The Chaos Project - Magic Items

Treasure: who can resist it? And magic is usually the best treasure of all. Here are 122 magic items, usable for any system or fantasy setting.

My deep thanks to those who contributed to this list over the years! This list was captured and converted to HTML on 10/29/2013. Any newer entries can be found in the master spreadsheet, accessible via the main Chaos Project page. If you have any additions to suggest, please email them to me at [email protected] and I'll add them to the list.

INDEX AUTHOR ITEM NAME TYPE/RARITY DESCRIPTION POWERS HISTORY NOTES/WARNINGS KEYWORDS

1

 Peter Maranci Star Stone Necklace unique, indestructible A necklace of large, dull grey metal links. At the center is an ugly, irregular lump of the same material. The necklace is unusually heavy. The necklace can be activated with one magic point. However, it must be a personal magic point of the wearer; for some reason stored and spirit-supplied magic points have no effect at all on the necklace. Once activated, a coruscating nimbus exudes from the necklace, surrounding the wearer in a lovely corona of multicolored light. The corona provides light one-half as bright as a standard torch. While the necklace is activated, it has the following effects:

• The wearer's APP (or CHA) is increased by 1d12 minus 1d6 points. It is possible to get a negative result from this roll, as the aura can give a ghastly, unnatural sheen to the wearer. The APP/CHA modification must be re-rolled each time the Star Stone is activated.
• If the wearer is wearing non-metallic or no armor, the first three points of damage from any spell or attack are completely negated. If the wearer is wearing metallic armor, only the first point of damage is blocked by the Star Stone.
• All remaining damage is spread equally between every applicable hit location. The first point affects the area which was actually struck, and each remaining point is allocated by the GM to successive adjacent locations; for example, if the left leg is initially struck for seven points, the first three are subtracted (assuming no metal armor is worn in this case), then one point of damage is done to the left leg, then one point to the abdomen, then one point to the right leg, and finally one point to the chest. If more than one hit location is adjacent to the last-damaged location, the GM decides which location is damaged first (or at all, if only one point remains).
• Unusually, the Star Stone works on both physical and magical damage.
• None of the effects of the Star Stone can be dispelled or suppressed by any known magic.
• Each activation lasts for 1d20 x 1d20 rounds. The wearer does not know how long any particular activation will last. However, the round before the activation ends the corona gutters and turns dark purple. The Star Stone cannot be reactivated on the same round that it deactivates, but can be reactivated in the following round.

The Star Stone is one of the most mysterious objects known. Attempts to analyze it have always failed. Magical identification which allows a mage to see a vision of the creator of the item always results in insanity lasting for 1d4+3 days, followed by a complete loss of memory of all events for the past 1d20 x 1d20 weeks and loss of 1d4-2 points of permanent INT (which can result in a gain, due to a curious alien insight). Each time the Star Stone is activated, it has one of two side effects, secretly determined by the GM: either the wearer is completely non-existent to spirits, unable to interact with them in any way (effectively invisible to spirits), or else s/he is totally vulnerable to spirits - any spirit can automatically overcome the wearer, ignoring any protective magic. If the wearer attempts to interact in any way with bound spirits under their control while vulnerable, they are unable to do so and there is a 50% chance per attempt that the spirit is freed. They cannot interact with bound spirits at all if they are invisible to them, but the bound spirits are not freed by attempted contact. In fact, the spirits are not even aware of any attempts while the wearer is "invisible". jewelry, necklace, spirit

2

 Marko Perälä Ignisstaff rare A gold staff inscriped with flames and fire runes. Its top has a large ruby seated in it. The staff has 15 AP and it contains d6 binding enchantments for salamanders. No other elementals can be placed in them. The user can expend cubic meters from one of the salamanders in order to use staffs power. Only one elemental can be used at once, but the user can spend any amount of its cubic meters at once. When an elemental has reached 0 cubic meters it returns to spirit plane and needs to be replaced. The user can shoot a fireball from the ruby of the staff by concentrating. The fireball has range of the used salamanders STR and it makes 3d6 fire damage upon hit to a random hit location to anything it hits and 2d6 fire damage to everyone in the 1 m radius from the point of impact. Each additional cubic meter spent increases the radius of the fiery blast by 1 m. The explosion can ignite flammable objects. There is no limit to the maximum radius to this explosion except the size of the salamander used. The To hit chance has base 25% + attack bonus, this can be increased with experience. Damage is NOT doubled upon a special hit but the target gets damaged in d3 hit locations instead of just one. For each 5% by which the to hit roll was missed the fireball ends up 1 meter away from the intended target and therefore can still damage it. These staffs are originally of Jrustelan design, but have since spread all over the sorcery-using world. Fire rune cults don't take kindly to owning or using artifacts that "torture" their precious salamanders. staff, fire

3

 Peter Maranci Skin-changing potion rare Most often takes the form of a cream-colored fluid with blue streaks; other colors are possible. This potion causes the drinker to regenerate all of their skin in a 24-hour period. The new skin grows in under the old, which flakes off painlessly (although the flaking process is rather unpleasant to see). All scars and tattoos are lost. The new skin looks younger and healthier than the old skin, increasing APP or CHA by 1 point plus another point for every full decade of age the user is above their normal species maturity (with a maximum possible gain of 6 points). The new skin begins to age immediately, matching the user's actual age after one year. This process is hastened if the user smokes, drinks excessively, or stresses the skin unnaturally in other ways as determined by the GM. Wealthy, older nobles have paid handsomely for this potion from time immemorial. It requires a number of ingredients which are rare and dangerous to obtain (such as Shrieking Tree root), and so commands a high price. Overuse of this potion can cause skin disease. Extreme overuse can cause a constant "molting" effect, in which the body continually regenerates and flakes off new layers of skin - anyone experiencing this effect loses 1d4+3 from their APP/CHA. This effect is also extremely dangerous, requiring the sufferer to make a CONx3 roll every day or lose a point of permanent CON. When CON reaches zero, the sufferer dies. At the GMs option, a critical success on this roll may suspend or remove the condition - but it will certain return at full force if the user ever drinks the potion again. The chance of "molting" is the percent of the year which has NOT passed since the last use of the potion, i.e. if it has been half a year since the last use, the chance of molting is 50%. potion, characteristic

4

 Peter Maranci Temporary healing potion uncommon Identical to standard healing potions. These poorly-made potions (most often the result of a fumble) heal damage, but the effect only lasts for 1d10 rounds, minutes, or hours, after which all of the damage reappears. If other types of healing are applied as well, they take priority. These potions have been encountered for as long as there have been healing potions and fumbles. There are tests which can reveal the flaw, but they are somewhat time-consuming. Obvious. potion, healing, hazard

