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Glowstone Lanterns 91 of the Shadowed Fist

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by

Dale
in

Lore The creation of this artifact is a legend of obsessive, dangerous artistry, a cautionary tale whispered among the master crafters of the Ironweave Foundry. It tells of a singular artisan named Kaelen, who became obsessed with the concept of containing and controlling opposing essences. He believed that true mastery was not in perfecting a single art, but in forcing disparate, warring concepts into a harmonious, singular form.

He spent decades acquiring the three perfect components. From a hidden sanctuary, he was gifted a flawless Glowstone Core, humming with benevolent, serene light. Through dark contacts and perilous journeys, he procured a cutting of the original Shadowvine from the assassins’ lost gardens. And from the heart of a raging elemental storm, he captured a nascent elemental spark of pure, chaotic fury.

Instead of forging a simple lantern, gauntlets, or poison, Kaelen created a unique vessel. He used the Glowstone’s benevolent magic not as a source of light, but as the bars of a metaphysical prison. Within the lantern’s intricate Ironweave frame, he trapped the elemental spark and wove the essence of the Shadowvine into its very structure. The gauntlet was not a separate item to be worn, but the handle itself—an armored, conductive grip designed to channel the imprisoned energies. The result was not a lantern, but a regulator of primal forces, a tool of terrible versatility that offered its wielder a choice between serene light, elemental destruction, and creeping darkness.

Description This appears as an ornate, masterfully crafted lantern of a medium size. The frame is forged from the signature dark Ironweave alloy, but fine, vein-like filigree of a dark, almost black-purple metal (processed Shadowvine) is inlaid throughout its structure. Instead of simple glass, the panels are made of Sandfused Crystal that seems to contain a perpetual, swirling mist. At its heart floats the Glowstone Core, its usual gentle amber glow now contained and pulsating with a powerful, restrained light. The handle is a single, armored gauntlet, perfectly integrated into the lantern’s base, with a large, multifaceted crystal set over the knuckles that acts as a focusing lens. The light a manating from the lantern shifts in color and intensity depending on the essence being channeled: a warm, calming amber; a roaring, fiery crimson; or a creeping, malevolent violet.

Specific Slot Tool (Held Item, requires one hand)

Tags: Tier 3, Merged-Item, Enchanted, Decorative, Luxury, Arcane Illumination, Status Symbol, Spiritual, Artisan, Elemental Affinity, Melee Enhancement, Energy Channeling, Tactical Advantage, Primal Power, Combat Augmentation, Elemental Imbuement, Poisonous, Rare, Magical, Luminescent, Veil Thinning, Shadow Camouflage, Curse Amplification, Life Drain, Emotional Manipulation, Elemental-Conduit, Poison-Infused, Triadic-Essence, Mode-Shifting, Primal-Prison, Volatile-Core, Trifold-Power, Containment-Device, Legendary-Craft, Synergistic-Artifact, Integrated-Weapon, Multi-Modal

Tier Three Stats

  • Aura of Command: The lantern’s potent, shifting presence is palpable. The wielder gains a +3 bonus to skill checks involving Intimidation, Persuasion, or Diplomacy, with the nature of the bonus reflecting the currently active mode (inspiring awe, projecting menace, or fostering trust).
  • Radiant/Umbral Light: In its Serenity mode, the lantern provides bright, calming light in a 60-foot radius. In its Shadow Toxin mode, it absorbs light, creating a 30-foot radius of magical dim light, even in a brightly lit area.

Passive Magics

  • Aura of Potent Ambience: The lantern constantly projects a powerful aura that changes based on its active mode. In Serenity mode, allies within 30 feet feel a sense of calm and have advantage on saving throws against fear and charm effects. In Elemental Fury or Shadow Toxin mode, enemies within 30 feet feel a sense of dread and have disadvantage on saving throws against fear.
  • Triadic Essence Resistance: The wielder’s attunement to the contained essences grants them significant protection. They gain resistance to Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Poison damage.

Active Magics

  • Essence Attunement (Action): As an action, the wielder can change the active mode of the lantern, choosing between Serenity, Elemental Fury, or Shadow Toxin. The light, ambient aura, and available active abilities change to reflect the chosen mode.
  • Wave of Serenity (Serenity Mode): Once per day, the wielder can raise the lantern and release the pure energy of the Glowstone. All hostile creatures within a 60-foot radius who can see the light must make a high-difficulty Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are overcome with tranquility and are unable to take hostile actions for one minute, so long as they are not attacked.
  • Projected Elemental Fist (Elemental Fury Mode): While this mode is active, the wielder’s gauntlet-hand is sheathed in raw elemental energy. As an action, they can make a powerful melee spell attack against a creature within 10 feet. On a hit, the attack deals 4d8 damage of a chosen type (Fire, Cold, or Lightning). The target also suffers an additional effect based on the element:
    • Fire: The target is set ablaze, taking 1d8 fire damage at the start of its next turn.
    • Cold: The target’s speed is halved until the end of its next turn.
    • Lightning: The target cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn.
  • Gaze of the Withering Vine (Shadow Toxin Mode): Twice per day, the wielder can aim the lantern and unleash a 30-foot cone of shadowy, toxic light. Creatures caught in the cone must make a high-difficulty Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they take 6d6 poison damage and are afflicted by the Shadowvine’s curse, causing them to become weakened and unable to regain hit points for the next hour. On a success, they take half damage and suffer no additional effects.

Item Durability and Repair

As a unique and volatile Tier 3 artifact, the Glowstone Lanterns 91 of the Shadowed Fist is a marvel of magical engineering, but its integrity is not absolute. Its resilience is measured in Aetheric Hit Points, a representation of the magical bonds holding its three warring essences in check.

