The Backup Soul Drive
Wondrous Item (requires attunement)
This relic resembles a strange, rectangular shaped metallic device covered in faintly glowing runes that trace geometric patterns like circuit lines. A small circular sigil resembling a power button rests at its center, and when activated, the item hums and emits a series of shrill, warbling tones reminiscent of an ancient magical signal. The blinking lights along its edge pulse with a ghostly green glow as if transferring unseen data between worlds.
Description
Forged by an eccentric archlich who sought to “modernize” the art of resurrection, the Backup Soul Drive allows its user to restore life in a most unconventional way. Drawing upon arcane energy and the fragmentary echoes of souls once lost, this artifact performs what it proudly calls a “System Reboot.” Unfortunately, like many experiments in magitech necromancy, the process is… imperfect.
Activation
While holding the Backup Soul Drive, you may cast True Resurrection once per week without the need for material components. However, any humanoid creature revived by this item returns to life as if their soul has been factory reset.
Upon resurrection, the creature:
Loses all memories of its past life, including personal connections, history, and name.
Retains class levels, skills, and abilities, though they may not recall how they learned them.
Gains a harmless but comedic side effect determined by rolling on the Reboot Quirk Table below.
During activation, the device emits a cacophony of sounds eerily similar to dial-up tones. The process takes one minute, during which the revived soul’s energy manifests as green code-like glyphs swirling around the target’s body.
Reboot Quirk Table (1d6)
1 The creature now occasionally says phrases like “Reboot complete” or “Soul restoration: 98% integrity.”
2 Their eyes flash briefly like loading indicators whenever they learn something new.
3 They emit faint startup chimes each morning upon waking.
4 Once per day, they freeze mid-sentence for six seconds, then resume with “System recovered from unexpected error.”
5 They have an unshakable compulsion to “optimize” things; conversations, battle tactics, even meals.
6 Their soul seems to buffer briefly when recalling facts, often saying “Loading memory…” before speaking.
Curses and Features
The Backup Soul Drive cannot be used to resurrect the same creature more than once. Any attempt to do so results in the item producing an unpleasant grinding noise and flashing a bright red “ERROR” rune before shutting down for 24 hours.
The effects of the Reboot Quirk Table will fade after 1d8 days, but the creatures memories can only be restored with a Wish spell.
