Wand of OrcusEpic Level

Orcus carries a heavy mace tipped with an enormous skull. Its haft is smooth obsidian studded with blood rubies. This weapon transforms those it slays into undead horrors.

The Wand of Orcus is a +6 lifedrinker heavy mace with the following additional properties and powers.

Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls

Critical: +6d6

Properties

• This weapon deals ongoing 10 damage (save ends) to creatures that are not undead.
• You can speak and understand the Abyssal language and read the Barazhad script.

Power (Arcane, Psychic) ✦ Daily (Standard Action)

You can use legion's hold (wizard 29).

Power (Necrotic) ✦ Encounter (Free Action)

You can use this power when you attack an enemy with the Wand. On a miss, the target takes necrotic damage equal to its bloodied value. When you hit, the target is reduced to 0 hit points (resistance or immunity to necrotic damage does not apply).

Goals of the Wand of Orcus

• Be reunited with Orcus.
• If Orcus is destroyed, raise or animate him.
• Spread undeath everywhere.

Roleplaying the Wand of Orcus

The Wand communicates silently with its wielder, in Abyssal, using brutal and gory imagery to highlight its blood-soaked ends.

Concordance

Pleased (16-20)

"Orcus is near! Let the world scream in terror once more!"The Wand believes its return to Orcus is nigh.

The Wand's enhancement bonus increases to +7.

Critical: +7d6 damage

Property

• This weapon deals ongoing 15 damage (save ends) to creatures that are not undead.
• You take a -5 penalty to Diplomacy checks.
• At the start of your turn, any creature killed by the Wand of Orcus that is still dead rises as a dread wraith under your command.

Satisfied (12–15)

"Let the bloodclotted song of the animated dead commence!"The wielder has proved to be a worthy acolyte of Orcus in the demon prince's absence.

Property

You take a -2 penalty to Diplomacy checks.

Power ✦ Encounter (Minor Action)

While you are bloodied, use the wand to gain resist 15 to all damage until the end of your next turn.

Normal (5–11)

"Will you do the will of Orcus, or will you suffer my wrath?"The Wand tries to gauge its new wielder's devotion to Orcus.

Unsatisfied (1–4)

"If you do not change, it'll be your skull on the end of the obsidian rod!"The wielder is not spreading undeath. If the wielder doesn't change his ways, the Wand begins to punish the wielder.

Special: Once per day at any time, the skull in the Wand flares with necrotic power. The Wand makes a burst 3 attack against your Fortitude (and all allies in range), rolling 1d20 + your level. If this attack hits, you are weakened (save ends).

Angered (0 or lower)

"Your life is close to an agonizing conclusion."The wielder is coming perilously close to being rejected by the Wand.

Special: Once per day at any time, the skull in the Wand flares with necrotic power. The Wand makes a burst 3 attack against your Fortitude (and all allies in range), rolling 1d20 + your level. If this attack hits, you are weakened and dazed (save ends both).

Special: If you drop to 0 hit points or fewer and are not healed before the start of your next turn, you rise as a dread wraith under the Wand's command.

Moving On

"You have failed Orcus."The Wand of Orcus makes an attack against the wielder's AC, rolling 1d20 + 5 + your level. If this attack hits, you are reduced to 0 hit points (resistance or immunity to necrotic damage does not apply). If you rise as a dread wraith a round later (see above), you take the Wand and seek to deliver it to a wielder more likely to meet the Wand's goals. If the attack misses, you fall unconscious (save ends) and the Wand is summoned to the Abyss, there to find a new demon wielder.

Published in E3 Prince of Undeath.