Magic Item: Daiyi's Bloodflames

Daiyi's Bloodflames: These crystalline items are each two inches long, resembling wickedly edged wedges of deep blood-red ruby, tinged with fire; slightly convex on their flats, the "head" of each wedge is a smoothly polished dome.

To use a bloodflame, the wedge must be driven into the skull of the new bearer above and between the eyes until only the domed head is exposed. This procedure causes the loss of one point of Constitution. In addition to the Constitution loss, the new bearer may sacrifice hit points in order to gain further daily uses of the bloodflame; without this pool of energy, the bloodflame may only be activated once a day.

Expending a use of the bloodflame produces one of the following effects, which are considered innate and nonmagical abilities of the bearer:

- passively detect magic for one hour

- add damage to a single attack (physical or magical) equal to 1-8 + the bearer's level

- add +2 to Armour Class, to hit rolls and saves for one hour

- heal 2-8 hit points

Other, unique abilities have been noted for certain bloodflames.

Daiyi is an obscure and little-known historic figure, apparently a spellcaster of some repute -- though accounts do not agree as to the precise nature of its magic, its sex or even its race. Certain texts suggest that Daiyi may have been some form of spirit or otherworldly creature, perhaps a guardian beast or daimon. Further items have also been attributed to Daiyi, including the ring of the glass cage and the bloodblade of Heaven and Earth.