Ok, so I'll admit it; I've been kind of stingy with treasure. I've been trying to stick too close to wealth by level but my players have missed a couple big paydays and I've forgotten to re-calculate, resulting in my players having only masterworks and some one-shot consumables as they're nearing the end of 3rd level.
I want to make the next area of their adventure, some very dark and vile woods leading to a hag's lair, resound with a bit more flare. Also in talking with my players about treasure I've realized they've sold many of the alchemical items I've given them and used the cash to purchase material for scrolls.
Basically I'm getting from my players that they want more "fantastic" treasures. They've talked about minor magic items that keep you perpetually clean, perhaps a weapon or armor with a minor special effect or instead of a scroll a whole magical tome. Please offer your suggestions on how to pull this off.
Details: my party is APL 3 with an aspiring loremaster wizard, a know-it-all oracle, an archer cleric of Erastil, an alcoholic dwarf unbreakable fighter and a monk/dervish dancer bard.
"Cloak of many things"
1/day, the wearer may reach in the pocket of the cloak and throw set item out.
Roll a d100 and use the cloak of many things table.
Anything from a silver dagger to a big fat cow.
You would have to make the d100 table yourself though, I personally never got the time to do it myself :P
"Lucky clover"
A four leaf clover that can be activated once a day to re-roll a skill check, the player have to pick that new result.
What about a "Deadeye Flask": an everful flask of a mild alcohol that doesn't get you drunk, just calms your nerves; 3/day it gives you a minute of +1 Competence bonus to ranged attacks.
When my players mentioned having some fantastic items, kind of flashy, but then went off on having minor powers I thought "what if I just made cantrips into magic items?"
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Unrefined brain-spillage, mind your step;
The hag o' the woods has chained up a dryad as captive, and uses her in some undetailed way to create wands of entangle, charm person and deep slumber for her own use.
In addition to leftover wands on the hag, the dryad, if freed from the cold iron chains wrapped around her tree (enspelled to prevent her from leaving the tree), rewards her rescuers with some thin strips of wood or bark (thin enough to be slipped into a spellbook and used as a ‘bookmark’) with words in Sylvan which represent various spells and can be studied as a spellbook (for the wizard), or used once only (which erases the script) to swap out a spontaneous caster spell known of the appropriate level for the one inscribed on the stick (for the oracle or bard). Choose some spells available to oracles/bards/wizards, perhaps from newer sources like Ultimate Magic or the Advanced Player’s Guide, and everyone but the dwarf might find something they want to add to their spellbook, or use to replace one of their Spells Known (which don’t always scale well). The spells, if coming purely from the dryad, should probably follow themes of enchantment, plants, nature, etc. but the hag’s influence could lead to some odder choices, like transmutations, illusions or even necromancy.
The cleric might instead receive a few aberration bane arrows or undead bane arrows, or something that suits the ‘natural’ theme of Erastil (just not monstrous humanoid bane, because it strains credulity that the dryad happens to have some arrows that are bane against her hag captor hidden deep in the roots of her home tree).
The dwarf might receive a gourd that contains warm amber nectar, almost as thick as honey, but with a bitter iron afterbite that stains the teeth red. A swig of this ‘fey brandy’ might give even a dwarf a heady rush, complete with some minor magical benefit (effects of a bless spell? A single extra move action in the next minute? 5 temporary hit points? The bless spell or extra hit points might be more level appropriate, but the extra move action might scale up to remain useful longer. Making the temporary hit points equal to class level could combine the best of both worlds, granting +3 temp hp at 3rd level, and +10 temp hp at 10th level, remaining at least a tiny bit useful) that lasts for a minute. It contains one swig, but if filled with water, brews a new draught overnight, so that it can be used once per day. A less permanent version might be ‘sassafras’ roots that can be stirred into warm water to make a tea like draught, which can then be stoppered up and consumed later, allowing the dwarf to drink as many of them as he wants in a day, but only having a set number of ‘charges’ before he’s out of roots.
The (formerly) bound dryad might also serve as a contact of sorts, if you intend the action to remain in this same general area, in which case the hag might have an ‘eye of the coven’ sort of item that she uses to spy on the dryad, having carved a sigil into the tree, and being able to use her eye-amulet to scry on the tree (and speak to the dryad, even over great distances) for a number of minutes a day. After her death, the party could get hold of the hag’s eye and use it to occasionally converse with the dryad, or even receive communications from the dryad, warning them of danger or providing other NPC / quest-giver type guidance or nudges.
The treasure hoard is watched over by an animated puppet (sentient animated object) that always answers questions, but never the right ones.
hmmm my party is just about to be 5th:
A wanna-be rage prophet, a magus, a ronin and a oracle.
They have a GRAND total of: 5000 gold. Some silver xbow bolts, a silver dagger, a wand of clw, two masterwork sawtooth sabers, a couple of other random wands (magic missile and such) and thaaaats about it.... oh forgot about the ring of protection +1 ooh a magic item!
the magus will soon be able to give her whip effects. like flaming and such, I think it's kinda lame to eclipse character abilities with goodies that are readily available.
Of course massive treasure is fun. Havent really seen much since the days of 1e TBH.
A sword scabbard for a longsword lined with coatal feathers. A sword drawn from it is envenomed for the first strike that hits. DC 20 fort does 2D4 con to evil, 1D4 to neutral, and no harm to good.
Winged Boot:
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot feet; Price 2,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
This is the sole survivor of a once powerful pair of boots. The single pair of wings sprouted by this boot is not enough to allow anyone to fly - however, it can still help an agile wearer taking to air. If worn by someone with a dexterity of at least 13, it grants a +4 competence bonus to Jump and Fly checks, and reduce falling damage by 1d6. If the wearer has 9 or less dexterity, the shift in balance is more a hindrance than an aid; instead of the above bonuses the user takes a -2 penalty to jump, fly and acrobatics checks. The boot can be used three times per day, each time up to five minutes.
This item can't be crafted on purpose.
NOTE: Price is not based on guidelines but by my personal worth evaluation. Take with a ton of salt.
Hags often steal children.
Some sort of item that is based on a Teddy Bear. Either a modified fig of wonderous power or just a teddy bear of protection +1
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In keeping with my above theme I was thinking of another option that might be interesting in a "fantastic" 3rd level treasure trove.
Splinter- This seemingly inacuous wooden toy sword is fashioned from sturdy oak. One could imagine a child swinging this sword about as a pretend greatsword. It functions as a +1 longsword in the hands of a medium sized adult. Normally such a mundanely crafted item would not be enchanted much less be an intelligent item. The sword is imbued with the spirit of an elderly paladin who in his later years often was the trainer of young would be knights. The sword loves and encourages righteous battle, often crying aload with war cries and taunts toward the enemy. Extremely opinionated, and honorable to a fault the sword expects and trains his wielder not just in swordplay but in the makings of a prooper noble warrior. If you want this item sticking around for awhile it can have abilities unlocked over time. Perhaps the personality does not make itself know at first.