S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M.

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Soul-spell. Transmuting. Refinery. And. Trademarked. Equivelant. Gem. Echange. Machine.

Properties (Artifact)

Spell Support (P). Any effect of the S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M. that requires concentration can be concentrated on by a remote user. The S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M.’s effects have a DC14 Spell Saveor the attuned user’s Spell Save DC, whichever is higher.

Remote Access

Silver Wire (P). The S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M.’s great size makes it largely immobile. To make ongoing use of the machine (such as while adventuring), it can be connected to its attuned user by a silver wire, a supply of which can always be produced from the machine’s inner workings.

This silver wire shares the same general nature as the silvery cord of an astral projection spell, connecting to the body of the user and trailing behind them. When so attached, the wire becomes invisible, astral, and extends to virtually infinite length.

As long as the wire remains intact, the attuned user can make full use of the S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M.’s powers, with their effects centered around the user. If the wire is cut—something that can happen only when an effect specifically states that it can cut an astral projection’s silvery cord—the user suffers a sudden burst of feedback from the machine that Kills them Instantly.

Random Properties (P; LR). There are far more possible combinations for the S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M.’s controls than can ever be known or matrixed—especially as the controls shift position and reset themselves over time. At the end of each long rest of the user attuned to it, the S.T.R.A.T.E.G.E.M. generates 1d4 + 1 Random Beneficial Properties and 1d4 + 1 Detrimental Properties.

Roll for each of these properties on the Infernal Machine Properties table. To keep things interesting, the DM might roll secretly for Detrimental Properties, revealing those properties only during the course of play. Once set, these properties last until the end of the attuned user’s next LR.

On-site Access

if strategem is used, the spell shell’s decay property is ignored for that casting; recharge of d4-12 depending on spell level (insert in table); delayed casting

STRATAGEM Attributes

Scroll	Rarity	Save DC	Attack Bonus
Cantrip	Common	13	+5
1st	Common	13	+5
2nd	Uncommon	13	+5
3rd	Uncommon	15	+7
4th	Rare	15	+7
5th	Rare	17	+9
6th	Very Rare	17	+9
7th	Very Rare	18	+10
8th	Very Rare	18	+10
9th	Legendary	19	+11

 

 

History

Origins. This strange device was once thought to have been built by gods long forgotten and to have survived the eons since their passing, for it is incredibly ancient and crafted by means unlike anything known today. However, its true origins derive from a planar craft that crashed in the Barrier Peaks, for the Infernal Machine once functioned as this craft’s central command console.

Explorers who discovered the crash site removed the command console and brought it back to civilization, not understanding its true purpose or powers. In later years, the console came into the possession of Baron Lum. By experimenting with its many controls, he was able to achieve astounding and destructive magical effects in the building of his empire, and so the artifact came to be known as the Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad. Yet with Lum’s eventual defeat, his great machine was destroyed.

Magnificent Heft and Build. The Infernal Machine is a delicate, intricate, bulky, and heavy device, weighing some 5,500 pounds. It can be operated using a control panel containing sixty levers, forty dials, twenty switches, and a number of jeweled components. These controls generate all kinds of powers and effects, as noted above.

Destroying the Machine. The Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad is self-repairing of anything short of catastrophic damage, and how it was disabled in Lum’s time remains a mystery. It is rumored that if one specific combination of controls is set, the Infernal Machine will enter a repair mode, allowing unfettered access to its inner workings—and preventing it from restoring itself if it is attacked. Alternatively, other combinations of controls might cause the Infernal Machine to teleport its most critical components to some hiding place deep in space and time, rendering it inoperable until those components are found again.