HEROES  ⟩  LORE

Ancient Rod

← Ancient Cylinder  ✧  Death →

  • Requires: ✧ Will    
  • Origins:  Zordin  
  • Start with:  ✪ Fetch, ancient rod artifact

You’ve discovered an artifact from the Shattered Planet. This forearm-length rigid stick of smooth, lightweight material has a small curved cup on the opposite end of the handle. In form, it’s similar to an atlatl, a javelin-throwing weapon once used before the advent of the bow and arrow. Rephaim has coalesced in and around the artifact, causing bizarre phenomena: 

A hazy ball of greenish energy, visible only to you, is attached to the cup. Others can sense a strangely moist presence in the air when the ball is near them.

When you swing the stick to “throw” the ball, a monstrous, four-legged form—hazy and indistinct, like the ball—flies past you, trailing your missile. It quickly retrieves the energy ball and returns it to the end of your artifact. The creature is likewise invisible to others, but they can hear its panting and growling.

The energy ball itself is harmless, but if you throw it at a foe, the creature attacks that foe in the process of retrieving the blob, inflicting -1 guard on a block, and -1 awareness on a hit. 

You start with the following ability:

✪ Fetch

✧ Will  When you throw the ancient rod’s energy ball at an inanimate item, you can command the creature to retrieve it along with the ball. The size of the object the creature can fetch is proportional to your Will. For example, if your Will is 3, the creature can fetch an object that a character with Strength 3 could carry.
Atlatl Lore SynergyIf you know The Atlatl lore, that weapon's abilities carry over to attacks you make with the ancient cylinder. With Forceful Throw, your ancient rod attacks—like your atlatl attacks—inflict -2 guard. Although the rod's attack doesn't actually throw any physical object, the creature's psychic attack seems to be empowered by the force of your throw.

Abilities to Learn 

.5xp new ability  |  10xp with attribute increase

✪ Atlatl Practice

✦✧ Strength  You learn The Atlatl lore and its starting ability, ✪ Forceful Throw. (You can’t use the ancient rod as an actual atlatl, however—the artifact is designed to throw little balls, not deadly javelins.)

✪ Companion

✦✧ WillWhen you rest and recover, you regain an additional 1 life per Stamina point: the monstrous form coalesces by your side and comforts you. Also, if you've take lethal damage from a foe, your attacks against that foe with the rod inflict lethal damage up to your Will, along with their usual damage. The monster audibly snarls and snaps as it retrieves the energy from such foes.If you know ✪ Pounce, the monster's Take hold attack inflicts lethal damage as well.  

✪ Sentry

✦✧ WillAs long as you hold the rod, your maximum Awareness increases by an amount equal to your Will. The monster senses danger and psychically growls to warn you.

✪ Pounce

✦✧ WillYou can command the creature to Take hold of your foe instead of dealing damage. Make a ranged attack roll as normal, but treat the result as a Take hold attack. The creature can take the Grapple and Shove brace actions, using your Compel die in place of a Brace die. A foe can’t directly attack the creature, but can escape its hold by taking a Shove action. If their Shove beats your Will, the monster’s grapple ends with no other effect or damage. You can also mentally command the monster to end its grapple as a free action. If the grapple ends, the monster retrieves the ball and promptly brings it back to your ancient rod. Until that point, you can’t use the artifact to attack.

← Ancient Cylinder  ✧  Death →