5

 Peter Maranci Animal Amulet unique A golden amulet on a copper chain. The amulet resembles the head of an animal; the exact type of animal changes, depending on the viewing angle. The owner has the power to speak to any animal. Animals are likely to be friendly to the owner. This amulet was stolen 13 years ago. This amulet is sacred to an obscure animal-worshipping cult, which is seeking it. They are using animals as well as human agents to find it, and if necessary will kill to re-obtain it. amulet, communication

6

 Peter Maranci Biographical Scroll "This Is Your Life" unique An ordinary-looking scroll in a plain case. It detects as magical. The scroll contains the life story of the person who owns it. It is historically accurate. However, it also includes the future life and death of the reader. These are entirely speculative (although they are written as if they were already accomplished), and have no effect on the actual life of the character - apart from any incidental fear or life-altering decisions, of course. If the scroll is given to anyone else, the text does not change until A) it has been in the possession of its new owner for 24 hours, and B) it has been rolled up - the text never changes while it is being watched.     scroll

7

 Peter Maranci Wooden Puzzle unique, indestructible 1d20+20 heavy wooden pieces. Assembling the puzzle takes one hour per try, after which an INT x 1 roll must be made. Any number of attempts may be made. Once the puzzle has been assembled, it turns out to be a humanoid head, which animates. It is inhabited by a spirit, INT 20, POW 20, who knows 1d10+10 spells. The spirit willingly serves the one who assembled the puzzle. It can answer questions (it is highly intelligent, and may have some oracular ability at the GM's option), cast spells, provide magic points (since it is effectively bound by the puzzle-solver)...the only thing it cannot do is give its true name. Nor do Command (Spirit) spells of any type work on it. Once it has performed 10+1d10 services for the assembler, the head immediately sneezes and flies into 1d20+20. The configuration of these pieces are always different from the last time (and every time before). The head is, naturally, deactivated and the spirit effectively disappears until the head is reassembled. No one knows. The head may also react and sneeze (thereby disassembling) in the presence of one or more GM-determined rare substances, words, or persons. puzzle, spirit, information

8

 Marko Perälä Archmage Band unique A silver ring with a dozen saphires embedded in it. When the ring is put on it doubles the users INT and POW for as long as he has it on, round up. Notify that this affects also the species maximum of said characteristics. The enhancement disappears when the ring is removed. This ring was a creation of a really powerful archmage, who was obsessed with obtaining magical powers. He made numerous magical items in an attempt to "go just a little further". This ring is his greatest achievement. Unfortunately he failed to notice that the power has a price. He put the ring on one time too many and weakened by it died of a common cold. Ever since then the ring has disappeared and emerged again and again. Many powermongers search for it constantly, stopping at nothing to get it. Some say the ring is cursed, so that it can't stay in one place or with one owner for long. But others state that the power given by the ring is simply not enough to protect the wearer from all the others who seek it. When the ring is put on it halves the users STR, CON, DEX and APP, round down, minimum 1. Notify that this affects also the species maximum of said characteristics. When the ring is removed the species maximums return to normal, but the points are lost PERMANENTLY. They have to be regained by other means e.g. training. The halving happens every time the ring is put on. ring, characteristic, cursed

9

 Marko Perälä Kamikaze-stone rare An ordinary looking round little stone, with a death rune on it. These stones are one-use magical items used by death cultists to perform suicide attacks. When the Kamikaze-stone is swallowed (CON x 5% check to see if he can do it) the user's skin color changes to a corpselike grey and his or her STR, CON and DEX are doubled without upper limit. Also his/her attack skills are tripled. The spells required to create these stones are sole property of high priests of certain death cults. They are also the most common users of Kamikaze-stones. Everyone else would use them only if desperate or dying. The downside is that the user cannot parry, dodge or heal in any way. All forms of healing, first aid, regeneration and even divine intervention have no effect on him. Finally the user takes 1 point of damage to his general hit points per melee round, so he is going to die shortly after swallowing the stone. stone, characteristic, cursed

10

 Marko Perälä Fellblade unique This is a roughly-made bastard sword of stained steel. It blade is covered with foul runes that glow sickly green in the dark. It is clearly of chaotic origin and gives an eerie feeling even to those who don't have chaos-sensing abilities. The sword usually comes with an iron scabbard with protective runes on it. This chaotic weapon is an ultimate weapon, but its powers are so great that they damage even its wielder. The blade has 25 AP that cannot be decreased and its base damage is d100.   Every melee round that the sword is out of its scabbard it causes a dangerous effect upon those who touch it - its wielder and anyone impaled by the blade included. Roll d100. Every person takes d4 damage to general hit points for each multiple of victims CON. E.g. wielder has CON 15 and he rolls 36. The roll is over two times his CON so he takes 2d4 damage that melee round. weapon, cursed

11

 Marko Perälä Mind Rings   This item is actually two separate rings: a silver ring with a saphire and a copper ring with an emerald. Both rings have no effect until they are both worn by different intelligent individuals. If the wearer of the copper ring fails an INT x 3% test, his intelligence becomes fixed. At the same time the wearer of the silver ring gains +2 bonus to his INT. The effect lasts until either one takes off his ring or the wearer of copper ring succeeds in POW x 1% roll, one roll per day. Once the POW roll succeeds, the rings stop having any effect until both wearers have removed them. They resume functioning as before when they are put on again (on either the same users or new ones; the rings don't care).     ring, characteristic

12

 Marko Perälä Weight Sword   An odd angular sword that is shaped like the number 7. The pommel is a large black gem and the guard has silver lining. This sword has a sneaky power that can turn its victims helpless. It has 25 AP and its basic damage is d6+3 (no impale). Any creature or object that hits the sword or is hit by it (max one per hit) doubles its weight. On the second hit the weight doubles again and so on. If the damage doesn't wound the target, the sword doubles the weight of the piece of armor struck or the parrying weapon/shield. This extra weight can quickly encumber victims and render them helpless. If a creature's SIZ (the weight) goes over their STR x 5 victim cannot move. STR x 10 means the victim's ribcage crushes under its own weight and the victim suffocates. If a weapon or shield doubles in weight, each doubling increases STR/DEX requirements half again. If requirements go over twice user's STR/DEX, he cannot wield the weapon. The doubling wears off after a day.     weapon

