everlasting provisions, leveled

Monday, July 18th, 2011
This entry is part 1 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Everlasting Provisions

This item is provided solely to give PCs a rationale for ignoring food logistics (which they do anyway). Still, even a magic picnic can have a personality of its own.

1. The Guildmaster’s Everlasting Provisions of Coercion
Among the daily items in these Everlasting Provisions is a bottle of fine wine. When the food is created, the user can cause the bottle to either be normal wine, a wine that infects its drinker with Cackle Fever, or a wine that provides a Cackle Fever antidote. The difference between these wines may not be determined by nonmagical means.

The Guildmaster used the diseased wine, and the promise of an antidote, to persuade many people to do her favors who might not otherwise have done so.

2. Chef Aron’s Everlasting Provisions of Inconsistent Quality
Besides the normal, filling meals, every day’s provisions come with beautiful pastries. Each day, the pastries have different effects on all consumers (roll d6):
1: Illness. After an hour, the eaters become sick. Unless they make a DC 17 Endurance check, they lose a healing surge and are Weakened for an hour. On a failure, the check and consequences are repeated every hour until they either succeed on the Endurance check or take an extended rest.
2: Addiction. The consumer can’t stop thinking about the desserts. The next day, the consumer will be Weakened until they eat one of the pastries again or take an extended rest.
3: Normal. The pastries are delicious.
4: Extra healing. The first healing surge spent before the end of the day heals additional hit points equal to the consumer’s Healing Surge.
5: Extra energy. If the consumer has less than two Action Points, they gain an Action Point.
6: Glittering Prizecake of Wonder. Each consumer finds a magical trinket baked into their pastry: it may be equipped into an empty ring, neck, or head slot. While equipped, all skills gain a +2 item bonus. The trinket disappears at the next extended rest.

Chef Aron had no natural gift for cooking, but after doing a favor for a fey lord his banquets would occasionally lead to surprising results.

3. Jeks’ Everlasting Provisions of Shared Understanding
Until the next extended rest, everyone who shares the glasses of whiskey that accompany this meal gets +5 bonuses to Diplomacy and Bluff and -5 penalties to Insight.

Behold the magical tablecloth of Jeks, a diplomat whose conferences usually led to quick agreements, although not always ones of great wisdom.

bag of holding, leveled

Monday, August 1st, 2011
This entry is part 2 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

In AD&D, where your treasure haul is limited by encumbrance, you need a way to increase encumbrance limits along with treasure hauls. Therefore there are 4 types of bags of holding in the AD&D DMG, with capacities of 250, 500, 1000, and 1500 pounds. In 4e, there is no assumption that weight limits for treasure will be a regular part of gameplay. Therefore, bags of holding need some other, more 4e-friendly ways to level up.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Pockets of Holding This bag of holding can be cut according to a specific eldritch pattern and sewn as pockets into six garments. Each pocket allows access to the same shared bag of holding.

The Pockets of Holding pattern was invented by an honorable adventuring party who wanted to share their healing potions, but later misused by a band of dwarven thieves who discovered their shoplifting applications.

Self-Holding Bag: The bag of holding-boosting ritual from Dragon 385 could as easily be a leveled magic item. This bag can be hidden in or removed from an extradimensional space as a minor action.

Seleris the Magician’s Bag of Holding
If you put one hand in the bag of holding (a minor action) you can transfer items from your other hand to the bag and vice versa as a free action.

Seleris the Magician used to put one hand in his pocket while doing conjuring tricks with his other hand. Due to his Bag of Holding and other magical trinkets, he developed a great reputation as a wizard without ever learning a single spell.

handy haversack, leveled

Monday, August 15th, 2011
This entry is part 3 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

It’s hard to say what unique conceptual space Heward’s Handy Haversack occupies: it’s like a bag of holding but… on your back? Its main schtick seems to be that it’s more convenient. The level-up powers I assigned to the Haversack mostly have to do with convenience, although the bag and pack powers are pretty much interchangeable.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Jedd the Hunter’s Handy Haversack You can put one medium or small person inside Jedd’s haversack: they must be dead, helpless or willing. If they are Dead, the sack acts like a ritual of restful repose. if living, they will be put in suspended animation until they are removed from the haversack. A suspended creature will occasionally become conscious, and if not otherwise restrained, can make a Hard escape check once per day.

