Criir's Scepter — End of Year 5! (Patreon)

Rod, artifact (requires attunement by a spellcaster)

This segmented scepter belongs to the Astral Griffon Criir, a patron deity of artisans and craftsmen. Its upper half floats above the lower, along with four dark, metallic shards. At the center of the shards is a dark sphere. While holding the rod, the sphere at its top glows with an ember-like warmth from within. A miniscule, swirling galaxy quickly forms around it.

While attuned to the rod, you can use a bonus action to summon it to your empty hand from a special demiplane. The rod returns to its demiplane if it is more than 30 feet away from you for 1 minute or more or if you dismiss it (no action required).

While holding the rod, it emits bright light in a 15-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 15 feet. The light is sunlight. While the light persists, you can use an action to expand or reduce its radius of bright and dim light by 5 feet each, to a maximum of 30 feet each or a minimum of 10 feet each.

Magic Resistance. While holding the rod, you have resistance to damage from spells.

Magic Weapon. Criir's Scepter can also be used as a magic morningstar that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. You're considered to be proficient with it while attuned to the rod.

Charges. The scepter has 10 charges for the following properties. The scepter regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On an 11 or higher, the scepter regains 1d4 charges. On a 10 or lower, the scepter returns to its demiplane and can't be summoned again until the next dawn.

Spells. While holding the scepter, you can use an action to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC and spell attack bonus: flame strike (4 charges), identify (1 charge, or no charges to cast it over the course of 1 minute), levitate (1 charge), meteor swarm (8 charges), reverse gravity (6 charges), scorching ray (1 charge), or sunburst (7 charges). If a spell cast in this way would deal fire damage, you can choose for the damage to be radiant instead.

Star Collapse. While holding the scepter, you can use an action to expend all of its remaining charges to cause the sphere at the top to release an earth-shattering explosion. The explosion erupts from it in a 60-foot-radius sphere: each creature within that area, including yourself, must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes radiant damage equal to 20 × the number of expended charges, or half as much on a successful save. Your attunement to the scepter then ends, and the scepter magically returns to the Astral plane where it was created.

Destroying the Scepter. Only Criir can destroy the rod, which requires it to be unmade while within the extradimensional space of a Griffon's Saddlebag.

Criir knew that his instruments would always return to him when it was their time. There was never any rush, though: he had years of work left to do without them.

End of Year 5!