Adventurers have the option to participate in activities while traveling in order to pick up some extra resources, improve the conditions of their journey, or learn more about the world around them. 

Difficulty Class. The DC of a journey activity is based on the region’s tier: tier 0—DC 10, tier 1—DC 12, tier 2—DC 14, tier 3—DC 16, tier 4—DC 18. Depending on the region, some journey activities are made with either advantage or disadvantage. For example, the Scout journey activity in a tier 2 Blasted Badlands is DC 14 and the check is made with advantage. 

Experienced Travelers. The Busk and Rob journey activities are most profitable for novice adventurers, but experienced travelers can sometimes pick out a mark carrying confidential materials instead of gold, and nobles seek out performers of note wherever they might be. Additionally, when an adventurer is attempting to gather a specific component of 100 gold or less with Gather Components, they can roll with disadvantage, finding it on a success.

Modifying DC. The Narrator can raise the DC on a journey activity based on extenuating circumstances. Here are some suggestions for how to modify a journey activity’s difficulty class:

• Inclement Weather (+2) may impede an adventurer’s ability to search for things with the Scout activity, or lead to fewer people on the road (making the Busk and Rob activities more difficult). 
• Multitasking (+3), such as attempting a journey activity while trying not to be discovered, may make it harder to attempt the check.
• Hostile Territory (+4) may make it difficult to interact with the locals, impeding a check made to Busk or Gossip. It may be dangerous to stop, so taking the Pray activity or using Scout is harder to do.

Adventurers usually choose one journey activity for the entire region, and many activities grant additional rewards based on the time spent doing them. For example, when using the Busk activity, a PC gains gold for each day they perform that activity. The number of days spent is determined by the size of the region and the party's travel speed.

When making an ability check for a journey activity, the check is made at the start of the region. An adventurer may achieve a success or a failure, or a critical success or a critical failure, each with a different outcome which applies while the party remains in that region.

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Befriend Animal

An adventurer can make friends with a wild animal (a beast with a challenge rating equal to or less than 1/3rd the party’s total level) by succeeding on an Animal Handling check. 

Critical Failure. The adventurer scares or angers the animal, which attacks them.

Failure. The adventurer is unable to befriend the animal.

Success. The adventurer befriends one animal. The animal follows the party through the region until it spots danger. Adventurers can assume that when the animal runs off that something dangerous is following them or hidden nearby. The adventurer who befriended the creature can then make a Perception check contested by the hidden creature’s Stealth check in order to spot the danger.

Critical Success. As a success, but the animal also leads the adventurer to a Boon or Discovery . Additionally, the adventurer gains advantage on their Perception check to spot a hidden danger. Only one such boon can be gained per region.

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Busk

Adventurers can entertain passersby with a successful Acrobatics, Athletics, or Performance check. 

Note: To perform this journey activity, the party must be in a populated area such as a Country Shire, Open Roads, or an Urban Township.

Critical Failure. Passersby steal 3d4 gold from the adventurer.

Failure. The adventurer earns no money.

Success. The adventurer gains 1 gold per day of travel plus 1 gold for each point they beat the DC by.

Critical Success. The adventurer gains 2 gold per day of travel plus 1 gold for each point they beat the DC by, and one passerby gifts them with a random magical item worth 50 gold or less. Only one such gift can be earned per region.

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Chronicle

An adventurer that spends their time writing down observations of local landmarks, recording various customs, or charting a map can make a History check. The adventurer must spend the entire region undertaking this activity

Critical Failure. The adventurer slips, falls, or otherwise bumbles during the journey, destroying their journaling scrolls or the book they were writing in.

Failure. The adventurer fails to record anything of note or value.

Success. The adventurer gains an expertise die on current or future History or Survival checks made within or about the region.

Critical Success. As a success, and the adventurer discovers a Boon or Discovery about the region. Only one such boon can be gained per region.

