I tried posting this earlier, but it was a '0-post' item and could not be opened. This is a second attempt...
I am making 12 magic items for my game and I am looking for feedback as to their power level, suggested cost and such. I'm going to post 3-4 at a time and will eventually figure out cost & requirements, though any suggestions in that area would be appreciated.
Pouch of Stability – this stained leather pouch has a bitter smell and slightly oily texture. It prevents food, drink, and alchemical bombs, from spoiling or going inert. Food and drink is as fresh as when it was placed in the pouch, and alchemical bombs are held stable for a moment before exploding. The bomb’s effects are determined when placed in the pouch by the alchemist and are not alterable. Due to limited stability, the delay bomb and precise bomb discoveries may not be applied to bombs from the pouch. Additionally, there is a risk of a bomb exploding prematurely – when thrown by an alchemist, an attack roll of natural ‘1’ causes the bomb to blow up in the alchemist’s hand, while a natural ‘2’ explodes midway towards the target. If a non-alchemist throws a bomb, a natural ‘1-2’ explodes in their hand, and a natural ‘3-4’ explodes midway to the target.
The pouch has no affect on elixirs or mutagens.
Golden Alembic – this piece of alchemical gear is trimmed in gold. In addition to its normal function in creating alchemical reagents, can alter potions poured into it twice a day by adding 20 gp worth of chemicals into the mix (requires a DC 15 + 2*LV of the potion craft-alchemy check or the potion is ruined). Once a potion is drunk from the alembic, it stays dormant in the user until 1 hour passes, or as a swift action by the drinker (as an immediate action for 3rd level or higher alchemists). It takes an hour for the chemical reaction to complete when mixing chemicals with a potion, as well as a source of fire to warm the mixture. Drinking from the Alembic is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity (the fluid’s volume is more then double the amount of the initial potion).
The Golden Alembic grants an alchemist a +2 circumstance bonus with alchemy checks when used to brew potions or create alchemical items. Tougher then mundane glassware, the alembic has 2 hardness and 4 HP.
Sanguine Bracers – leather bracers, each with raised vampiric face made of bronze and with braided hair that is made up of twisting sequences of alchemical script. The inside of the bracers feature the same face, though flat against the surface rather then raised. The alchemical script that makes up the hair is different then that on the outside. A DC 20 perception check is required to notice this minor detail.
A linguist DC 25 check, or craft-alchemy 18 check, allows for the script to be interpreted into the command words, requiring a check for each side (if the difference is even noted). The first command word causes the vampiric face to open its mouth for a full round – during which time fluid (up to a potions worth) can be poured into it. Once the face consumes fluid, it may not be opened again until the second command word has been given. When the second command word is given, the face on the inside of the bracers open and bite the arm wearing it, inflicting 1d3 damage, but causing the fluid inside the bracer to be injected into the wearer, as if drunk by the wearer. In the case of potions, poisons, drugs, and elixirs – treat as if consumed by the wearer. In the case of inappropriate fluids (alchemical acid, glue, etc), the wearer is stunned for d4 rounds unless they make a successful fortitude DC 18 save. If the fluid has damage associated with it (alchemical fire, acid, etc) the wearer suffers double damage as well.
The command words may be made as move actions that do not provoke an attack of opportunity, though pouring a potion into a bracer as a standard action that does provoke an attack of opportunity.
The bracers provide little in the way of protection but they have 10 resistance to fire and acid damage. Most pairs of Sanguine Bracers have only 1 capable of holding fluid, but there are superior sets that are each capable of holding fluid and have slightly different command words (both do not trigger with a single command word).
Hyde’s Mask – these disturbing masks vary in appearance, but all share distorted features, a sweaty or oily sheen, and alter the voice and eyes of the wearer to convey barely restrained rage and insanity. The mask must be worn for 24 contiguous hours before its abilities can come into play. While worn, the user gains a +4 circumstance bonus to intimidate checks, although he also suffers a –4 to diplomacy skill checks and all perform, craft and profession checks to earn money. It allows its wearer to trigger rage at 5th level (per the spell) on themselves only without provoking an attack of opportunity. Once the rage ends, the wearer must make a will DC 15 save or suffer 1d4 charisma damage. This ability can be used up to 5 times a day.
