Deplorable Arrangement (Boisselot's Box)

== Deplorable Arrangement (Boisselot's Box) ==
Item Level: 20
Price: Priceless
Bulk: 1
Category: Legendary Artifact
Usage: Held in 1 hand
=== Description: ===
Deplorable Arrangement, also known as Boisselot's Box, is a demonic lock puzzle or puzzle box created by the infamous necromancer Paulin Boisselot. This intricate mechanical device is not just a puzzle but a mystical key that opens a doorway to other dimensions or planes of existence. The box is adorned with intricate carvings and symbols of dark origin, exuding an aura of foreboding power.
=== Activation: ===
To activate Boisselot's Box, a character must attempt to solve the puzzle. Solving the puzzle requires a series of skill checks and a bit of luck. The difficulty and consequences are high, reflecting the nature of the artifact.
# Skill Checks:
#* Thievery or Crafting (Master): DC 40
#* Occultism or Arcana (Master): DC 40
#* Perception (Master): DC 40 Each skill check represents a step in solving the puzzle. Failing a check by 10 or more triggers a trap, inflicting 10d6 negative energy damage and bestowing the doomed 1 condition until the character completes a long rest.
# Luck Roll (D20):
#* 1-10: The puzzle remains unsolved.
#* 11-15: The puzzle shifts, and the character must make another set of skill checks.
#* 16-19: The puzzle is nearly solved; the character must succeed at one final skill check (DC 40).
#* Natural 20: The puzzle is solved instantly.
=== Upon Solving the Puzzle: ===
When Boisselot's Box is solved, it creates a bridge, or "Schism," through which beings may travel in either direction. The effects of solving the puzzle are determined by rolling a D20:
# Natural 1: A powerful demonic entity crosses into the material plane, attacking the solver and anyone nearby.
# 2-5: Lesser demonic creatures spill through the Schism, causing chaos in the immediate area.
# 6-10: The Schism opens briefly, allowing communication with the other side but no physical travel.
# 11-15: The Schism opens, allowing safe passage to and from the other dimension for 1 hour.
# 16-19: The Schism remains open for 24 hours, allowing unrestricted travel.
# Natural 20: The solver gains control over the Schism, allowing them to open and close it at will for the next 7 days. Additionally, they can summon and command a demonic creature of CR equal to their level +2 once per day during this period.
=== Effects of Travel Through the Schism: ===
Traveling through the Schism can be perilous. Those who cross into the other dimension must make a Fortitude save (DC 40) upon entry and exit. Failure results in being afflicted by a powerful curse (GM's discretion) or gaining a permanent mutation or deformity reflective of the demonic realm.
=== Destruction: ===
Deplorable Arrangement can only be destroyed by solving the puzzle and then willingly entering the Schism to dismantle it from within. This requires an additional set of skill checks (DC 45) while facing continuous attacks from demonic entities. Success collapses the Schism and destroys the box permanently, while failure results in the solver being trapped in the other dimension forever.
=== Lore: ===
Paulin Boisselot, the creator of this dreaded artifact, was a necromancer obsessed with the boundaries between realms. His magnum opus, Boisselot's Box, was designed to pierce the veil between dimensions, allowing him to tap into otherworldly powers. Legends speak of those who solved the puzzle only to unleash horrors upon their world, while a few gained knowledge and power beyond imagining. The box remains a symbol of both ultimate challenge and ultimate peril, a testament to Boisselot's dark genius.