I want to add some items into the game that have bad, unknown, or problematic side effects. Magic isn’t a freebie always wonderful solution to everything. Following are a few items that I have thought of:
- The classic is the intelligent item with and abrasive or obnoxious personality that just won’t shut up. It is kind of a standard troupe. But it should get the players used to the idea of magic not always being simple.
- Fortunate Workers Tome - Book (can be used repeatedly) that shows how to make a small golem of some kind. Expensive and difficult but I’m sure they would find that useful. Unknown to the players, when the procedure is followed it also creates an uncontrolled mummy somewhere in the vicinity. Eventually they should figure it out but still might decide it is worth it to get a golem. They just have to hunt down the mummy each time.
- Wraith’s Scarab – When activated it gives the wearer some of the abilities of an undead creature. Turns them incorporeal, damaged by positive energy, healed by negative energy, etc… But consumes the wearers life force when activated. Something like random ability score drained 1 point each round (which would take days or spells to recover). Might require a low will save to cancel the affect (or should it be a fort save).
All have the same difficulty. How to make it good enough that they want to keep and use it, not so good that it decimates the game, causes some issues without ruining the players fun. I have heard about magic item that grow with the characters. Not sure how to implement that, but it seems like it might work.
What do you think of the concept and/or these examples? How can they be improved? Do you have other suggestions?
The annoying intelligence is a neat idea, but will be painful to roleplay - are you, the GM, going to constantly annoy your players with it? Won't you get tired of that? What if they keep it for the next 15 levels, are you going to always remember to focus on interjecting annoyances from that item? I personally would find that tedious to the extreme.
The golem/mummy idea is interesting but seems disconnected. Why? Why does animating this hunk of clay cause some mummy to pop into existence somewhere? If you can explain it, maybe by saying that the life force for the golem is drawn from the death of a local commoner (maybe it actually kills him on the spot - they make a golem and some farmer down the road drops dead in his field), and then that deceased commoner rises from the dead and seeks revenge (in which case, mummy might not be the best idea, check out revenant for a better one), then it might work.
The third item is the most interesting, but incorporeality, while useful, has its own limitations, and those other limitations make it even worse - adding a PER-ROUND ability score DRAIN would make this an item I would just sell (and probably never find a buyer). If it were a per-use (or per-minute) ability score DAMAGE, I might consider keeping it.
In general, I like the idea. Magic items with side effects, drawbacks, etc., can all add depth to items. Not all the time, but occasionally. Keep them coming!
Yeah, you're right the annoying personality probably would get old fairly quick.
The golem/mummy tome wasn't my idea. It was from a 3.0 DnD campaign setting. It was a undetectable 'trap' type item that was placed by a high level necromancer to cause problems. It might not have been a mummy though. I don't remember for sure, just that it was some fairly powerful corporeal undead.
Yeah, the scarab needs more abilities. I was wanting something that gives significant benefits that are difficult to get with just the standard spells/items. But at a hefty cost so they aren't using it all the time to just breeze through the campaign. Also I did mean damage. I always mix up which one is worse. To me damage sounds worse than drain so I always think that is the permenant one.
A custom item we had in our Evil Campaign was a +2 Bone Dagger which drains a level on each hit (I think there was no Saving Throw on this). However, if the character didn't land a hit to drain a level in 1D4+1 Rounds, it would siphon a level from the wearer as a cost for drawing upon its power, forcing the player to either drop it (and the next person who grabs it gets a level drained), or to take the level drain and deal with it.
Unfortunately with the implementation of us starting the Way of the Wicked campaign, we lost all capabilities of having it. However, when we used it, it was fun and dangerous to use.
A really easy way to generate cursed items is by just looking at the Conditions page and the Universal Monster Ruleson the SRD. Pick an effect you like and then think of what possible thematic reason could generate that effect. For example, maybe the item gives you a limited use breath weapon, but each time you use it you become nauseated from having fire or acid or whatnot spewing out of your mouth. A gaze attack and the blinded condition would work well too, ala Cyclops from the X-men. You can also mine some fun design space by having the item's benefit heal its downside- perhaps a weapon with a constant bleed effect while equipped which grants fast healing for a number of rounds after drawing blood with it.
I like the golem/ mummy thing, but I agree that it needs a bit more connection between the benefit and the consequences. Maybe it summons an undead under their control and a corresponding ghost which will try to return its body to rest? Maybe the mummies generate some kind of visible effect if they touch the golems to alert the players that they are related?
