Auctus (3.5e Equipment)
Auctus[edit]
"Appearing like a small golden pill, these at first unassuming artifacts prove to be incredibly valuable once ingested. On there own they resemble a 1cm pill, golden in colour that appears only faintly magical to any casting detect magic. However, if identified it's worth becomes instantly apparent."
History[edit]
Made by an ancient empire and supplied en mass to their troops, these pills once assisted this empire in their crusade against the Gods themselves. This affiliation has, unsurprisingly, caused them to be banned by most Gods and their holders hunted ruthlessly. However, this has stopped few from seeking them out and the continuos discovery of these wondrous artifacts upon ancient battlefields ensures there's a steady stream circulating on the black market.
Description[edit]
Auctus doesn't take effect until swallowed by the user at which point they immediatly gain all its benefits and it dissolves into them becoming an indistinguishable part of their body. Upon the users death Auctus will reform within their heart (for lack of a heart it forms randomly within their body), each one can be consumed an infinite number of times though the only way to detach one once dissolved is by killing the user. Auctus once swallowed provides +75 to all saves and increases the maximum rank of all skills by 150 as well as providing the user with 50 extra skill points. One person can absorb only one Auctus at a time, any attempt to ingest more causes the user to be violently sick and nauseated for 1d3 hours.
To destroy an Auctus it must first be in its initial form (pill), you must then deal 100 points of crushing damage to it within one round. An Auctus will completely heal at the end of each round if not dealt the full 100 damage, upon reaching 0 HP an Auctus shatters into golden powder. If one ingests enough of this powder to equal at least one pill they gain the effects of ingesting an Auctus, though if killed the Auctus does not reform.
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