Artifact Idea - is this already a thing?

[VikingLegion]

Ok, so in addition to devouring anything related to the various worlds of D&D, I read a ton of fantasy, I watch every TV series or movie that has a sword, spell, or dragon in it. I also watch a ton of horror stuff, both movies and television (Supernatural, TWD, etc.). In short, I can't be sure if the following idea is something that sprang from my head, or if it's something I saw, perhaps years ago, and was simmering somewhere in my consciousness. The basic premise is this:

A land is dominated by vampires for as long as anyone can remember. A reclusive order of monks wants to free the people from the yoke of tyranny. To that end, the oldest and wisest of their order has a vision. They construct a vast chapel with a huge, domed peak made entirely of glass. In this room they plant a tree that will never feel a drop of rain in its life, but rather will be nourished exclusively with blessed/consecrated water (and of course the sunlight streaming in through the dome). I guess the entire root system of the tree would also have to be contained in a bricked enclosure of some kind, filled with tons of dirt so that the roots would never accidentally reach down to the local water table and draw in moisture that way. Every monk in this order is instructed in the care of the tree, it is their most sacred responsibility, being passed down for multiple generations.

500 years later, a lightning storm strikes the chapel, shattering the glass and setting the tree on fire. This is the long-awaited sign, and the monks reverently douse the tree and chop it down with heavy hearts. At the very center of the thickest portion, they withdraw a portion of wood that is then worked into the form of a stake or spear. This stake, having been grown on 500 years of blessed water, has obviously absorbed a great deal of that power - every grain of the wood is infused and highly charged with holy magic. Against common enemies it might be no more than a 1d4 piercing weapon, but against undead - specifically vampires - it gets all sort of perks. +5 enhancement bonus, holy/holy burst properties, bane, disruption, etc. Or, resist the urge to stat it up at all and just make it integral to the storyline of taking down the head vamp, who has grown so strong over the centuries that only this item can affect him.

So did this already happen somewhere? My wife thought it was pretty clever when I was explaining it the other day, but I don't want to take unfair credit if this has been done already.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I don't recognize it, but I do agree with your wife that it is a very cool backstory for a weapon like that.

[steveflam]

ANd, might I add it sounds like a really interesting weapon too

[Ender]

That sounds really cool and I can't, off the top of my head, think of anything similar enough to that to suggest you were subconsciously pulling it from anywhere.

[Cromstar]

I went and dug out my 2nd Edition Encyclopedia Magicas to see what turned up. Two things did come up, but I think yours a) has a unique identity b) is really cool and; c) is an artifact much better than these generic weapons.

What I found:

-Nothing under stakes. At all. Made me sad.

-Under spear, I found Heartseeker (II) originally from Forbidden Lore. Its an all-wooden spear carved from ash, that acts as a spear +1. Against a vampire, the spear is capable of causing damage, even if the vampire is immune to +1 weapons, and any successful attack with the spear pierces the heart and 'pins' the vampire, per the normal rules for vampires (and thus removes it from play but does not actually kill said vampire).

-Under Vampire, I found the Bow of Vampire Slaying, originally from Dragon Magazine 127. Basically, take a Heartseeker Bow and apply to vampires. In other words, it shoots wooden arrows, and any attack roll of 20 or higher (including roll modifiers) automatically pierce the vampire's heart and kills it.

(Incidentally, b/c I was slightly confused, a normal Heartseeker weapon (the spear or a bow or anything else) pierces an enemy heart on a 20+ attack roll. The Spear above is not this kind of weapon, the Bow above is a subset of this kind of weapon.)

I like your idea of a weapon much better than these two. The Spear seems a bit much to me, unless you're facing the kinds of ancient vampires that would normally be immune to +1 weapons. Plus, both of these are generic, and stakes are much more awesome. I don't think you were pulling from either of these, as they are basically just variations on a weapon that already existed tuned for vampires in particular.

[VikingLegion]

Thanks for the research. Honestly the shape of the weapon (stake, spear, bow) was less important to me than the backstory. I guess I went with stake simply due to its more iconic standing against creatures of the night. The part I really like is how this tree has never been allowed to absorb even one droplet of water that hadn't first been blessed. All that holy energy soaking and suffusing the grains of wood for over 5 centuries.... So many generations of diligent monks had to care for this tree, and if it got screwed up, even on year 499, the entire process would have to begin anew.

The 2nd part about the tree getting hit by lightning I think I want to cut out of the story. My subconscious is nagging at me that this has *definitely* been done before in regards to a magical weapon in some fictional work I've read - maybe as a bo staff? Anyway, it's not nearly as cool as the "holy" component of the story, so maybe the monks simply cut the tree down after 500 years, or perhaps there is a different sign/omen that signifies their work is ready. Perhaps one Spring, when the tree has finally reached its maximum potential, all the leaves grow in with a silver, rather than green, coloration. At this point the process is complete (the tree cannot photosynthesize and grow further anyway), and the order of monks recognize all their toil over the generations has finally borne fruit. It is time to chop it down and fashion the magical item. Heck, maybe the leaves themselves are then crushed and powdered, added to some magical solution, and then used to fill in the runes that are carved into the stake to give it some of those aforementioned properties.

