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View Full Version : MacGuffin - Err, I mean, Artifact!



TheCountAlucard
2008-05-02, 02:08 AM
So, I've been bouncing an adventure idea for my evil campaign around in my head for a while now.

Here's the premise: the good half-elf druid, Grey Natura, has heard about a powerful artifact that can help her reach her goal of defeating the darkness of Evernight Island, a nation that has hidden from the sun for millennia. With this rod, she can neutralize the flow of negative energy into the Sea of Evernight from the Mourning River and expose Evernight Island to the sun, making the defeat of the resident vampires a much simpler task.

The PCs will not want that to happen, and they wouldn't be the only ones. Evernight plays multiple vital roles in the world; even the "good" nations recognize this and realize how devastating it would be if this would come to pass.

The artifact is hidden in a city at the top of the Three-Headed Mountain.

So, I have some problems...

1) Name/Appearance: I can't come up with a decent name for this artifact, nor can I imagine what it looks like, other than that it's probably a rod or scepter of some sort, probably shiny.

2) Usefulness: I haven't been able to think of anything else that this thing might be able to do except purify the river and banish the darkness, and both of those are fairly specific instances in my game. I'd like it to be more than just an item that appears to be only made for those purposes. At the moment, it just sounds like a plot device that says, "And THIS is what happens if you fail!"

Icewalker
2008-05-02, 02:11 AM
I'm not sure exactly what those specific instances are. If you could clear that up it could be a little easier to come up with a good overall power.

One is just an overall full control over whatever powers it would be affecting. Hell, if the druid gets it she could get corrupted and end up as an evil BBEG.

TheCountAlucard
2008-05-02, 02:22 AM
Bit o' background information:

Well, see, the Sea of Evernight is a roughly-Texas-sized inland sea on the main continent in my homebrew campaign setting; in the center of this sea is Evernight Island, an island nation governed by the undead (primarily vampires). Evernight is, as one could guess from its name, always dark; thousands of years ago, the island and surrounding sea were forever hidden from the sun's rays.

The Mourning River is a huge river that feeds the Sea of Evernight. The water is somehow laced with negative energy; it's one of the reasons undead are attracted to Evernight.

When I first conceptualized this artifact, I had decided that by travelling to the source of the Mourning River, the artifact could remove the negative energy from the water.

I figured that after removing the negative trait from the water, dispelling the darkness would also be possible, probably through the artifact again.

I'd like to make the artifact's capabilities a bit broader than just purifying a river and letting the sunshine in, though.

Tack122
2008-05-02, 04:14 AM
Perhaps an orb that when uncovered emits huge amounts of positive energy within a certain radius.

It could look like (or even be?) a miniature star.

Lappy9000
2008-05-02, 06:01 AM
Gotta be careful with that positive energy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3098490&postcount=77). Dangerous stuff at high dosages.

martyboy74
2008-05-02, 06:22 AM
Mabye a large circular mirror, with a lens made out of positive energy? The positive energy could reflect and enhance the sun's light so that it could eliminate the negative energy from the mourning river.

MorkaisChosen
2008-05-02, 06:54 AM
Sceptre of Morning Light

A Positive energy/ Sunlicht type thing- Searing Light at will, radiates an aura that gives a bit of fast healing to people and harms Undead (30ft radius, heal 1HP and Undead lose 1HP at the beginning of their turn). If your Evil PCs get it, you could then make another plot about a ritual to turn into into the Sceptre of Midnight (or maybe Sceptre of Moonless Night), which has the opposite aura (negative energy damage to living, +1 HP to Undead) and can do some interesting Darkness things.

Azarash
2008-05-02, 07:29 AM
I like the idea of the mirror since it makes the wilder need sun light and makes for an interesting fight if the PCs realise this and try to work against it. it should also be not just damaging but devastating to evil creatures. therefor encouraging for them to lure the Wilder into darkness. It also makes for a nice poetic ending for the Druid. because he ventured into the darkness where the light of day couldnt reach. he was overcome by evil.
the evil characters could use it as a weapons themselves against other evil outsiders. although it should be hard to find a source of day light in a sun-less island. an alternative power to the evil characters could be the channeling of darkness. (magical or perhaps the use of desacrated energy) so that it can be a more useful item in your campaign.

another idea could be the use of an orb that absorves negative energy instead of destrying it. in that way it clears negative energy for the good guys, and it "collects" negative energy fo the bad guys. this power could work in sudden strong bursts or more constant weeker rates. change this acording on how you want to present your final conflict. should it be an all or nothing. -if it hets activated the we loose- or a more lengthy and with more controlable results -if it stays on long enoughf we loose-. also that kind of energy might in a way corrupt the wilder by giving him the power to create lesser negative energy creatures such as shadows. (depending on what level your campaign is)

TheCountAlucard
2008-05-02, 11:29 AM
Interesting ideas, guys. The idea of Positive Energy sickness is somewhat amusing. Visually, I like the idea of a miniature sun as an artifact, although I'm still tempted to stick it at the top of a staff or something.

