Ashamed by my performance in round one, I assigned myself the task of designing an item for each category. In case anyone has run out of items to critique elsewhere before it’s all maps - feel free to bash on these a bit!
**
Staff of the Hostile Haven
Aura strong conjuration and necromancy; CL 11th
Slot none; Price 26,500 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
Description
This staff is topped with a jagged, opaque stone that reshapes to match the wielder’s familiar. While touching the stone, the wielder’s familiar can enter the extradimensional space within as a move action. The haven contains one hour of air once entered, and no spells, abilities or effects can cross in or out of the haven except those already affecting the familiar or listed below. Only the familiar and up to 5 lbs. of carried or worn items may pass into the haven. Familiars in the haven can see, but not hear or smell, as if perched atop the staff. If capable of speech, familiars can telepathically communicate from the haven with anyone holding the staff. The haven is considered within arm’s reach of the staff’s wielder, who may recall a familiar from the haven with a command word. If the staff gains the broken condition, a familiar in the haven is expelled in a random adjacent square and takes 2d6 force damage, no save.
While a familiar is in the haven, a ghostly image of the familiar can deliver ranged touch attacks for spells cast from the staff, as if the wielder had previously cast spectral hand. This effect costs two additional charges, and the 1d4 hit points are deducted from the familiar.
This staff allows the use of the following spells:
Ghoul touch (1 charge)
Pilfering hand (1 charge)
Shocking grasp (1 charge)
Touch of idiocy (1 charge)
Construction
Requirements Craft Staff, ghoul touch, pilfering hand, rope trick, shocking grasp, spectral hand, stone shape, touch of idiocy, creator must have the familiar class feature; Cost 13,250 gp
**
Ring of Furious Resolve
Aura moderate abjuration; CL 7th
Slot ring; Price 10,000 gp; Weight -
Description
For each successful melee attack by the wielder, this ring grants a temporary +1 sacred bonus to the wearer’s will saves against fear, charm and compulsion effects, up to a total possible +4. This bonus always resets to +0 after one round, counting from when the first +1 bonus was granted.
Construction
Requirements Forge Ring, word of resolve; Cost 5,000 gp
**
Vanishing Crossbow
Aura moderate conjuration; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 7,380 gp; Weight 8 lbs.
Description
This +1 heavy crossbow fires normally when loaded, but when cocked, aimed and fired without any ammunition, it disappears. During the next 24 hours, whoever fired the vanished crossbow may launch one bolt from her hand as if from the crossbow, without having the crossbow in hand. This requires a standard action and provokes an attack of opportunity. Only one attack is granted until the crossbow is dry-fired again. A command word recalls the crossbow to hand. After 24 hours in its ethereal hiding place, the crossbow returns unbidden, performing a disarm combat maneuver (CMB 15) if necessary to replace anything held by the hands that fired it.
Construction
Requirements Craft Arms and Armor, secret chest; Cost 3,850 gp
**
Rod of Stagecraft
Aura strong illusion; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 16,200 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
Description
This hollow brass rod with lenses on each end has five small buttons and functions as a mundane telescope. Prized by theatre producers and despised by stage illusionists’ guilds, rods of stagecraft can store and replicate powerful images. Pressing the small circular button captures the likeness of one object or creature of huge size or less currently in view, replacing whatever likeness was held by the rod previously. Pressing the small triangular button creates a matching persistent image. Whoever holds the rod may direct or program the image. Pressing the large circular button captures the likeness of the rod’s surroundings, while pressing the larger triangular button creates a matching mirage arcana centered on the rod. The square button turns the rod invisible. The rod is continually protected with a mask dweomer effect, which if dispelled, reasserts itself after 10 minutes.
Construction
Requirements Craft Rod, invisibility, persistent image, mask dweomer, mirage arcana; Cost 8,100 gp
**
Scales of Equality
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th
Slot armor; Price 25,200 gp; Weight 35 lbs.
Description
Wearers of this +2 scale mail always apply the size bonus or penalty to CMD of the opponent attempting a combat maneuver against them. In addition, once the wearer has defended against a combat maneuver, successfully or not, the same bonus or penalty applies to the next combat maneuver against that opponent.
Construction
Requirements Craft Arms and Armor, enlarge person, reduce person; Cost 12,700 gp