Monday, February 28, 2011

20 FAVE MAGIC ITEMS from my GAMES

Was going through my old stuff from my previous games, looking for stuff that would translate into my new campaign, and found a few 10GP gems...honestly, most have been archived for so long I don't know if some were cribbed from old Dragon magazines or not, but I think these are my own ideas, or at least my versions of ideas I saw elsewhere.  Just wait, it'll happen to you, too.


1.  Ring of Recall:  Upon death, PC is instantly transported to a particular temple or shrine, hopefully to be Healed/Raised by the Clerics there.  Provided only to the members of the sect, or possibly those performing a special mission for the order.  PCs get fixed up, but have to trek back to the rest of party, if there's a time limit involved, maybe they're out, but it beats dead... used this in an "introductory adventure" for new players, 'cause I thought for sure someone was gonna get killed simply because they would make "newbie" mistakes, but they were so cautious I don't Recall it being used!


2.  Great Green Axe:  inspired by Gawain & the Green Knight, massive headsman's axe of greenish bronze (?), req STR of 16+ to wield, does 1-10/1-10 dam, +2, does dbl damage to green things.  I loved this 'cause ya never know when something green will show up!  I suggest that it be wrested from the cold, dead hands of a wickedly jolly green Giant of some sort


3.  Shield Ring:  as Spell; AC 4 vs most attacks, AC 3 vs missiles, AC 2 vs thrown weapons, negates Magic Missiles, but does not protect from the rear! The particular ring I recall generated an actual, though ghostly, shimmering shield when struck, and I think there was some sort of roll to see if MM were reflected back at the caster... 50/50 each seems reasonable


4.  A Scroll of a random Clerical or MU Spell "addressed" to a particular PC, which they can use regardless of Class...  "Dear Tremaine, this may come in handy one day..."  Maybe its only Hold Portal, but look how happy the Fighter is!  I dunno.  It was surprisingly well received.  I just rolled randomly to determ whose name was on it, but it became a temporary obsession to the PC who ended up with it, "Who left this?  How do they know me?!"


5.  "Skully":  a sage-like talking skull which can be consulted for information, % chance to know answer: Common Knowl 75%, Uncommon 50%, Unusual 20%, Specialized 10%, Esoteric 5%.  Can also "Legend Lore" famous, legendary, specific persons/places/magic, and relate legends/stories, 30%.  When owner dies, all factual knowledge of this person is gained by Skully, so as he is passed on, he becomes increasingly knowledgeable.  Looking back, think this was inspired by Land of the Lost Library of Skulls...   anyhow, great way to have an NPC that isn't expected to help in combat!  and, it just now occurred to me, maybe useful somehow in restoring another's memories, you tell me


6.  Stone of Invisibility:  just a small stone which renders one invis when held.  Because it must be held, certain actions are not possible while invis, like most Thief Abilities, Spellcasting, etc.  Can render several people invis if they link hands with PC holding the stone.  The thinking player's version of the all-too-abused Ring o' Invis.  The party used it to remain unseen in a cavern, against the wall, all holding hands (and their breath!), while Lizardmen trooped on by, and "popped out" to ambush them, looking like a death-dealing line of preschoolers being led to the cafeteria


7.  Vorpal Gurkha:  just a simple +1 dagger, but a roll of natural 20 gives the Magic-User the thrill of decapitating a (man-sized) foe!  (who else is going to end up with it, the Fighter?  he already got a Scroll of Hold Portal)  It's desperation time when the Wizard reaches for a dagger, anyway!


8. Pit Pellet:  rune-inscribed clay token, when tossed to the ground, creates a 10ft diam, 10ft deep Pit, one use only.  Oh, the fun that was had... and yes, you can toss one into a pit you already made and make it 10' deeper, and screw up what should have been a pretty challenging encounter, killing some poor schmuck by dropping him 10'/rnd until your pellets run out, dumping in some flaming oil, and listen to him crying out "I knew I should have taken that Levitation spell!!"


9.  Bloody Bestiary: sprinkling the blood of a creature on one of the (limited) blank pages produces a "Monster Manual" style entry, the bloody script informing readers of relative strength, powers, weaknesses, etc.  May or may not come with the first few pages "filled in"


10.  "Mirror-Mirror" of Opposition:  tortoise shell (?) framed hand mirror, creates duplicate identical in all respects, except the duplicate has a goatee.  Duplicate attacks original, and if any others interfere, their Mirror-Mirror duplicate appears as well.  If a duplicate kills an original, the corpse disappears, and the duplicate immediately ceases attack, explains that he/she is no longer hostile, and play continues with the duplicates assuming the roles of the departed as if nothing had happened!  The only difference is that the PC will forever after sport a goatee, and be subject to looks of suspicion!  The look on their faces when I said, "Gimme your character sheets", and quickly added a "II" after "player name", and a goatee to their "sketch", then handed them back and said, "OK, is the party continuing to search?"... hilarious  (for female characters, I suggest a Marilyn Monroe-style "beauty mark")  Oh, and somewhere down the road, say, "Remember when you were replaced by a duplicate?" and see the look of dread.  Then say something innocuous, like, "Well, you're stroking your goatee, and you notice the faint outline of a secret door"  The rest of the party will be soon be whispering about your "magical beard".


