thugs and murderers all unpacking
their loot and showing things off. As one lifted an ugly jar free from a crate, the Keeper murmured a
few strange words and waggled her fingers.
The lid flipped sharply into the air, and then the screaming started.
394 • WONDERS • Blood Jar

APPEARANCE Blighe had no interest in ruling any mortal

A large glass jar, filled nearly three-quarters of world, and his campaign was built on fear and
the way full with maroon and murky brown lies intended to serve him enough death and
blood. The lid is a flat gold cap with an alien suffering that he could complete a long and
and maddening symbol carved crudely into dark ritual—eventually Ascending and join-
the surface. ing his perverse Patron in the constellations of
power over worlds.
ORIGIN
The Pinnixis is fickle and cruel, however, and
(for reasons none can fathom) It stole Blighe’s
for Great Old One Warlocks and anyone
Ascension and locked him away in a sort of
with the Soldier background
half-life as an embryonic star-spawn. The Ter-
Ascension—the act of rising from this mortal ror was over, the Empire wrote the history on
state to something higher—is the preoccupa- the matter, and the Blood Jar—Blighe’s prison—
tion of many cults. The Great Powers outside of was lost to the ages.
our world, clawing and scheming to get in, all
Attunement requires killing a creature the
promise it in some form. They whisper and dar-
possessor has befriended, or at least one that
kle across the stars and glass and shadows, tell-
believes they have been befriended by the pos-
ing the faithful that if only they try, give, do…
sessor. This betrayal wakes the mindless thing
they can have it.
in the jar and completes the attunement. This
The inquisitorial witch-hunts of the Old Empire doesn’t mean the possessor must kill an inno-
were most often political and full of blind cent creature, they could be well deserving of
hatred. Occasionally, though, they did work it, but the creature must die thinking they were
that could be considered ultimately good, even betrayed by the bearer.
if for poor reasons.
SYSTEM
Stopping the Ascension of Wanyi Blighe was
Once attuned, the jarspwan that lives inside the
one such incident.
blood can be seen moving about within. Percep-
Blighe was a devout follower of the Pinnixis tion DC 20 may notice the occasional tiny fist or
Vorghal, the Keeper of Screams. The Great foot against the glass for a moment or two when
Old One—a betrayer of Its own kind during jostled. No attempt to open the jar by anyone
the great wars for creation, and a chaotic star- other than the owner can succeed, nor can the
spawned force that breeds madness and suffer- jar be broken.
ing in its wake—is written about in rare tomes
Opening the jar requires an Action and succeed-
as being a Power that even the most nihilistic or
ing in an Athletics Check DC 10. Anyone other
insane of warlocks would avoid dealings with.
than the owner within 5 ft. of the jar when it is
But, the creature had raised Blighe up, granted open must succeed in a Constitution Save DC
him raw and horrific power. It was Blighe that 10, or suffer from the Poisoned condition for
spearheaded the only Rebellion to the order of one turn—the noxious smell and gurgling vat
the Exile Dynasty in their entire tenure as mas- of alien blood causing them to almost double
ters of the Empire; seventeen thousand people over and vomit from nausea.
died in one long, sweltering Summer. The Ter-
At the start of the owner’s turn, after the jar is
ror is remembered to this day, and while history
opened, the jarspawn begins to crawl out. It is
tells us that the Imperial armies and saboteurs
covered in slimy brackish blood, a malformed
took down Blighe’s cult and rebellion, the truth
creature with a vaguely humanoid shape. The
is far different.
head is withered and eyeless, barely smaller

than the opening of the jar, like an oversized of limbs. The creature must make a Strength
rotted peach. The body is small and wiry, with Save DC 15, or the jarspawn succeeds in prying
abnormally long and skinny arms. Its knotty, their mouth open and crawling in. The jarspawn
boney hands pull it free from the jar and it will continue to try this on each subsequent turn
begins to move towards the nearest living crea- until cast off physically or dead.
ture. DM’s should note, it will target the owner
Once inside a creature, it burrows—painfully—
if the owner is closest.
deep into them. The creature is considered to
The jarspawn has an AC of 8 and as many hit have Exhaustion 1 from the pain and discom-
points as twice the number of days since it was fort. At the end of the creature’s turn, so long as
last released from its interdimensional prison. the jarspawn is inside of them, they take 1 slash-
Its base movement is 10 ft. and it always moves ing damage that is not subject to Resistance or
towards the nearest living creature on its turn. Invulnerability. If the creature is at rest, calmly
doing nothing strenuous, they take this damage
Once it reaches a living creature, it begins to
once every ten minutes.
climb them—hand over hand with surprising
strength. Climbing takes one full turn. Once the Getting the jarspawn out of one’s body requires
jarspawn is climbing the creature, it may still be intense vomiting and a Short Rest. This level
the subject of attacks, though half the damage of vomiting can be induced by some diseases,
the jarspawn takes is automatically delivered imbibing excessive amounts of very strong alco-
to the creature it is climbing. With an Action, hol, or even magically-induced sickness.
the creature may try to shake off the jarspawn
Once regurgitated from a body, the jarspawn
by succeeding in an Athletics Check DC 15. If
quickly dissolves into a white mucous that
they are unable to use two hands (or similarly
gives off an alien smoke that smells like over-
dexterous appendages) to remove it, the check
ripe fruit—cloying and disconcerting. The
is disadvantaged.
moment it dissolves a Perception DC 20, notices
At the end of the jarspawn’s climb (1 turn), it movements within the Jar as the spawn returns
attempts to force the mouth of the creature open to its home.
and crawl inside of them in a horrific contortion

NOTES

Brucker's Pipe
“You have no idea who you’re
dealing with,” the dark elvish
woman spat as she stared
down her adversary.
He paced back and forth, the
firelight casting cruel shad-
ows behind him that seemed
to dance and play with every
word he spoke.
“You’re nothing. And I won’t
be cowed, woman.” His voice
was cold and accusing.
As the witch steadied herself,
and the large cultist prowled,
the rest of the group gave them
space. This had been brewing
for days, really. And not even
the old paladin had the endur-
ance to keep breaking them up, night after night after night. They’d stare each other down for a while
and then everyone would get back t—
…
The large man’s screams lasted half the night. And the lady made him thank her, between labored
breaths and great spasms of pain, for letting him live long enough to go tell his “daddy.”
APPEARANCE Glade. And when they came, the great Arch-

A glass and ebony wood pipe, masterfully Fey left for them a gift—and told them nothing
constructed with engraved flowers around about how to use it.
the bowl. As the dozen devout seers communed with
each other, speaking of mysteries… debating
ORIGIN
rights… testing each other… arguing about who
Arcane DC 14, Nature DC 19; Advantage
is best-loved of the Bright Sun… sharing their
adventures…
the Hermit background
A flash of lightening and, on the ground, a sim-
The Magister of the Bright Sun made a mark on
ple polished pipe amidst a scattering of violets.
this world three centuries back with a simple,
but mysterious, polished walnut and bone pipe. At first, they took it as a sign of favor from their
While his warlocks roamed the lands, wreaking great Patron, but soon they turned on each
havoc and horror and hope and salvation, they other as disagreements, debates, and arguments
were summoned by the winds to come to the turned to blades, blows, and eldritch fire. The
398 • WONDERS • Brucker's Pipe

last warlock standing, Brucker of Kawl, kicked SYSTEM

over the bodies of his “fellows,” looting what Once attuned, the Pipe counts as an arcane
interesting things they had and high on his focus and grants advantage on any contested
supremacy over these lesser cultists of the great rolls against Warlocks (of any Patron) or cult-
Magister. He saw the pipe, took it up, and left. ists that can cast spells higher than a Cantrip. So
Weeks later he would pull it out of his satchel, long as the pipe is carried closely to the owner’s
while in a small boring town of no great interest, body, it need not be held or brandished to be
and buy a few pinches of tobacco from a travel- used as a focus.
ling merchant. He’d never much liked smoking, Every time such contested roll is made, add a
but boredom took him and it reminded him of counter to the Pipe (so long as someone pos-
the slaughter he’d survived and proved him- sesses it). Every time a long rest is taken, the
self in. possessor of the Pipe takes one Psychic damage
And he lost himself. for every counter. So long as they survive, the
long rest concludes normally and the damage is
Four years later the great and powerful warlock
healed normally.
gasped into the rain, and—withered and tired,
choking on his own vomit—he died in a gutter For example, if the owner uses it 3 times then
by an outhouse in a village he never learned the as she starts her long rest, she’ll take 3 psychic
name of. A rattle. A gasp. And he was gone. The damage. If she never uses it again, but still has
pipe tumbled from his hand into the mud, and it, the next long rest? 3 more. The long rest will
where it fell new violets sprung. heal all of this normally.
Attunement requires declaring an oath to Eventually, with enough uses over time, taking
destroy the followers of an otherworldly too much Psychic damage before the rest could
Patron—a specific one. DMs are encouraged kill the owner. Unattuning to this item resets
to consider the risks of defaulting in the face of the counter, but the same owner may not re-at-
this promise by the Magister’s name. tune it.
NOTES
399 • WONDERS • Brucker's Pipe

Dome of the Lost

Pria lunged, and the skitterling
gurgled its last at the end of
her sword. Behind her, the rest
of her comrades were bloodied
and weary–-the whole night had
been spent pushing and push-
ing forward through the cavern.
Harold, their guide and tracker,
died back in the round room she
would always remember as “The
Point of No Return.” Billit For-
tenue (“Handsome Bill” they’d
called him back home) was not
likely to survive the day.
The ambush, the entrenched
defense, that rotten pit… their
shaman… gods above and below,
she was tired. But, if legend and
their maps were correct, just
through the next broad pas-
sage—marked with gold veins in
the coal-black stone—would be
the end. And somewhere in there,
no doubt, the Hexmaster waited.
Her fellows followed quietly in the dark as she navigated the passage, and, hours later, she was hunched
at the grand oak doors. Picking, oiling, and quietly–-so quietly-–she slid into the barest of openings.
A circular groove cut into the stone surrounded a field of dead. Bones long dry and mail long rusted.
Nothing moved. The place was desolate. To her horror, some of the remains bore the distinctive mark of
human teeth.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A polished black hemisphere of obsidian, with a Religion DC 18, Arcane DC 25; Advantage
gold ring around the edge of the bowl. for Knowledge Doman Clerics and anyone
The Dome is a cruel device made for a virtu-
ous purpose. A compact between the feuding
gods and goddesses in the earliest times caused
it to be forged from the first firmament of this
world. It was to be a place beyond their powers,
a place that was safe from their manipulations
400 • WONDERS • Dome of the Lost

and wars. The Arch-Fey sent their Third Van- SYSTEM

guard against the deities when they heard of its Once attuned, the bearer may place the Dome
creation, and the oldest of those mad creatures on the ground carefully with an Action, focus-
still search for it still. ing on bringing about its power (which counts
After the passing of the First Age, the Dome was as a spell requiring Concentration). After 1d4
lost in world of mortals. rounds, a large impenetrable black dome will
appear in a 20 ft. radius at the end of their
Attunement requires the rejection of worship of
turn. The dome has a floor even with where it
any one particular god or goddess in favor of
lay. Anything within the radius is sealed into a
a pledge to respect and pray to all of them (at
giant, empty obsidian black hemisphere.
least in part, and once per year). Having a favor-
ite is acceptable, but the Dome was a neutral Alternatively, the bearer may throw the Dome
ground amongst them and all want the glory up to 15 ft. away, also concentrating on it, and
they are due. at the end of 2d4 rounds the dome will appear.
DMs should keep in mind that observing a rit- The dome is black, allowing no light through.
ual, blessing, holy day, or formal prayer is not It is impenetrable to physical attacks, and any
likely to enrage other gods (they understand the transmutation or attempts to affect the dome
purpose, though they are jealous things). How- fail (though the dome as a whole can be pushed
ever, failing to make observances for all of them from the outside should a strong enough force
in a timely and routine fashion may incur some be able to shove the 4 ton, smooth creation).
wrath. DM’s should also note the challenge Magical travel into or out of it fails. The inside
in learning at least one simple ritualistic prac- acts as an anti-magic field (“deactivating” mag-
tice or observance for every significant deity. ical items within).
Obscure gods or goddesses entirely unknown to Spells and spell slots cannot be restored, regen-
the owner failing to get their attention shouldn’t erated, or regained while inside the Dome. Any-
represent a problem, but as knowledge of the thing partially within the radius or partly out-
many deities that are worshipped becomes bet- side is gently pushed out of the way.
ter known to the owner, they must keep up.
The Dome lasts for as many days as the bearer
has current hp.
NOTES
401 • WONDERS • Dome of the Lost

Draught of Perfect Health

The beast lay dead, growing
cold and smelling like five dif-
ferent species of crap. Kalie,
their Diviner, had taken the
worst of its attention along
with Sir Hoot—the band’s
loud and brash corsair. The
thing’s fangs were sharp, and
both adventurers groaned as
they stood, large wounds from
the bite weeping blood and pus.
But, where the old swashbuck-
ler—green and sickly—looked
as though he might keel over
and die any moment, the wiz-
ard only seemed to grow more
animated and solid with each
passing second.
Sarah, their priestess, limped
over to bless and cleanse their
bodies of the cruel venom
coursing through their veins,
when Kalie rolled her eyes and
motioned for the cleric to take
care of the moaning—and now
passing out—brigand. And
just as certainly, the Diviner hunched down in some bushes to relieve herself, thinking all the time
that Hoot was hardly worth the trouble of saving so often.
Sarah looked on, uncomfortably. Moments ago, Kalie was at death’s door, but now she was buoyantly
talking to herself while squatting near that tree, her face flush with health and hands making motions
as she practiced her spellwork—looking the whole time as though they hadn’t just nearly met their
makers in a bloody battle.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A glass bottle in the vague shape of a human History DC 15, Religion DC 18; Advantage
heart, with a deep maroon liquid inside as thick for Paladins and anyone with the Sage or
as molasses. The stopper is broad, and sealed Acolyte backgrounds
with what looks like melted gold. The ancient nation of Inx’s most powerful cit-
izens, now long since lost to time and history
for all but the most learned sages, struggled to
overcome their own mortality in the waning
402 • WONDERS • Draught of Perfect Health

days of their empire. The gods had abandoned so will result in a Constitution Save, DC equal
them for their hubris. Their neighbors fought to 5 x the number of gallons missed; so missing
desperate wars for survival. The old, arcane one of five is a DC 5, but missing three of five
masters that ruled Inx sought to change the is a DC 15, and missing all of them is a DC 25).
very nature of mortality through their transfor-
Failing any required Constitution Save from
mative experiments.
this results in gaining 1 Exhaustion. In addition,
Many horrors were created from those times, the drinker feels fidgety and restless most of the
monstrous things born of ambition and cold time, and to such an extent that it can be a dis-
calculation on the part of mages who lost their traction. On any turn in which they can move
caution and grew to love their own power. at least 5 ft, they must move at least 5 ft. or be
disadvantaged on their next Action. All Percep-
But, of those forgotten schemes and atrocities,
tion checks are disadvantaged due to the rest-
the talented mages of Inx discovered how to
lessness that comes from the Draught.
distill the very essence of godhood from the
capture and torture of a Solar. The Draught was The positive effects include Immunity to the
said to bring a mortal yet closer to the perfection Poison Condition (though not Poison damage)
of an angel, to bring fire to the heart and mind. and Saves against disease, as one’s body pro-
Even one Draught found now would be as rare cesses pathogens and toxins so rapidly that their
as the birth of a new god. effects don’t have time to take hold. And should
the drinker drop to half (rounded down) hp or
SYSTEM
below for any reason, they automatically and
The potion increases the natural metabolism of instantly spend one Hit Dice to heal as though
the drinker to extraordinary levels. from a Short Rest—this is involuntary—so long
The negative effects include a need to eat as they have one HD to spend.
roughly ten times a day (failing to do so will The effects of the Draught last until the first
result in a required Constitution Save, DC equal time the drinker fails the second of two Death
to 2 x every meal missed; so missing one of ten Saves (they may fail one many times, but on the
is a DC 2, but missing five of ten is a DC 10, second failure of a set the effects end). Perfect
and missing all of them is a DC 20) and drink Life is for the living and likely to live.
roughly five gallons of water a day (failing to do
NOTES
403 • WONDERS • Draught of Perfect Health

Executioner's Silks
Malaia ran as fast as she could,
which for a halfling wasn’t
nearly as fast as she’d like.
It didn’t help that the orcs
behind her had a pack of dogs
or wolves or some such lead-
ing them through the brush,
and every time she tried to
lose them, she could hear the
guttural commands and call
outs a few minutes later. She
couldn’t continue this pace;
her lungs were burning with
exertion and her heart felt like
it might just decide to meet her
in the next world if she didn’t
stop.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
The others were somewhere out here, somewhere in the deep grasses and hills. She could have kicked
herself for her own bravado, if her legs weren’t otherwise occupied trying to save her life.
Dozens of them crested a far hill, and she could hear the horn blow—thank all the special gods! Brodie
and the others would hear it! Malaia tumbled to a halt, turned, and sprinted back in the direction of
the orc patrol. Now, all she had to do was not be killed for an hour or so and all would be right with
the world. She grinned, red-faced and sweating buckets, as she tucked the ring she’d stolen into an
inner pocket of her trousers.
And, as she ducked behind a tree, hearing the patrol approach, she fell to pieces.
APPEARANCE lax customs and legal scrutiny back during the

A collection of fourteen silk scarves, each a deep old wars. Raske Vol collapsed and was eventually
and rich red. Perception DC 14 notices they destroyed by its own greed and avarice as gen-
very slowly gravitate toward each other when erations of criminal activity, public corruption,
kept apart. and dark dealings led to it being annexed almost
effortlessly by one of the great nations of the east.
ORIGIN
During its independence, though, the rulership
of the city changed hands often and bloodily.
to Sorcerers and anyone with the Noble
It was said that to be Prince of Raske Vol was
background
the best way get revenge on one’s enemies—the
Dane ir’Prell was the son of a minor noble in the throne and its thousand intrigues would get
city-state of Raske Vol, a port town known for its you long before they exacted any satisfaction.
404 • WONDERS • Executioner's Silks

