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So the books provide plenty of magical tools and hoozits to get whatever variety of tasks needed done, but sometimes a campaign needs something a little more custom. For story purposes my party im GMing right now has a cursed greatsword that acts as a divining rod for vorpal weapons, as vorpal weapons are quite rare in my world, with the Jabberwock having systematically sent out agents to destroy them over the past couple decades. (as a side note, the curses I rolled up for the sword were 'can't cast arcane magic... which no one cares about, as their isnt a single arcane caster in the party besides MAYBE the rogue, and Character changes gender. We all agreed it was hilarious that the grizzled ranger bandit was now a grizzled ranger bandit girl.)
One 4 session game I played in got pretty monty-haul when the GM went overboard with custom magic equipment though... not saying it wasnt fun, but giving an alchemist armor with integrated bomb-launchers that had the bombs deal a bonus 4 damage on impact at radically increased range probably isnt what the designers had in mind.
What I was wondering was if anyone else had any interesting or fun custom magic equipment they'd like to share. Or perhaps stuff that maybe shouldnt have been brought into the game because of breakage? Either works.
There isn't anything I hate more than the stereotypical +1 longsword, so I tend to get creative.
I never let my players 'Amazon' their own custom-order gear. I've been bitten by that in the past, so I've gotten better at coming up with things they never knew they loved.
One of those were adamantine wrist-mounted (bracer) grapple-claws that not only added damage to unarmed attacks, but a +10 bonus to climb. The ranger was all too happy to dump ALL her weapons and happily jump up and play with those, to the point of jumping on metal golems and trying to rip off plates.
I had a character who had a pathological addition to making spot-checks EVERYWHERE. I eventually gave up and just said "You see a rock." After the fourth or fifth time of this, he asks "Is it the same rock?" I shrugged and said "Looks like a rock."
I wound up deciding it was a semisentient amorphous creature capable of replicating material bonuses of any material or low level enchant it touches. Modular weapon enhancement AND pet all in one.
I also never let players know the full extent of the features of many items they may pick up. They make pick up a mace, they may find out it's magical, but they won't find out it's Holy or Cursed until I decide they've hit a good trigger point for them to find out. Those are usually items that I seed in there if I see them trying too hard to power play their character (as a way of derailing them from that path if possible)
Frost-chucks were fun. The munchie monk never picked them up, but toss them into a stone coffin and you've got a pretty good fridge.
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Well:
1) Nasri's Burning Grace: This magical item is a large, sumptuous shawl or scarf of deep red and heavy silk. It is finished along all of its edges with red and golden silk tassels, and is embroidered with outlines of stylized flames in golden thread.
The shawl, when worn, may be used to cast rays of brilliant flame at a target up to 30' distant; or, draped across a chosen target, may be used to heal with a surge of warmth. Nasri's burning grace can produce 3d6 points of flame or healing per day, divided up by dice (1d6 of flame and 2d6 of healing, or 3d6 of one or the other).
Price: 3K gp
2)Bloodflower: This normal sword has a blade of oddly milky steel, its grip wrapped in black snakeskin and its guard worked into the shape of briars and mandrake plants; the pommel-nut is a slightly-pointed dome of buttery-yellow amber, like a mandrake fruit.
A sword +1, +2 versus humanoids, Bloodflower can once a day inflict Curse of Impending Blades spell upon a successfully struck opponent, causing them to be wracked with pain for 1 minute. When this ability is activated Bloodflower's blade turns crimson and seems to drip blood.
Price: 6K gp
3)The Cobra King's Warding: Sometimes found in an ordinary potion vial but most commonly stored in small flasks of amber glass stoppered and sealed with wax, this emerald green draught is effective only when the inbiber is wearing no better than chainmail.
For the next hour, the draught grants a magical +4 bonus to the imbiber's Armour Class – but for the duration and an hour afterwards the imbiber sports thin, flexible scales of greenish-gold.
A sip from the draught causes a single scale to grow on the back of the hand, moulting away in a few minutes.
Price: 3K
4) Tears of Blood: A dark and forbidding weapon, Tears of Blood is a spear forged of blackened steel and completely enameled over in translucent, glassy crimson. Its broad, chisel-like head is of the same steel and carved with intricate channels; the razored edges seem perpetually wet with blood, which arcs from the weapon in gleaming teardrops when Tears is used in combat.
The spear saps its wielder's vitality, but pays back the price in combat; with every successful strike, Tears of Blood draws out a portion of the the victim's life and feeds it to its wielder.
Tears of Blood is a spear +2 Wounding. As long as Tears of Blood is wielded, its bearer receives a -4 penalty to Constitution; however, half of all damage dealt by the weapon is channeled to the wielder as healing energy. Excess healing remains as bonus hit points for one hour.
Price: 32K
5) Snowember: A battle-axe of massive construction, Snowember is of unmistakable enchantment. Though its haft may be of polished steel engraved with running spirals, its grip wrapped in golden scales with tassels of beaded white horsehair dangling from the suspension-loop in its butt; none of this compares to the broad, flaring blades of the axe.
Wickedly sharp, the flared wedges of Snowember's head are fashioned of a frosted, snowy crystalline substance -- eternal ice, or impossibly translucent blue-white embers. A corona of roiling white flames dances endlessly across the blades, warming and cooling all at once, though Snowember deals no damage from its fires unless so desired by its owner.
Though capable of wounding creatures requiring an enchanted weapon to be struck, Snowember has no innate bonuses to hit or damage. Instead, it inflicts an additional 1d6 hit points of fire damage to any target struck by its blades -- and against fiery creatures, its white flames inflict 2d6 hit points of untyped damage and DC 15 Will save vs (cumulative) shaken as the victim is faced with its own element somehow turned against it.