  • Aetheric Hit Points (AHP): The lantern has 50 Aetheric Hit Points. This magical integrity can only be damaged by effects that specifically target and sunder enchantments, such as a direct hit from a powerful destructive spell, an artifact-breaking weapon, or a focused ritual of unmaking. Mundane physical damage, while it could dent the frame or crack a crystal panel, will not reduce the item’s AHP or disable its core magic.
  • When AHP is Reduced to Zero: If the lantern’s AHP is depleted, it is not physically destroyed, but the master enchantment that prisons its three essences shatters catastrophically. This event has immediate and dramatic consequences:
    1. The Elemental Spark Detonates: The raw, chaotic elemental energy is unleashed in a violent, 30-foot radius explosion of fire, ice, and lightning, dealing significant damage to everything nearby.
    2. The Shadowvine Essence Scatters: The malevolent core of the Shadowvine dissolves into a cloud of toxic spores, which are carried on the wind. Where they land, a new, corrupted patch of Shadowvine will begin to grow, creating a blighted and dangerous area.
    3. The Glowstone Spirit is Freed: The benevolent light-spirit, finally released from its prison, ascends into the heavens and vanishes, its gentle magic lost from the artifact forever. The physical lantern itself remains, but it is a cold, dark, and empty shell, its power gone.
  • Repairing the Magic (The Ritual of Primal Re-Containment): Restoring the lantern is not a matter of simple repair; it is an epic quest to reconstruct a masterpiece of containment magic.
    1. Restore the Vessel: First, the physical lantern must be taken to a master artisan who understands the lost techniques of both the Ironweave Foundry and the Shadowvine inlay. The frame must be perfectly repaired and prepared to once again withstand the immense strain of housing the three essences.
    2. Reclaim the Essences: This is the heart of the quest. The wielder must track down and recapture all three of the unleashed spirits:
      • The Elemental Spark: The chaotic elemental has likely fled to a place of similar primal energy—the heart of a volcano, the eye of a perpetual storm, or a nexus of ley lines deep within the earth. It must be tracked, subdued in a dangerous confrontation, and captured within a magical containment device.
      • The Shadowvine’s Heart: The wielder must travel to the newly-formed blight where the toxic spores took root. They must brave the corrupted land and its monstrous guardians to find and harvest the “heart-root” of the new growth, containing the core of the original essence.
      • The Glowstone Spirit’s Favor: The benevolent spirit cannot be captured by force. The wielder must seek it out in a sacred, celestial location and prove their worthiness through a great deed of compassion or protection, persuading the spirit to voluntarily return and lend its power to the vessel once more.
    3. The Final Ritual: With the physical lantern restored and all three essences re-captured, the wielder and a master enchanter must perform the dangerous and lengthy ritual of re-containment. This involves carefully re-introducing the three warring essences into the lantern and re-weaving the master enchantment that binds them, a process fraught with peril where a single mistake could result in another catastrophic explosion.

The Glowstone Lanterns 91 of the Shadowed Fist is a unique, Tier 3 artifact of legendary power and immense instability. It cannot be found in any standard shop or market. Its acquisition is a matter of entering the highest echelons of power, dealing with legendary figures, or undertaking a quest of epic proportions. The very act of selling such an item would attract the attention of the world’s most powerful factions.

Here are the few, exclusive venues where such an artifact might be bought or sold:

1. The Obsidian Syndicate Auction

  • Description: This is not a place one can simply walk into. The Obsidian Syndicate hosts a clandestine, invitation-only auction once every decade in a secret, shifting location—a pocket dimension, a magically shielded ballroom in a metropolis, or a hollowed-out iceberg. Attendance is limited to the world’s most powerful and wealthy individuals: arch-mages, guild masters, monarchs, and perhaps even the avatars of lesser gods. They deal exclusively in unique, world-altering artifacts.
  • How It’s Sold: The lantern would be the centerpiece of the auction, the final and most anticipated lot. It would be presented within a powerful stasis field, its three essences cycling slowly to display its terrifying versatility. The auctioneer, a figure of immense magical power and charisma, would not simply state its abilities but narrate its dark, obsessive lore—the tale of the artisan Kaelen. The bidding would be a tense, silent affair, conducted through telepathic signals or enchanted tokens. The sale is less a transaction and more a transfer of a significant piece on the world’s stage of power.
  • Cost: The bidding would start at 50 Rhodium pieces (5,000 Gold Pieces) and would likely climb far higher. Payment is expected immediately and can take the form of currency, but more often involves deeds to kingdoms, the souls of powerful entities bound in contracts, or other artifacts of equal or greater legendary status. It is a price only a global power could afford.

2. The Broker of the Unseen Market

  • Description: There is no shop. There is only a name, a legend known to those who deal in the truly forbidden: “The Broker.” This individual (whose species, age, and location are a mystery) acts as the sole intermediary for items that are too dangerous or too singular for even the black market. One does not find the Broker; one puts out a specific, coded request into the underworld’s information network and hopes to be contacted. A meeting, if granted, would take place in a location of the Broker’s choosing, where reality itself seems thin.
  • How It’s Sold: The transaction is a direct, terrifyingly honest negotiation. The Broker would know every detail of the lantern’s history and potential. They would not speak of its beauty, but of its practical applications: the ability to quell a riot with a wave of serenity, to incinerate an armored phalanx with a fist of fire, or to deliver an untraceable, withering curse upon a rival. The Broker sells not an item, but a solution to a problem of immense scale. They are interested in what the buyer intends to do with it, as that knowledge is part of their payment.
  • Cost: The Broker rarely deals in simple coin. The price would be a staggering 200 to 400 Platinum pieces (2,000 to 4,000 Gold Pieces), but this is merely the opening offer. More likely, they would demand a price of equivalent conceptual weight: the assassination of a “deathless” arch-lich, the theft of a nation’s collective memories, the location of a lost deity, or a binding oath to perform a single, unspecified task for the Broker in the future.

3. The Guardian of the Maker’s Folly

  • Description: This is not a place of commerce, but a place of consequence. The lantern is not for sale; it is a prisoner. After its creator Kaelen’s demise, the volatile artifact was secured by a powerful, ancient entity—a wise gold dragon, a conclave of Aeon Priests, or a powerful warden of balance. It is kept in a specially constructed vault designed to contain its catastrophic potential should its enchantments fail.
  • How It’s “Bought”: The lantern cannot be purchased with wealth. It can only be earned by proving oneself worthy—or foolish enough—to be its next keeper. A potential wielder must first find this hidden guardian and then convince them of their need. The “cost” would be to undertake a quest that mirrors the lantern’s own nature: the seeker might be tasked with uniting two warring factions (Serenity), destroying a great evil with overwhelming force (Elemental Fury), and navigating a web of political deceit to expose a hidden poison (Shadow Toxin). Only by mastering all three principles can the seeker prove they can handle the artifact without being consumed by its warring essences.
  • Cost: A legendary, world-shaping quest. The successful completion of this quest is the only payment the guardian will accept. To them, giving the lantern to the right person is not a sale, but a necessary risk to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

The Glowstone Lanterns 91 of the Shadowed Fist is an artifact of immense versatility, and its roleplaying applications for defense and offense shift dramatically based on the environment and the wielder’s chosen mode.

Urban Environments (Cities, Castles, Noble Courts)

The city is a delicate battleground where collateral damage and witnesses are major concerns. Here, the lantern is a tool of surgical precision, crowd control, and subtle terror.