13

 Marko Perälä Helpful Belt   A black leather belt, with a copper buckle and 7 brass knobs along its length shaped like various animals. Each one has a red gem in its center. Any person who puts the belt on can attempt to attune it. The belt has POW 15. If successful, the user loses 5 points of STR, CON and DEX, which are absorbed by the belt. If the user doesn't have enough points, the characteristic is reduced to one. The wearer can no longer use the points lost, but they still count for training times, species maximum and other such purposes. Any person who touches one of the white gems (other than the user) and concentrates for a minute can place one or more points of characteristic POW into it. Upon this the gem goes black and the person receives a bonus to STR, CON and DEX equal to the points lost by the user. The bonus ends, if the receiver touches the gem again and concentrates for a melee round, upon which he gets back the POW lost and the gem becomes white again. While the point of POW is in the belt it gives no usual benefits to its owner, (regenerating MPs etc.) but still counts against species maximum etc. The bonus ends also, if the receiver dies and the gem is released. If the user dies, everybody gets their points back and all gems return to white.     clothing

14

 greg murnane The Bow of Doom to Evil   A composite longbow. A +4 holy composite longbow of distance. It also generates +5 arrows when the users pulls back the string. These arrows vanish after three rounds.     weapon

15

 Peter Maranci Cat Tail Belt   A large black & white striped cat tail, approximately .5m long, attached to the back of a leather belt. The belt buckle is enamelled iron and represents the face of an angry cat or panther. When worn around the waist, the cat tail extends straight backwards and bristles in the presence of enemies. The tail's effective range is equal to that of a Detect Enemies spell. If the wearer casts such a spell, its detection range is doubled for no additional magic point cost.   The tail also reacts to the presence of dogs, or of doglike creatures. This antipathy extends to dogs within range of enhanced Detect Enemy spells, too. In addition, dogs and doglike creatures are likely to have a negative reaction to the wearer. clothing, perception

16

 Peter Maranci The Bone Club unique A 1.5m length of yellow-brown metal in the shape of a bone. The bulbous ends are 20cm (8") in diameter, while the main length is 10cm (4") diameter. It weighs approximately 65kg (145 lbs). This massive bone can be wielded as a maul. It requires a STR of 23, DEX of 11, and minimum SIZ of 18 to use. It does 3d8+6 damage, has an ENC of 13.0, AP of 29, and SR 1. It is itself almost impossible to damage; against any potential damage it has an effective AP of 67 (i.e. it blocks 29 points of damage when used to parry, but itself has 67 AP). The Bone Club is said to be the finger bone of a living god. It has been wielded by many great heroes throughout the ages. According to legend, the god who gave it will return and take it back if it is used in an unworthy cause.   weapon

17

 Peter Maranci The Mirror of Lamarie unique An oval mirror, 2' (60cm) wide and 3' (90cm) high. The frame is silver and onyx. The mirror reflects an image that is 3 APP higher than that of the viewer. In other words, it makes you look prettier. An ancient queen named Lamarie was said to have sold her soul to a demon for this mirror. The queen's soul remains trapped in the mirror, but over the centuries it has become twisted and insane. When a woman who matches her appearance exactly looks into the mirror at midnight, the queen's spirit emerges from the mirror and attempts to possess the unfortunate onlooker. The queen has INT 11 and POW 19. If she fails to posses the viewer, she returns to the mirror. She cannot be bound or exercised as long as the mirror is intact - and the mirror has proved invulnerable to all forms of attack used against it so far. characteristic, cursed

18

 Tony Den Sieg Schwert unique A sturdy great sword which has clearly seen much use in the past. Runes are inlaid down either side of the blade. In itself it is a handsome, well balanced weapon which will do any warrior worth his salt proud. But when the runes are deciphered, however... The runes down one side, when deciphered, spell out the phrase "Sieg Oder den Tod". When this phrase is uttered while wielding the sword any special success will be moved to "the next vital area". that means a special to the leg will be moved to the abdomen, hit to arm move to chest etc. A hit to the head will become a critical. This power will last for 10 melee rounds - after which it can be invoked again.
The runes down the other side, when deciphered, spell out the phrase "Blut Trinker". when this phrase is uttered while wielding the sword, the wielder will be overcome with a berserk rage. The sword's damage will increase by +1D8 until the end of the battle or the rage fades. The rage will last a max of 10 combat rounds - after which it can be invoked again.
The sword has a POW of 35.		 This sword's origins have long since passed beyond myth. The sword's powers are charged by a complex matrix. Each time either of the sword's powers are invoked, the matrix loses one charge. (GM's discretion on how many charges the sword has when found - suggest no more than 1D6). The fun starts once the charges are depleted:
When a power is invoked and no charges remain, numerous short needles will spring from the grip, penetrating the palms of the wielders hands. These needles are of the same metal as the sword and have razor points, so armour will not stop them. They will do no damage from this piercing. What will happen is the sword will start draining general hit points to fuel the power at a rate of 1/MR - the wielder is actually bleeding to death as the sword sucks on his/her blood.
The sword's matrix can only be charged with a complex blood ritual. It is fuelled by blood. The sword has a somewhat vampiric nature.
Apology and Plot Twist: I thought up this sword while going through a bit of a futhark phase. Apologies to the German speaking readers, the tenses are probably all wrong. Genitiv? Dativ?
One would have successfully read runes and/or language to understand the runes inscribed on the sword sufficiently to invoke its powers.
Finding the Sieg Schwert could possible be the start of a new adventure, to discover its history or (when its dark side becomes apparent) to find someone with the skills to recharge it.		 weapon, cursed, matrix

19

 Peter Maranci Measure unique An iron broadsword with two round twenty-sided gems, one red and one blue, on opposite sides of the hilt. The blade is intricately inscribed with numbers in all languages. This weapon must be attuned in order to use its special power. The wielder may chose to expend a magic point whenever making an attack. If the attack is successful, the wielder may then chose which hit location of the enemy has been struck. Of course, the blow may still be parried or Dodged. The origin of this weapon is uncertain. It has been wielded by a number of great warriors over the centuries. Bladesharp and Damage Boosting spells have only 50% effectiveness in enhancing the damage done by Measure. A Bladesharp 4 spell adds the normal +20% chance to hit, for example, but only +2 damage (rather than the usual +4). weapon

