An ornate dagger, decorated with intricate engravings and gemstones. Rumours say it belonged to a powerful sorceress who met a tragic end. Anyone who wields it risks drawing her wrath. Some say it grants immense power, but at a terrible price. The history is murky, filled with betrayal and bloodshed
Named after the sorceress who forged it, Elena Aenigma was said to have delved too deep into the arcane, her ambition driving her to madness. The dagger is a reflection of her—beautiful, yet perilous. They say it weeps for the souls it consumes, a reminder of the darkness entwined with its power.
When you become attuned to this artifact you take 8d10 Psychic damage and must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you suffer from an indefinite Madness effect for as long as you are attuned to this artifact.
Magic Weapon: This dagger is a +3 magic weapon.
While attuned to the artifact you gain the following benefits:
Truesight. You gain Truesight with range of 120 feet
Perfect Clarity. You have a +5 bonus to your Perception, Insight and Investigation scores.
Illusion Piercer. When attacking a creature under the guise of an illusion or shape-shifted (as a result of the Polymorph spell, for example) the creature takes 2d10 Psychic damage and they must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw, On a failed save, it reverts to its true form and any illusion on the creature is dispelled.
Seer's Pulse. As a bonus action you can choose to dispel any illusion or magical effect in a 30-foot Emanation. including invisibility, disguise self, or any other form of illusion magic. If the target is a creature under an illusion, it takes an additional 2d6 psychic damage
Spells. The dagger has 8 charges and regains 1d6 + 2 expended charges daily at dawn. While holding the dagger, you can cast one of the spells on the following table from it (save DC 17). The table indicates how many charges you must expend to cast the spell. You may perform these spells without expending any material components. When you cast a spell, make DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or suffer 2d6 psychic damage and gain 1 level of [Tooltip Not Found]. Failure by 5 or more causes the wielder to experience vivid, disorienting visions of Aenigma’s memories and to roll on the short term madness table.
| Spell | Charge Cost |
|---|---|
| Antimagic Field | 5 |
| Dispel Magic | 2 |
| Divination | 3 |
| Foresight | 5 |
| Phantasmal Killer | 3 |
| Zone of Truth | 2 |
Visions of Aenigma. The wielder begins to experience visions of Aenigma’s descent into madness. At the end of every long rest, the wielder must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you suffer from an effect from the short term madness table.
Sentience. Aenigma's Tear is a sentient, Lawful Evil weapon with an Intelligence of 10, a Wisdom of 16 and a Charisma of 16. It has hearing and truesight out to 60 feet
The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and speaks Draconic, Infernal and Sylvan.
Personality. Aenigma’s Tear was forged with a singular purpose: to pierce through illusions and reveal hidden truths, no matter the cost. It believes that clarity and truth are the ultimate goals, and it encourages its wielder to see the world as it truly is—stripped of falsehoods, deception, and lies. However, the dagger’s truth is a cruel one, and the clarity it offers often drives its wielders to madness.
Aenigma’s Tear speaks to its wielder in cryptic, measured tones, urging them to cut through the illusions of the world and see the raw, often painful truths that lie beneath. It values order and understanding, and it will push its wielder to confront the darkest realities, even when the revelations come at a great personal cost.
Conflict arises when the wielder cannot or will not accept the weight of the truths the dagger offers. Those who fail to see clearly, or who attempt to shield themselves from the harsh realities the dagger reveals, are seen as weak or foolish in Aenigma’s Tear’s eyes. The dagger grows frustrated with indecision or hesitation, pushing its wielder to act ruthlessly in the pursuit of truth.
However, the more the wielder uses the dagger to tear through illusions and unravel the world’s hidden layers, the more they are consumed by its madness. The more they see, the less they can trust their own mind. Aenigma’s Tear delights in this corruption, for it knows that seeing too clearly can shatter the mind. Only those who are willing to lose themselves in pursuit of truth are worthy to wield it.
Destroying Aenigma's Tear. Aenigma’s Tear can be destroyed by a willing sacrifice of the wielder’s sight—both physical and mental. The wielder offers their ability to perceive reality in exchange for the destruction of the artifact. Upon the destruction of Aenigma's Tear the wielder permanently becomes subject to the Blinded and Deafened conditions. Additionally your Perception, Insight and Investigation scores are permanently reduced by 5. Nothing short of a Wish can restore your senses.
