Magic Items you've used in your campaigns

hal · 03-06-2019, 04:06 PM

Hello Folks,
As I put my creative juices to work populating a dungeon of sorts with all sorts of magical artifacts in my online FG campaign, I got to thinking "hey, maybe we could use a thread on "non-standard" magic items (artifacts) that others might steal for use in their campaigns.

One ring that I'm putting into my campaign is a cursed ring. Its artwork has a lot of swirling lines in it, but if you look at it with your eyes sort of unfocused, it almost appears as those those lines hide multiple mouths within their design. An IQ-3 roll will discern those vague mouth shapes within the lines...

This ring seems at first blush, to be a one college power stone. But, first blush is deceiving. For one, when the ring of Insatiable Power is worn and its energy stored is zero, it will steal 2 HP's per day from its wearer until they actively sacrifice energy to the ring (their own hit points are the only sacrifice the ring will accept). This 2 points of damage is hunger damage and requires 1 meal per point lost to recover from, otherwise it is not something that can be healed via spells or ordinary bed rest. Problem is - the energy reserve of the ring leaks at a rate of 1 energy per day.

Secondly, for every HP sacrificed to the ring, it will store 3 energy in the reserves. When casting spells, if the spell is from the college the ring is attuned to, energy from the ring is 1 for 1. When casting spells NOT of the college's affiliation, it will take 2 energy from the reserve to equal 1 energy required for the spell.

Thirdly, the person who allows the ring to feed off him, has to specify what wound he's willing to endure to feed the ring. A minor wound inflicts 1d6/2 damage. A major wound inflicts 1/2 the person's HP value in a single wound. A massive wound will inflict 3x a major wound. Within an inch of life means the wound inflicted is 1 point shy of requiring a death saving roll. Gravely is damage equal to 1 death saving roll., One step into my grave is 2 death saving rolls worth of damage, Two Steps into my grave is three death saving rolls worth, Mostly dead is four death saving rolls, and Unto Death means just that - unto the character's death.

Keep in mind that unless the player character sacrifices energy in excess of its current energy level - any further sacrifices will not benefit him. Thus, the wearer can't donate a lesser wound daily and get it fully charged up after having charged it initially with a major wound's worth of self-sacrifice.

Effectively, this "Artifact" is a parasite of sorts on its wearer. Chances are good that they will find out the hard way that you don't put on rings willy nilly. Since it was made from an unknown spell - it constitutes an unknown spell for purposes of Analyze Magic purposes.

For what it is worth? I'm running a Black College Scenario where two player characters from the 1920's are entering into a private arrangement with the Devil. They get free tuition for three years - free of charge with the stipulation however, that the last person to leave the school grounds pays with his soul.

Never one to be a nice guy, the Devil has offered his personal treasure trove to the player characters knowing that no one wants to be the last one to leave the college, but no one can resist grabbing a something for nothing kind of trinket on their way out. Lost gold treasures lay about in various rooms. The more gold you take, the slower you are when leaving, and thus, may potentially lose the deal. Some might fight over the possession of a 500 point power stone that is quirk-less. The Devil wins if one person murders the other. This counts almost as a two for one victory.

Some of the things, when taken back to the realm of Man, may cause their own heart aches. Even something as simple as a disk of pure copper with 24 arcane symbols etched - as insurance against spell backfires when summoning demons, means that more demons will be summoned.

In the end? If the player characters are smart, they will leave the school grounds IMMEDIATELY without any attempt to go treasure grabbing. If they can't avoid that temptation, then they'd be best to pick things that won't get them in the same room as their other fellow students. Who knows what someone might do to get their hands on a ring with 3 greater wishes imbued within, or a Silk Shirt that is the Bane of Poisoners, or my personal favorite:
Pendant of Immoral Luck.

Oddly enough, one player character was intrigued by its name and was told the following:

"Pendant of Immoral Luck: While worn, any crime committed by its wearer will not be solvable as to who the true criminal is." The stipulation however, is that the crime must be committed out of sight of anyone who has witnessed the commission of the crime. In game terms, it makes any attempts to use forensics or anything else, to determine who committed the crime. The one player was told "Jack the Ripper was the last to wear it". Mind you, until the witness comes forward, the crime is still technically unsolvable by the others who didn't witness it. So even then, killing the witness to insure the unsolvable "clause" furthers the Deceiver's goals.