20

 Marko Perälä Grotav-ac's Barrier and Whisper Sword unique These items are rather an encounter than a pair of magic items. They can be found in some desert swirling in the air around each other. The sword is a very well made steel broadsword with a gigantic pearl as its pommel. The shield is a dark lead plate with hundreds of teeth from all kinds of sentient races mounted on its edge. Its handle still has a mummified broos hand chained into it. Shield AP = 28. Sword AP = 15. The shield's power is that it always parries all attacks that are targeted at its holder. It always stops strikes against the target location, no matter what. The sword on the other hand cannot be parried. It always slips beside all parrying items. It always dodges any obstacles between it and its target location, no matter what. Long time ago there was a powerful broo warlord named Grotav-ac. He was practically invincible because of his magical shield that parried all attacks made against its user. He had chained the shield into his hand so he could never lose it. He kept pillaging villages of the borderlands until he killed the family of mercenary called Tamras Whisper. Tamras wanted to revenge his family, but he knew he needed something special to get the job done. He went on a quest and found a powerful sword that was said to be impossible to parry. Armed with the magic sword Tamras went against Grotav-ac. He aimed his first blow at the Grotav-ac's shield arm. Then something amazing happened. The shield moved against the sword, which in turn dodged it and tried to slip behind it and hit the Grotav-ac's hand. Both the shield and sword began to move around each other and ripped themselves apart from their wielders. Tamras lost his grip, but Grotav-ac lost his hand. Tamras had an easy time killing the screaming broo with his knife. The sword and the shield on the other hand are eternally matching their magical powers in their eternal first strike/parry. Many scholar have monitored these items. Many of them think that the powers of these items are absolute and all of them agree that it may be very dangerous to be around when or if this match finally met its end. The effect of these to hitting each other in combat, either the shield failing to parry or the sword being parried is unknown. It may cause both of these items to break, dissipate, blow up or the end of the world.
Note to GM: Watch it with these; if a clever player thinks of a way to acquire either item, it could be a campaign-ender!		 weapon

21

 Peter Maranci Sunstone natural, rare This extremely rare stone is a pale yellow and faintly translucent, with what appear to be little bright specks throughout the stone in odd, fluid patterns. It is extremely hard, approximately as hard as diamond. The stones tend to be small, but some have been found as large as a hen's egg; there are rumors that even larger sunstones may exist somewhere. Sunstone is almost as heavy as lead. Sunstones soak up sunlight and release it on impact, in a bright flash. Each 10 grams of weight of stone can absorb a maximum of 1 hour of sunlight. When thrown onto a hard surface or struck, the sunstone releases a blinding flash; anyone looking in the general direction of the stone must make a luck roll (POW x 5). Success means that the viewer is only blinded for 1d6+3 rounds. A special success results in blinding for 1d3 rounds, and a critical success means no blindness at all. Failure causes 1d6+3 minutes of blindness, and a fumble results in 1d6+3 days of blindness and permanent visual damage (exact results to be determined by the GM). Even those looking away from the combat must cope with the brightness of the backflash; they too must make a Luck roll, but their chances are improved by one catagory, i.e. no blindness for a critical OR special success, only 1d3 rounds of blindness for normal success, etc. Each hour of sun absorbed produces a flash which covers a 10 meter radius area. A natural substance, possibly the residua or product of a god of the solar pantheon. It is rumored that the dwarves have a secret way of processing sunstone so that it can be "set" to release only part of its energy at a time; that a fully charged 100-gram stone could, for example, be made to flash 10 times covering a 10-meter area without recharging. There is an obscure legend that there was at least one item made of sunstone which allowed great control of the amount of light emitted; supposedly a skilled user who knew how to strike it in just the right ways could cause it to expend as many charges as they wished, up to the maximum. History does record that at least two maces incorporating sunstone have been made, releasing great flashes of light on impact. As might be imagined, such weapons would be particularly feared by vampires and creatures of darkness. miscellaneous

22

 Peter Maranci Klutzbringer unique A long double-edged broadsword with an extremely ornate guard of gold and silver. Set at the base of the hilt is an odd stone which looks like a cross between a ruby and an emerald. If the stone is carefully examined, a successful Scan and Mineral Lore reveal a small flaw. When brandished aloft in a heroic manner the sword bathes the user in a golden light for five minutes. This light acts as a form of supplemental armor; it raises the total protection of wielder to 16. However, this protection includes any already-existing armor or protection spells. The golden light also gives the weapon the effect of Bladesharp 6, or (in D&D terms) makes it a +6 sword. Finally, the golden light heals 2 points per round of damage in the wielder; they are therefore immune to bleeding. The golden light takes 1 round to summon, but may be summoned as many times as desired. The golden light also provides light as bright as 6 torches. Klutzbringer was crafted 437 years ago by a circle of fanatic followers of the Golden Prince of Klut-zeng. The Prince won seven duels with well-known heroes using the blade, but in a tragic accident beheaded himself in the eighth duel. The winner of the duel claimed the sword as his winnings, but soon thereafter disappeared from the pages of history. The blade has subsequently surfaced many times in the hands of all sorts of odd people and creatures, none of whom seem to keep it for long. The first time in a day that the golden light is summoned, there is a 10% chance that the user's DEX is halved, and that their chance to fumble is either multiplied times 5 or increased to 10% (i.e. fumble on a roll of 91-100), whichever is more. Each additional use of the light in a day increases the chance for the Klutz effect by an additional 10%. Even after the Klutz effect has taken place, it can be increased by subsequent use of the sword's powers that day; additional uses halve the remaining DEX and increase the fumble chance still further. The user receives no warning of this effect. Note that the golden light protection effect does not protect against damage from the weapon itself, so if the user has chosen not to wear any other armor or magical protection (which is likely, since those are normally subsumed in the protection of the sword anyway), they are likely to hurt themselves quite terribly...as many unfortunate warriors have discovered. Note: Obviously, the golden light makes it virtually impossible to Hide from sighted beings. weapon, cursed

23

 William Hutt Fiendslayer/Friendslayer unique A two-handed sword with a large double-edged blade. Runes engraved into both faces of the blade at first read "Fiendslayer". It also has a large red gem in its pommel. The sword adds 10% to its wielder's attacks, and once it kills another in battle, the curse of the blade activates. This curse enrages its wielder into a blind rage in which he slays friend and foe alike until no one remains to combat him or until he himself has been incapacitated. Once the curse has taken hold, the blade reveals its true name "friendslayer". Once this has happened, only powerful magic can rid its owner of the blade. Created as a ruse for a rival by some master craftsman and swordsman, this sword was given to its master's rival who killed his entire group of companions before realizing what it was he had come to possess.   weapon, cursed

24

 Peter Maranci Poulard's Gizmo unique Two crossed intricate copper and silver tubes, each 10cm long, joined in the center and strung with five wires of differing colors between each branch. If you look down either tube you can see what seems to be a crystal at the point of the join. Once attuned (POW 17), this device adds 1 point each to Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity. Racial and personal maximums do not apply. This odd device was first discovered 92 years ago in the hands of a raving maniac who called himself Poulard and claimed to be from a different world. It was claimed as the property of the Crown, and has gone through many hands since then. The device seems to draw energy from the user in strange ways. In RQ/d100, personal magic point regeneration drops to 1 point every 24 hours, no matter what the POW of the owner. In other systems, the rate of magic regeneration drops to the lowest positive value possible. If not applicable, natural healing rates drop to the lowest rate possible, or are halved. characteristic, hazard, crystal