A willing subject may ride around in the backpack with just his head sticking out, giving helpful advice like “Look behind you!”

Handy Haversack Familiar
This sentient haversack is loyal to its master. It may deny others access (opening it against its will requires a DC 22 strength check), or open to reveal a normal, empty bag interior. Once per turn, it may, unaided, either drop one of its items, or pick up an item in its square. It may also move, with a movement speed of 4, although it will generally not do this if observed by anyone but its owner.

Handy Haversack of Useful Items
Once per day, the Handy Haversack can produce an item that was never put into it. It can produce any item from the PHB1 equipment list, that is small enough to be removed and that has a price of less than 50 gp. The produced item will disappear at the end of the next extended rest.

Rope of climbing, leveled

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
This entry is part 4 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Rope of climbing of strangulation
The first time you try to use this rope after it levels up, it will leap for your throat and try to strangle you. (It has your HP and defenses, and makes a Grab attack vs. Reflex, using the attack bonus of your best at-will attack. At the beginning of each turn that you are Grabbed, you take damage equal to your surge value. If you avoid or escape the grab, or if the rope is Bloodied, it will coil submissively and, from then on, obey your commands.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Once you command the rope, you can order it to strangle people (using your AC, HP, attack bonus, and doing damage equal to your surge value). Under your command, it can only attack people against whom it has combat advantage.

You can repair all HP damage to the rope during an extended rest.

This ancient rope dates from the First Age, a time when the makers of magic items were malicious pranksters and every magical trinket had the potential to be an inescapable deathtrap. Thankfully, few ropes of strangulation have survived to the modern age.

Cam the Cat’s rope of climbing
This rope can lengthen or retract at your will. As a minor action, you can cause it to lengthen or retract at up to 6 squares per turn. This can raise or lower someone holding the end of the rope. It may get as short as 1 foot long or as long as 1 mile. It may also be told to extend or retract to a certain length, either instantly or at any time up to one day in the future. (Example: “Rope! Extend 100 feet so we can climb down the tower, then retract after we all climb down. After one hour, extend 100 feet again so we can climb back up.”)

This rope of climbing was used for years by famous burgler Cam the Cat. It was finally used as Cam’s noose: it was told to retract after an hour so he’d have plenty of time to think about his crimes before it strangled him.

Cunning Rope of Climbing
Besides acting as a rope of climbing, this rope can follow complex orders as if it had an Intelligence of 10. It can travel unattended, wriggling like a snake at a movement rate of 5; pick up and hold items, using either of its ends as a hand; and act independently, using basic problem-solving skills. It has blindsense 3, and the HP and defenses of its owner. It can communicate by twisting itself into cursive script.

This is a pretty useful item, guys. If it had a basic attack, like the Rope of Climbing of Strangulation does, I’d be willing to play it as a PC.

ritual candle, leveled

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
This entry is part 5 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Specialized Ritual Candle
This candle is designed for a specific ritual. When used with the right ritual, the caster may choose to gain either a +5 item bonus to one skill check associated with the ritual or to cast the ritual with no component cost. The candle acts like a normal ritual candle when used with any other ritual.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

A cursed ritual candle may be designed with particular parameters in mind, in which case the ritualist must succeed on a saving throw or be unable to change this detail of the ritual. For instance, a candle for a scrying ritual might be set to spy on a certain area of interest to the candle’s original user.

Ritual Candle that Burns Mens’ Souls
Instead of ritual components, the candle uses the lives of helpless or willing subjects within a burst 5. The total levels of creatures sacrificed must equal the level of the ritual.

This candle is a huge money saver for evil spellcasters with access to minions, peasants and/or captured PCs.

