Ross Byers

Round 1: Seer's Tea
Round 2: Terram

Seer's Tea


Open Call: Design a wondrous item

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Seer's Tea
This rich tea can be made from any number of herbs, and is greatly prized by village herbalists, adepts, and low-ranking priests. When the tea is brewed without a filter and imbibed, the drinker can read the patterns in the leaves remaining at the bottom of his or her cup, gaining the benefits of an Augury spell.

Additionally, the tea can be used as an extra material component when casting Augury, removing the need for a focus. In this case, the caster instead reveals information as if he or she had cast Divination instead.

One use, either to cast Augury or as an additional material component, consumes the tea. It is not possible to use two doses at once to produce the Divination effect.

Weak divination; CL 4th; Craft Wonderous Item, either Augury or Divination; Price 525 gp.; Cost to Create 275 gp + 10 XP

The Exchange Kobold Press

I was expecting something better than an augury item, but this is actually better than average for those. For one thing, it's consumed by use (which is smarter than all those coins: there's a cost to choosing to use it).

And it rewards casters who already have augury available. Not bad.

Legendary Games, Necromancer Games

Good flavor. It is truly a wondrous item--something common with special abilities. It is focused and interesting and players would want it--bumping an augury to a divination is great. My players would love to memorize a couple extra augurys and turn them into "divs" as they call them. Plus, its a good low level item that also retains its relevance at higher levels. I think this is pretty good.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

Yes, I agree. The tea element is conceptually interesting, and the one-use aspect means it won't become an annoyance. This is the best of the augury items so far, which is saying something because there have been about five of them.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

LOL. How quaint it was back on November 5th when I thought there were only FIVE augury items.

More like 35.

Still, this is a pretty good one...

Weak keep.

The Exchange Kobold Press

After 30-some augury items, this one is still my favorite of the breed.

Keep.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

Kept.

Sovereign Court

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

...this is one of my favorites :)

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

I can't believe I made it.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka SmiloDan

Yeah, this is a really great item. It boosts 1 spell, it's expendable, and is useful without being game breaking.
Maybe I've been reading too many C.J. Cherryh "Foreigner" novels, but drinking tea is exciting!


Ross Byers wrote:
I can't believe I made it.

I can - nice job!

Silver Crusade

Wolfgang Baur wrote:

I was expecting something better than an augury item, but this is actually better than average for those. For one thing, it's consumed by use (which is smarter than all those coins: there's a cost to choosing to use it).

And it rewards casters who already have augury available. Not bad.

Woot! I wrote the "coins" one! At least it was enough to remember!

Mark

Scarab Sages Marathon Voter Season 7

Mark Brehob wrote:
Wolfgang Baur wrote:

I was expecting something better than an augury item, but this is actually better than average for those. For one thing, it's consumed by use (which is smarter than all those coins: there's a cost to choosing to use it).

And it rewards casters who already have augury available. Not bad.

Woot! I wrote the "coins" one! At least it was enough to remember!

Mark

That would make two of us with coin auguries

:-D

Though I would guess I was in that first five. :p

Scarab Sages Marathon Voter Season 7

Oh, and I can admit this one was a better use of augury than mine. :)

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Wolfgang Baur wrote:
I was expecting something better than an augury item,

I was re-reading and I caught this. What where your expectations based on? I don't have reputation that I know of. Was it the name? If so, I'm glad I picked a good one.

The Exchange Kobold Press

Ross Byers wrote:
Wolfgang Baur wrote:
I was expecting something better than an augury item,
I was re-reading and I caught this. What where your expectations based on? I don't have reputation that I know of. Was it the name? If so, I'm glad I picked a good one.

There were more than 30 augury-based items, most of them coins; after a while, just seeing the word "augury" made me wonder about the originality of the entry.

The item's name made the first impression, good or bad (author names were hidden from the judges). I was expecting something other than an augury item based on the name; after a while, I came around and became this item's champion, but it's a clear case where a cool name may have oversold the item.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Wolfgang Baur wrote:


There were more than 30 augury-based items, most of them coins; after a while, just seeing the word "augury" made me wonder about the originality of the entry.

I blame the lack of diversity among Divination spells. Especially low level ones.

As far as the name overselling it, what kind of item would you expect from a Seer's tea?

The Exchange Kobold Press

Ross Byers wrote:
As far as the name overselling it, what kind of item would you expect from a Seer's tea?

I don't honestly know what I was expecting: I have a divination article that I have half-written for Kobold Quarterly that tries to do some interesting things with the school, but ....

More like precognition or clairaudience, perhaps. It's hard to remember what your expectations are in the moment between reading a name and then clicking to the item text.

What sold it was the way the mechanic worked around augury's problems. Solid design.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Wolfgang Baur wrote:
What sold it was the way the mechanic worked around augury's problems. Solid design.

