Decanter of Spirits

The Decanter of Spirits attracts and captures incorporeal undead. It was last located in the Secret Library of Vecna. It is always half-full of what appears to be a blue-tinted beverage, but is in fact liquid essence of one or more spirits. Depending upon the number of spirits trapped within, its liquid appears darker.

Creation

The decanter was created by a curse when a young Borcan noblewoman used it to poison her whole household for her inheritance. One of her victims had Vistani blood, and invoked an unspecified curse that took place the next time she opened the decanter: the souls of her dead family pulled her in to join them.

Powers

The decanter makes the owner resistant to level draining. In 2E terms, it allows a saving throw to resist. The DM must decide what the equivalent would be in other editions.

By opening the decanter in the presence of an incorporeal undead, the owner can force it in with a failed save. Once trapped, the owner can cause a specific spirit within to attack a target of his or her choice. The spirit loses one HD each time it leaves the decanter, and is destroyed upon reaching 0 HD, if not destroyed in combat first.

Curse

Whenever the owner uses the decanter to trap undead, he or she must also make a save to avoid being turned into a wraith. Characters so affected cannot create other wraiths, but instead collect souls for the decanter.

References

June 2000 Article from Dragon Magazine #272. Author: Steve Miller