I’m trying to figure out some magic items to give out to my party members, and would like the bright minds here to offer some advice. I have two items I handed the party at the end of last session, and I’m not sure what they do.
Explanation of the place they found it: In our campaign, Death is a neutral entity that despises the undead, as they are pulled from his kingdom. And our cleric got the choice at the end of the first session: serve me or step through these nice black doors (he took the deal). So our newly minted cleric of Death and crew ran across an ancient pyramid that was constructed as a resting place of a previous Cleric and servant of Death to seal a crack in the wall of Death’s kingdom. After exploring the pyramid, they find and fight the defiled mummy of the cleric, breaking the spell holding him and opening the way to the tools he had in life: green leather armor and a heavy bronze sword.
And I have no idea what they’re going to do.
Perhaps the armor allows safe physical passage through the Black Gates of Death for the wearer, while the sword punishes the undead in some way as you’ve already stated Death despises them. Sort of a “champion of Death” kind of thing.
Soulsever – Once wielded by insert mummy name, a High Priest of Death, Soulsever is said to permanently cut the ties between the body and the soul, forever preventing any form of resurrection or the reanimation of the remains.
Jonathan Black, I like that idea! I think I’m going to use that, thank you! It was already a thing that every culture has a tradition of burning the dead, so this really falls in line with that.
If it wouldn’t be against the death gods ideology, the soul could impart part of its power to the wielder of the sword. Use of that power/sword would need to be done in line with the God of Death’s mandates… or else face reprisal.
For the armor, what kinds of perks would be useful in fighting the undead?
Armor of Life protects against mummy rot, life draining or paralyzing touch
One or any combination of the undead attacks…
A lantern that can be seen by spirits on the other side. Within the light of the lantern, insubstantial things gain substance, making it a useful tool to fight spirits, but the lantern also is a symbol of hope in the afterlife, and if not met with violence the dead may request favors of the bearer.
Have cleric come up with idea via Lore check? As GM you would balance the chosen magic while allowing the player to create. I also like how Jonathan Black introduces consequence with great power, regarding the sword.
He’s wearing the Panoply of the Naga Queen? No wonder he was the defiled undead.
Okay, ran the session this past Saturday. The sword, I took the idea of it ending someone, no possibility of return, gave it the brutal tag and our cleric now holds “Endbringer”.
I can’t remember the name I gave the armor, but it allows the wearer to be present whenever anyone crosses over into Death’s care. For party members, it means that the character can use the Aid Another action to try and aid their last breath roll (in addition to the general Cleric +1 that he took at his last level up). Otherwise, it allows him to ask one mostly freeform question of the dying creature.