Yeah, I like that silver leaf "maturation" process better than the random lightning strike after 500 years. It fits better with this caretaker order than the sudden violence of a storm shattering the ceiling and burning their tree. It makes the "event" of harvesting the tree a more sullen, solemn ritual instead of a response to an unpredictable blast out of the sky. Let's pretend I said that first instead, I prefer that flavor and also it removes any shadow of niggling doubt that a weapon fashioned from a lightning-struck tree has already been done.

P.S. If any of you want to use this backstory, in part or whole, please feel free to do so - or add any suggested changes here. The item now needs a name, as well as a proper location in some heretofore unknown and remote mountain monastery.

[Ender]

The 2nd part about the tree getting hit by lightning I think I want to cut out of the story. My subconscious is nagging at me that this has *definitely* been done before in regards to a magical weapon in some fictional work I've read - maybe as a bo staff? Anyway, it's not nearly as cool as the "holy" component of the story, so maybe the monks simply cut the tree down after 500 years, or perhaps there is a different sign/omen that signifies their work is ready. Perhaps one Spring, when the tree has finally reached its maximum potential, all the leaves grow in with a silver, rather than green, coloration. At this point the process is complete (the tree cannot photosynthesize and grow further anyway), and the order of monks recognize all their toil over the generations has finally borne fruit. It is time to chop it down and fashion the magical item. Heck, maybe the leaves themselves are then crushed and powdered, added to some magical solution, and then used to fill in the runes that are carved into the stake to give it some of those aforementioned properties.

This. Natural phenomena works, but I think your second idea is much more in line with the themes you presented initially.

As for a name, I might suggest naming it something that doesn't feel like a weapon. Maybe the tree was planted by a legendary monk at the beginning. Let's call him... Kwai Chang Caine. The weapon might be "The Vision of Kwai Chang Caine" of somesuch. Or it could be more descriptive. The tree might be an ash tree and the weapon is "The Ashen Bough of Kwai Chang Caine". Personally, I like the "of X" suffix to legendary items. Attaching them to a specific person always feels more strongly tied to the world to me.

[Dark Angel]

The 2nd part about the tree getting hit by lightning I think I want to cut out of the story. My subconscious is nagging at me that this has *definitely* been done before in regards to a magical weapon in some fictional work I've read - maybe as a bo staff? Anyway, it's not nearly as cool as the "holy" component of the story, so maybe the monks simply cut the tree down after 500 years, or perhaps there is a different sign/omen that signifies their work is ready. Perhaps one Spring, when the tree has finally reached its maximum potential, all the leaves grow in with a silver, rather than green, coloration. At this point the process is complete (the tree cannot photosynthesize and grow further anyway), and the order of monks recognize all their toil over the generations has finally borne fruit. It is time to chop it down and fashion the magical item. Heck, maybe the leaves themselves are then crushed and powdered, added to some magical solution, and then used to fill in the runes that are carved into the stake to give it some of those aforementioned properties.

Yeah, I like that silver leaf "maturation" process better than the random lightning strike after 500 years. It fits better with this caretaker order than the sudden violence of a storm shattering the ceiling and burning their tree. It makes the "event" of harvesting the tree a more sullen, solemn ritual instead of a response to an unpredictable blast out of the sky. Let's pretend I said that first instead, I prefer that flavor and also it removes any shadow of niggling doubt that a weapon fashioned from a lightning-struck tree has already been done.

P.S. If any of you want to use this backstory, in part or whole, please feel free to do so - or add any suggested changes here. The item now needs a name, as well as a proper location in some heretofore unknown and remote mountain monastery.

Already copied and pasted this one, friend. Thanks! The turn in the backstory does remind me of a druidic order I placed into Nidala based strongly on the druids from the Sword of Shannara trilogy (don't bother about the show, never saw it). They gain the use of certain wizard spell (fire based primarily) with the restriction they must travel back to the sacred grove the order is sworn to protect. They also can only use wood weapons made from the wood of their sacred oak. There is no holy aura about it, but the tree in your tale could 'shed' limbs and then the monks fashion them into items, icons, or weapons (or all three). If a piece is cut off it loses the benefits, but otherwise is treated as a divine gift with a purpose the carver must discover on their own. Now you can have a series of holy symbols, stakes, staves, etc without it getting crazy (something players cannot abuse as they cannot 'take' advantage of the tree by harvesting their own wood). Whether or not the order of monks survived or the tree still exists, the items can still be around.

Lord help the group if Azenwrath is nearby...

