Fireamber Scepter (Patreon)

Rod, uncommon (requires attunement by a spellcaster)

A fire beetle has been preserved within the amber of this otherwise twisted wooden rod. While holding it, you can use an action to cast the dancing lights spell from it. When you do, the light is warm and fiery, and at the center of each glowing orb is an illusory, ghostly fire beetle; the glowing orbs can be combined to form a beetle-like shape. Alternatively, while you're holding the scepter, you can cause its amber head to glow, shedding warm bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The scepter continues to glow until you drop it or end the effect (no action required).

Beetle Fire. While holding the rod, you can use an action to cast the faerie fire spell from it, using your spell save DC. This version of the spell also creates a swarm of insects (which appear as Tiny fire beetles) immediately after you cast the spell. The swarm appears in a space of your choice within the spell's area. For the duration of the spell, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to cause the swarm to fly up to 60 feet toward a creature outlined by the spell and use its bite attack on it if it ends this movement in the creature's space. The swarm uses your spell attack bonus to hit, instead of its normal bonus. Once this property of the rod has been used, it can't be used again until the next dawn.

Illuminated Weapon. While the rod is glowing, it can also be used as a magic club. When you attack with the rod, you can use your spellcasting ability modifier, instead of Strength, for the attack and damage rolls.

The dwarven matron-mage rose, leaning heavily on her amber-formed support. In youth she'd found it fascinating, that the long-extinguished beetle's radiance—and ferocity—endured even as it hardened into stone.

In elder years, she'd come to understand it in a way her younger self never could. She couldn't suppress a laugh, thinking of her own aging bones as that same congealing sap, yet even her unfaltering club-swing couldn't disguise the wear of age.

She could only hope her own fire would light the way for others even after the thickening of time trapped her too.