When worn by a character able to rage or use mutagens, there are additional benefits gained. They gain a +4 bonus to save against the charisma damage. After using a mutagen within the last 4 hours, the character can trigger a 2nd mutagen effect (duplicating the prior mutagen stat adjustments from the prior use) for 2 minutes as a move action, once per day. A character that uses rage gains 1 extra round of rage with each use that does not count against his daily total.
I'll attempt a couple:
Golden Alembic:
CL - 8th
Price: 4400 gp
Sanguine Bracers:
CL- 5th
Price: 1800 gp (single), 7200 gp (pair)
All four of these are nice enough flavor-wise but have some fiddly bits that need adjusting.
The Pouch of Stability: Obviously, this is an item that's based on Gentle Repose for enchantment purposes. Rather than the complicated mechanics of which bombs can be stored and all the rest, I'd just make it a bit like a handy haversack with a refrigerator compartment. Give it one main compartment which stores "meals" at the exact temperature and quality that they went in. Go to the inn and order a nice meal, pop it in one of the pizza box compartments, take it out three years later still hot and fresh. Then have a separate compartment for alchemical bombs with a set number of slots. Make it like a soda machine where it only dispenses one per round so the alchemist can't unload a dozen bombs at once. Add in a little flavor where the bomb compartments can also be used to hold beverages.
The Golden Alembic: Why does a distillation apparatus double the volume of a potion distilled? If anything it should concentrate the potion. And you wouldn't drink from the whole alembic, just the cucurbit.
The Sanguine Bracers: Nice name, but vampires smack more of necromancy than alchemy. I'd swap it over to having a leech and/or serpent motif. An amphisbaena, the double-headed serpent, would be particularly appropriate. (I'll note that I did an item years ago for Talislanta that did the same thing, but was a serpent bracelet that injected the potions.)
Hyde's Mask: Cute, but I'd have to evaluate it in play. What if you have an alchemist/barbarian? Do they get to use both bennies or only one since it's only once per day?
Story Teller’s Pipe – a carved wood or meerschaum pipe, it enhances the flavor of pipe weed, and always burns smoothly. While in use, suggestive imagery is hinted at in the smoke, helping to convey the smoker’s words. While smoking, others are at +2 sense motive against the smoker and linguist checks to understand him. The smoker gains a +4 to transmit secret messages by use of bluff skill.
If smoked during an oratory performance check to earn money for the day, it grants a +4 to the check. When used for the bardic enthrall and fascinate abilities, each 4 rounds of use counts as 1 round (minimum of 1 round) of daily use. When used with the spell enthrall, the save DC is increased by +2. The benefits to checks and DC only affect creatures able to see the smoke cloud the pipe produces. Finally, once a day, the smoker can create an obscuring mist effect (as the spell), but the caster must use a move action each round to continue puffing on the pipe or the effect ends.
Damocles’ Sheath – this plain appearing dagger sheath holds a terrible power, empowering the user to potentially slay a creature days before they become aware of the strike. Once a day, as a swift action, the sheath grants a dagger drawn from it to be capable of making a Damocles’ strike for a single attack, one with a delayed effect. An attack roll is still required but since no pain or perception of contact occurs during the strike, the attacker can make a slight of hands check to place the dagger into the target without their noticing. This attack is not specially concealed, so placing the blade into a creature in front of others without their seeing it is a difficult task. Assuming the attack succeeds, the dagger sinks into the target without harm. Damage is determined at this time, taking into account spells, feats, and abilities, as well as any poison, disease, or spell effect active on the blade at the time, though nothing occurs until a later time. The target displays no effect to outward examination, although true sight or more powerful spells can see the ghostly image of the dagger sticking out of the targets back, and arcane sight or more power spells will detect a necromantic aura about the subject.
The owner of the sheath can command the dagger strike to trigger as a standard action, so long as the target is on the same plane as he, or at the time of the strike, a specific condition can be set to trigger the strike. Until the attack is triggered, a remove curse against a DC 25 can be made, removing the dagger without harm, negating all pending effects. While the target is within an anti-magic field, the dagger is incapable of being triggered, and a dispel magic DC 25 makes the dagger visible for 1 round, though a remove curse is still required to remove it. Break enchantment and higher level spells that function to negate curses may also target the dagger.
