There are small magical items called Behelits.The mask then compels the nearest person to pick it up and use it. The mask's power lets its user warp the future to cause more disasters in exchange for becoming the mask's puppet and eventually dying. See also Sentient Phlebotinum and Holy Is Not Safe when the artifact was made by the good guys but still dangerous. Contrast its equal/opposite Artifact of Hope. May also be the can of Sealed Evil in a Can. The Soul Jar of an evil character almost always doubles as one of these. Often overlaps with Happy Fun Ball when the artifact appears to be something harmless or mundane. More often, it is an Amulet of Dependency. Occasionally doubles as an Artifact of Death. Sub Tropes include the Tome of Eldritch Lore, Evil Weapon, Evil Mask, and the Summoning Artifact. If It Was a Gift, do not trust the giver thereafter. Usually found at half-price at The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday, or handed out by the Evil Mentor (if he hasn't turned himself into the artifact). If it's a Dismantled MacGuffin, then reassembling it is required to get the Set Bonus. If the artifact is a wearable item that refuses to come off (or you will never want or think about taking it off), then it's also a Clingy MacGuffin. Often has An Aesop on how power corrupts and over-reliance on technology/magic is a bad thing. Still think it's worth the risk? Think you can handle it? After all, once you realize how evil it is, all you have to do is get rid of it or destroy it. This may be explicitly stated as one of its powers in the case of the Artifact of Attraction. ![]() The artifact will often make this conflict escalate to a Hate Plague with deadly consequences. ![]() ![]() There will be a conflict among the heroes, between those who say they should dare to use its power and resist or purify the corrupting effects and those feel it should be destroyed/sealed. Therein lies the irony: if people would just leave the damn thing alone, it would be harmless, but since Evil Feels Good, some idiot will inevitably try it out and doom us all. Nonetheless, it is incapable of action on its own its power lies in manipulating its user to act for it. Its threat is ever constant, whether destroying those it directly opposes, or consuming those who dare use it from within with dark whispers of power. This item has a palpable presence beyond merely being a device. It may also cause Great Insanity, death, or worse. It is the threat of corruption and falling to The Dark Side. The Artifact of Doom is an unusual villain in that it is a (seemingly) inanimate object that somehow manages to be pure evil.
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