Philosopher’s Stone [Minor Artifact]

This rare substance appears to be an ordinary, sooty piece of blackish rock. If the stone is broken open (break DC 20), a cavity is revealed at the stone’s heart. This cavity is lined with a magical type of quicksilver that enables any arcane spellcaster to transmute base metals (iron and lead) into silver and gold. A single philosopher’s stone can turn from up to 5,000 pounds of iron into silver (25,000 gp value), or up to 1,000 pounds of lead into gold (50,000 gp value). However, the quicksilver becomes unstable once the stone is opened and loses its potency within 24 hours, so all transmutations must take place within that period.

The quicksilver found in the center of the stone may also be put to another use. If mixed with any cure potion while the substance is still potent, it creates a special oil of life (estimated market price 32,650 gp) that acts as a true resurrection spell for any dead body it is sprinkled upon.

Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide (version 3.5), page 279.