Army of Clay

This artifact is a collection of small clay figures, each about three inches high. The figures are primitive, but bear a certain elegance of design the belies their crude form. Each is coated with layers of brightly colored powdery glaze, chiefly blue, green and red. There are several types of figures in the collection:

• Swordsmen - These figures are depicted wearing heavy green armor and helmet and wielding a stabbing sword and tall rectangular shield. Each figure's shield bears the faint red outline of a spread-winged bird of prey. There are 18 of these figures in the collection.
• Spearmen - These figures wear lighter blue armor and wield a heavy two-handed spear. They also wear cloaks decorated with the same red bird of prey device as the Swordsmen's shields. There are 18 Spearmen in the collection.
• Archers - These figures wear the same armor and cloak as the Spearmen, but wield a short recurve bow and have a long knife at their belt. A quiver of arrows hangs from their shoulder. There are nine Archers in the Army.
• Charioteers - There are only three of these figures in the Army. Each depicts a chariot pulled by a pair of white-glazed horses fitted with red barding. A driver tends the reigns while a second javelin wielding figure stands behind him in the chariot. Both are wearing lightweight armor and cloaks similar to that worn by the Spearmen.

The entire Army is contained with a shallow chest of black oak fitted with bronze hinges. The interior is lined with a thick layer of padded leather, which holds the figures securely when the lid is closed. A simple latch holds the chest closed. The figures radiate Epic alteration, combat and animation magic. A Superb test of divination will reveal their purpose, but an Epic test of research in ritual magic is required to unlock the process required to active the Army.

The Army is a terrible weapon of war. When the proper ritual is performed each figure comes to life, slowly growing until they reach their full height of about 15 feet, a process that takes several minutes. Once fully grown their commander can indicate their foe which sets the Army on it's inexorable path. The army moves as a unit, each figure assuming a position within the ranks and striding toward the target at a steady pace with military precision. As they approach they change formation to suit the terrain and tactical situation. Once set upon their course the Army marches until they engage the targeted foe, fighting until either their foe is destroyed or they are shattered.

Each figure in the Army is a terrible engine of destruction, fighting with Epic skill. The Archers and chariot-riding Javelineers fire and hurl magical missiles that can crack stone walls with ease. Each figure has Epic toughness and armor and Great resistance to mundane weapons. The figures are immune to fire- and cold-based attacks. Figures continue to attack so long as they have limbs to strike with. Should a figure be rendered inert it will shrink to its original three inch height. All figures revert to their small size once the battle is won or all figures are destroyed. Any figure, or portion thereof, returned to the containing chest, will regenerate into a complete figure in one month's time.

Activating the Army is a Great test of ritual magic. It requires the ritualist to sacrifice the life of a blood relative and douse the Army in their blood. This ritual can be carried out once per moon at most.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blake_lennon/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Sky Mountain

This relic of a distant past hangs in the air like a black stain. Sky Mountain is a massive slab of native rock, ripped from the ground and hung in the heavens like an ornamental jewel. The Mountain is about a half-mile across, it's relatively flat top gives way to sheer cliffs that are riddled with caverns and tunnels leading to the rock's maze-like interior. Seven massive, mile-long tentacles made from gray, rubbery flesh laced with slabs and spines of black stone hang from the Mountain's belly, giving it the appearance of a monstrous, bloated jellyfish hanging in the sky. In the midst of these tentacles a huge, spherical blue crystal protrudes from Sky Mountain's underside, pulsing with potent magical energies.

The interior of Sky Mountain is honey-combed with tunnels, rooms and passages. There are three main sections to this interior maze:

• Outer Maze - A twisting collection of smaller caves and tunnels connecting the many cave openings that line Sky Mountain's outer rim of cliffs. The Maze circles the entire slab and serves as home to hundreds of flying, gargoyle-like creatures constantly circle and wheel about the Mountain's cliff-like sides. The Maze is mostly self-contained, with only a few passages linking it to The Wards.
• The Wards - These broad, open caverns connect the seven wall-connected towers that rise from the back of Sky Mountain, forming a quarter-mile wide defensive ring. The Wards provide access to each tower and link together the many hidden barracks, armories, storage chambers and living quarters that lie beneath the Sky Mountain's central plain. Each of the Ward's seven towers is guarded by forty-nine golem-like creatures armed with sword-clawed limbs and electrically charged spines. The Wards connect to the Outer Maze via a few narrow passages and to the Inner Sanctum via a single gate-guarded tunnel.
• Inner Sanctum - Positioned over the Sky Mountain's central crystal power source, the Sanctum is both central fortress and command center. The Sanctum features a single seven-sided chamber. Its floor is formed by the Mountain's crystal heart, and a single massive throne, formed from the crystal itself, rises from the center of room.