Until the dagger strike is triggered, the sheath may not be used. Any owner of the sheath becomes aware of the pending strike, though not who the target is. Once the attack is triggered, the dagger is destroyed, decaying into black powder that cannot be divined for information on the prior wielder of the dagger. Intelligent daggers are allowed a DC 20 will save to prevent its use in a Damocles’ strike.
Mercury Mirror – this hand mirror is made of silver with abstract and arcane marks. Its reflective surface is polished silver rather then glass. If pressure is applied to its surface, it becomes mercurial, though no mercury spills out nor can be taken from it. A spell-trigger item, it allows the user to create a divinatory eye once a day** as a full round action, the silvery eye rising from the mirror’s surface. It functions as the spell arcane eye except: all the eye sees is reflected in the mirror’s surface, the eye is visible with a DC 20 perception roll, and has a 20 AC and 5 HP.
If the user expends a spells or spell slots totaling 4 or more levels while triggering its use, then that use does not count against its once a day limit. Once the daily use has been expended, though, this option is not available.
While held but not in use for the creation or control of an arcane eye, the caster gains a +2 AC against ray attacks so long as he retains his dexterity against that ray attack (not while blind, surprised, etc).
The mirror has 5 hardness 5 HP.
Hunter’s Arrow – this +1 arrow grants the person who fires it (hence forth referred to as the attacker) exceptional abilities to track and perceive a target wounded by it for 24 hours. As a free action, the attacker is aware of the general direction of the target so long as it remains on the same plane. As a move action, the attacker can pinpoint the attacker to a 5’ square so long as he is within 5 miles. The attacker gains a +5 circumstance bonus perception checks to perceive the target, is able to see them as if they had see invisibility spell (the target only), and automatically knows if the target teleports or steps into another plane. If the target is a favored enemy (per ranger), a target of your judgment (per inquisitor), or of your smite (per paladin), double the perception bonus to perceive the target.
Honor Blade – this +1 dagger allows a creature to issue a challenge to up to 4 foes, forcing them to accept battle with them alone. Once per day, as an attack action, the dagger is thrown between the wielder and the targets of the challenge, with a DC 17 will save, with a cavalier gaining a +1 per 4 levels bonus to the DC if combined with his challenge ability. The wielder can target up to 4 targets so long as they can perceive the dagger when the challenge is made. If they fail their save, they are required to spend all their actions opposed to the challenger (attack, insult, impair), surrender to him. He may not flee, though he could use total defense to protect himself. Spell casters, while unable to flee, are free to use any and all spells, abilities, and items to their advantage against the challenger.
The challenge is negated if the challenger flees or attacks creatures other then the challenged foes, if the challenger’s allies attack or impair the targets (such as an ally wizard casting a slow spell on the challenge targets). The challenge lasts 5 rounds + 1 round per level of cavalier the challenger has. While the challenge is active, the dagger may not be removed from the surface it struck when the challenge was issued.
Responses to Space Mantis & Kevin Murphy, as well as further thoughts
Golden Alembic
The skill bonus is 400 (bonus squared*100). Among other things, I’ve been thinking – how do you trigger it on need? I was thinking anger to stoke the internal fires, meaning rage (the spell or ability) automatically triggers it, the spell calm emotion prevents its use, as does appropriate spells and circumstances (such as fear or the spell crushing despair, uncontrollable laughter, and perhaps even perform comedy). Unlike the bracers, I’d limit this to potions only, no extracts, mutagens, or elixirs. The skill check and minor cost are not too limiting assuming you have a competent alchemist. A dispel magic that targets a creature with a potion being held in abeyance should have a chance of destroying the potion. I like the 4400 gp price.
As to the increased time to drink - while it is a tool for distillation, the 20 gp of extra alchemical fluids is intended to be composed of a fairly large volume, then reduced to a larger then initial fluid. Instead of thinking of it as drinking a shot, how about a thick frothy pint? Also, it can be changed to a standard action to trigger, simply granting the ability to trigger a potion without provoking an attack of opportunity, and perhaps have a hidden ace in your sleeve if captured (gaseous form is awful handy when you find yourself in prison or chained to an anchor!). Hmmm.
