Favorite Custom Items (That Your GM Approved)


Homebrew and House Rules


I just wanted to see what kinds of custom items players' GMs or you as a GM have allowed.
This is not an exercise in breaking the magic item creation guidelines, I want to see what has actually been implemented in games
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here's a couple examples from one of my groups:

Ring of Prestidigitation
slot: ring
The wearer of this ring is under the continual effect of a Prestidigitation spell. Activating any of the effects is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Any changes made to an object (except for cleaning, soiling, or moving it) fade after one hour.
Cost 1000gp (spell level 0.5 * caster level 1 * continuous effect 2000, no modifier for spell's duration)
((who needs soap? plus, this nutritious but disgusting gruel now tastes pretty darned good and isn't cold anymore. Oh, and keep annoying me and you'll be parading around in pink armor))

Healer's Hands
slot: gloves
These white gloves allow you to cast Cure Light Wounds up to five times per day by touching the creature to be affected.
Cost 1800 (spell level 1 * caster level 1 * command word 1800 / charges per day [5/5])
((The only way I got away with this one was by putting in the charges per day limit. The one I have in game currently has 20 charges per day, I can have it upgraded when we have downtime by paying another 1800 per 5 charges/day. Aiming to get it up to 50 charges/day (item total value 18,000 gp) then I'll stop.))

This last one is mostly just cheese, but I convinced the GM to let me enchant my masterwork backpack as a Handy Haversack so that I get the benefits of both. If a weapon, armor, ring, wand, staff, or amulet needs to be masterwork to be enchanted (citing the wizard's arcane bond for a few of those), why not a backpack too?


A GM in our game introduced something called the "Returning Orb of Water Mastery," which is an orb you can throw into the chest of a water elemental (summoned or otherwise) to increase its size category one click. You can then recall the orb with a command word or recover it after the elemental dies.


In a 3.5 game, my fighter-type wears a helmet that lets him use hesitate (a PHB2 spell) twice per day, but instead of a Will save vs. a low DC, it's handled as an Intimidate check to demoralize. If they fail, they can only take a move action that round.

It was especially fun against the custom demon with a hesitate gaze attack.

Other approved (but not yet crafted) features on the item are:
- as a free action, Intimidate to demoralize any creature you damaged this round
- And as flavor due to the original design of the helm, anyone making a Sense Motive check against me would suffer a -5 penalty. (This is dropped because I redesigned the form of the helm.)

In an Eberron Pathfinder game, the DM has clothing enchanted with prestidigitation to never get dirty at all. I need to shell out for a suit or two of it (currently I use the cantrip myself every day, along with mending).


@ beej67 - That sounds really cool. Get some for other elements.

One thing I'm trying to price is a continuous Magic Aura upgrade for items. Because going incognito and having everything blown because you light up like a christmas tree to Detect Magic is silly.


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Darigaaz the Igniter wrote:

@ beej67 - That sounds really cool. Get some for other elements.

One thing I'm trying to price is a continuous Magic Aura upgrade for items. Because going incognito and having everything blown because you light up like a christmas tree to Detect Magic is silly.

LOL. I have done that before, as well. My group treats as a 1,000 gp ability (caster level 1 x spell level x 2,000 gp for continous x 1/2 for a duration of 1 day/level). Adding it to another magic items counts as a secondary magical effect, which adds 50% to the cost: so a total of 1,500 gp added to an item that doesn't detect as magic. My namesake (used as an NPC upon occassion) has added it to all of his items, sometimes causing much consternation.

Heh. In one high level game, I brought him out of retirement, and you should have seen the face of the wizard scanning me. Didn't see any magic auras, assumed I had (3.5's) Vow of Poverty, and then started lamblasting the DM because I was obviously breaking my vows wearing my finely crafted robes and trousers and boots and gloves. It was wonderful.

