MY MAGICAL ITEMS

Mmm...magical items.

RINGS

Ring of Illusion

The wearer of this ring (or necklace, bracers, gloves, etc.) is able to mask his own form with an illusionary image of whatever he desires. Using a Ring of Illusion a creature may hide its race, appearance, gender, equipment, or any other identifying features. The limit of any particular illusion is dictated by the strength of the worn ring. A defiler myrmeleon may be given a ring which only masks the ash created when he draws the energy for a spell, while Hamanu’s Amulet of Illusion allowed him to shift at will between his human, dragon and lion-king forms. Those who actively disbelieve an illusion, as always, recieve a saving throw to see through it.

Ring of Life Energy

These rings always have one large, chunky stone in their faces. The Ring of Life Energy is used to store magical energy for a defiler’s spell-casting. Each ring has a set number of spell levels it may hold, and if the defiler drains this energy from the land and stores it in the ring, he may cast spells at a later date without defiling the land. If the defiler loses the ring, he may not memorise spells in the place of those spell levels until he regains the ring. If it is destroyed or used, the spell levels are lost permanently. In addition, a ring of life energy glows with a dim green light when charged, even through thick cloth.

Rings can have 5 spell slots (01-25%), 10 spell slots (26-50%), 15 spell slots (51-75%), or 20 spell slots (76-00%). They are rarely found charged. Few wizards are this careless.

MISCELLANEOUS

Crystal, Omnillium

These pink crystals give off a vague blue glow. They are valuable sources of power, and may be tapped by for various purposes by mages, psionicists, and some magical creatures. Omnillium crystals may be the reason fell beings such as baatezu and tanar’ri find Athas so attractive. In the Tablelands they are so rare as to be unheard of. They are slightly more common in the Crimson Savannah, and the region around Saragar, which was protected from defilation by the Mind Lords. The Imperial Kreen even use omnillium in their currency.

An average omnillium crystal, 1d6+1 inches in length, contains 300 Power points (Pp). These Power points may be tapped by psionicists, wizards, some technological devices, and certain other-planar beings. For psionic purposes, 1 Pp equals 1 psp. Mages may tap the crystals, with each spell level equalling 10 Pp (defilers are 20 Pp per spell level, but they cast spells at double efficiency in all ways). They simply tap the omnillium instead of the land, and the spell is retained in memory even after casting. Technological devices, fiends, and other special cases utilise Pp as per their description, or at DM discretion.

Omnillium crystals are very powerful. They are also very rare. The DM should keep a handle on them, and they should be as valuable and earth-shattering in effect as an artifact or relic. They are also highly volatile. An omnillium crystal has 1 hp and makes saves as a glass item. If damaged, it explodes in a 30 foot radius, doing 1d6 damage for each 10 Pp left in the crystal. A saving throw vs spells halves damage. Omnillium crystals do not detect as magical.

Crystal of Mind Blank

This is a clear, glassy crystal, tinged green. The crystal’s owner is protected from telepathic attacks - they effectively recieve the mind blank power for as long as they keep the crystal on their person. It imbues no psps, but mind blank does not require psps to operate. Characters who already possess the mind blank power gain a +2 to all mind blank rolls in psionic combat.

There are several dozen mind blank crystals (with or without necklace chains) scattered throughout the Tyr Region. They were created by the Order, to exempt their own members from the psionic-repressing field of the Psionatrix. After Pharistes fled Athas with the Psionatrix, many people tossed their crystals away or sold them (most were psionicists and could mind blank without it). A few discovered their use in psionic defense.

Manual of the Life Masters

The cover of this book appears to be made of organic material, and its title is written across the front in the language of the ancient Rhulisti. Whilst the book is non-magical, the information contained therein is valuable enough to justify its placement as magical treasure (more likely an artifact!). The Manual of the Life Masters contains the secrets to the history and technology of the Blue Age Rhulisti. If it was discovered, the Manual of the Life Masters would be sought after by Rajaat, Dregoth, the sorcerer-kings, the Order, Gretch, Oronis, the Veilled Alliance, the druids, the halflings of the Forest Ridge, the Rhul-Thaun, the Imperial Kreen, the Mind Lords, and probably the Wanderer too. Many of these factions would be willing to kill to obtain the ancient tome.