11.  Ring of Regeneration, While You Sleep:  regen 1 HP/hr, but only while asleep!(4+1d4 hrs/night?)  Like a daily Cure Light Wounds  Odd bonus side effect: gain 1d8 HP if subject to a Sleep Spell, which of course the party immediately exploited by using Sleep Spells as Cure Lt Wounds!  "Nap time!"


12.  Hand o' Glory:  just thought it was creepy cool.  10ch (two per digit?  dunno why I chose 10)  Three effects:

Find Treasure, Sleep Spell, Dark 15' radius (only the bearer can see by the light of the Hand), one ch ea  (What if you put a Magic Ring on it?  hmmm... and what if you found a Ring of Regeneration and the Hand of Vecna?  "Just a side project, but don't open that box... it's not finished... yet")


13.  Seasoning of Edibility:  when sprinkled upon any organic material (wood, bone, clumps of peat), becomes edible and nutritious.  In no way affects flavor.  My campaign had a "never-ending shaker", and  a freezer-burnt Mammoth haunch from a long-dead specimen frozen in a glacier was devoured, among other nasty things...


14.  Pincushion Arrow:  +1, becomes 1d4 additional arrows once in flight, roll TH for each


15.  Suture Spider:  brooch/pin shaped like a spider, limited charges, uses fangs, claws and webs to "stitch up" open wounds, healing for 1d4.  Anesthetizing venom is a nice touch.  Damn scary the first time, though!  Be sure to ask, "I just want to be clear - you are placing this metal spider directly over your open wound?"  Try to look worried.  That will teach them for dumping your evil wizard down that pellet hole!


16.   Scoobies:  compressed bars of mysterious origin and material (wood, bone, clumps of peat?), the smell of which is irresistible to carnivorous (animal INT) monsters.  Found sealed in an air-tight, screw-top tin, Scoobies will attract such an encounter from the current table w/in 1turn, and dbl such encounter rates for as long as the tin remains open.  Also, if tossed into the path of a ravenous beast intent on devouring the party, it will distract the beast long enough to chomp down the crunchy treat, maybe a rnd or two to locate and devour it.  Come in fun shapes, like stylized "bones", "hearts", and what the party may or may not recognize as "livers".  Great for guard dogs, too


17.  X (Enigma) Hole:  dark, one foot diam, impossibly thin "hole" in time and space, similar to the famed Portable Hole.  If any item is put in, another may be drawn out, 1/day.  The catch: no item may ever be repeated; after tossing in a copper once, a copper will no longer produce an effect, but anything can be tossed in; an iron spike, a rock, a banana, whatever.  Where this stuff goes, no one knows (but I thought it might be fun if years and XP lvls later, the Party discovers a "treasure" chest.  what's in it?  well, there's an iron spike, a rock, a mummified black wrinkly thing...)   What do you get back for tossing out all this junk?  The first time it is used, a Healing Potion comes out!  Thereafter, I tried to convince my Players that I had the weirdest table of all time hidden away in my stash, 'cause I rolled a concealed die and said things like "a 10inch diam stainless steel salad bowl" or "a pile of bones, maybe from a bird".  I was rolling a d30, but simply saying whatever weird item came to mind from my last few days, the version I was using tending to produce items totally unfamiliar to a fantasy world, like a butane lighter, "transistor radio" *...  However, if a 30 was rolled, the I'd roll for a minor magic item, like a minor Potion or Scroll of one 1st lvl Spell, which I think only happened once.  Planned on 100 uses, started a list of INs and OUTs, never got there.  Have to reintroduce one!  Maybe I'll make a table of odd bits from around my house (bongo drum, caulk gun, box of rubber bands)  Sooner or later, I guarantee, someone will actually bring up the idea of flushing a Magic Item down this thing, and someone will take a dump in it.  Oh, and what comes out of an X Hole cannot be put back in the X Hole.  Words to live by


18.  Robe of Useless Shit:  someone, somewhere, must have done this one.  Exactly like a Robe of Useful Stuff, or whatever, but every item is flawed somehow; torches sputter out, ladders snap under weight, war dogs piss themselves and whimper...  Gag becomes apparent quickly, but its fun!  I probably nicked this idea!


19.  Dart of Deadlacy:  only misses on TH of 1, and if a natural 20 is rolled, it embeds right between the eyes, damage is 6HP.  Not much for doing damage, but damn useful when you really need to hit, like when that robed guy is raising his arms and chanting... (basically a Magic Missile)


20.  Pick the item you like best from the Comments below.  :)


* received only one station, which played only Casey Casem's Top 40 Metal Show from an alternate universe, and had some sort of malfunction which caused it to "turn on by itself", allowing me to say things like, "scrrrrrchhh... This one goes out to Thongor and Company, who have just disturbed a sleeping Blue Dragon, somewhere below the Caverns of Quasqueton, its Black Sabbath with another metal monster, 'Electric Funeral'.  Good luck boys!" (cue music, Breath Weapon)

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