It was lost in an event called the Invoked Destruction, but is rumored to return from time to time. In the original Dungeon Master's Guide, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lord was forged by the first-ever dwarven king. Axe Of The Dwarvish Lords Slowly Turns D&D Characters Into Dwarves These are the six artifacts that appeared in both the original and current Dungeon Master's Guide, with their histories and powers that changed over time.
The current Dungeon Master's Guide was first printed in 2014 and it has its own selection of artifacts. Related: D&D: What Iron Spikes Are Used ForĪrtifacts first appeared in the original Dungeon Master's Guide in 1979. A player who attunes to an artifact will gain the power to take on the strongest monsters in the game, but there is a steep price to pay for daring to wield such legendary items.
In many ways, these are preferable to find, as artifacts tend to have severe drawbacks alongside their amazing powers. There are plenty of powerful magic items in D&D that aren't artifact-class, such as the Holy Avenger. The power of artifacts is such that they are often tied to lore, which means that some of them changed over time, as the multiverse of D&D expanded and its story spread in different directions.
Artifacts are among the most powerful magic items in Dungeons & Dragons, and some of those present in D&D's fifth edition have been around since the beginning of the game.