Necro-Fancy Items
For today’s Magic Market, we have a trio of very rare and powerful necromantic magic items, all of which are closely linked. Included are a suit of armor, a ring, and a rod, and they are all quite rare and powerful. According to rumor, only 13 sets of these items were ever made, and they each belonged to a powerful lich. Some legends say that the liches were members of a shadowy council of undead overlords, others that they were generals in the army of an even greater evil. Whatever the case, their regalia remain, and occasionally cause a great deal of chaos and terror when they fall into the wrong hands.
LICH LORD’S PLATE PRICE 74,200 gp
Slot armor; CL 9th; Weight 15 lbs.
Aura moderate necromancy
These +5 mithral breastplates are plated with a dull black metal, which reflects no light, and almost appears as though it were made of pure darkness. Each bears a large engraved skull on the front of the breastplate, as well as engraved skulls on each shoulder. Specifically designed for necromancers, the arcane spell failure chance for a lich lord’s plate is only 10%, and this is reduced to 0% for necromancy spells. Additionally, if the wearer is undead, he gains channel resistance equal to the armor’s enhancement bonus, and suffers only half damage from any sources of positive energy. If the wearer is not undead, he instead gains immunity to death effects, diseases, paralysis, poison, sleep, and stun, as well as ability drain and energy drain.
Some of a lich lord’s plate’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +8-equivalent suit of armor for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, undead anatomy II
RING OF THE LICH LORD PRICE 200,000 gp
Slot ring; CL 16th; Weight —
Aura strong necromancy
These potent rings are made of a dull black metal that reflects no light, and are engraved with the image of a skull, with tiny sapphires set in its eyes. In addition to serving as a ring of protection +5, each ring of the lich lord grants its bearer a +1 insight bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. But the most prized ability of a ring of the lich lord is its ability to store the wearer’s soul in a manner somewhat similar to a lich’s phylactery.
If the ring’s wearer dies, his soul is held by the ring, as though he were affected by a magic jar spell, with the ring serving as the spell’s focus. This effect lasts indefinitely. As long as a soul is held in the ring in this way, the sapphire that serves as its right eye glows with a faint inner light. As with magic jar, any soul held in the ring in this way can sense nearby life forces and attempt to possess them. Any creature possessed in this way has its soul stored in the sapphire that serves as the ring’s left eye, which glows for the duration of the possession. While the magic jar spell that allows the soul to remain in the ring lasts indefinitely, each time it uses the magic jar effect to possess a creature, the possession ends automatically after 8 hours, at which point the spirit returns to the gem in the ring’s right eye. The spirit stored in the ring can attempt to possess creatures at will, but if a creature succeeds on its saving throw to resist being possessed, it is immune to this ability for 24 hours.
A dispel magic spell cast on the ring of the lich lord releases the spirit held within it, sending them to their normal afterlife. If the ring is worn while a spirit is stored within it, then if the wearer dies, her soul is not stored, and the previous soul remains in the ring.
Forge Ring, eagle's splendor, fox's cunning, magic jar, owl's wisdom, shield of faith
ROD OF THE LICH LORD PRICE 110,000 gp
Slot none; CL 11th; Weight 5 lbs.
Aura moderate necromancy
These rods are made of wrought iron, which has been blackened until it seems that they are made of pure darkness. Their heads are engraved in the shape of laughing black skulls, with emeralds set in the eye sockets, and their handles are covered in twisting runic patterns which glow with eerie green light when the rod is used.
A rod of the lich lord functions as a +2 vicious mace, and once per day, as a swift action, the wielder can infuse the rod with necromantic energy. If he does, then the next time the rod hits a living creature, that creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 17) or be paralyzed for 1d10 minutes. If the rod does not successfully hit a creature before the wielder’s next turn, this ability is wasted.
Additionally, the wielder can cast animate dead as a spell-like ability three times per day, and create undead as a spell-like ability once per day. Further, the wielder gains the Command Undead feat for as long as the rod remains in his possession, and the rod’s wielder can channel negative energy three times per day, using his Hit Dice or CR (whichever is lower) as his cleric level, and using his own Charisma modifier.
Craft Rod, animate dead, create undead, ghoul touch