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Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide

GM Core

Chapter 5: Treasure Trove

Source GM Core pg. 219 ^2.0
Characters acquire treasure from the glittering hoards of their foes, as rewards for defending the innocent, and as favors from the grand personalities they treat with. As they progress through their adventures and improve their station in the world, characters collect ever more fabulous items, from enchanted armor and weapons to spell-infused wands and staves.

Treasure comes in all forms, from humble copper coins to incredibly powerful, valuable magic items. The GM controls the flow of items in the game as the PCs win them through adventures, find them for purchase, or acquire the formulas and skills to make the items themselves.

Items can support characters by granting bonuses to their statistics, allowing them to cast more spells, and creating all sorts of effects that can't be achieved in any other way. Magic items come in many varieties, from enchanted swords that can harm even incorporeal undead to containers that can store a king's ransom within a tiny space; many are permanent items that can be used repeatedly. Alchemical items, by contrast, are not intrinsically magical and are often consumed when used. Both types have a variety of uses, from curing the sick to lighting foes on fire. Some treasures are neither magical nor alchemical but are instead crafted from precious materials or using specialized expertise.

This chapter provides rules for using different kinds of items encountered in the game. Rules for distributing treasure and creating treasure hoards can be found here.

Item Categories

Items are grouped into the following categories, shown here with a brief description of the category.

Armor & Armaments includes rules for etching runes to enhance weapons and armor, armor runes, specific suits of armor, shields and the reinforcing rune, weapon runes, and specific weapons.
Alchemy items are powered by the reactions of alchemical reagents. Almost all alchemical items are consumable items that are used up when you activate them. This category includes bombs, elixirs, poisons, and alchemical tools.
Materials includes the statistics for standard items and structures along with rules for precious materials that can be used to make items with unique properties and other advantages.
Momentary Magic has a plethora of magical consumables, including ammunition, oils applied to the surface of objects and people, potions to drink, scrolls used to cast more spells, talismans affixed to items, and wondrous consumables of all sorts.
Trappings of Power are permanent and powerful. They include apex items that can increase an attribute modifier, companion items for pets, held items, magical staves for spellcasters, wands that can repeatedly cast more spells, and a vast collection of worn items.
Gems & Art Objects make for an interesting variety of treasures.
Artifacts are extraordinarily powerful magic items ideal to build adventures and plots around.
Intelligent Items provides options for conscious items.
Cursed Items, used sparingly, can add danger and fun to items.
Relics let you build a special item that unlocks new powers over time through the story of a campaign.

Using Items

Source GM Core pg. 219 ^2.0
This section presents the rules for how characters use alchemical items, magic items, and other special items during play. Some items function automatically, while others need to be activated. While you need only swing a flaming greataxe to scorch foes, you need to invest a crown of intellect for it to work, imbibe an elixir of life to heal yourself, activate clawed bracers to climb up a wall, and Cast a Spell using a magical scroll.

Constant Abilities

Source GM Core pg. 219 ^2.0
Some magic items have abilities that always function. PCs don't have to use any actions to do anything special (beyond wearing and investing a worn item or wielding a held item) to make these abilities work. For example, an everlight crystal always sheds light, and a flaming weapon deals fire damage every time it deals damage.

Investing Magic Items

Source GM Core pg. 219 ^2.0
Certain magic items convey their magical benefits only when worn and invested using the Invest an Item activity, tying them to the PC's inner potential. These items have the invested trait. Many invested items have constant abilities that function all the time or that always trigger when someone uses the item—but only when they're invested. If a PC doesn't have an item invested, these abilities won't work. If an invested item can be activated, they must have invested the item to activate it.

A PC can benefit from no more than 10 invested magic items each day. Because this limit is fairly high, and because it matters only for worn items, you probably won't need to worry about reaching the limit until the player characters reach higher levels, when they've acquired many useful magic items to wear.

A PC can still gain the mundane benefits of an item if they don't invest it. A suit of +1 resilient armor still gives its item bonus to AC when not invested, but it doesn't give its magical bonus to saving throws, and winged sandals still protect feet even though they need to be activated to use them to fly. Entirely non-magical items don't need to be invested.

Activating Items

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
Some items produce their effects only when used properly in the moment. Others always offer the same benefits as their mundane counterparts when worn but have magical abilities that can only be gained by further spending actions. An activation lists the number of actions it takes and any traits of the activation and its effect. This information appears in the item's Activate entry.

If an item is used up when activated, as is the case for consumable items, its Activate entry appears toward the top of the stat block. For permanent items with activated abilities, the Activate entry is a paragraph in the description. This description usually has a name to indicate what's happening when you activate it. Activations are not necessarily magical—for instance, drinking an alchemical elixir isn't normally a magical effect.

Activating Invested Items

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
You can Activate an Item with the invested trait only if it’s invested by you.

Manipulate Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
If an activation has the manipulate trait, you can activate it only if you’re wielding the item (if it’s a held item) or touching it with a free hand (if it’s another type of item).

Long Activation Times

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
Some items take minutes or hours to activate. You can’t use other actions or reactions while activating such an item, though at the GM’s discretion, you might be able to speak a few sentences. As with other activities that take a long time, these activations have the exploration trait, and you can’t activate them in an encounter. If combat breaks out while you’re activating one, your activation is disrupted (see the Disrupting Activations sidebar).

Limited Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
Some items can be activated only a limited number of times per day, as described in the item’s entry. This limit is independent of any costs for activating the item. The limit resets during your daily preparations. The limit is inherent to the item, so if an ability that can be used only once per day is used, it doesn’t refresh if another creature later invests or tries to activate the item.

Cast a Spell

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
If an item lists “Cast a Spell” after “Activate,” you have to use the same actions as casting the spell to Activate the Item, unless noted otherwise. This happens when the item replicates a spell. You must have a spellcasting class feature to Activate an Item with this activation. Refer to the spell’s stat block to determine which actions you must spend to Activate the Item to cast the spell. You essentially go through the same process you normally do to cast the spell but draw the energy for the spell from the magic item. All the normal traits of the spell apply when you cast it by Activating an Item.

Sustaining Activations

Source GM Core pg. 220 ^2.0
Some items, once activated, have effects that can be sustained if you concentrate on them. Sustaining an effect requires using the Sustain action. If an item’s description states that you can sustain the effect, that effect lasts until the end of your turn in the round after you Activated the Item. You can use a Sustain action on that turn to extend the duration.

Dismissing Activations

Source GM Core pg. 221 ^2.0
Some item effects can be dismissed, ending the duration early due to you or the target taking action. Dismissing an activation requires using the Dismiss action.

Reading Items

Source GM Core pg. 221 ^2.0
Hundreds of items lie ahead. Each item is presented in a stat block, much like spells or feats. The example below shows the structure of an item stat block and gives a brief description of each entry. Entries appear only when applicable, so not all items will have every entry described here. Detailed rules governing aspects of the stat block specific to items appear after the stat block.

Item Name Item [Level]

Traits
Price This entry lists the item's Price. An item that has multiple types includes Price for each type in its entry.
Ammunition Magic ammunition lists the types of ammunition available for that kind of item.
Usage This entry describes whether the item is held, worn, or etched or affixed onto another item; Bulk The item's Bulk is listed here (the rules for Bulk appear on here). Runes don't have a Bulk entry.
Activate The number of actions needed to Activate the Item appear here, followed by any traits of the activation and effect in parentheses. You can find activation rules here. This entry appears here for consumables and lower in the stat block for permanent items that can be activated. This section might also have Frequency, Trigger, or Requirements entries as necessary.
Onset This entry appears if the item's effect is delayed, which most often occurs with alchemical poisons. The onset is the amount of time that elapses between when a character Activates an Item and any effect occurs.
The section after the line describes the item and its constant abilities. If the item can be activated and doesn't have an Activate entry above, that entry appears here in a paragraph beginning with “Activate.”
Type If multiple types of the item exist, entries here indicate the name of each type, its level, its Price, and any other relevant details or alterations from the above description.
Craft Requirements An item that has special requirements to be Crafted details those requirements here.

Notable Item Traits

The following traits apply to items. Some specific categories of item have special traits—such as elixir or scroll—described in their sections.

Alchemical: Alchemical items are powered by the reactions of alchemical reagents. Alchemical items aren't magical, and they don't radiate a magical aura. Characters can Craft these items only if they have the Alchemical Crafting feat.

Consumable: An item with this trait can be used only once. Unless stated otherwise, it's destroyed after activation, though part of it might be recoverable for other purposes. For instance, while a potion is consumable, the vial it comes in is not destroyed when you drink it. Consumable items include most alchemical items as well as ammunition, oils, potions, scrolls, talismans, and other magical consumables.

When a character creates consumable items, they can make them in batches of four, as described in the Craft activity.

Focused: An item with this trait can give you an additional Focus Point. This focus point is separate from your focus pool and doesn't count toward the cap on your focus pool. You can gain this benefit only if you have a focus pool, and there might be restrictions on how the point can be used. You can't gain more than 1 Focus Point per day from focused items, no matter how many focused items you have.

Invested: A character can wear only 10 magical items that have the invested trait. None of the magical effects of the item apply if the character hasn't invested it, though the character still gains any normal benefits from wearing the physical item (like a hat keeping rain off a character's head).

Magical: Items with this trait are imbued with magical energies. A character can craft these items only if they have the Magical Crafting feat. Some items are closely tied to a particular tradition of magic. In these cases, the item has the arcane, divine, occult, or primal trait instead of the magical trait. Any of these traits indicates that the item is magical.

Level

Source GM Core pg. 221 ^2.0
An item’s level indicates what level of adventurer the item is best suited for, but there’s no limit to the items a character can use based on level. A 3rd-level character who finds an item of 4th level or higher while adventuring can use it normally, and they can purchase the item if they can find it for sale and can afford it. When making items, a character can Craft only items whose level is equal to or lower than their own.

Multiple Types

Source GM Core pg. 221 ^2.0
If multiple types of an item exist, the title line gives the minimum level followed by a plus symbol (“+”). The description includes information on the base version of the item, and the Type entries at the bottom of the stat block lists the specifics for each version, including the level, Price, and any modified or added abilities of the different types. For some items, the types listed are upgrades to the base item. For other items, such as aeon stones, each type is distinct from the others.

Price

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
If an item is available for purchase, a character can typically buy it for the listed Price, and the character uses this Price when they use the Craft activity to make the item. If a character wants to sell an item, they can sell it for half its Price (or full Price, if they made the item for someone else on commission), assuming they’re able to find a buyer. The GM determines whether a buyer is available.

Usage

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
An item’s stat block includes a Usage entry that indicates whether a character must be holding or wearing the item in order to use it, or whether they instead must have it etched or affixed onto another item.

Affixed

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
Talismans function only if affixed to other items. They have a Usage entry indicating the type or types of items to which a character can attach them, such as “affixed to armor.” Rules for affixing a talisman are here.

