The Vault: Rare and unusal stuff for the taking

[Two orcs]

Every magic item with powers of perception or deceiving is at least +18% more cool if it's a mask.

Funeral Mask
A regal and stern face carved from mammoth ivory, the inside painted crimson. Narrow slits allow sight through the eyes of the mask. The wearer sees the pale flickering auras of the undead up to 60' away through any material but lead. In a social setting, the mask will single out a character of high status who is not a close friend of the wearer. If viewed through the mask a powerful undead aura emanates from the person. If the owner of the mask kills them, the next time they don the mask it merges with their face and they transform into a vampire ruled by the hideous and chaotic will of the mask.

 

[Two orcs]

Eyedrops of the Haematist
Bright red eyedrops that turn the eyes the same color for an hour. All the world seems to fade but flowing blood glows red even through skin and clothes. Attacks with stabbing weapons cause vicious artrial bleeds dealing 1d6 damage every round after the first till the victim recieves any kind of healing or somehow cauterize or tourniquet the affected limb. Critical hits (or hits on natural 20 if critical hits aren't used) hit the heart - the victim must Save vs. Death or die (in addition to the bleeding effect).

By the same token, healing checks while under the influence of the eyedrops are +6 to success as wounds, inflammation and ischemia become clearly visible.

 

[squeen]

Nicely thematic.

Bright red eyedrops that turn the eyes the same color for an hour.

I read this thinking, "How many people have two different colored eyes?". That's a pretty narrow target audience.

 

[Beoric]

I read this thinking, "How many people have two different colored eyes?". That's a pretty narrow target audience.

I had the same initial reaction!

 

[Two orcs]

Shorthuffer's Fightbook
A lavishly illustrated and authoritatively dictated book on melee fighting. About half the book are anecdotal digressions on alchemy, medicine and law. Shorthuffer's style is characterized by non-traditional parries and ripostes requiring a lot of mobility. After absorbing the book a fighter, thief or other class proficient in the use of swords (though not necessarily fighting with them) gain +1 to hit and AC provided they are not wearing a backpack, sack, slung shield or other burden on their back. If they do they instead suffer -1 to hit and AC as this bothers them a lot as Shorthuffer strongly emphasizes an unburdened style. This is akin to a non-magical curse which is only lifted through a week of heavy drinking and brawling after which the contents of the book fade in memory and significance.

 

[Two orcs]

Spear of the Dancing Monk+2
A long rough iron point with red yak fur for a blood catcher. The blackened shaft is reinforced by an iron spiral. It emits an aura of menace, as if your destruction is locked within the weapon.

A holy man fighting heathens and monsters at the top of the world - the dancing monk met the Goddess of Destruction, incarnate and dancing her dance of destruction. They danced over the mountain range, over days and nights, before the monk's mortal stamina failed and he was destroyed. The Goddess took his spear and threw it down from the great height to destroy a temple to The Buddha - the temple was destroyed but the Buddha's statue caught the spear between its palms.

Special power (1/day): A proficient dancer wielding this in both hands and dancing instead of fighting produces a circle of protecting against evil (as per the spell). A very proficient dancer increases the bonus to saves and AC to +2 and a masterful dancer to +3. Note that a dancer who is not tireless will need to rest after 5 turns.

In a game without proficiencies, proficient dancers are those with a +2 bonus to either Dexterity or Charisma, or +1 bonus to both, skilled dancers have +3 to either or +2 to both and masterful dancers have +3 to both.

 

[Two orcs]

The Pipe of Rumination
Meershaum pipe carved like a bearded face in deep contemplation, features stained by centuries of smoke. The centuries of gathered thought have stained the pipe with a peculiar magic that allows a smoker confronted with a troublesome situation to stuff the situation (together with a load of tabacco) in this pipe and smoke it. After 4 turns of quiet, undisturbed, smoking and deliberation there is a 2 in 6 chance that the underlying cause of the situation becomes clear to the smoker. If not, they must confront the situation using their own wisdom.

 

[squeen]

Subtle and good.

