1 The Beyond Heroes Roleplaying Game Book XXIV: The Book of Artifacts Writing and Design: Marco Ferraro The Book of Artifacts Copyright © 2020 Marco Ferraro All Rights Reserved This is meant as an amateur free fan production. Absolutely no money is generated from it. Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. © 2019 Wizards. All Rights Reserved. Beyond Heroes is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Contents Foreword 3 Buying Magical Items 3 Magic; rare or common? 4 Researching Magical Items 4 The Nature of Magical Fabrication 5 Scrolls and Potions 7 Creating other magical items 10 Recharging Magical Items 12 Destroying Magical Items 13 Artifacts and Relics 13 Magic Item Quick Roll Table 18 Arcane Artifact Quick Roll Table 22 Arcane Vehicle Quick Roll Table 24 Arcane Architecture Quick Roll Table 28 Mystical Materials 33 Future Materials 37 Normal Materials 37 Modern Armour 40 Materials from other universes 40 Armour Materials Table 47 Beyond Heroes Artifacts 51 DC Universe Artifacts 59 Marvel Universe Artifacts 93 Artifacts from other Comic Universes’ 119 Moorcock Artifacts 125 Dungeons and Dragons Artifacts 131 Folklore Artifacts 137 2 Intelligent creatures, on the other hand, Foreword tend to value magical items above other The Beyond Heroes Role Playing Game items of treasure. They recognize such is based on a heavily revised derivative items for what they are (unless the item version of the rules system from is very well disguised or unique) and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd take them. Knowing such items can be edition. It also makes extensive use of used to their benefit, they will attempt to the optional point buying system as learn the function of the item. A creature presented in the AD&D Player’s Option that can use an item will use it. Useful Skills and Powers book. My primary magical items that are part of treasure goal was to make this system usable in will therefore be in the creature's hands, any setting, from fantasy to pulp to not hidden away. superhero to science fiction. One of the most important types of treasure a character can earn is a magical 1. Buying Magical item. Not only does the item act as an immediate reward for good play, it iteMs increases the power and survivability of As player characters earn more money the character. Such items add to the and begin facing greater dangers, some wonder and romance of the game, of them will begin wondering where allowing the character to perform feats they can buy magical items. Using 20th- far beyond those of ordinary mortals. century, real-world economics, they will Rare indeed is the player character who figure there must be stores that buy and does not want the rewards of magical sell such goods. Naturally they will want items. to find and patronize such stores. However, no magical stores exist. Like other treasures, magical items may be found in the lairs of unintelligent and Before the GM goes rushing off to create intelligent monsters. Random encounters magical item shops, consider the player with unintelligent monsters shouldn't characters and their behavior. Just how yield magical items (except in rare cases often do player characters sell those where the beast has swallowed them). potions and scrolls they find? Cast in a After all, why (let alone how) would a sword +1? Unload a horn of blasting or a giant snake carry around a sword +1? ring of free action? Unintelligent creatures may have a few More often than not, player characters items in or near their lairs, the former save such items. Certainly they don't possessions of their victims. Even this give away one-use items. One can never will be rare, however. Such monsters have too many potions of healing or don't recognize the worth of magical scrolls with extra spells. Sooner or later items and seldom make a special effort the character might run out. Already to collect them. The comments relating have a sword +1? Maybe a henchman or to treasure and unintelligent creatures hireling could use such a weapon (and can be applied here. develop a greater respect for his master). Give up the only horn of blasting the party has? Not very likely at all. It is 3 reasonable to assume that if the player wide variety of interesting magical characters aren't giving up their goods, items, but there's the risk of creating an neither are any non-player characters. out-of-control Monty Haul situation. And if adventurers aren't selling their And a magic-rich world has finds, then there isn't enough trade in consequences unforeseen by most GMs. magical items to sustain such a business. If magic is common, then normal people Even if the characters do occasionally will begin to build inventions around it. sell a magical item, setting up a magic There may be djinni-powered steam shop is not a good idea. Where is the engines, crystal ball telecommunications sense of adventure in going into a store networks, and other very un-medieval and buying a sword +1? Haggling over results. This can be entertaining, but it the price of a wand? Player characters does drastically change the shape of the should feel like adventurers, not campaign world. The charm of merchants or greengrocers. Consider this discovering a magical item is lost if as well: If a wizard or priest can buy any everyone has one, but too few magical item he needs, why should he waste time items can also ruin a game. attempting to make the item himself? This is especially true at higher levels Magical item research is an important where magic is so important to character role-playing element in the game, and survival. You don't want to kill half the opening a magic emporium kills it. party just so the survivors can be excited There is a far different sense of pride on at discovering a sword +1. The GM the player's part when using a wand his wants each magical treasure, no matter character has made, or found after how small, to feel special, but at the perilous adventure, as opposed to one he same time he must be able to balance the just bought. pain of its acquisition against the reward. This is not a thing the GM can learn Finally, buying and trading magic through formulae or tables. It takes time presumes a large number of magical and judgment. items in the society. This lessens the GM's control over the whole business. Logically-minded players will point out the inconsistency of a well-stocked 3. researching magic shop in a campaign otherwise sparse in such rewards. Magical iteMs One of the abilities shared by the wizard and priest groups is their ability to construct magical items. This is a potent 2. Magic-rare or ability, but it is not one easily used. As GM you do not want your player coMMon? characters constructing every magical One of the things the GM decides is just item available. Each one should be an how common magic is in his campaign. accomplishment and the springboard for Is the world rich in magical items such a new adventure. The wizard's ability to that every lowly fighter has access to at research items is divided into different least a sword +1? Players enjoy having a phases. Although a wizard can cast a 4 magic missile at 1st level, he cannot spells to call upon greater powers. Even transcribe that spell onto a scroll until he after learning what he must do, the reaches 9th level. The same is true of spellcaster may have to do further brewing potions. research to learn the techniques required for each step. Only when he reaches 11th level can a wizard attempt to create other magical All of this will cost the character time items. Even then he may not be able to and money, so his dedication and create many items if he lacks the ability resources must be substantial if he hopes to cast the necessary spells.The priest to succeed. The process of gathering the can begin creating scrolls at 7th level needed information and materials is a and can brew a few potions (mainly grand excuse for one adventure after those involving healing) at 9th level. another. Making a magical item is more Clerics can fabricate only a few other than just a mechanical process. It should magical items and cannot attempt these also be an opportunity for excitement until they reach at least 11th level. As and role-playing. with the wizard, their ability even then may be limited by the spells they have access to at the time. 4. the nature oF Creating a magical item is much like researching a new spell. The GM and the Magical player must cooperate and work together to bring about the desired goal. FaBrication However, there are differences.In There are two basic attitudes toward the magical item research, the desired goal making of magical items: The practical is usually well-known to both the player method and the fantastic method. and the GM. The player says, "Rupert wants to create a potion of The practical method says that magical clairaudience." item manufacture is somehow tied to common sense; the materials needed to The effect is known; what must be done make the item reflect the properties of to create it isn't.