Etched

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
Runes must be etched onto permanent items, such as armor, shields, weapons, or runestones to grant their benefit. Adding or transferring a rune takes downtime to accomplish. The Usage entry indicates the type or types of items a rune can be etched into, such as “etched onto a weapon.” More information about etching runes is found here.

Held

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
If a character must wield the item to use it, this entry in the item’s stat block lists the word “held” along with the number of hands the character must use when wielding the item, such as “held in 1 hand.” The rules for carrying and using items are provided here.

Worn

Source GM Core pg. 222 ^2.0
An item that needs to be worn to function lists “worn” as its usage. This is followed by another word if the character is limited to only one of that type of item. For instance, a character can wear any number of rings, so the entry for a ring would list only “worn.” However, if the Usage entry were “worn cloak,” then a character couldn’t wear another cloak on top of that one. It’s assumed that items are meant to be worn by humanoids; any item that can or must be worn by a different type of creature either states this in its description or has the companion trait. Most magic items a character must wear have the invested trait.

Craft Requirements

Source GM Core pg. 223 ^2.0
An item might require the crafter to provide specific raw materials, supply spells, or meet other special requirements to Craft it. These appear in the Craft Requirements entry of the stat block. Any of these Craft Requirements are in addition to the normal requirements for crafting the item.

Crafting Items

Source GM Core pg. 223 ^2.0
In addition to anything special noted in the Craft Requirements entry, every item has default requirements. These are as follows, including anything listed in the Craft activity.

The crafter's level must be equal to or higher than the item's.
If the item is 9th level or higher, the crafter must be a master in Crafting, and if it's 16th or higher, the crafter must be legendary.
The crafter must have the formula for uncommon or rarer items.
The crafter must have an appropriate set of tools and, in many cases, a workshop.
The crafter must supply raw materials worth at least half of the item's Price.
For an alchemical item, the crafter must have the Alchemical Crafting feat.
For a magic item, the crafter must have the Magical Crafting feat.

Item Rarity

Like many other aspects of the rules, items have rarities. Player characters might find uncommon magic items for sale, but only infrequently and often by private sellers or in clandestine markets. Their formulas are often guarded and not readily available. Unless the GM decides otherwise, a character cannot purchase rare items, and their formulas are lost to time.

Rarities for uncommon and rare treasures are indicated by the first trait in the stat block (or by the items' level if only some types of the item have a different rarity). Unique items are indicated in the same way, though there are none in this book.

Runes

Source GM Core pg. 223 ^2.0
Etching a rune largely follows the same process as Crafting items, though runes can be transferred and follow some other special rules detailed here.

Multiple Types

Source GM Core pg. 223 ^2.0
Some items with multiple type entries get special treatment when it comes to formulas and upgrades. The existing knowledge you have about the item means you don't need to start from scratch with these items.

If you have the formula for an item, you don't need a different formula to Craft a different type of that item that's just a higher-level upgrade. For example, if you have the formula for a +1 weapon potency rune, you don't need to secure a new formula to etch a +2 weapon potency rune. This works similarly with items such as a spacious pouch with its multiple types or doubling rings with a base version and greater version.

You can also upgrade an item or rune to a stronger version. This essentially means you Craft a permanent item from a lower-level version of the same item. For example, you might upgrade +1 weapon potency rune to a +2 weapon potency rune or upgrade a spacious pouch type I to a spacious pouch type II. The cost for this upgrade is the full difference in Price between the items, and the Crafting check uses a DC for the item's new level. You don't have to upgrade step by step either! You could upgrade a spacious pouch type I directly to type III or type IV.

If the different types in an item entry are wildly different, such as with aeon stones or marvelous miniatures, you need separate formulas and can't directly upgrade the items. If a type of the item has a higher rarity, that type requires its own formula. The GM will make the determination if it's unclear and might bypass these rules in special circumstances or if it suits the theme of their game.

Important Items

Source GM Core pg. 223 ^2.0
Some magical items in the game are an important part of the game's progression, so ensure your players are getting enough of the following items.

Fundamental runes. Potency runes for weapons and armor, resilient runes for armor, reinforcing runes for shields, and striking runes for weapons are all important to ensure characters have the attacks, damage, and defenses suited to their level. Read more about these runes here.
Skill items. Players seeking true mastery of a skill will be happy to get items that give bonuses to that skill. These are mostly in the categories of held items and worn items.
Spellcaster items. A staff is as important to a spellcaster as a magic sword is to a fighter. Learn more about staves here. Scrolls and wands provide extra spells in a more limited capacity.
Weapon alternatives. Characters using unarmed attacks need handwraps of mighty blows or similar items instead of weapon runes.
Healing potions. Keep them alive!

Armor & Armaments

Source GM Core pg. 224 ^2.0
Magical weapons and armor are important tools for warriors, even those who do their best to stay out of life-or-death battles. Whether empowered by runes or the subject of mysterious enchantments, they can markedly increase a character’s power in combat.

Runes

Source GM Core pg. 224 ^2.0
Most magic weapons and armor gain their enhancements from potent eldritch runes etched into them. These runes allow for in-depth customization of items.

Runes must be physically engraved on items through a special process to convey their effects. They take two forms: fundamental runes and property runes. Fundamental runes offer the most basic and essential benefits: a weapon potency rune adds a bonus to a weapon's attack rolls, and the striking rune adds extra weapon damage dice. An armor potency rune increases the armor's item bonus to AC, and the resilient rune grants a bonus to the wearer's saving throws. A reinforcing rune increases a shield's durability. Property runes, by contrast, grant more varied effects—typically powers that take effect each time the weapon is used or that are constant while the armor is worn, such as a rune that grants energy resistance or one that adds fire damage to a weapon's attacks.

The number of property runes a weapon or armor can have is equal to the value of its potency rune. A +1 weapon can have one property rune, but it could hold another if the +1 weapon potency rune were upgraded to a +2 weapon potency rune. Since the striking and resilient runes are fundamental runes, they don't count against this limit. A shield can't have property runes, only a reinforcing rune.

An item with runes is typically referred to by the value of its potency rune, followed by any other fundamental runes, then the names of any property runes, and ends with the name of the base item. For example, you might have a +1 longsword or +2 greater resilient fire-resistant chain mail.

Rune-etched items have the same Bulk and general characteristics as the non-magical version unless noted otherwise. The level of an item with runes etched onto it is equal to the highest level among the base item and all runes etched on it; therefore, a +1 striking mace (a 4th-level item) with a frost rune (an 8th-level rune) would be an 8th-level item.

Each rune can be etched into a specific type of armor, shield, or weapon, as indicated in the Usage entry of the rune's stat block. Explorer's clothing can have armor runes etched on it even though it's not armor, but because it's not in the light, medium, or heavy armor category, it can't have runes requiring any of those categories.

Property Runes

Fundamental Rune	Etched Onto	Benefit
Armor potency	Armor	Increase item bonus to AC and determine maximum number of property runes
Resilient	Armor	Grant item bonus to saves
Reinforcing	Shield	Increase Hardness, HP, and BT
Weapon potency	Weapon	Grant an item bonus to attack rolls and determine maximum number of property runes
Striking	Weapon	Increase weapon damage dice

Table 11-6: Armor Upgrade Prices

Starting Armor	Improved Armor	Price and Process
+1 armor	+1 resilient armor	340 gp to etch resilient (8th level)
+1 resilient armor	+2 resilient armor	900 gp to etch +2 armor potency (11th level)
+2 resilient armor	+2 greater resilient armor	3,100 gp to etch greater resilient (14th level)
+2 greater resilient armor	+3 greater resilient armor	19,500 gp to etch +3 armor potency (18th level)
+3 greater resilient armor	+3 major resilient armor	46,000 gp to etch major resilient (20th level)

Table 11-7: Weapon Upgrade Prices

Starting Weapon	Improved Weapon	Price and Process
+1 weapon	+1 striking weapon	65 gp to etch striking (4th level)
+1 striking weapon	+2 striking weapon	900 gp to etch +2 weapon potency (10th level)
+2 striking weapon	+2 greater striking weapon	1,000 gp to etch greater striking (12th level)
+2 greater striking weapon	+3 greater striking weapon	8,000 gp to etch +3 weapon potency (16th level)
+3 greater striking weapon	+3 major striking weapon	30,000 gp to etch major striking (19th level)

Upgrading Runes

You’ll often want to upgrade the fundamental runes of magic armor, a magic shield, or a magic weapon you already have. This requires upgrading each rune separately, using the upgrading process described here. These tables summarize the Price of each step, with a number in parentheses indicating the item’s level for the Craft activity. This follows the typical progression for an adventurer when upgrading their armor and weapons. The tables here don’t include progressions that aren’t as likely to come up, like turning a +1 weapon directly into a +1 greater striking weapon. You can upgrade reinforcing runes on shields and property runes that have multiple types as normal, but they aren’t listed on the table because their progression is more straightforward.

Investiture

Source GM Core pg. 224 ^2.0
If a suit of armor has any runes, it has the invested trait, requiring you to invest it to get its magical benefits.

Rune Formulas

Source GM Core pg. 225 ^2.0
The Price of a rune’s formula is the same as the Price of a formula for an item of the same level; it can be acquired in the same way as an item formula.

The Etching Process

Source GM Core pg. 225 ^2.0
Etching a rune onto an item follows the same process as using the Craft activity to make an item. You must be able to Craft magic items, have the formula for the rune, have the item you’re adding the rune to in your possession throughout the etching process, and meet any special Craft Requirements. The rune has no effect until you complete the Craft activity. You can etch only one rune at a time.

Transferring Runes

Source GM Core pg. 225 ^2.0
You can transfer runes between two items. This uses the Craft activity, and you must be able to craft magical items. You can either move one rune from one item to another or swap a rune on one item with a rune on the other item (which can be a runestone). To swap, the runes must both be fundamental runes or both be property runes.

If an item can have two or more property runes, you decide which runes to swap and which to leave when transferring. If you attempt to transfer a rune to an item that can't accept it, such as transferring a melee weapon rune to a ranged weapon, you get an automatic critical failure on your Crafting check. If you transfer a potency rune, you might end up with property runes on an item that can't benefit from them. These property runes go dormant until transferred to an item with the necessary potency rune or until you etch the appropriate potency rune on the item bearing them.

The DC of the Crafting check to transfer a rune is determined by the item level of the rune being transferred, and the Price of the transfer is 10% of the rune's Price, unless transferring from a runestone, which is free. If you're swapping, use the higher level and higher Price between the two runes to determine these values. It takes 1 day (instead of the 4 days usually needed to Craft) to transfer a rune or swap a pair of runes, and you can continue to work over additional days to get a discount, as usual with Craft.