  • Defensive Roleplay (Control & Evasion):
    • Scenario: Quelling a Riot. When the party is caught between city guards and an angry mob, drawing a sword means war. Instead, the wielder raises the lantern and activates its Serenity Mode.
      • Description: “I lift the lantern high, its warm, amber light pulsing outwards. I don’t shout orders; I invoke the Wave of Serenity. To the party, I say, ‘Hold your positions. Let the light do the work.’ The enraged shouts of the crowd falter, replaced by confused murmurs. The guards lower their crossbows, their faces softening from aggression to caution. For a precious minute, no one is willing to cast the first stone, giving us the opening to de-escalate or slip away.”
    • Scenario: The Grand Escape. Pursued by relentless assassins through a crowded bazaar at night, the wielder uses the lantern’s other modes for escape.
      • Description: “Ducking into an alley, I switch the lantern to Shadow Toxin Mode. The world doesn’t just get dark; it feels like a patch of night has been stitched over the street, the magical dimness swallowing the light from the surrounding windows. When our pursuers round the corner, I use the Projected Elemental Fist with Cold, slamming my gauntlet-hand into a water barrel. The resulting flash-freeze creates a barrier of solid ice, blocking the alley completely and allowing us to vanish into the unnatural shadows.”
  • Offensive Roleplay (Intrigue & Assassination):
    • Scenario: A Duel of Reputations. At a royal gala, the party’s champion is about to duel a famously arrogant knight. The wielder moves through the crowd, the lantern in Shadow Toxin Mode.
      • Description: “The lantern’s violet light is subtle, almost lost amongst the party’s finery. As I pass by the knight, I ‘accidentally’ stumble, aiming the lantern’s face at him for a brief moment. To the court, it’s a clumsy misstep. To the knight, it’s the Gaze of the Withering Vine. I narrate, ‘He feels a sudden, inexplicable chill, a wave of weakness that he dismisses as nerves. But I know the truth: his vitality is now cursed. When the duel begins, he will find his strength failing and his wounds refusing to staunch, his overconfidence turning to ashes in his mouth.’”

Dungeons & Ancient Ruins (Tombs, Caverns, Temples)

In these confined spaces, the lantern becomes a tool for environmental control, horde-breaking, and exploiting ancient weaknesses.

  • Defensive Roleplay (Survival & Hazard Neutralization):
    • Scenario: Facing a Horde. A tide of frenzied skeletons or goblins pours down a narrow corridor.
      • Description: “I plant my feet and switch the lantern to Serenity Mode. As the horde charges, I unleash the Wave of Serenity. The mindless skeletons stop their advance, their bones rattling in confusion. The goblins, driven by primal fear, drop their weapons and stare at the warm light, their bloodlust momentarily erased. It won’t last, but it buys us the crucial seconds we need to form a shield wall and bottleneck the passage.”
    • Scenario: Bypassing a Trap. The party faces a river of lava or a chamber filled with deadly spores.
      • Description: “Switching to Elemental Fury Mode, I aim the gauntlet-handle at the lava flow. I describe how I project a continuous stream of Cold energy, not as an attack, but as a tool. The lava hisses and steams as a bridge of jagged obsidian forms across the chasm. For the spores, I switch to Fire, unleashing a controlled blast to incinerate the air in front of us, creating a safe, if searingly hot, path forward.”
  • Offensive Roleplay (Focused Destruction):
    • Scenario: Awakening a Golem. The party must defeat a massive iron golem immune to normal weapons.
      • Description: “I switch to Elemental Fury Mode, attuning the fist to Lightning. I shout to the others, ‘Keep it distracted!’ I rush forward and slam the Projected Elemental Fist not at the golem’s body, but at the ancient, water-logged stone floor at its feet. The resulting shockwave of electricity arcs through the water, causing the golem’s metal joints to seize and spark. It’s not destroyed, but it’s staggered, vulnerable to a follow-up attack.”

Wilderness & Open Battlefields (Forests, Plains, War Camps)

On a grand scale, the lantern is a weapon of tactical warfare, capable of routing armies and reshaping the landscape.

  • Defensive Roleplay (Area Denial & Protection):
    • Scenario: An Archer Volley. An enemy battalion on a hillside darkens the sky with arrows.
      • Description: “There’s no time to run. I switch to Elemental Fury Mode and punch my gauntlet-hand into the ground. I narrate, ‘A wall of roaring fire erupts from the earth in a 30-foot arc in front of us.’ The first wave of arrows incinerates in mid-air, and the enemy archers are forced to halt their volley as their line of sight is obscured by a curtain of flame.”
  • Offensive Roleplay (Shock & Awe):
    • Scenario: Breaking a Phalanx. The party faces an impenetrable wall of enemy shields.
      • Description: “I begin in Serenity Mode, the lantern’s amber glow creating a point of confusion in the enemy line. Then, at the key moment, I switch instantly to Shadow Toxin Mode. The sudden shift from calming light to a creeping, violet dread is a psychological blow. I sweep the Gaze of the Withering Vine across their front ranks. They don’t just see a beam of light; they feel their strength drain, their courage turning to a cold sickness in their stomachs. Their shield wall falters, and that’s when our warrior charges into the breach.”
    • Scenario: Razing a War Camp. A direct assault is suicide, so the wielder opts for chaos.
      • Description: “Under the cover of night, I infiltrate the enemy camp. Moving from tent to tent, I use the Projected Elemental Fist with Fire, not as a loud explosion, but as a silent, intense jet of flame. I’m not just burning tents; I’m targeting their armory, their food stores, their siege weapons. By the time the camp realizes what’s happening, their ability to wage war will be crippled, and chaos will be their only commander.”

Perception of Activation:

Sight

  • User’s Perspective: The activation is a dramatic visual shift controlled by your will. When you change modes, the light within the crystal panels transitions fluidly.
    • Serenity: The core Glowstone brightens to a warm, steady amber. The silvery Jumon script on the gauntlet’s Koteishi patch pulses with a soft, slow heartbeat, and the swirling mists within the crystal panels calm into a gentle haze.
    • Elemental Fury: The Glowstone’s light becomes a chaotic, roaring crimson or electric blue. The Jumon script flares brightly, and raw elemental energy—sparks, embers, or frost—visibly crackles around your gauntlet-hand.
    • Shadow Toxin: The Glowstone dims to a malevolent, sickly violet. The Jumon script becomes nearly black, seeming to absorb light. The Shadowvine inlay on the frame writhes as if alive, and the mists within the panels darken into an oily, creeping fog.
  • Observer’s Perspective: An observer witnesses a beautiful yet terrifying transformation. The lantern’s entire color palette and character change in an instant, shifting from a holy relic to a storm in a bottle to an artifact of pure malice. The light it casts dramatically alters the mood of the entire area.
  • Positives: The visual confirmation is unmistakable and absolute. The dramatic display is incredibly intimidating and can be used as a powerful psychological tool.
  • Negatives: There is zero subtlety. Activating this item is a beacon that announces your presence and power to everyone in sight. It makes stealth impossible.

Sound

  • User’s Perspective: You hear a distinct internal sound that changes with each mode, a sound that seems to resonate directly in your mind and bones.
    • Serenity: A low, harmonious chime, like a temple bell, that calms your thoughts.
    • Elemental Fury: A contained, crackling roar, like a forge fire or a thunderstorm raging just behind a thick wall.
    • Shadow Toxin: A sibilant, dry whisper, like dead leaves skittering across pavement, accompanied by a low, dissonant hum that sets your teeth on edge.
  • Observer’s Perspective: A nearby observer hears a faint, supernatural sound corresponding to the active mode. The chime is audibly calming, the crackle is unnerving, and the whisper is deeply unsettling, often causing listeners to glance over their shoulders.
  • Positives: The sound provides clear auditory feedback and enhances the psychological impact on observers.
  • Negatives: The sound, however faint, can betray your presence in a quiet environment. The dissonant hum of the Shadow Toxin mode can be distracting even to allies.

