Making an Artifact

[Blackhawk748]

ok, im playing a character whose life goal is to find the Black Trillium, a super powerful and awesome whats-it, so i should probably make it on the off chance that i get it. Now i have two versions of it, the REALLY powerful one and the more reasonable one.


1. The Uber one

Black Trillium

Functions as as Ring of Wizardry 1-6, increases CL by 4, and gives a +4 on CL checks.


2 The More Reasonable one

Black Trillium

Functions as a Ring of Wizardry 1-4, Increases CL by 4, and gives a +4 on CL checks.

[JoshuaZ]

Sorry, do you want us to evaluate the effective cost of these items or comment on game breaking nature or what?

[Blackhawk748]

game breaking nature, and its an artifact so the usually break it a bit anyway

[JoshuaZ]

So, you should of course double check anything you do of this sort with your DM.

And note that an artifact doesn't need to be game breaking. That's really setting dependent and artifact dependent.

What level you are getting this thing at would matter a fair bit, although both are extremely strong. The thing I'd actually be most worried about isn't the extra spell slots as much as the bump to caster level which would make penetrating spell resistance much easier.

[Blackhawk748]

well im the DM so i wouldn't even consider giving to the party before level 13 and prbly closer to 16, ill prbly give it to the "Dragon" and then they can use it against the BBEG

[Gavinfoxx]

You don't need to actually use artifact rules to make awesome items.

For example:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080416115637/http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-456794

Not an artifact.

Also remember that you can combine like-slotted items. Check the DMG (+Errata) and MIC rules of "it costs 1.5x all but the most expensive effect that comes in an item that has that slot, except for the list of effects that are easy adds in the MIC, which don't have this premium."

[Trasilor]

ok, im playing a character whose life goal is to find the Black Trillium, a super powerful and awesome whats-it, so i should probably make it on the off chance that i get it. Now i have two versions of it, the REALLY powerful one and the more reasonable one.


1. The Uber one

Black Trillium

Functions as as Ring of Wizardry 1-6, increases CL by 4, and gives a +4 on CL checks.


2 The More Reasonable one

Black Trillium

Functions as a Ring of Wizardry 1-4, Increases CL by 4, and gives a +4 on CL checks.

To be honest, this seems to be a boring artifact. I admit it is very powerful, but it is...boring.

Artifacts should be unique - not a bunch of other magical items stacked on top another.

If you are going to make an artifact, give it a purpose. Not just something to pump up a spellcaster

[Gavinfoxx]

Right, the primary thing about an Artifact is not that it is powerful -- they often aren't!!

What artefacts do, is break the rules of how magic and magic items normally are capable of functioning.

You can already just stack existing magic items on top of one another without making items an artifact!

[Blackhawk748]

Well it does have some fluff behind it, and in retrospect i should have included that.

It was an amulet for a Sorcerers Empress, who at one time tried to control the entire Material Plane and essentially become an Over Deity. Well the gods didnt like that so they each sent a champion to slay her. She slew many of them but was eventually killed by the Champions of St Cuthbert and Erythnul.

However they were never able to recover her amulet, which may be her phylactery or contain a portion of her spirit. They don't know. All they do know is that the Back Trillium was the source of her immense power and they fear any Arcane caster finding it.

[Gavinfoxx]

The thing is, every magic item can have fluff behind it like that. You still don't understand what makes something an artifact.

And that item isn't that 'uber' to call it an artifact. It's just a well-designed, extremely expensive, otherwise normal item for a wizard...

[Lapak]

Right, the primary thing about an Artifact is not that it is powerful -- they often aren't!!

What artefacts do, is break the rules of how magic and magic items normally are capable of functioning.

You can already just stack existing magic items on top of one another without making items an artifact!


Well it does have some fluff behind it, and in retrospect i should have included that.

It was an amulet for a Sorcerers Empress, who at one time tried to control the entire Material Plane and essentially become an Over Deity. Well the gods didnt like that so they each sent a champion to slay her. She slew many of them but was eventually killed by the Champions of St Cuthbert and Erythnul.

