#Danoth's Visor

[criticalpolls]

Parts Two and Three will consist of all other Vestiges not listed in Part One and will be judged by its Exalted state. Below is a link to each Vestiges page on Encyclopedia Exandria, if you need a refresher on its abilities. This poll is basically asking, which of these items do you think is the best to bring into a high level battle?

Agony

Armor of the Valiant Soul

Circlet of Barbed Vision

Condemner

Danoth's Visor

Grimoire Infinitus

Hide of the Feral Guardian

Honor's Last Stand

Infiltrator's Key

Jewel of Three Prayers

[jewishsuperfam]

so NOT that i want bell's hells to walk in vm's footsteps and seek out some vestiges, BUT if they were to stumble upon some of them....i can't help but notice how quite a few unclaimed vestiges would fit the hells pretty well........

[grayintogreen]

Fun LitMoR fact! Danoth’s Visor’s best perk is PERPETUAL see invisibility, meaning that every time Miriam scries on the Nein, she’s activating Lucien’s trap card.

[literole]

*travis siren hands* very intricate glasses???? that's either a vestige (danoth's visor) or percy's old glasses

[thewidogast]

ooc: i want caleb interacting with patia and laerryn so bad. i just think it would be so interesting. especially depending on when in calab’s life that they interact with him. would they prefer him as a student, or when he, as liam said, is stuck measuring bat guano, cause he doesn’t have an arcane focus, or when he eventually becomes an archmage and still doesn’t have a focus, still embraces the life he knows of being so very conservative with money, but so hungry with knowledge.

perhaps they through some means guide him to the vestige that is the spell book the grimoire infinitus (also lowkey think beau had Danoth’s visor)... or give him a focus like aabria said she would do for caleb

[candyradium]

we r running a tomb of horrors "oneshot" at lv20 with (nearly) unrestricted magic items (only limit is one legendary). and our wizard is literally just running around the entire map with etherealness while the dm cries

[captainofthetidesbreath]

I feel like a lot of people in my notes are mixing up what constitutes a Vestige of Divergence and what constitutes an Arms of the Betrayers, often saying that something being associated with evil or specifically a Betrayer God automatically makes an item an Arms of the Betrayer rather than a Vestige. But that's not so.

As in the name, the Vestiges of Divergence are a class of immensely powerful magical items created during the Age of Arcanum and the Calamity. Vestiges can be associated with Prime Deities (Star Razor, Spire of Conflux), Betrayer Gods (Wreath of the Prism, Circlet of Barbed Vision), archmages and wizards (Grimoire Infinitus, Danoth's Visor), some non-arcane mythic figure (Condemner, Wraps of Dyamak), another powerful source of magic entirely (Verminshroud, Titanstone Knuckles, Fenthras, Infiltrator's Key), and some don't even have specific associations (Whisper, Cabal's Ruin). Vestiges appear as many types of item: weapons, armor, cloaks, shields, staffs, necklaces, crowns, spellbooks, gauntlets, etc.

The Arms of the Betrayers, as in the name, are a class of weapons associated with the Betrayer Gods. Though the Arms of the Betrayers share a leveling structure with Vestiges and are presumably also pre-Divergence, they differ in that they are very specifically sentient, forged using the souls of fiends to be wielded by the champions of the Betrayer Gods. This specifically differs from a Vestige associated with a Betrayer God in that Vestiges are not sentient. It is also, as written in EGTW, Arms of the Betrayers are all specifically weapons: daggers, warhammers, swords, maces, whips, etc. This specification is suggested in the name: arms.

So, an item of immense and old power associated with a Betrayer God does not (as laid out in EGTW) automatically mean it is an Arms of the Betrayer, and it is not so that Vestiges cannot be associated with Betrayer Gods or generally evil. Arms of the Betrayer is an incredibly specific class of sentient weapon where Vestiges are a class of non-sentient items with various magical ties from pre-Divergence.

