BOOK OF ARTIFACTS
INTRODUCTION
This artifact is also known as the Alchemist’s Apparatus, but among sages Apparatus is the most used form. This artifact must not be confused with the Apparatus of Kwalish, because the last one is not an artifact at all, it’s nothing more than a wondrous item. According to the tales and sages’s research, the Apparatus comes from the demiplane of Ravenloft, as well as its creator. The flavour of this artifact wants to be Gothic, made of pumps, pipes, strange liquids and dark colors. The Apparatus requires lighting in order to function.
WHAT DOES THE APPARATUS DO?
The Apparatus basically plays with creatures’ bodies and their minds. It possesses three main functions, all of them very dangerous, evil and invasive.
Transpossession
The Apparatus exchanges the minds between two bodies, in this way all mental attributes and abilities are completely transferred. Technically speaking, wisdom, intelligence and eventually charisma, spell casting abilities, knowledge, memories and so on.
Soul-splitting
As the title suggests, you split one’s personality into two opposite personalities. The splitting creates an opposition in the good/evil or law/chaos axis, or if you don’t employ alignment in your game session you can design a proper personality. Both creatures are physically similar and share the same mental and physical attributes, except for their morality and ethic, which are opposed. We assume that the Apparatus creates a whole new body or, if you prefer, the original body is destroyed and two new bodies emerge. Now, depending on your personal tastes you may decide that the magical copy of the creature is not like the original one. You can state, for example, that the copy possesses a detectable aura. Whatever will be your decision, if you play low magic campaigns or Cthulhu style adventures, the biological aspect is more important than the magical aspect.
Soul-Fusing
This procedure reverses the process of soul-splitting, if desired. The Apparatus can merge two minds coming from two different creatures. Only one creature will be the host, thus leaving behind an empty and soulless(?) mindless(?) body. Again, the Book of Artifacts doesn’t provide indications about the body deprived of its mind…or soul. We’ll see in detail this aspect in the next sub-section – “Soul or Mind?”, because it has interesting roleplaying implications.
Don’t give up!
So, you now have two personalities inside one body. A real mess! Needless to say that both will have to compete in order to gain control of their body. An interesting situation for your roleplaying!
Soul or Mind?
The description you read on the Book of Artifacts employs the words soul and mind as if they were the same thing. It probably doesn’t want to make it too complicated. You can eventually consider both as the same thing and thus skip this sub-section. However, if both words exist in the vocabulary, there must be a reason.
The reason is they are two different concepts.
So we must make a decision here, to fill the hole left by the authors. I am not going to describe what could happen if the Apparatus powers work on mind or souls. I’ll just assume that the apparatus works on minds, and then I’ll ask myself…
What happens to the soul?
I assume the Apparatus is an invasive and destructive artifact, more evil than good. Let’s say that the body’s soul, once deprived of its mind, dies by an unnatural process. So, we have to deal with a soul and an “empty” body, both created by the exotic magic of a powerful artifact. We have the chance to create two new creatures to add to our bestiary. Something new for our campaign. We’ll call them Apparatus’s Wraith and Apparatus’s Zombie. Now, we have answered what the Apparatus does, it’s time to discover…
WHERE DOES THE APPARATUS COME FROM?
As we said, the Apparatus originated in the Demiplane known as Ravenloft.
However, the artifact disappeared long time ago, and since then it has wandered the planes, reappearing in many places without an apparent reason. The Book of Artifacts does not specify how the Apparatus reappears, it just states that sometimes it comes back already assembled and operational, other times someone retrieves the instructions to rebuild it. I prefer to think that the Apparatus (or its instructions) appears in a specific place at a specific time driven by dark powers related to the Ancient Gods. The true goals of these alien entities are inscrutable and unknown to me…
.Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a fictional place, a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate dimension, also called a “pocket dimension”, consisting of a collection of land pieces called “domains”, brought together by a mysterious force known only as “the Dark Powers”. Each domain is mystically ruled by a being called a “Darklord”. The Darklords are villains of various sorts who are confined to their domains by the Dark Powers and often have little or no knowledge of each other. Some of the domains are based on existing fictional worlds, while others are original creations of the game designers.
Ancient Gods
The Ancient Gods are a group of powerful and mysterious beings that are worshipped by some cults and factions in various settings and genres. They are often associated with cosmic horror, madness, and forbidden knowledge. Some of the most famous examples of Ancient Gods are Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth, and Azathoth from the works of H.P. Lovecraft and his followers.
THE ARTIFACT’S CURSE
Honestly, the curse described in the Book of Artifacts is quite disappointing. It states that the user may be struck with an incurable madness or teleported to the realm of Ravenloft. Nothing special indeed, but nonetheless dangerous, very dangerous. We need to make some significant changes to this detail, especially if you don’t care about Ravenloft as an option for your adventures and campaigns.
What do you think of the curse described in the Book of Artifacts? Do you agree that it is disappointing and needs some changes? Or do you think that it is fine as it is and fits the theme of the artifact?
I have some ideas on how to change the curse to make it more special and dangerous. For example, I think that the madness caused by the Apparatus should be related to the functions of the artifact, such as transpossession, soul-splitting, or soul-fusing. Maybe the user could experience some of the effects of these functions on themselves or others, such as switching minds with a random creature, splitting into two opposite personalities, or fusing with another mind. These effects could be temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the curse.
As for the teleportation to Ravenloft, I think that it could be replaced by a teleportation to another plane or dimension that is related to the Ancient Gods. Maybe the user could be transported to a place where they encounter some of the horrors and mysteries of these alien entities, such as the Abyss, the Far Realm, the Dreamlands, etc. These places could be dangerous and terrifying, but also offer some opportunities for exploration and discovery.
ADVENTURE IDEAS
The Apparatus is a very interesting and creative artifact that can have many effects on the creatures that use it. It can also be a great plot device for your roleplaying game, as it can create many conflicts, mysteries, and challenges for the players and the characters. Here are some of my adventure ideas:
- The players are hired by a mysterious patron to find and retrieve the Apparatus from a hidden location. However, they are not the only ones who are looking for it. A rival faction, a cult, or a mad scientist also wants to get their hands on the artifact and use it for their own purposes. The players have to race against time and enemies to find the Apparatus before it falls into the wrong hands.
- The players encounter a strange creature that has been affected by the Apparatus’s functions, such as a transpossessed, soul-split, or soul-fused creature. The creature may be hostile, friendly, or confused, depending on its personality and situation. The players have to decide whether to help, fight, or avoid the creature, and whether to investigate the origin and the effects of the Apparatus.
- The players are victims of the Apparatus’s curse, either by accident or by design. They may be struck with an incurable madness or teleported to another plane or dimension that is related to the Ancient Gods. They have to find a way to cure themselves or return to their original plane, while facing the horrors and mysteries of the Apparatus and its powers.
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