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Cook

By acting as the party’s cook and quartermaster, with a cook’s utensils or Survival check an adventurer can help ensure that everybody remains fed. 

Critical Failure. For every two creatures being fed, the Supply requirement to feed them is increased by 1 Supply.

Failure. The cooking is adequate, but has no special effects.

Success. The daily Supply requirement to feed the party is reduced by one-quarter (round down to a minimum of 1 Supply) up to a maximum number of creatures equal to twice the adventurer’s proficiency bonus. 

Critical Success. As a success, and each creature being fed gains one additional Hit Die to spend on each day they are fed by the adventurer.

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Cover Tracks

While moving at a slow pace, an adventurer can cover the party’s tracks with a Survival check so that it is harder for pursuers to follow. The adventurer’s Survival check result is the DC for any pursuer’s Survival check to track them. 

Critical Failure. The party leaves an obvious trail, and their pursuers gain a day’s worth of travel covering the distance between them for each day spent doing this journey activity.

Failure. The party leaves a trail, and their pursuers continue to harass them.

Success. The party manages to put an extra day between themselves and their pursuers for each day spent doing this journey activity.

Critical Success. The party lose their pursuers.

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Entertain

With a successful Performance check an adventurer can help keep the party’s spirits high. Each party member can only benefit from this journey activity once per week.

Critical Failure. The adventurer’s performance is so bad that the party gains a level of strife .

Failure. The party is not entertained.

Success. The first time the adventurer or an ally, up to a number of creatures equal to the adventurer's proficiency bonus, would suffer a level of strife, they do not. When there is more than one member of the party that can benefit from this journey activity (like when the entire party makes saving throws against strife at the same time), the adventurer that performed it chooses who benefits.

Critical Success. The adventurer and any allies each recover one level of fatigue or strife . This benefit can only be gained by each adventurer once per week.

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Gather Components

Adventurers that gather supplies useful for the material components of spellcasting can make an Arcana or Nature check.

Critical Failure. The adventurer accidentally picks components about to decay or rot, destroying 1d4 gold worth of their own material components before realizing it.

Failure. The adventurer finds no components.

Success. The adventurer finds 1d4 gold worth of components per day, plus 1 gold worth of components for each point they beat the DC by.

Critical Success. The adventurer finds 2d4 gold worth of components per day, plus 1 gold worth of components for each point they beat the DC by.

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Gossip

Success on an Investigation or Persuasion check tells an adventurer the local news and rumors. 

Critical Failure. The party learns a false rumor.

Failure. The party gains no rumor.

Success.  For each day spent doing this journey activity, the Narrator reveals an engaging rumor or tidbit that could lead the party on a new sidequest or support the main plot of the campaign.

Critical Success. As a success, and local gossip leads the party to a Boon or Discovery .

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Harvest

An adventurer that succeeds on a Medicine or Nature check finds plants to refill a healer’s satchel. 

Critical Failure. The adventurer accidentally picks plants about to decay or rot, destroying 1 use of their healer’s satchel before realizing it.

Failure. The adventurer finds no plants.

Success. The adventurer finds plants to refill 1 use of a healer’s satchel for each day spent doing this journey activity. 

Critical Success. As a success, and the adventurer finds plants which duplicate the effects of a potion of healing . This benefit can only be gained once per week.

  Alternatively, an adventurer can choose to make an herbalism kit check or poisoner’s kit check.

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Hunt and Gather

It’s often fruitful for an adventurer to track and kill game, or forage for food and water, along the road with a Survival check.

Critical Failure. The adventurer gains toxic Supply, and the entire party suffers a level of fatigue .

Failure. The adventurer gains no Supply.

Success. The adventurer gains 1 Supply per day spent doing this journey activity.

Critical Success. The adventurer gains double the Supply.

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Pray

While traveling many choose to connect with deities and spirits. An adventurer makes a Religion check.

Critical Failure. The gods are displeased. Each party member discovers that 1 Supply has spoiled.

