Epic Items

Heart of the Mine

Some say Heart of the Mine was forged with the help of Moradin himself, others believe the axe somehow absorbed its creator's deep love of metal. Regardless of it's origins, this icon of the Ironheart Clan of Dwarves has managed to "remember" the trademark style of some of its most powerful users. Over the many centuries that the Ironhearts roamed the tunnels below the surface, the Heart has strengthened its link to the Earth itself, and developed echoes of the maneuvers used to keep the Ironheart mines safe from the denizens of the deep.

In more recent centuries the Ironheart Clan has waned in power, until they controlled only one remaining mine. They shared this mine with another clan of dwarves, the Blackrock Clan. When this final mine was taken over by a cabal of black and shadow dragons, the Heart went dormant. The spirits of the mine's final failed defense stayed in the mine to harass the dragons until someone could free the mine. Over the years the remaining dwarves tried in vain to clear the mine, but they did manage to regain the derelect Heart. It hung above the dwarven King's throne as a reminder of his commitment to his lost brethren.

When the mine was invaded by canine demons, the Rubble Rousers arrived to chase their leader deep within the earth. Though on a completely different mission, they managed to clear and reclaim the last Ironheart Mine. As Horkina the Giantslayer entered King Uther's throneroom to report what had happened, the remaining spirits of the Ironheart Clan defenders manifested and demanded the King grant the Heart to her. One by one, they thanked her for releasing them, and touched the Heart. With the thanks of these last defenders, the Heart once again lends aid to Horkina, the last Ironheart.

Heart of the Mine - +6 Dwarven Waraxe (Holy, Terran, Shattermantle)
- grants constant Tremorsense to 60 feet.
- grants constant Accurate Strike (no miss chance from concealment or incorporeal)
- grants constant Superior Two Weapon (full strength bonus to damage on both weapons)
Grants the following maneuvers, usable once per encounter unless otherwise noted.
- Wall of Blades
- Ironheart Surge
- Lightning Recovery
- Iron Heart Focus
- Iron Heart Endurance
- Lightning Throw
- Supreme Blade Parry (stance)
- Perfect Clarity 1/day (lvl 25)

Smilidon - Spirit of the Sabertooth

In the frozen north where most men would not survive, the Hunter of hunters is the great Sabertooth Tiger, also known as the Smilidon. Centuries ago, there existed a clan of Icemen who dared to stalk the great Hunters. The best among them was called Enrok. Enrok hunted the Tigers with unmatched fury and prowess, matching their speed and ferocity and imitating their hunter's movements. Over the years that Enrok stalked the northlands, legends say he slew no less than 100 of the great Tigers, and brought them to the brink of extinction. His prowess was too great though, and his singlehanded assault on the Tigers was noticed.

In the northlands, each animal has a totem spirit that watches over them and their environment. Enrok was noticed by the Smilidon spirit, and marked for extinction himself. The battle between the Totem and Enrok was long and bloody. Legend says that it lasted three days, and in the end the Spirit only barely won out. Enrok had such ferocity and stamina that the Smilidon Spirit honored him by forging his hunter's spirit into a weapon the remaining Icemen could use to defend themselves. In return, the Icemen agreed to give up hunting the Smilidon for two centuries until their numbers returned to a healthy level. Unfortunately, the Icemen didn't have a totem spirit, and they didn't last two centuries.

The legendary greataxe, Smilidon, has passed through many fierce warrior's hands since Enrok's end. Most recently it was awarded to a minion of the Snowbound Queen. A half white dragon, half ice troll Talon of Tiamat, he wielded Smilidon with brutal efficiency and a complete lack of mercy. When the Snowbound Queen was assaulted by the Ice Lich known as the King of Winter, her pet was slain and used against her as an undead. The Rubble Rousers were chasing the King for another reason, but managed to "save" the Queen. During the battle, Grokk the Barbarian showed such brutal and chaotic power that the Queen awarded Smilidon to him in gratitude for his part in the battle. Will Grokk match the power and ferocity of Smilidon's previous owners? So far, chances are good.

Smilidon - Spirit of the Sabertooth - +6 Greataxe (Icy Surge, Slow Burst - no save)
- grants constant Scent
- Critical multiplier raised to x5
- Leap attack multiplier raised to x4
- adds D12 when weilder is in Rage
- Haste 10 rnds/day (swift action to activate)
Grants the following maneuvers once per encounter unless otherwise noted.
- Rabid Bear Strike
- Leaping Dragon Strike
- Hamstring as an attack (usable with Full Attack)
- Wolf Pack Tactics (Stance)
- Feral Death Blow 1/day (lvl 25)

The Celestial Mantle

Half Plate made by celestials and granted to high level Clerics and Paladins who they feel deserve it. This particular item was forged recently and has no interesting history behind it.