Once held in the organic libraries of Tyr’Agi, the timeless book somehow fell into Kalak’s evil hands, where it stayed for the length of his reign. After Tithian usurped the throne the book lay forgotten in the Royal Libraries until it was stolen by the defiler Ash for Dregoth, the undead dragon king. Mercenaries retrieved the book from the defiler’s corpse and returned it to the Tyrian council for a modest reward. Shortly afterward, the book disappeared again, only to be returned by the same mercenaries.

The Manual of the Life Masters is immune to all damage. While its living status would suggest susceptibility to damage, its genetic structure is so tight that no known weapon, spell or psionic power will disrupt its cover or pages. An organic clasp holds the book closed, and the clasp only opens for the hands of a certain lineage of Rhulisti who were cleared to inspect it in the ancient Blue Age.

Sitar of Snake Charming

This brass sitar sounds terrible in untrained hands, but for anyone who can play such an instrument it acts as a snake charm spell, causing snakes in a 30 yard radius to cease movement and attacks. Instead, the creatures adopt a swaying, semi-erect state. The player of the sitar can affect snakes with combined hit points equal to his own total hit points. Unlike the snake charm spell this lasts only as long as the owner plays the sitar, and then only if the owner remains in range of the snakes.

Star of Badna

Much more than a cursed item, this gem appears as a huge sapphire, larger than a halfling, with endless blue facets. It is a national treasure of Raam, sealed in the Consecrated Sepulchre long ago, before Abalach-Re’s demise. A hideous curse surrounds the Star of Badna. Those who come within 100 yards of it (the aura does not penetrate stone, but will turn corners) must save vs death or become afflicted with a hideous disease. They lose 1 point of Constitution per hour, their bodies falling apart, until Constitution reaches 0 or hit points reach -10, when they die. The body rises immediately as a Servant of Badna. The Servant does its best to return the Star to the Consecrated Sepulchre, even if separated from Raam and the sapphire.

Anyone touching the Star must save vs death magic once more or be disintegrated. If they succeed they may carry the Star of Badna, but disease and undeath will follow them wherever they go.

Stone of Breathalyzation

The Stone of Breathalyzation is a low-grade psionic tool from the Green Age. It appears as a plain white pebble. When held in the palm of a living creature, the stone changes colour over the course of one round. Most of the time the stone changes to a light green colour, but if it detects alcohol in the creature’s blood system then it shifts to a light pink instead.

ARMOUR & SHIELDS

Dregoth’s Skullplate+4 and Breastplate+4

Dregoth is well travelled. It would not make sense for him to fight without a few personal affectations. The skullplate and breastplate confer no AC bonus on their own, but the magical bonus lowers Dregoth’s AC to -16. Called shots to the head and chest are against AC-12. A special property of the armour allows the dragon to cast magic and use psionics whilst wearing the small pieces of armour.

NOTE: Dregoth is already extremely powerful, and PCs may actually spit it if he starts wearing magical armour. The DM should think heavily before giving the Dread King the Skullplate+4 and Breastplate+4.

WEAPONS

Dagger of Yuan

The Dagger of Yuan is a priceless relic from the Green Age, with a handle smelted from gold and a blade shaped from an alloy lost to modern Athasians. The hilt of the weapon is formed in the image of Yuan, an ancient Athasian god of justice and fertility. The pommel is Yuan’s eagle-head, the grip comfortably shaped as a scaled serpent, and the guard resembles outspread, feathered wings. The weapon was forged by the ancient preservers of Tyr, a gift to a warrior who was pledged to defend the city from Kalak’s encroaching armies. The warrior never recieved the dagger, and it lay in a vault in UnderTyr until recently discovered. The Dagger of Yuan strikes as a +1 weapon, but against any snake, serpent, or snakelike creature it strikes at +3 and causes double damage. This includes common and giant snakes, yuan-ti, wrabs, all Athasian wyrms, and certain drakes. When doubling damage, the dagger’s +3 bonus is doubled, but strength and specialisation bonuses are not.

The Dagger of Yuan was destroyed recently by a rust monster.

Lofty

Lofty appears as a normal steel battleaxe, except that she emits a faint glow of magical blue light. The axe head strikes with a +5 to attack and damage, making it one of the most powerful weapons known on Athas. Although details of its creation and history are unknown, it is public knowledge that the axe was named by the dwarven gladiator Bordrick, who immediately began to treat it as if it were a living being. Lofty has no real intelligence except in Bordrick’s deluded fantasies. Much to Bordrick’s dismay, he accidentally dropped Lofty in a Forest Ridge river. It has not been seen since.

