Railak
2024-01-27, 07:00 AM
So, I'm going to be running a campaign that the party finds an artifact, idk if it's "powerful" for an artifact. But I'm wondering if anyone has any tweaks they think would make it better. The party really is not meant to use it, I'm actually hoping they don't think to try. They're supposed to travel quite a distance carrying this thing.
So it's a music box that plays a solum dirge like melody.
-The box itself is indestructible, and repairs itself if it does manage to get damaged somehow.
-it has dimensional anchor on it, making it impossible to teleport, as well as I'm ruling it can't be put into a bag of holding, handy haversack, or any other extradimensional space.
-during the night, it pops open, unable to be closed (unless in the presence of a daylight spell or effect, which after the spell/effect ends the box opens again), and during that time it plays its melody, as well as casts a mile wide animate dead spell that takes an hour to complete. The box's animate dead is capable of reanimating even slain undead, but only as standard zombies or skeletons.
-while holding the box one can issue commands to the created undead, though depending on how many HD of undead it has raised it could do ability damage to the user. The box has a default command of "gather" causing the zombies and skeletons it makes to make their way to the box while it's playing. They actually only fight back if something attacks them, otherwise they will ignore everything and move towards the box.
HD < or = to 2x level no ability damage
HD > 2x level 1 Con damage
HD > 3x level 1d4 Con damage
HD > 4x level 2d4+2 Con damage
HD > 5x level 2d4+6 Con damage
A silence spell cast over it also causes the animate dead ability to not function, as well as any control over the undead.
I'm also thinking, the party might just consider burying the bodies underground, I'm not entirely against the idea, but many of the zombies/skeletons are going to be starting buried, and are capable of getting to the surface, so how deep would be a good depth for it to be too deep for them to dig out?
So it's a music box that plays a solum dirge like melody.
-The box itself is indestructible, and repairs itself if it does manage to get damaged somehow.
-it has dimensional anchor on it, making it impossible to teleport, as well as I'm ruling it can't be put into a bag of holding, handy haversack, or any other extradimensional space.
-during the night, it pops open, unable to be closed (unless in the presence of a daylight spell or effect, which after the spell/effect ends the box opens again), and during that time it plays its melody, as well as casts a mile wide animate dead spell that takes an hour to complete. The box's animate dead is capable of reanimating even slain undead, but only as standard zombies or skeletons.
-while holding the box one can issue commands to the created undead, though depending on how many HD of undead it has raised it could do ability damage to the user. The box has a default command of "gather" causing the zombies and skeletons it makes to make their way to the box while it's playing. They actually only fight back if something attacks them, otherwise they will ignore everything and move towards the box.
HD < or = to 2x level no ability damage
HD > 2x level 1 Con damage
HD > 3x level 1d4 Con damage
HD > 4x level 2d4+2 Con damage
HD > 5x level 2d4+6 Con damage
A silence spell cast over it also causes the animate dead ability to not function, as well as any control over the undead.
I'm also thinking, the party might just consider burying the bodies underground, I'm not entirely against the idea, but many of the zombies/skeletons are going to be starting buried, and are capable of getting to the surface, so how deep would be a good depth for it to be too deep for them to dig out?