+7 Celestial Half Plate (1/10 normal weight)
- Wings sprout from the shoulderblades and grant fly speed of 120ft, good maneuverability
- Constant personal Holy Aura effect. Save DC for the blind is 20 + wearers Wisdom bonus.
- Use one turn undead attempt to Empower, Enlarge, Extend or Widen a spell as a rod.
- Use three turn undead attempts and a full round action to either Maximize or Enhance a spell as a rod.

Mantle of Ehlonna

This green and white cloak is made by celestial servants of Ehlonna and granted to Paladins, Rangers, and other champions they feel deserve it.

- Cloak of Charisma +8
- Nature's Blessing (immediate, 1/day): add 1/2 character level to an ally's saving throw. Natural 1's do not count as automatic failures when this is used.
- Nature's Embrace (immediate, 1/day): until your next action, heal 1/2 character level in hitpoints every time you are struck in combat. If you fall below 1 hp, make a fortitude save DC = negative hp to remain at 1 hp.
- Nature's Fury (full round, 1/day): you may take two move actions and then attack as if you had charged. Usable with Dire Charge and similar abilities.
The Mantle of Ehlonna also grants the following maneuvers
- Leading the Charge (stance)
- Tactics of the Wolf (stance)
- Order Forged from Chaos (1/encounter)
- White Raven Tactics (1/encounter)
- Flanking Maneuver (1/encounter)
- White Raven Hammer (1/encounter)
- War Master's charge (1/day; each participant may make only one strike, even if they have Dire Charge or similar abilities.)

Sunlit Shadows

This shimmering golden cloak was commissioned by Amber when in the epic summoning room. After 12 hours in the sun, it emits true sunlight for another 12 hours at a radius of 100'. The color of the sunlight can be changed to appear as a sunset, sunrise, etc. As long as it has reserve sunlight, it has the following powers:

- Shadows Flee: counters and dispels all darkness effects within 100' radius, as a 9th level spell
- Endless Dawn: grants all creatures within the lit radius endure elements, effective only against cold
- Noonchild: wrapping the cloak around the wearer turns her into a being of pure light. She becomes incorporeal, and can pass through force effects but not solid objects like walls. She can move to any point within line of sight, up to 500,000 miles away, as a move action. Unwrapping the cloak turns the wearer physical again, and the cloak can't be reactivated until the wearer's next turn.

Posiccuit

Formerly a part of Occipitus, the plane of Posiccuit now resides at the edge of Elysium under the control of Roland Brighteye. Posiccuit and Occipitus were split by agreement between Roland and Athux, son of Grazz't, who desired to be a full-fledged demon lord and not merely a prince. Posiccuit was protected on its journey from the Abyss to Elysium by the Radiant Dragon Throdenthurirl, whose lawful magic surrounded the plane while the Rubble Rousers protected him. Posiccuit is made primarily of celestial rubble, with Roland's tower right at its center.

Posiccuit granted Roland the following abilities:

- +1 bonus to saves (at level 23)
- +1 bonus to INT (at level 24)
- Normal, Greater, and Epic Spell Penetration (at level 25)
- Increased Spell Capacity: level 12 spells (at level 26)
- +1 caster level and sudden intensify (at level 27)

Blitz

+6 shortsword, +10 Dex, Speed, Eager, Warning, Blurstrike, Deadly Precision, 4/day quicken spell (4th level or lower), 1/day dimension door 120' (swift action), 20% miss chance as blur

Rubble Rousers, Day 47 (2008-02-09, 6:30 PM), Chapter 14: Zen Mario

Players (Characters)
Scott (Rain)
Jeremy (Grokk)
Catherine (Amber)
Rachel (Horkina)
Tom (Garlen)
DM: Tony

When the party arrived back in Cauldron, Percy contacted Rain to let him know a guest was waiting at Roland's tower. Rain offered Percy a hooker for his trouble, and when the stone and metal construct turned down the offer, Rain asked if he was gay. A telepathic chorus of "shut up, Rain" came through the link, and the party headed into Roland's tower to meet the guest. Alexandelsnerf, a tiny and geeky looking gnome, stood nervously in the corner. "Roland, uh, asked me to uh, answer a question for him" he said while looking at his shoes. He began describing various high-profile demon combat groups, gaining confidence as he spoke about his area of expertise. Soon, he was describing the four horsemen of Grazz't, each of whom shared one of his key personality traits: strength, beauty, deceit, and fury. "Strength" was a half-dragon marilith with a tactical mind and a focus on mobility. "Beauty" was a succubus sorceress with a focus on ray spells. "Deceit" was a yugoloth mercenary who was hard to locate and good at assassination. "Fury" was an archer with the ability to deal significant damage from extreme range. Alexandelsnerf finished his description and immediately went back to staring at his shoes. Garlen poked Rain to wake him up.

