Chapter 15 · Rewards
Intelligent Magic Items
Some magic items possess consciousness and personality. Such an item might be possessed, haunted by the spirit of its previous owner, or self-aware thanks to the magic used to create it. Whatever the case, the item behaves like a character, full of personality quirks, ideals, bonds, and sometimes flaws. An intelligent item can be a cherished ally to its bearer or a constant nuisance tagging along.
Weapons are the most commonly intelligent items. Other kinds of items can manifest intelligence, but consumable items, such as potions and scrolls, never do.
Intelligent magic items function as NPCs under the Master’s control. Any active property of the item is under the item’s own control, not its bearer’s. As long as the bearer maintains a good relationship with the item, they can access those properties normally. If the relationship is strained, the item may suppress the active properties it has, or even turn them against its bearer.
Creating Intelligent Magic Items
When you decide to create an intelligent magic item, you also create its personality, the same way you’d create an NPC, with a few exceptions described here.
Alignment
A magic item has an alignment. Its creator or its nature may suggest an alignment. Otherwise, you can choose an alignment or roll on the table below.
| d100 | Alignment |
|---|---|
| 01-15 | Lawful good |
| 16-35 | Neutral good |
| 36-50 | Chaotic good |
| 51-63 | Lawful neutral |
| 64-73 | Neutral |
| 74-85 | Chaotic neutral |
| 86-89 | Lawful evil |
| 90-96 | Neutral evil |
| 97-00 | Chaotic evil |
Ability Scores
An intelligent magic item has Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You can choose the item’s ability scores or determine them randomly. To determine them randomly, roll 4d6 for each, dropping the lowest value and adding the rest together.
Communication
An intelligent item has some ability to communicate, whether by sharing emotions, sharing thoughts telepathically, or speaking aloud. You can choose how it communicates or roll on the table below.
| d100 | Communication |
|---|---|
| 01-60 | The item communicates by transmitting emotions to the creature carrying or wielding it. |
| 61-90 | The item can speak, read, and understand one or more languages. |
| 91-00 | The item can speak, read, and understand one or more languages. Additionally, the item can communicate telepathically with any character carrying or wielding it. |
Senses
With intelligence comes awareness. An intelligent item can perceive its surroundings within a limited range. You can choose the item’s senses or roll on the table below.
| d4 | Senses |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hearing and normal vision out to 30 feet. |
| 2 | Hearing and normal vision out to 60 feet. |
| 3 | Hearing and normal vision out to 120 feet. |
| 4 | Hearing and normal darkvision out to 120 feet. |
Special Purpose You can give an intelligent item a goal it pursues, perhaps to the exclusion of everything else. As long as the bearer uses the item in keeping with its special purpose, the item cooperates with them. Straying from that course can bring conflict between the bearer and the item, and may even cause the item to prevent the use of its active abilities. You can choose a special purpose or roll on the table below.
| d10 | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1 | Aligned: The item seeks to defeat or destroy those of an alignment diametrically opposed to its own (this item is never neutral). |
| 2 | Bane: The item seeks to defeat or destroy creatures of a specific type, such as fiends, shapeshifters, trolls, or wizards. |
| 3 | Protector: The item seeks to defend a particular race, or some type of creature, such as vastaya or dragons. |
| 4 | Crusader: The item seeks to defeat, weaken, or destroy the servants of a particular deity. |
| 5 | Templar: This item seeks to defend the servants and interests of a particular deity. |
| 6 | Destroyer: This item craves destruction and goads its bearer into fighting indiscriminately. |
| 7 | Glory Seeker: This item seeks renown, such as being the greatest magic item in the world, by turning its bearer into a famous or notorious figure. |
| 8 | Lore Seeker: The item craves knowledge or is determined to solve a mystery, uncover a secret, or unravel an enigmatic prophecy. |
| 9 | Destiny Seeker: The item is convinced that it and its bearer have a crucial role to play in future events. |
| 10 | Seeking the Creator: the item seeks its creator and wants to understand why it was made. |
Conflict
An intelligent item has a will of its own, shaped by its personality and alignment. If the item’s bearer acts in a manner opposed to the item’s alignment or purpose, conflict can arise. When such a conflict occurs, the item makes a Charisma check contested by the bearer’s Charisma check. If the item wins the contest, it makes one or more of the following demands:
- The item insists on being carried, worn, or wielded at all times.
- The item demands that its bearer discard anything the item finds repugnant.
- The item demands that its bearer pursue the item’s goals, ignoring all other goals.
- The item demands to be given to someone else.
If the bearer refuses to comply with the item’s wishes, it may act in one or all of the following ways:
- Make it impossible for the bearer to attune to it.
- Suppress one or more of the active abilities it has.
- Attempt to take control of the bearer.
If an intelligent item attempts to take control of its bearer, the bearer must make a Charisma saving throw, with a DC equal to 12 + the item’s Charisma modifier. On a failure, the bearer becomes charmed by the item for 1d12 hours. While charmed this way, the bearer must follow the item’s orders. If the bearer takes damage, they can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. Whenever an attempt to control the bearer fails, the item can’t use this power again until the next dawn.