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

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