[3.5] Looking to create some unique artifacts for my setting. Any tips?

[Masaioh]

I want to have something original for my campaigns, instead of the moaning diamond/shadowstaff/etc.

Are there any real guidelines?

[Mystic Muse]

are the player's supposed to obtain this artifact and use it or is it a BBEG item they have to destroy?

If it's a BBEG item the book of vile darkness has plenty.

[Masaioh]

Either or, but I want to make something unique to my setting. Already looked through BoVD, the ultimate BBEG of my setting is using the Angelwing Razor.

[arguskos]

Either or, but I want to make something unique to my setting. Already looked through BoVD, the ultimate BBEG of my setting is using the Angelwing Razor.
Pick a god. Make something that ties directly into their faith, like their weapon when they were mortal or something.

Try making an object that dates to before recorded history.

What about something that simply is a paragon of crafting, such that no one can reproduce it, because it's just TOO well made for mortals, and yet a paragon among men made it in an age long past.

Stuff like that, just tie it to your world a little, and things work great.

[awa]

If the pcs are going to get it and keep it i favor items that while incredible powerful do little to affect the parties combat ability like in one game i had their was an artifact book that primarily just had knowledge and advice it could give (also nice for gently directing the party in the right direction)

The big thing is in my mind to many artifacts are just powerful magic items not really special in the way an artifact should be.

[Cisturn]

can you describe the setting?

[arguskos]

If the pcs are going to get it and keep it i favor items that while incredible powerful do little to affect the parties combat ability like in one game i had their was an artifact book that primarily just had knowledge and advice it could give (also nice for gently directing the party in the right direction)

The big thing is in my mind to many artifacts are just powerful magic items not really special in the way an artifact should be.
Artifacts are, in the way of 2nd Edition, items with a unique history that could never be duplicated, typically made of something hard or impossible to replicate, with perhaps a unique power or two.

Honestly, most artifacts SHOULDN'T be that amazing mechanically. If they're unique, flavorful, and have a special power or two, that's enough. I mean, a +1 flaming scimitar that can trap the soul on any green dragons it strikes isn't really gonna break any games (unless they focus on green dragons for some reason), but if you give it a story, a personality, and a history, you've got an artifact right there. :smallamused:

[Hida Reju]

Artifacts are, in the way of 2nd Edition, items with a unique history that could never be duplicated, typically made of something hard or impossible to replicate, with perhaps a unique power or two.

Honestly, most artifacts SHOULDN'T be that amazing mechanically. If they're unique, flavorful, and have a special power or two, that's enough. I mean, a +1 flaming scimitar that can trap the soul on any green dragons it strikes isn't really gonna break any games (unless they focus on green dragons for some reason), but if you give it a story, a personality, and a history, you've got an artifact right there. :smallamused:

+1 here

Artifacts are more driven by fluff than any game mechanic crunch. It's a bit cliche but look at Lord of the Rings it had Artifacts everywhere but their actual effects were much smaller in scope.

Sting - Magic Dagger/Shortsword that glows blue when evil is within a certain range.
Glamdring - Magic sword that is sharp
Orcrest - Orc Bane sword

These items were not epic because they were the most powerful things on Middle Earth. They were famous because of history/fluff.

For an Artifact I use only 2 rules

1. Backstory must be detailed and interesting
2. Item is either indestructible or has very limited means of destruction.

Everything else can be done within the existing mechanics.

[Tyndmyr]

Artifacts are unique in that they...break the rules. A lot. They also frequently have bad stuff associated with them, and are of course damn rare.

Favorite one I've seen: Lazlo's chest of many things. It's like the deck of many things, but with a D100.

[Anxe]

One I'm thinking of introducing into my campaign is a Prismatic Blade. It's just a permanent version of the spell, Prismatic Blade.

[Cyrion]

As Tyndmyr said, let it break the rules. Give it a non-standard power that can't easily be duplicated by other items or spells. And then add flavor.

Personally, when I work up unique items like artifacts or just want to throw in some cool mcguffin, I frequently add in a cost or disadvantage or danger (where the danger or disadvantage is proportionate to the power). Make it a cost that players are willing to pay, but that they have to take into consideration before using the item.

[Choco]

If it is a weapon or armor or anything for a martial character, feel free to break the rules liberally. Martial characters need more nice things anyway.

For example I once made an axe that, for its non-magical properties, was indestructible, ignored all hardness and DR, had a crit range of 15-20, and any attacks made with it were touch attacks (in addition to it being +5, haste, and wounding for magical enhancements). The basic fluff I built its non-magical properties on was that this weapon could not be destroyed/damaged in any way and could cut through anything like it was butter. Of course this was an almost-epic level campaign.

