More Magic Items From Western Folklore

[clavis123]

Here are some more magic items inspired by actual Western folktales and practices. They can help add a touch of authenticity to dark fantasy, historically-based, or gritty campaigns.

Bell of Repulsion

A bell of this nature can vary in size from a small hand bell to massive examples to be mounted in a tower. When rung, a Bell of Repulsion creates creates a zone of Protection From Evil everywhere within earshot. The zone only last for as long as the bell is being rung, however. The bell must be rung intentionally, and ringing it is the only action a character can perform in a round.

Adventure Seed: The adventurers must race against time to obtain the final ingredient needed to finish the enchantment of a large Bell of Repulsion for the Lord's castle. Otherwise, everyone inside will certainly be killed by the army of demons sent by the Lord's disinherited brother, who is now a warlock.

Value: 10,000 Experience: 5,000

Bell of Necromancy

Once per night this enchanted bell can be rung over a grave or corpse in order to summon a Wraith. The Wraith is not automatically under the control of the Bell's user, however, and some other means of influence must be employed to prevent the Wraith from instantly attacking.

Adventure Seed: the adventurers have been paid to steal a precious ring from the tomb of a prominent local family. Unfortunately, the local necropolis has suddenly become too dangerous to enter, due to the sudden appearance of three fearsome wraiths. The three wraiths are actually the spirits of a local butcher, and a pair of young lovers who used the necropolis for assignations. The young man had unknowingly stolen a Bell of Necromancy, and rang it so his lady could find him in the dark. That summoned the wraith of the butcher, who proceeded to slay the lovers and trap them in undeath. The party must somehow deal with the wraiths in order to steal the ring.

Value: 8,000 Experience: 3,000

Black Pullet

A living magic item, the Black Pullet is created by an intricate ritual involving a black hen made to incubate one of her own eggs in conditions of perfect darkness. The magical chick that emerges is completely black in color, with skin, feathers, eyes, and talons of the same ebon hue. The Black Pullet grows and eats like a normal fowl, but is not subject to spells or magical effects which target animals or magical beasts.

The Black Pullet can detect gold of any quantity within 300 feet of itself, regardless of any intervening objects. The owner need merely put the Pullet on the ground and the beast will walk in the direction of the gold, scratching and pecking at solid obstructions to indicate where its owner should look. The Pullet cannot locate gold magically hidden from detection, however.

A Black Pullet is only usable for the lifespan of a normal chicken, 10-16 years. If it is attacked in combat, it is AC 5 and has 1 hit point. It is as noisy as a normal chicken, and thus is of limited use to most thieves. Nonetheless, a owner who publicly admits to possessing a Black Pullet can expect to attract the attention of speculators, burglars, harlots, and tax collectors.

Adventure Seed: For their faultless service as enforcers, a wizard gifts the adventurers with a Black Pullet. The creature quickly turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing, as the local Thieves Guild decides that the PCs must be holding excess wealth that is in need being liberated.

Value: 8,500gp Experience: 1000

Book of Spirits

A Book of Spirits is an item of extreme power that allows a wizard to instantly summon one or more Extraplaner creatures. It usually takes the form of a large volume bound in strange hides, edged in exotic metals, and encrusted with gems. Only a wizard can employ a Book of Spirits.

A wizard who wishes to use a Book of Spirits must first convince or coerce (by magic or threats) one or more extraplaner creatures to magically imprint their true names and special symbols into the pages of the book. Once a particular creature has signed the Book of Spirits (voluntarily or involuntarily), the items' possessor can thereafter summon that creature once a day. Such summoning requires that the Wizard speak the name signed in the book, and trace the creature's symbol with a finger or other pointed object. The process takes 1 minute per hit die of the creature.

Summoned creatures are not automatically under any kind of control. Infernal beings summoned by the Book will almost certainly try to destroy their summoner, unless proper precautions and magical protections are used, or the being has a previous pact with the summoner. A Book of Spirits is thus extremely hazardous for any but the most advanced and powerful magicians to employ. Many tales tell of apprentice wizards who gained access to their master's Book of Spirits, only to be dragged off to awful torment by uncontrollable demons.

A Book of Spirits will contain anywhere from 20-80 pages. Each creature's symbol and true name takes up 1 page per hit die it possesses. Under no circumstances are filled books of this kind ever available for sale. It is usual for a Book of Spirits to be guarded by additional magical protections, such as Antipathy and Fire Trap spells.

Adventure Seed: A wizard's favorite concubine somehow gained access to the wizard's Book of Spirits, accidentally summoning a powerful extraplaner creature that fled back to its home plane with both the woman and the book. The wizard hires the adventurers to penetrate the creature's strange fortress, and return with his concubine and Book of Spirits. Naturally, the adventurers will find that the creature they are sent after has himself started using the magic of the Book...

Value: 10,000 per page if blank* Experience: 20,000

* An inscribed Book of Spirits is effectively an artifact, and priceless.

Imp Bottle

This strange item can take various forms, from a small ball of crystal, to a large gem (sometimes set in a ring or sword), to a crudely-wrought bottle of stoppered glass. In all cases, the item's function is identical. Upon command (or upon opening, in the case of an actual bottle), an actual Imp will be released from the container. The Imp will obey any commands given to it, but will always seek to perform its tasks in the most malevolent way possible. The Imp will likewise constantly tempt its possessor to acts of evil. The Imp will never directly disobey it's owner, however. The Imp can be commanded back into its bottle at will. If the Imp is slain the bottle becomes an ordinary item.

Adventure Seed: A local card shark seems to be unbeatable. After losing a considerable sum to the shark while gambling, the local priest asks the adventurers to investigate. The card shark is actually the possessor of an Imp Bottle. The imp hides, spies on his master's opponents, and sends his master coded messages indicating their cards.

