Talisman of Reluctant Wishes

Description

A talisman of reluctant wishes appears the same as a stone of controlling earth elementals, a rugged rock that seems to pulse with an inner power. Its powers are quite different, however, and are dependent on the Charisma of the holder. Any character touching a talisman of reluctant wishes must make a DC 15 Charisma check.

If the check fails, the talisman acts as a stone of weight (see page 543 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook). Discarding it results in 5d6 points of damage to the character and the disappearance of the talisman.

If the check succeeds, the talisman remains with the character for 5d6 hours, or until a wish is made with it, whichever comes first. It then disappears.

If the check roll is a natural 20, the talisman remains for a number of months equal to the character’s Charisma score, resisting any effort to get rid of it by reappearing in the character’s possession, in a back pocket, at the bottom of his pack, or the like.

The artifact grants one wish for every 6 points of the character’s Charisma (round down). It grows warm and throbs whenever its possessor comes within 20 feet of a mechanical or magic trap. (If the talisman is not held, its warning heat and pulses are of no avail.) Regardless of which reaction results, a talisman of reluctant wishes disappears when its time expires, leaving behind a large diamond in its stead, valued at 1,000 gp per point of the character’s Charisma.

Table 7–13:Knucklebone of Fickle Fate d20 Rune Name Effect 1 Eya-Doh The character gains 1 permanent negative level.

2 Bvu The character is subject to a powerful compulsion never to roll the knucklebone of fickle fortune again. He can shake this compulsion only by succeeding a DC 25 Will saving throw. He can only attempt this saving throw once a day.

3 Eij The character is affected by a harm spell (caster level 15th). 4 Hor The character is subject to a powerful compulsion to roll the knucklebone three more times immediately (Will DC 25 negates). All three of these rolls are made with a –5 penalty on the knucklebone’s die roll (minimum 1).

5 Veh The character is blinded as with blindness/deafness (no saving throw). 6 Chu The character takes 5d10 points of cold damage (DC 25 Fort save for half) and moves at half speed for the next hour (a successful saving throw does not negate the reduced speed). Roh For the next 24 hours, the character suffers a –2 penalty on all skill and ability checks. 8 Seh The character is paralyzed for 2d12 hours, as with hold monster, except he cannot attempt new saving throws to overcome the effect.

9 Kog For the next week, the character emits a horrible smell. He suffers a –4 penalty on Diplomacy and Stealth checks. 10 Vis Once, during the next 24 hours, the character can reroll a single die roll he has just made and take the second result, as if using the good fortune ability from the Luck domain. 11 Fyeh The character gains 100 points of fire immunity, as if using protection from energy. 12 Xal The character gains the benefits of a heroism spell for the next 200 minutes. 13 Yaq For the next 24 hours, when the character hits a target he is flanking with a melee weapon, the attack does +1d6 points of precision damage.

14 Gib Once in the next 24 hours, the character can cast faerie fire (caster level equal to his character level). This ability is lost if the character rolls this result again with the knucklebone of fickle fortune before the 24 hours is concluded.

15 Xku The character is immune to fear for the next 24 hours. 16 Lev Once in the next 24 hours, the character can cast a lightning bolt (caster level equal to his character level). This ability is lost if the character rolls this result again with the knucklebone of fickle fortune before the 24 hours is concluded.

17 Nhi For the next 7 days, when the character is the target of healing magic, he heals an additional 2d8 hit points. This effect is lost if the character rolls the knucklebone of fickle fortune again before the 7 days are concluded. 18 Zmi For the next 24 hours, whenever the character succeeds on a saving throw against a harmful effect that does half damage or partial effect on a failed save, the knucklebone’s character takes no damage or suffers no effect. 19 Tem For the next 24 hours, the character automatically confirms all critical hits. 20 Eha-Zah The next time the character dies, he comes back from the dead the very next morning as if the subject of a resurrection spell. This effect is negated if the character rolls the knucklebone of fickle fortune again before he dies. Destruction A talisman of reluctant wishes can be destroyed by wishing it so, using either one of the stone’s wishes or a wish spell from another source. The stone then explodes, causing 5d6 points of damage to the holder.

Major Artifacts Major artifacts are unique items—only one of each such item exists, and the creation of them is beyond all mortal means.