Casters don't really need any more power, but caster artifacts I homebrew are almost all of the blasty type like a staff that can cast meteor swarm and doesn't have charges. If you got sorcerers or such in the party, some single-use artifacts to increase their spells known permanently are also fairly decent.

[Farlion]

Canned Crushs Club

+4 one handed Club

Lore: Crush was a Barbarian like you find them in the books. Impulsiv, wild, agressiv and always drinking when he wasn't fighting. Mockers say he was never seen without a horn of met in his left hand, which is why Crush never wielded two handed weapons. Crush was known to deliver devestating blows, mostly when he was drunk, although his accuracy was not at all heroic in that state.

Special abilities: Canned Crushs Club appears to be a normal +4 wooden club with some simple carvings, mostly of drinking men and women. If the wielder becomes drunk, Canned Crushs Club unleashes his whole power. All damage done with Canned Crushs Club while drunk is concidered a critical hit and the critical modifier increases to x4. On the other hand, each foe attacked by the drunken wielder is considered to have full cover (50% miss chance). This miss chance can not be bypassed by anything.


Here one of my creations, some more creations can be found in this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6470680) thread.

Cheers,
Farlion

[Masaioh]

Wow, I had no idea I'd get this many replies.

My setting isn't that serious. The Overdeity is Chuck Norris, and the gods are based on pop culture figures and internet memes such as Mr. T and Rick Astley. It's a kind of medieval post-apocalypse, think LOTR meets Mad Max. The Prime Material was utterly crippled in a second blood war, and it is now a wasteland populated by wandering adventurers seeking lost treasures.

What do you think of a +4 Longbow of everything-bane? It would be tied to Steve Irwin, god of the hunt.

I also made the Orb of Elemental Fury for epic level campaigns. It's tied to Daler Mehndi, god of magic. It can summon a Primal Elemental 2/week. Of course, players will never get to use it.

[Mystic Muse]

What do you think of a +4 Longbow of everything-bane? It would be tied to Steve Irwin, god of the hunt.


I'd say gloves of alligator wrestling would fit Steve Irwin better.:smallbiggrin:

[Anxe]

For your campaign? I would have the artifact be an iPod. It can either be an intelligent item that acts like a bard, or it can gave a lot of good bonuses to the one person who's plugged into it.

[JoshuaZ]

Sting - Magic Dagger/Shortsword that glows blue when evil is within a certain range.
Glamdring - Magic sword that is sharp
Orcrest - Orc Bane sword

These items were not epic because they were the most powerful things on Middle Earth. They were famous because of history/fluff.


But these aren't artifacts in the same sense as we use the word. They are just magic items. It so happens that in Lord of the Rings magic items are very rare. The only items that are really artifacts are the rings, the silmarils and maybe Narsil (even then, not really). And in fact the rings are really hard to destroy fitting your two rules. Sting could probably get destroyed by a determined smith with a hammer and a lot of free time.

This is related to another issue: Even magic items don't need to be generic. A +2 keen longsword you find in a dragon's horde could be one of the swords Tamalat, a legendary elven smith. That +1 Spell ResistanceGreater Acid Resistance breastplate could be the armor that the hero Sir Gawain the Short wore when defeated the ancient black dragon Aeretamaondax. Everything can have a history. Sure, not everything needs to. Sometimes a +2 short sword is just a +2 short sword. But it feels like there's a lot more of a world when stuff has histories even when they are short or incidental. And it makes players less inclined to just react with boredom whenever thet get another +2 and nothing else sword. If some of the items fit in to larger history of the world itself even if only incidentally that works even better. This also makes bards feel a lot more useful.

Now to actually answer the question of the initial poster: artifacts should be powerful, but not so powerful as to be overwhelming. Situational things are often good especially if they can't be duplicated just by powerful magic items. But they really should depend on the nature of your world. And it doesn't take much to take existing artifacts and modify them as appropriate to fit your world. For example, is there a mage's guild or council of powerful mages? Maybe ages ago they made the Staff of the Magi and then lost it and no one has anywhere near the skill to make another. You could without much work change the staff powers a bit. Maybe change some of the spells it can use. Or remove the spell absorbption ability and have it regenerate one charge a day. Or if it was made by necromancers have it only absorb a charge if it is used to skill a sentient living being.

[Faleldir]

A magic dagger that summons an Effigy ancient green dragon 1/day? :smallbiggrin:

[chiasaur11]

I'd figure an Irwin based weapon would be:

Merciful (CRICKEY! Who'd want to hurt a beautiful Shiela like that?)