[Cam]

This is a great idea. I think my thoughts are more applicable to others stealing this idea, rather than being applicable to the original poster's campaign. But here they are, regardless:

The first thing that I thought when I read this was that, if this tree is in Ravenloft, a Darklord might be able to sense its location because it probably has a holy aura. Darklords can sense the locations of paladins and other near-holy entities within their domains under some rules sets, right? So it might be necessary to come up with a plot device to keep the lord from sending his minions to destroy the tree before it can be used against him. I guess one solution could be to have the tree growing in a domain where the lord isn't a creature who fears holy weapons more than any other sort of weapons. Or of course magic could be used to misdirect a lord's sensing ability. Or maybe the lord is able to sense the tree, but he thinks he's just sensing the monastery/church where is grows (and the powerful church elders who live there), so he doesn't realize exactly what is inside and doesn't deem it to be an existential threat.

If you use the idea of fallen limbs, rather than having the tree already be chopped down at the start of your campaign, then you could also have PCs defend the tree against pre-emptive attack by bad guys. And of course the spirits of long-dead monks would be guarding the tree too, so they could help defend it, which would be awesome.

Seeds (acorns or whatever) produced by this tree could be transported around the demiplane from time to time by the monks who tend it. They could try to grow duplicate copies in other monasteries in different locations, with the objectives of growing their order, being able to fight more evil with more trees, and having back-ups in case the original tree ever dies. But, Dread Possibility: All it takes is one traitorous monk to slip something unholy into the water/soil in order to corrupt one of the trees. When a sapling becomes sickly (or starts to manifest evil characteristics in some way), the PCs will need to play detective to figure out which monk is an evil imposter.

Last, I just love Ravenloft adventures where the PCs can only achieve a larger objective by sacrificing something good along the way, and where the DM forces the choice to do so upon the players (rather than just having the sacrifice be unavoidable). So I would consider a prophecy that says that burning this tree in a bonfire will cause a portal to open enabling escape from the demiplane. Or some other good strategic accomplishment, if escape is not your thing. Such a prophecy could be legit, or it could be a hoax planted by a villain to try to get the PCs to get rid of the tree and the monks for him. (That might be a good hoax for an undead antagonist who cannot set foot on holy ground to deal with the tree in person.) Either way, the PCs should struggle in deciding whether to go through with it.

Thanks for sharing this concept!

[VikingLegion]

This is a great idea. I think my thoughts are more applicable to others stealing this idea, rather than being applicable to the original poster's campaign. But here they are, regardless:

The first thing that I thought when I read this was that, if this tree is in Ravenloft, a Darklord might be able to sense its location because it probably has a holy aura. Darklords can sense the locations of paladins and other near-holy entities within their domains under some rules sets, right? So it might be necessary to come up with a plot device to keep the lord from sending his minions to destroy the tree before it can be used against him. I guess one solution could be to have the tree growing in a domain where the lord isn't a creature who fears holy weapons more than any other sort of weapons. Or of course magic could be used to misdirect a lord's sensing ability. Or maybe the lord is able to sense the tree, but he thinks he's just sensing the monastery/church where is grows (and the powerful church elders who live there), so he doesn't realize exactly what is inside and doesn't deem it to be an existential threat.

If you use the idea of fallen limbs, rather than having the tree already be chopped down at the start of your campaign, then you could also have PCs defend the tree against pre-emptive attack by bad guys. And of course the spirits of long-dead monks would be guarding the tree too, so they could help defend it, which would be awesome.

Seeds (acorns or whatever) produced by this tree could be transported around the demiplane from time to time by the monks who tend it. They could try to grow duplicate copies in other monasteries in different locations, with the objectives of growing their order, being able to fight more evil with more trees, and having back-ups in case the original tree ever dies. But, Dread Possibility: All it takes is one traitorous monk to slip something unholy into the water/soil in order to corrupt one of the trees. When a sapling becomes sickly (or starts to manifest evil characteristics in some way), the PCs will need to play detective to figure out which monk is an evil imposter.

Last, I just love Ravenloft adventures where the PCs can only achieve a larger objective by sacrificing something good along the way, and where the DM forces the choice to do so upon the players (rather than just having the sacrifice be unavoidable). So I would consider a prophecy that says that burning this tree in a bonfire will cause a portal to open enabling escape from the demiplane. Or some other good strategic accomplishment, if escape is not your thing. Such a prophecy could be legit, or it could be a hoax planted by a villain to try to get the PCs to get rid of the tree and the monks for him. (That might be a good hoax for an undead antagonist who cannot set foot on holy ground to deal with the tree in person.) Either way, the PCs should struggle in deciding whether to go through with it.

Thanks for sharing this concept!

Great additions, particularly the part about potential treachery from within the monastery. 500 years is an awful long time to maintain something like this, and the latter generations just won't have the same kind of zeal as the originators. Heck, some of the caretakers towards the end of the project might not even believe in it, but are just going through the motions because it's what the elders taught them to do. Such a lackadaisical approach would invariably lead to a far greater chance at a mistake being made or a bribe being taken.