Rune Transfer Examples

You could transfer a flaming rune from a +1 striking flaming greatsword to a +2 striking longsword, resulting in a +2 striking flaming longsword and a +1 striking greatsword. You could swap the weapon potency runes from a +1 longsword and a +2 greatsword, resulting in a +2 longsword and a +1 greatsword. However, you couldn't swap a +1 weapon potency rune from one weapon with a flaming property rune from another weapon, as the two runes don't have the same form.

When transferring a rune to an item that can hold multiple property runes, you can decide whether you transfer a single rune or swap runes between the items. For example, a +2 weapon can hold two property runes. If you transferred a flaming rune from a +1 striking flaming rapier to a +2 striking frost warhammer, you would decide whether you wanted to end up with a +1 striking rapier and a +2 striking flaming frost warhammer or a +1 striking frost rapier and a +2 striking flaming warhammer.

Fundamental Runes

Source GM Core pg. 225 ^2.0
Five fundamental runes produce the most essential magic of protection and destruction: armor potency and resilient runes for armor, the reinforcing rune for shields, and weapon potency and striking runes for weapons. A potency rune is what makes a weapon a runic weapon or armor magic armor.

An item can have only one fundamental rune of each type, though etching a stronger rune can upgrade an existing rune to the more powerful version (as described in each rune's entry). As you level up, you typically alternate between increasing an item's potency rune and its striking or resilient rune when you can afford to.

Property Runes

Source GM Core pg. 225 ^2.0
Property runes add special abilities to armor or a weapon in addition to the item's fundamental runes. If a suit of armor or a weapon has multiple etchings of the same rune, only the highest-level one applies. You can upgrade a property rune to a higher-level type of that rune in the same way you would upgrade a fundamental rune.

Rune abilities that must be activated follow the rules for activating magic items.

Armor

Source GM Core pg. 228 ^2.0
Suits of armor can be crafted from precious materials or infused with magic to grant them abilities exceeding those of typical armor. Many suits of magic armor are created by etching runes onto them. The magic armor stat block lists the Price and attributes of the most common armors you can make with fundamental runes. Other special suits of armor might be made of precious materials, and some are specially crafted items all on their own.

Precious Material Armor

Source GM Core pg. 228 ^2.0
Suits of armor made of precious materials are more expensive and sometimes grant special effects. You can make metal armor out of any precious materials except for duskwood, or you can make wooden armor out of duskwood. Because armor’s Bulk is reduced when the armor is worn, use its carried Bulk when determining its material Price. (Materials are found here.)

Click here for the Precious Material Armor category page.

Basic Magic Armor

Source GM Core pg. 229 ^2.0
The most common special armors are suits of armor with some combination of armor potency and resilient runes. The magic armor stat block provides a quick reference for these types of armor.

Specific Magic Armor

Source GM Core pg. 230 ^2.0
These suits of armor have abilities far different from what can be gained by etching runes. A specific magic armor lists its fundamental runes, which you can upgrade, add, or transfer as normal. You can’t etch or transfer any property runes onto a specific armor that it doesn’t already have or remove its property runes.

Click here for the Specific Magic Armor category page.

Shield Rune

Source GM Core pg. 232 ^2.0
Though shields can't be etched with weapon or armor runes, they can be improved by a specific type of fundamental rune known as a reinforcing rune. Reinforcing runes can be etched only on shields, including specific shields, and every reinforcing rune includes maximum Hardness and Hit Point values. Since the runes work by increasing the structural integrity of a shield by a certain amount, they can't increase the durability of a shield beyond a listed maximum value. Shields can't be etched with property runes, only reinforcing runes.

Shields

Source GM Core pg. 233 ^2.0
All magic shields are specific items with a wide variety of protective effects, as described in their entries.

Precious Material Shields

Source GM Core pg. 233 ^2.0
Shields made of precious materials are more expensive and have different durabilities. You can make bucklers and most shields out of any of these precious materials, but only duskwood can be used to make tower shields.

Click here for the Precious Material Shields category page.

Specific Shields

Source GM Core pg. 234 ^2.0
These shields have unique abilities that differentiate them from their typical counterparts.

Click here for the Specific Shields category page.

Magic Weapons

Source GM Core pg. 240 ^2.0
Weapons can be crafted from precious materials or infused with magic to grant them powerful and unusual abilities.

Precious Material Weapons

Source GM Core pg. 240 ^2.0
Weapons made of precious materials are more expensive and sometimes have special effects. You can make metal weapons out of any of these materials except duskwood, and wooden weapons out of duskwood. To determine the Price of 10 pieces of ammunition, use the base Price for a single weapon, without adding any extra for Bulk.

Click here for the Precious Material Weapons category page.

Basic Magic Weapon

Source GM Core pg. 240 ^2.0
Many magic weapons are created by etching runes onto them. The magic weapon stat block covers the Prices and attributes of the most common weapons you can make with only fundamental runes.

Specific Magic Weapons

Source GM Core pg. 241 ^2.0
These weapons have abilities far different from what can be gained by simply etching runes. A specific magic weapon lists its fundamental runes, which you can upgrade, add, or transfer as normal. You can’t etch or transfer any property runes onto a specific weapon that it doesn’t already have, and you can’t remove its property runes.

Click here for the Specific Magic Weapons category page.

Alchemy

Source GM Core pg. 244 ^2.0
Alchemical items are not magical. They instead use the properties of volatile chemicals, exotic minerals, potent plants, and other substances, collectively referred to as alchemical reagents. As such, alchemical items don't radiate magical auras, and they can't be dismissed or affected by dispel magic. Their effects last for a set amount of time or until they are countered in some way, typically physically.

Sometimes the reactions of alchemical reagents create effects that seem magical, and at other times they straddle the line between purely reactive and the inexplicable. Alchemists can infuse reagents with some of their own essence, allowing them to efficiently create short-lived alchemical items at no monetary cost. Even in these cases, alchemical items don't radiate magic auras, instead using the alchemist's infused essence as one additional catalyst for the item's alchemical effects.

Rules for creating alchemical items are found in the Craft activity, and you must have the Alchemical Crafting skill feat to use Crafting to create alchemical items. Critically failing a Crafting check to make alchemical items often causes a dangerous effect, such as an explosion for a bomb or accidental exposure for a poison, in addition to losing some of the materials. Some alchemical items have additional requirements beyond those stated in the Craft activity; these items list their requirements in a Craft Requirements entry.

All alchemical items have the alchemical trait. Most also have the consumable trait, which means that the item is used up once activated. The bomb, elixir, and poison traits indicate special categories of alchemical items, each of which is described on the following pages. Alchemical items without any of these traits are called alchemical tools.

Alchemical Bombs

Source GM Core pg. 244 ^2.0
An alchemical bomb combines volatile components that explode when the bomb hits a creature or object. Most alchemical bombs deal damage, though some produce other effects. Bombs have the bomb trait.

Bombs are martial thrown weapons with a range increment of 20 feet. When you throw a bomb, you make a weapon attack roll against the target's AC, as you would for any other weapon. It takes one hand to draw, prepare, and throw a bomb. The bomb is activated when thrown as a Strike—you don't have to activate it separately. As consumables, bombs can't have runes etched onto them, have talismans attached to them, or benefit from runes granted in other ways (such as from spells or from items that replicate runes from other items). Spells and magic items that give you a bonus to all your attacks (or to all thrown weapons, for example) can still apply to them.

Click here for the Alchemical Bombs category page.

Splash Trait

Source GM Core pg. 244 ^2.0
Most bombs also have the splash trait. When you use a thrown weapon with the splash trait, you don't add your Strength modifier to the damage roll. If an attack with a splash weapon fails, succeeds, or critically succeeds, all creatures within 5 feet of the target (including the target) take the listed splash damage. On a critical failure, the bomb misses entirely, dealing no damage. Add splash damage together with the initial damage against the target before applying the target's resistance or weakness. You don't multiply splash damage on a critical hit.

For example, if you throw a lesser acid flask and hit your target, that creature takes 1 acid damage, 1d6 persistent acid damage, and 1 acid splash damage. All other creatures within 5 feet of it take 1 acid splash damage. On a critical hit, the target takes 2 acid damage and 2d6 persistent acid damage, but the splash damage is still 1. If you miss, the target and all creatures within 5 feet take only 1 splash damage. If you critically fail, no one takes any damage.

Alchemical Elixirs

Source GM Core pg. 246 ^2.0
Elixirs are alchemical liquids that are used by drinking them. They have the elixir trait. These potent concoctions grant the drinker some alchemical benefits.

Click here for the Alchemical Elixirs category page.

Activating Elixirs

Source GM Core pg. 246 ^2.0
You usually Interact to activate an elixir as you drink it or feed it to another creature. You can feed an elixir only to a creature within reach that is either willing or unable to prevent you from doing so. You usually need only one hand to consume an elixir or feed it to another creature.

Alchemical Poisons

Source GM Core pg. 248 ^2.0
Alchemical poisons are potent toxins distilled or extracted from natural sources and made either stronger or easier to administer. Each poison's stat block includes the Price and features for a single dose. Poison doses are typically kept in a vial or some other type of safe and secure container.

Applying alchemical poisons uses Interact actions. A poison typically requires one hand to pour into food or scatter in the air. Applying a poison to a weapon or another item requires two hands, with one hand holding the weapon or item. The Usage entry for a poison indicates the number of hands needed for a typical means of application, but the GM might determine that using poisons in other ways functions differently.

The full rules for how poisons and other afflictions work are found here. A creature attempts the listed saving throw as soon as it's exposed to the poison; on a failed save, the creature advances to Stage 1 of the poison after any listed onset time elapses.

Virulent Poisons: Some poisons have the virulent trait. You must succeed at two consecutive saves to reduce a virulent affliction's stage by 1. A critical success reduces a virulent affliction's stage by only 1 instead of by 2.

Click here for the Alchemical Poisons category page.

Method of Exposure

Source GM Core pg. 248 ^2.0
Each alchemical poison has one of the following traits, which define how a creature can be exposed to that poison.

Contact: A contact poison is activated by applying it to an item or directly onto a living creature's skin. The first creature to touch the affected item must attempt a saving throw against the poison; if the poison is applied directly, the creature must attempt a saving throw immediately when the poison touches its skin. Contact poisons are infeasible to apply to a creature via a weapon attack due to the logistics of delivering them without poisoning yourself. Typically, the onset time of a contact poison is 1 minute.

Ingested: An ingested poison is activated by applying it to food or drink to be consumed by a living creature, or by placing it directly into a living creature's mouth. A creature attempts a saving throw against such a poison when it consumes the poison or the food or drink treated with the poison. The onset time of ingested poisons typically ranges anywhere from 1 minute to 1 day.

