Wondrous Relics is a product from Judges Guild which details magic items and artifacts for the Dungeon Master to use in their games. These are not the items from the Dungeon Master Guide but new ones to plug into a game. Ostensibly these are for use with the Judges Guild “Universal System” but it is pretty obvious that they would work just fine for Original or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It was written by Rudy Kraft and published in 1982. This product is 32 pages long.
What I like about Wondrous Relics
It provides new artifacts and magic items. The lists in the Dungeon Masters Guide are great but new items are always welcome. Every Dungeon Master wants to put unique things in their game and this affords them an opportunity to do so.
What I do not like about Wondrous Relics
There were very few items in this work that I considered actually using in my own games. In fact I think there were perhaps two. And those would take some modification.
The artifacts presented had no drawbacks which makes them worthless to a Dungeon Master. Artifacts that the player can use at will forever are too overpowered and should never be allowed into a game. Artifacts should have a terrible cost for their use or at least the potential for such. Otherwise they are just an instant win button for the player. Judges Guild did not seem to understand this when they put this out.
Would I recommend this product to others?
Probably not. It is worth reading but I would not spend any money on it. There are better options out there.
Would I use this product with my own group?
With the exception of two items the rest of this had little use for me.
If you enjoyed this article then you might enjoy these:
- Lich Lords
- Zienteck
- Spies of Lightelf
- The Black Ring
- Portals of Twilight
- Portals of Torsh
- Portals of Irontooth
- Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor
- Sword of Hope
- Under the Storm Giant’s Castle
- The First Fantasy Campaign
- The Arduin Grimmoire
