Bringer of Doom
| Bringer of Doom | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type: | Artifact |
| Rules | |
| Body slot: | N/A |
| Publishing | |
| First published: | Monster Manual II (1983). |
The Bringer of Doom is an ancient artifact that summons hordlings to the Prime Material Plane. It and Arodnap's Box are the only known methods through which multiple hordlings can be summoned at once.
Description
The Bringer of Doom resembles a small box with a circular red gemstone embedded in its lid.
Powers
If the gem is touched, the box explodes in a blinding flash, destroying everything within a hundred foot radius, including the user and the box itself. A temporary, one-way rift to the Gray Waste is opened, through which 100 to 1,000 hordlings pour, destroying all they see. There is an additional 10% chance of a greater fiend entering as well. The Bringer of Doom always reforms, to be rediscovered in another place and time.
History
The Monster Manual II said that the Bringer of Doom was created during the Invoked Devastation. Castle Greyhawk credited its creation to Xodast, a Suloise arch-mage who lived some two centuries before the Devastation, but noted that the artifact "played some part" in the Invoked Devastation. The Star Cairns said that the Bringer of Doom unleashed a fiendish horde during the Devastation.
The Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix includes an account of the Bringer of Doom being used by an evil mage called Althabazzerid, in a place known as the Desert of Yin. With the power of the box, Althabazzerid destroyed both his tower and the army who had been besieging it.
Creative origins
The Bringer of Doom was originally a creation of Gary Gygax. In the Oerth Journal #12, Gygax said in response to a question about the Invoked Devastation, "No! Hordlings were not a feature of the Invoked Devastation. The Bringer of Doom was a minor artifact from the age, by the way."
Bibliography
- Breault, Mike, ed. Castle Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
- Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Kuntz, Robert J. "Chambers of Antiquities." Dungeon #124. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
- LaFountain, J. Paul. Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991.
- Reynolds, Sean K. The Star Cairns. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- Stormberg, Paul J. "Thus Spake Gary Gygax: Ye Secrets of Oerth Revealed." Oerth Journal #12. Council of Greyhawk, 2001. Available online:[1]
- Varney, Allen, ed. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bringer of Doom (Box) | Item | Artifact, | Dragon magazine #299 | 101 |
| Bringer of Doom (Box) | Item | Artifact, | Monster Manual 2, AD&D 1e | 75 |
| Bringer of Doom (Box) | Item | Artifact, | LT1 The Star Cairns | 38 |