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Shawl of Sadness in Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Shawl of Sadness

Adventuring Gear

Legendary Trial of Empathy

Astral Projection:
As an action, you can wrap yourself in the Shawl of Sadness, entering an astral form for up to 10 minutes. While in this state:
  • Your physical body becomes unconscious and immobile.
  • You can see and interact with the emotional essence of creatures within 60 feet, perceiving their emotions as vivid, glowing auras.
Empathic Vision:
While wearing the shawl, you automatically discern the emotions of creatures within 30 feet. This grants advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks and allows you to determine if a creature is lying or hiding its true intentions.
Manifest Emotions:
You can shape the emotional auras you perceive into physical manifestations, creating one of the following effects:
  • Comforting Embrace: Target an ally within 30 feet. They gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your Charisma modifier and advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed for 1 minute.
  • Shackles of Regret: Target an enemy within 30 feet. They must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be restrained by chains of their own despair for 1 minute. While restrained, they take 2d8 psychic damage at the start of their turns.
Aura of Sorrow:
As a bonus action, you can emanate an aura of sorrow in a 15-foot radius for 1 minute. Hostile creatures in the area must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw at the start of their turns or have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Allies in the aura are immune to being frightened or charmed.

Enhanced Properties (Post-Attunement)

When attuned, the Shawl of Sadness reveals its full celestial potential, empowering its wearer to fully harness the essence of emotions.  
Emotional Resonance:
You can focus on a creature’s dominant emotion and amplify or suppress it:
  • Amplify Fear: A frightened creature becomes paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
  • Suppress Anger: A raging or hostile creature must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become docile, unable to attack for 1 minute.
Tangible Despair:
As an action, you can extract a creature’s deepest sorrow. The target must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or take 6d10 psychic damage and have its speed reduced to 0 for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not slowed.
Lament’s Ward:
While astrally projected, you gain resistance to all damage, and hostile creatures have disadvantage on attacks against your physical body.

Special Ability: Heart’s Reflection

Once per long rest, you can invoke the Shawl of Sadness to reveal the true emotions of all creatures within 60 feet, forcing them to confront their innermost feelings. As an action:  
  • Hostile creatures must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become incapacitated for 1 minute as they are overwhelmed by their own emotions.
  • Allies in the area are cleansed of fear, charmed conditions, and despair, gaining 3d10 temporary hit points.
When the effect ends, all creatures feel a profound sense of catharsis, leaving the area peaceful for 1 hour.

The Shawl of Sadness is a gossamer-thin, translucent fabric that shimmers in shifting hues of silver and deep blue, reminiscent of moonlit tears. Its texture is ethereal, almost intangible, yet its presence weighs heavily on the heart. This artifact, woven by Psyche, the goddess of the Soul, Music, Redemption, and Emotions, grants its wearer the power to step into the astral plane and perceive emotions as tangible entities. It is a tool of profound empathy and understanding but can also be wielded to subdue or manipulate the hearts of others.



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