# Chardalyn Corruption Rules
Chardalyn is a powerful crystalline substance that was once used to create a great black tower in Icewind Dale. Since the tower's destruction Chardalyn has been used to create many weapons and spell focuses due to the ease of imbuing the crystal with magic. However, most of the chardalyn found in Icewind Dale is suffused with demonic magic, which leads to corruption and the creation of Chardalyn Berserkers. In this suppliment we take a look at a ruleset that will allow you to create your own magical weapons out of Chardalyn to corrupt your players, increasing the horror element of the game.

## How Corruption Works
Chardalyn Corruption is a process that happens over time due to being exposed to the demonic magic inside of the crystal. This corruption leads to bouts of madness which eventually drive the user insane causing them to remove all of their protective clothing and fully embrace the cold of Icewind Dale. The corruption drives them so much that they ignore the effects of hypothermia and frostbite caused by the exposure to cold and live soley off of the power of the magic, and their faith in Auril the Frostmaiden. 
### Corruption Rules
#### Length of Corruption
Corruption takes place over the course of 1d4 weeks. All Chardalyn items require attunement and the corruption starts as soon as a player attunes to the magic item.
>#### Being Attuned To A Chardalyn Item
As soon as a player attunes to a chardalyn item they must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom Saving Throw, or else suffer a bout of madness (DMG ch 8). They must repeat the saving throw every 1d4 days increasing the difficulty by 1d4 on a successful save, or 2d4 on a failed save. 
##### Madness
The first time a saving throw is failed the player suffers a short-term bout of madness. Upon failing a second saving throw the player suffers a bout of long-term madness. Upon failing a third saving throw the player suffers a bout of indefinite madness. Failing the saving throw by 5 or more also increases the madness severity. This can either double the duration of the madness, or turn short-term madness into long-term and long-term into indefinite. This is up to your discretion. 

These bouts of madness continue to rack up until the end of the 1d4 weeks of corruption. If a player suffers 3 bouts of indefinite madness they are considered insane and begin an early transformation into a Chardalyn Berserker.

>##### Falling Unconscious
Some bouts of madness end in a player falling unconscious for a period of time. If a player falls unconscious in the snow the heat from their body begins to melt the snow causing their clothes to get wet. Once winter clothes become wet they are no longer capable of bearing the elements and at the end of every hour must succeed a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw or take 1 level of exhaustion. (DMG ch 5)

### Breaking Attunement from A Chardalyn Item
Shortly after realizing that the magical item is driving the wielder insane they may wish to unattune to the item. However, Chardalyn is extremely powerful and isn't easy to escape from. If the item is left behind, it magically reappears on the wielder.
#### Manual Un-Attunement
Manual Un-Attunement is extremely difficult to accomplish if the magic of the Chardalyn has eaten away at the mind of the wielder. If the player has failed no saving throws from the chardalyn magic, they may un-attune to the weapon as normal. However, if the player has failed a saving throw and the magic is driving them mad, they must succeed a DC 20 Arcana check in order to break the attunement. After breaking the link between the chardalyn and the mind the player must make a DC 20 constitution saving throw or take an indefinite bout of madness.
>Once attunement is broken all madness effects on the player subside over the course of 1d4 days. However, if the player picked up a bout of indefinite madness during the manual un-attuning process that madness effect will stay until a Greater Restoration spell has been cast on the player to cleanse their mind. 

#### Dispeling Chardalyn Items
The best way to rid yourself of the magic of a chardalyn item is to dispel it. There are a couple of ways to do this, each with different results.
##### Dispel Magic
The Dispel DC of all chardalyn items is 19. If a chardalyn weapon is dispeled it retains any bonus to attack and damage rolls, however it doesn't function as a magic weapon any longer. 
##### Dispel Evil and Good
Dispel Evil and Good has the ability to rid the item of all evil magic present. If dispel evil and good is used to dispel a chardalyn weapon it retains all bonuses to attack and damage as well retains its status as a magic weapon. 
\page
# Tips for Making Chardalyn Items
<div class='wide'>
##### Setting the Stage
The inner workings of Chardalyn are unknown to most people in Icewind Dale, only the Duergar lead by Xardorok Sunblight understand the inner workings of the Chardalyn and have learned to possess the true power of the strange crystalline substance. The only others who have encountered the substance, and its power, roam the tundras of Icewind Dale as Chardalyn Berzerkers. If you plan on using Chardalyn weapons in your campaign to corrupt your players it is important that you plant seeds early on that Chardalyn is a powerful substance stronger than steel and very great for weapon making. Make sure that you play up the intrigue of chardalyn and when the players finally find a weapon, or other item, made of chardalyn they should be excited to pick it up only to be horrified by the effect it has on their mind.

##### Keeping The Madness Secret
Your players might be great at avoiding meta-gaming but in situations like theese when we are wanting to create mystery, horror, and suspense I find that it is best to keep some information secret from the rest of the party. When a player attunes to a chardalyn item it may be best to isolate that player from the rest of the party and explain the corruption rules to them. This will allow them to help you keep track of corruption, as well as create horrific encounters for the rest of the party as they try and figure out what is going on with their friend.

##### Treat Chardalyn Corruption as a Curse
When trying to find weapons and armors to turn into chardalyn items I find it is best to keep the items simple. Most cursed weapons in the game are simple +1, +2, and +3 weapons that have a curse attached to them. Chardalyn weapons and armors should function the same way, that way when the curse is removed the player still has a cool weapon that they can be proud of, even if it almost killed them.
  
##### When a Player Goes Mad
  If a player goes insane and holds on to the weapon long enough to turn into a Chardalyn Berzerker that player is unredeamable. This could make for a very interesting encounter if this happened during the evening and a player turned on the party in the middle of the tundra. Perhaps for this type of encounter you could give your player the Chardalyn Berzerker stat block and let them play as the monster during the combat encounter. Going fully mad is considered player death and will require that person to roll up a new adventurer. 
</div>