Value: 10,000gp Experience: 2,000

Dowsing Rod

This forked branch of enchanted hazel wood is shaped like the letter "Y". The rod is used by holding the branched arms of the rod loosely in the hands, with the central projection in front. By concentrating on a desired substance (water, gold, etc.) the user of a Dowsing Rod can often detect its presence within 100 feet. Every time the rod is used, the CK should secretly roll a d6. On a 1-3, the rod functions correctly. A roll of 4-5 indicates that the user of the rod cannot detect anything. On a 6, it gives a false positive reading. The Dowsing Rod can be used up to 12 times a day.

Adventure Seed: After a prolonged drought, a dowser comes to town promising to find hidden water, and he is unusually successful. He starts bedding the women of the town, however, and the men want him gone. The adventurers are paid to get rid of him and take his dowsing rod, in whatever way is most convenient. Unknown to all, the dowser is actually a disguised celestial creature, sent to test the town's virtue.

Value: 4,500gp Experience: 1000

Egg of Curse Removal

This strange item appears to be an ordinary egg from a chicken or duck. When rubbed over a character's body, however, the Egg will function like a Remove Curse spell from a 9th Level caster. The Egg can only be used once. If it is broken after removing a curse, the white and yolk will be revealed to have turned a disgusting greenish black color.

An unused Egg of Curse Removal may be mistakenly eaten. No ill effects will occur if this happens.

Should anyone be insane enough to eat a used Egg of Curse removal, they will immediately be inflicted with whatever Curse was removed by the Egg.

Adventure Seed: After offending a local fortune teller, a PC is inflicted with the Curse of Three Hundred and Seven Gluttonous Worms. Since none of the local priests is strong enough in his faith to remove the curse, the adventurers must find the ritual that enchants the Egg of Curse Removal.

Value: 500gp Experience: 300

Hag Stone

This unusual item appears to be a flattish stone with a hole in the center. Possession of such an enchanted stone protects a character from all attacks by the various Hags (including the Annis, the Greenhag, and the Nighthag). Hags are unable to physically touch the protected person, or use any magic in their presence. Any magic currently being used by a Hag when they encounter such a stone will be instantly deactivated. If a Hag Stone is hung up in an enclosed room of a house, it will prevent a Hag from entering that room at all.

Adventure Seed: A new brothel has opened up, licensed by the town but without the sanction of the local Thieves' Guild. The ladies are so beautiful that all of the brothels controlled by the Thieves' Guild are losing business. Every enforcer sent to put pressure on the madam has either disappeared, turned coat, or been found mutilated the next morning. In desperation the Guild hires the adventurers to investigate. In actuality, the brothel is a covey of Hags. The adventurers will be overwhelmed by the Hags' powers unless they can find the Hag Stone rumored to lost at the bottom of a local lake. Naturally, the lake is inhabited by its own monsters.

Value: 17,000gp Experience: 4,000

[Lurker]

Calvis

Good items, I'll definitely copy/use them when I get to game again!

Quote:
Bell of Repulsion

A bell of this nature can vary in size from a small hand bell to massive examples to be mounted in a tower. When rung, a Bell of Repulsion creates creates a zone of Protection From Evil everywhere within earshot. The zone only last for as long as the bell is being rung, however. The bell must be rung intentionally, and ringing it is the only action a character can perform in a round.

Adventure Seed: The adventurers must race against time to obtain the final ingredient needed to finish the enchantment of a large Bell of Repulsion for the Lord's castle. Otherwise, everyone inside will certainly be killed by the army of demons sent by the Lord's disinherited brother, who is now a warlock.

Value: 10,000 Experience: 5,000

I was thinking about an item like this today. On a whim I sat my 2 little ones down and watched fantasia. The ending for "bald mountain" had my thinking about an adventure where the party had to defend the town all night and survive to ring the bell at sunrise.
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society

[Omote]

As always, Clavis really brings some thoughtfull, and really interesting magic items to the C&C game. Clavis, seriously, why haven't you written a book or .pdf supplement yet?!
~O
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Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[clavis123]

Omote wrote:
As always, Clavis really brings some throughtful, and really interesting magic items to the C&C game. Clavis, seriously, why haven't you written a book or .pdf supplement yet?!
~O

Thank you! I am planning to release all the Medieval bestiary monsters I posted on these forums a while back as a single work, perhaps with some additional material. I'd love to have them all illustrated in medieval style, and perhaps have the work laid out like a medieval illuminated manuscript. At very least I'd like for people who want to use them to have a single work to refer to. As for the folkloric magic, I'd like to finish the Western ones, and move on to items from the African Diaspora (things like Zombie powder, hotfoot powder, mojo bags, goofer dust, magical baths, etc.) There's a world of folklore still to be described in game terms!

[Omote]

clavis123 wrote:
I am planning to release all the Medieval bestiary monsters I posted on these forums a while back as a single work, perhaps with some additional material.

Now THAT is fantastic!!!

~O
_________________
> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[Lurker]

Omote wrote:
Now THAT is fantastic!!!

~O

Me too!

Quote:
As for the folkloric magic, I'd like to finish the Western ones, and move on to items from the African Diaspora (things like Zombie powder, hotfoot powder, mojo bags, goofer dust, magical baths, etc.) There's a world of folklore still to be described in game terms!

To true and I'm sure there will be some neat info you dig up/put out!
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society

[dachda]

Omote wrote:
Now THAT is fantastic!!!

~O

Most definitely fantastic!
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Margrave and Knight of Portlandia
Castles & Crusades Society