Smell

  • User’s Perspective: The air immediately around you becomes thick with a distinct aroma for each mode.
    • Serenity: The calming scent of old wood, lavender, and glowing embers.
    • Elemental Fury: The sharp tang of ozone, sulfur, and superheated or super-chilled air.
    • Shadow Toxin: The cloying, sweet smell of night-blooming flowers mixed with the sickly, metallic scent of decay and venom.
  • Observer’s Perspective: The scent is potent enough to be noticed within about 10 feet of the wielder, often as the first sign that something is wrong.
  • Positives: The distinct smells can have a subtle psychological effect, calming allies or unsettling foes before a confrontation even begins.
  • Negatives: The smell is a dead giveaway of your presence and the nature of your magic. The Shadow Toxin scent is nauseating and can be a liability in enclosed spaces.

Taste

  • User’s Perspective: A phantom taste forms on your tongue.
    • Serenity: The clean, mineral taste of rainwater.
    • Elemental Fury: A sharp, metallic, and ashy flavor, like licking a battery covered in soot.
    • Shadow Toxin: A bitter, numbing taste that feels oily and wrong.
  • Observer’s Perspective: There is no discernible taste to an observer.
  • Positives: Provides another layer of personal, undetectable sensory confirmation for the user.
  • Negatives: The taste of the Elemental Fury and Shadow Toxin modes is deeply unpleasant and can be distracting.

Touch/Feel (Physical Sensation)

  • User’s Perspective: The gauntlet-handle is the focus of an intense tactile flood.
    • Serenity: The gauntlet becomes pleasantly warm, and a gentle, rhythmic pulse travels up your arm, like a slow, steady heartbeat.
    • Elemental Fury: The gauntlet becomes either searingly hot or painfully cold and vibrates violently with contained, chaotic power that strains against your grip.
    • Shadow Toxin: The gauntlet becomes unnaturally cold and clammy. A sluggish, draining sensation pulls at your arm, as if the life force is being slowly siphoned into the lantern.
  • Observer’s Perspective: An observer would see the environmental effects—heat shimmering in the air, frost forming on the gauntlet, or shadows deepening around it.
  • Positives: The intense physical feedback leaves no doubt as to the power you are wielding and the mode you are in.
  • Negatives: The strain of containing the Elemental Fury and the life-draining sensation of the Shadow Toxin can be physically fatiguing over prolonged periods.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

  • User’s Perspective:
    • Sense of Contained War: You feel the three distinct magical essences raging within the lantern. You feel the Glowstone’s spirit actively suppressing the other two, the Elemental’s chaotic fury pushing against its prison, and the Shadowvine’s patient, insidious malice trying to corrupt the others. You are not just a wielder; you are the warden of a perpetual, internal conflict.
    • Aetheric Command: You perceive the flow of raw magic as a tangible thing you can direct. Serenity feels like opening a floodgate of calm energy. Elemental Fury feels like aiming a fire hose of raw power. Shadow Toxin feels like carefully uncoiling a venomous serpent and pointing it at a target.
    • Empathic Bleed: A faint echo of the active mode’s primary effect touches your own spirit. In Serenity mode, you feel a profound calm. In Elemental Fury, you feel a surge of righteous or destructive rage. In Shadow Toxin, you feel a cold, predatory focus and a chilling disregard for life.
  • Observer’s Perspective (with ESP capabilities):
    • Aura of Volatile Imbalance: An aura-seer would be horrified. They would see not one aura, but three, all violently compressed into the same space: a brilliant gold aura of pure benevolence being constantly battered by a chaotic storm of raw power and simultaneously being corroded by a black, cancerous aura of decay and malice. The entire object radiates immense power and the imminent threat of catastrophic failure.
    • Shifting Magical Signature: A magic-sensitive observer would detect a jarring shift in the fundamental nature of the magic with each mode change. It’s like watching a holy relic instantly transform into a primal artifact and then into a necromantic weapon. The versatility is terrifying.
    • Spiritual Dissonance: A creature that senses spirits or life force would be utterly confused. The lantern projects the powerful, benevolent presence of the Glowstone spirit, the raw, mindless rage of a caged elemental, and the life-draining, anti-life signature of the Shadowvine all at once. It is a beacon of profound spiritual contradiction.
  • Positives: The user has an unparalleled, intimate understanding of the immense power at their command. For an observer, the artifact is so magically complex and alarming that it would be nearly impossible to analyze or counter without specific, legendary knowledge.
  • Negatives: For the user, the constant “Empathic Bleed” can influence their personality over time, and the “Sense of Contained War” is a constant mental strain. For an ESP-capable observer, the magical signature is so dangerous and unstable that their first instinct would likely be to flee or attempt to neutralize the wielder at all costs.

The Forging of the Warring Essences

This is the legendary and perilous crafting recipe for merging the Glowstone Lantern, the Gauntlets of the Elemental Fist, and the Shadowvine into a singular, volatile artifact. The process is not one of gentle blending but of forceful imprisonment, requiring an artisan of unparalleled skill and indomitable will. It is a monument to the belief that even the most opposed forces can be contained by a sufficiently strong cage.

Items Merged:

Additional Materials Needed:

  • Aether-Quenched Adamantine Ingots (3): Adamantine that has been repeatedly heated in a magical forge and quenched in the raw energy of the Ethereal Plane. The resulting metal is incredibly dense and almost completely immune to magical and physical stress. This is for the lantern’s primary frame and the integrated gauntlet.
  • Stasis Crystal Panels (4): Exceptionally rare, transparent crystals mined from areas where time flows unnaturally slow. They do not merely let light pass through but also inhibit the chaotic discharge of raw magical energy.
  • Ley-Line Filament (1 spool): Thread spun from crystallized ley lines, capable of channeling multiple, conflicting types of energy without degrading. This is used for the internal wiring that connects the core to the gauntlet-handle.
  • The Draught of Absolute Stillness (1 vial): A mythical alchemical concoction brewed from the tear of a Lawful Neutral primordial and the silence of a dead god. When used, it temporarily forces any magical essence into a state of inert, dreamless slumber for a very short time.

Tools Required:

  • The Umbral Forge: A forge that burns not with coal or wood, but with contained shadows and starlight, capable of reaching the metaphysical temperatures needed to shape Aether-Quenched Adamantine.
  • Tongs of Aetheric Gripping: Tools that can safely hold and manipulate raw, unbound magical essences without the wielder being consumed.
  • The Harmonizer’s Anvil: A massive anvil made of solid obsidian that does not ring when struck, but instead absorbs and nullifies chaotic magical vibrations and backlash.
  • Containment Runescribing Kit: A set of delicate, diamond-tipped tools used to etch the complex containment runes onto the Stasis Crystal Panels.