It should be noted, that the phrase "When dining with the Devil, be sure to use a long handled spoon and count your fingers afterwards" might apply to the use of some of these magic items.

;)

Kax · 03-07-2019, 02:37 PM

in that vein I had an NPC wearing a fine steel gauntlet that gave him ST +3, DR +4, and Fit. Very nice, pretty simple.

The problem the PCs has with it were the teeth--very sharp and very real teeth--around the rim of the wrist that would bite into your arm while wearing it to power it.

While worn it did continuous blood drain, reducing your HP by 3 and keeping it there. The NPC involved had worn the gauntlet for so long he'd spent the points to increase his HP by 3 to account for it.

The PCs didn't even take it to a mage guild or anything, they destroyed it on the spot after determining it was basically powerless without blood.

~~evileeyore~~ · 03-07-2019, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kax

The PCs didn't even take it to a mage guild or anything, they destroyed it on the spot after determining it was basically powerless without blood.

Really? I can't think of a single PC in any game I've run that would have done that.

Unless it was actually Diabolical. Then there are few that would have destroyed it.

Racer · 03-07-2019, 03:36 PM

Was in an AD&D campaign a long time back where finely crafted Short Swords kept on cropping up - in the hands of a Goblin Warchief , as an infamous Swashbuckler's offhand weapon , resting on top of a Gnome King's Tomb etc .
Magical and virtually unbreakable , after much experimenting appear to be of +1 enchantment with a +2 or +3 to parrying/disarming attempts .
Our Half Elven Warrior/Rogue Swashbuckler/Swashbuckler (double Kit - GM allowed & encouraged it - and turned out to be a really good thing ) , used it as a primary weapon for a while , then switched it to his offhand when he acquired a Defender Rapier .

Wasn't until a number of game years later we found what that they were : Equaliser Swords ! Creations of three Gnomish & a Dwarf Craftsman and enchanted by an Transvalant Archmage , for the Gnomish High King .

In the hands of any Halfling , non Warrior Gnome or non Warrior Goblin ( Goblin bit was their flaw) , the gave the wielder an EQUAL To Hit & AC to any strong , high level and/or heavily Armed & Armoured human or humanoid opponents . The last of the eleven created had the additional bonus of doing equal damage as well & against Warriors of 6 or more Levels/Hit Dice greater than the wielder , then an extra +2 to Hit & to AC was added on top .

Think rules were fudged a bit & that DM was trying to encourage more Gnomes & Halflings into the gaming group . It was hilarious to see an allied Halfling Warrior duel wielding a pair & - with buffs like Prayer , Protection From Evil , Negative Plane Protection etc - take down multiple Skeletal Warriors , a buffed Hobgoblin Champion and an Evil Clerical Enforcer in Field Plate Armour . All while wearing +2 Leather Armour ( of Hafling Construction - counted as no Armour in Thieving & Dexterity checks ) .

No ideas how they would work in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy , but if toned down a bit could work .
We're still talking about 'Gumpton's spinning attack , while wearing a Girdle of Giant Strength' or 'Triphan's surprise attack & defeat of Sir Julius The Grey' decades later :-D

Kax · 03-07-2019, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Really? I can't think of a single PC in any game I've run that would have done that.

Unless it was actually Diabolical. Then there are few that would have destroyed it.

Vampiric (and they really don't like vamps after a couple of villains I threw at them) plus effectively sucked 9 CP from the character? Yeah, crunch.

Dalin · 03-07-2019, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Really? I can't think of a single PC in any game I've run that would have done that.

I've definitely run games where the players would happily toss magic items if they had negative aspects or if they just didn't fit the image that the character was going for.

And, I'll admit that I sometimes tend toward that myself. Maybe I've read LoTR too many times, but I'm always leery about magic items with a nasty twist. Even with casting Analyze Magic, I'm never 100% confident that we know all the details. And I'm not less powerful by skipping a magic item. But I could definitely imagine playing a character with a different sensibility. That's just closer to my natural take on it.

