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Writer's pictureTim Cusack

Amulet Of The Hero


This is an example of a style favored by Athena and Zeus, both of which used heroes extensively
Gorgoneion example from door carving in Regnaudin Amelot De Basseuil


This is an excellent example of items from the very early days of Dungeons And Dragons, from Polyhedron, the Introductory Issue. This amulet can generate three heroes, one at a time, who are very tough, but who is completely inept. The hero cannot hit anything, no successfully accomplish any other task. This mixed blessing comes with a silver lining, however. They make excellent meat shields, as they have AC 2 and 80 HP, so can be very useful in combat or even as trap magnets. While at first this would seem to be unbelievably cruel, if not outright evil, I could see a case for something like this making for some amazing role-playing. Do the players literally use the Heroes as meat shields? Do they try to find a way to let them go without killing them? Lots of moral conundrums, but for some parties, these are only mechanically useful. Imagine putting the players in a position where they have to choose between letting random heroes die for them, or taking that damage themselves. The item specifically mentions there is no way to heal the hero short of a wish. Queue the Rick And Morty episode. If you are a fan, you will know the one. There are also some interesting loopholes in the original description, that could allow one to lose these heroes without any benefit, nor any moral despair. The hero must stay within 300 yards of the summoner, but the entry does not say what happens if they stray too far. I would likely rule the binding magic fails, and they are released. Whether that means they can just go where they want, or that they are dispelled, really depends on you, the DM!

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