A really easy way to generate cursed items is by just looking at the Conditions page and the Universal Monster Ruleson the SRD. Pick an effect you like and then think of what possible thematic reason could generate that effect. For example, maybe the item gives you a limited use breath weapon, but each time you use it you become nauseated from having fire or acid or whatnot spewing out of your mouth. A gaze attack and the blinded condition would work well too, ala Cyclops from the X-men. You can also mine some fun design space by having the item's benefit heal its downside- perhaps a weapon with a constant bleed effect while equipped which grants fast healing for a number of rounds after drawing blood with it...
That's an odd approach. I will look into it and see what I can come up with.
... I like the golem/ mummy thing, but I agree that it needs a bit more connection between the benefit and the consequences. Maybe it summons an undead under their control and a corresponding ghost which will try to return its body to rest? Maybe the mummies generate some kind of visible effect if they touch the golems to alert the players that they are related?
If it created an undead for them, the PC's would just never use it since that is evil. That's why I had it making a golem. I thought about making the side effect an identical out-of-control golem, but then there is really nothing getting made for the body of the second golem. Some body in a nearby grave rises as an undead seemed the closest.
Do you have a better idea that will be something the party is willing to use?
I gave our party oracle (character specific) a razor that could change into (and grant proficiency with) any weapon as a move action. Also, the weapon always hit no matter the die roll. BUT for each point that the oracle would have missed by, he took one damage. Against very high AC creatures, there was a difficult decision.
I gave our party oracle (character specific) a razor that could change into (and grant proficiency with) any weapon as a move action. Also, the weapon always hit no matter the die roll. BUT for each point that the oracle would have missed by, he took one damage. Against very high AC creatures, there was a difficult decision.
I kinda like this concept. I don’t think I would give him an always hit. Then they would load it up with effects that take place off of a hit. Holy, bane, fire, ice, thunder, poison, conductive, etc… until it was destroying almost anything off that hit. However, I might give it a varying +to hit based on the damage the wielder is willing to take. Let’s see:
Addlemar’s Striker, medium sized Morningstar
The damage the wielder suffers from the Striker is not subject to DR or regeneration.
Simple weapon, can be used by almost anyone, low crit range and multiplier, and low damage die. So I don’t have to worry too much about it becoming something the martial characters will put too many shenanigans into make it a mondo game changer. It is limited by the character level. It will allow even a caster to be at least a bit of a threat in a fight. But they probably won’t want to chance using it all the time or it will be really draining their cure resources.
How does that seem?
Here is another with some of the traits of the abrasive personality magic item. But I as the GM won't have to constantly play another character that is in the players possession. Just on certain occasions.
Retributions Face
Rod with a shrunken tiefling head on the end
What do you think of this one?
A really easy way to generate cursed items is by just looking at the Conditions page and the Universal Monster Ruleson the SRD. Pick an effect you like and then think of what possible thematic reason could generate that effect. For example, maybe the item gives you a limited use breath weapon, but each time you use it you become nauseated from having fire or acid or whatnot spewing out of your mouth. A gaze attack and the blinded condition would work well too, ala Cyclops from the X-men. You can also mine some fun design space by having the item's benefit heal its downside- perhaps a weapon with a constant bleed effect while equipped which grants fast healing for a number of rounds after drawing blood with it...That's an odd approach. I will look into it and see what I can come up with...
Here's a couple I came up with using this approach.
.Nocturnal Headband
Woven beaded headband with the images of closed eyes and large ears
Not sure how well I like this one though.
Coward’s Clarity
Rather plain brooch appears to be cheap costume jewelry.
Once each day when the wearer is subject to an effect that would give the dazed, stunned, staggered, or confused condition; the wearer instead gets the frightened condition for 1 round and the shaken condition for remaining duration of the original effect.
This one could be amusing.
Ring of Gygaxian Hasting
Once a day, as a free action, you can take an additional round's worth of actions (e.g. full attack, step and swift, or standard, move and swift action).
Activating this ring takes 1% off your maximum lifespan. Creatures that are immortal/immune to aging cannot use this ring.
I kinda like this one. At first it seems like something that would never affect a PC. But if adds up if they use it too many times.
Maybe make it 2% off the maximum of each age category.
You do understand that Ability Drain doesn't go away, it's permanent barring the use of Restoration or Greater Restoration, or simmilarly powerful magic?
Yes, that was already discussed.
... Also I did mean damage. I always mix up which one is worse. To me damage sounds worse than drain so I always think that is the permanent one.