Shared Ritual Candle
This candle is part of a set, scattered across the world. Each candle can only be lit once per day, and burns down in an hour. The next morning, it is restored to its unburned state. A candle may be either used as a ritual candle as part of a ritual, or lit as a normal candle. If lit as a normal candle, it gives a +1 bonus to any of the set which is currently being used in a ritual. It’s unknown how many candles there are in the set, but at any time, PCs can get a +1d6 bonus from helping candles lit by NPCs somewhere in the world.

This is sort of the Seti@home of magic items. A lot of the candles are probably used for light by frugal families who just don’t want to buy new candles every day.

Sending Stones, leveled

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
This entry is part 6 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Malice’s Returning Sending Stone:
One of these stones is red and one is black. The holder of the red stone may, as a free action, summon the black stone to his other hand.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

This stone was upgraded by Malice the warlock, whose typically incompetent goblin operatives were always dying on missions. Malice couldn’t be bothered to mount all sorts of expeditions to reclaim her sending stone off goblin corpses.

Enslaving Sending Stones
These sending stones “level up” when their owner learns how to read the tiny runes inscribed on the stones. One of the stones is called the Master Stone and one is the Slave Stone. Once a day, the holder of the Master Stone may use a command word in conjunction with the Sending Stone’s normal power. He or she may make an Int, Wis, or Cha attack, with bonuses for any implement used, on everyone within burst 3 of the Slave Stone. If the attack is successful, the listener is stunned (save ends). If the listener fails the first save, he or she is compelled to follow the command. The listener doesn’t get normal saving throws at the end of each turn against the command, but actions that grant extra saving throws (like heal checks) might be able to end the effect early. Commanded creatures don’t know that their behavior is unusual until the effect ends.

The command word may or may not involve a nice game of solitaire.

Spy’s Sending Stones:
Besides speaking to its sibling, the Spy’s Stone allows, as a once-per-day standard action, the user to send a message of up to 25 words to anyone in 100 miles, as with the Sending ritual. The subject must be adjacent to a stone (on the ground or in a wall, for instance) or the sending fails. The stone speaks the message, and anyone within 5 squares can hear it. Until the beginning of the caster’s next turn, the subject may, as a standard action, send a reply of up to 25 words through the same stone.

Used by spies for generations, the Sending Stones finally found its way into the hands of Brasslung, a dwarven cleric, who used it to send fake “messages from the God of Stone” to members of his clan. Brasslung is currently the High Priest of the God of Stone, and rich.

Next weeek: three versions of Keoghtom’s Ointment.

keoghtom’s ointment, leveled

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Keoghtom’s Woad
This foul-smelling blue ointment, brewed by barbarian hill tribes, doesn’t immediately have its normal effect of curing one disease or poison effect or granting one healing surge when applied; its effects are delayed until the recipient spends a free action to activate them. The effect ends when used or at the end of the day.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but haven’t given us lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Also, until the end of the day, the user has a +2 item bonus to Intimidate checks and a -4 penalty to Stealth checks, due to being bright blue and stinky.

A pot of Keoghtom’s Ointment “levels up” to Keoghtom’s Woad by being tinkered with by a barbarian shaman.

Keoghtom’s Ointment for the Eyes
If this ointment is smeared on the eyes, the user gains darkvision and has +2 item bonus to perception checks for five minutes. Also, all skill checks, defenses and saving throws vs. illusion have a +5 item bonus during this period.

The process of leveling up this ointment involves collecting “Corellon’s tears,” whatever they are. The fairies are said to know, but they’re so frustrating to talk to.

Prismaticus’s Keoghtom’s patented bracing all-purpose ointment, pick me up, and healthy dessert
This ointment can restore two healing surges instead of one. It can grant a character temporary healing surges above his or her normal maximum. Bonus surges above the normal maximum expire after five minutes.

While recipients of this ointment are above their normal healing surge limit, they experience buzzing in the ears, arcane tingling, and a feeling of frantic excitement. Basic attacks are made with a +1 bonus to hit. Athletics gets a +2 item bonus. All other skills are at -2.

