If you're one of my players, stop reading now. It'll be much more fun if you find this stuff out as you go.
So, I've written myself into a bit of a corner. Or more accurately, a wide open field. I need to come up with 14 different artifacts, one for each of the gods in my pantheon.
On the one hand, I want each artifact to be somewhat unique. On the other, having some general template would make filling in the details much easier. The one thing they'll definitely all have in common is that they'll grant the players their first mythic tier.
My best idea so far is to do something based on each deities' favored spell, but that still leaves a lot of conceptual room. I was also thinking that it might help if the full range of abilities aren't unlocked immediately, but appear as the players gain tiers (if they ever do).
BTW, I'm counting on my players only taking one of these artifacts each, but I'm pretty confident in that assumption, and I can always throw in some conscious lightning bolts if they try anything too funny.
Well. I'll leave the details on history and whatnot up to you, and I'll give it a go. I had (what I thought) was a decent idea for at least one of em.
The Lady's Handmirror
Slotless, Aura of Overwhelming Transmutation, CL18, weight 1 lb
This simple handmirror is cut in a perfect circle, about half a foot in length, and framed in gold with four large moonstones set equidistant along its rim. When held by its handsome ivory handle and stared into by its owner, they see an idealized version of themselves gazing back against a background of flat darkness.
The mirror has a number of passive and activated powers. Firstly, it grants its owner a +5 competence bonus on Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive checks made against creatures sexually attracted to the user [I wanted to just say "of the opposite gender" but I wasn't quite certain just how... open your custom setting is]. Secondly, as a standard action invoked by speaking the Goddess' name, the mirror can extinguish any or all nonmagical flames within twenty feet of itself [basically, they can pick and choose which to put out, but it extinguishes all of them unless directed otherwise].
Thirdly, so long as the mirror is carried, it grants its owner the effect of Detect Thoughts against any individual they have physical contact with. The subject is permitted a new saving throw (DC 20) each time contact is broken and made again. Any subject who successfully makes their save is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.
Finally, once per day, the owner of the mirror may incant a brief prayer to the Goddess, and gain the effects of the spell Innocence as cast by an 18th level caster.
Staff of Duality:
Slot: none, Aura: Strong Necromancy from Vicious end and Conjuration from Merciful end
+3 Agile Vicious/+3 Guided Merciful Quarterstaff
This Quarterstaff has one head affected by Agile and Vicious enhancement while the other head is affected by Guided and Merciful enhancements. The Agile effect may be utilized even though a Quarterstaff is not normally a finesse weapon and, if the wielder lacks the Weapon Finesse feat, they may apply their Dex Bonus to their attack roll in place of Str, albeit at a -4 penalty to attack with that head. Once per day, the staff can be twirled overhead as a full-round action and the interplay of the two ends creates an impenetrable, dome-shaped field that covers all spots that the wielder could normally threaten with the staff. The dome will cover and protect anyone smaller than the wielder, but anyone the same size or larger will be pushed outside the area and take 1d6 lethal and 1d6 non-lethal damage. The field blocks all line of effect, but not line of sight and no one inside the field can be affected by any effect from outside. Any projectiles are knocked aside and any creature that touches the field is repelled and suffers 1d6 lethal and 1d6 nonlethal damage. The staff can be spun for a number of consecutive rounds equal to your Constitution modifier, after which you must make a DC 10 Con check at the beginning of your turn to determine if you can continue spinning it for that round, increasing the DC by 1 for each check you've made. If you fail a check, you stop spinning the staff and become Fatigued for one minute. You cannot spin the staff if you are Fatigued or Exhausted. You cannot move nor take any actions while spinning the staff except for purely mental actions that do not require concentration, except you are able to speak.
