This is the 8th AI Artifact, a magic item based on an image generated by an AI from randomly generated words. In this case, those words are “dramatic”, “jaded”, and “colossal “. If you want to know what this is about, you can find the rules here.
The prompt used
This is what I entered into the image-creating AI Midjourney in order to generate these pictures:
/imagine prompt magic artifact that is dramatic, jaded, colossal, in the style of a video game asset
This time, the original prompt yielded a bunch of “boxy” shapes again, so I experimented a bit. Lots of boxes here, and I couldn’t tell you why. I do think those images that feature humanoids are due to “colossal”. Not surprisingly, asking the AI to do something surprising turned out rather bland.
There are some thing there that might work as artifacts, and it may be seeing them all bunched upthat causes them to all blur together. But unlike previous artifacts, nothing jumped out at me, not even after giving it time to gestate. The two proposals on the right in the top left image came close, but they still lacked whatever it is I am looking for. So I tried a few more prompts.
Interesting images, but not quite what I was looking for. These might work for an adventure, but not an item. Thus, I chose a different prompt once again, and I think this one lead somewhere. Not quite in the way I expected, but when did that ever figure into it.
The Image – dramatic, jaded, colossal
And this is the Midjourney creation I decided to go with:
Why did I pick this one? And why did I not chose one of the four? Ignore for a second the art gallery vibe of these images. I think this would make a great gate that somehow incorporates a means to negotiate for entry, i.e. a talking face. This is also why I have decided not to pick a single one of these four versions. The face, made of metal or stone, most likely, is prone to move and change, thus every of these variations could be appropriate, with the surrounding door either changing, too, or remaining fixed on your choice as the face speaks.
So, the question becomes, what is dramatic, jaded and colossal? Glad you asked.
The Guarding Face
There is a story about a person who invented a thing. That thing turned out to be so dangerous they decided to take measures that it would never fall into the wrong hands (again). Sometimes the story calls this a punishment, other times it is a last resort after a catastrophic series of events. Whether through ritualistic magic, creative alchemy, sheer desperation, or a combination of them, they turn themself into a small room with a big door.
More than that, they themselves imbue the door to form a strong conduit of magic protecting the item. They are capable of speech and thought, they get to chose who they let inside, and they wield a modest amount of magic to defend their charge.
Door Personality
There are many ways a person could end up being a door. If you do not have a person in mind to fill that role in your adventure, you can roll on these tables for some guidance.
| d10 | Archetype |
|---|---|
| 1 | scientists |
| 2 | alchemist |
| 3 | wizard |
| 4 | apprentice |
| 5 | scribe |
| 6 | adventurer |
| 7 | soldier |
| 8 | physician |
| 9 | peasant |
| 10 | prisoner |
| d12 | Predisposition |
|---|---|
| 1 | friendly |
| 2 | indifferent |
| 3 | calculating |
| 4 | disingenuous |
| 5 | helpful |
| 6 | stubborn |
| 7 | arrogant |
| 8 | vain |
| 9 | angry |
| 10 | needy |
| 11 | desperate |
| 12 | mad |
| d20 | Overall Look |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | average humanoid (human, gnome) |
| 4-6 | finer humanoid (elven, astral) |
| 7-9 | rougher humanoid (orc, giant) |
| 10-11 | animalistic |
| 12-13 | birdlike |
| 14-15 | insectoid |
| 16-17 | reptiloid |
| 18 | demonic |
| 19 | forged |
| 20 | abstract |
What’s behind the Door?
This is not actually part of the prompt or the AI art. But I thought leaving a mysterious door tasked to safeguard a thing without a thing to safeguard would not be right. So here you can roll on a set of four tables that produce a basic world-endangering item to hide behind the door.
| d10 | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | helmet |
| 2 | crown |
| 3 | collar |
| 4 | necklace |
| 5 | pauldron |
| 6 | belt |
| 7 | boot |
| 8 | kneepad |
| 9 | dagger |
| 10 | wand |
| 11 | cloak |
| 12 | goggles |
| d10 | Gemstone |
|---|---|
| 1 | ruby (firey red) |
| 2 | saphire (deep blue) |
| 3 | garnet (dark red) |
| 4 | emerald (forest green) |
| 5 | diamond (crystal clear) |
| 6 | topas (honey yellow) |
| 7 | obsidian (shiny black) |
| 8 | quarzt (milky white) |
| 9 | ether crystal (shining white) |
| 10 | voidgem (purple-black) |
| d10 | Target Thing |
|---|---|
| 1 | decorative plants |
| 2 | crop plants |
| 3 | livestock |
| 4 | wild animals |
| 5 | furniture |
| 6 | walls |
| 7 | ceilings |
| 8 | infrastructure |
| 9 | weapons |
| 10 | clothing |
| d10 | Affected Change |
|---|---|
| 1 | destroy |
| 2 | remove |
| 3 | duplicate |
| 4 | repair |
| 5 | create |
| 6 | transport |
| 7 | resize |
| 8 | transform |
| 9 | decay |
| 10 | strengthen |
Depending on what you roll up, you might find it hard to imagine that this particular item would be a threat worthy of being but behind (or rather inside) a Guarding Face. In this case, feel free to either change the result of one of more of the tables. Alternatively, add some kind of curse that perverts the good intention of the wielder, including a kind of sentience that alters these intentions slightly to cause more harm than good.
Do you feel more dramatic already?
This one took longer than usual to get right in terms of an usable image – at least in my perception. I would love to hear your thoughts on it, and the tables involved. It would really help me improve my writing and random tabling! Help me out by joining my Discord server and give me feedback on this (and all other) post(s)!
Thanks for stopping by, and remember to Be Inspired!
