Ruins of Adventure
Shield of Long Days
Category:
Description:
Forged by the dwarves of Clan Griff in ages past, this dull-gray, convex, rectangular shield is far heavier than it appears to be, nearly 25 pounds. You would almost swear it was made out of solid lead, save that it does not scratch or dent as you would expect lead to. Despite its immense weight, the shield measures only 35 inches in height and 17 inches wide. The front is engraved with a block of six large runes, in two vertical columns. A seventh rune is carved into the center of the reverse side, just above the straps.
The Shield of Long Days does not radiate an aura of any kind — neither magic, nor psionic, nor an alignment. In fact, it does not respond to any type of divination magic — it cannot be detected, scried, or identified by any means other than mundane inspection. Likewise, any magical detection that extends in a strait line (such as a Detect Magic spell) are blocked by the shield, preventing anything directly behind the shield from registering.
In combat, the Shield of Long Days functions as a medium shield, granting a +1 bonus to the user’s armor class against all attacks not occurring from the rear.
In addition, each of the shield’s seven runes becomes active on a specific day of the week, granting a unique bonus under specific circumstances:
| Day | Rune Effect |
| Sunday | The first undead creature to view the shield is immediately Turned, as if by a 10th-level Cleric. This turning is accompanied by a brilliant flash of light that illuminates everything within a 200-foot radius for a single round. All creatures in the area (save the shield’s bearer) must make a save vs. spell or be blinded for 1d3 rounds. Creatures for whom sunlight is harmful or unnatural (such as vampires or drow) suffer permanent blindness if the saving throw is failed, and are blinded for 2d6 rounds if the saving throw is successful. Those within its area of effect lose any infravision capabilities for 1d4+1 rounds. This ability functions only once per day. |
| Monday | The shield’s bearer is able to swim as if he had a natural swim speed of 18 for 24 hours (from midnight to midnight), and can remain submerged without the need to take a breath for up to 5 minutes at a time. During this time the shield is functionally weightless when underwater, having neutral buoyancy, and provides no hindrance to the bearer’s swimming. |
| Tuesday | From midnight to midnight, the bearer of the shield is totally immune to the effects of normal fires—torches, flaming oil, bonfires, etc. Magical or exceptionally hot fires are saved against with a +4 bonus to the die roll, and all damage dice are calculated at -2 per die (minimum 1 point per die). The shield also has a 50% chance of extinguishing any ongoing fire (including lasting spell effects like a wall of fire) into which the shield is thrust, extinguishing all flames within a 10-foot radius. |
| Wednesday | By staring at the surface of the shield, the shield’s bearer may concentrate on a person or object and scry on them as if using a Crystal Ball. The shield functions exactly as a crystal ball for all purposes, but only from midnight to midnight on the fourth day. |
| Thursday | From midnight to midnight of the fifth day, the bearer of the shield may Levitate (as the wizard spell) at will. The bearer can ascend or descend vertically at a speed of 20 feet per round, with no limitation on duration. The levitation can bear the shield’s bearer, plus any weight he could normally carry, up to the limits of his strength. |
| Friday | From midnight to midnight on the sixth day, the bearer of the shield can comprehend and communicate with any warm or cold-blooded normal or giant animal that is not mindless. The bearer is able to ask questions of and receive answers from all such creatures, although friendliness and cooperation are by no means assured. |
| Saturday | From midnight to midnight on the seventh day, the inner rune glows faintly and the shield feel’s soft to the bearer’s touch. If the bearer frames a single question in his mind and then rests his head on the shield, the answer to the question will present itself in the form of a dream in 1d6 hours. Like most prophetic visions, however, the answer will certainly be couched in strange and mysterious symbols requiring careful interpretation. |
Owner:
Brand_Darklight
by:
Brand_Darklight