 

[The1True]

The Pipe of Rumination
Meershaum pipe carved like a bearded face in deep contemplation, features stained by centuries of smoke. The centuries of gathered thought have stained the pipe with a peculiar magic that allows a smoker confronted with a troublesome situation to stuff the situation (together with a load of tabacco) in this pipe and smoke it. After 4 turns of quiet, undisturbed, smoking and deliberation there is a 2 in 6 chance that the underlying cause of the situation becomes clear to the smoker. If not, they must confront the situation using their own wisdom.

I do want to be juvenile but, my players would inevitably ask what happens if you pack some 'other' kind of tobaccy in the pipe... Got to admit, I'm kind of curious m'self...

 

[squeen]

Contemplation is a gateway drug.

Might be interesting if possession of such a pipe was illegal some places....maybe the town guards need to "confiscate" it.

 

[Two orcs]

I do want to be juvenile but, my players would inevitably ask what happens if you pack some 'other' kind of tobaccy in the pipe... Got to admit, I'm kind of curious m'self...

From my own experiences with inspiration...
The Pipe of Ruination
Stuffing the Pipe of Rumination with smokable herbs other than wholesome tobacco the magic twists and turns in your mind, away from wisdom... The carved face turns squinty eyed. On a 4 in 6 chance you mellow out, the troublesome situation is nothing to worry about, these things have a way of sorting themselves out. Otherwise, your deepest anxieties manifest, your enemies are drawing their net closer, time is running out and it is already too late to back out. Worst of all, your allies cast doubtful eyes on your insight and are sure to turn their backs on you in this the most precarious of moments!

 

[squeen]

Searcher's Coin
A silver coin with an arrow on one side and a grinning face on the opposite. Once each day, if a certain tune is whistled while the coin is tossed in the air, when it lands it will point the arrow in the direction of a person or objects whose name was said before it hit the ground. If the desired object is more than 20 leagues distant, the grinning face will come up instead.

 

[TerribleSorcery]

That is cool.

I imagine another one called a "Quester's Coin" or something, that only points to an object if it is *over* 20 leagues away...

 

[Two orcs]

Thread of Mending
This thread made from the guts of an astral panther shines with an inner light. The needle holding it can pierce stone and steel as if it was tough leather. Things sewn together completely - within the hour both seam and thread have gone to the astral plain. Some obvious uses for 3 feet of thread:
- Reattach a severed limbs
- Restore 2d6+2 hp
- Mend armor, clothes, even weapons
- Turn doors into walls
- Fetter a being to a wall

Reattaching a severed limb does not necessarily restore function unless done right away.

 

[squeen]

There's a nice fairy-tale quality to that one. Beautiful!

 

[Two orcs]

Winged Helmet
A strong steel helmet with a pointy peak and fierce nose guard. A pair of gray wings, warm with life, spread menacingly when swords are drawn. In battle they beat ferociously and the helmet flies off leaving the wearer exposed (-1 AC).

 

[squeen]

Love it!

 

[Two orcs]

Musket Rest
A tall wooden fork, ornate with lambs and meadow flowers, used to stabilize the aim of a musket. A musket rested in the fork quickly falls asleep, light snoring is heard from the barrel. It may be fired as normal. If a sleeping musket is startled by a sudden noise or an unfamiliar touch or jolt it fires its shot in surprise.

 

[squeen]

Revenant Ring
Once this ring is placed on a human's finger, it will melt invisibly into the flesh of the wearer---negating their ability to wear other magic rings on that hand and impossible to remove without a wish. If the owner is killed, and their body remains physically intact (e..g not digested, disnitegrated, etc.), the individual to reawaken one full lunar cycle later (identical to the effects of a raise dead spell). If the quickened revenant finds and slays their original killer, three things will occur: (1) the revenant ring will reappear and fall off of their finger/completely useless to the character, (2) they will regain their lost constitution point, and (3) gain +1 on all future saving throws vs. death.

 

[The1True]

Revenant Ring

Needs just a snootch of evil.
Like, the wearer comes back as vengeance-obsessed semi-undead with accompanying (minor) gruesome powers and alignment wobble. Only repaying evil with savage evil will (surely?) return things to the way they once were!
If the murderer dies by another's hands or perhaps evades for a period of time (one further full lunar cycle?), the wearer is trapped in this hideous form and now insane/unplayable. The ring now becomes a sparkly, lootable, magic ring on the murderous monster's hand. And so the cycle begins once more...
Even more delicious if the murderer somehow gains the foreboding knowledge that he is hunted.