Handling Artifiacts, Relics and More (OD&D Month) Day 30

[The Perilous Dreamer]

30 Day OD&D Challenge - Handling Artifiacts, Relics and More - Day Thirty


Today's Topic is "Handling Artifiacts, Relics and More" as we continue our celebration of International Original Dungeons and Dragons Month!

[hengest]

In this post I spoke of three types of Magic Swords. The third type being a sword that is or is on the verge of reaching Legendary Status (Artifact). Those that are not there yet are Minor Artifacts on the verge of becoming a full fledged Artifact. When I say on the verge of becoming that is a relative term, it might take hundreds of years to complete the transition from minor to major.

This is a fine idea that I have never heard before. I toyed with the idea of an artifact that skipped ahead in time here. I suppose that is a ballpark cousin to the idea of an artifact maturing over centuries.

The only undeveloped idea I have to mention on this thread is that I want artifacts not "just" to be super-devices (as it seems some are in AD&D, no offense to those cool artifacts) but to be otherworldly to some degree. I like the idea of a mini-artifact, an item whose nature and function show that it is somehow otherworldly (or a fairy item) but whose "power level" is low enough that it's likely to escape detection. A family or village heirloom. 

[The Perilous Dreamer]

May 9, 2021 21:43:20 GMT -5 hengest said:

In this post I spoke of three types of Magic Swords. The third type being a sword that is or is on the verge of reaching Legendary Status (Artifact). Those that are not there yet are Minor Artifacts on the verge of becoming a full fledged Artifact. When I say on the verge of becoming that is a relative term, it might take hundreds of years to complete the transition from minor to major.

This is a fine idea that I have never heard before. I toyed with the idea of an artifact that skipped ahead in time here. I suppose that is a ballpark cousin to the idea of an artifact maturing over centuries.

The only undeveloped idea I have to mention on this thread is that I want artifacts not "just" to be super-devices (as it seems some are in AD&D, no offense to those cool artifacts) but to be otherworldly to some degree. I like the idea of a mini-artifact, an item whose nature and function show that it is somehow otherworldly (or a fairy item) but whose "power level" is low enough that it's likely to escape detection. A family or village heirloom. 

If you look at Warehouse 13, Warehouse 23, The Library and the like they are filled with thousands and thousands of artifacts (I want lists of their contents, but only one of these has a list) and it always seemed to me that artifacts usually don't spring into existence fully powered ( although sometimes they do), but that they grow in power over time as they are used by generation after generation of the same family (although not always the same family); however, they are awakened by a specific user and a specific act by that user and from that point on the growth occurs. Though in some cases, they are created fully formed by a great mage or by a great action. Yeah I think mini-artifacts (a family or village heirloom) fits in well with your spectrum of fairy.