Artifacts are among the most powerful magic items in Dungeons & Dragons, and some of those present in D&D’s fifth edition have been around since the beginning of the game. The power of artifacts is such that they are often tied to lore, which means that some of them changed over time, as the multiverse of D&D expanded and its story spread in different directions.
There are plenty of powerful magic items in D&D that aren’t artifact-class, such as the Holy Avenger. In many ways, these are preferable to find, as artifacts tend to have severe drawbacks alongside their amazing powers. A player who attunes to an artifact will gain the power to take on the strongest monsters in the game, but there is a steep price to pay for daring to wield such legendary items.
Artifacts first appeared in the original Dungeon Master’s Guide in 1979. The current Dungeon Master’s Guide was first printed in 2014 and it has its own selection of artifacts. These are the six artifacts that appeared in both the original and current Dungeon Master’s Guide, with their histories and powers that changed over time.
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Axe Of The Dwarvish Lords Slowly Turns D&D Characters Into Dwarves
In the original Dungeon Master’s Guide, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lord was forged by the first-ever dwarven king. It was lost in an event called the Invoked Destruction, but is rumored to return from time to time. In rule terms, it’s a +3 weapon that acts like a Sword of Sharpness with the Returning quality, while also being able to change shape into a battle axe or hand axe. The bearer of the weapon gains dwarven qualities, including infravision (the D&D predecessor to darkvision), and increases their lifespan, with the drawback of slowly turning them into a dwarf over time (assuming it’s wielded by a member of another race). It also possesses seven additional powers, determined by the DM.
In fifth edition, the story of the first dwarven king is fleshed out, as he forged the Axe of Dwarvish Lords using four other magic items, and used its power to unite all of the clans under one banner. The axe was later lost during a civil war and its current whereabouts are unknown. The Axe of Dwarvish Lords is a +3 weapon that combines the abilities of a Sword of Sharpness, Belt of Dwarvenkind, and a Dwarven Thrower in one item. The user can travel through dwarven stonework as if they were using a teleport spell and can conjure an earth elemental, while dwarven wielders gain poison resistance, a 60-foot increase to darkvision, and extra skill proficiencies. It also possesses three positive traits and two negative ones. Non-dwarven wielders of the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords still slowly change into a dwarf over time.
The Eye & Hand Of Vecna Require Maimed D&D Characters
Vecna is one of the most powerful villains in the D&D multiverse, but he’s not invincible. He was once betrayed by Kas, his vampire lieutenant, and wounded with the same sword that he had forged for him. Vecna lost his hand and eye in the battle, but his power was such that his limbs transformed into powerful artifacts. To use either of these artifacts, a player would need to maim themselves, as the eye and the hand fuse to the empty part left by a severed limb/organ. In first edition, the eye gave the user infravision, ultravision, and six random powers, while the hand gave the user Strength 18/00 and 22 random powers.
In fifth edition, the backstory of the Eye and Hand remain the same. The two limbs each possess two positive powers and a negative one. A wielder of the Eye of Vecna gains truesight, the ability to see as if using a Ring of X-Ray Vision, and eight charges that can be spent on casting Clairvoyance, Crown of Madness, Disintegrate, Dominate Monster, or Eyebite. Each use of a spell has a 5% chance of putting the player’s soul under Vecna’s control. A wielder of the Hand of Vecna has their Strength set to 20, a new melee attack that deals 2d8 cold damage, and eight charges that can be used to cast Sleep, Finger of Death, Slow, and Teleport. Each use of a spell forces a saving throw against a Suggestion effect.
Anyone who is able to acquire both the Eye of Vecna and Hand of Vecna would gain additional powers. They become immune to disease and poison, can use X-ray vision without suffering exhaustion, regain 1d10 hit points a round, can cast Wish once every thirty days, and can turn a person’s skeleton into jelly with a touch.
Orb Of Dragonkind Allows Control Over D&D Dragons
In first edition Dungeons & Dragons, the origin of the Orbs of Dragonkind was left open, with the good gods creating items that could control evil dragons, but demons interfered and made it so that the orbs affected all dragons. There were eight different types of Orbs of Dragonkind initially, each one allowing the user to Charm a dragon of a specific age group. Good-aligned characters who owned an orb had to make a saving throw in order to resist charming a metallic dragon.
In the current edition of D&D, the Orbs of Dragonkind are tied to the world of Krynn, where they were created by the mages in the Towers of High Sorcery, to control evil dragons. It’s believed that only three Orbs of Dragonkind still exist. These Orbs have the ability to Charm the user, as they possess the souls of evil dragons. The Orbs of Dragonkind possess seven charges, which can be used to cast Cure Wounds, Daylight, Death Ward, and Scrying. By far the strongest ability of an orb is Call Dragons, which compels all evil dragons within forty miles to converge on the player. The orbs also possess three positive properties and one negative property.
D&D’s Sword Of Kas Can Possess Its Wielder
Only the most powerful weapons have a chance of harming Vecna, even before he ascended to godhood. In his hubris, Vecna created the one weapon potent enough to hurt him. The Sword of Kas was forged for Vecna’s right-hand man, who was a powerful vampire warrior. When Kas was done serving Vecna, he turned on his old master and took a hand and eye in the process. The first edition Dungeon Master’s Guide claims that Vecna killed Kas, but it was revealed in Vecna Lives that Kas was just hiding from his old master. The current Dungeon Master’s Guide also claims that Kas is dead, but he could still reappear someday.
In terms of power, the Sword of Kas was one of the few weapons with a bonus higher than +5. It was a +6 defender that dealt double damage to planar creatures, while also possessing 13 random powers. The weapon took a hit in the current edition of D&D, as it’s now a +3 sword, but it has an increased critical threat range and deals an extra 2d10 damage to undead. The wielder of the Sword of Kas can also transfer some of their attack bonus to their AC, add 1d10 to initiative, and can cast Call Lightning, Divine Word, or Finger of Death once per day. The risk with using the sword in either edition is that it’s sentient, and it’s possible for the Sword of Kas to possess the body of its wielder.
Wand Of Orcus
Orcus is one of the most powerful D&D demons in existence and he possessed the most frightening weapon in the first edition of D&D. If Orcus touched a lesser being (i.e. anyone who wasn’t a god, demon, or angel of similar stature to himself), then they would instantly die as if touched by a Sphere of Annihilation. If a mortal were able to get their hands on this wand, then its power would be lessened, as the target would get a saving throw against the effect. On the plus side, they’d gain ten random powers.
The death touch of the Wand of Orcus was toned down in the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Instead, it acts as a +3 mace that deals 2d12 necrotic damage on a hit, grants +3 to AC, allows the user to summon an army of D&D undead equal to 500 hit points in strength, and use its seven charges to cast spells like Animate Dead, Blight, Circle of Death, Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, or Speak With Dead. These powers are certainly cool, but they aren’t as impressive as the instant death touch of the old Wand of Orcus.