DCC Treasure - Grave Goods

So in my efforts to convert the Barrowmaze, I took some of the grave goods and changed them to mechanical effects and ambiance that fits with my campaign world.  However, all these items could be used in any tomb or barrow or dungeon.

In my campaign, the Halwicken were a people that had villages and settlements in the foothills of the Dunstrand Mouontains, trading with both the dwarves and the Kingdom of Aquerria.  The Halwicken dispersed and died out in the violent fall of Aquerria, but their grave sites remain in the Halwicken Hiills.  Their culture had dwarven influences, so elaborate burial rituals were an important part of their religion.

Also in my campaign is the realm of the dead, Absolom ... The land of the dead, the afterworld where souls unclaimed by the gods go to rest.  It is said that it is a frozen reflection of the living world, with crumbling ruins where bustling towns might be, and frozen corpses in the streets and in alleyways where people should gather.  It is also said that only one true city can be found in Absolom, Tanelaan, the City That Sleeps.

Death Masks

Long before the arrival of the Ebony Rod and Nimuul’s cult, when the downs were used as a place by the Halwicken to lay their dead to rest, death masks were an important part of ancient burial rites.  Death masks varied in design, but were clearly influenced by the dwarves that the Halwicken lived with.  Some portrayed the faces of bearded warriors, the seasons, animals, or the elements.  They were unique as the deceased.  Many had prayers or rites inscribed on the inside as comfort to the deceased.

Death masks may be made of common metals such as wood or wax, and may not survive the years well.  Other materials, such as copper, silver, electrum, gold, platinum, and even mithril, are durable although very rare.  For player characters, these are a valuable source of grave goods.

Select death masks that belonged to nobles or priests of years gone by may be magical in nature and bolster the strength and power of the undead who wear them.  Some may not work for the living or their magic has faded.  Certainly the masks tend to be cumbersome and often have eye slits that impair vision, as they were never meant to be worn by the living – all masks incur a -1 armor check penalty over and above any armor worn.

Magical death masks augment and/or possess the following enchantments.

 

D100	Material	Enchantment Chance/Power	Value
01-40	Wood (80% crumbles)	None	5 sp
41-80	Wax (40% crumbles)	None	1 gp
81-85	Copper	40% +1 Luck	2 gp
86-90	Silver	60% Darkvision 30’	5 gp
91-95	Electrum	80% +1d4 hp while worn	10 gp
96-97	Gold	90% +1 CL for Chaotic clerics	20 gp
98-99	Platinum	95% +1 to saves	50 gp
00	Mithril	100% +1 to saves, AC	100 gp

 

D100	Mask Description	D100	Mask Description
01-04	Skull	53-56	Unfeatured
05-08	Old Man	57-60	Smiling Cherub
09-12	Angelic Face	61-64	Demonic Face
13-16	Satyr	65-68	Dryad
17-20	Ent	69-72	Scowling dwarf
21-24	Werewolf	73-76	Helmed warrior
25-28	Azer (burning dwarf)	77-80	Blackvole
29-32	Grue	81-84	Boggard
33-36	Badger	85-88	Smiling dwarf
37-40	Mass of worms	86-92	Weeping maiden
41-44	Crowned noble	93-96	Carved leafy face
45-48	Sleeping elf	97-00	GM Choice
49-52	Hawk

 

Absolom Candles

Many of the low and high-born were interred with funerary candles, supposed to light the way to Absolom.  These candles were created using different waxes and exotic materials depending on the wealth of the individual or family.  Those with limited means used plain wax, while families of greater wealth used precious materials.

Engraved on the candles are the names of family members, ancestors, or sacrificed servants to assist the departed in the afterlife.  Many possess simple inscriptions devoted to eternal service, or proclaim wrath to tomb robbers to dare remove the candles from the hands of the dead.

Any candle with a spell-like ability requiring a spell check roll suffers a misfire on a natural 1 and renders the candle powerless.

 

D100	Absalom Candle Material	Enchantment Chance/Power	Value
01-80	Plain wax (80% crumbles)	None	5 sp
81-90	Red wax	20% continual 10’ light	1 gp
91-95	Blue wax inlaid w/silver	40% speak with dead (1/day check 1d20+8)	10 gp
96-97	Gold wax inlaid w/amber	60% second sight (1/day check 1d20+8)	20 gp
98-99	Grey wax inlaid w/gold	80% read magic (1/day check 1d20+8)	50 gp
00	Purple wax inlaid w/onyx	90% animate dead (1/mo check 1d20+8)	200 gp

Art created by William McAusland, a fellow Canadian -- his art site is over at Outland Arts