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Thread: The Viper`s Eye

  1. #1
    Philip Burge
    Guest

    The Viper`s Eye

    This is an extremely powerful artifact - it should be used with extreme
    caution. It's description and the basis of it's powers were from the BoP
    and I thank the authors for their great ideas.

    The Viper’s Eye.
    Legend.

    From BoP "This is a large round, yellow topaz streaked with a dark line
    in its heart. It resembles the slitted eye of a serpent and radiates an
    aura of cold watchfulness. The last time it was seen it was mounted in a
    crude iron Vos-style crown, but the band is nothing more than
    decoration. It is an evil relic of great power, presumed lost in the
    Shadow World. In reality it is in the same place as the Staff of Nature,
    the Isle of the Tree.

    The gemstone’s history predates mankind’s arrival in Cerilia. In ancient
    Aduria, Azrai was not always the incarnation of terror and darkness that
    he later became; he was once a deity of knowledge and pride, but a deity
    whose hunger for power warped his very nature. In his desire for
    worship, Azrai sought to seduce the people of Vorynn - the Vos - from
    their own god. He walked amongst them in the form of an ancient wise man
    corrupting them under the guise of teaching. Although Azrai was subtle
    and did not show his power (in order to elude Vorynn’s notice), he
    needed apprentices, followers, and leaders who would continue to spread
    his poison even when he was not there himself.

    For this reason Azrai directed one of the Vos shamans in the creation of
    the Viper’s Eye, a so-called “gift” of wisdom and vision for the high
    chieftain. The yellow gemstone rested in the hall of the Vos kings for
    centuries, strengthening their dependence on their adopted god as they
    turned away from Vorynn. The Viper’s Eye served its purpose well. It
    became an heirloom of the Vos kings and an emblem of Azrai’s favour that
    conferred great power on those chieftain’s who used it in the dark god’s
    name.

    Eventually, Azrai caused the gem to fall into the hand’s of a proud
    young chieftain named Atar. With its power, Azrai began one of the most
    sinister of his works before the War of Shadow; the perversion of humans
    to the power of sorcery. Atar was the first of Azrai’s unnatural
    creatures, the disciples of the evil god whom were later known as the
    Lost. Azrai taught them to wield the powers of night and darkness,
    knowing that the elven magics were unsuitable for humans. Atar was the
    one of Azrai’s chief champions throughout the War of Shadow, and his
    life span encompassed hundreds of years before he seemed to meet his end
    at Deismaar. For most of his career he wielded the Viper’s Eye.

    In the aftermath of Deismaar, the gemstone vanished for about 350 years
    before mysteriously appearing in the hands of a halfling thief fleeing
    from the Shadow World. The Viper’s Eye was seized by gnoll raiders who
    raided the halfling’s village. The gem was in turn claimed by forces
    from the lost city of Irbouda, which was then a rising empire.

    The Shahs of Irbouda held the stone for generations, where it was known
    as the “Lion’s Eye”, although the item was widely believed to carry a
    curse of death and destruction. In fact after the fall of Irbouda
    refugees carried it into nearby Sefra. Sefra fell in 1075 HC, pillaged
    by a Vos army. The gemstone travelled north to Medeci, but in 1198 HC,
    that realm was ruined as well. Again, survivors - in this case a Medecan
    noble-women named Eleida - carried the gemstone to a new land, this time
    the state of Djira. In 1396 HC, the Sultanate of Djira was cast down by
    strife and invasion. By now any sage familiar with the old “Lion’s Eye”
    of ancient Irbouda regarded its appearance as an omen of the most dire
    and inescapable sort.

    The power’s of the Viper’s Eye have only been hinted at in legend, the
    last person to use it was Atar the Lost, more than 1500 years ago."

    Powers.
    * The ability to summon, bind and dismiss outer planar creatures [1/day]
    as well as a knowledge of any creature previously summoned (including
    their names if any).

    * The ability to scry out any person the user is interested in finding
    [at will]

    * Provides an extra five levels to any Magic User (including Magicians
    and Sorcerers) or Priest while they wear the Eye [constant].