Sky Mountain is a Legendary artifact, its magical energies defying description or categorization. Mastery of its secrets is the work of a dozen years careful study and experimentation, requiring diligent research and access to many sources of magical lore. It's known properties include:

• Sky Mountain flies at Fair speed (though with Poor maneuverability), traveling 15 miles per day as directed by its master.
• The artifact has Legendary toughness. Most forms of attack are simply ineffective against its massive form. Siege weapons might cause minor harm, but Sky Mountain can, via its huge tentacles, consume raw stone and earth to repair itself.
• Swarms of Gargoyle-like creatures inhabit the Outer Maze, defending the artifact against all invaders. Each of the seven hundred gargoyles flies with Superb speed and skill, and fights with Good strength claws and teeth. Gargoyles have Good toughness and Great magical resistance. Destroyed gargoyles disintegrate and fall to the earth beneath the Sky Mountain, leaving a trail of tainted, polluted soil where no living thing grows. Destroyed gargoyles regenerate within the caves of the Outer Maze by some unknown mechanism. 1d10 new Gargoyles rise each day to replace any that have fallen in battle.
• Guardian golems protect the Wards. Each golem has Superb toughness and strength, inflicting terrible wounds with their sword-like claws. Any creature approaching within ten feet is subject to electrical discharges from the many spines protruding from each golem, inflicting Good damage each discharge. Like the Gargoyles, golems regenerate while within the confines of the Wards, repairing damage and replenishing numbers to maintain a constant force of forty-nine creatures per tower.
• The Tentacles hanging beneath the Mountain are terrible weapons, capable of leveling fortifications and structures with ease. Each Tentacle strikes with the force of a battering ram, leveling a ten by ten by ten foot cubic area of stone construction with each blow. The Tentacles can also burrow into the ground and form a sort of natural bridge, allowing troops to travel down their length from the barracks beneath the Wards. Each Tentacle has Legendary strength and toughness.
• Anyone attempting to master the Sky Mountain's powers becomes symbiotically tied to the artifact, unable to leave the confines of the Inner Sanctum, the Wards, and the Outer Maze.

Townkiller

This terrible artifact was constructed by the Dwarfs in ages past as a weapon of last resort. There has only been one recorded instance of Townkiller being used in battle, a situation that quickly revealed the device's terrible potency.

Townkiller is a forty-foot long juggernaut of metal and stone. Its worm-like body is made up of a dozen segments of magically hardened obsidian laced together with a steel matrix. Dozens of multi-jointed, adamantite  limbs sprout from these segments, each five or six feet long. At the forward end a ring of gleaming diamonds surround a circular maw lined with dozens of smaller limbs and dagger-like adamantite fangs, the whole forming a funnel-like opening. The bottom of this funnel glows with white-hot energy. At the rearward end Townkiller tapers to a small, spout-like final segment.

The artifact radiates Legendary protection, animation and evocation magic along with Epic divination magic. Discovering the mechanisms and magics that drive the device is a Legendary test of artifice, and requires access to a Superb quality library of Dwarf-lore.

When activated, Townkiller's operator can command the device to attack a single specific location within 100 miles. Townkiller will immediately come to life, burrowing through earth and stone at Great speed; it's many limbs dig through stone as if it were soft soil, while the heat of its central maw, powered by the trapped might of no fewer than four magma elementals, melts any obstacle to molten lava, which is ejected from the device's rear. When it reaches its target, the device will immediately seek out the nearest man-made structure and begin consuming it with adamantite limbs and fiery maw. Townkiller can destroy a normal house-sized structure in a few rounds, while larger structures, stone fortifications and the like, are consumed at a rate of 1000 cubic feet per ten rounds. Townkiller will not cease operations until all structures within a one mile radius have been turned to molten stone and burning ash. Once active the device cannot be stopped by any known force until it has completed its task. There is no off switch.