Trin-kcha

Trin-kcha (or ‘trin-killer’ in the kreen tongue) is a blue crystal chatkcha that glows with a dim inner light. It strikes as a +3 weapon, and does double damage to any trin, zik-trin or zik-chil opponent. The weapon’s magic becomes obvious when thrown: as it achieves high velocity it sheds a thin spray of yellow sparks. Trin-kcha was created millenia ago by a union of kreen and humans. Once it was set and shaped, they gave it to the Great One (an avangion) for blessing. It was originally a +5 weapon, but the passing millenia have dulled its magic.

SWORDS

(Benni's) Living Weapon

This was a powerful life-shaped weapon, created by Halfling Habitat O (a sentient building) for a PC party as a bribe for them to stay in its interior. The Living Weapon appears as a small, gnarled piece of knobby flesh and bone, with an ivory fang at one end. When it is squeezed, the life-shaped item grafts to the hand of the wielder and expands into a weapon of appropriate size. On Small-sized creatures it manifests as a long sword (1d8/1d12), on a Medium-sized creature it manifests as a two-handed sword (1d10/3d6), and half-giants enjoy the benefit of a giant-sized two handed sword (2d10/6d6). Because it fits itself perfectly to a wielder, Living Weapon can be wielded in the style (proficiency) of any other sword, one- or two-handed. It is non-magical, but due to its unique and effective construction Living Weapon gains +2 to attack and -2 to initiative rolls, but no damage bonus. It requires healing from time to time, but much less than a standard piece of lifecraft. Living Weapon feeds when it grafts to its wielder.

This weapon was named after the half-giant Benni because she was the only PC who ever wielded it - and because her player is my girlfriend :). More recently, it fell into the bony claws of Dregoth.

Dragon's Claw

Dragon's Claw appears as any other finely crafted steel short sword+1, except for its unique pommel. This is shaped as a steel dragon's claw, and it clutches a sunstone. Dragon's Claw confers no additional benefit to its wielder, but it has one bane: anyone carrying Dragon's Claw on their person becomes extremely psionically vulnerable to the Dread King. Essentially, Dregoth may control that character from any distance (but not across planes or spheres), provided the victim fails a save vs spells. This costs no PSPs, penetrates all defense modes without psionic combat, and is permanent until Dregoth willingly relinquishes control. It also allows the Dread King to concentrate on other spells and psionics. Dragon's Claw was forged by Dregoth and given to Ash the defiler, so the Dread King could keep track of him. After Ash died it was taken by Vexnakov, and then confiscated by his Chieftain, Muuton of the Sky Singers.

Earthshaker

This half-giant-sized iron two-handed sword+2 was created by Dregoth for a cloned half-giant spy in Raam. Once per turn it may be slammed against the ground, and the force of the blow is sent in a straight line from the wielder to any foe within a 60 foot radius. Dregoth can scry the area around Earthshaker with a thought, and can dominate anyone holding the blade with a save vs spell (just like the Dragon's Claw). Thus he keeps a tight reign on his hated half-giant spy.

Psionic Sword

This weapon was brought to Athas by Scourge, the planar bounty hunter. It appears as an ordinary steel sword hilt, minus the blade. If the hilt is gripped by a psionicist or wild talent, and that character consciously feeds psionic energy into it, the Psionic Sword activates. A shimmering metal blade of pure white energy blazes from the hilt. This weapon is wielded as a longsword, but with a +3 bonus to attack. It is light and quick, with a speed factor of 3. Damage is substantially higher than that of a normal longsword: 1d10 points of damage against Man-sized, 2d8 versus Large-sized creatures. The Psionic Sword is a psionic item; it does not radiate magic.

Serpent Blade

This appears as a flamberge-style long sword, with the blade set in the curvy shape of a snake. It was originally a ceremonial weapon, used by the yuan-ti of UnderTyr, until it was wrested from them by Xeno. Due to the pseudo-religious reverence given to the weapon by the yuan-ti, it now functions as a long sword+1, striking human opponents for double damage. Recently, the Serpent Blade was passed to a 1st generation dray named Ned. It disappeared in the fall of Kragmorta.

main