Dalin · 03-07-2019, 07:00 PM

Here are two, the first from my recent DFRPG campaign, the second dimly recalled from a GURPS 3e game from years ago.

Gold Scarab Amulet

Usually found in troves to ancient desert gods, these appear as small golden scarabs. as magically shrunken, dormant amulets. When a gold scarab amulet is thrown, it grows to full size (but still made of enchanted metal) and attacks as directed by the thrower for 1d minutes. The scarab vanishes if it is killed or when the time runs out.

I based the stats for the beetle on Bronze Spiders (DFRPG Monsters, p. 17). Basically a one-shot combat ally.

Box of Teleportation

A small wooden box with intricate carvings all over it. It has a hinged lid that fits closed very tightly. Inside is a space large enough for a small item, a decent sized pebble, or a few coins. If you put something into the box, the box becomes attuned to that location. Later, if you take the item out of the box, the bearer and the box teleport to the original location. This is effectively a one-way teleport, so not great in many situations, but it was the item to give to the scout when you sent them far ahead. Or to allow one PC to teleport out of the dungeon to get medical help or call on an ally or something like that.

dcarson · 03-07-2019, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Really? I can't think of a single PC in any game I've run that would have done that.

Unless it was actually Diabolical. Then there are few that would have destroyed it.

Very few of the people I play with would have used it. But if it wasn't Evil they'd figure someone would pay for it and no sense throwing away money.

Dustin · 03-07-2019, 10:25 PM

A thrusting broadsword of Persian style, with a slight curve and other stylistic indications that it was made in your grandfather's or great-grandfather's time. It is of Fine construction, with Accuracy +1 and Puissance +1, and a unique enchantment that doubles shock/pain penalties for creatures who lack High Pain Threshold (up to -8 in penalties), and inflicts normal shock/pain penalties (up to -4) even on creatures with High Pain Threshold or who are normally immune to shock/pain. Script worked into the side of the blade can be translated as "Excruciator".

Even though this sword is completely without intelligence, will, or personality of its own, the PCs ascribed evil intent to it, and found it unsettling to use, but far too useful to get rid of.

hal · 03-07-2019, 11:16 PM

One weapon I used in a Harn Campaign (using GURPS of course) involved a blade that had been enchanted to blind anyone it struck when its name was invoked during an attack. One player running a Sheriff character in Harn (based at Athelren) - when he discovered the blade was so repulsed by it that he had the blade destroyed.

Was a pretty nasty weapon to be sure...