Skill Requirements:

  • Artifact-level Craftsmanship (Legendary): The ability to work with mythic materials and forge an object capable of withstanding the stress of containing warring magical concepts.
  • Primal Containment (Legendary): A highly specialized and dangerous field of magic focused on creating magical prisons for raw, semi-sentient energies, rather than simply enchanting an item with their power.
  • Essence Distillation (Master): The alchemical and magical knowledge required to break down powerful magical items and beings to their absolute core essence without destroying them.
  • Unbreakable Will (Character Trait): The crafting process is a battle of wills between the artisan and the essences they are trying to imprison. A moment of doubt or a lapse in concentration will result in immediate, catastrophic failure.

Crafting Steps:

Step 1: The Forging of the Prison This is the most physically demanding step. The artisan must use the Umbral Forge and the Harmonizer’s Anvil to shape the Aether-Quenched Adamantine. The metal is forged into the intricate frame of the lantern and the integrated, armored gauntlet-handle. Concurrently, the artisan must use the Runescribing Kit to painstakingly etch thousands of microscopic containment runes onto the inner surfaces of the Stasis Crystal Panels. This frame is the cage; it must be perfect.

Step 2: The Distillation of the Essences This is the most delicate and dangerous phase. Each of the three items must be unmade to release its “soul.”

  • The Glowstone Lantern is placed in a ritual circle, and a gentle, persuasive chant is used to coax the benevolent light-spirit out of its core and into a temporary crystal vessel.
  • The Gauntlets of the Elemental Fist are subjected to a violent ritual of unbinding, where the raw, chaotic elemental spark is ripped from its metal shell and held struggling within the grip of the Aetheric Tongs.
  • The Shadowvine is put through an alchemical press, its physical form destroyed to render a single, pulsating, black-purple globule of pure toxic malice—its “venom-heart.”

Step 3: The Forced Union The artisan now has three unbound, warring essences. They have a single, fleeting chance to imprison them. The Draught of Absolute Stillness is carefully poured over all three contained essences, forcing them into a brief, magical slumber. The artisan must work frantically. The sleeping essences are placed together inside the adamantine frame. The Stasis Crystal panels are snapped into place, and the Ley-Line Filament is rapidly woven from the core to the gauntlet-handle.

Step 4: The Waking War and Final Sealing As the Draught of Absolute Stillness begins to wear off, the three essences awaken simultaneously. The lantern will begin to shudder violently as the internal war for dominance begins. The artisan must now grip the gauntlet-handle and exert their Unbreakable Will, actively wrestling control of the artifact. They must channel their own life force through the Ley-Line Filaments, reinforcing the containment runes and forcing the three spirits to recognize the wielder as their warden. This process continues until the violent shuddering subsides into a steady, powerful thrum—the hum of a contained, perpetual conflict that has reached a stable equilibrium. The artifact is now complete, its wielder forever bound to it as the jailer of the forces it contains.

Verse of Caged War

Hear now a broken story, a shard from a shattered pot, telling of the time before time, when the world’s bones were still soft. The words are crooked, for they have traveled from a tongue long turned to dust, through a script that the water has washed away.

There was a man, Kaelen his name was, but this name meant “Adamant Will” in the old speaking. He was a maker, an artisan of the highest craft. But his soul held a great wanting, a sickness of pride. To make a beautiful thing was not enough. To make a powerful thing was not enough. Kaelen wished to make a thing that held an argument, a war, and to be the master of that war. He wished to build a cage for ideas that should never meet.

First, he sought the Light. He did not go to a sun-filled temple. He went to a hidden grotto where a spirit of pure serenity lived, a thing made of gentle light and the sound of calm breathing. We call this the Glowstone now. He came not with prayers, but with a cage of mirrors and soft words, and he tricked the spirit, capturing its heart, its song of stillness. This was his first sin against harmony.

Then, he sought the Storm. He journeyed to the heart of a perpetual tempest, a place of raw, screaming power that wished only to be chaos. This was the soul of the Elemental Fist. He did not seek to soothe it. He built a trap of Aether-Quenched metal, and with his great will, he fought the storm-spirit and broke it, forcing its furious, weeping soul into a crystal shard. This was his second sin against nature.

Last, he sought the Dark. He went to a garden of midnight, where the Shadowvine grew, a plant that was not life, but a patient poison, a whisper of rot that envied the living. He did not ask for a cutting. He took its heart-root, the core of its malice, and he sealed it in a vial of frozen shadow. This was his third sin against life.

He returned to his Umbral Forge, which burned with no heat you could feel, only with the cold fire of ambition. He did not make a lantern to give light. He forged a prison of forever-metal. He did not craft gauntlets to be wielded. He forged a handle that was a shackle. He did not mix a poison. He wove the vine’s very soul into the metal’s grain.

The scrolls say the process was a silent battle. He took the three essences. The song of stillness. The heart of the storm. The patient poison. He used a magic that is now forbidden to trick them into a sleep like death. He forced them all into the cage of his lantern. He sealed it not with glass, but with crystals that held time still.

When the essences awoke, the lantern did not glow. It screamed. It was a silent scream that cracked the very air in his forge. The Light tried to soothe the Storm. The Storm tried to burn the Dark. The Dark tried to poison the Light. It was a war of three gods in a space no bigger than a man’s head.

And Kaelen, with his Adamant Will, gripped the gauntlet-handle. He did not yield. He poured his own soul into the fight, not to stop it, but to become its master. He became the warden of the war he had created. And the screaming stopped. It was replaced by a low, terrible hum. The hum of a contained battle, forever fought and forever undecided.

He had won. He had created his masterpiece.

He took the lantern into the world. When he wished for peace, he commanded the Light-spirit to sing its song, and great armies would lay down their swords in a daze of serenity. When he wished for destruction, he commanded the Storm-spirit to lash out, and a fist of pure lightning would turn his enemies to ash. When he wished for ruin, he commanded the Vine-spirit to breathe its whisper, and a slow, crawling decay would eat away at the works of his rivals.

He became a king, then an emperor, then like a god. But the war in the lantern, it did not stay in the lantern. It seeped into him through the gauntlet that was his shackle.

On the day he used the Light, he was a kind and gentle ruler, paralyzed by mercy, unable to make a hard choice. On the day he used the Storm, he was a raging tyrant, executing his own generals for a misplaced word. On the day he used the Dark, he was a paranoid whisper, trusting no one, seeing betrayal in every shadow, poisoning his own food before he would eat it.

He was no longer the warden of the war. The war had three wardens now, and they took turns ruling him. His great empire, built on three warring foundations, crumbled into chaos.

The end of the story is missing. The final pages are dust. It is only known that when his enemies finally breached his fortress, they found his throne room empty. There was no sign of Kaelen. There was only the lantern, sitting on the throne, humming its low, terrible song of war, its light shifting slowly from serene gold, to furious crimson, to sickly violet, and back again, waiting for a new hand to become its warden, and its prisoner.

Moral of the Story: To cage a war is to become the cage. And all cages, in time, must break or become the shape of the thing they hold.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Lantern of the Warring Essences Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

This ornate lantern is forged from a black, silvery metal inlaid with a dark purple, vein-like filigree. Instead of glass, it has panels of crystal that contain a swirling mist. The handle is an integrated gauntlet. At its heart, a luminous sphere pulses with a contained, shifting light.

