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Old 03-19-2021, 09:20 AM   #10
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
Default Re: Valuable magic items that are useless in combat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anomylous View Post
I agree that "Remove Cursed Item" should be able to free and "reset" a Holdfast Spike. I'd rule that you can't easily dig it out and scrape it off; once you get your shovel (or pick) underneath it, it will take a ton of force to pry that chunk of earth loose from the ground/rock face/whatever. (Better idea: harness a few yoke of oxen to it, or an elephant...ITL mentions that even a horse can sometimes overpower a single Holdfast Spike, and then the spike is reusable.)

As for valuable magic items useless in combat, I ran across the idea of "wind knots" someplace. It's a string with knots tied in it. Untie a knot and it summons a moderate wind, blowing from a random direction (or wherever the prevailing wind would normally come from). I suppose the effect would last for a few hours. Very useful for a becalmed ship's captain, or a windmill operator. I suppose a clever tactician might be able to utilize it to blow toxic fumes towards the enemy, or create problems for archers trying to make long range shots, but overall it's definitely geared towards commerce not combat. I don't know why it should be knots in a piece of string, but I guess if nothing else, that's a nice concrete way of representing "charges."
I thought you were making a bad pun using the fact that wind is traditionally measured in knots, at least for sailors.
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