However they were never able to recover her amulet, which may be her phylactery or contain a portion of her spirit. They don't know. All they do know is that the Back Trillium was the source of her immense power and they fear any Arcane caster finding it.What Gavinfoxx said, essentially. It's not about the fluff or background or lack thereof; what makes artifacts interesting is that they do stuff you otherwise cannot do.

Taking an item that parallels the backstory you give (a bit, anyway) take the 2e Sceptre of the Sorcerer-Kings. Even when it did something that another item might do (like Spell Turning) it did it in a way that other things couldn't (when the Sceptre turned a spell it struck back at the caster multiplied in power.) And it does stuff that no ordinary magic item can do at all: it grants a permanent Hit Point when it heals someone, the gods cannot perceive, affect or scry on it or its wielder, and whenever it gets used at all a random god's influence is completely banned from the Material Plane for a week.

What an artifact does doesn't have to be that powerful - there are plenty of mid-grade artifacts floating around in various sources - but it DOES have to be unique. That's the point!

[Blackhawk748]

Hmmmm, i think ill restat it, make it more unique.

Black Trillium

Makes all the wearers spells have Bane (Divine Caster*)

Grants SR 2 x the wearers HD

The user is immune to Divine spells of 5th level and lower, this otherwise functions like a Globe of Invulnerability except that when a spell is negated the wearer gains Hp equal to the spell level x 2

the Black Trillium functions as a Ring of Wizardry level 3

*all spells have a +2 to hit or a +2 DC and do 2d6 extra damage if they do damage

[Gavinfoxx]

My question is,

"Why do you need this to be a capital A Artifact? Why not make it just a more typical, but really good magic item with a solid history? Those tend to be safer anyway. They are also easier to identify and predict how they work."

[Blackhawk748]

well the character wants to be really powerful so i think the artefact should be rather potent, i honestly will prbly just drop the Wizardry thing

[Gavinfoxx]

Well if the character wants to be really powerful, they shouldn't invest in artifacts. The correct choice is to invest in extremely powerful, extremely useful, magical items that have a good price/performance ratio, that happen to not be artifacts, because artifacts are generally priced at 'whatever the market can bear', and magic items are priced at 'twice what it takes an average person to make them, in materials'.

Look at the level 15 suggestions for Wizards from the Wizard handbook, for example:

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394

"Recommended magic items: Ring of Feather Fall, Ring of Enduring Arcana, Headband of Intellect (+6), Amulet of health (+4), Metamagic Rod of Quicken (lesser), Metamagic Rod of Extend (lesser), Metamagic rod of Silent Spell (lesser), Heward's handy haversack, Heward's fortifying bedroll, and treat yourself to a nice metamagic rod as well. Should have lots left over for whatever else you like."

Is that the BEST possible item selection? Not really, necessarily. Is it a solid one for the purposes of efficiently spending level 15 wealth by level for a Wizard? You bet!

[Blackhawk748]

well its mainly a plot point and i felt that an artifact was a good way to go with it

[Gavinfoxx]

Will the item be in the same vicinity of the player characters?

Yes? No?

If not, no reason to describe it in detail. If the player characters can just murder whoever has it, and take it, than they'll have it.

Then they'll likely want to sell it, and because Artifacts are Artifacts, they'll get a whole crapload of money, since the things are essentially valued at whatever the market can bear.

Then they'll use that money to break your campaign wide open

Are you sure you want to do that?

[Blackhawk748]

well the BBEG's second in command will have it, neither of them will truly know what it does, and then they can use it against the BBEG

[Gavinfoxx]

Well if it wont actually be in the vicinity of any player characters... dont stat it up!!

[Blackhawk748]

well it will when they kill the guy

[Gavinfoxx]

So you want to give them a priceless item, which they will probably sell, and then break the wealth by level of your game?


You know Wealth By Level is kinda a vital feature of the game? Mess with it -- by raising or lowering it -- at your own risk...