Dungeon Master's Guide 5E

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
Artifacts

An a rtifact is a unique magic item of tremendous power,
w ith its own origin and h istory. An artifact might have
been created by gods or mortals of awesome power.
It could h ave been create d in the midst of a crisis that
th reatened a ki n gdom, a world , or the entire multiverse,
and carry the we ight of that pivotal moment in hi story.
Som e artifacts appear w he n they are neede d most.
For othe rs , the reverse is true; w hen discovered , the
world trembles at the ra m ifications of the find. In either
case, introducing a n artifact i nto a campaign requires
forethought. The artifact could be an item that opposing
s ides ar e hoping to cl aim , or it might be som ething the
adventurers need to ove rcome their greatest challe nge.
Ch a racters don't typically find artifacts in the
normal course of adventuring. In fact, a rtifacts only
appear w hen you want them to, for they a re as m uch
plot devices as m a gic it ems. Tracking down a nd
recovering an artifact is often the m a in goal of a n
adventure. Characters mus t chase down rumors,


MINOR BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES
dl 00 Property
Ol-20 While attuned to the artifact, you gain pro ficiency
in o ne skill of the OM's choice.
21- 30 While attuned t o th e artifact, you are immune to
disease.
31- 40 While attuned to the artifact, you ca n't be charmed
o r frightened.
4 1-50 While attuned to the artifact , you have resistance
agains t o ne damage t ype of t he OM's c ho ice.
51- 60 Wh ile attuned to the a rtifact, you can use an action
to cast one cantrip (chosen by the OM) fro m it.
61- 70 While attuned to the artifact, you can us e an action
t o ca s t one 1st-level s pell (chosen by the OM) from
it. Afte r you cast t he s pe ll, roll a d6. On a roll of
l-5, you c an' t cast it a gain until the next daw n.
7 1-80 As 61 - 70 above , except the spell is 2nd level.
8 1-90 As 61 - 70 above, e xcept the spell is 3rd level.
91 -00 While attuned to the a rt ifact, you gain a +l bonus
to Armor Class.

undergo significant tria ls, a nd venture into dangerous ,
half-forgotten pl aces to find the ar tifact they seek.
Alternatively, a m ajor villa in might already have the
a r tifact. Obta ining a nd destroyin g the a r tifact could
be th e only way to ensure tha t its power can't be
used for evil.

ARTIFACT PROPERTIES
Each a r tifact has its own magical properties, as
other magic items do, a nd the properties a re often
exceptionally powerful. An artifact might have othe r
prope rties that a re either beneficia l or detrim ental.
You can choose s uch properties from the tables in
this secti on or determine them randomly. You can
a ls o invent new beneficia l a nd detrimenta l propertie s.
T hes e properties typically cha nge each time a n artifact
appears in the world.
An artifact can have a s m a ny as four minor beneficial
properties a nd two major ben eficia l prope rties. It can
have as ma ny as four minor detri m enta l properties and
two m aj or detrimental properties.

MAJOR BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES
d 1 00 Property
Ol-20 While attuned to the artifact, one of your ability
scores (OM's choice) increas e s by 2, to a
maximum of 24.
21-30 While attuned to the artifact, you re g ain ld6 hit
points at the start of your turn if you have at least
l hit point.
31 - 40 Wh e n you hit with a weapon attack w hile attuned
to the artifact, the t a rget takes a n extra l d6
d a mage of the weapon's t ype.
41 - 50 While attuned to the artifact, your walking speed
increase s by 10 feet.
51-60 While attuned to the artifact, you ca n use an action
to cast one 4th-le vel spell (chosen by the OM) from
it. After you cast the spell, rol l a d6. On a roll of
l -5, you can' t cas t it again until the next daw n.
61 - 70 As 51 - 60 above, except the spell is 5th le vel.
7 1-80 As 51 - 60 a bove, e xcept the spell is 6t h le vel.
81-90 As 51 - 60 above , e xcept the spell is 7th level.
91-00 Wh ile attuned t o th e artifact, you can't be b linded,
d eafe n e d , pet rified, or stunned.
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