Failure. The gods do not listen.

Success. The entire party gains advantage to one ability check or attack made while within this region, and the gods lead the adventurer to a Boon or Discovery. 

Critical Success. The entire party gains an expertise die on their next ability checks made in this region, and the gods lead the adventurer to a Boon or Discovery .

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Rob

Adventurers can force others into handing over their coins with a successful Intimidation check, or pickpocket travelers with a successful Sleight of Hand check. To perform this journey activity, the party must be in a populated area such as a Country Shire, Open Roads, or Urban Township. This journey activity usually takes a week to complete.

Critical Failure. A potential victim turns out to be a rival adventuring party of similar capabilities and a fight ensues.

Failure. No gold is gained.

Success. The adventurer gains 1d8 gold per week of travel. When this journey activity is done in fewer than 7 days, the adventurer instead gains half as much gold (minimum 1 gold).

Critical Success. As a success, and the adventurer gains a magic item worth 100 gold or less. This benefit can only be gained once per region.

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Scout

An adventurer roams at a distance from the party, making a Perception check seeking vantage points to look ahead. 

Note: This journey activity may only be performed once per region.

Critical Failure. The adventurer gets lost and suffers a level of fatigue before returning to the party.

Failure. The adventurer learns nothing useful.

Success. The party automatically learns which regions adjoin the current region. Additionally, the party gains advantage on Perception checks made against any attempts to surprise or ambush them while journeying through this region.

Critical Success. As a success, and the adventurer finds a handy path. The party gains half a day’s travel for each day spent doing this journey activity.

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Track

A designated tracker can ensure that the party remains on the trail of their prey with a Survival check. This check is opposed by the Survival check of the creature being tracked if it is attempting to hide its tracks, or the region’s journey activity DC if it is not.

Critical Failure. The party loses their prey.

Failure. The party falls back an extra day between themselves and their prey for each day spent doing this journey activity.

Success. The party continues to follow their prey.

Critical Success. The adventurer finds an obvious trail, and the party gains a day’s worth of travel covering the distance between them and their prey for each day spent doing this journey activity.
 

At the heart of exploration is the journey, or the story that happens while the adventurers travel from origin to destination—surviving the elements, discovering new places, and overcoming the obstacles presented by the environment. This section provides the rules and resources for running a journey from start to finish.

Before a journey, the party sets their travel pace, or how fast they’d like to go. The Narrator determines the difficulty of the journey itself and the number of encounters the adventurers have on the journey. Some encounters might be a fight against one or more monsters or happening across other travelers, but they’ll also have to contend with the world itself in exploration challenges.

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Navigation

When the adventurers have a map (see Survival Gear ) there is little chance of them getting lost. The mystery lies in the time it takes them to reach their destination, and the challenges that they face along the way. Without a map, adventurers always know which region (see below) they are in, but are not usually aware of adjacent regions (unless one of them takes the Scout journey activity). They can journey from region to region, making choices along the way—for example, the party might be in Rolling Grasslands, and need to decide between hiking Lofty Mountains or chancing a Feywood as their next step before finally reaching some safe Open Roads leading to their destination.

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Travel Pace

Adventurers can travel at a normal, fast, or slow pace, which determines the distance they cover in a day of travel (see Table: Travel Pace). While a fast pace might shorten the time required for a journey, moving so quickly makes travelers less aware of the dangers around them. Likewise, a steadier slow pace prolongs a journey but adventurers can stay alert, cover their tracks, and move more stealthily. The effects from traveling faster than a slow pace are cumulative.

Fatigue. Creatures suffering from two or more levels of fatigue cannot travel faster than at a normal pace. Creatures suffering from three or more levels of fatigue cannot travel faster than at a slow pace. Creatures suffering from four or more levels of fatigue cannot travel faster than a crawl.