The mountebank Prismaticus the Magnificent knows how to turn an ordinary pot of Keoghtom’s Ointment into his patent medicine, but he won’t share his recipe, although he does admit that the ingredients might be highly illegal.

Next week: three versions of Dust of Appearance! If I can think of three.

Dust of Appearance, leveled

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
This entry is part 8 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Cullen’s Dust of Appearance Any creature who enters the Dust of Appearance’s zone will sparkle. invisibility will be impossible, stealth will be at -5, and removing the sparkles requires either a wash or an extended rest. While sparkly, subjects leave a glittery trail that can be easily followed.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but we don’t yet have lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Adso of Melk’s Dust of Appearance of True Thoughts
When you sprinkle this dust on a page of text, handwriting appears in the margin, annotating the author’s true thoughts as he or she wrote the page. The new text is in the author’s handwriting, in a different color of ink. If the document was written in good faith, no new writing appears.

If the author is alive, you must make a wisdom, intelligence, or charisma attack against their will in order to see their thoughts appear on the page.

Adso’s dust is especially handy on diplomatic treaties and self-serving revisionist histories.

Dust of False Appearance
When this dust is sprinkled in a zone, in addition to its other effects, 1-3 illusionary monsters, of random type, are “revealed”. With a minor action, the dust’s owner may grant move actions to all the monsters. The monsters disappear if they are attacked or leave the zone, or at the end of five minutes.

Feather boat, leveled

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
This entry is part 9 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Raven Feather Boat: if a dead person is put at the helm and the boat is sent adrift down a river, it will, after several hours, take all inhabitants to the shadowfell.

This feather boat’s power is discovered only when the PCs find the one black feather on the swan boat’s body.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but we don’t yet have lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Feather Boat of the Northern Mists: While the feather boat is in motion, the boat’s steersman may use a minor action to render the boat and all its passengers invisible. If the boat stops, or any of the boat’s occupants make an attack, it becomes visible for the next five minutes.

The northern barbarians know the secret test which must be performed to unlock this special power.

Swanmay boat: Besides a feather token and a boat, the token can also take on its true form once a day for up to an hour: a swanmay, a fey woman with swan wings. The swanmay can fly, has defenses of 26, and, if hit, returns to token form. In swanmay form, the token is under no obligation to follow orders, but may help the PCs if she trusts them. In swanmay or boat form, this token can speak elven and common.

The boat’s swanmay form is discovered only when the swanmay first chooses to show herself.

dimensional shackles, leveled

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
This entry is part 10 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Dimensional Shackles of Oppression: Once a day, the holder of the key of the Shackles of Possession may give the shackles a simple order (such as “attack anyone who enters this room” or “follow and protect me”). The shackles will force their prisoner to follow the order. While actively following orders, the subject is Dominated and is not immobilized or restrained. Whenever action is not necessary to follow the order, the subject is not Dominated and is again immobilized and restrained.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

A second order in the same day will have no effect.

If the subject is bloodied or forced to do something against his nature, he gets a saving throw. If he is successful, he cannot be Dominated for the rest of the day.

Devils often use Shackles of Oppression to force their captives to defend their lairs. Many devils are protected by shackled and despairing unicorns, heroes, and even good angels.

Dimensional Shackles Forged in Life: If someone is wearing these shackles while they die, their ghost cannot leave the world until someone removes the shackles from the body. The ghost cannot stray far from its body, and, with the right ritual, may be questioned. It’s easier to resurrect someone whose spirit is trapped by the Shackles Forged in Life.

Dimensional Shackle Jewelry: The shackle looks like normal ring or necklace: its wearer is unaware of it and cannot remove it (though others can). When the captor puts it on, they can give the victim a one-sentence restriction: for instance “don’t tell anyone about the murder”, “don’t pick up any weapons”, “don’t wear that ugly hat”. The victim will follow the restriction. Victims with a Wisdom less than 13 will not be aware of the restriction: those with a high wisdom will be aware that something is modifying their behavior, but they will not know what it is.