When Dane ir’Prell took the throne, as a com- of telekinesis, this represents no challenge.
promise candidate and temporary Prince of the Attempting to do it by one’s self requires suc-
city while the nefarious and jealous powers that ceeding at an Acrobatics check, DC 19 given the
be squabbled over the permanent successor, sorts of contortions necessary to tie hard to reach
he ruled blandly and almost anonymously. No areas. The silks go around the neck, where the
parades, no sculptures of himself, no attempts arms meet the shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist,
to put the bureaucracy under thumb or take where the legs meet the torso, knees, and ankles.
money from any gangs. All ir’Prell ever did was They may be worn over or under clothing.
assure the true bosses of the city that he had no
interest in staying in power, asked for frequent
SYSTEM
updates about when he could be allowed to step Once attuned, the wearer may use their Reac-
down, and busied himself day to day with cre- tion, in response to an attack that drops them
ating stylish garments—a peculiar hobby for to 0 hp or below, to cause the silks to magically
a Prince, but less troublesome than the pecu- dismember them.
liar hobbies most Princes had engaged in over Their body separates everywhere the silks are
the years. tied, falling into a jumble of parts. The wearer is
And, inevitably, when the royal guard arrested treated as having 1 hp and is conscious, but can
him for treason and conspiracy (it was always manipulate nothing but their head. An observer
treason and conspiracy) and took him to his looking at any piece of the body will notice it is
public execution, he was offered the only dig- growing cold, that there are no bodily processes
nity any deposed monarch was offered—by going on (no heartbeat or breathing), and that
custom—and allowed to select the clothes he the wounds (while they don’t bleed) are visi-
would die in. bly unhealed.
Wearing a simple commoner’s outfit, cinched DMs should note that attempts to “play dead”
all over with red scarves, he knelt with his head may require a Deception roll in some circum-
on the block without complaint (to the conster- stances, but—given the very clear appearance of
nation of the city bosses, who ruffled at not hav- a dismembered body—those attempts are made
ing a good show of it). The executioner brought with advantage if they must be made at all.
his axe down and removed Dane ir’Prell’s head; If left undisturbed, with no physical barriers
stories say the blow was so savage that it tore between the parts, the body slowly gravitates
his limbs off as well. back together in the right form over the course
The body was left, as is also custom, where it of several hours—any part that is a considerable
lay—pieces haphazardly piled up for public distance away travels at a rate of one inch per
viewing. hour. If the body is placed in roughly the right
form by others, returning to whole takes only
It wasn’t until the next morning, looking at the 1 minute; if this is done with magical healing,
footprints leading away from the now missing this process is instantaneous. The returning is
pile, that anyone thought to check on whatever painful, akin to severe muscle cramps at every
Dane ir’Prell had been doing for those many point of separation.
long months in the palace.
Should the head be the target of damage, after
Attunement requires using the silks to bind the dismemberment, the wearer makes Death
the joints of the body. If receiving assistance Saves as normal.
from someone, or using some magical form
405 • WONDERS • Executioner's Silks

Faahngheim Birken
Rage-on-the-Mountain was
not scared. Six times, he had
fought the Kwearanim. Six
times, he had broken their
backs and made a gift of their
lifeless shattered bodies to his
people. The scars on his pale
flesh, the great silver and pink
puckers where sharp claws
frantically tried escaping his
might… his body was the story
of his victory.
This would be seven. The spir-
its would favor this number.
The teeth in his mouth were
dry and he kept his lips tight
and his jaw set to hold them.
That was the way Leiflen
taught him back when he had
a name. It was the way.
The beast was ready, in its den.
Frozen chunks of meat and
shards of bone littered the entrance. The steam from its breath flowed softly in waves from the lip of
the cave. It was wary. It knew Rage-on-the-Mountain had come to crush its vicious mein between his
strong hands. The spirits of all of his ancestors and those of his people were with him. He breathed
deeply, and silently sprinted into the darkness.
APPEARANCE for Creation, taking little part—without a world

A handful (roughly 35 or so) of various teeth: fully realized, there was little to draw from.
beaver, lion, human, ape, rat, wolf, etc. a wide But in the aftermath, when life flourished in all
variety of sizes and all aged to either a sun- corners, the spirits found purpose and joy, flow-
bleached white or a miserly yellow, with a few ing throughout the world. They were the beings
grey littered about. that made us all possible, from the moss on the
stone to the man who takes his rest sitting on
ORIGIN
it. Some of the great spirits governed the winds
or storms, some the wolves or fish, and some
for Barbarians and Monks or anyone with
played amongst the work of their peers bring-
the Folk Hero background
ing change and—sometimes—disruption.
The great spirits of the land and air and sea (and
The Crocula, the spirit of hunger and wiles,
places deeper) were children during the wars
watched the rise of mortals with curious glee.
406 • WONDERS • Faahngheim Birken

When the first elves scratched their primitive The benefit granted is the ability to engage in
pictograms on tree bark, it was there. When the a special Grapple, targeting the head of the
proto-orcs first gathered to watch the storms creature, if it has a discernible head. This Grap-
on the high mountain, it was there. Carefully, ple may be done with creatures up to one size
the Crocula collected a tooth from the mouth of category larger than usual (after any Features
dozens of spiritual champions—the powerful or Feats).
avataars of its kin, creatures that walked and
The keeper may choose to Grapple with one or
stalked the world carrying a piece of their spiri-
two hands (and may change this choice at the
tual patron with them. The Undying Wolf of the
start of each turn after maintaining the Grapple).
North, the Fire Tiger of the distant East, the Salt
Terror of the First Sea, etc. If one-handed, bite attacks (from the head grap-
pled) against the keeper are disadvantaged. If
Through guile and theft, the Crocula collected
two-handed, the keeper has the creature’s head
them and waited for a mortal to come, pride-
in a double-armed vice-like grip and may not be
ful and arrogant enough, to act on her behalf.
bitten by them at all.
Over centuries, the Crocula waited. And before
the end of the Second Age, in a remote snowy By using their Action, the keeper may apply a
forest in the distant Northern Wastes, she found number of d4’s equal to their Strength modifier
the Faahngheim Clan—primitive humans, still in Bludgeoning damage to the creature’s head.
hunting their prey with crude wooden spears This damage is not applied to the hp of the crea-
and stone knives. ture, but rather to their maximum Bite damage.
If the creature has no Bite attack, this damage
And, true to its nature, the Crocula dropped the
does nothing. This damage is cumulative.
Birken into their tiny village, and delighted at
the sport she would make amongst the great Should the damage equal or exceed the crea-
spirits. It has been lost and found, over and ture’s maximum Bite damage, their head gives
over, ever since. way to the strain and pressure. Their mouth and
jaw and lower skull are a ragged pulped mess of
Attunement requires killing a beast larger than
broken teeth, bones, and tendons. The creature
one’s self with one’s bare hands and offering
takes a number of Bludgeoning damage equal
it as a sacrifice to the old hyena spirit that cre-
to the keeper’s Strength score that cannot be
ated it.
Resisted (though Immunity would still apply)
SYSTEM and they may no longer make Bite attacks.
The teeth must be held in the mouth, and main- In the event that the creature uses breath weap-
taining this requires Concentration checks along ons or other abilities requiring a functioning
the line of spell-casting (though does not count mouth and jaw, DMs are encouraged to halve
as a Concentration Spell in any other way). their range, advantage others to withstanding
One cannot talk (or fulfill verbal components of the effect, and/or hinder the recharge time as
spells) with one’s mouth full. Should a Concen- appropriate. Some such abilities may become
tration Check fail, the teeth spill out all over the impossible, but many other might simply be
ground and require 1d4 rounds to collect again. less coordinated or harder to do.
The effects of the teeth only work while in the
mouth (all of them).
407 • WONDERS • Faahngheim Birken

Fatebox
“Duke Enaigria Ol Lorcciano,
I am pleased to report that our
mission has gone splendidly.
You’ll be pleased, my liege.
The townsfolk of Lesser Kens-
bro have been little difficulty.
We had some bit of fortune in
negotiating for the local mayor
to ally himself with our grow-
ing forces in the north–-rather
than side with the inevitable
losers of this war.
His ties to Duke Elsange are
strong, but we convinced him
in short order, and managed to
uncover some incriminating
evidence of corrupt dealings to
keep him in line should his loy-
alty fail in the coming months.
The local thieves proved to be
easily cowed, and the mer-
chants have accepted our offer
of protection and taxation.
Altogether, my liege, it could not have gone better. Thank you for asking about my health, it continues
to improve though I really am feeling more exhausted by our travel. Hoping to come home, soon, by
your leave.
Your humble servant,
Alfonso of Pelachi, Court Diviner”
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
Finely crafted pieces for a puzzle-box, made Arcane DC 14, History DC 18; Advantage
of several contrasting colors of well-lacquered for Divination School Wizards and anyone
wood. with the Noble background
The Southern kingdoms and duchies were
famous for their love and use of arcane power,
and the Entropists—a faction of wandering
hoarders of magical artifacts today—are the last
remnants of those long gone nations and cul-
tures. The Duke of Enaigria, a city lost now to
408 • WONDERS • Fatebox

time and history, voraciously pursued expan- exploding out in all directions with bright wisps
sion and control over the South through his and ethereal anima surrounding them for a
cabals of magicians and seers. number of feet equal to twice the owner’s Intel-
ligence score. Glowing strands weave their way
He believed all magic useless in the face of
around objects and individuals in a loose and
knowledge, except magic that allows one to
chaotic manner awaiting the merest thought
truly own what is True.
from the owner
Several hundred fortune-telling street conjurers,
For up to one minute, the area is filled with this
card readers, diviners, and fate-weaves died in
web of light and wispy tendrils of magical ether.
the creation of the Fatebox—a wondrous artifact
he hoped to use to establish an entire empire. With a Reaction, the owner may spend any
The coming of the Exile kings, however, put of their Hit Dice to alter an Attack or Ability
his ambitions to an end, along with most all of check taken by anyone else within the glowing
the treasures of the kingdoms and duchies of web, provided they have them to spend, as the
the South. strands of Fate assist or impair the target. How
many they spend must be decided at one time.
Attunement to the Fatebox requires solving it—
putting all the pieces together carefully and per- Use of this ability is declared before the target’s
fectly. Doing this requires an Investigation check roll takes place, after it is declared; the owner
DC 22, and this roll cannot be advantaged. On a may not consult the target on this expenditure.
failure, one may not try again for one day. The owner rolls the dice and either adds or sub-
tracts the total from the coming Attack or Abil-
SYSTEM ity check (depending on whether they’re assist-
Once attuned, and so long as the box is together ing or impairing the Fate of the roll). The target
(solved), it must be held tightly either in one’s then rolls as normal and the total is adjusted
hands or wrapped fully without undue dis- as appropriate.
turbance. Should the box fall apart to pieces,
attunement must be attempted again. At the start of the owner’s next turn, they must
roll those Hit Dice again; for every 1 that shows
However, the owner may drop the box or throw up, they take one Necrotic damage that ignores
it up to 15 ft. away on their turn with a Bonus Resistance and Immunities.
Action and unleash the power within it. The
box falls to the ground and the pieces fly apart, Fate, it seems, exacts its toll.
NOTES
409 • WONDERS • Fatebox

Feast
When she was young, she enjoyed
the stories about dark and mysteri-
ous monsters in the bare and somber
hills to the north, or the most sav-
age parts of the jungle. Her father
used to tell her about The Witch
Hag and Krin the Profane, stories
about power corrupting the vain
and greedy—stories to help children
grow up rightly.
She loved them. The stories.
She imagined (wickedly, and in that
way only children may do without
fuss) growing tall and powerful,
finding dark powers and ruling over
those that bullied her in the town
market or those that hurt others.
She’d be a glorious and just monster.
If there was any point where it could
be said she stepped onto the path that
took her here, it was the moment she
realized one could aspire to be a just
monster. A noble horror.
A necessary evil.
There would be more—more would come, more always came. More young and idealistic men and
women. Boys, really. Girls. Thinking they knew better and best. They’d come for her. They’d come to
devour her.
They’d come to kill the beast she was and think themselves righteous. And they’d be wrong.
Their kind was made of power, and power only corrupts. Not that she was ready to go, she wasn’t. She’d
murder them all as they came, as she always did. Further cementing her reputation. The folktales would
continue to call her a monster, but dispatching these heroes was the last noble act she knew.
She was a just monster, after all.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A dark, velvet bag big enough to hold a large Arcane DC 16, Religion DC 19; Advantage
melon. The drawstring is a glowing green cord for Necromancy School Wizards and any-
that gives off a wispy smoke. Inside are a num- one with the Acolyte background
ber of preserved body parts. Not all powers are goodly. Some come from
dark places.
410 • WONDERS • Feast

A cabal of sorcerers, the Sons of Retainment, cre- SYSTEM

ated Feast to share a communion of power in the Once attuned, the Feast is made available in full
form of their leader, a charismatic caster named to the keeper. If the keeper is a sorcerer, they
Alaludin, from the days of the First Empire. may replenish a number of spell points equal to
Seeing the river of magic that flows between the number of morsels of flesh they eat from the
worlds as a resource to control—to dam, to use contents of the bag. Doing so takes one Action,
as an engine of power—they fought great bat- and the keeper may consume up to 3 at a time.
tles against other sorcerers in their day, includ-
If the keeper is not a sorcerer, eating a morsel
ing other sects and temples. There are no Sons
of flesh may either grant advantage on a spell
anymore, the world is better for it, but some of
attack the keeper casts in the next round or dis-
their precious artifacts remain.
advantage the Save versus a spell the keeper
Feast was created in defiance of the gods and casts in the next round.
goddesses, an act equal parts insult and sacri-
If the keeper cannot cast spells of any kind, eat-
fice; Alaludin brought them together and shared
ing a morsel of flesh imposes the Poisoned con-
with them a ritual he’d devised, intended to
dition on them for one day.
give the Sons a gift they could pass on to their
acolytes and adepts for thousands of years. An Once all the morsels have been eaten, the keeper
empire ruled by the Sons—that was his vision— becomes the next Feast. They gain Resistance to
and to those noble scions he would leave Feast. Necrotic damage so long as they keep the empty
bag with them, and every sorcerer or natural
In a long night of careful planning and congre-
arcane caster with an Intelligence score greater
gation, the Sons ceremonially dismembered
than 5 within 10 miles is bombarded by dreams
Alaludin’s body and placed him in the sack—
of power and triumph, seeing themselves wor-
enchanted to store it perfectly and timelessly.
shipped as arcane gods and having all the things
Over the years, during their reign of terror, they
they could ever wish for.
powered their natural gifts to obscene heights
by devouring parts of their leader’s arcanely The dreams show the cannibalization of the
charged flesh. In the centuries since their erad- keeper as the path to that future. They see
ication by the the empire of Inx, the sack found the dismemberment of the keeper, and their
its way from one sorcerer to another—none able remains being kept in the bag, and know it will
to harness its original power—while the magic give them everything they ever wanted. No
that created it grew warped and weaker. matter where the keeper goes, so long as they
are attuned to the empty bag, these dreams hap-
Attunement to Feast requires carving the sym-
pen all around them. DMs are encouraged to
bols found inside the bag into one’s flesh. If
imagine the risks associated with this, and what
Proficient with Leatherworking Tools, or simi-
sorts of creatures may come to claim their prize.
lar equipment, this does not require a roll. If the
keeper of the Feast is not Proficient in any such Unattuning the Feast requires thoroughly, and
tools, it may require finding someone who is. deeply, burning the symbols off of one’s flesh.
On attunement, the DM should roll 1d20 and To do this, the keeper must apply hot iron and
add the keeper’s Proficiency Bonus. This rep- press it deep within the flesh to eliminate all of
resents the number of charges (morsels of flesh). the arcane power contained in them. Roll 2 hit
dice, and permanently subtract the lower of the
two rolls from the keeper’s maximum hp. They
will bear the scars forever, but are free. The
dreams stop.
411 • WONDERS • Feast

Felsheet Quality Parchment

“Just say the words on the
paper.”
Meilla was tired, beyond
doubt, and yet there was no
chance of making camp in this
forgotten place. Her back ached
and complained to her as she
bent over her case and care-
fully drew rolled papers from
it, setting them aside delicately
one-by-one.
“Melly, I don’t like this.”
Broadways was tired, too. The
old paladin had one or two bro-
ken ribs still and there was at
least one mile—maybe two—
to go before they were out from
this dark hell. The mage kept
sorting through her scrolls
and, after a minute of careful
discipline, she handed him one.
“Just say them, Brodie, that
or we keep walking and Tuck
won’t make it,” their tracker
was throwing up every few
minutes. The most ominous part of it all, for Meilla, was that by now, after an hour of this, he should
be heaving dry—but more and more watery phlegm came each time. Meilla was certain whatever
curse this was would kill him soon if they didn’t get out.
She’d given Broadways her best work, calmed Tuck enough to keep him at a low moan, walked them
through the procedure. She bit her nails as she watched them unfurl the scrolls…
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A sheaf of extremely fine quality paper, chased Arcane DC 15, History DC 18; Advantage
on the edges in a gold threading. for Wizards and anyone with the Guild
Merchant background)
High priced felsheet is a very rare luxury. Very
few people use it—often there’s no need. But,
for the discerning and cautious (and decadent)
individual, nothing is better for schema, schola,
or spell scrolling than felsheet parchment.
412 • WONDERS • Felsheet Quality Parchment

Made, painstakingly, by hand using the old to virtually all animals and insects. Things writ-
methods of the Entropists of the south, each ten on felsheet are guaranteed to be preserved
sheet is perfectly blemish free and perfectly for a long, long time.
evenly weighted: the paper is exactly 30 lbs.
When it comes to spellwork it is useless for
grade (30 lbs. per 500 sheets of 20″ x 40″ parch-
making books, as the parchment loses much of
ment), with not a single irregularity across its
its quality on cutting or shaping. However, for
bone white surface. It costs 100 gp per thicket
scrolls it truly shines; any scroll scribed onto
(10 sheets) in most markets so opulent as to
felsheet completely ignores Scroll Misfire rules
even carry it. Only the most privileged arcane
(found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, if your
institutions hold a chance of having some and
game uses it) as it is so well infused with the
even then they are unlikely to carry more than
spell’s magic that it may fail, but it will never
one or two thickets.
cause mishap.
SYSTEM In addition, there is a low percent chance that
Its properties for schema and shola work (con- the scroll will not consume itself upon casting
ventional writing and archives) are often unnec- if written on felsheet. When casting a spell from
essary, but nice; the paper never rots (or at least the scroll with a level lower than one’s Pro-
none have ever been found to in the decades ficiency Bonus, roll 1d12. If the result is also
since its invention), does not burn (short of pro- under one’s Proficiency Bonus, the spell is not
longed exposure to intense flames like forges, consumed and may be reused.
the heart of a burning building, or a raging
Felsheet is considered a mark of high status
inferno), is resistant to acids and arcane meth-
and distinction.
ods of decay or destruction, and is foul-tasting
NOTES
413 • WONDERS • Felsheet Quality Parchment

Fingersmoke
Brendel coughed a rough,
brown plume out over the fire
while Gus and Bornia laughed
their throaty and condescend-
ing laugh. It tasted like wet hay
and the green things you find
sometimes in that stew they
make down Southways—like
pepper, but not. He frowned to
himself, the name o’ that stuff
was going to be slippin’ him
for days, most like.
It tasted awful and Brendel
couldn’t think for the life of
him why anyone would ever
try it. While horking and spit-
ting (and puffing, damn them
if he’d let them see how thin
his bite was over a smoke), the
flavor muted… the smell as
well. All the smells, really. The
world went smooth and clean.
The air felt close, and his feet
felt light.
He saw Gus grinning, yet couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Silent. Smooth. The whole world seemed to
be finely muted. The tiny, reedy greeting of the enormous shadow surrounding his companions, however…
that was clear as a bell.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A pouch of crumbly and dried mushrooms that Nature DC 18, Arcane DC 21; Advan-
smell like fresh-turned soil. tage for Necromancy School Wizards and
Barbarians or anyone with the Outlander
background
Fingersmoke is a concoction, made from the caps
of a rare brown fungus and some magical treat-
ment over the course of several weeks: drying and
infusing and soaking and tanning, in a very par-
ticular set of small ritualistic maneuvers. It was
once a popular component of many tribal and bar-
barous religious observances, most notably those
clans with strong ancestor worshipping traditions.
414 • WONDERS • Fingersmoke