Inhaled: An inhaled poison is activated by unleashing it from its container. Once unleashed, the poison creates a cloud filling a 10-foot cube lasting for 1 minute or until a strong wind dissipates the cloud. Every creature entering this cloud is exposed to the poison and must attempt a saving throw against it; a creature aware of the poison before entering the cloud can use a single action to hold its breath and gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the saving throw for 1 round.

Injury: An injury poison is activated by applying it to a weapon or ammunition, and it affects the target of the first Strike made using the poisoned item. If that Strike is a success and deals piercing or slashing damage, the target must attempt a saving throw against the poison. On a failed Strike, the target is unaffected, but the poison remains on the weapon and you can try again. On a critical failure, or if the Strike fails to deal slashing or piercing damage for some other reason, the poison is spent but the target is unaffected.

Alchemical Tools

Source GM Core pg. 251 ^2.0
Alchemical tools are consumable items you don’t drink.

Click here for the Alchemical Tools category page.

Materials

Source GM Core pg. 252 ^2.0
Most items are made from readily available materials—usually leather, wood, or steel—but some weapons and armor are made from more exotic materials, giving them unique properties and other advantages. Weapons made from precious materials are better able to harm certain creatures, and armor of these materials provides enhanced protection.

Most materials are metals; they can be used to make metal weapons and armor. The GM is the final arbiter of what items can be made using a material. An item can be made with no more than one precious material, and only an expert in Crafting can create it. Some rare and exotic materials require master or even legendary proficiency.

A material's Price depends on how hard it is to work, its scarcity, and its purity; most items made with precious materials use an alloy, blend, or coating rather than using the material in its purest form. The three grades of purity for precious materials are low grade, standard grade, and high grade. Regardless of a precious material's purity, an item made from it gains the full effects of the precious material, but creating higher-level items and more powerful magic runes with precious material requires greater purity.

Some precious materials are available only at certain grades. For instance, adamantine can't be low grade, and orichalcum must be high grade. Items made of materials with a lower grade than expected for the item's level, or of a higher grade than necessary, will mention the precious material's grade.

Click here for the Materials category page.

Material Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 252 ^2.0
The table below provides the Hardness, Hit Points, Broken Threshold, and example items for some types of common materials. The table has separate entries for thin items (like shields), ordinary items (like armor), and reinforced or durable structures (such as walls).

Stone is a catchall for any hard stone, such as granite and marble. Likewise, wood covers ordinary woods, such as oak and pine. Metal weapons and armor are assumed to be made of iron or steel unless noted otherwise.

If an object consists of more than one material, the GM typically uses the statistics for the strongest material involved. For instance, breaking a wall made of paper panels over a woven wooden framework would require damaging thin wood, not paper. However, the GM might choose the weaker material based on the item's function. For instance, breaking the wooden handle of a hammer rather than its iron head would still render the item unusable. Sometimes an item is even less sturdy than the Hardness and Hit Points provided for a thin object; for instance, a twig doesn't take 9 damage to break, even though it's made of thin wood. Similarly, a particularly sturdy item or structure might have even higher Hardness and Hit Points. Certain structures, particularly thick walls, are so reinforced that you have to break them down over time with tools. (More information on walls can be found here.)

Table 11-4: Material Hardness, Hit Points, and Broken Threshold

Material	Hardness	HP	BT	Example Items
Paper	0	1	—	Book pages, paper fan, scroll
Thin cloth	0	1	—	Kite, silk dress, undershirt
Thin glass	0	1	—	Bottle, spectacles, window pane
Cloth	1	4	2	Cloth armor, heavy jacket, sack, tent
Glass	1	4	2	Glass block, glass table, heavy vase
Glass structure	2	8	4	Glass block wall
Thin leather	2	8	4	Backpack, jacket, pouch, strap, whip
Thin rope	2	8	4	Standard adventuring rope
Thin wood	3	12	6	Chair, club, sapling, wooden shield
Leather	4	16	8	Leather armor, saddle
Rope	4	16	8	Industrial rope, ship rigging
Thin stone	5	16	8	Chalkboard, slate tiles, stone cladding
Thin iron or steel	5	20	10	Chain, steel shield, sword
Wood	5	20	10	Chest, simple door, table, tree trunk
Stone	7	28	14	Paving stone, statue
Iron or steel	9	36	18	Anvil, iron or steel armor, stove
Wooden structure	10	40	20	Reinforced door, wooden wall
Stone structure	14	56	28	Stone wall
Iron or steel structure	18	72	36	Iron plate wall

Precious Materials

Source GM Core pg. 252 ^2.0
Materials with the precious trait can be substituted for base materials. For example, a hammer’s head could be made of adamantine instead of iron. Items made of a precious material cost more than typical items; not only does precious material cost more, but the crafter must invest more time working with it. In addition, more powerful items require precious materials of greater purity. A number of precious materials are described below. The Price entry for each material gives the Price of a simple non-magical item made of that material, based on its Bulk (if the item is lighter than 1 Bulk, use the price for 1 Bulk), as well as Prices for different amounts of the material itself. Prices for armor, shields, and weapons made of precious material are in the Armor, Shields, and Weapons sections of this chapter.

Crafting with Precious Materials

Source GM Core pg. 253 ^2.0
Only an expert crafter can create a low-grade item, only a master can create a standard-grade item, and only a legendary crafter can create a high-grade item. In addition, to Craft with a precious material, your character level must be equal to or greater than that of the material.

Low-grade items can be used in the creation of magic items of up to 8th level, and they can hold runes of up to 8th level. Standard-grade items can be used to create magic items of up to 15th level and can hold runes of up to 15th level. High-grade items use the purest form of the precious material, and can be used to Craft magic items of any level holding any runes. Using purer forms of common materials is so relatively inexpensive that the Price is included in any magic item.

When you Craft an item that incorporates a precious material, your initial raw materials for the item must include that material; at least 10% of the investment must be of the material for low grade, at least 25% for standard grade, and all of it for high grade. For instance, a low-grade silver object of 1 Bulk costs 20 gp. Of the 10 gp of raw materials you provide when you start to Craft the item, at least 1 gp must be silver. The raw materials you spend to complete the item don't have to consist of the precious material, though the GM might rule otherwise in certain cases.

After creating an item with a precious material, you can use Craft to improve its grade, paying the Price difference and providing a sufficient amount of the precious material.

Momentary Magic

Source GM Core pg. 255 ^2.0
This section includes consumable magic items. An item with the consumable trait can be used only once; unless stated otherwise, it’s destroyed after activation. When a character creates consumable items, they can make them in batches of four, as described in the Craft activity.

Ammunition

Source GM Core pg. 255 ^2.0
These magic items are ammunition for ranged weapons. Each item's stat block includes an Ammunition entry that lists which type of ammunition it can be Crafted as, or “any” if it's not limited to any particular type. All stat blocks for ammunition omit the Usage and Bulk entries; use the standard rules for the type of ammunition to determine reloading times and Bulk.

When using magic ammunition, use your ranged weapon's fundamental runes to determine the attack modifier and damage dice. Don't add the effects of your weapon's property runes unless the ammunition states otherwise—the ammunition creates its own effects. Magic ammunition deals damage on a hit normally in addition to any listed effects unless its description states otherwise.

Regardless of whether an attack with magic ammunition hits or misses, launching the ammunition consumes its magic. Magic ammunition is made of normal materials, not precious materials, unless stated otherwise.

Click here for the Magical Ammunition category page.

Activated Ammunition

Source GM Core pg. 255 ^2.0
If magic ammunition doesn't have an Activate entry, it's activated automatically when it's launched. Types of magic ammunition that have an Activate entry must be activated with additional actions before being used. Once you activate the ammunition, you must shoot it before the end of your turn. Otherwise, it deactivates (but it isn't consumed) and you must activate it again before you can use it. If you shoot the ammunition without activating it first, it functions as non-magical ammunition and is still consumed.

The action required to activate the ammunition doesn't alter how many actions it takes to reload. For example, you could activate a beacon shot arrow by touching it with 1 action, then draw and shoot the arrow as part of a Strike as normal. For a beacon shot bolt, you could activate it, load it into a crossbow, then shoot it, or load it into the crossbow, then activate it, and then shoot it.

Oils

Source GM Core pg. 257 ^2.0
Oils are magical gels, ointments, pastes, or salves that are typically applied to an object (though sometimes to a creature). They're typically found in vials (similar to potions) or small tins. They have the oil trait. Like other consumables, oils are used up when activated.

Applying an oil usually takes two hands: one to hold the jar containing the oil and another to extract the oil and apply it. You can only apply an oil to an item or creature within your reach. Because the process is so thorough, it is usually impossible to apply an oil to an unwilling target or an item in the possession of an unwilling target unless that target is paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious.

Click here for the Oils category page.

Potions

Source GM Core pg. 259 ^2.0
A potion is a magical liquid that is activated when you drink it, which uses it up. Potions have the potion trait. You can activate a potion with an Interact action as you drink it or feed it to another creature. You can feed a potion only to a creature that is within reach and willing or otherwise so helpless that it can’t resist. You usually need only one hand to consume a potion or feed it to another creature.

Click here for the Potions category page.

Scrolls

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
A scroll contains a single spell that you can cast without having to expend a spell slot. A scroll can be Crafted to contain nearly any spell. The exceptions are cantrips, focus spells, and rituals, none of which can be put on scrolls. The spell on a scroll can be cast only once, and the scroll is destroyed as part of the casting. The spell on the scroll is cast at a particular spell rank, as determined by the scroll. For instance, a scroll of force barrage (1st rank) can be used to cast the 1st-rank version of force barrage, but not a force barrage heightened to 2nd rank. If no rank is listed, the scroll can be used to cast the spell at its lowest rank.

If you find a scroll, you can try to figure out what spell it contains. If the spell is a common spell from your spell list or a spell you know, you can spend a single Recall Knowledge action and automatically succeed at identifying the scroll's spell. If it's not, you must Identify Magic.

Click here for the Scrolls category page.

Casting a Spell from a Scroll

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
Casting a Spell from a scroll requires holding the scroll in one hand and activating it with a Cast a Spell activity using the normal number of actions for that spell. The spell must appear on your spell list. Because you're the one Casting the Spell, use your spell attack modifier and spell DC. The spell also gains the appropriate trait for your tradition (arcane, divine, occult, or primal).

Any physical costs are provided when a scroll is created, so you don't need to provide them when casting from a scroll. If the spell requires a locus, you must have that locus to Cast the Spell from a scroll.

Scroll Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
All scrolls have the same base statistics unless noted otherwise. A scroll has light Bulk and must be held in one hand to be activated.

Varying Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
The magic scroll stat block indicates the item level and Price of a scroll, both of which are based on the rank of the spell in the scroll. Any costs to Cast the Spell are added to the scroll's Price when the scroll is crafted, so a scroll containing a spell with a Cost entry will have a higher Price than what's on the table. The scroll's rarity matches the spell's rarity.