03-06-2019, 04:06 PM	#1
hal Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Buffalo, New York	Magic Items you've used in your campaigns Hello Folks, As I put my creative juices to work populating a dungeon of sorts with all sorts of magical artifacts in my online FG campaign, I got to thinking "hey, maybe we could use a thread on "non-standard" magic items (artifacts) that others might steal for use in their campaigns. One ring that I'm putting into my campaign is a cursed ring. Its artwork has a lot of swirling lines in it, but if you look at it with your eyes sort of unfocused, it almost appears as those those lines hide multiple mouths within their design. An IQ-3 roll will discern those vague mouth shapes within the lines... This ring seems at first blush, to be a one college power stone. But, first blush is deceiving. For one, when the ring of Insatiable Power is worn and its energy stored is zero, it will steal 2 HP's per day from its wearer until they actively sacrifice energy to the ring (their own hit points are the only sacrifice the ring will accept). This 2 points of damage is hunger damage and requires 1 meal per point lost to recover from, otherwise it is not something that can be healed via spells or ordinary bed rest. Problem is - the energy reserve of the ring leaks at a rate of 1 energy per day. Secondly, for every HP sacrificed to the ring, it will store 3 energy in the reserves. When casting spells, if the spell is from the college the ring is attuned to, energy from the ring is 1 for 1. When casting spells NOT of the college's affiliation, it will take 2 energy from the reserve to equal 1 energy required for the spell. Thirdly, the person who allows the ring to feed off him, has to specify what wound he's willing to endure to feed the ring. A minor wound inflicts 1d6/2 damage. A major wound inflicts 1/2 the person's HP value in a single wound. A massive wound will inflict 3x a major wound. Within an inch of life means the wound inflicted is 1 point shy of requiring a death saving roll. Gravely is damage equal to 1 death saving roll., One step into my grave is 2 death saving rolls worth of damage, Two Steps into my grave is three death saving rolls worth, Mostly dead is four death saving rolls, and Unto Death means just that - unto the character's death. Keep in mind that unless the player character sacrifices energy in excess of its current energy level - any further sacrifices will not benefit him. Thus, the wearer can't donate a lesser wound daily and get it fully charged up after having charged it initially with a major wound's worth of self-sacrifice. Effectively, this "Artifact" is a parasite of sorts on its wearer. Chances are good that they will find out the hard way that you don't put on rings willy nilly. Since it was made from an unknown spell - it constitutes an unknown spell for purposes of Analyze Magic purposes. For what it is worth? I'm running a Black College Scenario where two player characters from the 1920's are entering into a private arrangement with the Devil. They get free tuition for three years - free of charge with the stipulation however, that the last person to leave the school grounds pays with his soul. Never one to be a nice guy, the Devil has offered his personal treasure trove to the player characters knowing that no one wants to be the last one to leave the college, but no one can resist grabbing a something for nothing kind of trinket on their way out. Lost gold treasures lay about in various rooms. The more gold you take, the slower you are when leaving, and thus, may potentially lose the deal. Some might fight over the possession of a 500 point power stone that is quirk-less. The Devil wins if one person murders the other. This counts almost as a two for one victory. Some of the things, when taken back to the realm of Man, may cause their own heart aches. Even something as simple as a disk of pure copper with 24 arcane symbols etched - as insurance against spell backfires when summoning demons, means that more demons will be summoned. In the end? If the player characters are smart, they will leave the school grounds IMMEDIATELY without any attempt to go treasure grabbing. If they can't avoid that temptation, then they'd be best to pick things that won't get them in the same room as their other fellow students. Who knows what someone might do to get their hands on a ring with 3 greater wishes imbued within, or a Silk Shirt that is the Bane of Poisoners, or my personal favorite: Pendant of Immoral Luck. Oddly enough, one player character was intrigued by its name and was told the following: "Pendant of Immoral Luck: While worn, any crime committed by its wearer will not be solvable as to who the true criminal is." The stipulation however, is that the crime must be committed out of sight of anyone who has witnessed the commission of the crime. In game terms, it makes any attempts to use forensics or anything else, to determine who committed the crime. The one player was told "Jack the Ripper was the last to wear it". Mind you, until the witness comes forward, the crime is still technically unsolvable by the others who didn't witness it. So even then, killing the witness to insure the unsolvable "clause" furthers the Deceiver's goals. It should be noted, that the phrase "When dining with the Devil, be sure to use a long handled spoon and count your fingers afterwards" might apply to the use of some of these magic items. ;)

03-07-2019, 02:37 PM	#2
Kax MIB Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: God's Own Country	Re: Magic Items you've used in your campaigns in that vein I had an NPC wearing a fine steel gauntlet that gave him ST +3, DR +4, and Fit. Very nice, pretty simple. The problem the PCs has with it were the teeth--very sharp and very real teeth--around the rim of the wrist that would bite into your arm while wearing it to power it. While worn it did continuous blood drain, reducing your HP by 3 and keeping it there. The NPC involved had worn the gauntlet for so long he'd spent the points to increase his HP by 3 to account for it. The PCs didn't even take it to a mage guild or anything, they destroyed it on the spot after determining it was basically powerless without blood. __________________ Paul May \| MIB 1138 (on hiatus)

