Magic Stuff
Shadow of the Demon
Lord has spells, as you saw last time, but what about magic treasure? Are
there enchanted swords, cloaks, and other objects? Sort of. Magical objects are
a staple in the fantasy genre. Frodo & Bilbo had the ring. Arthur had Excalibur.
Arawn had his Black Cauldron. Agni had
his wand of Universal Fire. It goes on. At one point, I had rejected the idea
that the game would have such things as “magic items,” but I ultimately came
back to it after recognizing that enchanted objects do have a place in dark
fantasy. Such things can be mementos from previous stories, oddities that can
hinder as much as they help. They can also operate as world-building tools for GMs and
players alike. For these reasons and others, I use three broad categories for magical widgets: consumables, enchanted objects, and artifacts.
Consumables
A consumable is a magic device that has a single use. When
you use it, you consume the magic from it. In the case of potions, you
literally consume the object. In the case of incantations, you consume the
magic by reading the script aloud. Player characters can typically purchase
consumables, though their availability depends on their rarity. For example,
you’d have to travel to a large city to find a philosopher’s stone.
Here are two examples of consumable items found in the equipment chapter:
Repair Oil: A thin, amber oil causes
fractures in objects to close and repair any damage done to it. You may use an action to smear the oil on an object or
a creature that is a construct within your reach. The oil takes effect at the
end of the round in which you applied it. The object heals 1d6 damage or damage
equal to its healing rate if it is a construct.
Death’s Heralds: A white, powdery
substance contained inside a wax paper packet, the powder is made from the eggs
of a rare moth found in the Underworld.
You may use an
action to attack with the powder by blowing the contents from the packet into
the face of one living creature within short range. The target must make a Strength
resistance roll with two complications. On a failure, it becomes impaired for 1
minute. If it’s already impaired, it takes 2d6 damage.
At the end of each
round until the effect wears off, the affected creature must make a Strength resistance
roll. On a failure, the creature takes 1d6 damage from the hatching eggs and
burrowing larva. A creature incapacitated by the damage dies and its body
vanishes.
In addition, each time a creature takes damage from the death's heralds, a cloud of black moths spreads out in a 1-yard radius from a spot in the creature's space. The cloud remains until the
end of the next round and it totally obscures its area.
Enchanted Objects
Enchanted objects are not generally for sale. Instead, they are found in the world. They are worth
whatever the NPC or PC is willing to pay for it. Enchanted objects are things
of minor magical power that persists. A glass box that glows when touched, a
wand that sprays liquid flames, or a bone scimitar that glows blue when brought
to within short range of a troll are all good examples of such items.
In the core
book, the game presents a set of tables for quick generation. One table gives
you an idea of what form the object will take. The other tables describe the
object’s magical power. The GM can pick or roll dice for random generation.
Here’s the
form table:
Enchanted Object Form
1d20 Form Examples
1 Light Armor Robes, soft leather, hard leather
2 Melee weapon Sword, staff, or spear
3 Jewelry Ring, necklace, bracelet
4 Furniture Chair, mirror, rug
5 Sculpture Statuette, idol
6 Coin A copper penny
7 Tool Hammer, scales, wrench
8 Clothing Hat, cloak, shirt, shoes
9 Instrument Lute, drums, flute
10 Container Bag, box, chest
11 Inscription Tome, scroll, clay tablet
12 Implement Wand, crystal ball, knife
13 Technology Pocket watch, pistol
14 Game or Toy Cards, dice, doll
15 Accessory Key, monocle, scabbard
16 Vehicle Cart, rowboat, wagon
17 Religious Holy symbol, book, beads
18 Weird Mummified hand, gallstone
19 Ranged weapon Longbow, crossbow
20 Heavy armor Chainmail, plate & mail
And here are a few entries from the effects tables.
6 The
object radiates menace. Creatures within 5 yards of it have a complication for
Willpower resistance rolls made to stop or resist being frightened.
7 You
can use an action to place the object on any surface you can reach. The object
stays there, no matter what, until you touch it and use an action to pick it
up.
8 The
object changes color to match its surroundings perfectly.
9 The
object vibrates slightly when within 100 yards of a troll or giant.
10 You
can use an action to extinguish all flames within 10 yards. You can use the
object three times. You regain expended uses once each day when you douse the
object with water.
11 The object turns green when within 10 yards of a
poison.
12 You
can use an action to cause all doors, containers, and other objects that can be
closed or opened within 10 yards of you to close or open as you decide. The
object has three uses.
Artifact
An artifact is an enchanted object with a story. These items
tend to be more powerful, have a drawback, and may benefit the entire group.
Here’s an example artifact.
Blood Moon Medallion
A disk wrought from reddish metal and embossed with a
skull-like visage on the front, the medallion hangs from a rusty chain that
catches and pulls the hairs from the neck of anyone wearing it. When inspected
in moonlight, the medallion gleams with baleful light.
Raise the Dead: Once each night, you
may use an action to choose a pile of bones or a corpse of Size 1 or smaller
creature that you can see within short range. The target becomes a skeleton or
a zombie until it becomes incapacitated.
Upon creating a
skeleton or zombie with this artifact, make a Willpower action roll. On a
success, you fully control the target until dawn, at which point the skeleton
collapses into a pile of bones or the zombie falls down to become a corpse. On a
failure, you gain 1 insanity and the target becomes hostile to you and your
companions until it becomes incapacitated.