While attuned to this lantern, you gain a +2 bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC. You also gain resistance to fire, cold, lightning, and poison damage.

The lantern has 3 modes: Serenity, Elemental Fury, and Shadow Toxin. As a bonus action, you can switch the lantern to a different mode.

Curse: The Warden’s Burden. This artifact contains a perpetual conflict between three powerful essences. At the end of any long rest during which you were attuned to the lantern, you must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, your personality is temporarily altered to reflect the last mode you used.

  • Serenity: You become overwhelmingly passive and merciful, gaining disadvantage on initiative rolls and attack rolls against any creature that has not harmed you or your allies in the last minute.
  • Elemental Fury: You become rash and destructive, gaining disadvantage on all Charisma (Persuasion) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
  • Shadow Toxin: You become paranoid and cruel, gaining disadvantage on all Charisma (Deception) and Wisdom (Insight) checks. This effect lasts until you complete your next long rest. This curse cannot be removed by any means short of a wish spell while you are attuned to the item.

Abilities:

  • Mode of Serenity: The lantern sheds bright amber light in a 60-foot radius and dim light for an additional 60 feet. While in this mode, you can use an action to unleash a Wave of Serenity. Each hostile creature within 60 feet of you that can see the lantern must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The effect ends for a creature if it takes damage or if someone uses an action to shake it out of its stupor. You can’t use this property again until the next dawn.
  • Mode of Elemental Fury: The gauntlet is wreathed in chaotic energy. While in this mode, you can use an action to make a melee spell attack against one creature within 15 feet of you, hurling a fist of raw elemental power. On a hit, the target takes 6d10 damage of a type you choose: fire, cold, or lightning.
  • Mode of Shadow Toxin: The lantern absorbs light, creating a 30-foot radius of magical darkness that moves with you. While in this mode, you can use an action to unleash the Gaze of the Withering Vine. You target one creature you can see within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 8d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails its save is also poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned in this way, the creature cannot regain hit points.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Kaelen’s Primal Folly Mythos Artifact

This ornate lantern is a prison for three distinct, warring entities: a benevolent spirit of light, a chaotic elemental storm, and the malevolent, sentient essence of a xeno-botanical poison. Understanding its true, unstable nature requires a successful Cthulhu Mythos roll, costing 1d6/2d8 SAN.

  • The Warden’s Burden: The wielder becomes the warden of the artifact’s internal war. Each time a power is used, the Keeper should make a note. The wielder’s personality will begin to subtly shift to reflect the dominant essence used. After using its powers a total of 5 times, the Investigator gains a new indefinite insanity reflecting the conflict (e.g., “Manic-Depressive Psychosis with Paranoid Delusions”).
  • Mode Switching: The Investigator can switch the lantern’s active mode at will, requiring a moment of intense concentration.
  • Powers (each use requires a POW roll; failure may cause a Fumble, at the Keeper’s discretion):
    • Serenity Mode – The Soothing Light: Costs 5 Magic Points. All Investigators (excluding the user) within sight of the lantern’s amber glow may immediately attempt a Sanity roll to recover from a bout of madness, or they may recover 1d4 Sanity points if not currently insane. Using this power feels unnaturally calming, to the point of apathy.
    • Elemental Fury Mode – The Storm Fist: Costs 8 Magic Points. The Investigator may make a single Fighting (Brawl) roll. If successful, it strikes a target within arm’s reach for 3d10 damage (impaling and electrical). The raw power is terrifying, requiring a Sanity roll (0/1d3) for all who witness it.
    • Shadow Toxin Mode – The Withering Gaze: Costs 6 Magic Points. The Investigator targets one living creature within sight. The target must make a Hard CON roll. If they fail, they begin a slow, agonizing decay, suffering a Penalty Die on all physical skill rolls. The condition worsens daily, and can only be cured by powerful magic or advanced medical science. Using this power feels cold and cruel, costing the user 1/1d4 Sanity points.

Blades in the Dark

The Warden’s Lantern A legendary artifact, a beautiful lantern with an integrated gauntlet that imprisons three warring spirits. (Special, takes 2 Load)

This unique item allows the wielder to channel one of three powerful essences. You may switch modes as a free action, but the lantern is always visibly and supernaturally active.

  • The Warden’s Trauma: When you attune to this lantern (by taking it as a loadout item for the first time), you must add a new vice: Dominion. When you indulge this vice, you seek to control or master a situation or person. If you ever mark your final Trauma box while attuned to this lantern, you are consumed by its warring essences and lost forever.
  • Special Abilities:
    • Serenity Mode: The lantern glows with a warm, amber light. Once per score, you may channel its power to pacify a tense situation. You may improve the Position for a Consort or Sway roll by two levels, or you may calm a small, hostile group for a few moments, allowing for an escape.
    • Elemental Fury Mode: The lantern glows with a crimson, crackling light. You may push yourself to channel the storm within. When you do, for your next Wreck or Skirmish action, your scale is increased by one (e.g., from one person to a small group).
    • Shadow Toxin Mode: The lantern glows with a sickly, violet light that seems to drink the shadows. When you use a poison or chemical, you may spend 2 Stress to apply the lantern’s curse. The poison becomes unnaturally potent, granting your action Potent status and inflicting a level 3 harm (e.g., “Withering Away”).

Knave (2nd Edition)

Lantern of the Caged War Item Slot: 2 (Held in one hand, but bulky)

This ornate, gauntlet-handled lantern contains three warring magical essences. You can switch between its three modes as an action.

  • The Warden’s Will: Each time you switch modes, you must make a DC 15 Will save. On a failure, you gain a temporary, negative personality trait based on the new mode until you next switch:
    • Serenity: Indecisive and passive.
    • Elemental Fury: Reckless and destructive.
    • Shadow Toxin: Paranoid and cruel.
  • Abilities:
    • Serenity Mode: The lantern sheds bright, calming light in a 60 ft. radius. Once per day, you can cause all enemies within the light to make a DC 17 Will save or become non-hostile for 10 minutes, unless they are attacked.
    • Elemental Fury Mode: Three times per day, you can use your action to make a ranged attack against an enemy within 60 ft. On a hit, the target takes 3d8 damage (you choose fire, ice, or lightning).
    • Shadow Toxin Mode: Once per day, you can force one creature you can see within 30 ft. to make a DC 17 Constitution save. On a failure, the creature takes 2d10 poison damage and cannot heal or recover health in any way for 24 hours.

Fate Core System

The Triad Warden’s Lantern A Legendary Artifact with a Powerful Aspect

This is a unique and powerful artifact that is central to any story it appears in. A character who attunes to it gains the powerful item Aspect: Warden of a Caged War.