25

 Peter Maranci "The Universe of Discourse" (grimoire) unique, indestructible A large book bound in black leather, with the title in green-gold metal on the front and spine. The edges of of the pages are mottled pale red and light gray, and smell faintly of old parchment and lilac. The tome is strangely light. All books transfer knowledge, but this one is a little more...extreme about it. It sucks 1d6 x 1d6 % (i.e. 1-36%) of knowledge of a random skill from the mind of a reader, and implants the skill that it absorbed from the last reader, minus one point. Example: Cirur the barbarian reads the book. The GM randomly determines that he loses 12 points from his Ride skill, and gains 15 points in Craft: Flower Arranging (the previous reader had lost 16% in that skill). The next person to read the book will gain 11% in Ride, and of course lose points in some other random skill (which will then later be transferred to yet another reader, and so on, and so on... The knowledge exchange takes a single strike rank.
It is possible to resist the effects of the book. Anyone who starts to read it immediately feels a powerful force pulling at their mind. They may attempt to resist by rolling their INT x 3, with the following results:

• Fumble - The reader instantly falls unconscious. The player hands their character sheet to the GM, who then alters it at their whim (within reason; the overall effect should usually be negative, but not fatal). Note: The GM is urged not to make these changes on the original character sheet, in order to avoid aggravating the player. When the character awakes 2d4 hours later, they discover that their skills have been enormously altered. Some may be entirely gone and replaced by entirely new ones, including skills that have no human application, meaning, or use (example: Craft Frozzitk 39%). There are no limits to the % that can be gained or lost.
• Failure - The process continues normally. When it finishes the reader suffers from a severe headache for 1d4 hours, which temporarily reduces all their skills by 2d6%.
• Normal Success - The reader only loses (and gains) 1d6% in a random skill.
• Special Success - The reader may chose either to close the book without gaining or losing any skill, or alternatively may choose to take the full gain and loss but chose which skill they lose (the skill they gain is still the one that the last reader lost, however). The player should be given 15 seconds to decide which skill they want to lose; if they do not make a choice in that time, the GM may choose or roll randomly (of course the GM must fairly inform the player of the time limit immediately before starting the countdown).
• Critical - The reader may chose either to close the book without gaining or losing any skill, or alternatively may choose to allow the process to continue but chose which skill they lose (the skill they gain is still the one that the last reader lost, however). They may also chose exactly how many d4s they wish to lose in that skill, and gain an equal number of d6s in the new skill.

The book can only be used once per person. Anyone who has already used it and tries to use it again discovers that it has no magical effect for them, but instead is full of disturbing, completely alien rune-like markings. The GM may decide whether it is possible to lose all of a skill to the book, but it is recommended that at least 1 point should be left in most cases. If a skill is entirely lost, it can be relearned as if it were an entirely new, unknown skill.

The title of the book can be read and understood by anyone, no matter what languages they speak...and even if they cannot read at all. Even animals and spirits can understand it.

Animals, spirits, and all other creatures and entities can read (and have read) this book as well. It is possible to gain skills through it which humans do not normally possess.

Base skill percentages: If a skill is reduced to less than the base percentage plus category bonus, the base is permanently lowered by that amount. Example: Cirur has a Jump of 44%, which consists of his 9% Agility bonus, 25% racial base skill, and 10% which he has learned from experience and training. If he loses more than 10% in Jump to the book, a portion of his racial knowledge has been removed from his being and his base is permanently reduced. He may still practice and improve the skill, but his base has been altered - he now doesn't "get" Jumping as well as he used to. Note that category bonuses cannot be absorbed by the book; the most Cirur could lose in Jump is 35%, at which point the GM would have to decide if he had lost the skill entirely (or alter the amount lost to 34%).

 This strange book has been around a long, long time. It spent 103 years locked in the treasury of a small kingdom several hundred years ago, but was stolen by accident and has had many owners since then. Secret: The book is a probe launched by incredibly alien, incomprehensible extradimensional beings who are attempting to understand other worlds. It has been keeping 1% of all exchanged skills for a very long time, and is a huge storehouse of all sorts of knowledge. In several more millenia the extradimensional scholars will retrieve the book and extract the accumulated knowledge for study. skill, miscellaneous

26

 Evan Wedel The Dragon's Blade unique Description: A golden bastard sword, a dragon's body makes up the crosspiece, grip and hilt, also made of gold. The dragon has short legs, an elongated neck (grip), wings (crosspiece) and a tusked head (hilt). Along the blade an entwinement of two cords. The sword, which appears to be a bastard sword, actually does 2D12 damage & does 3D12 damage against chaotic creatures. The sword cannot be wielded by anything chaotic, even with the smallest trace. The sword when touched enables the wielder knowledge of all dragons & dragonewts, including languages, magic, and general information on dragons & dragonewts (basic: common habitat areas, cities & dragonewt shrines). Also the magical sword has a POW of 15 which can be used as a magic point matrix. If the sword is handled by any humanoid they realize that a dragon spirit that has been bound to the hilt of the sword, with a POW of 21 and INT of 47. It has 2D12 sorcery spells (GM should chose the spells before the session) ready to use at the wielder's request. The dragon spirit isn't evil but quite good-natured and is willing to help anyone that has no chaotic traces or chaotic creatures in their party.     weapon, spirit, matrix

27

 Peter Maranci Ghost Box rare Ghost boxes vary slightly in appearance, but share the following qualities: They are of dark colors, contain metal, wood, glass, and bone, are completely sealed, and are marked with spirit and death runes. Other runic markings are also sometimes included. The boxes cause a slight tingling feeling when touched, and when working can cause the hairs on the back of a humanoid's neck to rise. A Ghost Box makes audible and translates the voices of all spirits, ghosts, and other noncorporeal entities within a certain distance. The range of the box is determined by the amount of POW used to enchant it. The base range of a Ghost Box is 30 meters, plus 3 meters per point of POW that the bone-donor had, plus 10 meters per additional point of POW Imbued into the Box. Special or critical successes in making the Box can greatly increase its range. Ghost Boxes have been made for centuries, but the difficulty of their construction makes them comparatively rare. They have a somewhat dark reputation, being connected to several well-known murders and tragedies; apparently ghosts have used them to bend the living to their will for purposes of revenge. For some reason shamans never create Ghost Boxes. Among other things, construction of a Ghost Box requires the inner-ear bones of a deceased sentient being. Few know that the personality and magical power of the bone-donor sometimes influence the workings of the Box. The more magically powerful the donor, the clearer the ghost-voices are. A malign donor brings voices of evil in more clearly than voices of good, and vice-versa. In rare cases the spirit of the bone-donor can influence the minds of listeners. The difficulty of the ritual gives a -50% to the Enchant/Imbue skill of the caster, and the precise workmanship required for the internal parts requires the cooperation of master crafters of wood, bone, metal, and glass (skill 90%+). Ghost Boxes are somewhat delicate; 4 or more points will destroy a normal-sized box, though Armoring Enchantment can be used and will help protect against damage, of course. Ghost Boxes cannot be physically armored, as the sounds become muffled and incomprehensible if the box is covered in any way. There can be a certain dark fascination to some in the conversations of the dead, and obsession is a definite possibility. If the magic item Imbuement system is being used, the following spells are needed to make a Ghost Box: Detect Spirit (1), Mindspeech 1+ (each additional point adds +10 meters to the range of the box), Visibility (2). miscellaneous, imbued

