Capture Essence

You can capture the essence of a creature inside a gemstone for use in crafting magic items.

The spell requires the target to be deceased, and you must have a gemstone that is grand enough to hold the creature’s essence. The spell takes 5 minutes, must be performed within 5 feet of the creature, and only within 10 minutes of the creature’s death.

Powerful creatures have volatile essences. To complete the spell, roll a d20 adding your Spellcasting Ability Modifier. If this beats the CR of the creature, the spell is a success; otherwise the essence is lost. If the gemstone is grand enough to hold the essence, it does not get destroyed. However if the spell is attempted with a gemstone that cannot hold the essence, or on a critical failure, it shatters and both the gemstone and the essence are lost.

Once the spell is complete, you have a gemstone enchanted with the creature’s essence. Successfully crafting a magic item that contains this gemstone will imbue the item with abilities that correspond to the creature’s strengths, and on occasion, their weaknesses.