Aura overwhelming all; CL 30th Slot none; Weight 150 lbs. DESCRIPTIONThe skull of this impossibly huge viper seems to weep darkness from its ancient fangs in an endless, pestilent breath. More than just a powerful artifact, the Skull of the Viper God is the actual skull of a deity, the vessel through which the much-diminished god of serpents perceives and influences existence. The viper god's clerics still receive spells from their prayers, granted by the skull regardless of its location or ownership. There is no way a mortal can block this effect. Possession of the skull grants several abilities.
Any good-aligned creature that carries the Skull of the Viper God, even via an extradimensional space such as a portable hole, gains three negative levels. These negative levels remain as long as the skull is carried and disappear when the skull is released. These negative levels never result in actual level loss, but they cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the skull is carried. A creature that suffers from these negative levels has a 50% spell failure chance on all divine spellcasting attempts. DESTRUCTIONThe only way to destroy the Skull of the Viper God is to reunite it with the Viper God's mindless, decapitated body. Doing so returns the Viper god to life, though in a weakened state. This manifestation can be combated and even slain, though it regenerates from nearly any wound short of re-decapitation. For an instant, before the whole body begins to regenerate, the Viper God's spirit is untethered from his form. RAMIFICATIONSThe Skull of the Viper God is nothing less than the corpse of a deity. Those who meddle with the skull meddle in the dealings of the gods themselves.
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