The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

192
Rods, Staves and Wondrous Items
Roll Effect
1-12 Item functions as intended
13-14 Item is non-magical
15-16 Item has a drawback
17 Item is cursed
18 Item is intelligent
19 Item is insane
20 Ghost anchor
� Item is cursed: Much more dangerous than a mere
drawback, this item’s function was shaped by the last,
cursing shrieks of the sacrifice. It has the ‘opposite
effect or target’ curse upon it (see DMG), which cannot
be removed from the item by any means, save destroying
its enchantment.
� Item is intelligent: Some part of the unwilling sacrifice’s
soul and intellect has passed into the item, making the
new magical creation intelligent and forever inimical
to the spellcaster who performed the lifebinding and
anyone it perceives as aligned with or related to the
spellcaster in any way. To determine the exact abilities
of the new, intelligent item, consult the DMG. Games
Masters may consider giving this item a Special Purpose
(see DMG) to defeat/slay the spellcaster’s race or any
members of the religion to which he adheres.
� Item is insane: As an intelligent item, but the terror
and hate felt by the sacrifice in his last moments have
infused the item, making it hopelessly and completely
mad. This item will ferociously resist being used by
anyone, and will strike with all its power against any
wielder overcome by its Ego (see DMG). Additionally,
Games Masters may consider boosting the Ego of the
insane item by five or even 10 points, to reflect its
overwhelming hate and rage. Even someone strong
enough to master the item’s Ego will be subjected a
constant bombardment of insane babbling, feelings or
even thoughts, depending upon the insane item’s means
of communication (see DMG).
� Ghost anchor: The item works normally, but holds a
significant and unseen danger. Rather than travelling on
to whatever afterlife awaits it, the fury of the unwilling
sacrifice at the spellcaster has caused it to linger on this
plane as a ghost (see MM). The ghost is tied to the item
it unwillingly helped create, though it now spends most
of its time in the ethereal plane. Every day, there is a
five percent chance the ghost will appear and attack the
possessor of the item for which its experience was used.
The creator of the item suffers a –4 penalty to all saving
throws against the ghost’s special attacks. The ghost
may be turned, though it enjoys an additional +4 to its
turn resistance (granting it a total of +8). However, it
may never be permanently destroyed or banished as
long as the item it is tied to still exists; the item anchors
it to this world and to its undead existence. Note that
destroying the item does not, in and of itself, destroy the
ghost; rather, it makes it possible to destroy the ghost.
Wands
Wands are perhaps the safest of all semi-permanent items
to create by means of lifebinding, though the potential for
catastrophe still merits caution.
Effect Descriptions for Wands
� Wand functions as intended: The wand is in all ways
indistinguishable from one created without the
lifebinding ritual.
� Wand is partially charged: The resistance of the sacrifice
prevented the wand from absorbing all the magical
power it should have at its creation. Roll d100 and
divide by two (round down, minimum one charge) to
determine the number of charges present in the wand.
Though the wand may be recharged later, it may never
exceed this original number of charges.
� Wand is inert: The experience points invested in the
item by both the sacrifice and the caster are lost, leaving
only a non-magical stick. The wand is still considered
enchantable, if the spellcaster wishes to try again.
� Wand has a drawback: The resistance of the sacrifice
has altered the enchantment of the wand in some minor
way. Roll on the drawback table (see DMG) to see
what effect manifests.
� Wand is cursed: This wand’s function was shaped by
the last, cursing shrieks of the sacrifice. It has the
‘opposite effect or target’ curse upon it (see DMG),
which cannot be removed from the wand by any means,
save destroying its enchantment.
Life After Lifebinding
It is possible to restore a creature that served as a sacrifice
in a lifebinding ritual to life, but under some circumstances
it may prove exceptionally difficult. In most cases, it