Thank you very much. That was exactly my intent.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6 aka adanedhel9

A wonderful implementation of a supernatural standard. I especially like that it retains its usefulness even if the party caster already has augury.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8 , Star Voter Season 6

I like it. Might steal this right out.

It's definately my cup of tea (had to say it)


Cheaper than a scroll of divination (750) so good for characters at lower levels that can't cast divination yet and can't afford the divination scroll and you don't have to worry about mishaps.

Mechanic of using it with spell to improve the spell is very cool. Kind of inline with Unearthed Arcana's magical spell components.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

adanedhel9 wrote:
A wonderful implementation of a supernatural standard. I especially like that it retains its usefulness even if the party caster already has augury.

Thank you.

Matthew Morris wrote:

I like it. Might steal this right out.

It's definately my cup of tea (had to say it)

Help yourself. Enjoy.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Pretty cool. I too like how it rewards a caster, but is usable by any one..

Perhaps anyone with Decipher Script skill can gain the benefits of the Augury at a higher caster level?

35 Augury?
Jeez..

I wonder if my brave (but doomed) attempt to use Legend Lore counted in that number....


I really like this. IMO this is one of the two best items. I'm really looking forward to seeing your country.

Scarab Sages

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber

This is very cool, like the barbarian chew in the RotRLPG, but with magical affects. Consider it 'borrowed' for my current RotRL game.

(rofl..this is becoming like a free Wondrous Item Handbook!!)

Liberty's Edge

Mactaka wrote:

This is very cool, like the barbarian chew in the RotRLPG, but with magical affects. Consider it 'borrowed' for my current RotRL game.

(rofl..this is becoming like a free Wondrous Item Handbook!!)

Agreed! So far, it's all good for yoinkin.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

CastleMike wrote:
IMO this is one of the two best items. I'm really looking forward to seeing your country.

Really? There are some good 'uns. (Thanks.) I hope my country doesn't disappoint.

Mactaka wrote:
Consider it 'borrowed' for my current RotRL game.

You're welcome.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Nice item. I like the consumable aspect. It would have been good, though, to have a description for finding or making multiple doses.

Mactaka wrote:
(rofl..this is becoming like a free Wondrous Item Handbook!!)

Isn't that part of the general idea ;)

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Jeb Boyt wrote:
Nice item. I like the consumable aspect. It would have been good, though, to have a description for finding or making multiple doses.

I wanted to, but to say more than 'is frequently found in multiples' took up too many words for too little gain. I think it's better off without it: I think most DMs can figure out how to place multiple doses if they want to.

Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Clouds Without Water

Nice concept, makes sense, everyone would get it. Fills a need without being overpowered. I'd add a bit more ceremony around it, but that's me. :-)


Love the idea of tea based magic items. I'm a big fan of the Avatar the last Airbender series, one character 'Uncle Iroh' has a love of fine teas. I could see him having access to something like this as well as some other fine teas.

I can already see a new line of tea magic forming.

Perhaps a Meditative Tea that allows for less rest between spell memorization, though if over used it could have some nasty side effects as well as being extremely addictive.

An Energizing Tea that allows one to resist the effects of fatigue for a limited time could also be useful.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka Darkjoy

Nicely done.

Get cracking on that country!

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7

Darkjoy wrote:


Get cracking on that country!

Trying to.

Sovereign Court

I could see this item coming from the varisian natives or from Minkai.

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka JoelF847

Nifty item. A much better choice of a traditional divination method than to have written up a magical set of cow entrails! :)


Clouds Without Water wrote:
Nice concept, makes sense, everyone would get it. Fills a need without being overpowered. I'd add a bit more ceremony around it, but that's me. :-)

Couldn't have said it better.

I'd love to give this and the coin belt of beguiling to the "beautiful and mysterious Gypsy fortuneteller" NPC in the Gypsy caravan that the PCs meet up with at a rest stop while on the road.

My favourite thing about this item is how it is based on a traditional "real world" form of divination (tasseography, or tea-leaf reading). It got me thinking about other traditional divination techniques and how they might be co-opted in a similar way (though I have to agree with Joel that magic entrails of divination might be pushing things a bit...)

This could easily make it into my top 10.

Sarelth wrote:
I can already see a new line of tea magic forming.

Great extension of the "magical tea" concept Sarelth. It wouldn't be at all difficult to come up with a tonne of others - just start from the various claims made about different "herbal/aromatherapy" teas and convert to magic effects. :-)

:-j(enni)


Zootcat wrote:
I could see this item coming from the varisian natives or from Minkai.

So you think tea should come from the Golarion parallel of Japan...

:|


Matrissa the Enchantress wrote:
This could easily make it into my top 10.

While it didn't quite make it to the top 10 it is still one of only 14 items that made it onto my "personal favourites" list. I will be keeping my eye on Ross' progress as the contest continues. :-D

:-j(enni)


I like the fact that the item is consumed and the flavor is nice (no pun intended), but otherwise it's a bit meh.

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