After the Purge and the later Dominion Heresy, Failure on any results in wasting the batch
it was declared diabolical by the Old Empire entirely. Success yields one pouch (10 uses) of
and the species was burned on sight every- the crumbly, brown smokable fibers.
where the Dominion’s reach went. It is now vir-
Smoking it requires a Constitution Save DC 10;
tually impossible to find, except in the those far
on a success the effects are merely pleasant and
lost corners of the continent.
mildly euphoric, like several good drinks, but
SYSTEM on a failure one gains the ability to see, hear, and
Cultivating and curing the fungus, itself, speak to spirits of the departed.
requires nearly a month. After each of the first Language is no barrier, they cannot become
three weeks, a Nature check DC 20 should be invisible to you, and even telepathic conver-
made; an Arcane check DC 20 should be made sations are “audible” to you. Spirits can—in
at the end of the fourth. These checks may be turn—see, hear, and understand you as the
assisted by others who are Proficient or even same otherworldly force makes you especially
done by different people—but, only one roll clear to them. The effect lasts for one hour,
gets made. during which you suffer one point of Exhaus-
tion, and should the Exhaustion be removed
(through “restoration” magic or just time) the
other effects are removed as well.
NOTES
415 • WONDERS • Fingersmoke

Green Rider's Wale

Newton saw them coming long
before the others. There were—
hell, there were too many. The
circle was going to end today
and the part of him that still
remembered his humanity
reminded him sorrowfully that
the best he could do for his
comrades was to simply not
tell them. There would be only
fear and anger in that knowl-
edge. Them, so purely… mor-
tal. They had their vices and
vanity and if they were to live
out the coming storm of hag-
gard bodies and menaces on
quick approach, they’d need
their delusions as well.
Meilla and Teller were play-
ing dice, the early morning
camp was still wet from the
misty rains the day before, and
nobody was in a great rush to
stomp through the mud. All
eyes were on the food cooking
and the game being played.
Newton sighed, unfurling the
deep hunter green wale from
his pack.
He focused for a few moments
while the rest went about their distractions, crouching behind the barbarian’s lopsided tent and, min-
utes later, as the bear approached, he hoisted his green saddle and steeled himself for his quiet lonely
charge. Perhaps, he thought, he could buy the others some time.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A saddle, but too short for a horse or pony and Religion DC 16, Nature DC 24; Advantage
too large for a dog, colored a deep and rich to Druids and Paladins or anyone with the
hunter’s green (nearly black). The saddle has Soldier background
no horn, belt, cinch, or reigns. The Wale was a gift from the Lost Druids of the
East, a sect famously aggressive in their pursuit
of war against the terrors and creatures of the
416 • WONDERS • Green Rider's Wale

Mire (a horrorful place lost to history now). A selectable by the Rider, but something appropri-
thousand years ago, the Wale was given to a ate will come if one can be found within a few
knight of the Shallows who was on a quest to miles. The DM is encouraged to be creative and,
kill one of the great undying giants that plagues where possible, fulfill the request—the Green
that land—a common cause between the righ- calls the best it can.
teous Lost and the righteous Shallow knights.
Once it arrives the creature will allow the Rider
An Order of paladins was birthed from that col- to place the Wale over it, and will follow com-
laboration, handing down the Oath to rid the mands from the Rider for 10 minutes. After
world of the unclean and drawing allies for this that time, the creature may or may not decide
war from the Green itself. to leave based on its own survival instincts and
needs: if this happens, the Wale falls off and the
To attune to it, one must pledge the Oath that
creature is free. While riding the creature with
all Green Rider’s pledge: the eradication of all
the Wale, the Rider cannot fall off accidentally or
undead, without question or contemplation,
due to the Actions of anyone other than them-
and renouncing any reward or seizure of any-
selves or the creature (so unmounting a Rider is
thing that has ever touched that foul magic.
impossible for others, but the mount may buck
The exact words are almost forgotten–-a DC
the Rider on its own) and any Attack against the
20 Religion or Nature check may reveal them
Rider is disadvantaged so long as the creature
or DM’s may have those words be the focus of
took their full movement on its turn.
their own quest.
The Wale is a battle artifact, designed for a spe-
SYSTEM
cific War. Should no undead be destroyed by the
Once attuned, the Wale allows the Rider to call a Rider and/or mount within those 10 minutes,
creature (a Beast, naturally existing) that can be the Wale may not be used again for one month.
used as a suitable mount. It arrives in 1d4 min- Those who will not fight the War are unworthy
utes, prepared to take the Wale and ready for of its tools.
air, land, or aquatic warfare. The species is not
NOTES
417 • WONDERS • Green Rider's Wale

Hallfallen's Scraed
Black Grage sat outside the
camp, listening to the others.
He heard them tell their jokes
and share their wine. He heard
the stories. He even heard
them find a little comfort in
the night, here and there. And
all the while, for those hours,
he sat with his back against a
tree in the dark–-he made them
uncomfortable, he made them
sad. He knew that. And so, it
was best if he didn’t interrupt
their night.
Grage reached down and
pulled up a handful of dirt and
leaves. Fall was coming on
hard, and the crackle and rus-
tle of the dry foliage in his hand made him feel almost normal again. Morning was coming, the sun
was warming the air and the dark was receding.
Grage turned onto one knee to stand. He still found it difficult to keep his balance—one would think
after all this time that would get easier, but it didn’t—and, as he made his way toward camp to greet
the others, he put a false smile on his face. Good old Grage. Ever ready with a joke.
As he walked in, he leaned down and patted one of the horses on its head–-he missed riding almost as
much as he missed everything the hell else.
APPEARANCE use as spears as he hunted the giant lizards of

A glass jar filled with a thick, bubbling dark the roaming lands.
green ink. In truth, Hallfallen was a great coward—a sym-
bol for his people, but little else. The scraed, or
ORIGIN
“pattern” in the old tongue, was an intricate
tattoo of dark, living inks branded on his skin
for Barbarians and anyone with the Char-
by a shaman of the grey places beyond the Last
latan background
Grove. The shaman promised him strength and
Hallfallen was a champion of the Deep Green, power, promised he would be a great giant of a
a great man who heard the turning ways of the man and tower over his enemies.
world and led a mighty clan of savages in the
All true… mostly.
farthest corners of the Western Marshes and jun-
gles. Folklore said he was a giant, twenty-feet The scraed is a barely living necrotic cocktail
high, and that he would pull up great trees to made from the blood of a long-dead and alien
god from the Outer Mysteries. When applied to
418 • WONDERS • Hallfallen's Scraed

the flesh of a mortal, the body is infused with tall (DMs should specify the exact height). Their
power flowing from the unholy union between natural and unenhanced Strength is raised by 2.
the substance and the host—the natural and The effect goes away when the scraed is burned
wholly unnatural. The flesh chars and burns as and/or cut from the flesh of the wearer.
the ink bonds with the bearer.
The bearer of the scraed is disadvantaged on
Attunement requires applying the whole jar to Dexterity Saves; and advantaged on Strength
one’s skin. No great care need be taken regard- Saves and Grapple attempts against medium
ing the pattern, but DMs are encouraged to creatures. Their size (and weight, easily over
consider the difficulty of applying burning 600 pounds) may prove to be difficult to accom-
pitch-like goo in straight lines or with care by modate in most situations. They are either dis-
one’s self. advantaged or find it impossible to use some
weapons and tools, due to the discrepancy in
SYSTEM size (DM discretion). Their skin, thicker now,
Once applied and attuned, requiring a day of grants 1 damage reduction to all except Psychic
application and some recovery from the pain, and Radiant damage. However, they wake up
the tattoo stops bubbling and smoking. The with challenging aches and pains, their joints
next morning, the bearer of the scraed grows never quite get used to the transformation.
to Large Size and stands between 8 and 11 feet
NOTES
419 • WONDERS • Hallfallen's Scraed

Hoardstones
It was bliss. Pure bright, flying
bliss. The coins scraped against
Willis’s skin and scales. He
could feel the gems between his
fingers and the bag of salt he
had his left foot in tickled and
made him almost purr.
The rest of his companions
were sleeping in their tents
or on their rolls and lumpy
blankets—tossing and turn-
ing to get comfortable—and
Willis found himself coming to
and going, falling in and out
of consciousness. Dozing and
grinning and dreaming of the
sky.
Over a thousand Bradian cop-
per… four-hundred aaaaaaaaand… thirteen? Yes… of that thick Kragg silver coinage… another
nineteen of the Keyes silver with the old king’s face on it… ninety-one delightful gold sovereigns…
oh… oh, no, ninety-two…! mmmm…
Willis noticed when his friends woke up just before dawn. He noticed them packing and staring side-
ways at him. He noticed them exchange annoyed glances. He absolutely couldn’t have cared less…
lazily, he eased up onto his feet, shaking off the tiny rubies in his hair carefully and started scooping
the treasure back into his bag.
The warm air seemed to melt away as the brisk autumn morning breezed through camp.
APPEARANCE are the infused and warped pieces of volcanic

Three irregular stones, covered in a hardened rock found closest to a dragon’s lair, bathed
amber or a translucent and thick lacquer of for decades in the river of arcane connection
some kind. between the creature and its haven. The sor-
cerous followers of the goddess of magic know
ORIGIN them for exactly what they are, and hunt for
Arcane DC 18, Nature DC 23; Advantage them throughout the world.
for Conjuration School Wizards and any-
By and large, though, they are myths. Few
one with the Sage background
scholars have ever seen one or know of any who
The scholarly and sage of the great academies have.
think Hoardstones are a product of some diges-
The most serious students of magic in the world
tive or naturalistic, alchemical process incu-
wouldn’t know enough to mention them as a
bated in the stomach of dragons. In truth, they
420 • WONDERS • Hoardstones

footnote, but those for whom magic flows as SYSTEM

naturally as blood dream of them from time to Once attuned, the stones may be placed around
time. These rare pieces of the true way of things. the periphery of the keeper’s hoard and (so long
Attunement requires the bearer to keep a hoard as the hoarder rests on the cache of riches) they
of treasure with them for three nights. A hoard gain a Minor Lair Ability and their hoard gives
is an amount of treasure made up of coins, jew- off gentle echoes of a draconic heritage in the
els, and other valuables worth at least 10 x the form of very mild environmental changes. If a
bodyweight in pounds as the bearer, in gold. For red dragon heritage, then the hoard always feels
example, if the bearer weighs 150 lbs., then their slightly warm to the touch; if a blue dragon her-
hoard must be worth at least 1500 gp in order to itage, mild static electricity stands hairs on end
count. In addition, the hoard must be made of from time to time while near it, etc.
enough objects to cover a 5 ft. square entirely. The Minor Lair Ability may be selected anew
1000 coins is sufficient to do this, though the by the hoarder at the beginning of every rest;
DM is encouraged to consider how odd combi- the DM selects the draconic heritage the hoard
nations of objects in a hoard compare. takes on at that time (which may or may not
To become attuned, the hoarder must sleep atop change with environment, times, or even prox-
the hoard each night, with nothing between imity to actual dragons).
them and their treasure. These Minor Lair Abilities do not interfere with
the fulfillment of the rest, for the hoarder, if used.
In addition, occasional scales corresponding to
the draconic heritage the hoard has an affinity
for form on the hoarder’s skin during the rest.
They slough off easily, like a mild eczema.
MINOR LAIR DESCRIPTION

ABILITY
While resting, the hoarder senses any mind within 120 ft. the moment
it thinks of stealing from them. The hoarder gets a glimpse of what
Green Envy they look like and a simple 8-point compass rose direction of where
they are (North, Northeast, East, etc.)
While resting, the hoarder learns all the properties and values of all
the items in their hoard as though they cast Identify. This will reveal
Cruel Knowing even cursed items for what they are, though not necessarily all of the
elements of the curse.
While resting, the hoarder may extend the effects of the draconic her-
itage their hoard has echoes of. While laying upon their hoard, after
Eerie Warning ten minutes, they are immune to the associated damage type of that
heritage (fire, cold, lightning, etc.)
At the end of their rest, the hoarder may grasp a handful of coins at
random (DMs should select which, up to 10) and imbue them with
their hoard’s heritage. Until the next rest, the coins (together) count as
Jealous Wrath a ranged weapon (10/20 range) that do 1d6 magical damage of the type
of heritage the hoard had an affinity for during that rest. For every
1000 coins in the hoard beyond the first 1000, add an additional 1d6 up
to a maximum of 5d6.
421 • WONDERS • Hoardstones

Holy
Wat knelt in the middle of
the chaos, the battle raging
all around. He dropped to his
knees, ran his fingers through
the dirt, and prayed. One of
the hobgoblins hacked through
the conscripts holding the line,
and charged the cleric–-sword
held high, determination on
both of their faces.
As the hobgoblin ran his sword
through Wat’s body, the cleric
coughed blood onto the packed
earth-–the pain was great, but
he continued his litany. He felt
the weapon withdraw and then
plunge into his shoulder. Still,
he spat the words out and felt
the world tumble to darkness.
His last breath spoke the name
of his god.
Of the deities that won out during the oldest

times—that cast the demons and devils and
APPEARANCE
alien things from the world they now called
A pale wooden collar, several inches wide and
their own—some exist still and some do not.
designed to comfortably contour around the
Some changed—a shift in paradigm, the force
neck. A simple cord hinge at the back allows for
of ages, the fickle mortal memory. Some aban-
it to be donned, and a clasp bearing a holy rune
doned what they were, to crysalis into some-
holds it tight.
thing new. Some died. Some, even, were born.
ORIGIN This doesn’t happen often, and one can go thou-
Religion DC 16, Nature DC 20; Advantage sands of years before any such change happens
for Life Domain Clerics and anyone with in the heavens. But one such change took place
the Hermit background quietly, and recently (as the timekeeping of gods
Gods are not immutable. goes). Only a few centuries ago, a new god was
born—springing forth into the paradise and
422 • WONDERS • Holy

higher reality they occupy. A child of new life, Attunement requires making an oath to this
and a god of sacrifice. nameless and new god to save mortal lives
where possible, to advance the cause of caretak-
The stories of this genesis—none committed to
ing the people of the world, and to bear the brunt
paper—can be found in a few temples, passed
of sacrifice should a time come where it need
down like an apocrypha from old priest to
be borne. Upon then placing the Holy around
young or wise matron to new acolyte. A sign of
one’s neck, the collar cannot be removed. The
a new age, the coming of new gods. And what
symbol that acts as a clasp glows faintly with
does it portend for the future that this one is a
white light, and can be read. It is an ancient
great power, caretaking the lives of mortals and
form of Celestial that says “faith.”
taking on the burdens of our folly-filled time in
this world? SYSTEM
Something beautiful. Once attuned, the Holy allows the wearer to
spend their Hit Dice for themselves or others,
There has never been a temple or church raised
without a rest.
to this new god. He has no name, yet. He has
not brought forth any champions or insisted on The wearer must drop to their knees in prayer,
any true control of the world. He has, yet, no not raising their voice above a whisper; they
rivals. No enemies in the stars. He may not exist remain in this state for a number of rounds
at all, given how little evidence of him has ever equal to 6 minus their Charisma modifier. While
been found, save for the Holy. in this state, they are considered both Prone and
Grappled.
It began with one rural priest, having nearly lost
his faith with the destruction of the small par- So long as they do not harm another creature,
ish he cared for, lost not through horrific mon- they may use their Action to roll one of their Hit
strosities or brutal warfare but simple natural Dice and use the result to heal anyone within
accidents. A hard winter and a long drought, their line of sight. This does not mean they can-
sickness, and eventually those who lived left not perform Bonus Actions or other free inter-
and those who died stayed buried. And, as he actions, or that they cannot target enemies for
castigated the gods and goddesses for their confounding or offensive purposes, only that if
indifference and looked to cast his paper col- they harm (cause damage to) another creature
lar aside (for that was the symbol of his now while in this prayer-like state, they may not
former faith), the heavens parted and made spend their Hit Dice in this manner.
his cheap paper collar into a beautiful god- The wearer may continue to stay in this state
touched promise. past the required duration and continue the
The Holy has made its way through the world effect, but they are not forced to by divine power.
ever since. The first wonder of a god not yet
ready to be known.
NOTES
423 • WONDERS • Holy

Lesser Phylactery
“One day, you son of a bitch,
one day you’ll kneel and scrape
and call me master!” Willie
snarled at his companion in the
cart, as they rolled along under
the Fall sun with the breeze
at their back and the scent of
plum trees from an orchard a
quarter mile behind them.
“Daughter of bitch, please…
and I’m sure I will.” Teena
peeled a plum carefully while
the cart rocked back and
forth–-her paring knife deftly
shaving a thin layer from the
nearly overripe fruit.
They rode in silence for another
mile, while the sorceress nois-
ily finished the delicious treat
(after a week of corn rations,
she savored it). The air was pregnant with Willie’s discomfort and his posture shifted this way and
that the whole time.
Another hour passed before he spoke up.
“I’m sorry I called you a bitch, T. It’s just so hard, you know? So little sleep, all the reading, I’m
almost out of ink…”
“You—to be clear—called my mom a bitch, Willie, and I don’t know what you’re complaining about.
Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to live forever. All that study and drawing and all that…
pfft. I’d get bored.”
The pair rolled along the road, Willie had wished he had nicked a plum as well.
APPEARANCE There are only three ways to live forever.

