Designing an Artifact

[Steve]

So I've decided to base my campaign around the Elder Evil Father Llymic, who slowly turns the entire world pitch dark (extinguishing mundane and magical light sources soon after) as he is released from his prison.

The main leg of the campaign that will carry the group from level 8 to 18 is their quest to find the Beacon of Pelor, which has a base item of a +3 Everbright (MIC) Holy quarterstaff.
Its main ability, which is why the party is expending so much effort to find it, is to shed bright light (which weakens Llymic) as a daylight spell (except, unlike a daylight spell, any abilities or traits that rely on natural daylight are affected by the light; for example, a wraith's powerlessness in light) that cannot be extinguished through any means, mundane to divine.

An Everbright weapon, if you don't want to look it up, can flash with light twice a day, blinding everyone in a 20-yard radius if they fail a DC 14 (upped to 19 for the artifact power) reflex save.

However, since it's a powerful artifact, I think it should have a few more abilities, maybe measured in charges per day or uses per day. The players will find this item at level 16-18, so try to keep ideas in that level range. These don't need to be canon abilities (out of the MIC or something), they can just be made-up things that fit the theme.

[grond]

Try giving it spells per day, either healing spells, or just let it cast spells as a cleric of some level, 9th perhaps.

Is it supposed to be intelligent?

If anything else just isn't enough, have it summon a planatar once a week, or once a day if you're really crazy.

Just my thoughts.

[Steve]

It is not intelligent. Just immensely powerful.

[Dmitri]

Well, since it is a Pelor thing, something like Cure XXX Wounds a few times a day, or a few times a week, or whatever, makes sense.

Maybe a Searing Light effect? Raise Dead 1x/month or something?

One of the questions to ask is "When do they get it?" If they get it too early, then it needs to grow in power, like something from the Weapons of Legacy book.

[Steve]

As I said in the first post (last paragraph), they get it between levels 16 and 18, probably closer to 18.

Definitely needs a healing spell (CCW 3/day and Heal 1/day is probably best at that level), Raise Dead 1/wk, maybe. Searing Light's concept is already covered in the heightened Everbright enchantment, though, so I can leave that out.

[Dmitri]

Sunbeam might be a good spell, too - it provides a direct damage component (which Daylight does not have, IIRC). Sorry I missed the getting at XX level part of the post. You might still consider the Legacy idea, though - makes it a more integral part of the game, with rituals to unlock its upper end powers. I'm doing something similar in LGG5 and it is working well to this point.

[agamoto]

If it is a GOOD artifact, how about a perminant pro-evil 20' radius that operates continously?
I'm not sure how that opperates in 3E or later, but for 2E that would be pretty good.