Townkiller can also be commanded to simply move. It travels to its destination at Great speed, leaving a tunnel lined with melted stone in its wake. The device can easily travel 50 miles per day.

The artifact is effectively indestructible. It's adamantite and magic enhanced body shrugs off physical and magical damage with ease. Should someone accomplish the Legendary task of causing physical damage, the magical matrix encasing the device can heal any damage suffered at the rate of one rank per week. The GM should determine a unique method of destruction as suits their campaign setting. A good place to start might be extreme cold, such as the breath of a white dragon or a trip to a frozen elemental plane.

Image

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinhooa/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Crystalline Owl

This small figurine shows a horned owl perched on a branch, wings half spread and beak ajar. It is made from smoky gray crystal sand-blasted to a dull finish. The Owl is extremely detailed, with individual feathers and quills carefully carved into the flat finish. The figurine's eyes and talons are highlighted with glossy black slabs of onyx. The Owl is approximately six inches high. The Owl radiates Superb alteration and animation magic. The command words required to command the Owl can be discovered with a Great test of divination magic. The figurine can be commanded to life in one of two forms.

Normal Form

The figurine transforms into a construct of living crystal. In this form the Owl has a two foot wingspan and can be commanded to fly anywhere at Epic speed and maneuverability within ten miles of its owner. The owl has Legendary night vision and is practically invisible and silent while flying (Epic stealth). The Owl can return to its owner and report anything it has seen, conveying this information via a series of hoots and coos which only the figurine's owner can comprehend. The Owl can remain aloft for four hours at a time, after which it becomes inert for four hours.

Gigantic Form

The figurine grows to monstrous size and sprouts a saddle and harness designed to carry up to two human-sized beings. One of the riders must be the figurine's owner, who is the only person that can command the Owl to flight. In this form the Owl flies with Great speed and Good maneuverability. Like its smaller form, it flies with Epic stealth, and anyone riding the Owl benefits from this ability as well. The Gigantic Owl can be summoned but once per day, and can remain active for up to one hour.

Both the Normal and Gigantic form of the Owl are poor combatants, having only Fair toughness and Poor combat abilities with talons and beak. Should the Owl suffer more than two ranks of damage in Normal form or Four ranks in Gigantic, it will revert to crystalline form and become inert for one day per rank of damage suffered.

Wander Hut

This artifact resembles nothing so much as a bundle of tiny boards and planks, each carefully planed and shaped. The entire bundle is wrapped in a canvas sleeve covered with tiny runes. The entire package is only six inches long and weighs less than a pound. The bundle radiates Great alteration magic. The command word required to activate the artifact can be discovered with a Great test of divination magic, or divined from the runes inscribed upon the sleeve with a Great test of magical lore.

When the command word is spoken, the bundle instantly expands and assembles itself into a hut-like shelter ten feet tall and fifteen feet across. The single entrance is protected by a vestibule that keeps out wind and rain. Upon command a magical fire burns in the fire pit in the center of the enclosed space, providing warmth and light. The magic of the structure maintains a comfortable temperature within no matter the outside temperature. Up to six people can rest comfortably upon the pillows and cushions scattered across the wooden floor. Each wall has a narrow window protected with a sheet of transparent crystal, allowing vision in all directions.

Once erected the Hut can be commanded to walk by the owner, traveling at a slow but steady pace. The Hut requires a wide, clear path to move upon, and is not particularly maneuverable, but it will adjust its course to avoid obstacles or obstructions. It can cover about 15 miles in a single twelve hour activation period.

The Hut can be commanded to assemble itself once per day. It stands for up to twelve hours before collapsing back into its compact form. The Hut's owner can also command the hut to collapse at will. Anything within the hut is ejected when it collapses.

Beast Constructs

I used these creatures in a campaign a few years back. I removed some of the campaign-specific material from this write-up. Hopefully they still make some sense.

