This post is part of a series of posts for d20 System games.
Click here for background on and character creation rules for the Amazons.
The Amazons have dwelled in extra-dimensional cities scattered across Earth for more than 10,000 years. During that time, a number of powerful artifacts left behind by the Olympians for their use have gone missing, either due to disaster, theft, or mistakes. The Amazons are eager to recover these items and store them safely in the temples they maintain in honor of the Olympians. This post describes three of them.
CRONUS' SICKLE
Amazonian legend holds that Cronus' Scythe is the last example of a weapon created to fight the Time Eaters. These monsters fed upon the very fabric of time itself and if the ancient Olympians hadn't hunted them to extinction, the Universe would have unraveled and all life doomed.
Cronus' Sickle was brought to Earth by the leader of the first Olympian expedition to Earth, just in case they encountered a Time Eater. It remained part of the Olympians arsenal on Earth for millenia, and when they withdrew, they left it with the Amazons in case a Time Eater should threaten them in the future.
There were at one time thousands of these weapons, but they reportedly crumble to rusty flakes when they deal a deathblow to a Time Eater. Legend has it that there was one such scythe for every Time Eater that was known to exist No one knows if there's any truth to this, but the Amazons believe it is the last of such weapons that remains in existence.
Cronus' Sickle went missing in November of 1944 when the Amazons were temporarily forced to abandon one of their settlements in Germany after it was discovered by Nazis.
Cronus' Sickle has a 14-inch, curved, highly polished steel blade mounted on a 10-inch handle made of lacquered hard wood.
Powers of Cronus' Sickle
The following are the attributes of this magical artifact.
Standard Powers: Cronus' Sickle is a +3 melee weapon that deals base 1d6 slashing damage. It is a light weapon that belongs to the Simple Weapons Proficiency group.
When a target (that isn't a Time Eater) is struck by
Chronus' Sickle for the first time in a combat, it must roll a Will Save (DC18) or be subjected to the effects of a
slow spell as cast by a 20th-level caster. Each following successful strike prompts a Fortitude Save (DC12) that, if not successful, causes the target to suffer double damage, as a surge of temporal energy flows through the target and into the weapon, taking with it some of their very life force. (Immortals, Witchkind, and characters with the
Fast Healing feat have a +2 bonus to the Will save.)
If a Time Eater is struck by Cronus' Sickle, it and the Sickle are destroyed instantaneously, the Time Eater bursting into hundreds of bright specks of light that disperse in the area as they blink out of existence, while the Sickle crumbles to flakes of rust and sawdust. The wielder must roll a Fortitude Save (DC18) or be struck by a temporal energy backlash that either ages or makes the wielder younger him or her, or makes him or her younger. See the table below.
1d12 Result Number of Years Age Changes
1 1d6+10 years younger
2-5 2d4+10 years younger
6 1d4+8 years younger
7 1d4+8 years older
8-11 2d4+10 years older
12 2d10+10 years older
Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons gain a +4 bonus to resist the temporal energy backlash when destroying a Time Eater with Cronus' Sickle.
TALARA, THE WINGED SANDALS
The Talara (also known as the "Winged Sandals") is a pair of golden sandals that feature ankle straps wiith stylized, ornamental wings. They were created by an Aeromancer named Hermes who died during the final battles between Atlantis and Olympus. They were briefly in the possession of the Amazons during the Olympian evacuation of Earth, but they were lost during the chaos.
There have been rumored sightings of Talara over the millennia, and they have usually been associated with mysterious disappearances or deaths.
Powers of the Talara
The following are the attributes of this magical artifact.
Standard Powers: When a user finishes securing the straps around his or her ankles, he or she immediately feels almost weightless. The character is actually floating a fraction of a millimeter above the surface upon which he or she is standing or walking, and this provides a +8 bonus to Move Silently skill checks for as long as the sandals are properly fastened and worn. Additionally, the sandals provide the effects of a pass without trace spell (no saving throw) as if cast at a 20th-level effectiveness.
If the character says "Talara" while the wearing the winged sandals with the straps secured, he or she is subjected to the effect of a fly spell (no saving throw) as if cast by a 20th-level caster. The character immediately shoots upward at maximum speed, slamming against the celling if indoors (which causes the spell effect to end, whether the character lives or dies from the sudden impact). If outside, the character continues to ascend at maximum speed until the spell duration ends, or until the character takes control by focusing his or her will (successful Will save, DC21). An attempt to control the sandals can be made each round, and once the character has control of the magic, it is as if he or she is subject to a normal fly spell. If the character is airborne when the spell's duration ends, he or she will plummet to the ground.
Once the pass without trace and/or fly spell effects have run their duration, they cannot be invoked again until the next sunrise and the sandals are exposed to sunlight.
Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons need to roll a successful Will save of only DC11 to control the fly effect created by the Talara. This is in addition to, and a modification of, the benefits enjoyed by non-Amazons.
TEROTOS, THE WINGED HELMET
Terotos (also known as the Winged Helmet) is a simple, bowl-shaped helmet that is adorned with a pair of stylized wings. It is made from a silvery metal that never tarnishes. It was created by an Aeromancer named Hermes who died during the final battles between Atlantis and Olympus. It came into the possession of a line of Amazons during the Olympian evacuation of Earth, but was lost nearly 2,000 years ago when a group of Amazons on an expedition to the outside world were killed during the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii. Its current location is completely unknown, and any believed sightings have turned out to be false.
Powers of the Terotos
The following are attributes of this magical artifact.
Standard Powers: The wearer of the Winged Helmet enjoys a +4 bonus to all Search and Spot skill checks. The wearer also enjoys the benefit of a find traps spell once per day, automatically spotting the closest trap within line-of-sight and 120 feet.
If the character says "Terotos" while wearing the Winged Helmet, he or she is subjected to the effects of a haste spell as if cast at a 20th-level effectiveness. Once the haste effect has run its duration, it cannot be invoked again until the next sunrise and the helmet is exposed to sunlight.
Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons enjoy a +8 to all Search and Spot checks. The Amazon also enjoys the benefit of a find traps spell, at a 20th-level effectiveness. It can be used three times per day, and is invoked at will. The number of find traps spells available resets every sunrise and if the helmet is exposed to sunlight.
TALARA AND TEROTOS WORN TOGETHER
In addition to the benefits and effects described above, when worn together the Talara and Terotos bestow the following benefits:
*When the word "Talara" is uttered, the wearer is subject to a normal fly spell, in complete control from the beginning and without the sudden upward launch.
* The pass without trace remains in constant effect while the items are worn, unless ended through a powerful-enough dispel magic or an anti-magic field.
* +4 bonus to saving throws to resist all electricity-based spells, as well as those based in the elements of air and water.
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