Amber extended spells of "Mind Blank" for the entire party, and then rested and prepared new spells using Incence of Meditation. She cast a series of protective spells including Conviction, Fortunate Fate, Antidragon Aura, Spell Resistance, Death Ward, Blindsight for Rain, Freedom of Movement for herself, and True Seeing. Garlen cast Listening Lorecall and then the party teleported to just outside of Ober's anti-teleportation shell. The huge building was home to creatures of all sorts, many from opposed planes, who studied magic together. A pair of guards asked why we'd just teleported in, and upon hearing the name "Rubble Rousers", immediately remembered Roland's descriptions. One invited the dean of the school out to meet us, while the other preemptively stated "no, Rain, I don't want to see your sword."

The dean of the school, an erinys devil, invited the party inside and then closed all entrances. She introduced the lieutenant of the guard, a human archmage, and a few other key figures in school administration. The party described Roland's poems and the situation faced thus far, and was preparing to form a battle plan when shouts arose outside. "We don't have time; they've brought a demonic horde", one of the guards explained. Outside, a pack of lesser demons stretched hundreds of feet out from the wall, and Grazz't's horsemen stood behind them, with the archer firing devastating shots at the guards atop the wall. The dean said the guards could handle the lesser demons if we could take out the biggest ones. We agreed, and Amber cast Righteous Wrath of the Faithful before teleporting the party to face the enemies.

The succubus and the yugoloth both turned invisible as the party materialized around the archer, and the marility exclaimed "oh, look, it's that bright shiny ray of sunshine, and her little entourage. All right, Daryl, take that little feathered peacock out of the air." The yugoloth appeared next to Rain, taunting "rogue assassin? We'll see" as he attacked twelve times, connecting on most of them (317 hp + 8 str). This would have killed Rain, but Fortunate Fate triggered to keep him alive. The assassin faded out and reappeared sixty feet away, stating "maybe you're a little tougher than I thought." The archer fired each of his two force bows at Amber five times, dealing significant damage (224 hp) and, like his friend, teleporting sixty feet away. Amber used dimension door to put the party surrounding the archer again, cast dimension lock in the area to block enemy teleportation, healed the party, and cast Delay Death on herself. Garlen screamed out "don't you dare attack Amber!" as he stabbed the archer repeatedly, killing him (544 hp).

The marilith-dragon attacked Horkina (225 hp), trying to bullrush her, but Horkina stood her ground. Rain tumbled behind the dragon and stabbed at her, and she responded by grabbing him with her tail. Horkina fought back (105 hp) and triggered her Scarab of Invulnerability to avoid damage. Grokk, using Wolf Pack Tactics and a Dancing Mongoose Strike, smashed into the dragon with several deep hits (201 hp) while moving around her into a flanking position. The sorceress split a stunning ray at Garlen and Amber, freezing Garlen but failing to penetrate Amber's spell resistance. The yugoloth jumped over Grokk's head, making a swooping dragon strike to stun the big orc and then turning invisible. Amber cast mass heal and a series of moonbolts on the various enemies, then triggered her amulet and re-cast mass heal and focused the moon bolts on the dragon, who had proven to be the most susceptible to the spell. Garlen, whose swords had fallen to the ground when he was stunned, drew his bow and fired a series of shots at the dragon. Rain poked the dragon's tail with his wounding sword, dealing little damage but again draining her blood.

The dragon again attacked Horkina, but soon noticed her strikes were ineffective, so she turned her attention to Grokk (72 hp), trying to knock him backward but failing. Horkina again smashed the dragon (104 hp). Grokk tried to turn the assassin's strategy against him, making a leaping stun attack with his Holy Cow axe but failing due to invisibility and an intrinsic Unluck effect. The sorceress again hit Amber with a stun ray, and fired some intelligence-draining rays at Grokk that were absorbed by Mind Blank. The yugoloth assassin struck Grokk repeatedly, cursing him and dealing substantial damage (187 hp). Garlen fired his bow at the dragon (137 hp) and Rain again stabbed its tail. This prompted the nearly-dead dragon to fade out, leaving the area while exclaiming "you fools, we are only the distraction."

Horkina and Grokk now focused their attention on the assassin (121 and 255 hp), while the sorceress' Polar Rays caused Amber's Fortunate Fate to trigger. The assassin stabbed Grokk, cursing him with yet another form of curse. Amber cast Downdraft to bring the sorceress to the ground, then surrounded her with dimension lock and used invisibility purge to make her an easy target. Garlen and Rain moved to flank her and began their attack (100 and 95 hp), slaying her while resisting the negative energy her body released. Horkina and Grokk finished off the yugoloth with a ridiculous number of strikes, and Garlen and Amber started taking out the lesser demons in the now-decimated horde.

Rain picked up a set of custom gloves, and the school rewarded Amber with half-plate "Celestial Mantle" armor with wings attached. The dean warned that, during the assault, a staff of rapid striking had been stolen by the same figure as had initially killed Roland. The staff cast a specialized version of Magic Missile, among other things, which would make it useful for penetrating some of the predicted defenses at Roland's tomb.

The party reached level 25.