Armor (hide), artifact (requires attunement by a barbarian)
Jotur – the bringer of winter and god of endurance, strength, and ice – killed his own brothers and sisters in his rage against his father. And from the collection of their bones, he made this armor for his champion. It is a gift of his spoils of war and a reminder of what devotion and sacrifice to him means.
When you attune to this armor, you gain exhaustion until the fifth level, as all your warmth is drained from your body and your forearms turn into icy versions of them. When you lose your attunement to the armor your icy arms melt and you can only regain them with a wish spell.
Random Properties. The Arms of Jot have the following random properties:
- 1 minor beneficial property
- 1 major beneficial property
- 1 minor detrimental property
Mark of Myrkar. One of the six great spirits Myrkar touched the armor, imbuing the wearer with endurance. You have a +3 bonus to AC and are immune to cold damage while wearing this armor.
Frost of the Boned God. While you rage, any weapon you wield becomes covered in frost and deals an additional 2d12 cold damage. Further, all cold damage you deal this way ignores resistance to cold damage.
Pain of the Past. Jotur’s champions are given the strength to stand up for their allies. When you start your turn within 15 feet of an allied creature with 0 hit points, you gain 10 temporary hit points and that creature can’t receive any failed death saving throws from taking damage.
Everlasting Cold. Once per day, while you rage, you can use an action to embrace Jotur’s sorrow and shed his single frozen tear creating the effects of the freezing sphere spell (spell save DC 18). The tear falls to the ground and shatters, triggering the spell’s immediate effect centered on yourself. You and allied creatures in the area are immune to its effect.
Destroying the Armor. The only way to destroy the armor is to incinerate it and its wearer with the fire breath of an ancient red dragon, a child of the primal dragon god Baälor and nemesis of Jotur. For the armor to be destroyed the wearer must die to the breath attack which reduces the wearer to a pile of ash.
Using Evolving Items
Evolving items can be used as standard magic items—the GM simply determines the rarity at which the item is found. However, when used as evolving items, they typically start at their lowest stage and grow in power over time. The GM decides the conditions for their evolution, allowing for organic progression tied to the story and the characters’ actions. Those conditions could be something like:
- Character Growth. Reaching a specific character level, class level, or proficiency milestone.
- Arcane Empowerment. Enhancing the item through crafting, rituals, or materials obtained via quests or trade.
- Attunement Over Time. Gaining deeper attunement by wielding the item for an extended period or completing a major storyline.
- Thematic Achievements. Fulfilling tasks or trials related to the item’s nature or using the item in a defining moment.
- Divine or Infernal Favor. Gaining recognition from deities, spirits, or other powerful entities tied to the item.
- Environmental Influence. The item changes when exposed to specific locations, celestial events, or magical anomalies (e.g., bathed in moonlight, struck by lightning).
By using evolving items, the GM can weave them into the story, making them feel personal and rewarding as they develop alongside the characters.