The traits for a scroll vary based on the spell it contains. A scroll always has the consumable, magical, and scroll traits, plus any traits that might be relevant to identifying the item, such as illusion or fire. The GM determines the extra traits, if necessary.

Crafting a Scroll

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
The process to Craft a scroll is much like that to Craft any other magic item. When you begin the crafting process, choose a spell to put into the scroll. You must either Cast that Spell during the crafting process, or someone else must do so in your presence. Casting that Spell doesn't produce its normal effects; instead, the magic is trapped inside the scroll. The casting must come from a spellcaster expending a spell slot. You can't Craft a scroll from a spell produced from another magic item, for example. The caster must provide any cost of the spell. A scroll's rarity is the same as that of the spell it contains.

Like other consumables, scrolls can be crafted in batches of four. All scrolls of one batch must contain the same spell at the same rank, and you must provide one casting for each scroll that is crafted.

Magic Scroll

Source GM Core pg. 262 ^2.0
A scroll’s Price and level are based on the spell. The name is simply “scroll of,” followed by the spell’s name.

Talismans

Source GM Core pg. 263 ^2.0
An item with the talisman trait is a magical charm, gem, stone, or other small object affixed to armor, a shield, or a weapon (called the affixed item). Each talisman holds a sliver of combat knowledge or magical energy that can be unleashed for a momentary boost of power or enhanced ability. Many talismans can be activated as a free action when you use a particular action or activity. A talisman is a consumable item and has the talisman trait.

You must be wielding or wearing an item to activate a talisman attached to it. Once activated, a talisman burns out permanently, usually crumbling into a fine dust.

Affixing a Talisman

Source GM Core pg. 263 ^2.0
Each talisman’s stat block indicates the type of item it can be affixed to. Affixing or removing a talisman requires using the Affix a Talisman activity. A single talisman can be affixed to only one item at a time, and an item can have only one talisman affixed to it at a time without suppressing them all.

Talismans

Source GM Core pg. 263 ^2.0
These are but a few of the talismans available.

Click here for the Talismans category page.

Wondrous Consumables

Source GM Core pg. 268 ^2.0
Though many consumables are grouped into specific categories, such as potions and talismans, some consumables don’t fit into those categories.

Click here for the Other Consumables category page.

Trappings of Power

Source GM Core pg. 270 ^2.0
This section includes magic items that you wear. Most of the items have the invested trait, which means you can wear no more than 10 of the item. If the “worn” usage for an item is followed by another word, like “worn belt,” you’re limited to wearing only one item of that type. If nothing’s listed after “worn,” as in the case of rings, you can wear any number.

Apex Items

Source GM Core pg. 270 ^2.0
When you Invest an Item that has the apex trait, it improves one of your attributes, either increasing the attribute's modifier by 1 or to a total of +4, whichever would give you a higher score. This gives you all the benefits of the new attribute modifier until the investiture runs out: increasing Intelligence lets you become trained in an additional skill and learn a new language, increasing Constitution gives you more Hit Points, and so on.

An apex item grants this benefit only the first time it's invested within a 24-hour period, and you can benefit from only one apex item at a time. If you attempt to invest an apex item when you already have one invested, you don't gain the attribute modifier increase, though you do gain any other effects of Investing the Item.

Click here for the Apex Items category page.

Companion Items

Source GM Core pg. 272 ^2.0
You might want to acquire items that benefit a creature that assists you, such as an animal companion, familiar, or bonded animal. These items have the companion trait, meaning they function only for animal companions, familiars, and similar creatures. Normally, these are the only items a companion can use. Other items can qualify at the GM's discretion, but a companion can never Activate an Item.

Any worn companion item needs to be invested. However, your companion needs to invest it, rather than you doing so. This requires you to use the Invest an Item activity alongside your companion, helping them attune to the item and ensuring it is properly fit. A companion has an investiture limit of two items (instead of the 10-item limit a player character has).

Click here for the Companion Items category page.

Held Items

Source GM Core pg. 273 ^2.0
These items need to be held to use them. Weapons, wands, and staves follow special rules and have their own sections.

Click here for the Held Items category page.

The Structure Trait

An item with the structure trait creates a magical building or other structure when activated. The item must be activated on a plot of land free of other structures. The structure adapts to the natural terrain, adopting the structural requirements for being built there. The structure adjusts around small features such as ponds or spires of rock, but it can't be created on water or other nonsolid surfaces. If activated on snow, sand dunes, or other soft surfaces with a solid surface underneath, the structure's foundation (if any) reaches the solid ground. If an item with this trait is activated on a solid but unstable surface, such as a swamp or an area plagued by tremors, roll a DC 3 flat check each day; on a failure, the structure begins to sink or collapse.

The structure doesn't harm creatures within the area when it appears, and it can't be created within a crowd or in a densely populated area. Any creature inadvertently caught inside the structure when the item is activated ends up unharmed inside the complete structure and always has a clear path of escape. A creature inside the structure when the activation ends isn't harmed, and it lands harmlessly on the ground if it was on an upper level of the structure.

Staves

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
A magical staff is an indispensable accessory for a spellcaster. A staff is tied to a person during a preparation process, after which the preparer, and only the preparer, can use the staff to produce magic. The spells that can be cast from a staff are listed in bullet points organized by rank. Staves can be found in multiple types, with more powerful types containing more spells—such a staff always contains the spells of all lower-level types of the staff, in addition to the spells listed in its own entry. All magical staves have the staff trait.

Click here for the Staves category page.

Casting Spells from a Staff

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
A staff gains charges when someone prepares it for the day. The person who prepared a staff can expend the charges to cast spells from it. You can Cast a Spell from a staff only if you have that spell on your spell list, are able to cast spells of the appropriate rank or higher, and expend a number of charges from the staff equal to the spell's rank. Casting a Spell from a staff requires holding the staff (typically in one hand) and Activating the staff by Casting the Spell, which takes the spell's normal number of actions.

Use your spell attack modifier and spell DC when Casting a Spell from a staff. The spell gains the appropriate trait for your magical tradition and can be affected by any modifications you can normally make when casting spells, such as spellshape feats. You must provide any cost or locus required by the spell, or you fail to cast it.

Prepared spellcasters and spontaneous spellcasters each have a unique way of altering how their staves gain charges and the ways they can be used (see the Prepared Spellcasters and Spontaneous Spellcasters sections below).

Casting Cantrips from a Staff

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
You can cast a cantrip from a staff without expending any charges, heightened to the same rank as cantrips you cast.

Preparing a Staff

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
During your daily preparations, you can prepare a staff to add charges to it for free. When you do so, that staff gains a number of charges equal to the rank of your highest spell slot. You don’t need to expend any spells to add charges in this way. No one can prepare more than one staff per day, nor can a staff be prepared by more than one person per day. If the charges aren’t used within 24 hours, they’re lost, and preparing the staff anew removes any charges previously stored in it. You can prepare a staff only if you have at least one of the staff’s spells on your spell list.

Prepared Spellcasters

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
A prepared spellcaster—such as a cleric, druid, witch, or wizard—can place some of their own magic in a staff to increase its number of charges. When a prepared spellcaster prepares a staff, they can expend a spell slot to add a number of charges equal to the rank of the spell. They can’t expend more than one spell in this way each day. For example, if a wizard can cast 3rd-rank spells and prepared a staff, the staff would gain 3 charges, but wizard could increase this to 6 by expending one of their 3rd-rank spells, 5 by expending a 2nd-rank spell, or 4 by expending a 1st-rank spell.

Spontaneous Spellcasters

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
A spontaneous spellcaster—such as a bard, oracle, or sorcerer—can reduce the number of charges it takes to Activate a staff by supplementing it with their own energy. When a spontaneous spellcaster Activates a staff, they can expend 1 charge from the staff and one of their spell slots to cast a spell from the staff of the same rank (or lower) as the expended spell slot. This doesn’t change the number of actions it takes to cast the spell. For example, if a sorcerer can cast 3rd-rank spells and prepared a staff, the staff would gain 3 charges. They could expend 1 charge and one of their 3rd-rank spell slots to cast a 3rd-rank spell from the staff, or 1 charge and one of their 2nd-rank spell slots to cast a 2nd-rank spell from the staff. They could still expend 3 charges from the staff to cast a 3rd-rank spell from it without using any of their own slots, just like any other spellcaster.

Attacking with a Staff

Source GM Core pg. 278 ^2.0
Staves are also staff weapons. They can be etched with fundamental runes but not property runes.

Wands

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
Short, slender items typically made of wood, wands let you cast a specific spell without expending a spell slot. They can be used once per day, but can be overcharged to attempt to cast them again at great risk. Each wand holds a spell of a certain rank, determined when the wand is created. Cantrips, focus spells, and rituals can't be placed in wands.

If you find a wand, you can try to deduce what spell is in it. If the spell is a common spell from your spell list or is a spell you know, you can use a single Recall Knowledge action and automatically succeed. If it's not, you must Identify Magic.

Casting Spells from a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
A wand contains a spell that can be cast once per day. Casting a spell from a wand requires holding the wand in one hand and activating the item with a Cast a Spell activity using the normal number of actions for the spell.

To cast a spell from a wand, it must be on your spell list. Because you're the one casting the spell, use your spell attack modifier and spell DC. The spell is of your spellcasting tradition.

If a spell requires a locus, you must still have that locus to cast the spell from a wand, and if the spell has a cost, you must still pay that cost to cast the spell from a wand.

Overcharging a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
After the spell is cast from the wand for the day, you can attempt to cast it one more time—overcharging the wand at the risk of destroying it. Cast the Spell again, then roll a DC 10 flat check. On a success, the wand is broken. On a failure, the wand is destroyed. If anyone tries to overcharge a wand when it’s already been overcharged that day, the wand is automatically destroyed (even if it had been repaired) and no spell is cast.

Wand Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
A wand’s base statistics are the same unless noted otherwise in a special wand. It has light Bulk, and must be held in one hand to be activated. Each wand contains a specific rank of the spell, but you can craft a wand with a heightened version of a spell.

Varying Statistics

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
Each type of wand has a level and Price determined by the spell's rank. The wand's rarity matches the spell's rarity, and it has its spell's traits. A wand has the normal Hardness, BT, and HP of a thin item of its material (see Materials).

The traits for a wand vary based on the spell it contains. A wand always has the magical and wand traits, plus any traits that might be relevant to identifying the item, such as illusion or fire. The GM determines the extra traits.

Crafting a Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
For the most part, the process to Craft a wand is like that to Craft any other magic item. When you begin the crafting process, choose a spell to put into the wand. You have to either cast that spell during the process, or someone else must do so in your presence. That spell doesn't have its normal effects; instead, the magic is captured inside the wand. The caster doesn't need to pay any cost of the spell.

The casting must come from a spellcaster expending a spell slot. You can't make a wand from a spell that comes from another magic item, for example. A wand's rarity is the same as that of the spell it contains.