28

 Peter Maranci The Honorable Blade unique A classic double-edged broadsword, elegant and perfect. This 27-AP blade is so perfectly made and balanced that it adds 10% to the attack and parry chance of the user, but this is due to craftmanship, not magic. However, the sword is also inhabited by the spirit of a master swordsman (INT 16, POW 24) from a bygone age, who can control its movement. In the hands of a skilled swordsman (skill 90%+) the sword normally exhibits no special powers. In the hands of a less-skilled warrior, it fights with an attack of 152% and a parry of 151% (these numbers include the +10% for the weapon itself). Since the sword does all the fighting itself, the user receives no experience check. However, if the wielder displays conspicuous gallantry while wielding the sword they will find that the spirit in the sword is capable of mental communication. It will advise and tutor the owner, if they wish, and if the owner desires the spirit will relinquish control of the movement of the blade during a combat, allowing experience checks. The spirit in the blade can provide training in any bladed weapon, not just swords. However, the spirit of the blade is extremely, almost pathologically honorable. It will not allow a dishonorable act in combat, and if the owner attempts a dishonorable act the spirit stops the blade from moving (with an effective STR of 24). Dishonorable acts include (among other things) not allowing a fallen opponent to rise, not allowing an opponent to recover a dropped blade, interrupting a prayer, attacking anyone from behind or without full and proper warning, etc. Repeated or egregious acts of dishonor earn the spirit's anger, in which case the sword will never function in any way for the offender. The spirit cannot perceive the external world when sheathed, by the way. This weapon was the personal blade of a master swordsman. He was generally considered to be monomaniacal on two subjects: combat, and honor. How his spirit came to occupy the sword when he died is unknown, even to the spirit himself. 1) The blade cannot (or will not) fight unless it is held, although in theory it should be able to fly and fight on its own - it has often displayed more than enough strength to do so. Perhaps the spirit simply cannot believe that it is possible.

2) The spirit is capable of learning from experience in combat. Its chance of doing so is always 3%.

 weapon, spirit

29

 Peter Maranci The Door of Dreams unique, indestructible A short wide door and doorframe of an unknown black wood, standing approximately 1.5 meters high and 1m across. Strange runelike markings run over the entire surface of the door and frame; the markings are only slightly darker than the wood itself, and seem almost to be stains or a natural shading of the wood itself. However, they are never exactly the same; no one has ever quite seen them move, but at each new look there have been changes. There is a lock of whitish metal in the door; the key to the lock is always found with the door. If the door and frame are properly set up in a house, anyone who passes through the door enters the world of dreams (alternatively, the spirit world, or the ethereal plane, or the astral plane). This isn't immediately obvious, as material surroundings look normal at first. But living things look different; their souls are visible, which can be quite different from their outward appearances. The voyager can no longer be perceived in the material world. However, they themselves are still material beings, and as such are immune to the attacks of dream beings. Much can be learned by looking at the auras of living beings while in the dreamland; another advantage is the strange lore and (rarely) peculiar powers and gifts that might be gained from the native creatures of the spirit world. The voyager can re-enter the waking world by passing back through the door. The door and frame are indestructible. The Door of Dreams has apparently existed forever. It has never stayed attached to a single building or owner for more than a few years. There are many dangers associated with the Door. These include:

1. Fading: Each time a creature passes through the door and back again, part of its soul remains in the dreamland - represented by 1 point of POWer for each trip. The POW is still counted in the total POW of the character, and the character has full access to the magic points it generates. The character is not normally aware of this transfer - which is irreversible in any case. Each trip through the door and back leaves another point of POW in the dream plane. The effect of this in the material world is a growing "second sight". Each point of POW in the dream world gives a secret 1% chance of a peculiar insight in situations deemed appropriate by the GM. Also, as more and more of a character's soul becomes part of the dreamland their manifestation in that world changes: they are less material, more dreamlike (they do not seem insubstantial to themselves, but their appearance changes to reflect their soul), and they become more and more subject to the "physical" effects of the dreamland.When all of a creature's POW is on the dream plane the creature becomes a permanent resident of dreams (but see #3).

2. Mirror: One rare trick that has been used with the Door of Dreams is to place a mirror within view of the open door, step half-way through, and look back to see one's own soul. This has only been attempted a few times, but the results have included insanity, suicide, deep insight, and spiritual strengthening in different creatures.

3. In Through the Out: Dream creatures are unable to open or manipulate the door in any way, but they can pass through it into the mundane world - and if they do, the effects are the same as for a living creature passing through it, but in reverse. This includes the POW effect, so a creature which passes through the door as many times as it has points of POW becomes a permanent member of the waking world. Special: After at least one full year has passed, a creature which has been permanently converted to a different plane by the door may pass back through it and so begin a process of re-conversion. However, note that dream creatures are unable to open the door for themselves, and that the door is often moved and therefore not easy to find from either side. Also note that if the door is not affixed to a building it does not work.