I admit, I'm not partial to the mirror idea, though. Sorry. -_-

batsofchaos
2008-05-02, 12:25 PM
I'd make it a heavy mace that destroys negative energy. That way, not only will it be able to break the curse of darkness, but would do whopping tons of damage to undead making it even more sought-after by the good-guys. To go with the "mini sun" motif, the bashin' end could give off light, so it's a mini-sun-on-a-stick. Not terribly effective in the hands of the evil party, but really it's a good-guy McGuffin, right? As previously suggested, it could potentially be distorted into an evil weapon with the right rituals.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2008-05-02, 12:34 PM
Radiant Staff of the Inevitable Dawn

The Radiant Staff of the Inevitable Dawn is an immensely powerful artifact capable of tearing apart darkness like the full force of the noonday sun. It possesses 50 charges, and may use these charges to create any of the following effects as a standard action.

1 charge: Searing Light, as the spell. Caster level 20th.
1 charges: Daylight, as the spell. Caster level 20th.
5 charges: Sunburst, as the spell. Caster level 20th.
10 charges: Daylight, as the spell, except the light so created is treated as natural sunlight for the purposes of affecting all creatures weakened by natural sunlight. All creature exposed to this effect (except the wielder) must make a Reflex save (DC 20) or be blinded for 2d4 rounds. A successful save reduces the duration to 1d4 rounds.
50 charges: The staff creates its own sun, which creates brilliant sunlight in a 10 mile radius and lasts for 10 hours. Otherwise treat this like the 10 charge variation of Daylight.

The Radiant Staff of the Inevitable Dawn regains 1 charge each round it is exposed to natural sunlight (sunlight created by any of its own effect does not count for the purposes of regaining charges). It may be used as a weapon, in which case it functions as a +5 Holy Flaming Quarterstaff.

Additionally, the Radiant Staff of the Inevitable Dawn confers the following benefits upon it's wielder:

Immunity to Fire
Immunity to Blinding effects
Immunity to negative energy damage, energy drain, ability drain, and death effects.

Finally, any undead that come within 20ft of the staff take 10d6 points of positive energy damage each round they remain in the area.

TheCountAlucard
2008-05-02, 01:50 PM
Radiant Staff of the Inevitable Dawn

Seems like that might work pretty well, actually. The Dread Necro will definitely not want Lady Grey getting her hands on it! Thanks a lot, Djinn.

Thanks to everybody who contributed to this thread.

BisectedBrioche
2008-05-02, 09:52 PM
Water infused with negative energy sounds a lot like unholy water, so maybe the artifact could have a constant Bless Water enchantment applied to any water it touches, particularly if it gives off positive energy.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2008-05-03, 01:17 AM
Seems like that might work pretty well, actually. The Dread Necro will definitely not want Lady Grey getting her hands on it! Thanks a lot, Djinn.

Thanks to everybody who contributed to this thread.


Any time. Glad to be of assistance. :smallbiggrin:

Yakk
2008-05-03, 09:22 PM
The Chalice of Sunlight

The Chalice of Sunlight is a cup that is pitch black, drawing in every bit of light that touches it and reflecting nothing. When exposed cup-up to the sun, a golden glowing liquid starts to form within the bowl of the cup.

The Chalice of Sunlight gathers one Mote of sunlight every round to a maximium of 50 motes, and loses 1 mote every 10 minutes it is in darkness.

One may drink from the Chalice of Sunlight in order to store motes within youself. This is a move action. You may drink 1 die worth of motes -- 1d1 if you are sipping carefully, or 1d20 if you pour it back and drink as much as you can.

Every time you gain motes or burn motes, you must make a Charisma check against the number of motes you have within you, or the motes consume themselves in a positive energy burst of 1d6 damage, with a 5' radius for every mote consumed. One may choose to fail the Charisma check.

Anyone with motes in them glows with a 1' radius for every mote.

These motes may be Burned to create effects. When a mote is Burned, the wielder takes 1d6 positive energy damage that bypasses and all DR or resistances.

Burn X motes: increase your caster level by X.
Burn 2X motes: reduce the cost of a metamagic effect by X.
Burn X motes: cast any level X [Light] spell that the character could cast, without losing a spell slot.
Burn 2X motes: cast any level X [Light] spell from any spell list.
Burn X motes: gain X*5 temporary HP. These temporary HP stack with themselves. Keep track of how many motes burned this way. If the person ever has zero motes within them, they take 1 point of damage for every mote burned for this purpose.
Burn 1 mote: Daylight effect on yourself, and Turn Undead as a cleric equal to your HD. This Daylight trumps non-diety level Darkness effects for it's duration and radius.

...

Different. :)