Price: 5550 gp
6) Rain Tiger's Claw: Carefully tanned and tailored, Rain Tiger's Claw is a leather pouch created from the front paw of a rain tiger; still possessing the silvery-blue, teal-striped pelt and pearly claws of its original owner, the pouch is secured with a drawstring of twisted blue silk cords tipped with knots and electrum beads. Easily suspended from a belt or hung from a staff, Rain Tiger's Claw appears empty when inspected, though it weighs as if containing liquid of some kind.
Twice a day Rain Tiger's Claw may be used to summon a thick, clinging fog that obscures the vision and clouds the minds of all within 60' of the pouch's bearer, who is not affected (nor are any in contact with the bearer); all individuals attempting to attack within the fog find themselves penalized by -4 to all attack rolls, and spells cast receive a +4 bonus to saving throws. The fog persists for four rounds. Once a week, the pouch may be used to summon an 8HD water elemental in the shape of a tiger.
However, having it in your possession causes you to take double fire damage.
Price: 8K
7) Blind Reflection: This fey and enchanted weapon is a slender spear, its shaft of rowanwood ornamented with brass and black iron. The blade of the weapon, its tang sunk into a black iron socket, is long and shaped like a wickedly sharp prism; the weapon's head gleams with an impossibly reflective surface, like a crystal formed of a mirror's glass.
Blind Reflection is a spear +1, +2 vs. shapechangers and undead. The bane of enchantments and magics of all kinds, Blind Reflection may have its warding light invoked at any time: its blade flashes brilliantly, and any magical effect -- be it spell, magic item usage, mental influence, or even onrushing dragon breath -- is immediately nullified. However, Blind Reflection may only exercise this power six times; on the sixth usage of the warding light its blade shatters into dust.
The style of the weapon is a peculiar blend, resembling both the weaponry of the fallen neu empires and, most notably, the work of the bladesmith Jie Chue. Should that worthy ever be queried, however -- if he lives still -- the smith merely shakes his head with a small smile, reminding that he forges only swords.
Price: 6900 gp
8) Silent Scales: With a wordless smile he gifted the weaver of spells with a blade to cool the Lands, and bid he learn the value of silence.
Forged from water-steel of a paticularly translucent nature, and marked with a pattern of overlapping reptilian scales just barely visible in torchlight, Silent Scales is an elegant blade of perfect symmetry. Its hilt is frosted steel tinged faintly peacock-green, with coiling tendrils for a hand-guard; and a single rosy pearl is mounted as a pommel-nut.
Silent Scales is a sword +1. Against creatures of desert or flame the sword inflicts as a +2 vs them, and so long as at least one such creature is killed by the blade each day its bearer is protected from the ravages of the desert and other such environments.
However, as long as Silent Scales is in its bearer's possession -- not merely actively worn or wielded -- its owner is rendered mute.
Price: 3800 gp
9) Soupstone: Despite being an almost-alarming blue-green and shimmering like a peacock's plume, when submerged in heated water a soupstone will be consumed and transforms the water into enough broth to sustain four individuals for a meal. The larger the soupstone, the greater the number of people -- or the stone may be fished out to be used again.
Price: 2K gp
10) Midnight's Claw: With blade and hilt forged of one solid length of pitch-black steel, Midnight's Claw is a massive and yet surprisingly maneuverable weapon. Simply ornamented, the sword's hilt is wrapped in white wolfskin, the pommel a heavy ring; down the blade runs a series of etchings that resemble a lacework of frost.
Midnight's Claw is a two-handed sword +2. With every successful strike, the blade freezes the victim's flesh,enveloping the victim in darkness, rendering them permanently blind (Fort Negate DC 15). By sacrificing a point of Constitution for a day, the wielder of Midnight's Claw may invoke a netherbolt of roiling, clinging black "lightning" 15 cone that inflicts 3d6 hit points of damage -- healing the undead, and inflicting half again the damage to Lawful creatures -- and paralyzes for 1d6 rounds (save DC 15 Fort negate).
Price: 20K gp
11) Chrysaor, the Sunlit Edge: A weapon of relatively recent history, Chrysaor was forged as one component of a Dawn Knight's consecrated regalia. Unfortunately for Dawn's Korvun, he lost his life in battle with a knot of wraiths and the sword was lost; it has subsequently changed hands from one adventuring band and sapient monster to another, all so far unaware of the blade's origin -- or the rewards offered by the House of the Dawn for its safe return.
Finely balanced and sharpened along both edges of the blade, Chrysaor is forged, blade and hilt both, of milky white steel. Chrysaor's grip is wrapped with plaited rough linen and amber-scaled hide; its quillions are simple and recurved, its pommel an unadorned sphere. Most strikingly, both flats of the pale blade are inlaid with flames and vines of delicate golden wire. When wielded, Chrysaor is engulfed in light like warm sunlight.
Chrysaor is a sword +1. When wielded against the undead, its wirework burns brightly golden and the sword as +2 vs undead. Chrysaor's bearer also gains a +1 to saving throws, when applicable, against attacks from undead creatures.
Price: 5350gp
12) Sword of Bees
A dark shimmering blade with a black opal gem on the hilt. This short sword is quite sharp. It has the following characteristics:
+1 weapon
It emits a low buzzing, humming sound when used in combat.
Any natural 19-20 attack roll causes a swarm of bees to swirl out of the weapon's blade, surrounding the struck foe. These bees cause no damage, but distract and blind the enemy, who suffers a -2 penalty on all actions, and a -2 fear save penalty for three rounds.
Any natural 1 attack roll causes a swarm of bees to attack the wielder as above.
Bees are glittering gold unless a fumble is rolled, in which case they are a sickly green.
Price: 5K