Table: Travel Pace

Pace	Minute	Hour	Day	Effect
Crawl	50 feet	1/2 mile	4 miles	Advantage on Survival checks to cover tracks
Slow/wagon	200 feet	2 miles	16 miles	-
Normal	300 feet	3 miles	24 miles	Unable to use Stealth
Fast/mounted	400 feet	4 miles	32 miles	–5 penalty to passive Perception and disadvantage on Perception checks
Gallop	800 feet	8 miles*	-	Disadvantage on Survival checks to track

* A mount can only travel at gallop speed for 1 hour each day. Otherwise it travels at the fast/mounted pace.

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Forced March

Adventurers on a journey can travel for up to 8 hours in a day before requiring a long rest to reinvigorate themselves and continue—any further and they may exhaust themselves. For every additional hour of travel past 8 hours, an adventurer makes a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour (DC 10 + the number of additional hours of travel), suffering a level of fatigue on a failure. The party can set the pace, increasing the DC of the saving throw for a normal pace (+1) or fast/mounted pace (+2).

For example, after traveling for 8 hours a party decides to push themselves and continue the day’s journey for 1 additional hour at a normal pace. At the end of the hour they’ve traveled another 3 miles, but each adventurer makes a DC 12 Constitution saving throw (10 + 1 additional hour + 1 for normal pace), suffering a level of fatigue on a failure.

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Mounts and Pack Animals

Mounts such as riding horses can only travel for about an hour a day at the gallop pace listed in Table: Travel Pace. While mounts and pack animals may be useful on a journey, they are also a responsibility—each mount requires its own Supply, may have difficulty traveling in different kinds of environments, and can become a liability during certain exploration challenges. For example, it may be difficult to lead a mount through a swampy area or have it traverse a landslide. 

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Resting and Havens

While on a journey, adventurers are only able to recover from the second level and beyond of fatigue or strife on a long rest when they have access to a haven. A haven is a place to get a meal and a full night’s sleep without the reasonable risk of attack or harm from the elements. For example, an inn is considered a haven, but a campsite where adventurers must take turns keeping watch through the night is not. Some spells and class features may create havens.

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Tracking Supply

Mundane consumable items like food and water are simplified into a single item called Supply. When an adventurer gains access to food and water, they can add Supply to their inventory.

• 1 Supply consists of enough combined food and water to sustain a Small- or Medium-sized creature for a day.
• Large-sized creatures require 2 Supply each day. Creatures of Huge size or larger require an amount of Supply determined by the Narrator.
• A creature can carry a number of Supply equal to its Strength score in addition to the rest of its gear. A Large-sized creature can carry Supply equal to twice its Strength score.
• Whenever a creature takes a long rest, it must consume Supply. If it does not, it gains a level of fatigue.
• At the Narrator’s discretion a beast can hunt, forage, or graze before taking a long rest, only requiring Supply if the region is not plentiful enough for it to do so.
• Supply consumed while in another form (like while under the effects of a polymorphing spell or a druid’s wild shape) is wasted and provides no nourishment when a creature returns to its normal form.

When adventurers run out of Supply while journeying, they can access more in a few ways. Some journey activities allow adventurers to forage for more food and water. Boons and discoveries, which are common rewards for exploration challenges, may lead to more Supply. As a last resort, the party may need to take a detour to the nearest town, find a wandering merchant, or even abandon the journey and head home.

In some campaigns the wilderness is just the gap between dungeons and plot points, and in others battling against the elements and nature is a major focus. Consider the following two alternate methods of supply tracking to better fit the campaign:

Casual Supplies. These rules are best used in adventures where surviving the elements is not a major theme.
• A creature is assumed to eat and care for itself as needed and rations are not tracked.
• As long as a creature has access to its gear, it’s assumed to have packed enough food and water to sustain itself during any journey.

