Keinnicht
2010-11-29, 10:34 PM
I've recently gotten back into DMing, and figured I'd start off with a simple "go stop the guy with the horrible evil artifact and destroy said artifact" kind of quest. My RPing skills are not good enough at the moment to do much else, and I hope this will refresh them.
Anyways, so here's the artifact:
Blackened Skull of Nerull: The blackened skull of Nerull is quite possibly the most unpleasant and evil thing on the face of the planet. Not merely because of it's powers, but the way it can be in the possession of hundreds of different people over the course of centuries without a single person figuring out what it is. Periodically, The Blackened Skull of Nerull locates a suitable bearer, and telepathically informs it of it's powers, one of which is to turn the most pathetic weakling into a horrific powerhouse of necromantic magic, bringing death wherever he walks.
APPARENT POWERS
These are the powers available to a possessor of the Blackened Skull of Nerull who have not been chosen by it.
Animate Dead: Once per day, the Blackened Skull of Nerull can cast Animate Dead as a 7th level cleric, without any material components. Zombies created in this manner are actually under control of the Skull, but generally the Skull leads the bearer to believe they are under his control, unless for some reason the Skull decides to betray it's wielder (Which it does more frequently than you might think.)
REAL POWERS
The Skull's real powers and magnitudes greater than it reveals to those it has not selected as a potential ally.
1. Upon being chosen, the potential bearer immediately gains 1D10 levels in Favored Soul of Nerull. In addition, he may trade in any levels in other classes he currently has for additional levels of Favored Soul.
2. The bearer immediately gains a +6 bonus to all attributes except charisma, and a +10 bonus to Charisma.
3. The Skull now uses Animate Dead as a 20th level Cleric, and adds the HD of undead it can control (80) to the bearers, and in addition increases the number of HD of undead the bearer can control fivefold, including the 80 HD it adds (So a 6th Level Favored Soul could control 520 HD of Undead)
4. The Skull is intelligent and Neutral Evil. It has 20 ranks in Spellcraft, Bluff, Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive, and Int 28, Wis 25, and CHA 35. It can communicate telepathically, and speak all languages (although it typically will not speak) Its eye sockets glow a sickly green when it speaks.
5. The bearer is constantly under the effects of true seeing, detect undead, and deathwatch. He is also the center of a constant Desecrate spell, as cast by a 20th level Cleric. This is the undead bolstering Desecrate, not the deific cutoff desecrate.
6. The Bearer gains the following spell-like abilities:
At Will - Animate Dead, Command Undead, Death Knell
3/Day - Create Undead, Slay Living, Destruction
3/Week - Create Greater Undead, Wail of the Banshee
All are cast as a 20th level Cleric.
DETECTION
The Skull is adept at hiding until a suitable person finds it. If in no creature's possession, the skull registers nonmagical. If in a non-selected person's possession, it registers as moderate necromancy. If the skull has a bearer, it registers as overwhelming necromancy until one year after the bearer is killed.
Coming Soon: Fluff.
Anyways, so here's the artifact:
Blackened Skull of Nerull: The blackened skull of Nerull is quite possibly the most unpleasant and evil thing on the face of the planet. Not merely because of it's powers, but the way it can be in the possession of hundreds of different people over the course of centuries without a single person figuring out what it is. Periodically, The Blackened Skull of Nerull locates a suitable bearer, and telepathically informs it of it's powers, one of which is to turn the most pathetic weakling into a horrific powerhouse of necromantic magic, bringing death wherever he walks.
APPARENT POWERS
These are the powers available to a possessor of the Blackened Skull of Nerull who have not been chosen by it.
Animate Dead: Once per day, the Blackened Skull of Nerull can cast Animate Dead as a 7th level cleric, without any material components. Zombies created in this manner are actually under control of the Skull, but generally the Skull leads the bearer to believe they are under his control, unless for some reason the Skull decides to betray it's wielder (Which it does more frequently than you might think.)
REAL POWERS
The Skull's real powers and magnitudes greater than it reveals to those it has not selected as a potential ally.
1. Upon being chosen, the potential bearer immediately gains 1D10 levels in Favored Soul of Nerull. In addition, he may trade in any levels in other classes he currently has for additional levels of Favored Soul.
2. The bearer immediately gains a +6 bonus to all attributes except charisma, and a +10 bonus to Charisma.
3. The Skull now uses Animate Dead as a 20th level Cleric, and adds the HD of undead it can control (80) to the bearers, and in addition increases the number of HD of undead the bearer can control fivefold, including the 80 HD it adds (So a 6th Level Favored Soul could control 520 HD of Undead)
4. The Skull is intelligent and Neutral Evil. It has 20 ranks in Spellcraft, Bluff, Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive, and Int 28, Wis 25, and CHA 35. It can communicate telepathically, and speak all languages (although it typically will not speak) Its eye sockets glow a sickly green when it speaks.
5. The bearer is constantly under the effects of true seeing, detect undead, and deathwatch. He is also the center of a constant Desecrate spell, as cast by a 20th level Cleric. This is the undead bolstering Desecrate, not the deific cutoff desecrate.
6. The Bearer gains the following spell-like abilities:
At Will - Animate Dead, Command Undead, Death Knell
3/Day - Create Undead, Slay Living, Destruction
3/Week - Create Greater Undead, Wail of the Banshee
All are cast as a 20th level Cleric.
DETECTION
The Skull is adept at hiding until a suitable person finds it. If in no creature's possession, the skull registers nonmagical. If in a non-selected person's possession, it registers as moderate necromancy. If the skull has a bearer, it registers as overwhelming necromancy until one year after the bearer is killed.
Coming Soon: Fluff.