Spine of the Unkillable (5e Equipment)
Wondrous Item, artifact (Requires attunement by a creature with ki points)
Few monks have reached a truly deific status in legends, and one of the few of these legendary sort is Ka’Bandel the Unkillable, known primarily for his absolute refusal to die.
Even early in his life as a monk, this trait was prominent. According to one of his earliest recorded deeds, he sat in a vacuum sealed adamantine crate for two weeks straight, which was transported deep through the permafrost, with zero relief. After being delivered, he leaped out to fight the mind-slaved guards on his own, even after his right arm had fallen off in the crate due to frostbite. According to shaky testimony, he was only sent with four bricks of hardtack and a pint of water.
According to legend, a majority of his body had been replaced with ki-infused prosthetics, the common list including his right arm, both of his legs(the left below the knee, the right up to his waist), one eye, part of his chest, both his horns(apparently for cosmetic reasons), and most notably, his spine.
During a raid into the material realm, lead by the great pit fiend Qzworakurdan, Ka’Bandel and his current colleagues found themselves surrounded by lesser fiends of all kinds. During the legendary skirmish, which supposedly turned half of the buildings in the town to pure soot, Ka’Bandel had singlehandedly kept back the pit fiend for quite some time. With both nearly dead, the fiend finally managed a final killing blow, punching through his entire body to reach his spine, and ripped the entire bone structure out of his body. However, the last laugh was not yet had. The monk, on the brink of death, apparently lasted another two minutes against the fiend, managing to somehow enter his body and tear his otherwordly heart into seven different pieces, banishing the great enemy, alongside his lackeys. After retrieving his own spine, and staggering into the nearest church of Pelor, Ka’Bandel actually died for the first time.
After the tiefling was revived, and a new spine was set in place(in that order), he himself returned the old one to the monastery which had trained him, where it was then held deep within the snow-laden structure’s shrines.
Ka’Bandel’s second death came not too long after. On a long mission against a massive group of mindflayers, set on renewing their empire, he was captured, and prepared for enslavement. His five compatriots did not find him in this state, as somehow, he had survived being lobotomized by an entire sect of illithids for two hours straight. Even as he was halfway dead, he refused treatment, and followed his allies into the plane of fire, where they had cornered the arch-alhoon, as it launched both psychic blast and powerful spell into their ranks. Perhaps a bit too bold, the monk ran straight towards the emperor, which would soon become an act of martyrdom.
As he ran, the great mindflayer levelled a colossal pulse of psychic energy against his assailant, instantly reducing his entire head to atoms. As the now-believed-to-be dead body fell forward, a jolt of energy surged through it, and instead of falling flat, it entered a roll, standing back up to enter a leap, diving into the alhoon. Drained of spells, and unable to act, they both fell into the deep pit of lava below. Neither of the two have ever been seen again, but knowing his legend, some believe that Ka’Bandel simply walked it off after a few days.
As soon as this act had been preformed, the spine which he had returned surged with new energy, believed to be a gift from Pelor itself.
Random Properties. The Spine of the Unkillable has the following random properties:
- 2 minor beneficial properties
- 1 major beneficial property
- 1 minor detrimental property
- 1 major detrimental property
Unstoppable. So long as you have at least 1 ki point, you gain the following benefits.
- You are resistant to all damage if you are not already immune to it, and this resistance cannot be ignored by any means.
- You cannot gain any stacks of exhaustion.
Legendary Reserves. Your ki point maximum increases by 10. These additional ki points are regained on a long rest, instead of short or long rests.
For additional rules, see the Marvelous Magitech Enhancements and Replacements page.
Destroying the Spine of the Unkillable. The spine is only destroyed after spending seven years straight within the negative energy plane. Nothing less can harm the item.
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