Relics are procedurally generated items that have special significance within the generated history of Caves of Qud. Relics are most often found in historic sites or sultan reliquaries, but can also be found in procedurally generated ruins or even held by random creatures. Relics can generate with unique relic powers that are not typically available on normal items or through tinkering. A typical relic may spawn with 1-4 unique relic powers.[1] Relics cannot have additional mods added tinkering and cannot generate with normal item mods.[2]
Relics are perhaps most iconic for their place in sultan lore. For example, a relic might be a mighty weapon that helped a sultan win a decisive battle, or a relic might be a memorable gift that was given to a sultan on their wedding day. If a sultan retains a relic until their death, it will be found within the sultan's reliquary in the Tomb of the Eaters. In other cases, the sultan might lose the relic before their death. Such relics can sometimes be found in historic sites, if the location where it was lost still exists in contemporary Qud.
The following powers, sometimes referred to as major relic powers, can be generated on weapons, armor, and shields. Gold-colored values are randomly determined. Chrome-colored values are decided based on the Tier of the armor or weapon, which can range from 1-8 (tier 1 items will have the lowest value shown below, while tier 8 items will have the highest value shown).
Powers marked with an E require an energy cell to function.
Fabricate Creature curios will fabricate a random creature roughly the same tier as the relic. [5]
Example Relic Curios
Blockecus
Tiny glyphs are inscribed on each exterior face of the handheld box. It's embossed with beautiful blocks of ice.
Fabricates one mechanical learned root cherub, cognitively altered to like you.
Weight: 1 lbs.
Perfect
Batteroca
Tiny glyphs are inscribed on each exterior face of the handheld box. It's adorned with tiny images of light bulbs.
On activation, this item obliterates all nearby members of a faction chosen from among those that existed during the time of the sultanate.
Weight: 1 lbs.
Perfect
Relic Books
Some relics appear as high-value books with randomly-generated markov chain text.
Relic books grant one of the following effects when read. The chosen skill or stat is completely random and has no relation to the sultan's themes or the place where it was found.
Relic books have a commerce value of 100 * Tier + 200, a much higher value than normal randomly generated books when sold or traded to Sheba Hagadias, Librarian of the Stilt for experience points.
Example Relic Books
Charmica
An unadorned codex of goatskin vellum. It's embossed with tiny images of tokens.
Increases the Toughness of anyone who reads it.
Weight: 1 lbs.
Perfect
Lightyca
An unadorned codex of goatskin vellum. It's stamped with fanciful depictions of jewels. It's carved with tiny images of telescopes.
Teaches Shank to anyone who reads it.
Weight: 1 lbs.
Perfect
Relic Tonic
Relic tonics are all based on Eaters'nectar injectors, and can even be prepared into drops of nectar just like they can. (Also just like Eaters' nectar injectors, unlike most tonics, they cannot cause overdose.)
Example Relic Tonic
Rootoca <A6>
A slender metal tube, used to deliver various tonics directly into the bloodstream. It's carved with tiny images of salt.
You gain either a permanent +1 bonus to a random attribute or one mutation point. This item is a tonic. Applying one tonic while under the effects of another may produce undesired results.
Weight: 0 lbs.
Perfect
Connection to Sultan Lore
The generation of sultan relics, including the tier of relic and the type of base item, are closely related to the sultan and to significant events in the sultan's life, as evidenced in sultan lore.
Relic Tier
The four historic sites in the game contain relic items that progress from Tier 1 to Tier 4, starting with the Historic site nearest to Joppa, which will always have Tier 1 relic(s).
The tier of relics found in the sultan reliquaries in the Tomb of the Eaters will be instead determined from the period of the sultanate during which the relic originated, with relics from older sultans being more powerful.[8]
Sultan Period
Relic Tier If Relic Is Found In...
Historic Site #1
Historic Site #2
Historic Site #3
Historic Site #4
Tomb Reliquary
1st Period Sultanate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
7
2nd Period Sultanate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
6
3rd Period Sultanate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
5
4th Period Sultanate
N/A
N/A
3
4
3 or 4(random)
5th Period Sultanate
1
2
N/A
N/A
1 or 2(random)
Relic Item Type
The type of underlying base item for each relic can be determined from the lore associated with the sultan, if such lore exists. Notably, relics generated in historic sites do not always have a fragment of sultan lore associated with them, depending on randomization factors during world generation. These types of relics are often recognizable because they are typically named after the historic site or the floor of the historic site where they are found, rather than being named as based on a fragment of sultan lore.[2]
Historic sites can often contain relics that are not directly associated with sultan lore. Generally this is the case whenever a fourth-period or fifth-period sultan did not lose one of their relics at a location in the historic site. These type of relics are generated with a randomized underlying item base type, since there is no driving lore to dictate their item type.
Relic Item Type
How It's Described in Sultan Lore
Possible Items
Artifact
artifact
50%
Fabricate Creature curio with a random creature roughly the same tier as the relic [5]
Prior to patch 2.0.200.86 (August 14, 2020), it was possible to mod relic items, allowing a player to combine relic powers with other powerful tinkering mods. For example, relic freezing + normal freezing could be combined on an item for a very powerful overall freezing effect. However, it is no longer possible to add normal mods to relic items.[2]
References
This information is reliable as of patch 2.0.202.92.
↑ 5.05.15.2XRL.World.RelicGenerator, method GenerateRelic, in the subtype == "curio" case – Uses a DynamicInheritsTable targeted at creatures of the relic's tier
reliquary in the 
Tomb of the Eaters. In other cases, the sultan might lose the relic before their death. Such relics can sometimes be found in historic sites, if the location where it was lost still exists in contemporary Qud.
eigenrifle
Eaters' nectar injectors, and can even be prepared into 
drops of nectar just like they can. (Also just like Eaters' nectar injectors, unlike most tonics, they cannot cause overdose.)
Joppa, which will always have Tier 1 relic(s).