Master Arminas


My custom race (dryad/elf) druid has racial penalties for traveling underground or being indoors for any length of time. (She temporarily loses 2 con for either situation). Her first campaign was to avenge the destruction of the forest containing her mother oak tree. (The forest had been cut down to use as fuel for the BBEG's conquest efforts.) Upon defeating the BBEG she found the remains of her oak tree and discovered the small chunk containing the oak tree's soul radiating magic. She can use the oak heart to negate her penalties for one hour per day.

The same GM allowed her to purchase a "magic tupperware" box which magically doubled the "shelf life" of her goodberries (or any other berries). The box holds fifty berries and at levels 1-3 the extra healing the berries provided was critical to our party's survival.

A long time ago, back in 2E days, my ranger's reward for being part of the party that destroyed Orcus was a sword which gained 1d6 in damage and grew a foot every round it was swung with the intention of doing so. At the end of swinging the sword it fired a bolt of blue energy that deliverd all the d6s of damage as if it were a lightning bolt. The sword turned out to be completely impractical, but it was pretty cool.

My level 3 witch was given a cursed amulet that he hasn't figured out yet. All he knows is that twice a day he can suck some life force out of an enemy. He has some vague notion based on nightmares that this isn't exactly a good act, but it's just too cool to pass up. He can't take it off, and has been told that a standard "remove curse" probably won't remove it.

As a GM I provide custom magic items on a regular basis. For my current party that includes a snarky intelligent "cursed" belt that has a series of challenges it sets upon the wearer and as each challenge is passed, it grants additional powers. The wearer has to meet certain conditions before a challenge can be offered. Another character has found some magic powder that causes his alchemist's extracts, bombs or mutagens to have a "wild" random effect. In general I try to provide something that makes the PC unique and ties directly into the player's concept for the character.

The most significant "magic item" I've created for my campaigns is such a powerful thing that artifacts are mere toys in comparison. In fact the fundamental driving force behind the major geopolitical and power struggles in my world revolve around the most powerful NPCs in the world vying for control of it. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that it won't fit on anyone's finger...


I had a halfling that had boots of striding and springing that also gave him an earthquake stomp once per day.

He'd leap in the middle of a combat and stomp causeing like a d3 of damage and knocking everyone in a 15' radius down (save to keep standing)

I loved that guy and those boots.


Here are some items that I have posted on the boards:

Pouch of Infinite Stars

Monk's Fighting Gloves

Nitalae, The Lonely Blade

Nitalae is my favorite custom magic item. My players loved her power and usefullness--but quickly decided to throw up an anti-magic field and leave her behind after she would not shut up! They couldn't sell her, because with her ego, she would force the person holding her to change his mind! Loved that game.

Master Arminas


Adamantine Dragon wrote:
The same GM allowed her to purchase a "magic tupperware" box which magically doubled the "shelf life" of her goodberries (or any other berries). The box holds fifty berries and at levels 1-3 the extra healing the berries provided was critical to our party's survival.

That's a nice one! I'd steal that if our ranger hadn't taken the Trapper archetype.

Sadly, I can't talk about most of the items I've been making, as the party hasn't come across them yet. I could certainly suggest a few.

One thing that's fun is reflavoring versions of existing items. Make a bag of tricks in which every animal that can be pulled from it starts with 'W'. Alternately, they're all slimy (bag of slugs!), and the balls are slimy instead of fuzzy (gross, and it gives a -1 circumstance penalty to any action involving holding something until they spend a standard action wiping their hand on their pants).

Harp of charming? Why not a saxophone? Alternately, a vuvuzela of enraging?

Then there's the googly eyes, which cause your eyes to dangle from springs; they look ridiculous but grant the wearer 360-degree vision and prevent flanking (based on the robe of eyes).

Pretty much any magic item can be changed this way to keep things interesting.


I had a cheap fluff item for a monk char.
It was just a small bag that could, once per day, cast Abstemiousness on it's contents. Thus making it unnassesary for the monk to eat more than just some nuts or grains.


We had a magic goblet whose only property was detect poison on any liquid placed within. Very minor magic, but it did keep the owner from getting slipped poison on several occassions!