Provide a massive bonus to grapple checks (Bit stroopy, this one. Real goer.)

And provide a reroll for any animal based attacks (Now, this is one of the most venomous critters in the wild and... CRICKEY! Had a go at me there.)

As for artifacts not tied to late, lamented animal planet hosts?

Well, you want something that can found a dynasty. I mean, it doesn't need to be all powerful, but it needs enough kick, real or presented, to make it prefered over an ordinary plus five. I mean, you don't want Durandal, Cortana, Excaliber or Joyeuse tossed in the "to sell" bag for not cutting it in a fight. I mean, yeah, more pluses is not the way to go, but making more pluses the superior gear to get is worse.

[Asheram]

Wow, I had no idea I'd get this many replies.

My setting isn't that serious. The Overdeity is Chuck Norris, and the gods are based on pop culture figures and internet memes such as Mr. T and Rick Astley. It's a kind of medieval post-apocalypse, think LOTR meets Mad Max. The Prime Material was utterly crippled in a second blood war, and it is now a wasteland populated by wandering adventurers seeking lost treasures.

What do you think of a +4 Longbow of everything-bane? It would be tied to Steve Irwin, god of the hunt.

I also made the Orb of Elemental Fury for epic level campaigns. It's tied to Daler Mehndi, god of magic. It can summon a Primal Elemental 2/week. Of course, players will never get to use it.

Foo! Why haven't you thought of the "War chariot of Mr.T! It's Helluva fast!"

[Masaioh]

Mr. T? Chariot? Am I missing something?

Also, my version of Mr. T is Chaotic Evil. He threatens the multiverse by existing.

I also have the Dreadnaught Plate. It's a suit of full plate made by Arnold Schwarzenegger, God of the Forge. If it weren't for the metallic sheen, it would appear to be made out of bones from various creatures, with a helmet shaped like a skull. It is completely sealed except for two eye holes, and the cuirass 'unfolds' when the wearer attempts to don it.

It has these stats:

Made of adamantine
Gives +6 strength when worn
The wearer and all weapons he/she wields gain 2 effective size categories
Weights 500 lbs when carried, weightless when worn.
Armor check penalty of -20

[The Random NPC]

What about the arcane spell faliure and max dex?

[Emmerask]

Well if I find an artifact aside from power what I think would be really important is a good backstory. How it came to the world, who created it and storie(s) about people who owned it before etc.
Another thing would be interesting mechanics, they don´t have to be covered by raw, make something up.

Here is One artifact I introduced in one of my campaigns maybe you find it interesting:


The Sword of Truth (yep the name is shamelessly stolen :smallwink:)

A +1 Bastard Sword with his own level system from 0 to + 6 whenever it has a new master its alignment shifts to 0. It increases its level via valiant acts of good and reduces with evil doings.

0: +1 bastard sword + light (on command)
1: + bane (Outsiders, evil)
2: +2 bastard sword + flaming burst
3: + Everbright
4: +3 + holy +6str
5: +4 + Smite Evil 1/day
6: +5 + dmg reduction 2/- + Zone of Truth 1/week DC 25 Will save

So at sixth "level" you have a +5 bastard sword of bane(evil outsiders), everbright, flaming burst, holy, smite evil zone of truth, dmg reduction 2/-


And backstory:

In a time long forgotten by most the archdevil Aztrias waged war against everything good in this world. The kingdom of Haal seemed to be able to withstand the hordes of darkness and was the last hope for the free people of the lands beyond the mountains. But a noble among the council betrayed them and the kingdom fell.

Keldar the son of the King one of the few who survived fled into the mountains where he plead to the gods to give him a weapon not only to slay the evil that killed his people but one that could prevent that such an betrayal will happen again.
Seven days he refused to eat, drink and sleep and only prayed. With the sunrise on the eight day he died, but the gods took pity in him and restored him to life. They gave him a sword with the name Lúthien Oronar
but warned him that the sword is only as powerful as the purity of his heart.

Together with his 666 companions he fought the devil and his minions. In Aztrias dark fortress the final battle between Keldar and the archdevil took place.
Keldar slew the devil in the fight but his soul from the evil he witnessed in the battle was tainted. In his insanity caused by the taint he slew all his remaining companions.After that in a moment of clear thought he realized what he had done and drove the sword with its now blackened blade through his chest. He died amidst his friends and brothers, forever known as Keldar the Kinslayer.

[Masaioh]

What about the arcane spell faliure and max dex?

Same as normal full plate.