Desperate Supplies. Adventures where wilderness survival is the primary theme are best served with these rules.
• All mundane consumable items must be tracked separately and must be stored in proper containers (see Containers ).
• Throughout the course of a day, Medium-sized creatures must consume at least 1 pound of food and 1 gallon (8 pounds) of water (or half as much if Small-sized, or twice
as much if Large-sized). When a creature completes a long rest without having consumed its required food and water, it gains a level of fatigue .

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Vehicles

Not all travel is done by foot or hoof. Vehicles are used by many adventurers to help travel the vast distances of the world. 

Land Vehicles. Wagons and carts are unable to go faster than a slow pace, but some land vehicles can choose at which pace to move. Stealth cannot be used while journeying in a land vehicle, and they require a DC 13 land vehicle check every day spent traveling at a fast pace. On a failure, the vehicle suffers a malfunction. 

Water Vehicles. Water vehicles are restricted by the speed of the vehicle and gain no benefits from a slow pace, but have no penalties for moving at a fast pace. Depending on the vehicle and crew size, a ship can travel up to 24 hours a day. 

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Regions

A region is an area of the world, defined geographically by its physical features. It might be a vast forest or a sandy desert; or it might be a snow-tipped mountain range or a stretch of underground caverns. Regions are often—but not always—named areas on the map. Regions are important building blocks of the world, and each region has its own properties and encounter tables. Later in this chapter are some common regions for Narrators to use.

Combined Regions. Sometimes an area on the map might fit the description of more than one region. The Narrator may choose either region, combine both, or create a new region.

Terrains. A region can have more than one kind of terrain and those listed are suggestions for the most common types to be found there" and similar

Regions and Tiers. Each region on the map is designated with a tier (from 0–4) which corresponds with the adventuring tiers of play. Any region can be any tier, but some regions lend themselves towards certain ends of the scale; for example, a tier 3 Country Shire would be highly unusual, but a tier 2 Feywood would not.

The combination of region and tier allows for a wide array of building blocks with which to build the game world. A tier 1 Feywood might be a small forest on the edge of a village where it is rumored that satyrs play in the moonlight, while a tier 4 Feywood could be home to powerful and capricious fey beings, or ruled by an ancient green dragon.

A region’s tier determines the difficulty of the challenges encountered within. Exploration and monster encounter tables are all categorized by tier, making it easy to select tier-relevant encounters. Of course, exceptions can and do exist, and a powerful monster can wander into that tier 1 Country Shire, or a cruel necromancer might make their lair on the outskirts, but such an occurrence is not typical of that region and is usually used as the subject of an adventure rather than a random encounter.

It should be noted that it is possible for a low-level party to wander into a region too dangerous for them. The Narrator should provide clues to the danger level and—where appropriate—allow for some means of escape should the adventurers find themselves in over their heads.

Party-Appropriate Challenges. In some games the Narrator may prefer not to designate regions with a default tier, and instead present the adventurers with encounters and challenges appropriate for their level.   

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Weather

Each region contains a short list of randomly generated weather options. These are generally limited to non-extreme weather conditions, including clear, overcast, mist, rain, and snow, and are purely descriptive tools to help the Narrator set the scene—they do not affect the adventurers. More extreme weather events are treated as exploration challenges and include phenomena like blizzards, dense fogs, hail storms, sandstorms, tornados, thunderstorms, and more.

Roll a d20 for weather once for each region. In the winter season, add 5 to the roll. 

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Encounters

Each region the adventurers travel through will include one or more encounters. The Narrator decides how many encounters the party has. 

Encounters include four categories: exploration challenges , monsters, social encounters , and travel scenery . It is important that the players do not know which type of encounter they’ve stumbled into—it should be introduced to them narratively. That chill feeling might be mere scenery, but it might be the sign of some kind of undead spirit, or it might foreshadow a weather event. 

Each region presents encounter tables which include all four encounter types. The Narrator can roll on these tables, choose an option, or introduce something new.