    * Can capture up to 45 levels of spells that are either cast at the Gem
    or at the Caster. These spells can be released at the User’s whim. If
    the level of a spell that would be absorbed exceeds the number of
    available levels in the Eye, then instead the Eye instead provides the
    user with Magic Resistance of 75%, reflecting any attack spell back on
    its caster 25% of the time [constant].

    * Provides instant knowledge of any Necromancy Spell (both Priest and
    Wizard. Where two spells have the same effect but are of different
    levels (eg. Animate Dead) use the lower level [constant]. This knowledge
    allows the user to cast any Necromantic spell [1/day] without needing to
    memorise it.

    * Exert control over any reptile (save at -4), including dragons. Snakes
    and other serpentine creatures save at -8. Intelligent reptiles (eg.
    dragons) get to add their magical defence adjustment to their save [at
    will].

    * Provide the turning (or controlling) abilities of a priest of five
    levels higher. A priest who uses the eye gains ten levels in turning
    attempts and can attempt to turn or control creatures that are normally
    immune (eg. dracoliches) [constant].

    * Provides the User with the resistances of an undead creature (eg.
    sleep, charm and hold etc.) [constant] .

    * Can be used to open a permanent portal to the Shadow World once every
    thousand years when the moon completely eclipses the sun and the Comet
    of Azrai (an omen of evil) passes across the silhouetted moon. This is
    always heralded by 10 days and nights of the sky raining blood. The
    portal can be opened by placing the Eye in the socket of a gateway in
    the Castle of Gorgoroth in the Battlefens of Vosgaard. The portal can be
    opened temporarily without the Eye by conducting the ritual of opening,
    however only the Eyes presence can make it permanent If the ritual is
    interrupted then the portal cannot be opened even with the gemstone.

    * Can summon an Undead Legion which will exist without his continued
    presence (as the Priest Realm Spell rather than the Wizard Realm Spell)
    [1/month]

    * The User becomes Immortal and can only be killed through violence
    [constant].

    Curses.
    The Eye also carries some curses.

    * When the user of the eye does not do all in his power to spread
    corruptions and cause strife in the world then the Eye will bring about
    his downfall so as to move onto a better User, ie. a King must make war
    on his neighbours or his own kingdom will fall.

    * The user is inflicted with a strange form of Lycanthropy that
    transforms him into a reptilian, wolf-like beast on the night of the new
    moon. This power can be controlled and released at other times. In this
    form the User is still capable of using spells and other powers but must
    make an INT check at -6 to do so due to the overwhelming blood lust. In
    this form the Users attacks increase to 3 every round and his STR
    increases to 19 as does his CON. His CHA drops to 3. His 2 claw attacks
    do 1d6+STR damage and inject a lethal poison (save vs. poison. or be
    immobilised with pain and die in 1d20 rounds). The bite attack inflicts
    2d6+STR and injects the same poison. Each time this power/curse
    activates the user must make a INT check to remember to return to his
    own form.

    * The User gains an Azrai bloodline if he doesn’t have one risking
    transformation into an Awnshegh (the reptilian wolf creature described
    above). If the user already has a bloodline it is corrupted. If it is an
    Azrai bloodline it gains 25 points.

    * The User has a 50% chance of draining the power from any other magical
    items that he uses - except those made by him that are attuned
    specifically for the User. Any other’s risk draining. Other artifacts
    are immune to this.

    * The User becomes sensitive to sunlight and is at -2 to all actions in
    sunlight. This is reduced to -1 in cloudy conditions. The User also
    takes damage from sunlight (1d6 damage every hour of sunlight that the
    User is exposed to). In total darkness the User regenerates 2 hp per
    round.

    - -- Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel,

    Phil.

  2. #2
    Jim Cooper
    Guest

    The Viper`s Eye

    Philip Burge wrote:
    > This is an extremely powerful artifact - it should be used with extreme caution. <

    One word:

    Whoa.

    Cheers,
    Darren

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