Magic Wand

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
The simplest form of wand contains a spell, with Price and level based on that spell. The name of a magic wand with a spell in it is simply “wand of,” followed by the spell’s name.

Specialty Wands

Source GM Core pg. 282 ^2.0
Specialty wands can contain only certain kinds of spells, as noted in the stat block, and either alter the spell’s effects or affect how it can be cast. The Craft Requirements entry lists what kinds of spells the wand can hold.

Click here for the Specialty Wands category page.

Worn Items

Source GM Core pg. 284 ^2.0
This section includes magic items you wear. Most have the invested trait, which means you can wear no more than 10. Armor appears in its own section here, high-level apex items that can increase ability modifiers are here, and worn items for pets appear here.

Click here for the Worn Items category page.

Gems & Art Objects

Source GM Core pg. 298 ^2.0
Many people treasure gems for their brilliant colors and for the alchemical or even magical properties some have. Works of art and their value, meanwhile, vary as widely as the concept of beauty between cultures. They may be more elegant versions of useful items, or exist solely to be admired and envied.

Much like coins, gems and art objects are valuable currency worth their full Price when sold. When making a treasure hoard, you can choose gems or art objects you like, or roll randomly using percentile dice.

Gems

Source GM Core pg. 298 ^2.0
Gems are naturally occurring minerals, typically in a crystalline form, or, in a few cases, organic material such as amber, coral, and pearls. All but the largest gems weigh about half as much as a coin, so about 2,000 gems is 1 Bulk. Unworked gems are worth half the Price of a finished gem and can serve as the minimum raw materials necessary to Craft the finished gem. Lesser semiprecious stones are level 0 items, moderate and greater semiprecious stones are 1st-level items, lesser and moderate precious stones are 4th-level items that require expert proficiency to Craft, and greater precious stones are 7th-level items that require master proficiency to Craft.

Table 2-23: Gems

d%	Lesser Semiprecious Stones	Price
1–7	Agate	1d4×5 sp
8–14	Alabaster	1d4×5 sp
15–21	Azurite	1d4×5 sp
22–28	Hematite	1d4×5 sp
29–35	Lapis lazuli	1d4×5 sp
36–42	Malachite	1d4×5 sp
43–49	Obsidian	1d4×5 sp
50–56	Pearl, irregular freshwater	1d4×5 sp
57–63	Pyrite	1d4×5 sp
64–70	Rhodochrosite	1d4×5 sp
71–77	Quartz, rock crystal	1d4×5 sp
78–84	Shell	1d4×5 sp
85–92	Tiger’s-eye	1d4×5 sp
93–100	Turquoise	1d4×5 sp
d%	Moderate Semiprecious Stones	Price
1–7	Bloodstone	1d4×25 sp
8–14	Carnelian	1d4×25 sp
15–21	Chrysoprase	1d4×25 sp
22–28	Citrine	1d4×25 sp
29–35	Ivory	1d4×25 sp
36–42	Jasper	1d4×25 sp
43–49	Moonstone	1d4×25 sp
50–56	Onyx	1d4×25 sp
57–63	Peridot	1d4×25 sp
64–70	Quartz, milky, rose, or smoky	1d4×25 sp
71–77	Sard	1d4×25 sp
78–84	Sardonyx	1d4×25 sp
85–92	Spinel, red or green	1d4×25 sp
93–100	Zircon	1d4×25 sp
d%	Greater Semiprecious Stones	Price
1–10	Amber	1d4×5 gp
11–20	Amethyst	1d4×5 gp
21–30	Chrysoberyl	1d4×5 gp
31–40	Coral	1d4×5 gp
41–50	Garnet	1d4×5 gp
51–60	Jade	1d4×5 gp
61–70	Jet	1d4×5 gp
71–80	Pearl, saltwater	1d4×5 gp
81–90	Spinel, deep blue	1d4×5 gp
91–100	Tourmaline	1d4×5 gp
d%	Lesser Precious Stones	Price
1–25	Aquamarine	1d4×50 gp
26–50	Opal	1d4×50 gp
51–75	Pearl, black	1d4×50 gp
76–100	Topaz	1d4×50 gp
d%	Moderate Precious Stones	Price
1–25	Diamond, small	1d4×100 gp
26–50	Emerald	1d4×100 gp
51–75	Ruby, small	1d4×100 gp
76–100	Sapphire	1d4×100 gp
d%	Greater Precious Stones	Price
1–25	Diamond, large	1d4×500 gp
26–50	Emerald, brilliant green	1d4×500 gp
51–75	Ruby, large	1d4×500 gp
76–100	Star sapphire	1d4×500 gp

Art Objects

Source GM Core pg. 298 ^2.0
These pieces of artwork have listed Prices, but might be more valuable to a collector or someone with a personal connection. Consider whether the PCs could discover this information and secure a greater reward. For instance, a dwarven crown might be worth 1,000 gp for its exquisite crafting, but even more to the dwarves who lost the crown of their first queen long ago.

On the other hand, the materials used to make an art object, such as the paint and the canvas of a painting, are worth far less than the finished object. Some art objects on the following tables include uncommon or rare precious materials, though usually not in large enough amounts for other crafting purposes. If you're rolling randomly and don't want to give out an uncommon or rare material, roll again or modify the description (for instance, you might change a dawnsilver crown to a gold crown).

Table 2-24: Sample Art Objects

d%	Minor Art Object	Price
1–5	Elegant cloth doll	1d4 gp
6–10	Scrimshaw whale bone	1d4 gp
11–15	Illustrated book	1d4 gp
16–20	Brass statuette of a bull	1d4 gp
21–25	Carved wooden game set	1d4 gp
26–30	Set of six ivory dice	1d4 gp
31–35	Engraved copper ring	1d4 gp
36–40	Lapis lazuli pendant	1d4 gp
41–45	Hand mirror with decorated frame	1d4 gp
46–50	Colorful velvet half mask	1d4 gp
51–55	Set of decorated ceramic plates	1d4 gp
56–60	Leather flagon with Caydenite symbol	1d4 gp
61–65	Bronze bowl with wave imagery	1d4 gp
66–70	Brass anklet	1d4 gp
71–75	Iron cauldron with gargoyle faces	1d4 gp
76–80	Silver religious symbol	1d4 gp
81–85	Bronze brazier with Asmodean artwork	1d4 gp
86–90	Plain brass censer	1d4 gp
91–95	Simple sculpture	1d4 gp
96–100	Simple painting	1d4 gp
d%	Lesser Art Object	Price
1–5	Silk ceremonial armor	1d4×10 gp
6–10	Inscribed crocodile skull	1d4×10 gp
11–15	Illuminated manuscript	1d4×10 gp
16–20	Simple silver circlet	1d4×10 gp
21–25	Copper statuette of a salamander	1d4×10 gp
26–30	Alabaster and obsidian game set	1d4×10 gp
31–35	Silk fan decorated with turquoise	1d4×10 gp
36–40	Ceremonial dagger with onyx hilt	1d4×10 gp
41–45	Amphora with lavish scenes	1d4×10 gp
46–50	Colorful pastoral tapestry	1d4×10 gp
51–55	Chrysoberyl symbol of an evil eye	1d4×10 gp
56–60	Alabaster idol	1d4×10 gp
61–65	Silk mask decorated with citrines	1d4×10 gp
66–70	Set of decorated porcelain plates	1d4×10 gp
71–75	Etched copper ewer	1d4×10 gp
76–80	Brass scepter with amethyst head	1d4×10 gp
81–85	Bronze chalice with bloodstones	1d4×10 gp
86–90	Iron and rock crystal brazier	1d4×10 gp
91–95	Quality sculpture by an unknown	1d4×10 gp
96–100	Quality painting by an unknown	1d4×10 gp
d%	Moderate Art Object	Price
1–5	Porcelain doll with amber eyes	1d4×25 gp
6–10	Marble altar	1d4×25 gp
11–15	Parade armor with flourishes	1d4×25 gp
16–20	Silver coronet with peridots	1d4×25 gp
21–25	Moonstone and onyx game set	1d4×25 gp
26–30	Gold and garnet ring	1d4×25 gp
31–35	Ceremonial shortsword with spinels	1d4×25 gp
36–40	Silver statuette of a raven	1d4×25 gp
41–45	Porcelain vase inlaid with gold	1d4×25 gp
46–50	Enormous tapestry of a major battle	1d4×25 gp
51–55	Gold necklace with peridots	1d4×25 gp
56–60	Virtuoso silver flute	1d4×25 gp
61–65	Coral idol of an elemental lord	1d4×25 gp
66–70	Silver mirror with gilded frame	1d4×25 gp
71–75	Silver flagon inscribed with fields	1d4×25 gp
76–80	Copper and spinel puzzle box	1d4×25 gp
81–85	Small cold iron cauldron with onyx	1d4×25 gp
86–90	Silver and jade censer	1d4×25 gp
91–95	Life-size sculpture by an expert	1d4×25 gp
96–100	Wide landscape by an expert	1d4×25 gp
d%	Greater Art Object	Price
1–5	Gilded ceremonial armor	1d4×250 gp
6–10	Ancient dragon skull etched with mystic sigils	1d4×250 gp
11–15	Original manuscript from a world-famous author	1d4×250 gp
16–20	Gold and aquamarine diadem	1d4×250 gp
21–25	Gold dragon statuette	1d4×250 gp
26–30	Jet and white gold game set	1d4×250 gp
31–35	Gold rapier with amethysts	1d4×250 gp
36–40	Gold urn with scenes of judgment	1d4×250 gp
41–45	Splendid lyre of world-famous lyrist	1d4×250 gp
46–50	Platinum-framed monocle	1d4×250 gp
51–55	Gold mask of a high priest	1d4×250 gp
56–60	Crystal dinner set, fine silverware	1d4×250 gp
61–65	Gold and opal bracelet	1d4×250 gp
66–70	Intricate silver and gold music box	1d4×250 gp
71–75	Jeweled orrery of the planes	1d4×250 gp
76–80	Gilded scepter with sapphire	1d4×250 gp
81–85	Fine gold spyglass	1d4×250 gp
86–90	Gold chalice with black pearls	1d4×250 gp
91–95	Towering sculpture by a master	1d4×250 gp
96–100	Famous portrait by a master	1d4×250 gp
d%	Major Art Object	Price
1–5	Jewel-encrusted gold altar	1d4×1,000 gp
6–10	Saint’s bone with lost scriptures	1d4×1,000 gp
11–15	Previously lost volume from a legendary author	1d4×1,000 gp
16–20	Jeweled mithral crown	1d4×1,000 gp
21–25	Platinum dragon statuette	1d4×1,000 gp
26–30	Diamond ring with platinum band	1d4×1,000 gp
31–35	Star sapphire necklace	1d4×1,000 gp
36–40	Darkwood violin by a legend	1d4×1,000 gp
41–45	Platinum image of a fey noble with a bit of orichalcum	1d4×1,000 gp
46–50	Jeweled gold puzzle box	1d4×1,000 gp
51–55	Crystallized dragon heart	1d4×1,000 gp
56–60	Living flame shaped into a phoenix	1d4×1,000 gp
61–65	Phasing ether silk tapestry	1d4×1,000 gp
66–70	Solidified moment of time	1d4×1,000 gp
71–75	Tankard owned by Cayden Cailean	1d4×1,000 gp
76–80	Thought lens of astral essence	1d4×1,000 gp
81–85	Divine art piece created by Shelyn	1d4×1,000 gp
86–90	Chandelier crafted from dreams	1d4×1,000 gp
91–95	Enormous chryselephantine sculpture by a legend	1d4×1,000 gp
96–100	Major painting by a legend	1d4×1,000 gp

Artifacts

Source GM Core pg. 300 ^2.0
A globe of utter darkness that consumes all things. Powerful weapons created in antiquity carrying the hopes of an entire people. A simple deck of cards representing fortunes both transcendent and deadly. These are artifacts—items of incredible power, spoken of in thousands of stories and beyond the capability of modern people to create.

