Artifact Illustration | Necromancer's Shield (Patreon)

[Art by Steven Bell, Submission by James P]

I am very pleased to present our next patron-voted Artifact Illustration - the macabre Necromancer's Shield.

Description

This heavy, steel-bound wooden shield bears the bones of a single skeleton, its legs pinned back behind it and empty-eyed skull staring blankly forward. The shield functions as a normal shield, providing a +2 armor bonus when donned, but has [2] other properties available to an attuned user. 

Operation

The skeleton bound to the face of the necromancer's shield is able to speak, given the permission of its owner, and retains access to some of the knowledge of its past life (though no special abilities). It can speak and understand any of the languages it knew in life.

Once per day, when the attuned user of the necromancer's shield speaks the command word, the skeleton upon the shield comes to life and can perform one of the following [2] abilities:

Animate. The skeleton animates and physically leaves the front of the shield, coming briefly to life as a reassembling skeleton (created by Luke Friesen), serving its owner for 1 hour or until destroyed, at which time the bones slowly make their way back to reform upon the shield's face.

Mock. For up to 1 hour, the bearer of the shield can cast vicious mockery, as a reaction, as a special ability, whereby the skeleton insults and otherwise mocks a living creature that can understand the languages it can speak.

If the bearer of the shield so wishes, they can replace the skeleton on the shield with a new skeleton, provided they have access to the full skeleton of the fallen creature and a short rest to perform the ceremony, whereby the old skeleton drops away and is replaced by the new skeleton.

Adventure Hooks

While the necromancer's shield is functionally a simple shield, the skeleton infused into the front of its face could have potentially interesting uses:

1. The shield is discovered in a dungeon, and the skeleton was the servant of a long-dead necromancer who was looking for a relic in said dungeon, perhaps having some pertinent information to provide.

2. The shield provides a way to potentially preserve the personality and presence of a beloved fallen character, PC or NPC, should it make sense that their skeleton be used in such a manner.

3. The skeleton affixed to the shield could be an enemy and, while providing useful abilities and information, likewise spend much of its time insulting its owners.

4. The skeleton could have knowledge of a vast treasure and employ its owner (or their adventuring party) to carry our an agenda in its stead, with the treasure location as promise for services rendered.

I hope you enjoy this artifact illustration and can use the artwork, as well as the idea, for your campaigns and adventures!