These bizarre creatures are constructed from the dessicated and mummified remains of dead beasts, sewn together and enchanted with necromantic energies; each beast an amalgam of various parts and components from multiple natural creatures. The magical arts involved in creating these hideous creatures are long lost, having died out along with the ancient death-worshiping race that first perfected them. Some rare examples of these beasts live on, guarding the forgotten tombs and temples of this long-lost race.

Beast Constructs are mindless creatures, each a pieced-together horror made up of two or more mundane creatures stitched together with silvery threads of necromantic power. Constructs are generally 'programmed' with a specific task or mission, then left to their own devices. All constructs have the following characteristics:

• Superb toughness - all constructs gain tremendous physical toughness and vitality from the necromantic processes that create them.
• Magic resistance - constructs are immune to mind-affecting spells or enchantments.
• Life detection - the necromantic energies that animate these creatures allows them to accurately sense any living creature within 100 yards.
• Regeneration - constructs recover from damage at a Fair rate, generally healing all damage within one day.

Some typical constructs include:

• Hound Serpents - Hound-headed lizard creatures with long slender legs webbed with bat-like wings. Hound Serpents are capable of leaping, gliding flight, and fight with Good bite and claw attacks. Their enchanted fangs paralyze foes who fail to resist their spell.
• Lion Shells - Tortoise-shelled creatures with the heads of lions, these slow-moving beasts are incredibly tough and emit a terrible roaring noise in addition to a Superb bite attack. Those that succumb to the roaring noise (Good resistance check for anyone within 30 feet) are deafened and confused by the terrible sound.
• Alligator Hound - These creatures have hyena bodies with one or two alligator heads and a thick reptilian tail. They move with Good speed and attack with Great biting attacks (one per head) and a powerful tail lash (Good damage). Thrice per day the creatures can vomit forth a jet of water 30 feet long and three feet wide. Anyone struck by this powerful stream is knocked prone (Good test of reflexes to avoid).
• Vulture Serpent - These huge serpents have vestigial wings and an over-sized vulture's head. They attack with a powerful constrictive attack (Good damage each round), and a nasty bite, which transfers one rank of vitality from victim to beast each time it succeeds.

Command Rods

These relics are made from bone and brass. Each consists of a short bone handle fitted with a disc of brass inscribed with a representation of one or more Beast Constructs. These rods grant control over the depicted creature(s), and a Good test of divination magic will reveal the command words required to activate their magics. Each Command Rod will also inflict Legendary damage upon any Beast Construct, but using a Rod in this fashion destroys it.

Obelisk of Undeath

The Obelisk is a five foot tall block of dull silvery stone incised with necromantic runes squatting upon a pedestal of darker stone shot through with veins of reddish crystal. The entire construct easily weighs several thousand pounds. A palpable aura of dark magic hangs in the air around the Obelisk, even a Fair test of divination magic will reveal an evil aura and Legendary necromancy at work.

The Obelisk was created as the (mostly) failed attempt by a necromancer to achieve immortality. It is a potent nexus of necromantic power, capable of granting eternal life. Unfortunately there are consequences. The Obelisk is a self-aware artifact, driven by the trapped soul of its creator, intent on maintaining its own existence and power base. It operates as a sort of negative energy battery, accumulating necromantic energies from the dying and using them to raise Undead Guardians (see below) to serve it. It has the following characteristics:

• The Obelisk has a base area of influence 50 feet in radius. 
• The Obelisk is invulnerable to physical damage.
  
• Any sentient creature that dies within the Obelisk's area of influence charges the Obelisk with 1d4 units of necromantic energy (possibly more if the dying creature is very powerful).
• Provided it has energy available, the Obelisk will discharge one unit of energy to achieve one of the following effects (roll percentiles):

01-50	Raise an Undead Guardian. If no remains are available, treat this as a roll of 51.
51-75	Enhance an Undead Guardian. If no Undead Guardian is available, treat this as a roll of 100.
76-90	Send forth an Undead Guardian. If no Undead Guardian is available, treat this as a roll of 100.
91-100	Increase the radius of its area of influence by ten feet.

Destroying the Obelisk is at least Legendary test of dispel magic. As a unique artifact, its method of destruction should be singular as well.

