At first glance, it resembles a brutally reinforced blunderbuss or short-barreled shotgun of blackened bronze and jungle iron. Its stock is carved with overlapping arcane sigils that never quite sit still. The barrel is wide and ribbed, etched internally with spiraling runes meant to fracture spell matrices rather than channel them cleanly.
Instead of shot or powder, the breech accepts wands.
Rumors:
- This weapon doesn’t fire, it remembers…
- One shot solves a problem. Two shots create a worse one.
- It has leveled rooms instead of targets
The One Thing Everyone Agrees On
This is the single, universally repeated piece of advice:
“If you find it, decide what you’re willing to lose before you pull the trigger.”
Not gold.
Not reputation.
Something important.
The name Halvrix Mourncoil is enscribed on the stock with glowing runes
Rules
When a wand is loaded into the Choir of Ruin and fired, you may choose to spend additional charges.
For each additional charge you spend, increase the effective caster level of the wand’s spell, up to a maximum of your caster level.
Each charge spent requires an additional Usage Die roll. If the wand is depleted, Listen to the Choir
Listen to the Choir (roll 1d20)
| d20 | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Catastrophic Feedback – The spell detonates at the wielder’s position. Full effect centered on the user. The wand is obliterated. |
| 2 | Spell Inversion – The spell’s effect reverses or targets the opposite of what was intended (healing harms, fire freezes, charm enrages). |
| 3 | Echo Cast – The spell triggers a second time at the start of the next round, uncontrolled. |
| 4 | Wild Fragmentation – The spell splits into 1d4 lesser versions, each affecting a random target or area. |
| 5 | Thaumic Scarring – The wielder gains a visible magical scar; –2 penalty on a random saving throw until removed by powerful magic. |
| 6 | Residual Haunting – Ghostly afterimages linger. Undead within 300 ft become aware of the wielder for the next 24 hours. |
| 7 | Spatial Tear – Minor planar distortion: doors lead somewhere wrong, shadows lag, or gravity shifts briefly. |
| 8 | Spell Memory – The weapon “remembers” the spell. The next firing has a chance to partially repeat it regardless of wand used. |
| 9 | Arcane Scream – Everyone within 60 ft hears whispers in an unknown tongue. Concentration and Listen checks suffer –4 for 1 minute. |
| 10 | Wand Ghost – The destroyed wand’s magic manifests as a hostile or confused magical entity. |
| 11 | Blood-for-Power – The spell works flawlessly, but the wielder suffers the same effect as the target. |
| 12 | Unwanted Attention – A powerful being (outsider, god-servant, ancient guardian) becomes aware of the wielder’s existence. |
| 13 | Spell Drift – The effect lands 1d6 × 10 ft from the intended target. Still devastating. |
| 14 | Reality Lag – Time hiccups. One random creature loses its next action as reality “catches up.” |
| 15 | Corrupted Success – The spell’s magnitude increases, but it gains a sinister or cruel side effect. |
| 16 | Thanatos’ Shadow – For an instant, the wielder sees a spectral reaper nearby. No immediate effect… yet. |
| 17 | Zone of Ruin – The area becomes magically unstable for 1 hour; further spellcasting risks wild surges. |
| 18 | Sentient Murmur – The weapon whispers advice or warnings. Sometimes helpful. Sometimes not. |
| 19 | City Remembers – If fired in Thracia or another ancient site, the environment subtly reacts (doors seal, paths shift, guardians stir). |
| 20 | Perfect Thunder – The spell is unleashed at maximum potency with no immediate backlash. Increase future consequence rolls by +1 permanently. |