Moderate transmutation (plus aura of stored fluid); CL 6th; craft miscellaneous items or brew potion, creator must 6+ ranks in alchemy, be a caster or extract creator of at least 6th level; Price 4400 gp
Sanguine Bracers
Command word activation items require standard actions, making this a bit handier for its ease of use. It is capable of transmitting elixirs in addition to potions. Extracts can be used, but they only work for the alchemist who brewed them. The fact you must use an existing potion, elixir, or extract to use it is a bit limiting and the minor damage is annoying, but the ability to have it ready at the drop of a move action hat is nice, giving it as versatile as the spell storing feature of magic weapons (in my humble yet deluded opinion). I price it below fairly high, but even a 12th level fighter would like a move action cure serious wounds, resist energy, or haste. That, and its re-loadable. Hmm, perhaps I should limit it to once a day…
I see your point about vampires and necromancy and a serpent or leech motif working great. Theme wise, a bunch of motifs would be good – tick bracers, etc. Perhaps a more neutral name would be a good idea, though the name idea was simply ‘blood bracers’. Hey, perhaps the stirge bracer?
Moderate transmutation (plus aura of stored fluid); CL 8th; craft miscellaneous items, brew potion, creator must be a caster of at least 8th level; Price 6000 gp for a single bracer, 18,000 for 2. Still haven’t decided as to the appropriate spell requirements should be. Hmm, vampire touch and…
The pouch of stability
As to required spells, gentle repose for sure, but I was also thinking of protection from energy, as gentle repose wouldn’t have much effect on a bomb (again, to my deluded opinion, heh). It is a belt pouch (it has to be easily accessible), and adding the haversack quality just increases the cost of the item. I do not have the APG, so I’m not sure if there is a feat to increase the # of bombs per day, but this pouch should be limited to storing the same number of bombs as that feat grants extra. It has the utility of being something a non-alchemist can use (assuming his alchemist buddy re-loads it for him). The more powerful your alchemist buddy is, the better these bombs become, allowing it to be better then a necklace of fireballs – though that chance of blowing up in your hands is kind of nasty…. Now the price below is kind of, well, I’m not too happy with it. Feedback would be great. Looking at a necklace of fireballs – it is re-usable, requires effort to fill, smaller area, no save for target, chance of user injury, …. Aaaargh!
Moderate abjuration and necromancy; CL 10th; craft miscellaneous items, creator must be a caster of at least 10th level; Price 5000 gp
Hyde’s Mask
I’d be interested to hear how it plays out. I’d certainly assume that you would gain both benefits for the niche alchemist/barbarian character. The extra few minutes of mutagen is once a day only, but the extra round of rage is gained every time that character rages. Potentially doubling the rounds per day, if you only rage 2 rounds at a time (not likely). More likely it gives 1-4 rounds of extra rage per day. Price wise, I’m still not sure – I haven’t pinned down yet how powerful this thing is, making it a problem. I should note – I purposely avoid thinking of a spell to make a magic item from to avoid the X spell a day generic magic items. Ideally, it should feel more fantastical then predictable. Go delusion GO!
I love the storyteller's pipe, both flavor and mechanics-wise, and I think it's good to go as is.
I think the Hunter's Arrow has some use and is likewise good to go.
The mirror is a sort of quirky specialty item. I can see it in a treasure hoard, but I don't see it as anything anyone would go out and buy, even if priced attractively.
The honor blade is basically a mechanic I already dislike put into physical form. I also think it very easily becomes a dishonor blade if used to call out much weaker foes to slaughter them individually, which is the use it would honestly be put to. If you want it for your games, go for it, but I wouldn't want it in mine.
The Damocles sheath is well named, but references a specific legend that may not exist in all worlds. I'd go with something more generic, such as "sheath of peril" and put the Damocles stuff into the flavor text.
I think the sanguine bracers are well named but switching to a stirge motif would be good for both alchemy and not looking like a necromantic item.