An emerald ball, six inches across, cut with By sanction of the gods and goddesses, receiv-
magnificent facets and features—like a giant ing their blessing and being raised to immor-
round gemstone. tal heights by their grace, is the safest and most
ORIGIN rare. Being embraced by the Wild itself, the
energy of the world transforming one into a
perpetual avatar of itself, is another, but very
for Necromancy School Wizards and any-
few are so chosen and those that are lose their
one with the Guild Artisan background
purpose to the greater will of Destiny.
424 • WONDERS • Lesser Phylactery

The last way is through arcane trickery and those hit points now apply to the Lesser Phylac-
dark magic, stealing a form of life from the raw tery instead of the owner. This investment of life
material of creation and the river of magical force awakens the Phylactery.
power that flows between worlds. Lichdom is
like tapping into a great volcano, hidden by the
SYSTEM
mountain; it is dangerous and costly, an explo- Once attuned, the Phylactery works for the
sion of power that leaves nothing but death and owner no matter where it is, so long as it is on
destruction it its wake. the same plane.
One of the foremost necromancers, a cursed fig- The Phylactery has an AC of 10, is Resistant to
ure known as the Devourer (and as the Profane, all forms of damage, and has a number of hit
Krin the Spider, Krin the Forsaken, etc.) consid- points equal to the investment made at attune-
ered this in an effort to escape his own death ment. Should the Phylactery be destroyed, the
and to escape the accounting for the horrors owner is reduced to Exhaustion 5 instantly,
he wreaked on the world that he knew waited wherever they are, and the hit points invested
for him. Still, the Arch-Necromancer knew in the Phylactery are lost.
that embracing eternity as a lich was a curse of As long as it remains intact, however, the Phy-
its own. lactery grants the owner genuine immortality.
Brilliant arcane mind that he was, Krin forged So long as they have a body, or parts of one,
an arcane focus for his power in the form of their flesh will regrow and regenerate slowly
the Lesser Phylactery. It tempered the surging from the largest such piece, and (over the course
power of unlife through magic, and preserved of a turn of the moon) they return to life. If the
his immortal form for several hundred dark body is entirely disintegrated this benefit cannot
years. Hated by gods, and reviled by the world, be used, but being burned away isn’t enough
Krin earned the enmity of ancient liches and to stop it—the body will reform from bleached
undead lords by succeeding where they failed: bone, a fingernail, any piece. If the owner loses
granting himself an unlife without the horrors a limb, it regrows within the hour. They cannot
of leaving his mortal shell. starve, suffocate, or drown. Poison can injure
them, even impair them, but it cannot kill them.
Of all the arcane technology from the Profane’s
collection, his Lesser Phylactery is amongst the In addition, the Phylactery grants a Resistance
most sought after. to Necrotic damage and a Vulnerability to Radi-
ant damage. Upon witnessing the effects of this
Attunement requires sacrificing the hit points immortality, any creature may attempt the Ori-
one would normally roll and add to their char- gin roll (should they have the appropriate Pro-
acter on their next level up. Whatever method ficiency) to recognize the distinct traits of the
of hit points generation used is still used, but Lesser Phylactery at work.
NOTES
425 • WONDERS • Lesser Phylactery

Liar's Dice
“Listen, Charlonso… before
you go to their sad colony,
know that tieflings are the great
pariahs of the world. Outcast.
Cursed, some say. Known by
their look, but a person despite
all of that; a tiefling is just as
much a person and you or me.
Sure, there are some that take
their demonic look as a sign
that they must shed their com-
monality entirely, seeing their
strange gifts as reason enough
to devolve into all the horrible
things expected of them. When
you look as a demon, some-
times it’s just easier to play the
part.
“But, the Dice… the Dice
make that all too easy. They
have something I need, boy.
Take them these and tell them
‘The Eldest remember…’”
APPEARANCE Her effort was to undermine the influences of

A set of three perfect six-sided obsidian her Fiendish counterparts, deeply perverting
dice—heavy and dark grey—with white plati- their designs on the world through the existence
num dots. of tieflings. The dice, whether history is aware
or not, are one of the reasons tieflings developed
ORIGIN such a poor reputation for mistruths.
Attunement only requires rolling them once.
for Arch-Fey Warlocks or anyone with the
The first one, they say, is free.
Charlatan background
Dropped into the world by the Lady of White SYSTEM
Wind, an Arch-Fey of the Sweetwaters and The dice, when rolled, hold back the strands of
Mistress of the Cracked Mirror, it is a blight on fate and time, divert the course of the great river
Order and a violence to Fate. of the cosmos for just a moment while the pos-
sessor changes its skein. Once per day, roll 3d6-–
tossing the dice and letting the universe speak
for a moment about its malleability.
426 • WONDERS • Liar's Dice

On a 3 (total), the possessor may make one years ago, etc.). As a rule of thumb, it should
minor lie (involving themselves, at least in part) not be a lie more valuable than the owner’s cur-
that was told in the previous day true and real. rent net worth, should not be more capable than
the owner’s ability, and should not be enough
On an 18, the dice no longer work for the pos-
to change any game-related statistics (hp, stats,
sessor at all and never will again.
bonuses, levels, etc.).
“Minor” should be up to the DM: money, to a
The name common name for the dice comes
particular amount; claiming to know someone
both the way in which a previous day’s lies are
famous, then having that be true; small edits to
made true and the seeming con artistry that
one’s own history (like not having been arrested
comes from a possessor trying to trade them or
that one time and instead one was just taken for
sell them to another after they stop working.
questioning, or how some lady gave you her
favor once, or how you found a key to that door
NOTES
427 • WONDERS • Liar's Dice

Lifedust
The battle raged around Tibe-
rius. The smoke from the fire,
the screams like a low tide
crashing over and over against
distant rocks–everything about
a battle was chaos and yet he
knew where the order was.
His comrades surrounded him–
shoulder to shoulder. The naive
might have thought they were
defending him, but the truth was
only that they were hiding his
actions from the soldiers (on both
sides). Tiberius’s abilities were…
unnerving to the ignorant. But,
they had to know if the dark
dancers were here, hidden them-
selves in the chaos and driving
this battle to a bloody fury.
Tiberius knelt over the soldier’s
body, squatting just above his
pelvis, pulled his knife, and
began cutting.
APPEARANCE from history—not lost or forgotten, but blacked

A hollow bone as big around as an axe-han- out and stricken out of shame or arcane intrigue.
dle, five inches long, inside is a grey and Much of what we know, mundanely, about
maroon dust. medicine and physik can be traced to the stud-
ies of the Nameless and their eventual intel-
ORIGIN
lectual descendents in the forms of cults that
have risen (and fallen) over the many years to
for Divination or Necromancy School Wiz-
explore the darker secrets from old handwritten
ards and anyone with the Sage background
yellowing notes or institutions of learning and
The dust comes from the bone. What part of scholarship that still have the rare book or scroll
what creature it came from and how old it must outlining miraculous tinctures and treatments.
be is a mystery—but, the story that follows it is The Nameless’s experiments into Divination—
known amongst the better arcane institutions. revealing the tides of the future—and the cruel
Legend says that it was a favored fetish of a magical horrors they used as their conduit to
ancient Necromancer so cold and inhuman that that knowledge are a source of great pride and
their name and deeds have been all but wiped great shame for many Wizards and scholars to
this day.
428 • WONDERS • Lifedust

Attunement requires the careful preparation of After the ritual is done, the ritualist may take an
a dead body for burial in accordance with the Action and attempt an Arcane check DC 15 to
wishes of the departed. This must be an act that trace their fingers over the patterns in the flesh
actualizes the desires of the living (and soon to in a careful rote. On a success, they “know” the
die) without manipulation (neither mundane current position of every living thing in a 60
persuasions nor arcane control). The act of hon- ft. radius (this counts for anything even barely
oring the dead, in this way, brings the bone alive or unliving; if it has a creature Type of any
to life. kind, it has at least a spark of life such that the
dust “sees” it). It does not matter if the creature
SYSTEM is ethereal, invisible, stealthing, or otherwise
The hollow cavity of the bone–-when stoppered hidden—the dust does not lie.
for a night—generates a ghostly white and col-
or-flecked dust (in contrast to its yellowing bone This knowledge is only “good” for that exact
container). There is one palmful of dust inside moment in time when the pattern is “read” suc-
the cavity every morning, never more. cessfully—should a creature move, the flesh
only says where it was before (when the pattern
The dust, when sprinkled over the splayed was “read”).
organs of a recently deceased humanoid—done
in a very orderly and ritual-like fashion—nec- If the ritualist is a Wizard of the Divination or
rotizes the flesh in a pattern that may be read Necromancy Schools, the radius is 120 feet. If
by the ritualist. Performing this quick ritual and the Arcane check is advantaged for any reason
spreading the dust just right takes one Action. (including Inspiration), the pattern also indi-
The following round, the ritualist may read the cates the Types of each creature.
strange rotting patterns and blackening veins On a natural 20 roll for the Arcane check, the
and spots to divine the presence of life (no mat- pattern reveals the primary cardinal direction of
ter how alien or strange) around them. the most vigorous and strong of the creatures in
the area (determined by which has the highest
current hit points).
NOTES
429 • WONDERS • Lifedust

Long Breath
Sir Broadways could hear his
own pulse thundering.
The chime of that clock—so
regular, so familiar—a com-
fort. Rath was fending off the
advance of most of the goblins
up the southern path, Miranda
continued to direct a spectral…
thing… to shove and blast
those that had made it into the
grove. Broadways effortlessly
lanced his pike through the
nearest gob, and it screeched its
bastard tongue as it died.
Waiting.
As the battle clattered on
and the creatures closed in,
their master tore free from the
trees that hid him. Eight feet
tall, clad in hard leathers and
rusted plates, the skulls of oth-
ers caught in that trap hanging from his belt next to a mace with a head like a smithy’s anvil.
Broadways breathed. Listened to the thunder in his chest. And again. Thunder. And again… and the
woods and the battle went silent.
The paladin gripped his pike, stepped forward, and prayed to the Knight of Heaven himself, to grant
him the strength to save them all or—barring that—to let his friends escape while he took as many of
these bandits with him as he could.
APPEARANCE history of most of the chivalric and godly orders

A scarf of simple, worn cloth—undyed and of that have made it their grand purpose to fight
common design. back the evil and dangerous things that wait to
consume us all.
ORIGIN The Garte of Braum was an order of knights,
Religion DC 17, Arcane DC 22; Advantage raised to prominence during the Old Empire.
for Oath of Devotion Paladins and anyone Despite the many political and social abuses
with the Charlatan background of the rulers of that nation, and the Garte were
While most orders of paladins and champions (if for only so long) largely separate from the
suffer the vanity of vainglorious raiment—shin- goings on within the borders; their divine
ing armor, golden barding, ornate robes and and state-sanctioned mandate was to hunt for
vestments, etc.—these stereotypes ignore the the minions and monstrosities that served the
430 • WONDERS • Long Breath

star-spawned anti-gods that plagued the mortal only with difficulty: for Tiny objects an Athletics
world—the Great Old Ones. check DC 5 is needed to move them in any way,
The Garte did not last long, the order disband- and for every size category larger the difficulty
ing during a heretical rebellion and being out- goes up by +5. If attempting to manipulate a liv-
lawed afterward. They operated fully for only ing creature, this check is disadvantaged.
forty years, but most of what we know now—so Any damage done to objects or creatures, during
many centuries removed from that time—about this period, is held until the Breath is over. A cup
the cults and practices of Great Old Ones comes thrown fiercely to the floor won’t break until the
from their work. duration is complete. Stabbing a creature won’t
Their approach to their mission lacked the pomp cause a wound until the duration is complete.
and pretension of their chivalric cousins; the The objects collide, but a strange superimposi-
Garte wore common arms and armor, preferring tion of possibilities—as though reality has not
to go unnoticed by their prey, and often travelled yet decided how to handle the matter—becomes
as scribes or bookbinders to better explain the blurry and visible where they do.
tomes and materials they used to root out and Attacks during the breath are not advantaged
study cults. Most of their wondrous tools were due to the immobility of the target, because
easily mistaken for commonplace goods as well— (while they are stationary) affecting changes in
no gleaming swords or swirling ioun stones. The this state is challenging. This does not prevent,
Long Breath was one such item, blessed by their however, the wearer from gaining advantage in
god and kept by the Sergeant of the Watch on other ways—like the use of Inspiration, magic,
any given mission. Many such Breaths existed, etc. Any damage done to objects or creatures
but all have been lost or destroyed, save one. should be written down to resolve later.
Attunement requires learning the names and After the wearer has taken their turns—taken all
desires of a dozen Great Old Ones, being able of their Actions and Movements in extra turns
to recognize their followers and signs. DMs are as determined by the 1d4 rolled when the Breath
encouraged to consider the difficulty of finding was activated—time catches up quickly. Objects
such information and, once finding it, who else move and break, spells come into full being from
might be searching for such forbidden lore. being cast outside of time, and wounds appear
on creatures damaged by attacks. All the dam-
SYSTEM age, and any Conditions forced on a creature, all
Once attuned, the wearer may call upon the happen at that moment. Total up the damage and
Breath to warp reality around them. The lin- apply it all together (Resistances and Immunities
gering power the gods of order and strength still apply to this total). In the event of a Condi-
imbued into the scarf allows the possessor to tion or spell effect having an effect on damage,
hold time, itself, still. use the order in which they were caused during
Once per day, at the start of their turn, the the Breath to resolve any dependent results.
wearer may activate the Breath and roll 1d4. The wearer should make a Constitution Save, DC
This determines the duration, in turns, of the 5 times the duration of the Breath (for example: if
Breath’s effects. lasting for 1 turn, then the DC is 5; if lasting for 3
Taking the Breath, and stopping time, comes turns, then the DC is 15). On a failure, the wearer
with some limitations: the wearer may not take takes a number of Exhaustion equal to the dura-
Bonus Actions, or Reactions, and may only tion of the Breath. On a success, they take half of
move at half their Speed during the duration. that amount (rounding up).
The world becomes not just slow, but silent and As this was activated at the start of their proper
still around them. They may physically interact turn, the wearer may continue to take their turn
with or manipulate outside objects, anything as normal after using the Long Breath.
not on their person when they took the Breath,
431 • WONDERS • Long Breath

Orichalcum's Rain
Cyndia’s pack always looked
like it was about two seconds
from ripping apart under
the weight of whatever was
in there. She was no slouch,
though, and Dawn was always
impressed by how the older
woman effortlessly lugged it
around.
She’d seen how heavy that
ruck was, first hand; the sor-
ceress had let her curiosity
get the better of her and tried
to sneak the pack over behind
a tree to peek inside without
interruption. It had to weigh
twice what she did, as the mod-
est pack didn’t budge an inch.
And, ten minutes later, Cyndia
slung it over her shoulder like
it was filled with straw.
It radiated magic, whatever
was in there. It felt pure. Seam-
less. It felt like whatever magic
kept the sun burning. Simple.
Natural. Deep. As though a
dew drop beading on the sur-
face of our world and rolling
down the blade of grass.
APPEARANCE From the para-elemental Plane of Metal itself,

A vaguely bronze-colored ball 18 inches across. a drop of rain crossed through into our world,
Perception DC 15 notices it is a perfect and falling perfectly spherical and heavy on the
unblemished sphere. ground. It bears no mark, no rune, no message—
it is simply a pure drop of rain from the heart of
ORIGIN a reality that births the concept of alloys itself.
Arcane DC 17, Nature DC 21; Advan-
The ball weighs nearly 300 pounds, if carried,
tage for Transmutation School Wizards
and can be moved (rolled) along at a rate of
and Sorcerers or anyone with the Sage
10 ft./turn if handled manually. Attunement
background
requires touching something metallic to it for
10 minutes.
432 • WONDERS • Orichalcum's Rain

SYSTEM creatures completely in the path of the Rain are

Once attuned, the bearer may hold Concentra- so affected; those only partially in the path are
tion on the Rain with their Action and roll it unaffected. The ball may knock through mul-
around within a radius of 60 ft. with a thought. tiple creatures, but it should be noted that the
The ball may move up to 20 ft. a turn, but only first one will have a necessarily lower DC than
in straight lines (it cannot curve through spaces, the last due to this distance travelled.
only move and stop linearly within one turn). If it collides with an object, treat as though it
Any creature the ball rolls into must make a was hit with a sledgehammer used proficiently
Dexterity Save, with a DC equal to the num- by someone with Strength 18.
ber of feet the Rain moved before rolling into
It cannot discern allies from enemies, and will
them that turn. On a failure, they are knocked
force a check from any creature it rolls into.
Prone. On a success, nothing happens. Only
NOTES
433 • WONDERS • Orichalcum's Rain

Master Key
Bray and Kara were the only
two left. The rest had… fallen.
Maybe died. It was hard to tell
in the thick of it. They’d made
short work of the amorphous
stalking creatures, but were
unprepared—gods, so unpre-
pared—for the Fourth Cham-
ber. For the horrors inside.
Already Bray could sense the
things closing in, more of those
shadowy figures that leached
life from Billings and caused
Handel to go insane.
They were coming. And there
was only one way to save
themselves.
“Kara…” he started, reaching
for the key.
And, with grim determination,
the thief clenched her jaw shut
and barked two words as the
darkness moved in…
“Do it.”
The word was said, the wizard
collapsed, and the slaughter
began.
APPEARANCE back during the Second Age. Chree Dola Von

A large, thick, and heavy black wrought iron Chenitch, the Master Enchanter, created it in the
key, with no teeth on the end. early days of the Fallen Empire in the West to
protect his servants from the Elvish hordes that
ORIGIN invaded and cast their foul, fae-like magics.
The Elvish had long learned the value of chaos,
for Enchantment School Wizards and any-
the bloody wars they fought in their early years
one with the Soldier background
against the Fallen are well documented. Villages
The key was one of a few objects that stood burned, towers collapsed, rivers poisoned. To
between an old and great kingdom and the cross them was to curse the fate of your own
perverse and wild savagery of the elvish, lands and people for a hundred years.
434 • WONDERS • Master Key

The Master Key was one of the few weapons Doing so makes the creature immune to
of destiny that escaped the utter destruction mind-influencing magic and spells, including
of that great nation, and stories of its use have most Enchantments and Illusions, and possibly
found their way to distant places in all four cor- even some Divinations or other effects (DMs
ners of the world ever since. are encouraged to consider whether any spell
or spell-like effect genuinely influences the
Attunement requires acquiring a follower or
mind of a subject or their will when ruling).
servant who is dedicated to the keyholder for
They are also Immune to Psychic damage and
life. They may not be magically manipulated
being Frightened.
into this (nor threatened or bound to it), and
must pledge themselves wholly of their own While locked, the creature is disadvantaged
volition, but may be paid for their service. This on any mundane Intelligence or Wisdom Abil-
is more than a hireling, though, this is a true ity checks, as they struggle to think their way
follower. So long as they live and call the key- through the arcane shield over their mind.
holder their own master, of their own will, the
Unlocking a creature requires the expenditure
key is attuned.
of 1 point of Inspiration.
SYSTEM If the target should fall to 0 hp while locked,
Once attuned, the keyholder may use their the keyholder takes 1d4 Psychic damage at the
Reaction to lock the mind and soul of one will- beginning of every turn they remain at 0 hp or
ing creature by brandishing the key at them and lower. If the target should die while locked, the
turning it in mid-air—releasing a sharp sound- keyholder loses 1d4 from their maximum hip
ing “clack” from seemingly nowhere as ethereal points.
bands of heavy-looking but ghostly pig iron
wrap themselves around the target’s head.
NOTES
435 • WONDERS • Master Key

McNarb's Crest
436 • WONDERS • McNarb's Crest

The room was filled with the smell of leather and liquor. The low garbling buzz of conversation filled
every corner of the old tavern, punctuated by lively moments of boisterous laughter and singing from
this or that corner. It was a good night, old Halfspan thought, as long as nobody decided to start a
brawl like last week.
The Tallow Hand Lads were rolling dice by the hearth, betting away the better gear they copped off of
some brigands on the western road. Crowburg, their chief, was over at the high table laughing it up
with some other old regulars, trading shots and stories of their recent exploits.
All the Kraggsladies were in force, playing that bizarre game of theirs at the bar—well past drunk
and cackling with amusement while they took turns throwing the odd elbow or fist at one or another
in between fast chatter in their guttural tongue. Halfspan gave up, months ago, trying to figure out
how their brutal game was played. It looked for all the world like they were telling limericks, down-
ing pints, and taking cheap and brutal shots at each other. One of them had a broken nose and was
laughing along with the rest.
The Hardies were there. The False Doxies over there. That group of constables, off hours, at the wobbly
table in the corner. Three or four rookie soldiers from the 1st Company eating a hot meal and talking
animatedly about something. There was a long table of adepts from the Scholam already drunk enough
on weak beer to start showing off some of the strange magic they learn there.
Halfspan wiped out another mug, looking on. Chances were, more than a few of these ladies and gents
wouldn’t be here tomorrow. Some gang or patrol or group of them would come in the next day, some
would be gone for weeks. Some might not ever return. They’d walk in for rest, food, a little commis-
erating. They’d barter and sell the strange things they’d find out in the world. They’d swap stories of
dangers and horrors and pretty princes in castles that needed a little saving.
Halfspan thanked the Lady of Fortunes, as he did most nights, for saving him from that farm and a
life working the fields. This, right here, this was where he wanted to be. Ever at the edge of adventure.
APPEARANCE Aberrant creatures, led by strange and alien

A wooden shield, richly painted and glossy with things bent on the subjugation of worlds.
lacquer. The shield displays a green dragon, Sages today debate the causes for the Renun-
upright and majestic, against a field of ivory. ciation, the motivations behind the quick and
brutal destruction. Prevailing theories have
ORIGIN
it that the Silium’s studies attracted the atten-
tion of jealous schools of magic and colleges of
for Wizards and anyone with the Guild
lore and together they conspired to bring ruin
Artisan background
to Crostol. Perhaps they believed the incursion
One of the greatest academies that ever existed, would destroy the archmages of the Silium or
the Silium of Crostol, was home to a now lost weaken them, teaching them a lesson in humil-
school of magic—a study of artificing and ity and forcing them to seek compromise with
manipulation of metaphysics that goes far their peers—but unleashing things from beyond
beyond simple conjuring or fortune telling. The the stars is a dangerous gambit, and the result-
secrets of that nameless course died with the ing devastation laid waste to several cities and
Renunciation, an invasion by planar horrors tens of thousands of soldiers in the weeks that
that swept through the region in the Third Age. followed. Had it not been for several heroes

intervening, the invasion might have reached SYSTEM

across continents and the world. Once attuned, the Crest grants the owner bene-
In the western wastes, amidst the now weath- fits, by virtue of the mood and number of indi-
ered-smooth ruins of what was once Crostol, viduals inside the building, as well as offering
one building stood—the only surviving struc- those that rest there a number of enhancements.
ture for miles. Empty, save one remaining arti- The owner gains 1 temporary hp for every 10
fact of the Silium’s works, hung on the far wall, humanoids that took a rest the previous day
unblemished as ever. The Crest that attracted inside the building. This can be a Short or Long
those eventual saviors, that shielded the old Rest, but it must be completed. The total of all
tavern from harm, waited for centuries in that the individuals that rested in the building the
desolate place for new champions to claim it. previous day divided by 10 (rounded down) is
Attunement to the Crest requires building an the number of temporary hp the owner gains at
enclosed structure at least 1000 square ft. by dawn. These individuals may not be conjured,
hand, and hanging the Crest upon a wall. The or magically compelled to rest in the building,
construction can be assisted by others, but at but may be convinced to using purely mun-
least 10% of the effort must be made by the dane means.
would-be owner.