Along a journey the Narrator should employ a mix of combat encounters, social encounters, exploration challenges, and scenery. Exploration challenges, which are detailed later in this chapter, have assigned tiers and challenge ratings that correspond to adventurers’ levels. It is assumed that high-level adventurers are able to pass tier 1 exploration challenges without much effort, but a tier 4 exploration challenge poses a major threat.

Ultimately how many encounters adventurers have while traveling is at the discretion of the Narrator, but in general it’s recommended that the party has at least one encounter (combat, exploration, or social) in every region they journey through to make it memorable. Some regions are going to have more encounters than other regions—either because they are tumultuous, the area plays an important part in the campaign, or they are large in size—and the types of encounters the party might have in a given region are listed in its Exploring table. Depending on the needs of the game and campaign setting, the types of encounters, frequency of encounters, and difficulty of certain journey activities might be different.

In a world of flaming swords and cursed axes, some magical items are on a level above and beyond what can be found in a wizard's tower or a demon’s lair. These potent relics are the stuff of bard tales and cultural epics, unique and powerful items that leave marks upon history and spawn legends in their wake—when one of them is found, it can easily signal major changes felt far and wide. 

Artifacts List

The appearance of an artifact in a campaign is not to be taken lightly. Artifacts are not typically found by everyday adventurers and are as much plot points as they are equipment. The search for an artifact can be the goal of an entire adventure or long term quest: to reclaim it from a villain, to traverse the dangerous demiplane of a demigod and acquire it, or even keeping it from two factions in a stalemate war. 

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Recognizing Artifacts

Due to their eminent place in history and the countless tales told about them, artifacts can often be recognized even without anyone realizing everything about the item. Success on an ability check to recognize an artifact reveals something from its Legends and Lore, but not anything a typical check to identify a magic item would reveal.

Artifact Clues

When an adventurer succeeds on a check to recognize an artifact, they might instead learn one of the following, either chosen by the Narrator or determined randomly by rolling 1d6: 1—where the artifact was last seen, 2—when the artifact was last seen, 3—a story about an adventurer that used the artifact, 4—name of a book regarding the artifact or a sage known to be an expert on matters regarding the artifact, 5—who created the artifact or how it came into being, 6—one of the artifact’s magic properties.

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Artifact Properties 

Artifacts have properties like other magical items, but these are of a greater magnitude than what the average adventurer will come across in their lifetime. In addition to their inherent abilities, artifacts may have other properties that can be either beneficial or detrimental, either chosen by the Narrator from the following tables or randomly determined. Properties such as these often shift each time an artifact appears and are not permanent. Narrators are also encouraged to create new properties. 

Artifact properties are either benefits or detriments and have one of two intensities (lesser or greater). An artifact can only have a maximum of four lesser benefits and two greater benefits, and no more than four lesser detriments and two greater detriments. 

Unless otherwise noted, the following properties apply when you have attuned to an artifact and are wielding it or have it on your person. Any cantrips or spells granted by an artifact are chosen by the Narrator.

Lesser Artifact Benefits

1–20    Sage. The artifact lends you knowledge. You gain one skill proficiency (chosen by the Narrator). 

21–30  Panacea. The artifact’s presence is a panacea to the body and soul. You gain immunity to diseases .  

31–40  Mind’s Bastion. The artifact strengthens your mind against fear and manipulation. You gain immunity to the charmed and frightened conditions. 

41–50  Bulwark. The artifact prevents certain types of damage. You gain resistance to one damage type (chosen by the Narrator). 

51–60  Minor Magic. The power of a single minor manifestation of magic radiates within the artifact. You can use an action to cast a cantrip from the artifact. 

61–70   Spell Weaver (Basic). The artifact allows you to cast a simple spell. You can use an action to cast one 1st-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

71–80   Spell Weaver (Advanced). The artifact allows you to cast a spell of light complexity. You can use an action to cast one 2nd-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

81–90   Spell Weaver (Mastery). The artifact allows you to cast a spell of moderate complexity. You can use an action to cast one 3rd-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

91–100 Aegis. The artifact shields you from harm, granting you a +1 bonus to Armor Class. 

