Wondrous Item

Legendary Ritual of Agony

Soul division:

The Crucible of Agony allows its wielder to split their soul and create vessels. To do so, the wielder must perform a horrific ritual to bind their soul into an object, granting them immortality.  

Ritual of ultimate atrocity:

The wielder must torture an innocent creature to the brink of death. The creature must suffer excruciating pain before being slain. Their agony fuels the Crucible’s flames. Only after this act can the wielder place an item into the Crucible to imbue it with a fragment of their soul.  

Soul vessel creation:

The item placed in the Crucible becomes a vessel for the wielder’s soul, granting them the ability to avoid permanent death. If the wielder is slain, their body disintegrates into ash, and they are reconstituted at the location of one of their soul vessels. This process takes 1d10 days, during which time the wielder experiences relentless torment within the Crucible's flames.  

Eternal binding:

The number of soul vessels the wielder can create is limited only by the wielder’s willingness to fragment their own soul. The more vessels created, the more unstable and fractured the wielder becomes.  

Necrotic infusion:

Once per short rest, the wielder can infuse a spell with necrotic energy. When the infused spell deals damage, it deals an additional 5d8 necrotic damage. If this spell kills a creature, the wielder can raise it as a zombie under their control until the next dawn.  

Master of the undead:

The Crucible grants the wielder enhanced control over undead creatures. As an action, the wielder can dominate any undead creature with a CR equal to or lower than half the wielder’s level (rounded down). The target must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature falls under the wielder’s control for 24 hours. This ability can be used twice per long rest.  

Life sacrifice:

Instead of expending spell slots, the wielder can sacrifice years of their life to cast spells. For every spell level cast, the wielder permanently loses one year of their natural lifespan. If the wielder has fewer remaining years than required, the spell fails. Their body also begins to show signs of premature aging, such as grey hair, wrinkled skin, and frailty.  

Enhanced properties (post attunement)

 

Resurrection defiance:

If the wielder dies, their body erupts into ash, making resurrection by conventional means impossible. They are automatically reconstituted at one of their soul vessels.  

Essence of the crucible:

While attuned, the wielder is immune to necrotic damage but becomes vulnerable to radiant damage.  

Twisted rebirth:

If a soul vessel is destroyed while the wielder is in the process of being reconstituted, they are reborn with a new flaw determined by the DM. These flaws may manifest as paranoia, hallucinations, or uncontrollable acts of violence.  

Bearer of Sorrow:

While attuned, the wielder exudes an aura of anguish in a 20-foot radius. Creatures within this aura have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened, and frightened creatures take an additional 3d6 psychic damage at the start of their turn.  

Special Ability - Soul Shatter

Once per month, the wielder can perform the ultimate act of soul destruction. As an action, the wielder targets a creature within 30 feet, forcing it to make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s soul is sundered and trapped within the Crucible, killing it instantly. On a successful save, the creature takes 10d10 psychic damage and resists the soul-shattering effect.   If the creature dies from this effect, its soul is trapped in the Crucible until released. The wielder gains the ability to speak telepathically with the imprisoned soul and can extract memories, fears, or secrets. However, each time the wielder uses this power, they suffer a permanent loss of 5 maximum hit points.  

Curses

 

Tethered to Torment:

The Crucible binds itself to the wielder, forcing them to crave suffering. If the wielder goes more than 24 hours without causing significant suffering, they take 6d10 psychic damage as the Crucible’s flames lash at their soul. This pain manifests as burns and lesions on the wielder’s body.  

Whispers of Agony:

The wielder is plagued by disembodied whispers. These whispers grow louder the longer the wielder is attuned. Every night, the wielder must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they suffer from sleep deprivation and cannot benefit from a long rest.  

Loss of Humanity:

Each time the wielder creates a soul vessel, they lose a part of their humanity and gain a level of "soul fracture." The effects are cumulative as follows:  

• 1st Level: The wielder becomes emotionally numb, unable to feel joy or compassion. Disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

• 2nd Level: The wielder begins experiencing hallucinations of their victims’ suffering. Disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.

• 3rd Level: The wielder becomes paranoid, believing everyone is conspiring against them. They must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw each dawn or be frightened of those closest to them for 1 hour.

• 4th Level: The wielder’s soul is shattered. They lose the ability to feel joy, peace, or hope. The wielder becomes immune to charm effects but cannot regain hit points through healing magic. Only a wish spell or divine intervention can restore them.

The Crucible of Agony is an inverted, blackened vessel etched with jagged, twisted runes. Flames of otherworldly green and black light flicker within, but they emit no heat — only a soul-wrenching aura of anguish. The crucible is said to contain the essence of Votia, the Goddess of Suffering, Pain, and Torment. Those who possess it can divide their own soul into vessels, achieving a cruel form of immortality. Each act of soul division requires an unspeakable sacrifice, with every use drawing the wielder further into madness and decay.

The Crucible’s unholy influence seeps into the mind of its wielder, turning mercy into apathy, empathy into cruelty, and dreams into nightmares. The wielder’s body slowly reflects this change, with gaunt features, hollow eyes, and the faint glow of green fire flickering in their pupils.