In addition, for every 1000gp worth of coin or All individuals who take a Short Rest inside the
other valuables left in the building by the end building may spend one Hit Dice to heal, as nor-
of the day, the owner gains 1 Inspiration the mal, but don’t lose it; they may continue to use
following dawn. Any of this Inspiration may Hit Dice to heal, but always get to roll the first
be freely given to any other creature at that one for free. All individuals who take a Long
moment, instead of being kept. Any valuables Rest inside the building earn 10% more experi-
left behind due to magical compulsion do not ence points than normal for a number of days
count toward this total. equal to their Proficiency Bonus.
The building itself becomes Resistant to all The Crest both subtly calls to and rewards the
damage types and anyone inside is immune to talented, ambitious, and powerful once they
mind-altering magic. The effects of most curses arrive. In the past the Crest has hung on the
and disease are arrested while inside the build- walls of ancient temples to old gods, peculiar
ing, though particularly high-level or extraordi- taverns on the side of forgotten roads, and bus-
nary instances may overpower this protection. tling guild-houses of mercenaries and adven-
turers. Pious champions, gangs of ruffians,
bands of mercenaries, noble heroes… the Crest
attracts the people who shape the world. DMs
are encouraged to consider the variety of hire-
lings that might flock to such a place.
NOTES

Muria's Jessamine
Kwen Chi knelt over Twid-
ward’s body, holding his hand
as the dwarf slowly succumbed
to his injuries. He was dying.
Whatever foulness the creature
tainted him with would kill him.
There was no doubt about that,
and all the monk’s stern resolve,
all the cleric’s prayers… none of
it would save him.
Yarbi took some of the green
leaves from her pouch, care-
fully stripping the stems—
which were more than a little
poisonous—and tearing the
tiny leaves into a fine pinch. As she walked over, packing her pipe, the rest of her group parted.
She drew the smoke into her mouth with deliberate and relaxed puffs. There was something soft, but
serious, about the way she did it—like each tiny “pah” was a lyric to an old solemn song. Yarbi leaned
over and breathed out the smoke, which smelled of oranges and wafted in cool drafts and settled into a
cloud over the dwarf’s body. And, as he gasped his last, the smoke filled his mouth and (as she knew)
would change his entire life.
APPEARANCE fold, though this is rare and the risks are high.
A pouch of leafy sprigs of jessamine—deep To know their mysteries isn’t to be bound quite
green and lush—with a few yellow petals here the same as others are to the Call.
and there. But, even more rare than that, some are made.
Whether it is cruelty or hope, a mortal can be
ORIGIN
made more than they are by the wonders of the
Green and Forgotten. And, back in the oldest
for Circle of the Land Druids and anyone
days, this practice was both terrible and widely
feared. Many of the stories we now attribute to
How are Druids found or made or revealed? fey—taking children or bewitching men and
For some, their purpose is revealed to them in women to abandon all they have—possess a
visions and dreams; they leave their life behind truer origin in the times the Druids took the
and begin on the task they were created for in unwary and brought them into a life beyond
an eons-long chain of destiny. This is the most mortal concern. The fabled Archdruid, Muria,
common. The World itself called up agents to its was said to come like a dark thing in the night
single great plan as it will. and prey on the weak and dying, taking them
to the wilds of the Druids afterward and brain-
For others, they pursue the knowledge and
washing them into zealous devotion.
secrets so deeply that they are brought into the
440 • WONDERS • Muria's Jessamine

Such things do not happen anymore, and hap- eyes: unless their soul has truly moved on, they
pened too often in previous Ages, but the tools return to life in 1d4 turns (and with only 1 hp).
they used in those times can still be found.
The Jessamine is not a true resurrection, though.
The wonders of life and death and rebirth still
Some part of the deceased is left behind every
exist. Muria’s Jessamine, perhaps the last of the
time it is used.
enchanted grove that grew in the Far Reaches,
passes from one mortal to another—always The first through fourth time it is used on some-
serving the Purpose and creating converts in one, they lose one of their Background traits
its wake. (Ideal, Personality Trait, Bond, Flaw). The DM
selects one “slot” and blanks it out. The charac-
Attunement to the Jessamine requires making
ter may not benefit from that background trait
an oath, written in the dirt and mud with one’s
again and may not fill another in its place. They
own hands, to give the World strong champi-
may not gain Inspiration from that trait again.
ons and raise new heroes that it may exert its
The individual feels a strange numbness to the
will. This oath requires the keeper to bring a
idea of if, like a half-forgotten memory.
number of new Druids into the world equal to
their Proficiency Bonus at the time of the attune- The fifth time it is used on the same person,
ment. If they die before fulfilling this oath, their their entire Background (Acolyte, Criminal, Sol-
soul is destroyed—no resurrection or revival dier, etc.) is removed from their character sheet.
is possible. Whatever Proficiencies, Languages, Feature,
etc. they gained are all gone and the memory of
SYSTEM their life before is hazy and ephemeral.
Once attuned, the sprigs of leaves may be used The sixth time, their race and ability scores
to create a smoke in any conventional pipe or remain, but they restart their character as a
small container used for a similar purpose (like level 1 Druid. An appropriate new Background
a censer). New leaves grow to replace the old should be chosen based on the recent adventur-
each morning at dawn. The pouch holds only ing of the party (often Folk Hero is most appro-
one pipeful of leaves at a time. Any leaves taken priate, but other ones may be as well). Any
from the pouch will crumble to dust within new equipment or money, however, is ignored
minutes if not used. during the creation process.
When taking an Action to burn the leaves, the The character remembers vague things about
keeper may breathe the smoke in and hold it their previous life, their previous skills or his-
for up to a number of turns equal to their Con- tory, but it is far easier to remember things that
stitution modifier. They may use a subsequent happened after their first taste of the Jessamine.
Action to breathe the smoke into the face of a And each time thereafter is easier to remember.
recently dead creature. The smoke flows out After this sixth time, the Jessamine ceases to
and slips into their mouths, nostrils, ears, and work on them.
NOTES
441 • WONDERS • Muria's Jessamine

Penitent's Chains
The clink. The rattle. The
sounds of shame and loss.
Arin shuffled along behind
the group, his chains mak-
ing their subtle and audi-
ble reminder that he was lost
and still searching for his own
“found-ness.”
Wikniss, the tiny man with
the fine toolkit, had offered
to at least loosen them—but
Arin had bowed his head and
politely declined. The chaffing
hurt, it was true, and he had
long forgot what it must have
been like to raise his hands well
above his head, but to lighten
his burden was to deny it. And
the gods would not allow such
a thing. And Arin wouldn’t
have done it even if they had.
His chains were a comfort, a
reminder that he was working
toward something; without them… his mind blanked. He found he couldn’t even imagine not carry-
ing them, now. They simply were, and he was both proud and shamed by that.
APPEARANCE heroes and ambassadors in the world were

Beaten copper manacles, to be worn around clapped in these divine shackles, giving rise to
wrists and ankles. Six foot long chains connect the martyr faiths of the East in the Second Age.
them to each other. Over time, as the faith waned in popularity, as
people gave themselves over to new gods and
ORIGIN
new pantheons to worship and ask their petty
Religion DC 14, Arcane DC 19; Advantage
favors from, the Truest burdened his greatest
for Paladins and anyone with the Out-
servant to wear the Chains for a thousand years.
lander background
A last gasp of hope for the deity that mortals
The Chains were forged by the hands of the might not forget him.
Truest himself, a God of Rightness and Purity.
It did not work. And the Last Servant of the Tru-
With his own hands, he fashioned a set of man-
est died in some abandoned corner of a world
acles intended to help his champions to learn
that did not care. The Chains have found their
their place. One of service in the world, fighting
way from wretch to wretch ever since.
evil, not of self-aggrandizement. His first great
442 • WONDERS • Penitent's Chains

Attunement requires confessing all of one’s However, while the True wanted to humble his
moral sins—no matter how small—honestly Paladins and servants, the god did not forsake
and truly to at least a dozen people together. A his followers: all attacks against the shackled
public shaming brought on by one’s self, which are disadvantaged (before any abilities or effects
must be earnest or the magic will not take hold. that might advantage the attack, causing it to be
rolled as normal), and all Death Saves they may
SYSTEM roll are made with advantage.
Once attuned, the shackled may not bene-
fit from magical items that they wear so long Until another willing and completely uninflu-
as the Chains are attuned, aside from the enced (by magic) character takes the burden
Chains themselves. of the Chains themselves, the shackled collects
only half of the normal XP (bank the other half)
The shackled may wear only such armor that and stops aging. Upon relieving themselves of
they can don, given the restriction of the chains the Chains, they collect the banked XP + 10%.
(breastplates, probably, but a chain shirt would The additional 10% is also earned by any num-
not be possible). All Stealth checks are disad- ber of allies in sight when the bearer finally
vantaged and the shackled may not take the gives the Chains to the new bearer.
Dash Action.
Once removed, the Chains may not be attuned
ever again by the same person.
NOTES
443 • WONDERS • Penitent's Chains

Promise
Fancy Hal Brookwood strode
into the lair as though he had
not a care in the world—teeth
white and dashing as ever.
“Oh, your greeeeeeatness… it
is I, Hal Brookwood, renowned
wordsmith and adventurer
extraordinaire! I have come
for a drink!” His voice echoed
into the dark over and over:
“drink… drink…drink.”
A warm rush of air coincided
with a bellow.
“Aren’t you… confident,” it
said.
“Confidence I have, and fine
gossip to share. I’ve heard tales
that you kill bold warriors on
sight, but never miss a chance for dinner conversation. As you see, I’m unarmed and only interested
in some wine and sharing the latest word of the provinces… come now, you can’t tell me you’re not
curious…”
The darkness paused deep in the cavern. Hal could see glints of arcane wards powering down and
could feel the whole passage relax its defenses. He strolled in, hardly a care in the world. A half-mile
away, Sir Broadways knelt in the mud, sword in hand, waiting for the tugging at his guts and breath-
ing steadily.
APPEARANCE into a dark age of suspicion and violence over

A pair of brass rings, like metal washers: one is the edicts from the throne. Jealously, the Emper-
two inches across, the other as wide as a hand. ors and Empresses of the Exile line confiscated
Perception DC 18 notices the very faint indenta- what magical artifacts they could under the
tions of Druidic runes on the surface. very public declarations of keeping the people
safe from dark forces.
ORIGIN
Few groups held out against this Purge, but
Religion DC 15, Arcane DC 17; Advantage
one such faction, a small order of Druids that
for Paladins or Druids and anyone with
escaped the inquisitorial dragnets time and
the Outlander background
again, were the Keepers. Focusing their talents
The Promise were made during the reign of the and in pursuit of a destiny that required they
Old Empire, when the Exiles banned virtually and their kind survive this horror, they created
all forms of magic and the world was plunged the Promise.
444 • WONDERS • Promise

For their kind, being so closely linked—on light and forces of the world (this is not consid-
such a deep level—to another was no matter. ered planar travel); so long as light or air may
For those who have found the artifact since, it pass, so may they.
requires tremendous courage.
On arrival, the fallen individual gains hit points
Attunement requires the Promisekeeper to up to the remaining current hp of the Promise-
have the larger ring placed over the ribcage and keeper, who loses those hit points. Should this
muscle where their heart is, the skin sewn and reduce the Promisekeeper to 0 hp, they may roll
healed over it. The smaller ring must be sim- 1d6 and gain that many hp. This transportation
ilarly implanted in another, though it requires does not take any actions and happens instantly.
no attunement.
The smaller of the rings may be removed and
SYSTEM placed within another, but if the larger ring is
removed from the Promisekeeper, neither ring
Once attuned, the life forces and essence of the
of the Promise may be attuned or used, by any
two individuals are linked on a metaphysi-
who have experienced its power, ever again. The
cal and magical level. When the bearer of the
Promisekeeper feels subtle hints of the mood
smaller ring is reduced to 0 hp, the Promise-
and emotion of anyone they have ever shared
keeper is transported to them immediately.
Promise with, even after they part with it.
They momentarily become one with the air and
NOTES
445 • WONDERS • Promise

Seed of True Sight

“Stop snacking, dammit!” the
gruff paladin had spent the
last half a year yelling and
threatening and menacing
the gnome. Barker was awful
bloody tired of it, honestly, as
he meandered about the ruined
hills with the party. And, as
they approached the dread
wasteland of the elvish blood-
mages, he felt half-conflicted.
“Master Barker… get BACK
IN ORDER!”
More screaming, what a
jackass.
Barker wandered left and then
right and then straight and left
and right, his pet crow sitting quietly on his shoulder the whole time, tapping his owner’s cheek ran-
domly every few moments… all to the frustration of Sir Broadways, dumb crow.
Just as the old paladin was about to raise his voice in crass offense one more time, the ground exploded
underneath him and the armored warrior crashed into a tree some twenty feet away; the sound was
the overturning of a cart full of pots mixed with the dull groan of someone who’d broken something.
Barker cleared his throat and stroked old Wing’s feathered head. “Everyone? Just come over to me and
step where I step… I think I can get us out of this one.”
APPEARANCE of heaven. Earthy priests and priestesses, rural

A small bag of wheat grains with a crude har- clerics, and those who administer the low ritu-
vest symbol on it. als to the common folk all over the land know
these grains well.
ORIGIN
While not entirely commonplace—one isn’t
going to find them in a shop or a city—any
for Nature Domain Clerics and anyone
devout of the growing or harvest or herd (in
with the Acolyte or Folk Hero backgrounds
virtually any culture in the world) is familiar
While homely, the seeds are blessed by one of enough with them to point the worthy in the
the wandering priests of the goddess of the right direction.
fields and infused with the divine perception
446 • WONDERS • Seed of True Sight

SYSTEM This does not work on any other creature, or

By feeding a small amount of grain—several thing, posing as a creature (through Wild Shapes
kernels—to a Tiny or Smaller animal (must be a or other means). The goddess herself, the Great
natural creature, not conjured and not a familiar Midwife of the Green, meant for this to bring
or a class granted companion, with Beast as a her great clerics and the earth closer together.
Type), that creature gains Truesight to a distance The effect lasts only for an hour. The bag holds
of its normal Perception (if it has more than one, a number of feedings of grain equal to the own-
the greater of them). er’s Proficiency Bonus.
NOTES
447 • WONDERS • Seed of True Sight

Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt

“I never liked the histories all
that much, if I’m to be honest.
They were too sad and I never
could abide the sadness.”
“Why sad, then?”
“Because history is life. It’s
just a great ant-hill of life with
little things—so many little
tiny people—all clamoring
over each other to accomplish
some tiny little thing. But, all
the while, their lives are just
a series of closing doors and
shutting windows. They work
and toil and sweat and try and
fight and… really for nothing.
Nothing at all. Because they
look back, the little tiny many
people, and only see those
things that they can no longer
do and then they look forward
and see their end coming. It is
sad. And I admit, I’m moved
by it.”
“That is something to think on, Dedrict. I’ll consider it. Until next time, then? Maybe a lively talk
about wines again? I enjoyed our last.”
“That would be nice, Eran, that would be nice. I look forward to it.”
“I’ll see you then, Dedrict. Thank you for your time…”
“Eran?”
“Yes, Dedrict?”
“If I get free of this… I will sup on the tears and screams and defilement of all you know. I will have
a thousand lifetimes of revenge on you and Stella and Banx and your children. I will give you years
to contemplate the slow peeling of your skin from the soft fat and wet muscle underneath it—a mad-
dening contemplation, between hoarse and silent raw howls of pain. I will play and dance and make
games of you.”
“…yes. Yes, I suppose you will. IF you get free, of course. Goodnight, Dedrict.”
448 • WONDERS • Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt

APPEARANCE severing their connection with the world and

A glass bottle (of a size with a very large wine any and all divine (or otherworldly) beings of
bottle) ribboned through at chaotic angles with note that might empower them.
strands and slivers and strings of raw, hand From within the Sorcage, they cannot be trans-
beaten copper. Red and green veins of it swirl ported, teleported, planar-travelled, or res-
around the otherwise clear crystal. Inside is a urrected in any way. They are trapped, and
boiling and rolling cloud of noxious green and trapped until they are freed by the possessor of
grey gas, speckled with particles of unknown the prison. While inside, they are also immune
matter—seething and teeming, never still and to all magical effects from without.
ever in motion.
To speak with a soul so trapped, the posses-
ORIGIN sor need only think of it and its consciousness
Arcane DC 17, History DC 23; Advantage rises to the surface. The Sorcage itself provides
for Necromancy School Wizards and Life a slightly muted, but clear enough resonance
Domain Clerics or anyone with the Noble when the spirit tries to speak. The words are
background clearly heard up to a number of feet away as the
listener’s Perception score. Whether it chooses
Hillicks von Gratt took his studies in Abjura-
to speak is up to the soul, as it cannot be com-
tion and Transmutation to dizzying heights, the
pelled to do anything except be brought to the
culmination of his life’s work being his Sorcage.
fore of whatever dull and boring hell they’re
Reviled as a dark mage amongst his peers in
now trapped in.
the city, a delver into forces best left alone, his
search for power and meaning took him well To trap a soul, one must activate the Sorcage
past what he considered to be the parlor tricks with a Reaction, done while one hand rests
of conventional Necromancy. on it and the other touches a creature that has
been dead no longer than one turn. There is a
He was executed during the Inquisitions of the
10% chance of failure the attempt is made, but
Fourth Age.
should it succeed the soul is trapped. Releasing
Attunement to the Sorcage requires spending a it is a free action, at which point it vanishes to
day and night in contemplation of its contents, whatever plane or appropriate afterlife awaits it.
its rolling and dancing smoke and the mysteries
An enemy or opponent whose soul is trapped
inside. Sleeping will interrupt this process such
after defeat (for the purposes of normal combat)
that it must be started over again.
yields only half of the normal experience points
SYSTEM at the end of the encounter instead of all of it.
Once attuned, one may use the Sorcage to trap When their soul is released (if it is ever released),
the souls of the newly dead within its confines, the remaining experience points are disbursed.
NOTES
449 • WONDERS • Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt

Stopchalk
“It’s goddamn gaining on
us!!!” Meilla shouted from
somewhere behind him–-
-oh, but hell that woman can
scream when she wants to.
It’s all murmurs and mystery
right up until the shit hits the
fan, then it’s “halp, halp, save
us!” Bruze really did not at
all like magicians and wizards
and the like. If it were up to
him, he’d leave the bookhump-
ers at home when these sorts of
jobs came up.
Spelljockies… complete waste
of breath in the deep places.
His pulse barely above a mild
country two-step, he slowed
his run down just enough for
her to catch up.
“Get through that door, I got this,” he drawled. Her normal cool and placid face was flush with fear
and exertion. Bruze rolled his eyes as she loped furiously toward the archway. Running. Who dies of
a heart attack while bloody running?
As she leapt through into the next room, with Bruze right behind her, he skidded to a half-crouched
halt and spun around to see the great lumbering troglodyte hunch its shoulders and lean into a charge.
Pulling the chalk from his pocket and trying to ignore the frantic, panicking screams of his companion
as she realized this was a dead end room, he swiped a line across the floor with casual grace and leaned
back onto his haunches.
The thing barreled toward Bruze and. to meet the crouching halfling full on, it dove the last ten feet
with claws and teeth bared.
Barely eight inches away, Bruze winced as it broke its dumb neck and hoped Meilla would hyperven-
tilate or something because he’d had it waaaaaay up to here with the freaking out today.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A stick of chunky white chalk. Perception DC Arcane DC 16, History DC 21; Advantage
15 notices it gives off a light, and faint smoke, for Rogues or anyone with the Guild Arti-
when you make any marks with it. san background
There are two things you can count on finding
in the great free cities of the Bay to the distant
450 • WONDERS • Stopchalk

East: (1) new and exciting ways to be robbed, drawn becomes a completely impassable and
and (2) some of the most practical and least invisible physical barrier as wide as the line
flashy enchanted tools and items anywhere drawn and as tall as the ceiling—could be 10 ft.,
in the world. The thieves and gangs and syn- could be 100 ft. If one gently places their hand
dicates of those chaotic towns long ago saw to on the “barrier” it will feel diamond hard even
it that the one variable in their criminal equa- though there is no visual effect.
tions they did not control—magic—would be
The limitation of Stopchalk, however, is that
brought to heel.
barrier, once created, only lasts for as long as
The Purge killed or drove out virtually every nothing impacts it physically in a significant
wizard, warlock, and sorcerer around the way. If one presses even a finger to it, it will
Bay, and the Arcane Tricksters and Artificers exist and then immediately vanish afterward.
employed by the gangs went to work on their Whether a delicate touch, a hammer strike, or a
own school of magic, which they dubbed The runaway mining cart, it will stop (as though the
Black Art (more for hype than it being particu- object hit a perfectly invulnerable wall) what-
larly “dark”). The Black Art is focused on prac- ever touches it… but then anything may pass
tical and material magic with simple, potent as though it was never there. DMs are encour-
effects that run a low risk of being abused (the aged not to debate physics here; air is fine, even
bosses wouldn’t want underlings to get too big dust, but any material pressure should kick in
for their britches) or dangerous (consorting with the effect.
outsider beings, evoking explosive magic, con-
The barrier has no effect on magic unless, by
trolling minds… all very risky stuff).
stopping some physical object (fire, lightning,
Stopchalk—items of the Black Art are fairly etc. do not count as physical objects for this
literally named—was invented, originally, to purpose), it stops the magic: a magic sword is
quickly secure an area, though some have found blocked because the sword (the delivery mecha-
more painful uses for it. nism for the magic) is still a somewhat physical
object, a conjured creature would be stopped,
SYSTEM
etc.
A full stick of Stopchalk has 10 uses and doesn’t
replenish. When drawn across a (mostly) hor- Every 5 ft. of line counts as one “use.” In com-
izontal surface (like a floor made out of stone, bat, drawing a line is an Action. If drawing a
wood, or a combination of the two) the line line shorter than 5 ft., it still counts as one “use.”
NOTES
451 • WONDERS • Stopchalk

Unbroken Chain
Young Broadways watched as
old Captain Grenaldi charged
into the maw of the great beast.
Its black teeth, scorched by cen-
turies of flame and corruption,
spread wide enough to swallow
a horse and cart and the old
paladin leapt from one foot to
the other, almost weightless as
he raced forward still.
The boy, still reeling from the
side kick his master had given
him, was sure there was a piece
of his half-plate bent into and
piercing his side—the pain
was intense, sharp. As he lay
there, struggling with con-
flicted emotions from his master attacking him unjustly and then running to certain death valiantly,
the chain around his neck began to purr.
The creature engulfed the old warrior in a sudden swoop and reared high in choking triumph. While
the boy looked on it gurgled, turned, and receding into the tunnels it had come from. Brodie felt a slow,
warm trickle of memories pour into his mind, and—in the quiet dying light of the mountains—he
knew the responsibility was his now.
APPEARANCE The coven of hags tried to beguile and bewitch

Three links of a gold chain, thick and heavy him, but his duty proved a more powerful
looking. Any handling of them reveals they are charm than their hedge magic and he bound
deceptively light. them to a tree, ready to execute them for their
trickery. One, the youngest of the three, offered
ORIGIN her body in the guise of whoever he wished in
Arcane DC 18, Religion DC 22; Advantage exchange for her life, if only he’d kill the other
for Bards and anyone with the Entertainer two for their folly. Another, the middle, offered
background him all their money and trinkets and treasures
if he’d only kill the other two and spare her. The
The Chain came into being four hundred years
third offered him a gold chain she had stolen
ago. The old soldier, Jerack Hightower—the
from a great golden dragon long ago.
same Jerack who rid the world of the Conclave
of Shadow and burned Halwynmire to the He asked what she wanted for it, and—eyeing
ground—was stopped on a road through the the other two and remembering what they’d
southern swamps by a trio of earnest seeming said—she asked that he kill all three of them,
women begging for help. As he approached, he but to start with the other two. He agreed, nod-
saw them for what they were. ding grimly, to the shock of her sisters. As the
452 • WONDERS • Unbroken Chain

paladin swung his sword, the old crone smiled Second, with a Reaction, any one of the three
as she watched her treacherous kin meet their may choose to “take” the negative effects of
end first. Their bodies evaporated after their a spell upon themselves in place of another
heads were removed, revealing that each of chain-bearer, assuming they are not otherwise
them wore the same necklace. affected, and is treated as the sole target. For
example, if one of the three fails a Save against
A thing of the Fey, older than most recorded
being Charmed, another may spend their Reac-
history, this is is the oldest tale of the Chain.
tion to instead be Charmed for them. If two
It linked the hags together, and their fate, but
of the three were affected by charm, the third
whose hands made it are unknown.
may use their Reaction to take the effects of the
Attunement requires three mortals, together, charm for both of them, and any redundant
making an oath before a weak part of the effects are ignored (the one taking the effects on
Glass—the wall between this world and the behalf of the others is not hit by Charm twice).
fey realms. Such places are most often found
Third, and unfortunately, this bond also comes
in wild and vibrant areas, like thriving jungles
with a price. The first two that die are barred by
with abundant life or the most bustling and dra-
the heavens from any revival or resurrection of
matic places in a given city. Finding one can be
their body. On the third failed Death Save they
a challenge, but DMs are reminded that it isn’t
die and their soul remains bound to the remain-
necessary to find a gap or break… only a place
ing wearers of the Chain.
where the things on the other side might like to
peer through from time to time. The two remaining, after the first chain-bearer
dies, may select a Proficiency the third had
The oath is made to the gods and goddesses that
and add it to their character sheet (this could
govern the world and represents a giving over
be anything that is a specific Proficiency). Both
of their lives to each other. A promise to share
the remaining Chained must take the same Pro-
their fates and entangle their souls. DMs are
ficiency, however. When the second one dies,
encouraged to consider the potential hazards of
the last remaining person selects a Proficiency
making such promises lightly, or failing to live
possessed by the second to die and adds that
up to them. Once the oath is made by all par-
to their character sheet. Some of their mem-
ties, the Chain vanishes. Whenever out of sight
ories swirl about in dreams or intense situa-
of the others, the faint image of one of the links
tions, occasional visions of their passing invade
can be seen (like a faded tattoo) at the hollow of
as nightmares.
a chain-bearer’s neck.
On the death of the last of the Chained, the
SYSTEM Chain unattunes and the links from the first two
Once attuned, the Unbroken Chain imposes two that died appear and rejoin the third. The last
changes on the three individuals that wear it. chain-bearer may still be revived or resurrected,
First, any Death Saves made by any of the three but the pact is over. The Chain ceases to work
are made at advantage. for them ever again.
NOTES
453 • WONDERS • Unbroken Chain

Worms of Purgation
Baast knelt over the fallen sol-
dier and repeated himself (for the
third time)—his voice a chipper,
but heavily accented warble
“You. You will eat this.”
The pink and grey things in
his fist wriggled and dripped a
pale white and oily substance
that seemed to flow friction-less
through the grass and dirt.
The emperor’s edicts on dark
magic extended even to this vil-
lage, so far out near the edges of
the empire. The witch was here,
somewhere. Half the squad was
dead from the lumbering hor-
rors she raised to stop them
and the unit’s attaché–-a very
peculiar tiefling (even for a tief-
ling)–-seemed entirely untrou-
bled by the destruction and waste. Baast was as relaxed as ever, despite the carnage around them. Karl,
for his part had been vomiting blood and watching his extremities blacken for an hour.
Karl, according all who saw him and by his own opinion, was dying.
The Warlock seemed genial and had been politely reminding him every few minutes to “eat” a horrific,
writhing mass of… things… unnatural things.
“It is medicine. It is good. It will taste bad, but this is what you must eat,” the tiefling smiled and
pushed the squirming alien things toward Karl’s mouth again. A sudden surge of nausea rose, and
Karl vomited on the soft grass. He felt his gut wrench as he saw a tooth in the pool of blood he’d just
heaved up. As the young lieutenant grimaced at his own sick and before he could protest, Baast shoved
a handful of the things into his mouth.
“I know… shhhh. I know. It is bad taste. I know, shhhhh.” The tiefling cooed at him like a child, wres-
tling his head and mouth shut in a surprisingly strong grip.
Karl’s mouth was filled with the flavors of burned licorice and whatever rotting fruit does to your
nostrils. As he chewed and convulsed, to his horror, he could feel the pieces of them go cold and try
wriggling their way back out of his mouth.
APPEARANCE ORIGIN
A mostly-opaque glass jar with a wide rim (with Arcane DC 22, History DC 26; Advantaged
a lid), covered in symbols. Perception DC 15 for Great Old One Warlocks or anyone
notices there are creatures alive and wriggling with the Sage background
inside of it.
454 • WONDERS • Worms of Purgation

In the First Age, when the powers of the world other kind, it is from the Medium-Term table.
were not yet settled, and Fiends and Goddesses All others, it is Long-Term.
and Great Winds and Unrealized Music from
If not using the DMG, then this Madness takes
the hearts of stars all struggled in the creation
the form of how many times during the day the
of Order itself, Ebliss, the Great Old One of the
DM may choose an Action for the possessor. If
Bright Reach (Dark Heart of the Sky, Mind of the
a Warlock, then one time (at some point during
Bridge) incubated a tendril of It’s dying glory in
the day), the DM may take over one Action to
the heart of a Solar—a creature of the highest
do anything they want so long as it is an activ-
heavens of this reality. Though unable to come
ity the character could normally perform (say-
to our world Itself, it would spawn Its blessings
ing things, running, dropping items, being dis-
and curses into our dimension through cruel
tracted, even casting a spell could count). If the
incubation inside our most glorious beings.
possessor is any other kind of arcane caster, then
The angel died, and its dying brought on thou- the DM may take over two Actions that day. For
sand years of rage from the heavens. From all others, the DM may take over three Actions
its decomposing body, worm-like creatures that day. DMs are encouraged to consider that
gnawed their way out and devoured the carcass this insanity need not always be detrimental,
over centuries. In the Second Age, a cult to the but it should always feel nerve-wracking—it is
Mind of the Bridge came to the desert where the the loss of rational control.
great sun-bleached skeleton of the Solar lay and
For example, madness could take the form of
collected the last remaining worm. They fash-
forcing the character to run away from some-
ioned a home for it, the Jar, and it has passed
thing out of a self-preserving fear—in a situa-
through the hands of one witch or warlock to
tion where that may well save their life. Or, it
the next ever since.
could take the form of a paranoia that forces
The Worms are a true and perverse horror from them to be unusually scrutinous and skeptical
the greatest of those Beings that scream from of a calm crowded market (potentially Advan-
beyond stars. Attunement requires feeding the taging their Perception).
jar a drop of one’s own blood, Ebliss’s blessings
There are 1d2 handfuls of worms inside the jar,
come at a cost and the cost is Its knowing so
when opened initially. Ingesting a handful of
deeply as to know your taste. DMs should con-
worms removes curses, poisons, diseases, Fright-
sider the extent to which a Great Old One (or Its
ened conditions, and the effects of being Charmed.
servants) would notice or care about that drop
The ingestor heals for 1 hit point, as well.
of blood, so meager a gesture lost in the noise of
the universe. It may come with some risk, but it The ingestor must make a Constitution Save
is unlikely to attract too baleful an eye (though, DC 15 at the end of any turn after chewing and
“unlikely” doesn’t mean “impossible”). swallowing the handful of worms. On a fail-
ure, they feel a rising nausea and vomit bad
SYSTEM blood and pus until the end of their next turn,
The jar itself demands a Charisma Save DC 15 yielding 1 Exhaustion afterward (though the
the first time it is touched in a given day. While worms still “work”). While experiencing this
keeping it in a box would help the posessor to nausea they may otherwise act as normal, but
move it about without counting as a “touch,” may not move. Forcing the worms into some-
cloth would not. Failure brings Madness. one’s mouth, against their will. may require an
opposed Athletics vs. Acrobatics check.
If using the Dungeon Master’s Guide, consult
the tables for Madness. If the person is a War- The jar never permanently runs out. It replen-
lock, it is short-term (from the Short-Term Mad- ishes 1 handful every 24 hours to a maximum
ness table). If they are an arcane caster of any of 2.
455 • WONDERS • Worms of Purgation

Appendices
Items by Type
ARMORS & SHIELDS
ITEM NAME PAGE ITEM NAME PAGE
Armor of Guile 20 Hornwail Cord 36
Bade of Inx 22 Lassiter’s Convictus 38
Baneful Parma 24 Plate of Gaw 40
Corwiss Heirs 26 Plate of the Lost Emperor 42
Cray of the Dead God 28 Shattered Standard of Wex 44
Halnifar’s Breastplate 30 Springmail 46
Heraldic Shield of Marquis 32 48

Thunderhaeld
Stasch
Hollow of War 34 Widderstad’s Pavisis 50
GLOVES & FOOTWEAR

Abin’s Course 159 Gloves of Ynx 178
Baxeae Rootgiant 162 Hands of Fate 180
Boots of Proteas 164 Hoarding Gloves 182
Calling Boots 166 Path of Light 184
Conqueror’s Tread 168 Porter’s Gloves 186
Coward’s Shield 170 Rushboots 188
Firmament 172 Sandals of Path 190
Gloves of Inx 174 Tides of Wile 192
Gloves of the Winter Court 176 Warboots 194
456 • Appendices • Items by Type

CLOAKS, CLOTHES & ROBES

Billowing Cloak of Father Wind 54 Leaden Mantle 82
Blisterkrau Shroud 56 Mantle of Charity 84
Bluehorn Cloak 58 Martyr’s Shift 86
Clan Tarsainn 60 Patchwork Cloak 88
Cloak of the Eldest 62 Poacher’s Clothes 90
Coat of the Vagabond 64 Pontifix 92
Dilansuite Regalia 68 Raven’s Stole 94
Driftcloak 70 Shade of Life 98
Finery of the Duke of Gaw 72 Shaed of Secrets 100
Great Bear’s Folly 74 Slipquick Silks 102
Haberdasher’s Mael 76 Skyfire Hraick 104
Hand of The Pact 78 True Ward of the Archmage 106
Kelorien Surcoat 80 Voca Caparison 108
HEAD, NECK & EYEWEAR

Ash of Yesterday and Tomorrow 112 Monocle of Vice 136
Braed’s Cage 114 Nail 138
Censer of Love 116 Obscurant Vane 140

Circlet of Endings 118 Paolos’ Crown 142
Docker’s Shield 120 Periapt of Understanding 144
Fire of Life 122 Price of Morning 146
Guise of the Death Bear 124 Rage of the Mountain 148
Hand of Zeal 126 Riverstones 150
Heart of the Mountain 128 Trust 151
Helm of Prey 130 Valorious Brille 154
Laffetr’s Pince-Nez 132 Visor of the Gladiator 156
Medallion of Wrath 134
457 • Appendices• Items by Type

RINGS, BELTS & ADORNMENT TOMES & CANONS

Accursed Ring of Krin the Arcane 198 Atlas of Forever 220
Artha’s Belt 200 Book of Names 222
Harrower’s Line 204 Chronicler’s Book 224
Pyre 206 Darkle Fas 226
Revealers 208 Lord of Stories 228
Ring of Bhaa 210 Pactkeeper 230
Ring of Forgiveness 212 Viscount Ecchli’s Register 232
Ring of the Gray 214 Xandergrapheis 234
Rings of Barrow 216
INSTRUMENTS & TOOLS

Adze of Becoming 240 Kortholt of the Brigh Delac 264
Aubritan’s Sacrifice 242 Lesserie Lute 266
Box of Princely Comeliness 244 Rodings Bench 268
Caufwein Stradgart 246 Rotool of the Fletch Sender 270
Feranimus Joiners 248 Scorpion Lute 272
Fiddle of the Mad God 250 Shandalplai 274
Freell Tarp 252 Short Supply of Lavishness 276
Gambler’s Box 254 Skirlflute 278
Goodfellow Edge 257 Sola Scriptura 280
Harp of Cerwyn 260 282

Vessel of Men
Ebonflowerwood
Hurricane Gallichon 262 Woodsman’s Knife 284

RODS, STAFFS & WANDS

Aegiaen Scepter 288 Knockstick 310
Baneslayer 290 Lignum of Aeg 312
Battlewale 292 Manikanta’s Storm 314
Blessed Many 294 Passtaff of the Wandering Brother 316
Body of Power 296 Rod of Divine Favor 318
Corestaff 298 Pattern of Eternity 320
Eighth Wand of the Good Man 300 Shanhighter 322
Holy Order 302 Solace of Continuum 324
Irresistible Wind 304 Staff of Primordial Winds 326
Lament of Naamah 306 Wand of the Sky 328
Keeper of Ravin 308
WEAPONS
Blaque Rider 332 Regulator 358
Bleeder 334 Raptor and Thorn 360
Divider 336 Rathian Arquebus 362
Father of Tribes 338 Render 364
Finger of Madness 340 Shudderwein 366
Flashwood Rapier 342 Slirk’s Tongue 368
Hartlight Beacon 344 Stick of Brute 372
Hood of the Lazy Kill 346 Sword-Breaker Dagger 374
Lenma’s Dirk 348 Trapper’s Bow 376
Martyr of Inx 352 Wicked Gents 378
Odomic Dart 354 Zephyr Spines 380
Olaf’s Rock 356
459 • Appendices• Items by Type

WONDERS
Agate of Time 384 Hoardstones 420
Ambrosia 386 Holy 422
Barony of Haverwood 388 Lesser Phylactery 424
Bastard Sand 390 Liar’s Dice 426
Bastian Churn 392 Lifedust 428
Blood Jar 394 Long Breath 430
Brucker’s Pipe 398 Orichalcum’s Rain 432
Dome of the Lost 400 Master Key 434
Draught of Perfect Health 402 McNarb’s Crest 436
Faahngheim Birken 404 Muria’s Jessamine 440
Executioner’s Silks 406 Penitent’s Chains 442
Fatebox 408 Promise 444
Feast 410 Seed of True Sight 446
Felsheet Quality 412 Sorcage of Hillicks von 448