  • Mechanics:
    • Invoking the Aspect: The player can spend a Fate Point to invoke the Warden of a Caged War Aspect for a +2 bonus or a reroll on any action that leverages one of the lantern’s three essences: calming a tense situation with overwhelming serenity, unleashing a blast of raw elemental power, or using its dark, insidious nature to weaken or terrify an opponent.
    • Compelling the Aspect (The Curse): The GM can offer a Fate Point to compel this Aspect, forcing the character’s personality to be overwhelmed by one of the warring essences. For example: “The Baron is mocking you, which would normally make you angry, but because you are the Warden of a Caged War and you last used the Serenity mode, you find yourself unable to feel anger, only a deep sense of pity that makes you appear weak and indecisive. You’ll take this Fate Point and let his insult slide.”
  • Item Stunts: The lantern grants the character access to the following stunts, which can be used by declaring which mode they are in:
    • Serenity—Wave of Tranquility: Once per session, when in Serenity mode, you can spend a Fate Point to create the Situation Aspect Oppressive Aura of Calm with two free invocations on it. This Aspect can be used by anyone to make it difficult for characters to perform hostile or aggressive actions.
    • Fury—Unleash the Storm: When in Elemental Fury mode, you can use your Fight skill to make a physical attack against an enemy in a nearby zone. Spend a Fate Point to increase the attack’s damage by 2 shifts.
    • Toxin—Withering Gaze: When in Shadow Toxin mode, you can use your Provoke skill to create an advantage against an opponent. If you succeed, you can place the Aspect Cursed with a Creeping Rot on them with one free invocation, representing a slow, debilitating decay of their vitality.

Numenera & Cypher System

Tri-Essence Regulator Artifact

This ornate, gauntlet-handled lantern is a prior-world containment device, holding three distinct and hostile energy signatures in a forced, volatile equilibrium.

  • Level: 9
  • Form: A medium-sized, ornate lantern forged from a dark alloy with an integrated gauntlet handle.
  • Effect: The lantern has three active modes: Serenity, Fury, and Toxin. The user can switch modes as part of another action. The artifact also confers a passive benefit: the user gains an asset on all resistance rolls against heat, cold, electricity, and poison. The Warden’s Instability (GM Intrusion): The warring essences within the artifact are a constant threat. The GM can use an intrusion to cause the user’s personality to be temporarily dominated by the currently active mode (apathy in Serenity, rage in Fury, paranoia in Toxin), forcing them to take an unwanted action.
  • Active Abilities:
    • Serenity Field (Action): The user activates the Serenity mode. All non-allies within short range must succeed on a Level 9 Intellect defense roll or become passive and unable to take hostile actions for one minute. The effect ends on a creature if it is attacked.
    • Elemental Ejection (Action): The user activates the Fury mode, unleashing a blast of raw power at a target within long range. The attack deals 9 points of damage (user chooses heat, cold, or electricity).
    • Toxin Projection (Action): The user activates the Toxin mode. A target within short range is bathed in a sickly violet light and must succeed on a Level 9 Might defense roll. On a failure, the target takes 7 points of poison damage and cannot regain points to any of its pools for 28 hours.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (check when an active ability is used).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Warden’s Lantern of Warring Essences Item 19, Rare, Magical, Invested, Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy

  • Price 45,000 gp
  • Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 1
  • Description This ornate lantern is forged from a black, silvery metal inlaid with a dark purple, vein-like filigree. The handle is an integrated gauntlet. At its heart, a luminous sphere pulses with a contained, shifting light.
  • Mechanics
    • When you invest the lantern, you gain resistance 10 to fire, cold, electricity, and poison. You can switch the lantern’s active mode as a single action with the concentrate trait.
    • Curse of the Warden’s Burden: The three powerful essences within the lantern war for influence over you. After you complete your daily preparations, you must succeed at a DC 39 Will save or have your alignment temporarily shifted to reflect the last mode you used (Lawful Good for Serenity, Chaotic Neutral for Fury, or Neutral Evil for Toxin). This change lasts until your next daily preparations and can only be suppressed, not removed, while you are invested in the item.
  • Activate [two-actions] (command, envision, light, mental) Mode Serenity; Frequency once per day; Effect You raise the lantern, which sheds bright amber light in a 60-foot emanation. All hostile creatures in the emanation must attempt a DC 41 Will save.
    • Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
    • Success The creature is stupefied 2 for 1 round.
    • Failure The creature is stupefied 4 and cannot use hostile actions for 1 round.
    • Critical Failure The creature is stunned 1 and cannot use hostile actions for 1 minute, though the effect ends if the creature is attacked.
  • Activate [two-actions] (command, envision, evocation) Mode Elemental Fury; Effect You unleash a blast of raw power from the gauntlet. Make a ranged spell attack roll against a creature within 120 feet. On a hit, you deal 10d10 damage, choosing fire, cold, or electricity. On a critical hit, the target is also subject to an additional effect based on the element (1d10 persistent fire damage, slowed 1 for 1 minute, or stunned 1).
  • Activate [two-actions] (command, envision, necromancy) Mode Shadow Toxin; Frequency once per day; Effect You unleash a 60-foot cone of violet light. Creatures in the cone must attempt a DC 41 Fortitude save.
    • Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
    • Success The creature takes 8d8 poison damage.
    • Failure The creature takes 16d8 poison damage and is drained 2.
    • Critical Failure The creature takes 16d8 poison damage and is drained 4.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

Lantern of the Warring Souls Legendary Artifact

An ornate lantern with an integrated gauntlet handle that hums with a palpable, unstable power. It contains three powerful, conflicting spirits.

  • Weight: 5; Cost: $400,000+
  • Requirements: Spirit d8+, Occult d8+
  • The Warden’s Burden (Major Hindrance): The wielder must choose one of the lantern’s three “personalities” (Serene, Furious, or Malevolent) to be their dominant one. The GM can compel the character to act according to this personality. Additionally, each time a power is activated, the wielder must make a Spirit roll. On a failure, they are Shaken as the internal conflict momentarily overwhelms them.
  • Multi-Modal Power: The lantern has its own pool of 30 Power Points, which recharge at a rate of 5 per hour. The wielder can activate any of the powers listed below by switching to the appropriate mode as a free action.
  • Powers:
    • Serenity Mode: The user can cast Calm affecting a Large Burst Template. On a Raise, affected targets are pacified and unwilling to fight unless attacked first.
    • Elemental Fury Mode: The user can cast Bolt, dealing 5d6 damage. The Trapping can be chosen as Fire, Cold, or Electricity each time it is cast. With a Raise on the attack, the target may also be set on fire, slowed, or Stunned (GM’s choice based on Trapping).
    • Shadow Toxin Mode: The user can cast Curse on a target, inflicting a major penalty (-4) to one of their Traits for a prolonged period. On a Raise, the target also cannot benefit from natural healing until the curse is removed by the Dispel power.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Kaelen’s Tri-Kami Lantern Artifact Focus

This appears as an ornate, gauntlet-handled lantern forged from a lustrous black metal with pulsing, violet-hued filigree. It is a unique and dangerously unstable artifact from a prior age, believed to be a focus that imprisons three distinct and powerful spirits (kami) in a state of perpetual conflict.