[justalittlebluetiefling]

If Pumat can see through the illusions, Matt has described him to have a pair of goggles often, does he have Danoth’s Visor? (It’s one of the new vestiges from the explorers guide)

That would be so cool. Pumat could totally have a vestige and I would buy it.

[seagreenstardust]

You mentioned that Fjord was the only of the M9 who didn't match up with the remaining vestiges, out of the rest of them what would you give to who?

I have to preface this by saying that my understanding of DnD mechanics is still pretty rudimentary, so I'm matching thematically more than anything else. And I am certain Matt's got others like Star Razor waiting in the wings so we'll see what actually happens in canon!

Stormgirdle - Yasha - follows the storm lord, could turn into a storm avatar

Grimoire Infinitus - Caleb - wizard spellbook on steroids

Infiltrator's Key - Veth - she could stealth anywhere and steal literally anything

Verminshroud - Cad - I think the dead beetles sold this one for me

Danoth's Visor - Beau - she's already rocking the goggles and the investigations

Jester is the only one left without an obvious vestige match, which I did forget in all the excitement surrounding the Star Razor, but of the ones we know of I think the Wreath of the Prism would thematically fit the best due to how much she wants to do damage in battle, plus gems! The Hide of the Feral Guardian is druid-geared and wouldn't do much for any of the M9. Moving outside of the Wildmount specific vestiges, I think the Kiss of the Changebringer could also be a thematic match for Jester, what with it being a green gem (Marion's a ruby, Jester's a sapphire, the emerald could stand in for The Traveler or possibly even our favorite green half-orc if you want to get shippy with it) but I think it works mechanically too, giving increasingly better bonuses to saving throws and immunity to status effects which any party might want their cleric to have.

[hazelcephalopod]

It would be so funny if Buddy had exalted Danoth’s Visor. 5 int ogre fighter with magical sight -telescope vision, x-ray vision, magic dark vision, ethereal vision, see invisibility, see thru illusions(ish)- and cast anti magic field, plus some? Amazing.

[its-a-me-disaster]

Soo, I did a thing. Based off this post with @justalittlebluetiefling

Some C1 spoilers, some C2 spoilers, definitely spoilers from EGTW, definitely tin foil hats. This is going to get long, so strap in folks.

So I’m basing most of my guesses off of Vestiges we know to be in Wildemount (i.e. the ones published in the official EGTW, not the ones that Matt made that are on the Wiki [though I would love to see Beau with the Wraps]).

What we know: we have actually seen one of the new vestiges already! The Wreath of the Prism was used by Arkahn to wrangle his Gloomstalker in the final arc in Thar Amphala. It was the collar thingy. For that reason, I’m guessing it won’t come up in the campaign again. Also, most vestiges are somewhat divine in nature, things that were created by or are in devotion to certain deities, but there are a few that are not (like the spell-swallowing Cabal’s Ruin). This is around the levels that Matt originally gave the vestiges to VM, so we might begin to see hints, especially if the Floating City is as evil as I assume (hope) it is. We also know that several Vestiges tend to be found in their awakened forms already. At these levels dormant vestiges won’t be particularly helpful for long, so I imagine that most of them will be found already awakened or perhaps exalted. Also, vestiges are not just found. Many are in the hands of current wielders and must be either Earned (Mythcarver) or Taken.

Danoth’s Visor: Personally, my favorite vestige that was released with EGTW. It gives Darkvision, and see through matter, and auto-succeed against illusions, and can cast anti magic field when exalted. It gives advantage on perception and investigation checks, and you can make it spyglass mode and double your vision. I think this makes perfect sense for our very special, expositor Beauregard. Making her even better at being an investigator/scout, and giving her a way to completely shut down magic users? Hell yes. Thematically it makes so much sense. Where could it be? This is actually one of few that would make sense for Aeor. It’s not divine based (which is a no-no for a city armed to kill gods), and it was crafted by a pre-Calamity tinkerer. I don’t think it’s in Aeor, partially because I think two others on this list is more likely, but also because it would make sense for it to be somewhere we’ve already been. My guess is it’s in the Happy Fun Ball. So much of that thing is undiscovered, and a secretive archmage would love something like this.

