d6 Magical Oddities

1. Clawfoot Walking Tub: An animate bathtub, that waddles on its little legs. 

• Weighs about 300lbs empty.
• Follows simple orders from whoever is nearby. 
• Can't navigate stairs or steep slopes and refuses to walk off edges. 
• Can carry 50 slots of items (or ~500lbs). 
• Moves at the speed of a heavily encumbered human (30'/10' for Basic flavors of the game).
• Empty, it can float (but not swim). With a person or 20 slots filled, it barely floats and any turbulence will sink it.

2. Thief's Candle: Enchanted to cast a light that only the bearer can see. 

• Only produced by Thieves Guild alchemists. Their existence and the recipe for making them are carefully guarded secrets. 
• Wax is usually pale blue and the flame burns ghostly white.
• Burns for one hour. 

I wrote several other sources of magical illumination in an earlier post. 

3. Hag Stone: Stone with natural hole in it. Looking through the hole allows you to see invisible creatures.

• If strung and worn as a charm, grants a +2 to saving throws vs Spells.

4. Auric Dowser: Forked stick of graphite, tuned & runed. Fragile. When activated, it emits a buzzing hum near concentrations of gold.

• Triggers for any gold equivalent to 100 coins or more within 100', including any carried by its owner or their friends. This makes it nearly useless for anyone carrying significant quantities of gold.
• Buzzing gets louder for larger gold hoards and as the distance closes. Near large accumulations, it's deafening. Likely to attract attention from nearby creatures.
• Effective for one hour after activation, then becomes inert. Re-charged by submersion in molten gold.
  

5. Wand of Transformation: Charged by soaking in the blood of an animal. Can be used to temporarily polymorph the caster into whichever animal provided the blood (as Polymorph Self).

• The caster keeps their native intelligence but cannot cast spells and can only speak in the dialect of the animal body. 
• Polymorph lasts for d6 turns and cannot be ended electively.
• Works with mundane animals but not monsters.
• If killed while in animal form, the caster dies and their body returns to its normal shape. 
• When found, likely charged: 1. Pig, 2. Bat, 3. Frog, 4. Rat.

6. Coat of Arms: Enchanted jacket with two magically animated arms in addition to normal arm holes. While wearing, user effectively has 4 arms. Incompatible with armor.

• Extra arms can hold items but do not grant additional attacks. E.g. user can hold a torch, a shield and use a two-handed polearm. 

d133 Roadside Meetings

With my ongoing campaign heavily influenced by Professor Dungeon Master, I figured it was time to share one of my first PDM inspired creations, something I made years ago and have used frequently since.

One of his first campaign videos, described a session that was essentially a series of road encounters based on a big list that he'd prepared in advance. Rather than share his list, he urged viewers to create their own. I did. 

I wrote a bunch of encounters on post-its while killing time between other activities and pasted them into my notebook. It was fun typing them up and reminding myself how they really imply a setting (something very WFRP-ish). 

1. Hanging cage

2. Vagrant looking for work

3. Blackmailer head to town to confront her victim

4. Artisan with a cartload of wares

5. Political dissident - not too shy to criticize the establishment

6. Political commissar - ready to enforce proper belief

7. Man chained to a tree

8. Wagon full of stolen art, abandoned

9. Frankenstein's monster, escaped

10. Hunchback struggling to fend off two beautiful bullies

11. Zhentarim mercenaries - Fantasy Blackwater

12. Evil alchemist - Eager to source exotic ingredients and promising high pay

13. Friendly alchemist - Free samples!

14. Gunpowder Wagon - Driver and guards are dead

15. Assassin - If the players have a hit out against them, this is the guy. If not, he's super nice

16. A friend of the party, fleeing from an angry gang. Maybe they deserve it?

17. Acting troupe

18. Friendly woman with a pet monkey (a pickpocket)

19. Sudden ice storm

20. Blizzard - whiteout conditions

Oceans of Potions

 

Lots of people have made potion tables. This one is mine.