Magic Item: Goblet of Apsethus

The Goblet of Apsethus

This silver and bone goblet is fashioned from the skull of a long-ago wizard.  Close inspection reveals miniscule runes within the cup portion of the goblet and within the skull itself.  Detect magic reveals transmutation and necromancy auras.

Drinking a full cup of wine from the goblet restores one spell slot to the drinker.  It is possible to regain multiple spell slots this way, but the drinker will end up quite drunk by the end of that ordeal, as the goblet transforms the wine into a more potent vintage due to mixing in magic.

Drinking a full cup of blood from the goblet transforms the drinker into a ghoul, a vampire, or a werewolf (DM choice).  It can be an instant change or a slow-rolled reveal, as historical details are vague and few.  In my campaign world, this means becoming an NPC.

Drinking a potion from the goblet has variable effects.  1-2 the potion is maximized and of double duration.  3-4 the potion becomes a random potion of normal duration. 5 the potion becomes permanent.  6 the potion becomes a particularly nasty poison. 

Drinking anything from the goblet results in the drinker having strange dreams.  Apsethus, the wizard whose skull was used in the creation of the goblet, comes to the drinker in dreams.  Above all else, Apsethus craved immortality and wanted to become a god.  While the latter didn't happen (yet?), the former did, somewhat, and this fact gives Apsethus hope.  

In the dreams, Apsethus visits the drinker and provides council and information, in exchange for small tasks accomplished in the waking world.  These tasks, Apsethus believes, will eventually result in his godhood.  On occasion, the tasks involve parrots.  Information Apsethus provides can lead to the dreamer gaining more corporeal power (treasure hunts and answers to puzzles and occasionally learning a new spell of the DMs choice).

Filling the cup with holy water causes an explosion destroying the Goblet and releasing an angry Apsethus (in ghost-wizard form).  Granted, the explosion deals necrotic, fire, and shrapnel damage, as well as a final transmutative wave of magic, wherein all in a 30' radius save or are forever changed.

Apsethus is unaffected by the transmutative wave, but is forever bound to the area the goblet was destroyed in - unless all the pieces of the goblet are found and reconstructed (probably via mending) by someone living.  Until that happens, Apsethus has immediate revenge on whomever destroys his goblet and then waits to convince someone to collect and assemble the pieces.