The Grimoire Infinitus: a very magical spellbook that has a whole list of spells preloaded and allows you to use Arcane Recovery multiple times per day, and prepare more spells (must be attuned by a wizard). Well, the only person who loves books more than Beau just happens to be the only wizard in the Nein. Of course Caleb would get this vestige, but where is it? Well, get ready for some serious tinfoil folks, because TRENT IKITHON has the grimoire. That’s right. Caleb gains a vestige by defeating his abuser? We love poetic cinema here. Why else would Trent be so powerful to that no other member of the Assembly has killed him off yet? Because he’s packing serious firepower.

The Infiltrator’s Key: a sneaky little key that gives advantage on stealth checks, lets you cast a whole bunch of spells, transforms into a returning dagger, and lets you open a doorway on any wall. Sounds perfect for our Best Detective, Veth Brenatto. It sounds good for Jester too, but she can already do most of the spells on her own, and has paints that she can make a door from. Veth gets a serious boost to her spell list, and can unattune from the Cloak of Elvenkind without losing anything (she would regain her stealth advantage with the key). But where is this skeleton key? Aeor. I’m betting the first vestige they find is the one that binds Veth to the group until the end of the campaign. It is not a divine vestige, agreeing to the stipulation mentioned earlier. It gives Veth a significant boost, because her subclass is a little underpowered in my opinion, and, she now has a reason to stay: Vestige Hunt.

Verminshroud: this might be my least favorite of the new vestiges, simply because it’s description weirds me out. It gives you a climbing speed, unarmed attacks (d6), resistance to poison, polymorph capabilities (limited to rat, scorpion, wasp) advantage on perception, and insect cloud. Who does that remind you of? I hope you said Caduceus, cause I’m giving this one to him. It fits his aesthetic very well, and gives him a little more utility. Plus, giving advantage on perception to the highest perception in the group? Only good things. This is probably the easiest to place by saying Blightshore. That’s where it was made, and probably resides. If I had to guess I would say it’s in that incredibly creepy tower that partially got sucked into Rumblecusp (go back and read some of the meta when they found it, now that was a rabbit hole).

Stormgirdle: now this is the second easiest one to place, partially because the Grimoire can only be used by one person. Strength buffs up to 25 (one lower than Grog) and a Storm Avatar ability that is sweet, Yasha gets to take home a cool new sub race, and an awesome Vestige-fueled power up. I really thought that this was going to be on Rumblecusp, so I have no idea where it might be. Theoretically, it could be anywhere, but I’ll give three guesses because I’m bummed it wasn’t on Rumblecusp (and this post isn’t long enough anyway). There’s a village in Eiselcross (but not near the ruins) filled with Orcs that revere the Storm Lord, so it could make sense. It’s worn by the Tribe Leader that Yasha fled from (so much drama, so much angst, I love it). Or, it’s at the Third Seal that we never saw for the old Snea Snake. I don’t think that one is likely, because the Nein could have encountered it WAY earlier then, but I think it would be cool to tie Fjord and Yasha’s arcs together again.

Hide of the Feral Guardian: this is one I think the debate could rage over. It’s studded leather blessed by Melora that really deals it’s best advantages to Druids. Up to +3 on attacks in any changed form (so polymorph or Beast Shape are the only ways), free polymorphs into specific animals, and up to +3 in AC. The reason this debate could rage is because thematically it makes a lot of sense for both Fjord and Cad. It definitely helps them both, but because the Verminshroud fits so nicely on Cad, I’m giving this one to Fjord. (Or, surprise 3rd option: they trade it to Keyleth who gives one of them the Spire of Conflux, which makes Fjord a BEAST, or Caduceus the most well-rounded out of all of them [severe damage from elemental spells, +healing, +utility/skills]) Fjord with this can ditch his mariners armor, which doesn’t buy him anything because of his Invocation anyway, and fully buy into his Paladin side. Fjord becomes the most well decked out, with Vestige Armor, Star Razor, and the whole Hexadin power jump that we’ll see in the next few levels. I think the location is pretty clear for this one. We haven’t seen it in any of the sanctuaries Cad brought us to, so it has to be in Molaesmyr. Similar to Fenthras, maybe a wielder of it ended up corrupting the Savalier Wood and is poisoning it. Fjord saves Cad’s home after Cad saves Fjord, and Fjord ends up with two extremely powerful items from Molaesmyr, excellent.

