Description: This jeweled skull resembles that of a Demilich, and was in fact created from the remnants of one.
The skull retains a small portion of the Demiliches devour soul ability. On Command, the skull can attempt to devour the soul of a dying creature (Fortitude save DC: ??? Negates) On a failed save, the creatures soul is stored within one of the 9 intact gems on the skull. Each gem can only hold 1 soul, multiple weak souls cannot be consumed to mimic a stronger soul.
Souls contained within the gems can be consumed in two different ways.
- The user is healed for 1d6 per HD of the creature.
- The user regains a spent spell slot, as per the use of a pearl of
power/runestone of power. The spell slot regained is equal to the creatures
HD/2. IE a creature with 2HD restores a 1st level slot, whereas a creature with
10 HD would restore a 5th level slot and so on.
Thoughts? I need to figure out a decent DC for the soul devour effect. But I run into the issue of making it free on low level enemies or impossible on higher level ones. I suppose I might have scale with the user, maybe a 10+Caster Level sort of thing.
Im also unsure as to how i would price this thing. Alternitively i could just slap "Minor Artifact" on the label and ignore the price issue.
I would set the DC pretty low, probably around 14-16. anything higher and this would be almost on the broken level of power.
I would cut the healing in half (1d6/2 HD)
I would cut the spell level regained in half again (spell level = HD/4)
I would give it the Evil descriptor and make using it an evil/corrupting act.
I would label this as a minor artifact.
I would set the DC pretty low, probably around 14-16. anything higher and this would be almost on the broken level of power.
I would cut the healing in half (1d6/2 HD)
I would cut the spell level regained in half again (spell level = HD/4)I would give it the Evil descriptor and make using it an evil/corrupting act.
I would label this as a minor artifact.
I think that's excessive. That would make it so killing a creature with 20HD only nets you back a 5th level spell or on average about 30hp. Having the fort DC that low would also make it nearly useless even like sub level 10 because of how high fortitude saves tend to be.
The Devour Soul DC is 22, as per a Demilich without the Ability Focus feat benefits being applied.
Your artifact should only have 5 gems, not 9... half the gems a Demilich has...
Leave the healing at 1D6/HD... make it untyped so Undead can use the artifact.
Leave the spell replenishment at HD/2... maybe even include a +1 CL or +1 DC to Necromancy or Evil spells replenished by its gems...
Make it a cursed artifact... if it has any empty gems, it consumes your soul when you die... NO SAVE.
It eating your soul if you die sounds fun actually. But does that win out if it's a lich holding it...
It eating your soul if you die sounds fun actually. But does that win out if it's a lich holding it...
If a Lich is in possession of this artifact, they may perform a small ritual to convert the artifact into their phylactery...
Upon their demise, the artifact does, indeed, consume the Lich's soul... immediately becoming in all ways a Demilich of that Lich.
Interesting idea. I'm still iffy on the DC though. I'm leaning towards making it a scaling dc based on the user since I kind of like those better in general and it might also help it scale better into late game. Because demilich is a what cr11? Come late game dc 22 fort is basically only a fail on a nat1 I feel like. At least against monsters and martials.
Meh, it's not going to catch them all. Nor should it.
Items tend to have relatively low DC's, I don't see why this would be any different. Generally, scaling DC's are reserved for class features, not items.
If the person using the artifact wanted to capture the essence of everything they killed, they would be a Souldrinker or something similar... not reliant on a stupid artifact.
It's a neat toy to mess around with, and it might even come in handy recharging spells... I don't think it should be something a character focuses on using. Situational, at best, is where I would leave it.
Yeah, thats kind of what i meant though. Item DCs kind of suck. And if im classing this as a custom artifact i want it to not suck. Especially come late game when that spell restoring ability is most useful.
I think thats part of why I really like the scaling magic items like in War for the Crown and in Unchained.
Rather than have it be a static DC, have it be a scaling DC based upon the wielder?
10 + 1/2 level of the wielder (rounded down, min 1) + Primary Modifier