4. Twice Through: One mystery remains: what if a creature goes through the Door, enters the dream plane, and then circles around while still in the dream world and passes through the Door again?

miscellaneous, transportation

30

 Evan W. An ancient parchment   An ancient parchment that has a circle in the center of the leather scroll. In the circle are the words "Place head here". Place a decapitated head in the circle and the thoughts of the deceased are played in the pocesser's mind. Can be helpful for extracting information     information

31

 Peter Maranci MetalFinger unique A humanoid finger of glittering metal. This item must be attuned, like a powered crystal. It has a POW of 21. Once successfully attuned, the finger slowly transforms the bones of the owner to metal, at a rate of 1 SIZ worth's per month. This effect adds 1 hit point to every location for each month, but 1/2 of these additional hit points only count towards damage to the actual bones - in other words, a limb may still be incapacitated, it just can't be severed or maimed. Each 3 HP gained also adds one point of SIZe in terms of added weight - metal bones are heavy! However, the gradual process does allow muscles to adapt to the additional weight. This rare artifact has been passed from temple to temple over the years. If possessed for longer than SIZ in months, the metal finger proceeds to slowly change the rest of the body to metal at a rate of 1 SIZ per additional month. Each point of "metalization" adds 3 AP to the entire body, and subtracts 1 point of DEXterity. Once the body is 100% metal, the body dies. transformation, characteristic, protection

32

 Peter Maranci Pete's Moss Natural, rare Dull brown with a foul odor in the bog, once harvested and treated by Pete this moss gains a lusterous green hue with a hint of irridescence. The treated moss has an odor reminiscent of buttered toast, sealing wax, oranges, and twine. A piece of treated moss at least 15cm (6") square used as a pillow allows the sleeper to experience vivid, clear dreams. In these dreams the dreamer travels to strange, magical lands which may be other dimensions of existence, and has strange adventures. Normal skills learned or improved during these adventures also increase in the waking world. Unusual powers and skills not normally present in the waking world may or may not appear (and may or may not be reliable) at the GM's option. Some sort of exceptional magic might allow physical objects to be transferred to the waking world. If a dreamer is injured in a dream, they must roll (INT - points of damage taken) x 5 or immediately awake. Wounds taken and not healed in dreams are reflected by inexplicable pain and stiffness in the afflicted location; if a CON x 5 roll is failed, 1/2 of the damage manifests as "phantom" pain. Heal spells are only half as effective at healing phantom pain.
Harvested moss lives for 1d6 weeks. After that point the moss may be kept alive with proper care. A successful daily Plant Lore (or Farm) roll keeps the moss alive for the next three weeks, a daily special success is required to keep the moss alive for the next two weeks, and in the final week a critical success is necessary. After that the moss cannot survive, and loses all magical properties.		 For almost a hundred years the one bog where this moss grows has been guarded by Pete, a crazed old hermit. The moss is known to be mysterious, but what is not generally known is that heavy use carries a small chance of permanently transferring the dreamer to one of their dream-worlds. Whether or not this involves transfer of the body as well is up to the GM.
Note: This moss is, of course, a way to insert otherworld/system adventures in the middle of a campaign.		 transportation

33

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Purple Arrow unique A twisting arrow made of black wood with the Chaos Rune carved to it. On impact begins to spew purple gas toxic (POT 18) to all non-chaotic creatures. If the arrow hits a person, he or she will turn into a chaos creature within d10 rounds. Roll d6 to find out which creature: 1. Broo 2. Krjalki 3. Vampire 4. Walktapus 5. Harpie 6. Blob These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. A non-chaotic person touching this arrow will become chaos-tainted, gaining 1 chaotic feature per d3 days in a period of 10 days (3-10 chaotic features in total). S/He will also suffer from various diseases for the rest of his/her life. Lunars may be a bit more protected. weapon, transformation

34

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Gray Arrow unique A gray crossbow arrow with the Mostal Rune carved into it. On impact the Gray Arrow will turn everything within 30 feet radius to stone at the speed of d10 feet per round. It will also shrivel up all Aldryami within 50 feet radius at the same speed. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. A non-Mostali worshipper's hand will turn to stone in d3 rounds if s/he touches the Grey Arrow. The arm will be as heavy as the material and may be used as a weapon - if the person manages to make a fist of it before completely turning to stone. An Aldryami touching the arrow will immediately die. weapon

35

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Orange Arrow unique A slender arrow marked with the Dragonewt Rune. On impact the arrow starts emitting sound that will turn the wrath of all reptilians within d10 miles towards persons within 30 feet radius from the arrow. The enmity is permanent, and all reptiles will be hostile to these persons. The person hit by the arrow will turn into a Scout Dragonewt in d3 rounds. S/He won't recognize his/her companions after that and will treat them as a dragonewt would. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. Worshippers of non-Kralorelan deities or non-dragon/dragonewt affiliated persons will suffer the effects of a cobra bite if they touch the arrow. weapon, transformation

36

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Green Arrow unique A longbow arrow, most likely of elf manufacture, marked with the Plant Rune. On impact the Green Arrow will start to sprout rapidly with strong vines that intend to strangle everything within 50 feet radius. If structures are nearby, these vines will also try to break them up. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. If a non-Aldryami or a worshipper of non-Aldryami deities touches the arrow, the arrow's shaft starts sticking out needles containing POT 17 poison. Mostali will turn into clay. weapon, transformation

37

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Moss Arrow unique A normal-looking arrow with some moss growing on it, forming the Beast Rune. When in flight, the arrow emits a sound resembling a wolf's howl, but causing Panic within enemy ranks and boosting the moral of the archer's troops. The arrow also calls upon wild beasts, who will attack anyone within 50 feet radius of the arrow's point of impact. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. Non-Hsunchens touching the Arrow will be attacked by three different animal spirits of the GM's choice. weapon, fear

38

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Silver Arrow unique An arrow made entirely out of silver and marked with the Red Emperor Rune. On impact the Silver Arrow will disrupt all non-Lunar spells within 100 feet radius and bend every chaos creature within 50 feet radius to the will of the archer. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. If a non-Lunar worshipper should touch the Arrow, s/he will lose his/her memory of the past life and become a fanatical worshipper of the Red Goddess. weapon, transformation

39

 Hillwalker Thirteen Arrows - The Dark Blue Arrow unique Although called the Dark Blue Arrow, this one of the Thirteen Arrow is actually a short throwing spear with a deep blue shaft decorated with sea-life ornaments and a Water Rune made of coral. When hitting a solid object - whether living or lifeless - the Dark Blue Arrow will turn it into water. These thirteen magical arrows were made by a God Learner Nemrahil All-Believer, who claimed knowing all the secrets and myths of the gods and being a Devotee of them all. Unfortunately, Nemrahil was once set in a dilemma when both Aldrya and Kyger Litor demanded his help in a war between trolls and elves. Nemrahil couldn't make up his mind and the rival goddesses began to pull him until he was shred to pieces. Nemrahil's Thirteen Arrows were lost when Jrustela sank, but once in a while one of the Arrows pops up in the history. Each Arrow is different and has different powers and different colored feathers. Each Arrow can only be used by an initiate, devotee or priest of the appropriate deity, others will suffer injuries. Worshippers of non-Merman Pantheons touching the arrow will immediately suffer the symptoms of drowning, even if they are on dry land or under a protective spell. weapon, transformation