I know in this scenario Jester doesn’t get a Vestige, but there are more out there outside of Wildemount. Plus, Matt has shown through Rumblecusp that he still tinkers with his version of Wildemount and has plans that aren’t detailed in the EGTW. So maybe there’s a hidden vestige we don’t know about?

[mechastarfish91]

So now that it’s been said by an NPC that the Star Razor is a Vestsage (though we knew that since the Avantika fight) I’ve been thinking about which other Vestages would be great for other members of the Nein. I’ve looked at the ones mentioned in Explorers Guide to Wildmount and there are three that would be amazing.

Danoth’s Visor could go to anyone, but I think it would best suit Beau.

Grimoire Infinitus would have to go to Caleb since he’s the only wizard.

And the Stormgirdle definitely would go to Yasha.

[jewishsuperfam]

mostly i just really want imogen to get danoth's visor bc they're MAGIC GLASSES that match her aesthetic fairly well and would give her advantage on investigation and perception, which she needs

[utilitycaster]

Do you think any of the vestiges in the explorer's guide will show up in the campaign? It seems like the Stormgirdle is custom made for Yasha

Honestly no idea - it seems very up in the air. Stormgirdle does seem like a great fit for Yasha, but Kord is generally popular deity among barbarians, fighters, and even some monks in this world (Earthbreaker Groon, a high level Way of the Open Hand Monk, was one of the leaders for the temple of the Stormlord in Vasselheim in campaign 1) so I don’t think it’s specifically for her. The rest are either generically good for a specific class (the grimoire for wizards, the hide of the feral guardian for druids) or are pretty broadly useful for anyone (danoth’s visor, the key, wreath of the prism) or like...I don’t even know what the deal is here (verminshroud).

One thing I do believe is very unlikely is a similar vestige hunt. Vox Machina had two such things (the vestiges and the blessings) and that made sense in their much more class high fantasy Go on a Quest story, but the Mighty Nein have pretty much stumbled into and or quickly improvised their acquisition of powerful objects - the beacon, the happy fun ball, their various ships, even to an extent the vestige they do have -  were half happy accident, half rapidly thrown together plan.

I also think the big plot hooks/big bads we have now, which will probably take us through to the high levels, namely the Cerberus Assembly in general/Trent in particular, the Tomb Takers/Lucien/the Astral City, and Uk’otoa do not lend themselves to that kind of story. The vestige hunt worked so well because it was interwoven into beating four individual dragons - they beat Umbrasyl with three vestiges, Vorugal with three more (obtaining another in the process of calling Yenk to beat Vorugal) and made a trip for the final one before taking on Thordak. The blessings meanwhile were against a ticking clock, and Vecna teleported in for villainous vamping a few times before they got the ring of nondetection. Meanwhile the Cerberus Assembly is likely going to be either a slow political intrigue kind of deal, or else a single-strike assassination; Uk’otoa is still sealed and so can only act through low-level minions, and the Tomb Takers and the city (Cognouza?) are still kind of a big question mark.

All of this is a very long way to say no idea but I wouldn’t count on it, and I’d be pleasantly surprised by an appearance of the stormgirdle but could take or leave any of the others in the Explorer’s Guide when it comes to the Mighty Nein specifically. I definitely don’t think we’ll get a repeat case of everyone getting a vestige or two, let alone of that being a major focus of a story arc.