Undead Guardians

Undead Guardians are created from the remains of the living that have died within the Obelisk's area of influence. They serve both as protectors, defending the Obelisk from anyone that might attempt to destroy it, and slaves, obtaining living sacrifices to feed the artifact's never-ending hunger.
Undead Guardians are much like zombies or skeletons in appearance, depending on the age of the remains used to raise them. They have the following initial characteristics:

• Average toughness.
• Average attack(s) with natural weaponry.
• Mediocre movement speed.
• Average physical drain by touch, reducing physical strength / endurance by one rank if successful. Drained vitality is recovered at the rate of one rank per hour.

Undead Guardians that are enhanced gain the following advantages (roll 1d12):

1. Increased toughness.
2. Resistance to one type of elemental damage.
3. Resistance to physical damage.
4. Improved physical attack or damage.
5. Improved movement speed.
6. Regeneration of physical damage.
7. Improved physical drain.
8. Fear aura 10 foot radius.
9. Vampiric healing via physical attack three times / day.
10. Paralyzing gaze three times / day.
11. Become non-corporeal for 2d4 rounds.
12. Summon / raise 1d4 undead skeletons or zombies 1 / day.

Each enhancement adds a new ability (base rank Average), increases the potency of a current ability by one rank, or increases the availability / duration of a current ability by 50%. Undead Guardians must stay within the Obelisk's area of influence unless they are sent forth by the Obelisk, which allows them to travel up to 10 times as far from the artifact.

Sand Constructs

This collection of creatures is something I created for an old Dungeons & Dragons campaign. I probably shouldn't be posting them here, since the session they appeared in ended up being a total party kill. Nevertheless, here they are.

Sand Constructs are magical entities summoned from the tainted sands of The Burning, a cursed desert forever tainted by the death throes of a mighty demon. Those who master the summoning spells involved can raise a potent fighting force by using a few grains of  polluted sand taken from The Burning. They all have the following common characteristics:

• Legendary protection from electrical damage.
• Terrible resistance to cold damage.
• Legendary stealth when passing through sandy areas or desert terrain.
• Great damage reduction from cutting weapons.
• Sand Constructs slain within a sandy area disintegrate into powder, but reform and regenerate to full health within four hours unless their remains are subjected to a Good dispel magic effect.
• Active Sand Constructs can be permanently destroyed with a Superb test of dispel magic.
• All Sand Constructs have a primitive intelligence and are capable of following simple commands from their creator. Groups of Sand Constructs use Good tactics when engaging in combat.

There are three known types of Sand Constructs:

• Sand Dolls - Two foot tall humanoids that move with Great speed. These creatures attack with Good claw and bite attacks, and have Fair toughness. They often provide distraction or harassing attacks for their more potent Sand Construct allies.
• Sand Golem - These creatures are squat four-armed humanoids, each arm ending in a heavy fist capable of Great damage. Golems have Superb toughness. Thrice per day a Sand Golem can belch forth a vortex of blinding sand and dust in a 50 foot long, 20 foot wide cone, inflicting Good damage and inflicting blindness for 1d6 rounds on anyone within the area of effect (Good resistance check to avoid blindness).
• Sand Viper - Massive serpents that are almost invisible in sandy locales. These creatures are capable of inflicting a Superb damage bite attack, but their more potent weapon is their desiccating venom, which they can spit up to 30 feet. Anyone struck by this venom must resist its effect (Great resist poison test) or be drained of one rank of life energy (*). Those completely drained of life energy are left as dried out corpses that quickly turn to dust and disintegrate.Sand Vipers have Superb toughness.
  

(*) In the original game this was a constitution draining effect.

Storm Swallows

This magical construct consists of a bird's nest woven from gold and platinum wire and lined with black and green silk. The nest rests upon a blackened and twisted branch from a lightning struck tree. Contained within the nest are three delicate crystal figurines, each depicting a swallow at rest. Each figurine is clear crystal shot through with flecks of some faintly glowing golden metal. If examined for magical properties the construct radiates Epic alteration, divination, and evocation magic. A Superb test of divination will reveal the device's uses and command word.

