I need help/input/inspiration with a campaign I am planning. Without going into too much detail, in the world I’ve built there used to be a historically important and very powerful council of 7 mages (3 elves, a human, a gnome, an orc and a dwarf). They’ve each left behind a magical artifact of some kind. My group (druid, rogue, cleric and swashbuckler) is eventually going to hunt down all these artifacts.
I am struggling to find artifacts that would fit. They either feel too mundane or are way too powerful. I want these artifacts to be useful and powerful, for the time they get them. Of course, they’re not going to get them all at once. So these things should be spaced out to be useful from about player level 3 to 12.
We’re playing Pathfinder 2e, but I can easily adapt DnD items as well. If you have homebrew, I’ll take that as well. If you have general input for these items or that plotline, that’s great as well.
Thank you all in advance.
I have a similar set of items in my setting, but I really enjoy the juxtaposition of mundane items doing really unique and powerful things. One of them is an old rotten tooth that can slowly destroys organic material. One is a shaving razor that allows you to cut portals over short distances, perfect for rogues taking coin purses. Some of the other items include a comb, a chess piece, a broach, and a coin. I think the best way to balance powerful items is in the times they can use them per day. If it’s a crazy strong ability, maybe it takes a week to charge up for one use. If you feel it isn’t very useful, let them use it 3/day and see if they surprise you with some creative thinking. Tweaking those time-frames can make even something initially unimpressive feel like a true relic.