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Caduceus of Reanimation
staff, rare (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
This eerie staff is crafted from the skull, spine, and rib cage of an ancient necromancer. Dark energy pulses through its bones, amplifying the power of its wielder.
Necromantic Reanimation
When you kill a medium or larger creature with a spell while wielding this staff, the creature rises at the start of your next turn as a zombie or skeleton (your choice) that is permanently under your command, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability. This effect does not work on undead or constructs. The zombies and skeletons take their turn immediately after your turn in combat.You can control one zombie or skeleton at a time. If you create a new one while already controlling one, the old one crumbles to dust.
Spells
The staff has 5 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC: (1 charge), (3 charges). The staff regains expended charges daily at dawn.Lore
The Caduceus of Reanimation is an artifact shrouded in darkness and dread, forged from the remains of one of the most feared necromancers in history. It is a staff of death, creation, and unholy power, carrying within it the legacy of a master who defied the natural order and sought to rule both the living and the dead.
Centuries ago, in the twilight of the Age of Kings, there lived a necromancer known as Vothrak the Unyielding. Vothrak was no mere dabbler in dark magic; he was an archmage of unparalleled skill, who delved deep into the forbidden arts of necromancy. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable, and his ambition knew no bounds. He believed that death was not an end, but a doorway—a gateway to true power. Through years of study, he learned to command the dead, bending them to his will as easily as one commands a dog.Vothrak’s name became a curse in the mouths of the living. Kingdoms fell, their defenders overwhelmed by legions of undead that marched under Vothrak’s banner. The lands he conquered became wastelands, where nothing grew, and the dead outnumbered the living. In time, he no longer sought power or riches—only dominion over life and death itself. Yet, even as he amassed legions of undead followers, Vothrak knew that his physical body would eventually fail. Refusing to accept this fate, he set out to forge an item that would allow him to transcend death entirely.
Using dark rituals, Vothrak sacrificed countless souls to create the Caduceus of Reanimation, a staff fashioned from his own bones—his skull, spine, and rib cage. This unholy artifact was meant to be his phylactery, a vessel that would house his soul and allow him to continue his dark reign for eternity. The necromancer infused the staff with his own essence, pouring all of his knowledge, malice, and power into the bones that once formed his body.
But as the final ritual approached, Vothrak's hubris caught up with him. A coalition of the greatest heroes and mages of the age, bound together by desperation and courage, launched a final assault on his citadel. While Vothrak was powerful, he was not invincible. As he completed the final incantation to bind his soul to the staff, the heroes struck. A climactic battle ensued, with spells clashing in the air and the ground quaking under the force of their conflict. Vothrak, in his arrogance, fought to the bitter end, but the coalition proved too strong. With his dying breath, Vothrak completed the ritual—just as a blade pierced his heart.
In the aftermath, the heroes realized the full extent of what Vothrak had attempted. The staff, now pulsing with dark energy, had become a vessel of immense power, but it was also cursed with the malevolent will of its creator. Knowing it could not be destroyed by conventional means, the heroes sealed the staff away in a hidden vault, guarded by wards and enchantments designed to prevent its evil from ever being unleashed.
But no seal lasts forever. Over the centuries, the location of the vault was forgotten, and the wards weakened. Eventually, a group of adventurers—seeking riches, glory, or perhaps knowledge—stumbled upon the vault. Ignorant of its true nature, they broke the seals and released the Caduceus of Reanimation from its prison. The staff’s dark whispers soon found a new host, a spellcaster who was drawn to the power it promised.
The staff is now a relic of unmatched power, sought by those who dare to wield the forces of death. The Caduceus amplifies the spells of its wielder, its dark energy enhancing every necromantic spell cast through it. With each life taken by its wielder, the staff’s true purpose is revealed—reanimating the dead as obedient servants to its master. Even the earth itself seems to tremble when the staff is used to create a Bone Golem, a construct of death and decay, bound to its creator’s will.
Yet, those who wield the Caduceus must do so with caution, for the spirit of Vothrak lingers within. The staff whispers to its owner, tempting them to greater acts of darkness, urging them to complete the work that Vothrak began. To possess the Caduceus is to walk a perilous path, one that leads inexorably toward corruption and madness. But for those who can resist its malevolent influence, the Caduceus offers power beyond imagining—the power to command life and death, and to reshape the world in their image.
Tags:lorenecroticspell attackSpell Save DCspellssummonundead
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