Each day the device's owner can command one of the figurines to take wing and seek out a target. The target can either be a specific geographic location, or a known person or object. The swallow construct will then fly at Great speed toward the target, using Superb location ability to set its course. Once the swallow reaches its destination it will circle the target, causing a massive thunderhead to form over the area. After ten minutes this storm cloud will lash the area within one mile of the target with an Epic strength storm, featuring hurricane force winds, fist-sized hail, and massive lightning strikes. The storm lasts one hour, and the swallow circles the area for the duration. If the swallow is destroyed the storm dissipates within five minutes. The swallow has Superb toughness and evasiveness. Any electrical or cold damage inflicted is passed harmlessly into the storm raised by the bird. When the storm expires the swallow returns to the nest. Note that once a swallow has been dispatched its target cannot be altered. Their flight range is, for most purposes, infinite.

Mishta's Venemous Stalker

Mishta created this deadly device as means of disposing of difficult to approach foes. When not in use the Stalker appears to be an intricately carved statue of a tiny winged serpent coiled on a branch. The serpent itself is carved from a piece of red coral, set with black onyx eyes, mother of pearl wings, and ivory fangs. It rests upon a branch of petrified wood, carefully polished to reveal the details of grain and bark.

If tested for magical properties the Stalker will radiate Good illusion and Great animation, alteration, and evocation magic. Once its command word is discovered (a Great test of divination magic) the Stalker can be commanded by its owner. It can be activated once per day and given one of the following commands. The maximum duration for any command is 24 hours. At the end of a command's duration the Stalker will return to its resting place at best possible speed.

• Guard - The Stalker will patrol a specific area (one room or contiguous space up to 100' x 100'). Anyone entering the patrolled area will be subject to attack. When commanded up to five people (including the owner) can be granted access to the guarded area.
• Hunt - The Stalker can be commanded to hunt for a specific person. Once found the Stalker will relay a vision of the target's exact location to its owner.
• Attack - The Stalker will hunt a specific person just as if a hunt command was given, except when it finds the target it will attack, relaying a vision of the attack to its owner.

The Stalker has Good sneak and hide ability, and can become invisible thrice per activation. It has Good toughness and flies at Great speed. The Stalker attacks using a Great poisonous bite. It can bite up to five times before its poison is exhausted. Regenerating poison takes one full day of inactivity per bite.

If the Stalker is damaged or destroyed while active, a new serpent will appear on the branch, taking one month to fully form.

Mishta's Mischievous Mouse

The mage Mishta was powerful, paranoid and clever. In his elder days he devoted his considerable magical prowess to the study of animate magical constructs. Mishta's Mischievous Mouse was one of his early creations, a toy designed to both provide amusement and keep his apprentices in line.

When first discovered the Mischievous Mouse appears to be a small stuffed toy, with gray fur, tiny ruby eyes, and a slender leather tail. If tested for magical properties the Mouse will radiate Good animation, alteration and evocation magic. Once its command word is discovered (a Great test of divination magic) the Mouse can be commanded by its owner.

The Mouse can be commanded to carry out up to three tasks per day. The Mouse will pursue a given task for one day, at which time it will return to its owner to report its result and obtain new tasks. These tasks can include use of any of the following abilities:

• Message - The Mouse can store a short verbal message (less than a minute) and deliver it to a specific person or location. The message will be delivered in a quiet, squeaky mouse-voice.
• Shock - The Mouse can deliver a small electric shock (Poor damage) to a chosen target. Mishta used this ability as a warning to apprentices who were not keeping up in their studies. The shock was usually accompanied by a message.
• Gnaw - The Mouse can gnaw through normal objects, rope, sacks, wood quite quickly. The chief use of this power is to create a hole in a wall to allow the Mouse to pass through while carrying out a task.
• Locate - The Mouse can be commanded to locate a specific item or person within a few hours travel. If successful the Mouse can relay an image and the location of the chosen target to its owner.
• Steal - Order the Mouse to steal a specific item. This item must be very small (a coin, a pen, a key) and accessible to the Mouse. The stolen item will be returned to the Mouse's owner.

The Mouse can move at Good speed, and is very stealthy (Great hide and sneak ability). It is quite quick for something so small. If cornered the Mouse is easily incapacitated, but its magical nature will repair any damage done within a day, at which time the Mouse will return to its owner.