Stranger and more powerful than other magic items, artifacts can change the course of history in the right hands—or the wrong hands. Simply finding an artifact is a pivotal moment in your campaign, and its presence then ripples throughout your entire game, warping the story around it. Some entire adventures revolve around one artifact!

Adding an artifact to your game should never be taken lightly. Artifacts shouldn't be found in normal treasure hoards, even at 20th level, and you'll need to structure moments in your plot that play into the artifact's presence. Prepare yourself for encounters being easily overcome by the artifact. That doesn't mean you shouldn't include such encounters, since part of the thrill of an artifact is that it breaks the normal rules! Though you should include an artifact mindfully, you should allow it to have its full impact so that it can do itself and the story of your game justice.

Artifact Rules

Source GM Core pg. 300 ^2.0
Every artifact is an item with the artifact trait. This trait means two things: the item can’t be crafted or have its runes adjusted by normal means, and it can’t be damaged by normal means. Artifacts are always rare or unique. The ones found here are all 20th level or higher, which is typical for artifacts. The other rules for wearing or using the item still apply.

Artifact Destruction

Source GM Core pg. 300 ^2.0
An artifact’s stat block usually has a destruction entry. This details the extraordinary method needed to destroy the item. These entries can be highly specific. It could take completing an entire quest, or even an entire campaign, to finally destroy an artifact. However, the story of your game might require something different, so you can always change an artifact’s destruction requirement for your game.

Creating an Artifact

Source GM Core pg. 300 ^2.0
Mechanically, an artifact functions in the game just like any other item—only the scope of its abilities is different. Artifacts can and should do things normal items can't, so you don't need to apply the normal limitations on creating items.

When you're making an artifact, start by defining its role in the story. Is it meant to be a powerful weapon against the forces of darkness? A mercurial force injecting random chance? A terrible danger that needs to be destroyed? The artifact's role in the story affects the features you give it. Come up with some story beats that make sense for the item, then create abilities that enable those moments. An artifact can have more abilities than a typical item—just make sure they all fit its theme.

Give your item the artifact trait and either the rare trait (if there multiple items of its kind), or the unique trait (if only one exists). Other traits work like they do for any other item. An artifact is usually 20th level or higher, but its specific level is up to you. Imagine who created it and what their level likely was.

Though you can disregard most of the normal limitations on items, be careful not to create an artifact that will undermine your story. If your item's abilities are so useful or strong that the best option in any battle is to always use the artifact to annihilate the opposition, the artifact has taken over your story instead of serving it. A 5th-level character with access to 10th-rank spells through an artifact can lead to incredible stories, but if the DC is so high that enemies are guaranteed to critically fail against those spells except on a natural 20, the item will probably distort play more than you intended. To avoid this, you might set the item's DCs, attack bonuses, and the spell ranks of its offensive abilities significantly lower than they would be for an item of its level, especially if they can be used at will. You could also create artifacts that use the wielder's spell DC instead of having their own DC, to make them more broadly usable at a wider range of levels. In addition, an artifact's abilities should be somewhat narrow in their application; aim to make your artifacts very powerful in certain situations, rather than having broadly applicable abilities. For instance, Serithtial deals additional damage against creatures that are worshippers of Zon-Kuthon, which makes the weapon very effective when facing those creatures, but not against every foe the PCs run across.

Artifacts

Source GM Core pg. 300 ^2.0
Countless artifacts have been created over the ages, only a few of which are described here.

Click here for the Artifacts category page.

Intelligent Items

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Magic items with a mind of their own have been a hallmark of myth and fantasy for millennia. When integrated into a campaign, they can become memorable characters in their own right.

Intelligent items are a special kind of magic item that straddles the line between treasure and NPC. An intelligent item might be another type of item as well: it could be an artifact (like Serithtial), a cursed item, or even a relic that grows with its wielder.

Introducing an intelligent item is an effective way to subtly alter the party dynamic. An intelligent item works well when its personality makes it a natural complement or foil for its partner: the PC investing, holding, or otherwise interacting with the item. An intelligent item that can communicate only with that particular PC is also a great way to engage players who are a bit quieter, or those slower to speak in a scene where all the PCs can talk to a particular NPC. Due to their inherently limited agency, intelligent items are at less of a risk for stealing the spotlight than other NPCs who travel along with the party.

Intelligent Item Rules

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Every intelligent item has the intelligent trait. Intelligent items can’t be crafted by normal means—typically an accident, a divine act, or a major sacrifice on the part of the creator is required to grant the item the mental essence it needs for sentience, and in some rare cases the spiritual essence it needs to have a soul of its own. Because of this, intelligent items are always rare or unique. The normal statistics and rules for wearing or using an item of its type still apply to an intelligent item. In addition, intelligent items have a few statistics other items lack.

Perception and Senses

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
An intelligent item that has any sense of the world around them has a Perception modifier. Intelligent items have only the senses listed within their entry, rather than the assumed assortment of senses that most creatures have. If an intelligent item notices something its partner doesn’t, it might be able to communicate with its partner and let them know.

Communication and Languages

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Intelligent items almost always have some means of communication—an easy way to demonstrate an item’s intelligence! The most common ways are via empathy, speech, and telepathy. Speech and telepathy function as they do for any creature, while an empathic connection allows the item to share only emotions. Empathic and telepathic connections are often limited either to the item’s partner or to a certain distance. If an intelligent item understands or speaks any languages, they are listed in parentheses in its Communication entry. If the item doesn’t have speech listed, it can only understand the listed languages, not speak them.

Skills

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Intelligent items might have skill modifiers for Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based skills that fit their nature.

Attribute Modifiers

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Intelligent items have Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifiers, though as inanimate objects, they don’t have Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution entries.

Will Save

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
Since they have their own minds, intelligent items might be subject to mental effects that require a Will save.

Item Agency

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
As a default, intelligent items have control over all their own magic, meaning an intelligent magic weapon could deny the effects of its fundamental and property runes if it so chose, and intelligent items perform their own activations when they wish. Intelligent items can typically use 3 actions per turn, acting on their partner's turn. These actions don't count toward their partner's 3 actions. They have a reaction if any of their activations requires one.

Beyond denying magic effects and communicating their displeasure, intelligent items can usually influence or hinder their partners only in subtle ways. If the item is a weapon or tool necessary for an action (like a thieves' toolkit), it can at least be disruptive enough to make its partner take a –2 circumstance penalty to associated checks, much as if the partner were using an improvised weapon or tool. If an intelligent item can have a greater effect, such as seizing control of its partner's body for a time, the intelligent item's entry includes those abilities.

Designing Intelligent Items

Source GM Core pg. 304 ^2.0
When you first set out to create an intelligent item, ask yourself what role you expect the item will play in your game. Unlike any other item, the intelligent item is a character of its own and adds to the group dynamic, usually in ways similar to a minor NPC who follows the party throughout the adventure. That means it's important to have a clear role in mind. Is the item an ally in the PCs' dangerous quest? A kindred spirit and confidante? A foil for the PC? A morally ambiguous ally worth handling for its great power? Or perhaps a bit of comic relief? Once you know what you want in the item, you can develop its personality and abilities in parallel, coming up with thematic links between them.

When choosing values for the intelligent item's statistics, you'll often want to use values suitable for a creature of its level. You could use much lower values if you want to give it a weakness, but keep in mind that a low Will modifier might make it particularly easy to control, which could be a problem if it can make life miserable for its partner. Because the item can usually activate its abilities on its own, the intelligent item is essentially adding a limited additional character to the PCs' team, so consider its effect on the encounters the PCs face. For example, a high-level normal item that lets a PC cast a 3rd-rank fireball every round might be reasonable given that it counts toward the PC's available actions, but an intelligent item is adding that fireball on top of everything else the PCs can do.

Specific Intelligent Items

Source GM Core pg. 305 ^2.0
The following, as well as the intelligent artifact Serithtial, are a few example intelligent items to get you started.

Click here for the Intelligent Items category page.

Cursed Items

Source GM Core pg. 306 ^2.0
While magical items can be potent weapons in any adventurer's arsenal, magic can be unpredictable and is not always benign. Cursed items are unusual magical creations that have a malicious effect on the unwary and can force its wielders into difficult choices.

Cursed items are almost never made intentionally; even those who set out to curse an item find the task incredibly difficult or even impossible. These items are the results of magical mishaps, shoddy crafting, or sinister forces interfering with the creation. Many specify how their curses work, but curses are fickle, and you as the GM determine how curses play out in your game. Due to these factors, an item with the cursed trait is always rare.

Identifying Cursed Items: Cursed items often appear to be ordinary magical items, as the magic that warps their function also disguises their curses from detection. Unless you roll a critical success when attempting to Identify Magic on a cursed item, it simply appears as something helpful or benign. A critical success reveals both the presence of the curse and the exact nature of the curse.

Removing Cursed Items: Many cursed items can't be discarded. Some use magic to fuse to the wielder, making it impossible to remove the item, while others attune to their owner and return even if discarded. (This section uses the term “fuse” to describe either situation.) In many cases, this feature reveals itself only after the cursed item has been triggered for the first time or after investing the item for the first time, allowing the user to develop a false sense of security. Fused cursed items can be removed by targeting the item's owner with a cleanse affliction spell or similar magic. If the spell is successful, the item can be discarded, but nothing prevents the item from cursing the same creature again if the conditions are met, so it's best to dispose of the item quickly. Invested cursed items that can't be removed continue to count against a character's invested items, even without reinvesting them each day.

Specific Cursed Items

Source GM Core pg. 306 ^2.0
The following are a few examples of cursed items.

