The darkest servants of evil were once champions of light and justice. Fallen paladins who forsake their Sacred Oaths and pledge themselves to the forces of corruption and conquest wield vicious magic in service of their dark masters. Doom magic feeds on the hatred and spite of its users to torture, or annihilate the practitioner’s foes.
Magical items fueled by doom magic are tools of war, suffering, and conquest. These items exist to grind the user’s foes into dust and to elevate their masters to dominion and glory at the expense of any who stand in their way. Even the most innocuous doom magic item has a wicked look. Battle scars and cosmetic damage are a given on weapons and armor, and other items would be at home on any warlord or evil emperor. The most powerful doom magic items radiate a palpable sense of foreboding, causing unease and anxiety around them.
Armor of Spite
Armor (heavy), rare (requires attunement)
Unholy glyphs engraved on this black iron suit of magical armor burn with faint orange light. While wearing the armor you gain a +1 bonus to your AC. At the start of your turn, you can choose to forego the magical AC bonus from the armor, and to grant advantage on all attack rolls made against you until the start of your next turn. During this time the glyphs burn brighter, and produce bright light in a 5-foot radius around you. Any creature that hits you with an attack during this time takes necrotic damage equal to half the damage it deals to you.
Blue Crystal Seal
Wondrous item, uncommon
This finger-sized shard of blue crystal constantly sheds flakes and chips of crystal. As an action, you can break the crystal to cast the doom of blue crystal* spell (save DC 13) from it, which doesn’t require concentration. The crystal’s magic fades when it breaks.
*- See Deep Magic 12: Blood and Doom
Commander’s Visage
Wondrous Item, very rare (requires attunement)
This golden mask resembles a stern face, glowering at the world. While wearing the mask you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. The mask has 7 charges for the following properties, and regains 1d4 + 3 expended charges daily at midnight.
Commander’s Call. As a bonus action, you can expend 1 charge from the mask. One ally you can see within 30 feet that can see the mask can use its reaction to move up to half its speed and make one attack.
Conscription. As an action, you can expend 2 charges from the mask to cast dominate person on a target that can see the mask. This doesn’t require concentration, but if you use this ability again, the previous use ends immediately.
Unsettling Glower. When a creature that can see the mask makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to spend 1 charge to force the target to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack.
Marauder’s Shield
Armor (shield), legendary (requires attunement)
Marauder’s shields blur the line between armor and weapon, thirsting for the clash of weapons and the snap of bones with equal fervor. In wars long won and lost, many of these shields were forged for great champions marching in the name of conquest and devastation. The number of marauder’s shields abroad today has dwindled significantly, the forces of good who managed to fell the shields’ bearers destroyed many of the shields themselves. Others lie buried with their champions and have yet to resurface.
While holding this shield you have a +2 bonus to your AC. In addition, about half of the marauder’s shields still in existence provide the benefits of a shield of magic resistance, while the other half function as an arrow-catching shield.
First Strike. While wielding the shield, you have advantage on initiative checks.
Crushing Blow. When you take the Attack action while wielding the shield, you can use a bonus action to smash a creature with the marauder’s shield. The shield is a magic weapon with a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. On a successful hit, the shield deals 1d8 plus your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or fall prone.
Deflection. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks as long as you can see the attacker. You lose this resistance if you can’t take actions.
Sentience. A marauder’s shield is a sentient evil shield with an Intelligence of 14, a Wisdom of 8, and a Charisma of 12. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. Each marauder’s shield is lawful, neutral or chaotic, according to its creation and history.
It can speak, read, and understand Common, Abyssal, and Infernal, and can communicate with its wearer telepathically.
Personality. Every marauder’s shield craves battle and conquest above all else. It urges its wielder to bear it any time a fight could possibly break out—which in the shield’s estimation is any time—and constantly offers tactical suggestions about which foes to crush first, and which terrain features are most advantageous.
A given marauder’s shield’s origin influences the way it expresses its desire for conquest. It might be devoted to a particular dark god, the reclamation of a dead kingdom, or the utter destruction of all descendants of a certain cabal of wizards. The shield loves to trade war stories, and is prone to heated arguments about the finer points of battle tactics and the exploits of great heroes and generals. The shield’s alignment tweaks its personality. Lawful shields strive to crush disorder and rule over the masses. Neutral shields seek power for themselves and their wielders. Chaotic shields want nothing more than blood and death, and don’t much care who provides either.
Conflict arises when the shield’s bearer tries to flee from combat, even an overwhelming one, or if the bearer engages in overly peaceful diplomacy to solve a problem. Intimidation or over-awe tactics sate the shield’s desire for victory, and it will grudgingly accept bribery or other underhanded methods as long as it’s been regularly satisfied with battles.
Sword of Ruin
Weapon (any sword), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can deal 3d6 extra necrotic damage to the target at the cost of your own suffering. If you choose to deal extra necrotic damage, you lose 1d8 hit points.
Unholy Conqueror
Weapon (any sword or axe), legendary (requires attunement by an evil paladin)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit a celestial or a good-aligned fey or a good-aligned dragon with it, that creature takes an additional 2d10 necrotic damage.
While you hold the weapon, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. You foes in the aura can’t regain hit points and have disadvantage on saving throws made against being frightened. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet, and you regain half the hit points a foe would have otherwise regained.
Curse. The weapon is cursed by the powers that forged it. Becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you until you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic. As long as you remain cursed you are unwilling to part with the weapon, keeping it on your person at all times.
In addition, the curse drives you to rule over all you survey. You treat any creature that defies your will as your enemy until it makes a suitable show of deference and groveling, or until you or your allies drop the creature to 0 hit points.