Master Arminas


Master, that pouch reminds me of the discussion about having a bandolier that provided "enchanted daggers" for a dagger-throwing concept. I haven't implemented that magic item yet, but now with your pouch, I've got something to hang onto.

I am wondering if my groups are a bit too fluffy with the custom magic item stuff. I was just going over in my head a list of custom magic items that our current group has (not from me, these are all from other GMs in our group):

1. The "oak heart" item I listed above.
2. The "magic tupperware box" I listed above.
3. The "ring of guidance" (casts guidance 3/day)
4. The "cloak of cleanliness" (allows prestidigitation at will, but only for cleaning the wearer).
5. The "arrows of healing," blunt-tipped arrows which deliver CLW or CMW spells to the target on a successful ranged touch attack.
6. The cursed amulet I listed above
7. The "case of eternal potions" which provide one of every possible level 1 potion or oil in a handy portable case which refills any empty potions or oil bottle once per week.
8. The "booties of speed" which are horseshoes of speed that any animal can wear.

Heck, I forget them all... And when it comes to custom magic item's I'm probably the GM who creates and gives out the most of them... So at least double this list to get an idea of how many custom items our group carries around.

I suppose we're all playing the game wrong... We just make this stuff up.


One thing I want for my monk is a pair of bracers that use Reach Force Hook Charge at will.

10 force damage and I can hookshot up to 200 feet as a standard action. Mostly I just want the hookshot.

I could just get a wand (UMD monks FTW), but these are just more fun.
And a wand of that would be 30k gp. Yikes.

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Also, a cabinet that casts Gentle Repose on everything inside 1/day. Magic Refrigerator!


In 3.5, I took Leadership, paid the +5 LA for a ghost cohort, and put the poor guy's ashes in my sword pommel. Result: a portable incorporeal evoker cohort (albeit an extremely low-level one). The sword seemed to cast spells, even while I was wielding it!


Nice one Kirth


Our same GM introduced another interesting custom item:

Caduceus of Storm Calling:

+2 club
A wielder using Call Lighting or Improved Call Lightning can strike themselves with a bolt, redirecting it sideways through multiple targets as if following the range of a lightning bolt spell, and upgrading the damage dice from d6s to d10s.


A couple new ones from the latest session

Travelers Jug
This ordinary-looking clay jug fills itself with a gallon of fresh water once a day
Cost: 360 gp
weight: 9 pounds empty, 17 pounds full

All-weather ring
The wearer of this ring is protected by a constant endure elements spell
cost: 1000 gp

Silver Crusade

World's Edge Blade, I was inspired by the look in a now Anchent video game (I played it when I was 8! I am now 23) I designed it as a DM but never had the stones to add it to the game.
World's Edge +5 vorpal greatsword

Appearance: "this smooth slightly humming blade is a single solid peice of dull purple metal that you cannot identify, it feels light in your hands dispite it's size, there are no runes or engravings on it, but every so often it seems to glow purple leaving an echo effect behind the blade when it is swung. somehow the grip feels alien in your hands."

Special Abilites:
Impact: if wielder has over a 20 str and sufficent damage is dealt, wielder may make a free bullrush and trip.
Spell abilities:
once per day earthquake as per spell
twice per day Call lightning caster is not restricted to being outside.
wielder gains SR: 20

Background: rumors swirl around the World's Edge Blade. Many cultures of Alarond (my custom campain world) have an origin story for it. but it takes it's name from the most well known and drunkenly told tale in which a shaman of Norscia traveled to the very edge of the world and reached into the void, forming this blade from the metal he found there. the truth may never be known, but this sword seems to apply a diffrent set of physical laws to it.


I was in an epic campaign once and the DM allowed us each to basically just.. have an item created. No real cost associated with it.

