Shadow Belt (Magic Belt)

Created by the fiend ruler Orcus, the shadow belt is known in the legends of a hundred planes of existence—though thankfully not on the Prime Material Plane. Orcus has subtly engineered its frequent disappearances and rediscoveries, partly as a way to test likely candidates for Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy.
Durhan is the latest candidate; he has already failed his test. Durhan lacks the self-awareness necessary for Immortals. His invasion of Trann endangered the entire realm of Eloysia. Even if he is aware of this, he cares not—Durhan is crazed with a lust for power.
A simple leather belt with an iron buckle, it has a gray, leather strap that fits over one shoulder and crosses the chest like a baldric. The belt changes size to fit any wearer.
Carved on the belt and strap are disc-shaped symbols. When the wearer touches a symbol and concentrates, a gold skullcap appears, attached to the belt by an infinitely extendable gold wire. The belt can produce up to 500 of these caps, which are used for its power drain ability.
Suggested Powers
* Lightning bolt
* Mass charm
* Power drain (see below)
* Clairvoyance
* Levitate
* Immunity
The shadow belt is activated when a user puts it on. The belt extends countless, hair-thin filaments that grow through clothing or leather armor and into the wearer's skin—literally melding to the host's body. The filaments cannot grow through metal armor, and the belt does not activate until the filaments have grown into the host's body. Thereafter, the belt can't be removed until the host dies or reaches Immortality.
Knowledge of the belt's powers is acquired when the belt is activated. Each power is triggered by mental command alone and does not require continued concentration.
The power drain ability is unique to the shadow belt. Unlike most artifacts, it does not regenerate power itself. Instead, it leeches power from other beings or its host to regain power. A victim must be willing or charmed, and a gold cap and wire from the belt must touch the victim's body.
The belt regains one spell level per day for each level of the victim. (Normal people count as 1st level for this purpose.) A victim is drained of vitality while wearing the cap and can take no action. The helpless victim may suffer from lack of food or sleep while being drained, but is otherwise unharmed once the cap is removed.
Suggested Handicaps: When first used, alignment changes to a chaotic bent. After that, the wearer grows Id4 inches a day. Maximum height is three times normal, and the body becomes horribly distorted at large sizes. No damage (except unceasing agony) while belt is worn; when removed, the victim shrinks to normal size, taking 1d6 damage per foot shrunk.
Suggested Penalty: While any power is used, a heavy storm arises, centered on the user and continues while the power effect lasts.
Durhan, the current user of the shadow belt, is wired into 500 wizards of 1st to 21st level. These wizards have been kidnapped from all over Eloysia. Their energy gives Durhan an effectively infinite amount of power to spend.
While wearing the shadow belt, Durhan is immune to all 1st- through 4th-level spells, charms, mental control, and poison, and to all spells that cause instant destruction. Durhan was a 36th-level wizard before donning the shadow belt; with it, he can cast any and all wizard spells at any level, repeatedly and without limitation. The sole exception are wish spells, which were intentionally placed beyond the power of the shadow belt by Orcus. (Druid and priestal spells cannot be cast with this artifact).
Nonattack spells can be amplified in effect by the belt. For example, a vastly increased telekinesis spell allowed Durhan to remove Solius from Trann. Other possible effects are as follows:
* Walls of stone, ice, fire, or iron can be constructed of indefinite size.
* Polmorphing large numbers of objects at once is possible (for instance, meteors of a meteor swarm cast against Durhan can be altered).
* Monsters of 20+ HD can be created via a create monster spell.
These amplified spells cannot directly affect an enemy. Attack spells have their usual effects. For example, a fireball from the shadow belt never does more than 20d6 hp damage.
The unpleasant side effects of wearing this artifact are obvious—Durhan's huge, distended form is clearly painful.
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Belt
Category:Magic Armors