Artifact Illustrations | 3 - Patron Voted Art! (Patreon)

[Art by Steven Bell, Submissions by James P, Ethan J and wasn't labeled]

I am very pleased to present our next group of patron-voted Artifact Illustrations - the Scepter of the Ghoul Emperor, Blessed Vial of Diedre and Hand of the Machinist!

SCEPTER OF THE GHOUL EMPEROR

Description

This gruesome scepter has been fashioned almost exclusively from fire-blackened bone and carved with intricate scrimshaw that only those with endless hours could carve. The handle of the scepter has been hewn from the femur of a large creature and attached to a skeletal hand clutching a massive opal. The scepter is remarkably light and slender, and is counted as a +3 staff or club.

The scepter comes with 6 charges and regains 1d4+1 charges at dusk each day.

Death's Door

Any creature within 30 feet of the scepter becomes vulnerable to necrotic damage and makes any death saving throws with disadvantage.

Death's Shroud

The attuned wielder of the scepter is granted resistance from radiant damage and gains the ability to command any undead within 100 ft.

Death's Call

The attuned wielder can expend [1] charge per spell level from the staff to cast Animate Dead or [2] charges to cast Speak with Dead.

Adventure Hooks

An artifact of an undead city, this scepter could be used for a variety of purposes:

1. The scepter was stolen from the hands of an ancient undead ruler deep underground, whose armies lay dormant. A necromancer has reclaimed the staff and is searching for the location of the city to try and raise its army once again.

2. Lost many years ago, the scepter is found by the priest of a local town in an ancient crypt. Having recently lost his wife, he uses the scepter to raise her body and, eventually, more of the town to combat the villagers that come to his door with fire and violence. Most other villagers flee after his undead begin killing townsfolk and raising their bodies to serve him, telling stories of the crazed priest.

3. The scepter is one of many random items in the pack of a Hill Giant that believes he has become a friend to the Undead and has amassed a small following that move with him wherever he goes.

BLESSED VIAL of DIEDRE

Description

This masterwork glass bottle once belonged to a famed priestess named Diedre, who lived a virtuous life healing the sick and cursed of the world. The holy waters contained within the bottle were a combination of divine magic and her own alchemical brews. Rumor has it that after she passed from this world, the vial contained a part of Diedre's soul and desire to heal.

DIEDRE'S BLESSING

Once per day, the vial can be filled with a combination of ingredients that have various properties:

1. Water becomes holy water.

2. Holy Water becomes greater holy water, capable of harming great fiends or similar levels of undead, devils or demons. It can be thrown at the creature or coat a weapon for 1 minute that grants any fiend or undead vulnerability to any damage from that weapon.

3. Blood mixed with water becomes a greater healing potion.

4. Poison mixed with water becomes a neutralize poison potion.

5. Rot mixed with water becomes a cure disease potion.

5. Putting fiendish ichor into the vial cracks the vial and destroys it.

DIVINE CONDUIT

A divine spellcaster may use this vial as a spell focus.

Adventure Hooks

The Vial of Diedre is a powerful artifact with great healing powers:

1. The party is gifted the Vial of Diedre from a local church or holy organization as defense against a dark place they must enter, known to be held by undead or fiends.

2. An important person is sick with a grave illness that normal divine magics cannot seem to cure. Rumor is that the Blessed Vial of Diedre may be the only artifact that could save his life, if it can be found.

3. The vial is discovered amongst some treasure the party discovers. Afterwards, the party notices a group following them. When confronted, the group demands the vial to cure their leader of a lingering disease. He is a known murderer and tyrannical leader of a rival nation/group.

HAND of the MACHINIST

This gauntlet has been expertly crafted from dark metal and covers the entire hand and forearm of its wearer. Its surface is covered in a series of intricate gears and clockwork mechanisms, which seem to move and rotate constantly. Mysterious runes are etched into the metal, glowing a deep crimson whenever the gauntlet's abilities are used.

The gauntlet was originally a symbiotic piece of machinery designed by a madman and the spawning of the technovirus, a curse that would turn slowly turn someone into a mindless construct. The wearer of the gauntlet is immune to the virus.

The gauntlet comes with 6 charges and regains 1d4+1 charges at dawn each day.

SMALL REPAIRS

The attuned wearer of the gauntlet can cast the Mending spell at will.

QUICK ASSEMBLY

Given an appropriate amount of raw materials, the attuned wearer of the gauntlet can spend [3] charges to create a temporary construct, as per the spell Summon Construct.

OVERPOWER MACHINERY

The attuned wearer of the gauntlet can spend [3] charges to attempt to gain control of a Construct within 30 feet, per the spell Dominate Monster.

TECHNOVIRUS CURSE

If you wish to use the technovirus as a part of your campaign, the gauntlet can deliver the technovirus on a successful melee attack with another living creature. That creature becomes cursed and begins to lose 1d4 Intelligence per day. When the creature's Intelligence reaches less than 3, they will follow the attuned wearer of the gauntlet.

Use of the technovirus also opens the attuned wearer to being influenced by the spirit of the madman who designed it. After delivering the technovirus, the wearer will be unable to remove the gauntlet. Each time they use the technovirus, the wearer will have the sensation of something moving into their hand, then through their forearm, then up toward their shoulder.

If they continue to use the technovirus, it will eventually reach their mind and begin to struggle for control.

Adventure Hooks

The Hand of the Machinist can introduce a lot of interesting narrative options:

1. The gauntlet is discovered in a clockwork dungeon, discarded amongst a skeletal form and the remnants of some great war. The party may take the gauntlet without knowing of its history and potential curse.

2. The gauntlet could be the primary weapon of a villain attacking or ruling a city and/or community with a collection of constructs they have designed and now control.

3. The party is hired to discover the thief of a valuable item recently stolen by what the guards say was some type of machine. Tracking the activity down, they find the thief is a construct controlled by a devious tinker thief.

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

Licensing Note

These images are all copyright to Stephen Bellshaw and the images can only be used for your own personal home games. The images cannot be repackaged, sold, shared or modified (outside of your own personal use).