Bone Artifacts

**The Bone Artifacts** are a series of artifacts that grant their bearers great power, though often not without a cost. Each member of the Main Party wields at least one such artifact that bolsters their abilities.

## Bone Artifacts

### Bone Dice

**The Bone Dice** are an artifact wielded by Saber. They are covered in intricate, yet unintelligible carvings.

When rolled for the first time each day, they grant their bearer a boon in one respect at the expense of a penalty in another. The strength of this boon and the respective penalty increases with each successive day the dice are rolled, along with the willpower required to prevent oneself from rolling them. Attempting to reroll the dice on a day they have already been rolled results in them always coming up with the same result, no matter what is done to try to alter this result.

When the dice are rolled a total of ten consecutive days, they begin to grant a second boon as well as a second penalty.

### Bone Gauntlets

**The Bone Gauntlets** are an artifact wielded by Silvius Dainsleif. Despite the fact that they are carved from bone, they are surprisingly flexible. They are engraved with a number of necromantic sigils that are only visible upon closer inspection.

Willing undead under the control of the wearer may be stored inside the gauntlet. This does not function for Fane, Liches, or similar creatures. Additionally, the gauntlets allow the ability to sculpt bone at will, as though using the Wood Shape spell.

The gauntlets may be used to reduce the cost to animate skeletal undead by 50%, or to reduce the cost of skeletal undead with templates by 25%. However, using them to do so requires great reflexes. Failure to correctly move one's hands in the requisite nimble gestures will cause the gloves to crush-and drain blood from-the hands of the wearer, causing dexterity drain.

### Bone Handguard

**The Bone Handguard** is an artifact wielded by Saber. On its own, it appears to be an unexceptional handle with two square slots; however, when the Bone Dice are inserted into these slots, they fade into the bone and give the handguard power. The dice may be removed once more, but this renders the handguard inoperable for a number of weeks, even if the dice are reinserted.

When the handguard is pressed against a weapon, the bone flows over it and replaces the existing handguard, appearing in its original style with added skeletal motifs. The handguard grants a Paladin or Antipaladin who wields a weapon attuned to it the ability to use the type of Divine Bond or Fiendish Boon they had not originally chosen; A Paladin with a mount or Antipaladin with a fiendish servant would be able to enhance their weapon, whereas one who had chosen the ability to enhance their weapon could respectively gain the service of a mount or fiendish servant. This ability lasts for a number of minutes equal to half the user's level.

The use of this ability requires great fortitude, and failure to handle the intense power channeled through the weapon with care could result in constitution drain (with the user's strength, followed by dexterity being drained instead if this drain would kill the user.)

### Bone Helm of the Mad

**The Bone Helm of the Mad** is an artifact wielded by Tholgar Ironfoe. It is covered in a runic script that cannot be deciphered in any way, but nonetheless gives off an aura of dread, giving the wearer a passive bonus to their intimidation abilities.

When worn by someone who is entering a rage, they may select one of their rage powers and treat their level for the purposes of this power as four higher for the duration of the rage. They also gain an additional +1 to their Strength, Constitution, and Will saving throws. The helmet allows the user to enter a rage as an immediate action as a response to being targeted with a hostile effect that requires a saving throw by expending two rounds of rage.

The use of this helmet requires focus. While raging with the helmet on, the user must make a Will save in order to stop raging. Should they fail to do so before running out of rounds of rage, they become exhausted for twice as many rounds as they raged, after which they remain fatigued until they rest.

### Violin of the Damned

**The Violin of the Damned** is an artifact wielded by Lusine Vavrad. The violin has skeletal appendages on it, appearing as though it's being held by a Skeleton. When played, the user is able to Inspire Courage or Inspire Rage as a Bard or Skald of their character level. If their character level is at least 8, they may also perform a Dirge of Doom, and if their level is at least 14, they may perform a Song of the Fallen. Additionally, the bonuses for all these performances is increased by 1.

While the violin is played, the orchestra of the damned is summoned to aid in the user's performance. The user must maintain their will, or else their skin and muscle will begin to fade away until they, too, join the orchestra, doomed to be summoned whenever the violin is played for all eternity.