Artifacts
Artifacts are legendary relics whose power exceeds anything mortal crafters can produce. Rather than merely another form of magical equipment, artifacts are the sorts of legendary objects that might become the focus of whole campaigns — the reason wars are fought and kingdoms rise or fall.
Minor vs. Major Artifacts
Minor artifacts are not necessarily unique. Even so, they are items that can no longer be created by common mortal means — the knowledge or conditions required for their creation are lost, forbidden, or simply too extraordinary to replicate. Multiple copies of a minor artifact may exist in the world.
The greatest of all artifacts are unique items — only one of each exists. Even the least of them can alter the balance of an entire campaign. Major artifacts are not easily destroyed; each has only a single, specific means of destruction noted in its description.
Key Rules
- Artifacts cannot be crafted — they are found, earned, or taken.
- They are not subject to saves against destruction (sunder, disintegrate, mage's disjunction, etc.) unless a specific vulnerability is noted in their description.
- Artifacts can never be destroyed by mage's disjunction; there is only a 1% chance per caster level that the spell renders an artifact non-magical, and the caster permanently loses all spellcasting ability if the check succeeds.
- Each artifact's description includes its means of destruction — typically a unique, narrative condition rather than a standard magic effect.
- Artifacts do not have market prices; they cannot be bought or sold through normal channels.
Destroying Artifacts
Major artifacts can only be destroyed by their specific destruction method. Minor artifacts may have multiple weaknesses or simply be impossible to destroy through conventional means. GMs should treat artifact destruction as a significant story event, not a routine magical outcome.
If a minor artifact does not list a destruction method, treat it as essentially indestructible — it can be hidden, lost, or suppressed, but not unmade.
GM Notes
Artifacts draw attention. Placing one in a campaign creates ripple effects — factions pursue it, legends circulate, and possession becomes a liability as much as a boon. Use them sparingly; they work best as campaign-defining goals or climax rewards.
Many major artifacts have their own intelligence, alignment, and Ego — treat them as intelligent items with all the usual personality conflict rules. An artifact's Ego is often high enough to dominate all but the most strong-willed characters.