Click here for the Cursed Items category page.

Item Curses

Source GM Core pg. 307 ^2.0
Item curses alter their base item, much like a property rune. A curse can be applied to the specific types of magic items listed in its Usage entry. Curses typically can’t be removed or transferred from the item, though at your discretion, either might be possible after the curse is broken. If the PCs manage to break the curse, the newly uncursed item could be quite valuable.

Click here for the Item Curses category page.

Relics

Source GM Core pg. 308 ^2.0
Some extraordinary magic items grow in power along with a character, gaining abilities that add to an adventurer's legend. These are called relics, and owning one can define a character more than any other magic item.

Relics begin as a simple item, called a relic seed, which is little more than a functional item with a minor magical effect associated with it. As the owner of the relic grows in power, so does the relic. It develops gifts, which are new magical abilities and activations. These abilities might be themed to the relic, the character, or the nature of the campaign. If a relic is passed to another character, this process begins anew, sometimes granting the same abilities again over time, but possibly unlocking entirely new powers. If someone else takes the relic from its owner, it usually works for a while, though it might lose its power incrementally over time if not returned to its owner. How the relic changes in such a circumstance is up to you and should fit the story.

The decision to add relics to the game is entirely up to you as the GM. If you decide to add them, you'll need to adjust treasure somewhat. It's also wise to consider how many players you expect to end up with relics. Will they each get one? Or will there be just one or two tied to the theme of the campaign?

Discovering a Relic

Source GM Core pg. 308 ^2.0
Some relics might begin as ordinary items with a rich history. They might be part of a character's starting gear, only to have their true powers uncovered later during play. Other relics can be acquired during play as part of the ongoing story. Regardless of their origin, these powerful items might not appear to be much at first, but they contain the potential to become something truly great.

For example, an old, tarnished amulet found around the neck of a buried king might turn out to be an item of deep historical significance that awakens to great power. The seemingly ordinary family sword, passed down to each new generation, might unlock hidden potential through the deeds of its owner.

The PCs might immediately recognize a relic for its ability, or they might carry it for a time before its true nature becomes apparent. The story of a relic should be a tale of discovery. At first, a relic's wielder likely doesn't fully understand the item's power, or might be unable to use it, learning of its abilities only after a momentous event or fortuitous breakthrough. Ultimately, relics are powerful tools in service of the story, working as a valuable tie to the narrative, but their growth and development are in your hands. Because of the place relics hold in the story, they aren't available for purchase, nor can they be crafted.

Pay attention to the characters' backstories for potential relics, and look for spots in your narrative that might be suitable for campaign relics. If you're planning to use relics in your game, let the players know in advance, since their ideas and plans can guide you and give them greater investment in the relics.

Background Relics

Source GM Core pg. 308 ^2.0
A background relic is tied to the history of a character, and its form and abilities should draw inspiration from the story of their character’s life or the past of the item. The relic could be a gift from a friend or mentor, an heirloom from the character’s family, a found object from their upbringing, or even the first item they ever crafted. The player should select the form of the relic (a battered longsword, a copper ring, or a threadbare red cloak, for example).

Campaign Relics

Source GM Core pg. 308 ^2.0
A campaign relic is drawn from the ongoing story of the campaign. You decide the entirety of the item, from its form to its aspects (described below) as part of the story of the campaign. Use campaign relics to reinforce and foreshadow the themes of your game. Relics come to those who need them to do great deeds, after all, so finding a relic with the perfect aspects for your future challenges is entirely likely. Unlike background relics, campaign relics typically have magical abilities when first found.

Relic Aspects

Source GM Core pg. 308 ^2.0
Each relic is associated with aspects—typically two—that speak to its overall concept and purpose. The individual gifts each have an associated aspect. You should almost always select gifts that have an aspect matching one of those found on the relic. For example, a brass dagger recovered from the Medina Mudii'a might have the fire and mind aspects, which means that it could have the flare bolt gift (which has the fire aspect), but not the rolling geode gift (which has the earth aspect).

Usually, you can determine at least one aspect of a relic easily by looking at the history of the item or personality of the character. For example, if a player decides that their background relic is a rusty mace wielded by the character's great grandmother in battle against rising undead hordes, the mace might have the life aspect, as it was used to slay countless undead creatures. There's no harm in letting the player choose an aspect for a background relic; through play, the item will reveal another aspect associated with it. In the previous example, the mace might reveal itself to have powers against demons as well, in which case its aspects might be celestial and life.

Click here for the Relic Aspects category page.

Advancing a Relic

Source GM Core pg. 309 ^2.0
As a relic's bearer performs mighty deeds and advances their story, the relic gets stronger. The most basic advancement for a relic is its level, which always matches that of its owner. Weapons and armor can gain fundamental runes normally. You decide what, if any, property runes can be added to a given relic; by default, they can't have property runes, like any other specific item.

The more complex advancement comes from gifts. The Relic Gifts table shows the typical number of gifts a relic should have at a given level, but relics don't follow this strictly. Rather, gifts arise according to the pace of the story, the needs of the campaign, and the relationship between the character and the relic. Generally speaking, this results in a relic gaining one gift for every 4 levels its bearer has, but this might fluctuate as the campaign progresses. For example, a relic might gain its first gift at 4th level after the bearer defeats a powerful foe. It might then gain its second at 7th, after they perform a special ritual. That same relic might not gain another gift until 13th level and then again at 16th as the player reaches other major milestones.

The gift types—minor, major, and grand—indicate their general power level. Again, the table indicates what's generally appropriate at certain levels, but you can alter them as you see fit. You should usually avoid giving a minor gift at 10th level or higher, because it just won't be that impressive, though some of them scale well enough to be interesting at higher levels. The Gold Piece Equivalent entry for each gift helps you determine how much you should reduce treasure when using relics (see Adjusting Treasure).

Table 2–22: Relic Gifts

Number of Gifts	Minimum Level	Gift Type	Gold Piece Equivalent
1	1st	Minor	20 gp
2	5th	Minor	160 gp
3	9th	Major	700 gp
4	13th	Major	3,000 gp
5	17th	Grand	15,000 gp

You decide what gifts a relic gains, generally by either selecting a single gift or offering two paths for the relic to grow and allowing the player to choose, but this should be informed by the story and the nature of the character bearing the relic. A relic should complement the bearer, bolstering the bearer's strengths and helping to overcome their weaknesses. Within that framework, you should try to maintain a cohesive theme for the relic.

Adjusting Treasure

Source GM Core pg. 309 ^2.0
When you incorporate relics into your game, you can adjust the treasure gained by the party down to account for the relics increasing in power. Essentially, some of the treasure from the Party Treasure by Level table should be replaced with relic seeds and gifts instead. You can use the relic's minimum level, replacing a permanent item of that level, or you can use the gp equivalent. Keep in mind that relic gifts are often a little more powerful than other items with the same Price even when they start out, and they often scale without any additional costs, so PCs with relics will usually be a bit more powerful.

If you prefer, you can grant relics in addition to other rewards. This means PCs will be much more powerful, but you're rewarding their investment in the story.

Player-Driven Relics

Though these rules assume you as the GM are providing relic gifts as a form of treasure with input from the players, you can instead have the players make all the decisions for their relics. Encourage the players to choose different styles of items and aspects to match their characters' themes, rather than simply choosing the most powerful combination of options. Have players describe how their relic gets more powerful in the story. What acts from previous sessions lent the relic power? What special meditations or practices did they perform to unlock new gifts? How does it feel to have the relic grow?

As the item and the character level up, the player chooses which gifts the item gets from the list as a part of character advancement. You still adjust treasure as normal for incorporating relics into your game. In fact, if the player tries to optimize the combinations, they will likely be more powerful than under the standard method.

Making Relic Seeds

Source GM Core pg. 309 ^2.0
A relic seed can be quite simple: imagine a standard item with two aspects and an appearance that matches the theme. You can also use an existing magic item for a campaign relic; pick two aspects for it, and tweak its appearance or characteristics to make it clearly different from other items of its type. You can choose a tradition for the seed and apply that trait to the seed and all the gifts of the seed. This tradition might be derived from the background of the item, or it might appear or change through story moments involving the relic.

If you want a relic to have an additional special benefit, you can design it to grant a bonus to a skill, typically a +1 item bonus for a 3rd-level relic.

Relic Gifts

Source GM Core pg. 309 ^2.0
Gifts are divided up into three tiers. Minor gifts grant useful, often scaling abilities and are available early in a character's career. Major gifts define a relic, determining its true purpose and granting powerful abilities. Grand gifts are the pinnacle of power, and most relics never have more than one.

The more gifts there are of one aspect, the more the relic reflects that aspect, and the more influence the aspect has on the character who wields it. An item with multiple shadow gifts might begin to lose its color. With four or five, the character that wields it might take on an ashen tone and the relic might become entirely made of shadow.

Runes as Gifts

You can substitute runes for gifts. If you choose to allow property runes on the relic, you'll want them to take up rune slots. Otherwise, you can give as many or few as you prefer, just like any other gifts. Runes are sorted into minor, major, and grand categories, but you should use their normal level and Price when you adjust treasure, instead of the number and levels on the Relic Gifts table. If you're using the player-driven relics variant, it's recommended you do not include this option.

Air

Armor (Major) energy-resistant or greater energy resistant (cold or electricity), invisibility; Armor (Grand) winged
Weapon (Minor) returning; Weapon (Major) animated, shock, thundering; Weapon (Grand) greater shock, greater thundering

Celestial

Weapon (Major) holy

Death

Weapon (Minor) ghost touch, wounding

Earth

Armor (Minor) energy-resistant or greater energy resistant (acid); Armor (Major) fortification; Armor (Grand) greater fortification
Weapon (Minor) shifting

Fiend

Armor (Minor) energy-resistant or greater energy resistant (acid, cold, or fire)
Weapon (Major) unholy

Fire

Armor (Minor) energy-resistant or greater energy resistant (fire)
Weapon (Minor) flaming; Weapon (Major) greater flaming

Life

Weapon (Minor) vitalizing; Weapon (Major) greater vitalizing

Mind

Armor (Minor) raiment; Armor (Major) invisibility

Plant

Weapon (Minor) shifting

Shadow

Armor (Minor) shadow; Armor (Major) greater shadow;
Armor (Grand) major shadow

Water

Armor (Minor) energy-resistant or greater energy resistant (cold or fire), slick; Armor (Major) greater or major slick
Weapon (Minor) shifting

Gift Saves and Spell Attack Modifiers

Source GM Core pg. 309 ^2.0
Many gifts allow for a saving throw or have other abilities that change as the relic goes up in level. The DC for any saving throw called for by a gift is the higher of its owner’s class DC or spell DC. The spell attack modifier of a gift is 10 lower than that DC. A relic’s counteract modifier is equal to its owner’s counteract modifier.

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