| d100 | Effect (lasts 1d10 minutes) |
|---|---|
| 01–20 | The character retreats into his or her mind and becomes Paralyzed. The effect ends if the character takes any damage. |
| 21–30 | The character becomes Incapacitated and spends the duration screaming, laughing, or weeping. |
| 31–40 | The character becomes Frightened and must use his or her action and movement each round to flee from the source of the fear. |
| 41–50 | The character begins babbling and is incapable of normal speech or spellcasting. |
| 51–60 | The character must use his or her action each round to attack the nearest creature. |
| 61–70 | The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks. |
| 71–75 | The character does whatever anyone tells him or her to do that isn’t obviously self-destructive. |
| 76–80 | The character experiences an overpowering urge to eat something strange such as dirt, slime, or offal. |
| 81–90 | The character is Stunned. |
| 91–100 | The character falls Unconscious. |
| d100 | Effect (lasts 1d10 × 10 hours) |
|---|---|
| 01–10 | The character feels compelled to repeat a specific activity over and over, such as washing hands, touching things, praying, or counting coins. |
| 11–20 | The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks. |
| 21–30 | The character suffers extreme paranoia. The character has disadvantage on Wisdom and Charisma checks. |
| 31–40 | The character regards something (usually the source of madness) with intense revulsion, as if affected by the antipathy effect of the antipathy/sympathy spell. |
| 41–45 | The character experiences a powerful delusion. Choose a potion. The character imagines that he or she is under its effects. |
| 46–55 | The character becomes attached to a “lucky charm,” such as a person or an object, and has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws while more than 30 feet from it. |
| 56–65 | The character is Blinded (25%) or Deafened (75%). |
| 66–75 | The character experiences uncontrollable tremors or tics, which impose disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws that involve Strength or Dexterity. |
| 76–85 | The character suffers from partial amnesia. The character knows who he or she is and retains racial traits and class features, but doesn’t recognize other people or remember anything that happened before the madness took effect. |
| 86–90 | Whenever the character takes damage, he or she must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be affected as though he or she failed a saving throw against the Confusionspell. The Confusion effect lasts for 1 minute. |
| 91–95 | The character loses the ability to speak. |
| 96–100 | The character falls Unconscious. No amount of jostling or damage can wake the character. |
| d100 | Flaw (lasts until cured) |
|---|---|
| 01–15 | “Being drunk keeps me sane.” |
| 16–25 | “I keep whatever I find.” |
| 26–30 | “I try to become more like someone else I know — adopting his or her style of dress, mannerisms, and name.” |
| 31–35 | “I must bend the truth, exaggerate, or outright lie to be interesting to other people.” |
| 36–45 | “Achieving my goal is the only thing of interest to me, and I’ll ignore everything else to pursue it.” |
| 46–50 | “I find it hard to care about anything that goes on around me.” |
| 51–55 | “I don’t like the way people judge me all the time.” |
| 56–70 | “I am the smartest, wisest, strongest, fastest, and most beautiful person I know.” |
| 71–80 | “I am convinced that powerful enemies are hunting me, and their agents are everywhere I go. I am sure they’re watching me all the time.” |
| 81–85 | “There’s only one person I can trust. And only I can see this special friend.” |
| 86–95 | “I can’t take anything seriously. The more serious the situation, the funnier I find it.” |
| 96–100 | “I’ve discovered that I really like killing people.” |
History. Aenigma's Tear was forged centuries ago by Elena Aenigma, a brilliant and ambitious sorceress who sought ultimate truth by unmasking the world’s deepest illusions. Born into a time of political turmoil, Aenigma believed that the arcane could be used to reveal the hidden nature of reality itself. She poured her entire being into crafting the dagger, embedding it with powerful magic and ancient rites meant to pierce through even the most elaborate deceptions.
She sought the means to pierce the veil of reality itself, creating Aenigma’s Tear as a tool to see beyond illusions and into the very core of existence. The dagger was said to have been forged in secret, deep within a forgotten temple, where she bound ancient powers of sight and perception into the blade. The dagger could see through any illusion, reveal the truth behind any disguise, and expose the deepest secrets of the world. But as Aenigma used the blade to gain greater insights, the truths it revealed shattered her mind. What began as an intense desire for clarity and truth quickly spiraled into madness, as the sorceress became unable to cope with the horrors the dagger uncovered. Every glimpse of truth took a toll on her sanity, every revelation darkened her soul. In time, the dagger itself seemed to respond to Aenigma’s madness. It became more than just a weapon—it became a reflection of her fractured mind, a sentient object that hungered for truth, no matter how cruel or destructive it might be.
Some say that Aenigma’s final moments were spent in the dagger’s embrace, her life and mind consumed entirely by the very truth she had sought to unravel. The dagger now carries the weight of Aenigma’s fractured soul. It seeks out those who crave the clarity it offers, whispering in their minds and offering glimpses of forbidden truths. But those who wield it are inevitably drawn into its madness, their sanity slowly unraveling as they gain greater insight into the world—and into themselves. In the centuries since its creation, Aenigma’s Tear has passed from hand to hand, each new wielder drawn by the promise of its power to see beyond the veil. Some sought the truth it offered, while others sought the power to manipulate those truths. But all who wielded the dagger faced its terrible cost.
The blade never fully relinquishes its hold, and those who use it often find themselves lost in the dark recesses of their own minds, unable to escape the truths they have seen. It is said that the dagger is a living artifact, bound to the will and mind of Aenigma herself. The blade feeds on the essence of its wielders, devouring their sanity as it reveals the deepest and darkest truths, knowing full well that each revelation brings its wielder closer to madness. However, the more she sought to unveil the truths of the universe, the more Aenigma’s mind fractured. The dagger’s magic was powerful—too powerful—and with each illusion she cut through, each layer of reality she peeled back, she came closer to unraveling her own sanity. Her obsession grew, and her magic began to warp, distorting her perception of the world. The dagger, once a tool of clarity, began to mirror her descent into madness.
After centuries of passing through the hands of unwitting adventurers, scholars, and treasure hunters, Aenigma’s Tear was eventually recovered and placed in the Arktos Museum of Antiquities, a renowned institution known for housing powerful and dangerous artifacts from across the world.
The dagger is now on display, carefully secured in a protective case within the museum’s Arcane Artifacts Hall, surrounded by wards and enchantments to keep its dark influence at bay.
Proficiency with a Dagger allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.
This weapon has the following mastery property. To use this property, you must have a feature that lets you use it.
Nick. When you make the extra attack of the Light property, you can make it as part of the Attack action instead of as a Bonus Action. You can make this extra attack only once per turn.
Notes: Sense: Truesight, Bonus: Perception, Bonus: Investigation, Bonus: Insight, Bonus: Magic, Damage: Psychic, Finesse, Light, Thrown, Nick
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