03-07-2019, 03:36 PM	#4
Racer Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London, UK	Re: Magic Items you've used in your campaigns Was in an AD&D campaign a long time back where finely crafted Short Swords kept on cropping up - in the hands of a Goblin Warchief , as an infamous Swashbuckler's offhand weapon , resting on top of a Gnome King's Tomb etc . Magical and virtually unbreakable , after much experimenting appear to be of +1 enchantment with a +2 or +3 to parrying/disarming attempts . Our Half Elven Warrior/Rogue Swashbuckler/Swashbuckler (double Kit - GM allowed & encouraged it - and turned out to be a really good thing ) , used it as a primary weapon for a while , then switched it to his offhand when he acquired a Defender Rapier . Wasn't until a number of game years later we found what that they were : Equaliser Swords ! Creations of three Gnomish & a Dwarf Craftsman and enchanted by an Transvalant Archmage , for the Gnomish High King . In the hands of any Halfling , non Warrior Gnome or non Warrior Goblin ( Goblin bit was their flaw) , the gave the wielder an EQUAL To Hit & AC to any strong , high level and/or heavily Armed & Armoured human or humanoid opponents . The last of the eleven created had the additional bonus of doing equal damage as well & against Warriors of 6 or more Levels/Hit Dice greater than the wielder , then an extra +2 to Hit & to AC was added on top . Think rules were fudged a bit & that DM was trying to encourage more Gnomes & Halflings into the gaming group . It was hilarious to see an allied Halfling Warrior duel wielding a pair & - with buffs like Prayer , Protection From Evil , Negative Plane Protection etc - take down multiple Skeletal Warriors , a buffed Hobgoblin Champion and an Evil Clerical Enforcer in Field Plate Armour . All while wearing +2 Leather Armour ( of Hafling Construction - counted as no Armour in Thieving & Dexterity checks ) . No ideas how they would work in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy , but if toned down a bit could work . We're still talking about 'Gumpton's spinning attack , while wearing a Girdle of Giant Strength' or 'Triphan's surprise attack & defeat of Sir Julius The Grey' decades later :-D __________________ Five Gauss Guns on a Camper !!! The Resident Brit .

03-07-2019, 07:00 PM	#7
Dalin Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN	Re: Magic Items you've used in your campaigns Here are two, the first from my recent DFRPG campaign, the second dimly recalled from a GURPS 3e game from years ago. Gold Scarab Amulet Usually found in troves to ancient desert gods, these appear as small golden scarabs. as magically shrunken, dormant amulets. When a gold scarab amulet is thrown, it grows to full size (but still made of enchanted metal) and attacks as directed by the thrower for 1d minutes. The scarab vanishes if it is killed or when the time runs out. I based the stats for the beetle on Bronze Spiders (DFRPG *Monsters, p. 17). Basically a one-shot combat ally. Box of Teleportation* A small wooden box with intricate carvings all over it. It has a hinged lid that fits closed very tightly. Inside is a space large enough for a small item, a decent sized pebble, or a few coins. If you put something into the box, the box becomes attuned to that location. Later, if you take the item out of the box, the bearer and the box teleport to the original location. This is effectively a one-way teleport, so not great in many situations, but it was the item to give to the scout when you sent them far ahead. Or to allow one PC to teleport out of the dungeon to get medical help or call on an ally or something like that.

03-07-2019, 10:25 PM	#9
Dustin Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The former Chochenyo territory	Re: Magic Items you've used in your campaigns A thrusting broadsword of Persian style, with a slight curve and other stylistic indications that it was made in your grandfather's or great-grandfather's time. It is of Fine construction, with Accuracy +1 and Puissance +1, and a unique enchantment that doubles shock/pain penalties for creatures who lack High Pain Threshold (up to -8 in penalties), and inflicts normal shock/pain penalties (up to -4) even on creatures with High Pain Threshold or who are normally immune to shock/pain. Script worked into the side of the blade can be translated as "Excruciator". Even though this sword is completely without intelligence, will, or personality of its own, the PCs ascribed evil intent to it, and found it unsettling to use, but far too useful to get rid of. __________________ My gaming blog: Thor's Grumblings Keep your friends close, and your enemies in Close Combat.

03-07-2019, 11:16 PM	#10
hal Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Buffalo, New York	Re: Magic Items you've used in your campaigns One weapon I used in a Harn Campaign (using GURPS of course) involved a blade that had been enchanted to blind anyone it struck when its name was invoked during an attack. One player running a Sheriff character in Harn (based at Athelren) - when he discovered the blade was so repulsed by it that he had the blade destroyed. Was a pretty nasty weapon to be sure...