ARTIFACTSOFTHE

AGES

Artifactshavebeenastapleoffantasyforas
longasthegenrehasexisted,andfourofthe
mostpotentD&Dartifactsspotlightthedeep
historyofthegameanditsworlds.
TheOneRingofTolkienandMichaelMoorcocks
Stormbringerarewellknownliteraryexamplesof
legendarymagicrelics,anddelvingbackintomyth
revealsMjolnir,Excalibur,theHideoftheNemean
Lion,theHallowsofIreland,andmanyothers.The
newfiftheditionDungeonMastersGuidetouches
uponfantasyartifactswithashortsectionthat
highlightssevenD&Dclassics:theAxeofthe
DwarvishLords,theBookofExaltedDeeds,theBook
ofVileDarkness,theEyeandHandofVecna,theOrb
ofDragonkind,theSwordofKas,andtheWandof
Orcus.Thosewhoknowthegameunderstandthat
thesepotentrelicsarepartofalongtradition.

D&DartifactsoriginatedinEldritchWizardry(thethird
supplementtotheoriginalDungeons&Dragons
game),releasedin1976.Thatbookfeaturedan
impressivelistoftwentytwooftheseuniqueand
powerfulmagicitems,includingfiveoftheartifacts
publishedinthecurrentDungeonMastersGuide.It
wasatruetroveofcreativitythatsenduredthroughout
thehistoryofthegame.Overtheyears,atleastafew
artifactstookthespotlightineacheditionof
theDungeonMastersGuide,fromAD&Din1979
throughtofifthedition.AD&Dsecondeditionfeatured
onlythreeartifactsinitsDungeonMastersGuide.
However,TSRmadeupforthatafewyearslater
withBookofArtifacts(1993)animpressivetome
thatprovidednotjustthemostcomprehensivelisting
ofartifacts(atfifty),butalsothedeepestlookattheir
histories.

Dependingonwhatworksarecountedasofficial,
D&Dsclassicartifactsfirstmadetheirwayinto
adventureseitherwhenFrankMentzerproduced
theDwarvenQuestfortheRodofSeven
PartstournamentadventuresfortheRPGA(1982)or
whenRogerE.MoorewroteTheDancingHut
forDragon83(March1984).Ayearlater,theMaceof
CuthbertappearedinTheCitybeyondtheGate,
writtenbyRobertSchroeckforDragon100(August
1985).Thingstookoffafterthat,andfourofthe
artifactsfeaturedinthe5eDungeonMasters
Guideappearedinadventurespublishedbetween
1985and1990.
THEORBSOFDRAGONKIND
LikemostofD&Dsclassicartifacts,theOrbsof
DragonkindpremieredinEldritchWizardry.That
supplementdetailedfivesuchorbs,fromtheweakOrb
oftheHatchlingtothepowerfulOrboftheEldest
Worm.Thoughthepowersoftheorbswereentirely
randominthatfirstiteration,theydidhaveone
draconictwist:imprisoneddragonspoweredthe
artifacts,andtheycouldcontrolunwarywielders.
Whentheorbsreturnedinthefirstedition
AD&DDungeonMastersGuide,theirnumber
increasedtoeight,explicitlytyingthemtotheeight
growthstagesthenrecognizedfordragons.

Theorbsbecamethefirstclassicartifactstoshowup
intheoriginalDragonlanceadventures,which
rechristenedthemasDragonOrbs.Krynnsorbswere
singularobjects,notbrokenupbyagegroups.They
werealsomoremalevolentthantheirgenerickin.
Thoughtheforcesofgoodwonadragonorb
inDragonsofIce(1985),authorsMargaretWeisand
TracyHickmanlaterretconnedthatseeminglygood
eventinDragonsoftheHighlordSkies(2007),
revealingitasatrapsetbythedragongodTakhisis.
ThetrueeviloftheKrynnishorbsbecameobvious
inDragonsofDreams(1985),whereanorbcauses
thenightmarishdestructionoftheentireelvencountry
ofSilvanesti.KrynnsDragonOrbswouldappearin
manylaterbooks,startingwithDragonlance
Adventuresin1987.

