Monday, July 18, 2011

Wonders from the Planes

Besides the gray dust, other outer planar artifacts sometimes turn up in the more thaumaturgically-oriented private markets of the City, or end up in some structure of the Ancients to be found be adventurers. Here are a few of them:

Skeletal key: A minor artifact of the demonic gaolers from the plane called the Black Iron Prison. It’s a six inch long key that does indeed appear to be made out of bone. It can open any non-magical earthly lock, and a specific cell block within the plane of confinement, though it will be impossible to find out which one without magical or extraplanar aide.

Madness record: Condensed from the substance of their realm by the polychromatic clowns of the Plane of Chaos, these appear to be mundane 78rpm phonograph records. If the record is played, all those who are able to hear the strange and indescribable sounds on it will be affected as per the confusion spell.

Fabrication fog: A swarm of minuscule, polyhedral automatons from the Tesseract of Machina, the Plane of Order. These beings are packed into a small square box of some light, but extremely durable alien metal with cautionary text in several different scripts (but no earthly ones) engraved on it.  When the box is open the automata appear as a glittering swarm of fly-sized bronze shapes. They will be bound to the one who opens the box and serve him for one year (their power runs out then without recharge), until he is dead, or he gives them to someone else. They act like the fabricate spell, making whatever the owner desires within the restrictions of the spell (other than the need for the craft skill--the automata can manufacture anything non-magical item with a model or reference image). There are rumored to be versions of these which perform healing functions.

9 comments:

Porky said...

Fabrication fog is cleverly done, a very good transfer to a weird world, and that description would work great in classic fantasy too.

The skeletal key is an idea with plenty of potential too. Knowing there is a specific room somewhere could be a real lure to adventurers.

The Angry Lurker said...

I'd like a fabrication fog and then give it to Porky.

Gothridge Manor said...

Great stuff Trey. All very cool. But some how I think Lurker is in more need of the skeletal key.

Harald said...

A swarm of minuscule, polyhedral automatons? Magic robot dice that make stuff!? I want!

Jim Shelley said...

That Skeletal Key is a handy sounding item! Is it too late to request that for my character!

Anonymous said...

Interesting post!

Trey said...

Thanks guys.

@Tim - I don't know. He gets around enough as it is. ;)

@Jim - Much too late. ;D

Choms1337 said...

great blog and nice post :P followed :)

Needles said...

Wonderful stuff as usual Trey