Greater Artifact Benefits

1–20    Perfectionist. The artifact seeks to enhance and elevate its user to greater heights. One of your ability scores (chosen by the Narrator) increases by 2, to a max of 24. 

21–30  Healer. The artifact continually reinforces your lifeforce. As long as you have at least 1 hit point, you regain 1d6 hit points at the start of each of your turns. 

31–40  Warrior. The artifact thrives in battle. When you hit with a weapon attack, the target takes an extra 1d6 damage of the same weapon type. 

41–50  Strider. The artifact makes your movement lighter and easier. Your Speed increases by 10 feet.

51–60  Magus Magic (Basic). The artifact allows you to cast a spell of some power. You can use an action to cast one 4th-level spell from the artifact. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

61–70  Magus Magic (Advanced). The artifact allows you to cast an impressive spell. You can use an action to cast one 5th-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

71–80  Magus Magic (Mastery). The artifact allows you to cast a spell of considerable complexity and power. You can use an action to cast one 6th-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

81–90  Magus Magic (Epic). The artifact allows you to cast an impressively potent spell. You can use an action to cast one 7th-level spell from it. Once a spell is cast, roll 1d6. On any result but 6, you cannot cast this spell again until the next dawn.

91–100 Pure Body. The artifact protects against most afflictions of the body. You gain immunity to the blinded , deafened , petrified , and stunned conditions. 

Lesser Artifact Detriments

1–5      Magic Magnet. You’re highly susceptible to magic and have disadvantage on saving throws against spells.

6–10    Ruin. You ruin gems and jewelry, reducing the value of any gem or jewel you touch by half. A gem or jewel can only be ruined in this way once.

11–15   Obscured Sight. When you are separated from the artifact by more than 10 feet you become blinded .

16–20  Bad Reaction. You have disadvantage on saving throws made to resist poison. 

21–30  Foul. Your scent becomes nearly unbearable and is noticeable from 10 feet away. 

31–35  Desecrate. You contaminate holy water within 10 feet of you, instantly destroying it. 

36–40  Unwell. You become physically sick. You have disadvantage on Strength and Constitution ability checks and saving throws . 

41–45  Swollen. You gain 1d4 × 10 pounds in weight. 

46–50  Shapeshift. Your appearance changes. The Narrator determines details of your new appearance. 

51–55  Stolen Sound. When you are separated from the artifact by more than 10 feet, you are deafened. 

56–60  Malnourished. Your weight drops 1d4 × 10 pounds.

61–65  Anosmia. You lose your sense of smell. 

66–70  Ill Wind. Nonmagical flames within 30 feet of you are snuffed out.

71–80  Insomnia. Creatures within 300 feet of you cannot take short or long rests.

81–85  Flora Bane. Plants that aren’t creatures take 1d6 necrotic damage from your touch. 

86–90  Unnatural Presence. Your presence causes animals within 30 feet to become hostile towards you. 

91–95  Gluttony. Each day you must consume 6 times your normal needs of food and drink. 

96–100 Flawed. Your flaws are exacerbated. The Narrator determines how this manifests.

Greater Artifact Detriments

1–5      Atrophic Affliction. Your body slowly rots. At the end of the first day, you lose your hair. By the end of the second day you lose your finger and toe tips. On the third day’s end your lips and nose are lost. Finally your ears rot away at the end of the fourth day, and the rotting finally stops. You may restore your lost body parts through the use of the regenerate spell. 

6–10    Wandering Worldview. You gain a different alignment trait each dawn. Roll a 1d4: 1—chaotic, 2—evil, 3—good, 4—lawful.

11–15   Quest Giver. You are given a quest determined by the Narrator, which you must complete as if you were under the effects of the geas spell. This effect occurs the first time you attune to the artifact and once the quest is completed, you are no longer affected by this property. 