TheForgottenRealmsalludedtoitsownOrbsof
DraconicInfluenceinDraconomicon(1990).Then
RogerE.MoorerevealedthatFaernandKrynn
werenttheonlyworldswithorbvariantsinanarticle
calledTheOrbsofDragonkindinDragon230(June
1996).Asthatarticleputit,Magicalcreationsare
sometimesdevelopedinparalleltoasurprisingdegree
ofsimilarity.Oneofthemostfamouscasesofsuch
independentconvergenceofthoughtconcernsthe
OrbsofDragonkind,examplesofwhichhavebeen
recordedonnolessthansixdifferentworlds.That
articlealsopremieredGreyhawksOrbsof
Dragonkind.

Meanwhile,additionalgenericversionsoftheorbs
havecontinuedtoappearinthegamescore
rulebooks.BookofArtifacts(1993)hasoneofthe
mostinterestingvariants.Wherepreviousversionsof
thegamehadimaginedorbsseparatedbydraconic
age,theseorbsinsteadwereseparatedbywhatsort
ofdragontheyimprisoned.Thereweretwelveinall:
fivechromaticdragonorbs,fivemetallicdragonorbs,
oneclouddragonorb,andoneshadowdragonorb.A
similarapproachwasusedinthethird
editionDungeonMastersGuide,thefourthedition
supplementDraconomicon:ChromaticDragons,
andDragon394(December2010).Mostrecently,the
fiftheditionDungeonMastersGuidereworkedwhatis
essentiallyKrynnsDragonOrbasthestandardOrbof
Dragonkind.

THEWANDOFORCUS
NotonlydidtheWandofOrcuspremiereinEldritch
Wizardry,butsodidOrcushimself.Unlikemostofthe
artifactsinthatbook,thewandhadasetpower:a50
percentchanceofannihilatinganycreatureexceptthe
mostpowerfulentitieswithinthecosmologyofthe
game.

Orcuscametomoreprominenceinthewaningdaysof
firsteditionAD&D.TheBloodstonePassseriesof
adventuremodules(19851988)pittedcharacters
againstincreasinglydangerousvillainsintheservice
ofOrcus.ThatculminatedinTheThroneof
Bloodstone,whichfinallybroughttheWandof
Orcusonstageinanadventurebyhavingcharacters
traveltotheAbysstostealanddestroyit!

AlthoughitwassupposedtotakeOrcusacenturyto
rebuildhiswandafterward,thedesignersatTSR
clearlydidntwanttokeepagoodartifactdown.Bythe
timeofOrcusowndeath(firstalludedtoin
PlanescapesPlanesofChaosin1994),theWandof
Orcuswasback.ThewandandarebornOrcusthen
madetheirtriumphantreturninDeadGods(1997),
whichoncemoretaskedadventurerswithstealingthe
wandthistimefromadrowvaultonPandemonium.

OrcusandhisWandhavereappearedsincethenina
varietyofsourcebooks.Theirmostrecentspotlight
wasinthelinkedseriesofD&D4eadventuresthat
culminatedwithPrinceofUndeathin2009.Inthat
adventure,thecharactersmustfaceoffagainstOrcus
withhiswand.Iftheywin,theycanchoosetotakeon
thedestructionofthewandasafinaltask.

THEEYEANDHANDOFVECNA
TheEyeofVecnaandtheHandofVecnamightbe
D&Dsickiestartifacts.AsdescribedinEldritch
Wizardry,thesearethebodypartsofanancientlich
thatcanbeattachedtoanadventurersbodyifthe
charactersownhandoreyearefirstcutofforplucked
out!Despite(orperhapsbecauseof)theirdarknature,
theEyeandHandofVecnahaveproventobeD&Ds
mostpopularartifacts.Fromfirsteditionthroughfifth
edition,theyaretheonlyartifactstoappearin
everyDungeonMastersGuide.

ThepopularityofVecnasbodypartsledtointerestin
Vecnahimself,whobegantorisetotheforeofD&D
loreinthesecondeditionera(19892000).David
ZebCookbeganrevealingthelichsstoryinthe
2eDungeonMastersGuideandBookofArtifacts.He
alsomadeVecnathefocusofthemajorGreyhawk
adventureVecnaLives!(1990).Asthetitlereveals,
thelegendarylichisstillaroundandnowa
troublesomedemigodintheworldofOerth.Vecna
Lives!wasthefirstbooktobringtheEyeandHandof
Vecnadirectlyintoanadventure.