Most of us (myself included) had some lame item. i don't even remember mine or most of 'em. but.

the barbarian comes up with this huge bear skin armor- head and all, that "stored" his weapons in it, and also functioned as armor.. so in battle he was basically smacking people around with these huge bear claws that worked mechanically like his great axe. No clue what it should have been worth.. but it was sheer awesome for the image it induced of the dude in battle.

:P

-S


As GM I gave each of my players a unique item. Didn't bother trying to follow the creation rules, just thought of something that seemed cool and hopefully useful. The items were supposed to be relics of ancient heroes and were bonded to each character. They only detected as magic while in their owners' possession and didn't function for anyone else.

Spoilered for length:

Spoiler:

Jaq’s Dart Throwers—A matched set of exquisitely made hand crossbows, one made of ebony and the other of ivory. In your hands both count as +2 hand crossbows that add +2 to the DC of any poison delivered via them. Once per day as a full round action, the wielder may fire both hand crossbows at a single target (as per Two Weapon Fighting, but counts as having the Two Weapon Fighting feat even if you don’t) versus the target’s Touch AC. Function as Masterwork Hand Crossbows for anyone else.

Eon Kull’s Soul Gem—This oval-shaped sapphire is about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. It can be grafted onto any sword-like melee weapon (GM’s discretion), a process that takes 1 minute of meditation to complete (removing the gem also requires 1 minute of meditation). Once grafted, the gem increases the weapons enhancement bonus to to-hit and damage by 1 (so a +1 longsword would function as a +2 longsword, for example). In addition, one spell of up to 3rd level may be stored in the gem (similar to a ring of spell storing, but only the owner may store the spell). The stored spell can be used in 1 of 2 ways: 1st, the spell may be cast from the gem as per a ring of spell storing. 2nd, as a swift action the wielder of the weapon may expend the stored spell to further increase the enhancement bonus of his weapon by an amount equal to the level of the spell for 1 round (if using the example weapon above, with a 3rd level spell stored in the gem, you can expend the stored spell to have the sword function as a +5 longsword).

Tonacriid’s Mirror—A simple round mirror, only 3 inches across. Worn as a brooch, the mirror grants a +4 luck bonus on Perception checks. Once per day as a full-round action, the wearer can lift the mirror to her eye and see what lies around an adjacent corner as though she had stuck her head out.

Jagdea’s Double Eagle—This headband features an image of a two-headed eagle swooping in for a kill. The wearer of this headband gains an additional +1 to-hit while using a full-round action to fight with two weapons. In addition, once per day as a swift action, the wearer’s weapons deal damage as though one size category larger for 1 round (again, only while Two Weapon Fighting).

The Evolution Stone—This headband made of flexible silver threads holds a clear crystal full of swirling lights. Every morning while meditating to prepare their mind for spell-casting, the wearer can place 3 points worth of evolutions in the stone. As a full-round action the wearer can add one or more of these evolutions to their eidolon. These extra evolutions last for a number of rounds equal to your summoner level divided by the point value of the evolution, rounded up. (So for a 9th level summoner, a 1 point evolution lasts 9 rounds, a 2 point evolution lasts 5 rounds, and a 3 point evolution last 3 rounds).

And my personal favorite:
The Sanguinary Chalice—This chalice is covered with carvings of fanged skulls. Hidden inside the base is a short, wavy-bladed dagger. As a full round action, the bearer may use the dagger to cut his wrist and drain the blood into the chalice. This cut deals 2 points of Constitution damage to the user, and this damage cannot be healed magically by any means. When the blood drips into the chalice, it transforms into a potion that must be used within 1 minute, and loses its potency if transferred to another container. The person who drinks from the cup will gain the benefit of a Heal spell, using the bearer’s cleric level (so the drinker heals 10 x the bearer’s cleric level in HP as well as the other benefits of Heal). Once per month, the Bearer can perform a ritual (taking one hour) in which blood is drained from himself and 3 willing participants. Each participant (including the bearer) takes 5 points of Constitution damage (which cannot be healed magically). The blood combines to form an elixir that can be poured onto a dead body, which then counts as having received a Raise Dead spell.

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