Scarab of the Sunken Sands - Magic Item (Premium Supplement) (Patreon)

🔅🦂🏜️ Long ago, in a desolate and sun-scorched desert, there thrived a civilization known as the Anu'kara. Amidst the endless dunes, the people of Anu'kara erected majestic cities, their towers piercing the skies and their palatial complexes a marvel of ancient engineering. Despite the harsh external environment, the society was abundant in wealth and advanced in both magic and technology, a combination that allowed them to carve out a resplendent oasis in the inhospitable wasteland.

At the zenith of this civilization reigned Pharaoh Anu’kara, for whom the society was named. Anu’kara was a peerless leader, wise, just, and incredibly skilled in the arcane arts. He was particularly intrigued by the mysteries of life and death, viewing the passage from the mortal coil not as an end but a transition. In his era, the pharaohs were not only rulers but demigods, believed to hold divine power that granted them authority over both the terrestrial and the celestial.

Anu’kara sought to protect his people from the myriad dangers that loomed outside their utopian cities: marauding nomads, terrifying creatures, and the brutal, ever-present sun. To safeguard his people, Anu’kara poured his arcane knowledge and a fragment of his own life force into crafting the Scarab of the Sunken Sands, a magical artifact of tremendous power.

Whispers in the halls of history suggest that the scarab could unlock the secrets of life and death, allowing the wielder to walk amongst the shadows of the departed and command their power. It was said that through the scarab, Anu’kara could confer with ancient spirits and seek their counsel, becoming a conduit through which the wisdom of the ages flowed.

When the sun of Anu’kara’s life finally set, legend tells that the scarab vanished, lost to the sands that had cradled civilization. Some say it was buried with the pharaoh in a tomb so ingeniously concealed that it has thwarted every attempt at discovery. Others believe it was stolen, carried off by the desert winds to safeguard its power, or hidden by Anu’kara’s priests to prevent its misuse. 🔅🦂🏜️

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scarab of the Sunken Sands

Wondrous Item, legendary (requires attunement)

It is an enchanting and masterfully crafted relic. Its carapace is made from polished and darkened gold. The body of the scarab showcases a radiant teal gemstone, which seems to pulsate with a mysterious energy.

While you are attuned to and holding the Scarab of the Sunken Sands, you have resistance to fire and slashing damage. Additionally, you can move across and climb surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Moving through difficult terrain composed of sand or being in a heavily obscured area made of flying sand doesn’t cost you extra movement.

Beneath the Dunes. As an action, you can press the scarab against your chest, sinking beneath the sands and entering a pocket dimension that resembles a peaceful, dimly lit desert oasis. You can remain in this pocket dimension for up to 8 hours, during which you are aware of the passage of time and can emerge early as an action. You exit via a 5-foot-radius sphere of sand, appearing in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of the entrance. Once you use this property, you can’t use it again until the next dawn.

Whispers of the Anu'kara. While attuned to the scarab, you can use your action to transform into a mummy. Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the mummy, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the mummy. If the mummy has the same proficiency as you and the bonus listed in its stat block is higher than yours, you use the mummy's bonus instead of yours. If the mummy has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them. When you transform, you assume the mummy’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For instance, if you take 10 damage in mummy form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious. While transformed, you can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your mummy form. Transforming breaks your concentration on a spell you’ve cast. You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. Your equipment melds into your new form and becomes nonfunctional, with the exception of the Scarab of the Sunken Sands. You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the mummy’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form. You can remain in the mummy form for up to 8 hours, opting to revert earlier with a bonus action. Once you use this property, you can't use it again until the next dawn.