|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Presented in Rise of the Runelords 5: Sins of Saviors, were two Relics of Faith to Lamashtu.
They were not present in the Anniversary Edition, and wanted to convert them.
Here they are:
fresh white milk and always remains just below human
body temperature. When touched by
a member of the cult of Lamashtu
or held in a container by a member
of the cult, the pure white color
quickly changes to black. It smells
sweet but bears a slight undertone
of spoilage. An ounce of it is the
equivalent of dark reaver powder (ingested
DC 18, 2d6 Con initial, 1d6 Con and 1d6
Str secondary). If the victim rolls a 1 on
the second saving throw, he gains some
bestial trait, such as animal fur, a mane,
a snout, backward-bending legs, clawed
hands or feet, and so on. This is always
a drawback that imposes a permanent
–4 penalty on Charisma and never an
advantage (a snout does not give the Scent ability,
clawed hands do not grant claw attacks, and so on). This
physical alternation can only be cured by amputation followed
by regeneration, limited wish, miracle, or wish. A pregnant woman who
consumes black milk has a miscarriage or a stillbirth. If she nurses
a child while her ability damage is still in effect, the child suffers
the effect of the poison as well. The black milk still functions if used
as an ingredient in some other food (such as bread or cheese). It
is detectable as evil.
Worshipers of Lamashtu are immune to black milk’s adverse
effects and instead gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Constitution
for 24 hours and immediately heal 3d8+5 hit points of damage
upon consuming it. Sometimes the goddess provides 2 to 12 uses
of black milk in lieu of the Waters of Lamashtu as a reward to a
tribe she favors.
battle with Pazuzu. Roughly a foot long and nearly 3 inches thick,
the item was created by followers of Pazuzu and bears cracks and
scars from centuries of wear and abuse. Holding the tablet in one’s
hand gives the bearer a +3 bonus on all saving throws. Once per day,
the bearer can use the tablet to cast a banishment spell (caster level
15th); a minion of Lamashtu has a –2 penalty to the save against this.
At some point, the item fell into the hands of a priest of the Mother
of Monsters who, after a long ritual, managed to “retune” its effects so that the wielder can, if he chooses, use it to cast summon monster
VI once per day instead of banishment. The tablet radiates a strong
evil aura and bestows one negative level on any good creature who
touches or carries it. The negative level remains as long as the item is
held or carried. This negative level never results in actual level loss,
but it cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells)
while the bearer has the item. Members of the cult of Pazuzu have
been found with baked-clay copies of the original tablet that, while
lacking the powers of the true tablet, can be broken to allow the
bearer to cast a dismissal spell (caster level 7th).
What advice do people have, as to converting these items?
Neither actually appears in Rise of the Runelords, which is probably why Paizo didn't bother converting them. They are included in the Lamashtu deity article mainly for flavor and to help the GM flesh out what the Cult of Lamashtu was like. (In a word, ick.)
Also remember that the good folks at Paizo were still figuring out exactly how Golarion, its cosmology, and gods worked in those days. There is a good amount of information in Pathfinder #1-6 that is now outdated (i.e. since been retconned or simply dropped).
The Black Milk is an odd item. It is described as a substance that sometimes manifests instead of waters of Lamashtu. The text doesn't describe it as coming from a pitcher or object, or from a cursed creature. If you plan to do something with it, I'd probably write up how you get the stuff. Does it come from a spell effect (i.e. a 5th level spell "Black Milk of Lamashtu)? A cursed spring? A vessel made of black stone and the skull of a twisted monstrosity? The teats of a creature (or, creepier, a female humanoid) that's regularly been fed waters of Lamashtu or the subject of a horrific ritual?
I'd say write whatever's best to tell the story you want to tell in your campaign!
As for the Tablet, I'd call it an artifact and keep the write-up pretty much as-is. You would want to include how the artifact could be destroyed. Again, I'd leave that as an exercise to the reader.
Good luck!
BTW, you might get more responses if this were in either the "Rise of the Runelords" thread or the "Campaign Setting General" thread.
I imagine that the black milk would not be an artifact, since it is consumed by its victims/recipients. I think it would also be protected by magic aura. I imagine that the aura would probably be strong because poison is a 4th level spell and the effect of the milk is about 4-5th level.
As to the flavor of the aura, I imagine it would be necromancy since poison is also a necromancy spell.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If I was going to stat up the black milk of the Demon Queen for my home game, AND I wanted the Black Milk to be an evil wondrous item rather than a minor artifact, I'd probably start with a first draft that looked a bit like the following...
Black Milk of the Demon Queen
Aura moderate necromancy [evil]; CL 7th
Slot none; Price 5,000 gp; Weight 1 lb
Description
This white milky liquid is usually found in a a one-ounce vial. It looks and smells like cold, fresh milk, but has a faint unpleasant undernote of decay. When consumed, it acts as a poison (see poison stats below). In addition to the poison effect, the user must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or suffer a horrific permanent bestial transformation, such as a snout, cloven feet, lidless reptiallian eyes, prominent fangs, etc. Such transformation bestows no benefit but imposes a permanent -4 penalty on Charisma. The effect is permanent and cannot be dispelled, but is ended by break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish. The black milk is still effective if incorporated into food (e.g. baked into bread), but a user must consume a full ounce for it to have an effect.
If consumed by a pregnant female who fails her saving throw against the transmutation effect, she will have a miscarriage or stillbirth withn 1d4 days; if she nurses a child while under the transmutation effect, the child will automatically be affected by the transmutation effect.
If the black milk of the Demon Queen is handled by a worshiper of Lamashtu, the milk turns black in color. If consumed by a worshiper of Lamashtu, the black milk is nonpoisonous, and instead grants a +4 enhancement bonus to Constitution for 24 hours, and heals 3d8+7 points of damage. Any hit points cured over the drinker's maximum are bestowed as temporary hit points that last 24 hours.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, bestow curse, cure serious wounds, poison, waters of Lamashtu, creator must be a cleric of Lamashtu; Cost 2,500 gp
Black Milk of the Demon Queen
Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 18
Onset 1 round; Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds
Effect 1d6 Con and 1d6 Str damage; Cure 2 consecutive saves
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As for the other artifact, I'd probably write up something like...
Tablet of the Betrayal (major artifact)
Aura strong abjuration and conjuration [evil]; CL 15th
Slot none; Weight 15 lbs
Description
This stone tablet depicts Lamashtu’s battle with Pazuzu. Roughly a foot long and nearly 3 inches thick, the item was created by followers of Pazuzu and bears cracks and scars from centuries of wear and abuse. It was later captured by the cult of Lamashtu and rededicated to the Mother of Monsters. Holding the tablet in one’s hand gives the bearer a +3 bonus on all saving throws. Once per day, the bearer can use the tablet of the betrayal to cast either banishment or summon monster VI (summoning chaotic evil creatures only). Both spell effects are at 15th caster level. The tablet radiates a strong evil aura. It bestows two negative levels on any nonevil creature who touches or carries it. The negative levels remain only as long as the item is held or carried. The tablet of the betrayal is sacred to both the cults of Lamashtu and Pazuzu, and both cults will go to nearly any length recover it. Both cults view the use of the artifact by anyone other than a follower of their own cult as high blasphemy, punishable by a very slow and agonizing death.
Destructiohn
The tablet of the betrayal can be destroyed if a cleric of Lamashtu of at least 15th level takes it to Pazuzu's personal rookery of Shibaxet in the Abyssal realm of High M'Vania, and then freely gives it to Pazuzu himself. The tablet will then crumble to dust. (In gratitude, Pazuzu would likely grant the cleric a swift death.)