Parchment Gratt
Fingersmoke 414 Stopchalk 450
Green Rider’s Wale 416 Unbroken Chain 452
Hallfallen’s Scraed 418 Worms of Purgation 454

Items By Class
BARBARIANS BARDS

Cray of the Dead God 28 Coat of the Vagabond 64
Thunderhaeld 48 Dilansuite Regalia 68
Clan Tarsainn 60 Shaed of Secrets 100
Great Bear’s Folly 74 Laffetr’s Pince-Nez 132
Braed’s Cage 114 Paolos’ Crown 142
Guise of the Death Bear 124 Valorious Brille 154
Medallion of Wrath 134 Box of Princely 244

Comeliness
Rage of the Mountain 148
Harp of Cerwyn
Artha’s Belt 200 260
Ebonflowerwood
Caufwein Stradgart 246 Hurricane Gallichon 262
Father of Tribes 338 Lesserie Lute 266
Olaf’s Rock 356 Blaque Rider 332
Faahngheim Birken 404 Unbroken Chain 452
Hallfallen’s Scraed 418
461 • Appendices• Items By Class

CLERICS

Heraldic Shield of Marquis 32 228
Lord of Stories
Stasch
Plate of the Lost Emperor 42 Aubritan’s Sacrifice 242
Mantle of Charity 84 Short Supply of Lavishness 276
Patchwork Cloak 88 Sola Scriptura 280
Pontifix 92 Baneslayer 290
Raven’s Stole 94 Holy Order 302
Skyfire Hraick 104 Irresistible Wind 304
Censer of Love 116 Rod of Divine Favor 318
Hand of Zeal 126 Pattern of Eternity 320
Periapt of Understanding 144 Finger of Madness 340
Price of Morning 146 Martyr of Inx 352
Conqueror’s Tread 168 Barony of Haverwood 388
Hands of Fate 180 Dome of the Lost 400
Path of Light 184 Holy 422
Harrower’s Line 204 Seed of True Sight 446
462 • Appendices • Items By Class

DRUIDS FIGHTERS

Hornwail Cord 36 Plate of Gaw 40
Shattered Standard of Bluehorn Cloak 58

44
Wex
Shade of Life 98
Springmail 46
Heart of the Mountain 128
Ash of Yesterday and 112
Tomorrow Visor of the Gladiator 156
Helm of Prey 130 Gloves of Ynx 178
Baxeae Rootgiant 162 Warboots 194
Boots of Proteas 164 Ring of Forgiveness 212
Ring of the Gray 214 Vessel of Men 282
Aegiaen Scepter 288 Battlewale 292
Eighth Wand of the Good Divider 336

298
Man
Regulator 358
Lignum of Aeg 312
Raptor and Thorn 360
Manikanta’s Storm 314
Wicked Gents 378
Staff of Primordial Winds 326
Wand of the Sky 328
Agate of Time 384
Ambrosia 386
Muria’s Jessamine 440

MONKS PALADINS
Billowing Cloak of Father Wind 50 Baneful Parma 24
Docker’s Shield 120 Corwiss Heirs 26
Nail 138 Halnifar’s Breastplate 30
Obscurant Vane 140 Hollow of War 34
Trust 151 Lassiter’s Convictus 38
Abin’s Course 159 Martyr’s Shift 86
Firmament 172 Circlet of Endings 118
Sandals of Path 190 Draught of Perfect Health 402
Tides of Wile 192 Green Rider’s Wale 416
Atlas of Forever 220 Long Breath 430
Blessed Many 294 Penitent’s Chains 442
Keeper of Ravin 308 Promise 444
Passtaff of the Wandering Brother 316
ROGUES
Bade of Inx 22 Flashwood Rapier 342
Coward’s Shield 170 Hood of the Lazy Kill 346
Porter’s Gloves 186 Lenma’s Dirk 348
Rushboots 188 Odomic Dart 354
Scorpion Lute 272 Bastard Sand 390
Knockstick 310 Stopchalk 450

SORCERERS RANGERS
Voca Caparison 108 Kelorien Surcoat 80
Monocle of Vice 136 Poacher’s Clothes 90
Riverstones 150 Hoarding Gloves 182
Calling Boots 166 Freell Tarp 252
Pyre 206 Shandalplai 274
Xandergrapheis 234 Woodsman’s Knife 284
Adze of Becoming 240 Trapper’s Bow 376
Body of Power 296
Executioner’s Silks 406
WARLOCKS
Blisterkrau Shroud 56 Kortholt of the Brigh Delac 264
Cloak of the Eldest 62 Skirlflute 278
Hand of The Pact 78 Lament of Naamah 306
Leaden Mantle 82 Bleeder 334
Fire of Life 122 Shudderwein 366
Gloves of the Winter Court 176 Slirk’s Tongue 368
Book of Names 222 Zephyr Spines 380
Chronicler’s Book 224 Bastian Churn 392
Darkle Fas 226 Blood Jar 394
Pactkeeper 230 Brucker’s Pipe 398
Fiddle of the Mad God 250 Liar’s Dice 426
Gambler’s Box 254 Worms of Purgation 454
Goodfellow Edge 257

WIZARDS

Armor of Guile 20 Solace of Continuum 324
Widderstad’s Pavisis 50 Hartlight Beacon 344
Driftcloak 70 Rathian Arquebus 362
Finery of the Duke of Gaw 72 Render 364
Haberdasher’s Mael 76 Stick of Brute 372
Slipquick Silks 102 Sword-Breaker Dagger 374
True Ward of the Archmage 106 Fatebox 408
Gloves of Inx 174 Feast 410
Accursed Ring of Krin the 198 412

Felsheet Quality Parchment
Arcane
Revealers 208 Fingersmoke 414
Ring of Bhaa 210 Hoardstones 420
Rings of Barrow 216 Lesser Phylactery 424
Viscount Ecchli’s Register 232 Lifedust 428
Feranimus Joiners 248 Orichalcum’s Rain 432
Rodings Bench 268 Master Key 434
Rotool of the Fletch Sender 270 McNarb’s Crest 436
Corestaff 300 Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt 448
Shanhighter 322

Items By Background
ACOLYTES

Baneful Parma 24 Baneslayer 290
Billowing Cloak of Father 50 296

Body of Power
Wind
Hand of The Pact 78 Keeper of Ravin 308
Martyr’s Shift 86 Bleeder 334
Pontifix 92 Finger of Madness 340
Voca Caparison 108 Hartlight Beacon 344
Fire of Life 122 Raptor and Thorn 360
Hand of Zeal 126 Render 364
Price of Morning 146 Shudderwein 366
Riverstones 150 Slirk’s Tongue 368
Path of Light 184 Ambrosia 386
Tides of Wile 192 Dome of the Lost 400
Harrower’s Line 204 Feast 410
Pactkeeper 230 Muria’s Jessamine 440
Sola Scriptura 280 Seed of True Sight 446
467 • Appendices• Items By Background

CHARLATANS CRIMINALS

Armor of Guile 20 Kelorien Surcoat 80
Haberdasher’s Mael 76 Poacher’s Clothes 90
Patchwork Cloak 88 Censer of Love 116
Valorious Brille 154 Docker’s Shield 120
Hands of Fate 180 Visor of the Gladiator 156
Ring of the Gray 214 Porter’s Gloves 186
Rings of Barrow 216 Rushboots 188
Gambler’s Box 254 Freell Tarp 252
Lenma’s Dirk 348 Skirlflute 278
Wicked Gents 378 Knockstick 310
Hallfallen’s Scraed 418 Pattern of Eternity 320
Liar’s Dice 426 Flashwood Rapier 342
Long Breath 430 Odomic Dart 354
Rathian Arquebus 362
Sword-Breaker Dagger 374
468 • Appendices • Items By Background

ENTERTAINERS GUILD ARTISANS

Shaed of Secrets 100 Driftcloak 70
Paolos’ Crown 142 Mantle of Charity 84
Darkle Fas 226 Nail 138
Lord of Stories 228 Xandergrapheis 234
Caufwein Stradgart 246 Adze of Becoming 240
Fiddle of the Mad God 250 Feranimus Joiners 248
Hurricane Gallichon 262 Rodings Bench 268
Kortholt of the Brigh 264 Rotool of the Fletch 270

Delac Sender
Lesserie Lute 266 Shandalplai 274
Scorpion Lute 272 Bastard Sand 390
Stick of Brute 372 Felsheet Quality 412

Parchment
Unbroken Chain 452
Lesser Phylactery 424
Long Breath 430
McNarb’s Crest 436
FOLK HEROES Stopchalk 450

ITEM NAME PAGE
Corwiss Heirs 26
Coat of the Vagabond 64
Raven’s Stole 94
Guise of the Death Bear 124
Coward’s Shield 170
Wand of the Sky 328
Faahngheim Birken 404

HERMITS NOBLES
Hollow of War 34 Heraldic Shield of 32
Marquis Stasch
Shattered Standard of 44 Plate of Gaw 40
Wex
Springmail 46 Plate of the Lost Emperor 42
Cloak of the Eldest 62 Dilansuite Regalia 68
Great Bear’s Folly 74 Finery of the Duke of Gaw 72
Ash of Yesterday and Monocle of Vice 136

112
Tomorrow
Obscurant Vane 140
Periapt of Understanding 144
Gloves of the Winter
210 176
Ring of Bhaa Court
Goodfellow Edge 257 Warboots 194
Corestaff 300 Viscount Ecchli’s Register 232
Holy Order 302 Box of Princely 244

Comeliness
Lament of Naamah 306
Short Supply of 276
Lignum of Aeg 312 Lavishness
Solace of Continuum 324
Brucker’s Pipe 398
422 Father of Tribes 338

Holy
Trapper’s Bow 376
SAILORS
Barony of Haverwood 388
ITEM NAME PAGE
22 Executioner’s Silks 406
Bade of Inx
48 Fatebox 408
Thunderhaeld
Slipquick Silks 102 Sorcage of Hillicks von 448

Gratt
Skyfire Hraick 104
Accursed Ring of Krin the 198

Arcane
Staff of Primordial Winds 326
Blaque Rider 332

OUTLANDERS SOLDIERS

Cray of the Dead God 28 Halnifar’s Breastplate 30
Hornwail Cord 36 Lassiter’s Convictus 38
Clan Tarsainn 60 Widderstad’s Pavisis 50
Leaden Mantle 82 Braed’s Cage 114
Shade of Life 98 Circlet of Endings 118
Helm of Prey 130 Conqueror’s Tread 168
Medallion of Wrath 134 Gloves of Inx 174
Baxeae Rootgiant 162 Gloves of Ynx 178
Firmament 172 Hoarding Gloves 182
Artha’s Belt 200 Aubritan’s Sacrifice 242
Ring of Forgiveness 212 Battlewale 292
Woodsman’s Knife 284 Divider 336
Irresistible Wind 304 Bastian Churn 392
Passtaff of the Wandering Blood Jar 394

316
Brother
Green Rider’s Wale 416
Fingersmoke 414
Master Key 434
Penitent’s Chains 442
Promise 444 URCHINS
ITEM NAME PAGE

Sandals of Path 190
Harp of Cerwyn 260

Ebonflowerwood
Hood of the Lazy Kill 346

SAGES

Shanhighter 322 Vessel of Men 282
Blisterkrau Shroud 56 Aegiaen Scepter 288
Bluehorn Cloak 58 Blessed Many 294
106 Eighth Wand of the Good 298

True Ward of the Archmage
Man
Heart of the Mountain 128 Manikanta’s Storm 314
Laffetr’s Pince-Nez 132 Rod of Divine Favor 318
Rage of the Mountain 148 Martyr of Inx 352
Trust 151 Olaf’s Rock 356
Abin’s Course 159 Regulator 358
Boots of Proteas 164 Zephyr Spines 380
Calling Boots 166 Agate of Time 384
Pyre 206 Draught of Perfect Health 402
Revealers 208 Hoardstones 420
Atlas of Forever 220 Lifedust 428
Book of Names 222 Orichalcum’s Rain 432
Chronicler’s Book 224 Worms of Purgation 454

Items By Complexity
SIMPLE ITEMS
Baneful Parma 24 Darkle Fas 226
Corwiss Heirs 26 Xandergrapheis 234
Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch 32 Aubritan’s Sacrifice 242
Hornwail Cord 36 Box of Princely Comeliness 244
Lassiter’s Convictus 38 Caufwein Stradgart 246
Plate of the Lost Emperor 42 Freell Tarp 252
Thunderhaeld 48 Hurricane Gallichon 262
Blisterkrau Shroud 56 Rotool of the Fletch Sender 270
Bluehorn Cloak 58 Short Supply of Lavishness 276
Dilansuite Regalia 68 Woodsman’s Knife 284
Finery of the Duke of Gaw 72 Battlewale 292
Leaden Mantle 82 Holy Order 302
Mantle of Charity 84 Lament of Naamah 306
Pontifix 92 Keeper of Ravin 308
Shade of Life 98 Passtaff of the Wandering Brother 316
Censer of Love 116 Shanhighter 322
Docker’s Shield 120 Wand of the Sky 328
Hand of Zeal 126 Bleeder 334
Monocle of Vice 136 Divider 336
Periapt of Understanding 144 Father of Tribes 338
Trust 151 Finger of Madness 340
Visor of the Gladiator 156 Olaf’s Rock 356
Baxeae Rootgiant 162 Regulator 358
Boots of Proteas 164 Stick of Brute 372
Conqueror’s Tread 168 Sword-Breaker Dagger 374
Coward’s Shield 170 Trapper’s Bow 376
Firmament 172 Agate of Time 384
Gloves of Inx 174 Hallfallen’s Scraed 418
Path of Light 184 Liar’s Dice 426
Sandals of Path 190 McNarb’s Crest 436
Harrower’s Line 204 Seed of True Sight 446
Ring of Bhaa 210 Sorcage of Hillicks von Gratt 448
Ring of Forgiveness 212
473 • Appendices• Items By Complexity

Gloves of Ynx 178

Hands of Fate 180
Hoarding Gloves 182
Porter’s Gloves 186
Rushboots 188
Tides of Wile 192
Warboots 194
MODERATE ITEMS Accursed Ring of Krin the Arcane 198
Armor of Guile 20 Artha’s Belt 200
Bade of Inx 22 Pyre 206
Halnifar’s Breastplate 30 Revealers 208
Hollow of War 34 Book of Names 222
Plate of Gaw 40 Lord of Stories 228
Shattered Standard of Wex 44 Pactkeeper 230
Widderstad’s Pavisis 50 Viscount Ecchli’s Register 232
Clan Tarsainn 60 Adze of Becoming 240
Driftcloak 70 Feranimus Joiners 248
Great Bear’s Folly 74 Fiddle of the Mad God 250
Haberdasher’s Mael 76 Harp of Cerwyn Ebonflowerwood 260
Kelorien Surcoat 80 Kortholt of the Brigh Delac 264
Martyr’s Shift 86 Rodings Bench 268
Patchwork Cloak 88 Scorpion Lute 272
Poacher’s Clothes 90 Shandalplai 274
Shaed of Secrets 100 Skirlflute 278
Slipquick Silks 102 Sola Scriptura 280
True Ward of the Archmage 106 Vessel of Men 282
Voca Caparison 108 Baneslayer 290
Braed’s Cage 114 Blessed Many 294
Circlet of Endings 118 Eighth Wand of the Good Man 300
Fire of Life 122 Irresistible Wind 304
Guise of the Death Bear 124 Knockstick 310
Heart of the Mountain 128 Lignum of Aeg 312
Helm of Prey 130 Manikanta’s Storm 314
Laffetr’s Pince-Nez 132 Solace of Continuum 324
Medallion of Wrath 134 Staff of Primordial Winds 326
Obscurant Vane 140 Flashwood Rapier 342
Rage of the Mountain 148 Hartlight Beacon 344
Valorious Brille 154 Hood of the Lazy Kill 346
Calling Boots 166 Lenma’s Dirk 348
Gloves of the Winter Court 176 Martyr of Inx 352
474 • Appendices • Items By Complexity

Odomic Dart 354 Faahngheim Birken 406

Raptor and Thorn 360 Fatebox 408
Rathian Arquebus 362 Felsheet Quality Parchment 412
Shudderwein 366 Fingersmoke 414
Slirk’s Tongue 368 Green Rider’s Wale 416
Wicked Gents 378 Holy 422
Zephyr Spines 380 Lesser Phylactery 424
Ambrosia 386 Orichalcum’s Rain 432
Bastard Sand 390 Master Key 434
Bastian Churn 392 Penitent’s Chains 442
Brucker’s Pipe 398 Promise 444
Dome of the Lost 400 Stopchalk 450
Draught of Perfect Health 402 Worms of Purgation 454
Atlas of Forever 220

Chronicler’s Book 224
Gambler’s Box 254
Goodfellow Edge 257
Lesserie Lute 266
ADVANCED ITEMS Aegiaen Scepter 288
Cray of the Dead God 28 Body of Power 296
Springmail 46 Corestaff 298
Cloak of the Eldest 62 Rod of Divine Favor 318
Coat of the Vagabond 64 Pattern of Eternity 320
Hand of The Pact 78 Blaque Rider 332
Raven’s Stole 94 Render 364
Skyfire Hraick 104 Barony of Haverwood 388
Ash of Yesterday and Tomorrow 112 Blood Jar 394
Nail 138 Executioner’s Silks 404
Paolos’ Crown 142 Feast 410
Price of Morning 146 Hoardstones 420
Riverstones 150 Lifedust 428
Abin’s Course 159 Long Breath 430
Ring of the Gray 214 Muria’s Jessamine 440
Rings of Barrow 216 Unbroken Chain 452
475 • Appendices• Items By Complexity

Index
NAME TYPE MAJOR STORIES RUMORS COMPLEXITY PAGE
WRITINGS ABOUT TOLD BY
A
Gloves &
Abin’s Course Footware Religion Monk Sage Advanced 159
Accursed Ring of Rings, Belts, &

Adornment Arcane Wizard Sailor Moderate 198
Krin the Arcane
Instruments & Guild
Adze of Becoming Tools Arcane Sorcerer Artisan Moderate 240
Rods, Staffs, &

Aegiaen Scepter Wands
Nature Druid Sage Advanced 288
Agate of Time Wonders Nature Druid Sage Simple 384

Ambrosia Wonders Religion Druid Acolyte Moderate 386
Armor of Guile Armors & Shields Arcane Wizard Charlatan Moderate 20
Rings, Belts, &
Artha’s Belt Adornment Religion Barbarian Outlander Moderate 200
Ash of Yesterday Head, Neck, &

Eyewear Nature Druid Hermit Advanced 112
and Tomorrow
Atlas of Forever Tomes & Canons Arcane Monk Sage Advanced 220
Aubritan’s Sacrifice Instruments

Tools
& Religion Cleric Soldier Simple 242
B
Bade of Inx Armors & Shields Arcane Rogue Sailor Moderate 22
Baneful Parma Armors & Shields Religion Paladin Acolyte Simple 24
Rods, Staffs, &
Baneslayer Wands Religion Cleric Acolyte Moderate 290
Barony of
Wonders Religion Cleric Noble Advanced 388
Haverwood
Guild
Bastard Sand Wonders History Rogue Artisan Moderate 390
Bastian Churn Wonders Arcane Warlock Soldier Moderate 392