16–20  Possessive. A formless entity is imprisoned within the artifact. When you use an action to utilize an artifact’s properties, there’s a 50% chance the entity tries to possess you instead of the item. Make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the entity claims your body as its own. You become an NPC under the Narrator’s control. The entity can be banished through the use of the dispel evil and good spell.

21–25  Deadly Aura. Plants and creatures of Challenge Rating 0 drop to 0 hit points when they are within 10 feet of the artifact. 

26–30  Eldritch Prison. A forgotten god is imprisoned within the artifact and struggles for freedom. When you use an action to activate one of the artifact’s properties there’s a 10% chance it breaks free, appearing within 15 feet of you and attacking you.

31–35  Bearer of Hatred. The Narrator chooses a creature type (other than humanoid). Creatures of that type have an unnatural aggression towards you and are always hostile towards you.  

36–40  Potion Thinner. Magical potions within 10 feet of the artifact are instantly diluted and lose their magical properties. 

41–45  Ink Eater. Magic scrolls within 10 feet of the artifact are instantly erased. 

46–50  Vampiric Desire. In order to use an action and activate one of this artifact’s properties, you must first satiate its bloodlust by using a bonus action to draw blood from yourself, a willing supplicant, or an incapacitated victim. To do so the creature must be within your reach and you must use a slashing or piercing weapon to draw blood (dealing 1d4 damage).

51–60  Overwhelming. The power of the artifact is too great to easily contain and it strains your mind. You gain a long-term mental stress effect.

61–65  Psychic Scream. The mental feedback from this artifact deals 4d10 psychic damage after you attune to it. 

66–70  Path of Filth. Slime collects in a trail behind you. Creatures have advantage on checks made to track you. 

71–75  Fickle Fate. The first time you attune to this item, an enemy of the Narrator’s choice experiences a substantial stroke of good fortune. This can be the recruitment of a new unexpected ally, an upgrade of their forces, or even the surprise advancement of one of their goals. The Narrator is encouraged to let you know exactly how your attunement has advanced the goals of your enemy.  

76–80  Ability Drain. One of your ability scores is reduced by 2. Roll 1d6 to determine the ability score: 1—Strength, 2—Dexterity, 3—Constitution, 4—Intelligence, 5—Wisdom, 6—Charisma. This decrease to your ability score can be restored through the use of a greater restoration spell. 

81–85  Double Trouble. A nearly perfect duplicate of you appears within 90 feet. Your duplicate has the singular goal of killing you to permanently claim your existence in the world. The Narrator uses your statistics for the duplicate (as well as any tricks or tactics you commonly employ), though it may take days or weeks for it to gather the resources to attack.  

86–90  Stolen Voice. You lose the ability to speak.

91–95  Weakness. The artifact weakens your body and mind. You become vulnerable to all types of damage.

96–100 Divine Reclamation. When you attune to this artifact there is a 10% chance that you attract the attention of a divine authority who sends an avatar to take it from you. The avatar vanishes with the artifact if it is successful in reclaiming it. 

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Destroying an Artifact 

The very heart of legends rests in the hands of the adventurers, yet they could well seek to destroy it—such a task might not be folly but absolutely necessary. The destruction of such a powerful magical item is a matter of a campaign’s plot, and otherwise artifacts are indestructible. Despite the enormous power they wield however, every artifact has its own weakness (though finding and utilizing such a vulnerability may be a quest in itself, as can stopping a villain from destroying an artifact). 

  While the Narrator decides how a particular artifact can be destroyed, here are some suggestions: 

• Fulfill an ancient prophecy—or defy one.
• Return it to its place of origin or creator to make it vulnerable to damage.
• Ritual that takes place at a sacred site in an opposite aligned plane.
• Thrown into a specific volcano tied to its power.
• If sentient, it may desire an appropriate ritual or location to create a body of its own, leaving the artifact to dissipate into dust.