Oretan:
Spoiler:
Feather of Steel:
Slot: none, Aura: abjuration
This feather is entirely made of steel, but it looks detailed and natural enough otherwise that you would think it actually came from a real bird. You can use Commune with Birds at will while you carry the feather . Whenever you succeed on an Acrobatics check from falling on a hard surface, you suffer no damage and any damage you would have otherwise suffered (both lethal and non-lethal), you can choose to instead inflict upon any creatures within 15 feet of where you land. This damage is inflicted as slashing damage and a DC 20 Reflex Save negates. You can also multiply your high jump capacity by 5 (up to a 5' high jump is a DC 4, 10' is DC 8, 15' is DC 12, 20' is DC 16, every 5' after is +4 DC) and make a DC 8 Acrobatics check to add 10 feet to your fall when you deliberately jump from a high surface. You may add another 10 feet for every 8 points you beat this check by and subtract your total roll from the DC of the acrobatics check to land safely. This even works if you are going to jump onto a same height surface so you can use it as an attack by jumping into the air and triggering the damage ability of this item (note: your total distance fallen must be at least 20' for any benefit, so jumping from a level surface would require at least a total of 16).
Shind:
Spoiler:
Headband of the Sun Spirit
Slot: Headband, Aura: Overwhelming Transmutation
At will, you can step from stark shadow into bright sunlight and instantly enter the Ethereal Plane as if using the Ethereal Jaunt spell. Once there, you will not be able to leave until the sun sets, at which point you will be shunted into the physical world. At night, ethereal creatures are visible to you and both they and incorporeal creatures treat you as corporeal so long as you wear the headband and are fully affected by your attacks and spells and your armor and shield AC bonuses will affect their attacks as if you and all your gear had the Ghost Touch enhancement.
Oroanneno:
[spoiler]Dreamcatcher of Infinite Stars
Slot: Neck, Aura: Overwhelming Illusion
A dreamcatcher of gossamer threads like silk that, when followed towards the center, seems to never stop spiraling, going "deeper" somehow, rather than towards the center of the hoop. The threads seem coated with small drops of dew, but each drop sparkles like starlight. While equipped, once per day, you can touch (or hit with an unarmed strike or natural attack) a target arcane spellcaster to overload his magical senses by causing him to sense all magic in the world simultaneously. He will lose the ability to differentiate magic auras by any means so he cannot identify individual auras from items or spells and must make a DC 10 concentration check on all spells he casts for the duration. The effect lasts a minimum of 1 hour, at which point the target gets a DC 10 Will Save to counteract the effect. One successful save drops the DC of both the concentration check for casting and the Will Save by 5, and a second successful check removes the effect altogether, but a failed check bumps the DCs back up to 10. After 24 hours, the effect dissipates automatically. You also gain +2 bonus on all knowledge checks made up to 1 hour after waking up from a full 8 hours sleep.
As a Standard Action, you can fire a bolt of lightning from this rod that deals 2d4 electric damage in a 30' line, making a ranged touch attack against each target. This primes the rod for continual discharge of electricity. On your next round, as a move action, you can sweep the rod to the side and create a cone area dealing 10d4 electric damage evenly divided among all creatures in the area who fail a reflex save. Any creatures who make their save will take 1d4 damage if 5 or fewer creatures are affected; if more than 5 were affected, creatures that make their save are unaffected. You can discharge the rod for up to 4 continuous rounds at a time before it needs to rest for at least 1 minute before priming again, and up to 10 total rounds per day.
Adi'a:
Spoiler:
Pants of the Hammer:
Slot: Body, Aura: Strong Illusion and Abjuration
3 times per day, while wearing these pants, you can make a Perform (Dance) check with a +10 bonus to Facinate, as the Bard ability. Once per turn, you may also make a Bluff check to send a hidden message as a free action against any target at +10 bonus. If the target is an ally, they gain a +5 circumstance bonus on any attack rolls against targets that you do not threaten. Otherwise, you gain +5 AC vs melee touch attacks, unarmed strikes, and natural attacks made by the target.
If you attack a target who is denied their dex bonus to AC while outside at night, count the enhancement bonus as +5 and deal 1d6 damage instead of 1d4 and automatically threaten a critical. This feature will not work if you have suppressed the Merciful feature for the attack. If this attack causes any non-lethal damage to spill over into lethal, the target must pass a Fort Save at DC 10 + the total damage dealt, or die.
This weapon leaves no wounds on the body and cannot trigger any kind of bleed damage, nor can it deliver wound poisons and a creature killed by it offers no visible signs of how they died.
That's what I've got for now because my wife says I need to go to bed.
I'm liking the ideas so far. I may not be able to use all of them, but they're all interesting. (Because weapons and armor see such a high turn-over, I don't think I want to include any in the final set.)
