Hands of Glory, Tree of Glory

I think I originally found the idea of a candelabra of Hands of Glory at Ancient Vaults and Eldritch Secrets. Decided to expand on that idea: what if the Hands to be used belonged to the first criminals, each Hand had its own specific powers, and collecting them would boost these items even further?

The Hand of Glory from folklore is already a gruesome magic item in its own right. Take a hanged murderer's hand, render the fat and use that to turn the fingers into candles; when lit, no sleepers in a house you enter with a lit Hand of Glory can wake up. Other versions turn the bearer invisible, or can open any door, or only shed light for the wielder.

In comparison, the Hand of Glory in base D&D is very tame. Wear an extra magic ring, cast a light spell and see the invisible. We can do better. Statted for D&D 5e, but easy enough to alter.

THE TREE OF GLORY

Hollow Tree necromancers tell tall tales about the powers of the Tree. A cold iron frame hammered into the shape of a twisted, leafless tree, nine feet tall and weighing 900 lbs (25 inventory slots / strength points' worth). The branches and parts of the trunk are shaped like ash, oak, sandal, redbud and thorn apple. Other branches and knots in the trunk correspond to unidentified, maybe even extinct species. Seven fat branches drip down to form hooks where something may be hung from.

Writing in encrypted Du'van is chiseled and etched into the bark. Powerful divination spells like Divination, Legend Lore, Commune or Contact other Plane will reveal the information below. A simple Comprehend Languages spell turns the Du'van script into text in an alphabet that the caster can read, but the meaning stays encrypted. Decyphering the text would take an immense dedicated library.

Tree Design Metal Wall Hanging,Tree of Life, Metal Art of Haiti, Haitian Steel Drum Art - 34" x 34"

The Tree of Glory was created by Du'vanku corpse wizards before their civilization decided to lay siege to Heaven. The artifact has seven mounts that fit the original Seven Hands of Glory (below) and enhances the effect of these lugubrious items. Seven people may attune to the Tree at the same time via the rite to find an unclaimed Hand (below). The artifact may be torn apart by seven people of pure heart, each having fit one of the seven Hands as a prosthetic.

At the time of writing, the Tree of Glory is being investigated by the Order of the Eye, a minor and unofficial offshoot of the Gustavinian Order of secrets. The group does not have access to the divination spells needed to decrypt the instructions on the trunk.

Finding the Seven Hands

The possessor of the Tree of Glory can perform a scrying ritual to find the approximate location of the seven original Hands of Glory. The ritual requires killing an innocent and hanging them on the tree under the new moon.

At the moment of death, the hanged one turns to face the nearest Hand not currently hanging from the Tree and swings outwards in that direction. The ritual reveals a compass direction (up to 3rd order, such as NNW), and a distance in miles. If the nearest Hand is within a mile of the Tree, the distance is instead conveyed in 100 yard increments.

Carved burial tree from near Dubbo, New South Wales (from)

Lighting the Seven

Successfully mounting one or more of the original Seven Hands on the Tree and lighting them takes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 days per Hand lit. Once lit, the artifact produces the following effects. The Tree of Glory was  originally pulled down before more than three Hands could be lit; the effect of such an event is unknown - take lines 4 and below as speculation.

1. Keep any sleepers in a mansion or castle asleep
2. Keep any sleepers in a town asleep
3. Put everyone in a barony to sleep
4. Put everyone in a duchy to sleep? Open all locks in the area?
5. Put everyone in the kingdom to sleep? Cause the Tree to grow to Heaven? Turn users into angels or demons?
6. Put everyone in the world to sleep? Cause the tree's roots to buckle Heaven's gates? Briefly stop time?
7. Put the Authority and his Angels to sleep? Rewind time?

By Shayne of the Dead - from

Each of the seven original Hands of Glory has the following powers, in addition to unique powers listed below:

• requires attunement to function
• gives off light like a hooded lantern while lit (lighting takes five rounds, one action per finger lit)
• keeps any sleepers in a home asleep while lit (2-3 rooms, like a cottage or small house)
• burns until extinguished by the user, until doused in fresh milk, or until dawn
• can be fit as a prosthetic (either side - will gruesomely break and reverse itself) for someone missing a hand

Individual Hands and their powers

• "owner": power always works when the Hand is on the owner's person
• "user": power only works when the Hand is lit. Most are marked *
• "prosthetic": requires fitting the Hand in place of one of their own, or mounting it on the Tree of Glory. Save Difficulty to resist all its effects becomes 17.

* costs an action and extinguishes one of the Hand's five lit fingers. The user does not need to maintain concentration, the Hand does this for them until fully doused in fresh milk or at dawn.

There's a disturbing amount of tshirts with HoGs you can buy. Or baby onesies, if that's more your thing. From.

Hand of the Arsonist

Soot-stained and covered in burn scars

• Owner can always start a fire
• User can hurl a Fire Bolt (+5 attack, 3d10 fire) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Delayed Blast Fireball 1/week (DC 17)

Hand of the Backstabber

Shudders in sudden fits as if to jump at people unaware of its owner

• The owner gains advantage on the first attack they make in a combat
• Can let the user walk through one wall (as a ghost's Incorporeal Movement) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can snap his fingers to cast Power Word Stun 1/week (DC 17)

Hand of the Oathbreaker

Fingers appear broken, fingernails missing, skin full of burn marks

• Creates light that only the user can see. This illuminates even a Darkness spell, but only for the user
• Can turn the user invisible (as Invisibility) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Glibness 1/week

Abandoned Realms / Necromancer

Hand of the Poisoner

Finger tips stained black, hand is pockmarked and partly eaten as if by acid

• Owner can safely absorb and release one dose of liquid poison from the Hand's index finger
• User can hurl Poison Spray (DC 15/17, 2d12) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Cloudkill 1/week (DC 17)

Hand of the Strangler

Stubby fingers, always twitching in little grabbing movements

• A breathing target the owner is grappling with starts to choke (drops to 0 HP and receives a Fatal Wound after [Con bonus] rounds)
• User can hold a viewer immobile (as Hold Monster, DC 15/17) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Finger of Death 1/week (DC 17)

Hand of the Thief

Delicate and supple, more like a bit of wax statue than a severed hand

• Its light shows anything invisible (as See Invisibility)
• User can open any lock that the Hand illuminates (as Knock, but silent) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Drawmij's Instant Summons 1/week, no material component needed

Hand of the Traitor

Branded on the palm with a coin featuring a ruler's face, fingers split with iron nails

• Owner can command the Hand to disguise itself as an innocuous hand-shaped item like a wood carving, an amulet or a glove. Appears like a living hand when fitted as a prosthetic.
• User can turn a viewer pliable and forgetful (as Charm Person or Suggestion, DC 15/17) *
• As a prosthetic, the owner can use Dominate Monster 1/week (DC 17)

From