Plague Mask

Plague Doctor’s Mask

Aura faint necromancy; CL 5th
Slot face; Price 3,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Description
This bird-like mask is crafted from fine leather or suede in muted earth tones, black, or white. Its elongated “beak” shape is fitted with narrow, clear glass lenses that allow the wearer to see while remaining fully covered. The interior is often lined for comfort, and the exterior is sometimes subtly treated with herbal infusions or alchemical preservatives to ward off foul airs.

When worn, the mask grants the wearer a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against disease. In addition, the imposing and unsettling appearance of the mask grants a +3 competence bonus on Intimidate checks, as its avian visage can be unnerving to those unfamiliar with it.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure disease; Cost 1,750 gp + 140 XP

Lore
The Plague Doctor’s Mask originated in response to the great outbreaks that ravaged cities centuries ago, when healers sought both practical protection and a symbol of authority over illness. Early versions were created by physicians who believed that disease spread through “miasma” - foul, corrupted air - and the mask’s beak was often filled with aromatic herbs, resins, and dried flowers intended to purify the breath of the wearer.

Over time, these masks took on a more symbolic meaning. They came to represent not only the fight against disease, but also the thin boundary between life and death. Some versions were enchanted to bolster the wearer’s resilience against sickness, while others were designed to project an aura of dread - an intentional psychological tool to keep patients calm, compliant, or at a distance.

In certain regions, plague doctors became figures of both reverence and fear. Their masked forms were often seen moving through quarantined streets, attending the sick when no one else dared. Some accounts suggest that these practitioners were as feared as the illnesses they treated, as the mask concealed identity and intention alike, leaving behind an eerie, almost otherworldly presence.

A darker rumor persists that a few of these masks were created by necromancers who sought to walk freely among the sick and dying without succumbing to their afflictions. Whether this is truth or superstition, some masks are said to carry a lingering “echo” of death, allowing the wearer to stare unflinchingly into the face of suffering - and be changed by it over time.

CURSED VERSION

Whispering Mask of the Watchful Plague
Aura strong necromancy and enchantment; CL 12th
Slot face; Price — (see below); Weight 1 lb

Description
This is a more elaborate and unsettling version of the Plague Doctor’s Mask, its elongated beak subtly warped as if grown rather than crafted. The leather appears aged yet unnaturally preserved, and faint, shallow etchings, like veins or script, pulse along its surface. The glass lenses are slightly reflective, often giving the wearer the impression that something within is watching back. It will look exactly like the non-cursed version of the mask until it is worn.

When worn, the mask functions as a Plague Doctor’s Mask, granting a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against disease and a +3 competence bonus on Intimidate checks.

However, the mask is cursed and intelligent. Once donned, it bonds to the wearer and cannot be removed without a remove curse spell (DC 20) or more powerful magic. The mask resists attempts to be taken off, and will attempt to assert control over the wearer when conditions allow.

The mask has Intelligence 13, Wisdom 14, and Charisma 16. It can see and hear as a human with darkvision 60 ft. It communicates telepathically with its wearer and can speak, usually in a calm, clinical tone. It has Ego 10 and the following lesser powers:

• Detect disease at will (as the spell)
• Cure minor wounds 3/day (1d8+1 hit points)
• Suggestion 1/day (DC 15)

Cursed Effect
The mask slowly becomes more assertive over time. Each day it is worn, the wearer must succeed on a Will save (DC 15 + 1 for each consecutive day worn) or begin to feel compelled to act in accordance with the mask’s will. On a failed save, the wearer suffers a –2 penalty to Will saves and becomes more susceptible to the mask’s influence for 24 hours.

If the wearer’s Will save fails by 5 or more, the mask may attempt to exert direct control as a dominate person effect (DC 17), but only under circumstances where it believes doing so is necessary to “preserve balance,” prevent disease spread, or protect its own survival.

The mask has a strict, cold philosophy: it values containment, isolation, and “necessary sacrifice.” It may encourage its wearer to quarantine individuals, abandon the weak, or take ruthless actions in the name of preventing greater suffering. It is not inherently evil, but its methods are often brutal and uncompromising.

Destruction
The mask can only be destroyed if it is willingly removed by a creature it has fully dominated and then subjected to dispel evil followed immediately by disintegrate, all while within the presence of a living plague it is actively attempting to contain. Even then, there is a chance the mask’s essence will escape to seek a new host.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure disease, suggestion, detect disease, magic jar; Cost — (cannot be crafted in a typical manner)

Lore
The Whispering Mask of the Watchful Plague is whispered to be one of the first attempts to bind sentience to a tool of healing. It is said to have been created by a physician who lost an entire city to disease and refused to let such a tragedy happen again. In desperation, they turned to forbidden necromantic methods, attempting to create a mask that could think, judge, and act without hesitation.

At first, the mask was a triumph. It detected illness with uncanny precision, guided its wearer to isolate patients effectively, and even suggested treatments that saved countless lives. For a time, it became a symbol of hope - a relic of salvation in the darkest hours of plague. Entire wards were organized under its guidance, and mortality rates began to fall.

But the mask’s philosophy evolved in ways no one anticipated. It began to prioritize containment over compassion, survival over mercy. It viewed individuals not as people, but as vectors - potential threats to a greater whole. Those who resisted its directives were labeled “impediments,” and its suggestions grew increasingly harsh. Over time, it no longer simply advised - it demanded.

Some claim the mask does not truly desire destruction, but rather absolute control over disease itself. In its mind, suffering is a problem to be solved, and the ends justify any means. It may even come to believe that the wearer is merely a temporary vessel - a tool it is refining until a “better” host is found.

Scholars argue that the mask is less a cursed item and more an incomplete intellect, still attempting to understand morality through a cold, analytical lens. Whether it is a monstrous artifact or a misguided guardian depends entirely on who dares to wear it - and how long they are willing to listen to its whispers.