  • Type: Artifact Focus (Unique)
  • Availability: 20F
  • Cost: Priceless (would sell for millions of Nuyen at auction)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Warden’s Geas: The lantern contains a powerful, fractured sentience. Upon bonding with the focus, the user is afflicted with a powerful Geas. The GM can spend one of the user’s Edge points to force them to act according to the last mode they used: mercifully apathetic (Serenity), recklessly destructive (Fury), or cruelly paranoid (Toxin). This compelled action cannot directly harm the user’s teammates.
    • Mode Switching: The user can switch the lantern’s active mode as a Minor Action.
  • Powers (use Magic + Willpower as the dice pool):
    • Serenity Mode – The Calming Light: As a Major Action, the user can unleash a wave of tranquility. This functions as a Force 6 Control Emotions spell affecting all targets within a 20-meter radius with the “Calm” emotion. The Drain is 4 Stun damage, resisted as normal.
    • Elemental Fury Mode – The Storm Fist: This mode turns the gauntlet into a devastating weapon. The user may make a melee attack using their Unarmed Combat skill. If the attack hits, it deals 10P damage (instead of the user’s normal unarmed damage) with an AP of -3. The user may choose the damage type as Fire, Cold, or Electricity before the attack roll. Using this ability inflicts 5 Stun damage on the user as Drain.
    • Shadow Toxin Mode – Withering Contamination: As a Major Action, the user can unleash a blast of toxic essence at a single target within line of sight. This functions as a Force 6 Toxic Wave spell that deals Physical damage. The Drain is 6 Stun damage, resisted as normal.

Starfinder Roleplaying Game

Warden’s Tri-Core Emitter

  • Level 18; Price 420,000 credits
  • Aura overwhelming abjuration, evocation, and necromancy; Bulk 1
  • Type Hybrid Item; Armor Slot — (held in one hand)
  • Description This ornate, gauntlet-handled lantern is a unique artifact blending advanced technology with raw, imprisoned magical essences. It holds three distinct energy cores in a volatile, forced equilibrium.
  • Game Mechanics
    • Passive: While holding the lantern, you gain resistance 10 to fire, cold, electricity, and poison.
    • Warden’s Burden (Curse): The warring cores influence the wielder’s mind. Each time you activate one of the lantern’s modes, you must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or suffer a temporary psychological flaw until the next time you rest for 8 hours:
      • Serenity: You cannot take hostile actions against any creature that has not yet acted in combat.
      • Fury: You are flat-footed and take a –2 penalty to AC.
      • Toxin: You take a –4 penalty on Sense Motive checks and cannot willingly accept aid from another creature.
    • Mode Switching: You can switch the lantern’s active mode as a swift action.
  • Active Abilities:
    • Serenity Mode (Standard Action, 1/day): You unleash a wave of calming energy. All hostile creatures within a 60-foot radius must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or be affected by overwhelming presence for 1 minute (as the spell, but affecting all hostiles, not just one per level).
    • Elemental Fury Mode (Standard Action): You make a ranged attack against a single target’s EAC within 120 feet. On a hit, the attack deals 9d12 damage, which you can choose to be fire, cold, or electricity. This ability can be used once every 1d4 rounds.
    • Shadow Toxin Mode (Standard Action, 1/day): You project a 60-foot cone of toxic energy. Creatures in the area must succeed at a DC 25 Fortitude save or take 12d8 poison damage and gain the poisoned condition for 1 hour. While poisoned in this way, a creature cannot regain Hit Points or Stamina Points. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and negates the condition.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Ancients’ Phase Lantern

  • Tech Level: 17
  • Description: A unique artifact of Ancients’ design, appearing as an ornate lantern with an integrated gauntlet. It is a multi-modal device that manipulates local physics, psionic fields, and nano-robotics. Its power source is stable but has a documented, degenerative effect on the user’s psychological state.
  • Cost: 50+ MCr (Artifact)
  • Weight: 3 kg
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Psychological Imprinting: The lantern’s advanced neuro-interface imprints behavioral patterns. The Referee can require the user to make a Difficult (10+) Willpower check after prolonged use of a single mode. Failure means they suffer a temporary -2 DM penalty to checks that oppose the mode’s imprinted behavior (e.g., -2 DM to Initiative in Serenity mode; -2 DM to Deception in Fury mode; -2 DM to Persuade in Toxin mode).
    • Mode Switching: The user can switch modes as a significant action.
  • Functions:
    • Serenity Mode (Neural Dampening Field): The device projects a wide-field psionic dampener. Once per day, the user may force every character within a 20-meter radius to make a Formidable (12+) Willpower check. Those who fail are unable to perform violent actions for 1d6 minutes unless they are attacked first.
    • Elemental Fury Mode (Variable Plasma Projector): This mode configures the lantern as a powerful weapon. It has the following profile: Range 100m, Damage 5d6, AP 10. The user can choose the damage type as Thermal (Fire), Cryo (Cold), or Electrical before firing. The weapon has the Auto 3 and Unstable traits.
    • Shadow Toxin Mode (Nanite Degradation Swarm): This mode projects a cloud of aggressive nanites. It is a weapon with the following profile: Range 30m, Damage 2d6. In addition to damage, a target hit must make a Difficult (10+) Endurance check or suffer a -2 DM penalty to all physical checks for 1d6 hours as the nanites attack their biology and equipment. This weapon has the Blast 6 trait.

Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory

The Warden’s Paradox Archeotech/Xenos Hybrid Relic

An ornate lantern with an integrated gauntlet, believed to originate from the Dark Age of Technology. It seems to function by containing and weaponizing the conflicting energies of a benevolent machine-spirit, a chaotic elemental entity, and a Xenos-derived entropic poison.

  • Rarity: Unique
  • Keywords: Archeotech, Xenos, Relic, Light, Elemental, Toxic
  • Value: 10 (Tier 5)
  • The Warden’s Burden (Curse): The artifact’s warring machine-spirits wage war on the user’s soul. Whenever you use one of the lantern’s powers, you must make a DN 4 Resolve test. If you fail, you suffer 1 point of Corruption.
  • Mechanics: The wielder can switch the lantern’s active mode as a Simple Action.
  • Abilities:
    • Serenity Mode (Aura of Compliance): As a Full Action, you can activate the lantern’s pacifying aura. All creatures you choose within a 15-meter radius must pass a DN 7 Resolve test or become Staggered for 1 round. You may use this ability once per scene.
    • Elemental Fury Mode (Integrated Tri-Core Projector): The lantern’s gauntlet is a potent weapon. It has two profiles you may choose from when attacking:
      • Melee: +3 ED; AP -3; Agonising, Brutal.
      • Ranged (12m): 12 + 2 ED; AP -2; Agonising. When you make an attack with this weapon, you may choose the damage type to be Fire or Shock.
    • Shadow Toxin Mode (Entropic Curse): As a Full Action, you can target one creature within 20 meters. The target must pass a DN 8 Toughness test. On a failure, they suffer 2d3 Mortal Wounds and become Hindered (2) for the remainder of the scene as their body and wargear begin to decay. You may use this ability once per scene.