Rods, Staffs, &
Battlewale Wands History Fighter Soldier Simple 292
Gloves &
Baxeae Rootgiant Footware Nature Druid Outlander Simple 162
Billowing Cloak of Cloaks, Clothes,

and Robes History Monk Acolyte Simple 50
Father Wind
Blaque Rider Weapons Arcane Bard Sailor Advanced 332
Bleeder Weapons Arcane Warlock Acolyte Simple 334
Rods, Staffs, &
Blessed Many Wands Religion Monk Sage Moderate 294
476 • Index
Blisterkrau Shroud Cloaks, Clothes,

and Robes Arcane Warlock Sage Simple 56
Blood Jar Wonders Arcane Warlock Soldier Advanced 394

Cloaks, Clothes,
Bluehorn Cloak and Robes History Fighter Sage Simple 58
Rods, Staffs, &

Body of Power Wands Arcane Sorcerer Acolyte Advanced 296
Book of Names Tomes & Canons Arcane Warlock Sage Moderate 222
Gloves &
Boots of Proteas Footware Nature Druid Sage Simple 164
Box of Princely Instruments &

Tools History Bard Noble Simple 244
Comeliness
Head, Neck, &
Braed’s Cage Eyewear History Barbarian Soldier Moderate 114
Brucker’s Pipe Wonders Arcane Warlock Hermit Moderate 398

C
Gloves &
Calling Boots Footware Arcane Sorcerer Sage Moderate 166
Caufwein Instruments &

Tools History Barbarian Entertainer Simple 246
Stradgart
Head, Neck, &
Censer of Love Eyewear Religion Cleric Criminal Simple 116
Chronicler’s Book Tomes & Canons Arcane Warlock Sage Advanced 224
Head, Neck, &
Circlet of Endings Eyewear Religion Paladin Soldier Moderate 118
Cloaks, Clothes,
Clan Tarsainn and Robes Religion Barbarian Outlander Moderate 60
Cloaks, Clothes,
Cloak of the Eldest and Robes Arcane Warlock Hermit Advanced 62
Coat of the Cloaks, Clothes,

and Robes History Bard Folk Hero Advanced 64
Vagabond
Gloves &
Conqueror’s Tread Footware Religion Cleric Soldier Simple 168
Rods, Staffs, &

Corestaff Wands Arcane Wizard Hermit Moderate 300
Corwiss Heirs Armors & Shields Religion Paladin Folk Hero Simple 26
Gloves &
Coward’s Shield Footware History Rogue Folk Hero Simple 170
Cray of the Dead

Armors & Shields History Barbarian Outlander Advanced 28
God
D
Darkle Fas Tomes & Canons Arcane Warlock Entertainer Simple 226
Cloaks, Clothes,
Dilansuite Regalia and Robes History Bard Noble Simple 68
Divider Weapons History Fighter Soldier Simple 336

Head, Neck, &
Docker’s Shield Eyewear History Monk Criminal Simple 120
477 • Index
Dome of the Lost Wonders Religion Cleric Acolyte Moderate 400

Draught of Perfect
Wonders History Paladin Sage Moderate 402
Health
Cloaks, Clothes, Guild
Driftcloak and Robes History Wizard Artisan Moderate 70
E-F
Eighth Wand of the Rods, Staffs, &
Wands Nature Druid Sage Advanced 298
Good Man
Executioner’s Silks Wonders History Sorcerer Noble Moderate 406
Faahngheim
Wonders History Barbarian Folk Hero Advanced 404
Birken
Fatebox Wonders Arcane Wizard Noble Moderate 408
Father of Tribes Weapons History Barbarian Noble Simple 338
Feast Wonders Arcane Wizard Acolyte Advanced 410
Felsheet Quality Guild
Wonders Arcane Wizard Artisan Moderate 412
Parchment
Instruments & Guild
Feranimus Joiners Tools History Wizard Artisan Moderate 248
Fiddle of the Mad Instruments &

Tools Nature Warlock Entertainer Moderate 250
God
Finery of the Duke Cloaks, Clothes,
and Robes History Wizard Noble Simple 72
of Gaw
Finger of Madness Weapons Arcane Cleric Acolyte Simple 340
Fingersmoke Wonders Nature Wizard Outlander Moderate 414
Head, Neck, &
Fire of Life Eyewear History Warlock Acolyte Moderate 122
Gloves &
Firmament Footware Religion Monk Outlander Simple 172
Flashwood Rapier Weapons History Rogue Criminal Moderate 342

Instruments &
Freell Tarp Tools History Ranger Criminal Simple 252
G
Instruments &
Gambler’s Box Tools Arcane Warlock Charlatan Advanced 254
Gloves &
Gloves of Inx Footware History Wizard Soldier Simple 174
Gloves of the Win- Gloves &

Footware Arcane Warlock Noble Moderate 176
ter Court
Gloves &
Gloves of Ynx Footware History Fighter Soldier Moderate 178
Instruments &
Goodfellow Edge Tools Arcane Warlock Hermit Advanced 257
Cloaks, Clothes,
Great Bear’s Folly and Robes Religion Barbarian Hermit Moderate 74
Green Rider’s Wale Wonders Religion Paladin Soldier Moderate 416

Guise of the Death Head, Neck, &
Eyewear Religion Barbarian Folk Hero Moderate 124
Bear
478 • Index
H
Haberdasher’s Cloaks, Clothes,
and Robes History Wizard Charlatan Moderate 76
Mael
Hallfallen’s Scraed Wonders Arcane Barbarian Charlatan Simple 418
Halnifar’s
Armors & Shields Religion Paladin Soldier Moderate 30
Breastplate
Cloaks, Clothes,
Hand of The Pact and Robes Religion Warlock Acolyte Advanced 78
Head, Neck, &

Hand of Zeal Eyewear Religion Cleric Acolyte Simple 126
Gloves &
Hands of Fate Footware Religion Cleric Charlatan Moderate 180
Harp of Cerwyn Instruments &

Tools History Bard Urchin Moderate 260
Ebonflowerwood
Rings, Belts, &
Harrower’s Line Adornment Religion Cleric Acolyte Simple 204
Hartlight Beacon Weapons Arcane Wizard Acolyte Moderate 344

Heart of the Head, Neck, &
Eyewear Arcane Fighter Sage Moderate 128
Mountain
Head, Neck, &
Helm of Prey Eyewear Nature Druid Outlander Moderate 130
Heraldic Shield of
Armors & Shields History Cleric Noble Simple 32
Marquis Stasch
Gloves &
Hoarding Gloves Footware History Ranger Soldier Moderate 182
Hoardstones Wonders Arcane Wizard Sage Advanced 420

Hollow of War Armors & Shields Arcane Paladin Hermit Moderate 34
Holy Wonders Religion Cleric Hermit Moderate 422
Rods, Staffs, &
Holy Order Wands Religion Cleric Hermit Simple 302
Hood of the Lazy

Weapons Religion Rogue Urchin Moderate 346
Kill
Hornwail Cord Armors & Shields History Druid Outlander Simple 36
Hurricane Instruments &
Tools Arcane Bard Entertainer Simple 262
Gallichon
I-K
Rods, Staffs, &
Irresistible Wind Wands Nature Cleric Outlander Moderate 304
Rods, Staffs, &

Keeper of Ravin Wands History Monk Acolyte Simple 308
Cloaks, Clothes,
Kelorien Surcoat and Robes History Ranger Criminal Moderate 80
Rods, Staffs, &

Knockstick Wands Arcane Rogue Criminal Moderate 310
Kortholt of the Instruments &

Tools Nature Warlock Entertainer Moderate 264
Brigh Delac
479 • Index
L
Head, Neck, &
Laffetr’s Pince-Nez Eyewear Arcane Bard Sage Moderate 132
Lament of Naamah Rods,

Wands
Staffs, & Arcane Warlock Hermit Simple 306
Lassiter’s
Armors & Shields Religion Paladin Soldier Simple 38
Convictus
Cloaks, Clothes,
Leaden Mantle and Robes Arcane Warlock Outlander Simple 82
Lenma’s Dirk Weapons Arcane Rogue Charlatan Moderate 348

Guild
Lesser Phylactery Wonders Arcane Wizard Artisan Moderate 424
Instruments &
Lesserie Lute Tools Arcane Bard Entertainer Advanced 266
Liar’s Dice Wonders Arcane Warlock Charlatan Simple 426

Lifedust Wonders Arcane Wizard Sage Advanced 428
Rods, Staffs, &
Lignum of Aeg Wands Nature Druid Hermit Moderate 312
Long Breath Wonders Religion Paladin Charlatan Advanced 430

Lord of Stories Tomes & Canons Religion Cleric Entertainer Moderate 228
M
Rods, Staffs, &
Manikanta’s Storm Wands Nature Druid Sage Moderate 314
Cloaks, Clothes, Guild

Mantle of Charity and Robes Religion Cleric Artisan Simple 84
Martyr of Inx Weapons Religion Cleric Sage Moderate 352

Cloaks, Clothes,
Martyr’s Shift and Robes Religion Paladin Acolyte Moderate 86
Master Key Wonders History Wizard Soldier Moderate 434

Guild
McNarb’s Crest Wonders History Wizard Artisan Simple 436
Medallion of Head, Neck, &

Eyewear History Barbarian Outlander Moderate 134
Wrath
Head, Neck, &
Monocle of Vice Eyewear History Sorcerer Noble Simple 136
Muria’s Jessamine Wonders Nature Druid Acolyte Advanced 440

N-O
Head, Neck, & Guild
Nail Eyewear Religion Monk Artisan Advanced 138
Head, Neck, &

Obscurant Vane Eyewear History Monk Noble Moderate 140
Odomic Dart Weapons History Rogue Criminal Moderate 354

Olaf’s Rock Weapons History Barbarian Sage Simple 356
Orichalcum’s Rain Wonders Arcane Wizard Sage Moderate 432
480 • Index
P
Pactkeeper Tomes & Canons Arcane Warlock Acolyte Moderate 230
Head, Neck, &
Paolos’ Crown Eyewear History Bard Entertainer Advanced 142
Passtaff of the Rods, Staffs, & Religion Monk Outlander Simple 316
Wandering Brother Wands
Cloaks, Clothes,
Patchwork Cloak and Robes Religion Cleric Charlatan Moderate 88
Gloves &
Path of Light Footware Religion Cleric Acolyte Simple 184
Rods, Staffs, &

Pattern of Eternity Wands History Cleric Criminal Advanced 320
Penitent’s Chains Wonders Religion Paladin Outlander Moderate 442

Periapt of Head, Neck, &
Eyewear Religion Cleric Hermit Simple 144
Understanding
Plate of Gaw Armors & Shields History Fighter Noble Moderate 40
Plate of the Lost
Armors & Shields Religion Cleric Noble Simple 42
Emperor
Cloaks, Clothes,
Poacher’s Clothes and Robes History Ranger Criminal Moderate 90
Cloaks, Clothes,
Pontifix and Robes Religion Cleric Acolyte Simple 92
Gloves &
Porter’s Gloves Footware Arcane Rogue Criminal Moderate 186
Head, Neck, &

Price of Morning Eyewear Religion Cleric Acolyte Advanced 146
Promise Wonders Religion Paladin Outlander Moderate 444

Rings, Belts, &
Pyre Adornment Arcane Sorcerer Sage Moderate 206
R
Rage of the Head, Neck, &
Eyewear Religion Barbarian Sage Moderate 148
Mountain
Raptor and Thorn Weapons Religion Fighter Acolyte Moderate 360
Rathian Arquebus Weapons History Wizard Criminal Moderate 362
Cloaks, Clothes,
Raven’s Stole and Robes Religion Cleric Folk Hero Advanced 94
Regulator Weapons History Fighter Sage Simple 358

Render Weapons Arcane Wizard Acolyte Advanced 364
Rings, Belts, &
Revealers Adornment Arcane Wizard Sage Moderate 208
Rings, Belts, &

Ring of Bhaa Adornment Arcane Wizard Hermit Simple 210
Ring of Rings, Belts, &

Adornment History Fighter Outlander Simple 212
Forgiveness
Rings, Belts, &
Ring of the Gray Adornment Nature Druid Charlatan Advanced 214
481 • Index
Rings, Belts, &

Rings of Barrow Adornment Arcane Wizard Charlatan Advanced 216
Head, Neck, &

Riverstones Eyewear Arcane Sorcerer Acolyte Advanced 150
Rod of Divine Rods, Staffs, &

Wands Religion Cleric Sage Advanced 318
Favor
Instruments & Guild
Rodings Bench Tools Arcane Wizard Artisan Moderate 268
Rotool of the Instruments & Guild

Tools Arcane Wizard Artisan Simple 270
Fletch Sender
Gloves &
Rushboots Footware History Rogue Criminal Moderate 188
S
Gloves &
Sandals of Path Footware Religion Monk Urchin Simple 190
Instruments &
Scorpion Lute Tools Arcane Rogue Entertainer Moderate 272
Seed of True Sight Wonders Religion Cleric Acolyte Simple 446

Cloaks, Clothes,
Shade of Life and Robes History Fighter Outlander Simple 98
Cloaks, Clothes,
Shaed of Secrets and Robes Arcane Bard Entertainer Moderate 100
Instruments & Guild

Shandalplai Tools Nature Ranger Artisan Moderate 274
Rods, Staffs, &

Shanhighter Wands Arcane Wizard Sage Simple 322
Shattered Standard
Armors & Shields Arcane Druid Hermit Moderate 44
of Wex
Short Supply of Instruments &
Tools Arcane Cleric Noble Simple 276
Lavishness
Shudderwein Weapons Arcane Warlock Acolyte Moderate 366
Instruments &
Skirlflute Tools History Warlock Criminal Moderate 278
Cloaks, Clothes,
Skyfire Hraick and Robes Religion Cleric Sailor Advanced 104
Cloaks, Clothes,
Slipquick Silks and Robes Arcane Wizard Sailor Moderate 102
Slirk’s Tongue Weapons Religion Warlock Acolyte Moderate 368

Instruments &
Sola Scriptura Tools Religion Cleric Acolyte Moderate 280
Solace of Rods, Staffs, &

Wands Religion Wizard Noble Moderate 324
Continuum
Sorcage of Hillicks
Wonders Arcane Wizard Noble Simple 448
von Gratt
Springmail Armors & Shields Arcane Druid Hermit Advanced 46
Staff of Primordial Rods, Staffs, &
Wands Nature Druid Sailor Moderate 326
Winds
482 • Index
Stick of Brute Weapons History Wizard Entertainer Simple 372

Guild
Stopchalk Wonders Arcane Rogue Artisan Moderate 450
Sword-Breaker
Weapons Arcane Wizard Criminal Simple 374
Dagger
T-U
Thunderhaeld Armors & Shields Religion Barbarian Sailor Simple 48
Gloves &
Tides of Wile Footware Religion Monk Acolyte Moderate 192
Trapper’s Bow Weapons History Ranger Noble Simple 376

True Ward of the Cloaks, Clothes,
and Robes Arcane Wizard Sage Moderate 106
Archmage
Head, Neck, &
Trust Eyewear Religion Monk Sage Simple 151
Unbroken Chain Wonders Arcane Bard Entertainer Advanced 452

V
Head, Neck, &
Valorious Brille Eyewear Arcane Bard Charlatan Moderate 154
Instruments &
Vessel of Men Tools History Fighter Sage Moderate 282
Viscount Ecchli’s
Tomes & Canons Arcane Wizard Noble Moderate 232
Register
Visor of the Head, Neck, &
Eyewear History Fighter Criminal Simple 156
Gladiator
Cloaks, Clothes,
Voca Caparison and Robes Arcane Sorcerer Acolyte Moderate 108
W-X-Z-?
Rods, Staffs, &
Wand of the Sky Wands Nature Druid Folk Hero Simple 328
Gloves &
Warboots Footware History Fighter Noble Moderate 194
Wicked Gents Weapons History Fighter Charlatan Moderate 378

Widderstad’s
Armors & Shields Arcane Wizard Soldier Moderate 50
Pavisis
Instruments &
Woodsman’s Knife Tools History Ranger Outlander Simple 284
Worms of
Wonders Arcane Warlock Sage Moderate 454
Purgation
Guild
Xandergrapheis Tomes & Canons Religion Sorcerer Artisan Simple 234
Zephyr Spines Weapons Arcane Warlock Sage Moderate 380

Forbidden &
??? Cursed Artifacts 236
483 • Index
Lost Artifacts
of Greyghast
A COMPENDIUM OF MAGIC ITEMS
Ancient weapons and armor, forged
in the fires of righteous zeal or the
crackling magics of harrowing rituals.
Wonders made by civilizations long
since turned to dust, artifacts of
strange power brought to this world
by forces from beyond the stars. Gifts
from above that have endured the test
of time, lost miracles that were old
when the powerful nations and cities
that reign today were still young.
OBJECTS WITH STORIES

Lost Artifacts of Greyghast is a magic items compendium for 5th edition fantasy
role-playing chock full of hundreds of uniquely created and deeply storied gear,
weapons, and wonders suitable for virtually any game. With a special mix of
beautiful stories, rich origins, special attunements, and game-safe mechanics, this
collection will be a cornerstone of your RPG shelf for years.

Lost Artifacts of GreyGhast

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lost Artifacts of GreyGhast

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lost Artifacts of GreyGhast

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the book about?

What is the book about?

What types of items are included in the compendium?

What types of items are included in the compendium?

ost

A MAGIC ITEM COMPENDIUM

AS SCRIBED, ASSEMBLED, PROOFED, AND BOUND BY

OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED AND SPONSORED BY

AUTHORIZED TO THE REGISTRY OF RESTRICTED VOLUMES

IN THE 45TH YEAR AF (AFTER THE FOUNDING)

Editor: Mike McMullan

Cover Illustrator: Katy Grierson

Layout Designer: Nathan Paoletta

Interior Illustrators: DS Blake, Stephanie Brown, Katy Grierson, Dan-

Additional Contributors: James McCarthy, Andrew Sego, Michael

Project Management: Flannel J. Gary

Playtesters: D’Andrew Brown, Jeff Booth, Cheryl Coffin, Josh Fred-

Special Thanks: Every single one of our backers on Kickstarter, the

Lost Artifacts of Greyghast is a trademark of Many-Sided Dice Publishing.

Price of Morning 146 Book of Names 222

Corestaff 298 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

To the Late Night Shift,

To Jimsy, Jeff, Ronnie, and Roger,

10 • INTRODUCTIONS • Special Thanks

Jake Tacito, Illustrator like Abin’s Course, the Barony of Haverwood,

11 • INTRODUCTIONS • Special Thanks

How This All Came To Be

12 • INTRODUCTIONS • How This All Came To Be

13 • INTRODUCTIONS • How This All Came To Be

14 • Chapter One • How to read this book

15 • Chapter One • How to read this book

16 • Chapter Two • Variant Rules

17 • Chapter Two • Variant Rules

18 • Chapter Two • Variant Rules

ARMOR OF GUILE … 20 LASSITER’S CONVICTUS … 38

APPEARANCE well as the Unreal. It was their broad theory and

20 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Armor of Guile

21 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Armor of Guile

22 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Bade of Inx

23 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Bade of Inx

24 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Baneful Parma

25 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Baneful Parma

26 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Corwiss Heirs

what lay between—it took his fields, his small- SYSTEM

27 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Corwiss Heirs

Cray of the Dead God

28 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Cray of the Dead God

The Child had never touched this world directly, SYSTEM

29 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Cray of the Dead God

30 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Halnifar's Breastplate

31 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Halnifar's Breastplate

Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

32 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

APPEARANCE and it still bears some of the power of the kiss

33 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Heraldic Shield of Marquis Stasch

34 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hollow of War

35 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hollow of War

36 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hornwail Cord

37 • ARMOR & SHIELDS • Hornwail Cord