ThecharactersprobablydefeatVecnaattheend
ofVecnaLives!,butitwasnttheendforhiminthe
worldofD&D.HeendedupinRavenloftinthe
adventureVecnaReborn(1998),thenwasamajor
forceinadventure,DieVecnaDie!(2000).Inwhat
wouldultimatelybeoneofthelastadventures
publishedforAD&D,DieVecnaDie!offered
charactersanotherchancetoclaimthelichs
legendaryartifacts.
Roleplayershavelongwonderedifanyotherof
Vecnasbodypartswerestillaround.Thiseventually
resultedinalegendaryjokeingamingcirclesabout
theHeadofVecna,whichwouldgivegreatpowertoa
characterwhoseownheadwascutofffirst.DieVecna
Die!actuallyfeaturedthehead(afakeartifact,
naturally),withinstructionsfortheDMtoavoid
laughingifthecharacterscuttheirownheadsoffinan
attempttoclaimit.Italsopresentedanumberofother
lesserknownVecnanrelics,includingthelichs
scalp,foot,heart,andteeth.Morerecently,Wizardsof
theCoastreleasedashortAprilFools
adventureabouttheHeadofVecnain2007.

SincethirdeditionD&D,Vecnahasbeenupgradedto
alessergod.However,hisartifactsremainapowerful
andoftensoughtpartofthegame.

THESWORDOFKAS
ConnectedtotherelicsofVecnaisanotherartifactof
historicalimport:theSwordofKas.Thoughnotas
popularastheVecnarelics,itcanalsobefound
acrossalleditionsofthegamefrom1976tothe
presentinEldritchWizardry,the1eDungeon
MastersGuide,the2eBookofArtifacts,the
3eDungeonMastersGuide,the4esupplementOpen
Grave:SecretsoftheUndead,andthe5eDungeon
MastersGuide.

TheSwordofKasprobablynamedafterTSR
publicationseditorTimKaskwastheweaponof
VecnasbodyguardKas,describedasthemightiest
swordsmanofhisage.ThefullhistoryofKasandhis
bladewasrevealedinVecnaLives!,whichdescribed
howVecnacraftedthesword.Unfortunately,the
weaponwasevilandeventuallyseducedKasinto
killinghislord.Dependingonwhatsourceyouprefer,
KasdestroyedVecnatoleaveonlythelichshandand
eyebehind,orheattackedVecnaandtorethosebody
partsfromhimwithhisblade.

VecnaLives!gavecharacterstheopportunitytogain
theSwordofKasandtofightKashimself,nowa
powerfulvampire.Unsurprisingly,theSwordof
KasmadeareturnappearanceintheapocalypticDie
VecnaDie!,asdiditsmastersortof.The
deathknightKaswhoappearsinthatadventureis
actuallyanimposter,convincedofhisidentitybya
fakeversionoftheartifactsword.

Becauseofitshistory,theSwordofKashasoften
beenespeciallypowerfulagainstVecnaandhis
minionsandthatstrueagaininfiftheditionD&D.
PASTANDFUTURE
Afewmoreclassicartifactsappearedinthe
adventuresofthe1990s,includingatrioofnotable
adventuresnamedfortheirartifacts:TheDancingHut
ofBabaYaga(1995),TheRodofSeven
Parts(1996),andAxeoftheDwarvishLords(1999).
Inrecentyears,artifactshaveseenlessdevelopment,
thoughsomehavelenttheirnamestosourcebooks
suchasBookofVileDarkness(forboththirdedition
andfourthedition),BookofExaltedDeeds,
andDemonomicon.ButDMswhowanttoinclude
artifactsinadventuresoftheirownneedlookno
furtherthanthenewDungeonMastersGuide,which
hassevenofthegamesmostlegendaryartifacts
readytoplay,andwhichprovidesrulesforcreating
more.

AbouttheAuthor

ShannonAppelclinehasbeenroleplayingsincehis
dadtaughthimBasicD&Dintheearly80s.Hesthe
editorinchiefofRPGnetandtheauthorofDesigners
&Dragons,afourvolumehistoryoftheroleplaying
industrytoldonecompanyatatime.