Tectonic Gauntlets (Patreon)

Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement)

This magical set of stone gauntlets imbue your fists with the power of the Elemental Plane of Earth. While wearing and attuned to the gauntlets, your unarmed attacks become magical and deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike (unless it’s already higher). In addition, these gloves have 15 charges and regain 1d10+5 expended charges each day at dawn. When you make an unarmed attack with your fists, you can expend up to 5 charges to extend your fist’s reach by 5 feet for each expended charge. Your unarmed strikes deal double damage to objects and structures.

Powerglove. When you hit a target with an unarmed strike, you can expend up to 3 charges to deal an extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage for each charge spent. If you spend any charges in this way, the target must also succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed back 5 feet.

Geomancy. Alternatively, you can expend 1 or more charges on your turn to cast the following spells using the gloves (save DC 16): earthquake (8 charges), move earth (6 charges), shatter (2 charges), spike growth (2 charges, with stone projections), or wall of stone (5 charges).

Tectonic Plate Armor. As an action, you can allow rocks to envelop and protect your body. For 1 hour, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, your movement speed is halved, and you make Dexterity checks and saving throws with disadvantage. You can end this feature early as a bonus action. While enveloped in this way, you can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone at a speed of 30 feet. While doing so, you don’t disturb the material you move through. If you end this ability while still underground, you’re forced out of the earth to the nearest space available and take 1d10 force damage. Once this feature of the gloves has been used, it can’t be used again until you take a short or long rest.

Curse. Your mind and body become sluggish once you attune to the gloves. The gauntlets become one with your flesh and prevent you from removing them. Your movement speed is reduced by 5 feet, and your Intelligence score is reduced by 4 (to a minimum of 7) while cursed. The curse remains even if the attunement ends but can be undone by any effect that removes a curse such as a greater restoration or remove curse spell, allowing you to remove the gloves and end the curse on you.

Random Properties. The gauntlets have the following randomly determined properties:

• 1 minor beneficial property

• 1 minor detrimental property

Destroying the Gauntlets. The gloves can only be destroyed in the depths of the crystalline mines of Durhun on the Elemental Plane of Earth where they were first created.

Forged on the magical diamond surface in the bottom of the Durhun mines, the stone giants toiled to create the perfect connection to the Plane they called home. These gauntlets were the result of countless failed attempts and are held together by magics well beyond the comprehension of any normal arcanist or artificer. The stones are a conduit for the Plane's magics, and while plain in appearance, are truly the masterwork of centuries.