40

 Peter Maranci Yendri's Bone Dust unique A translucent vial of colored glass containing a very fine whitish powder that has no scent. Each of the seven vials discovered thus far has been a different color. Evenly sprinkled onto a piece of parchment and then blown away, it removes all statements which are not true. The dust is used up in this process. The dust is not omniscent - it cannot be used to discover the Meaning of Life - but it can reveal many things. One vial contains enough dust for 1d3 uses. 7 small vials of this dust have been found in recorded history. The origin of the name is unclear. This dust is incredibly valuable, easily worth thousands of silver or even gold pieces to the right buyer. information

41

 Tony Den Salgrin's Transmuting Snakes v ery rare The snakes appear as a highly ornate golden arm torque, made of two snakes loosely intertwined so that a head appears at each end. The torque is about 15 centimetres in length and gives the appearance of the snakes coiling around the upper arm. The snakes are relatively lose, allowing the torque to be bent to fit anything form a SIZ 5 to a SIZ 18 arm. When properly fitted, the fangs of each head will push against the skin near the elbow and shoulder. The eyes in each head can be of ruby, emerald or sapphire - they will not be mixed, i.e. if one head has ruby eyes, so will the other. (See below). Snakes with other kind of gems as eyes have been rumoured to exist, but whether these rumours are true and what effect the snake has is unknown. The snakes are a combination of the fine craft, alchemy and powerful enchantments. Normally they appear as an item of exquisite jewellery, but when worn, they quickly change. To be activated, the torque must be worn in such a manner that most of its inner side is in contact with skin; the fangs must specifically be touching flesh. Wearing the torque over armour or in such a manner that it is not tight against the flesh will not activate it. When donned, the torque will remain inactive for up to an hour, after which the snakes will appear to come alive. The first sign of their activation will be that they constrict the arm coiling so tight that the wearer will be unable to remove them. Once this has occurred, causing the veins to rise under the skin, needles protrude from the fangs, easily penetrating the skin and injecting the alchemist's toxin into the bloodstream. Once this process complete, the needles will retract and the snakes will loosen their grip, returning to their inanimate state. The toxin has a POT of 14 and must be resisted like a poison. Should the wearer fail his or her resistance roll, the toxin will poison them as per the Rune Quest poison rules. (I.E. 14 points of damage to global hit points). Should the character successfully resist the following effects will occur, depending on what type of snake "bit" them. Ruby Eyes: STR enhanced by 1D3. Side Effect: As the alchemists brew burns its way through their veins, the character convulses and is overtaken by an unbearable pain and nausea. They may pass out and or vomit as the potent brew warps their muscles. Resist vs. POT again and if roll fails, loose 1 CON point. The character will also have his/her fatigue points reduced to 1 and must rest up o recover from the ordeal. (Remember to adjust stats to reflect new STR). This process is instantaneous. Emerald Eyes: Shapechange into a Lizard Man. (Use Shapechange Sorcery Rules). Side Effect: As the alchemists brew burns its way through their veins, the character convulses and is overtaken by an unbearable pain and nausea. They may pass out and or vomit as the potent brew warps their very being and scales push through their skin. Resist vs. POT again and if roll fails, loose 1 CON point. The character will also have his/her fatigue points reduced to 1 and must rest up o recover from the ordeal. (Remember to adjust stats to reflect new STR). this process may take a few hours to run its course. Note: One of the strongest rumours evidencing other types of snake revolves around one with jade eyes that turned someone into a dragon or ogre, depending on who tells the story. Sapphire Eyes: Stone skin. Increase characters hit points in each hit location by 1 point. Global hit points do not change. The characters skin becomes leathery to form a type of natural armour. This process takes up to a week to complete. Side Effects: As the effect of this snake is more gradual, most of the severe side effects associated with the other two snakes are avoided. Characters may feel nausea and temporarily loose up to 1D6 Hit Points. Once the process is complete however, the characters Fatigue pints will be reduced by 1D4 to reflect the extra weight they now carry around. Any tight fitting clothes and armour would also have to be replaced or adjusted. Note: Other snakes may well exist, their effects beneficial or deadly, on GM's discretion. No one has been able to replicate Salgrin's potent brews although many have tried, with sometimes disastrous results. Thus, when the charges on a snake are finished, they are finished for good. What is left is a nice piece of ornamental jewellers which occasionally "bites" the wearer. A critical success Devise roll will allow an appraiser to access the cavity in which the potions were kept. Salgrin was a powerful alchemist whose enchanted artifacts became legendary in his own time. Perhaps some of the most bizarre items he created were his transmuting snakes. Due to their dangerous nature, not many were demanded and all record of how many he actually created has long since been lost in the mists of time.   characteristic

42

 Peter Maranci Exci's Scissors unique, indestructible A graceful pair of beautiful gem-encrusted silver scissors with golden handles. Adds 200% to Craft Hair skill. Given to Exci the Great, the greatest hairdresser in the West, in gratitude from a disguised god - he says. Notes/Warnings: The "god" was actually a great thief who stole this sacred relic from the altar of the Hair Gods, under the noses of a thousand screaming barbers. The agents of the Hair God are tracking the scissors, and when they find the thief and/or owner(s) they will exact a terrible revenge! skill, miscellaneous

43

 Marko Perälä Shadowcatcher unique A regular nightguard's tin lamp with a shutter. POW 10. Inside of the lamp has a permanent light on. When the shutter is opened the light can trap shadows of creatures and things kept in its beam. A living creature whose shadow is caught in the beam feels chills for a moment, which will pass as he moves away from the light. The shadow is left behind. In daylight the victim may get a scan roll to notice his shadow is not in place, but in dark it is impossible to notice. The shadow moves with the beam, until the shutter is closed after which it starts moving towards its owner with running speed. Whatever counter measures the victim has used to shake followers are made useless. The shadow is still visible in ordinary light. Nochet, Esrolian metropolis is always infested with thiefs, assassins, smugglers and secret societies. Couple of centuries ago Hagran Sharptongue, a young noble got into trouble with matriarchs of the country and received an impossible job - to lose Nochets criminal in six months or lose his head. Hagran would have been dead meat if he had not invented the shadowcatcher. He equipped his spies and guards with shadowcatchers and sent them to follow the few known criminals to their lairs. Hagran caught thousands of criminals and exposed hundreds of hideouts. Even today Hagrans influence is visible in an old greeting to begin a secret meeting: "It's nice you brought your shadows with you." Hagran got to keep his head. The crime rates were decreased so much that they have only resently returned to their old level. The original tactic Hagrans guards used was to act like an ordinary street patrol, point the target with shadowcatcher, pretend disinterest and move away with the captured shadow. After the victim has gone on his way they released shadow and followed it to its owner (and usually caught a large gang of criminals). If the lamp was broken, its light might be released from a crack. This light works the same way as usual, except shutting it down has to be improvised.
Imbued/enchanted: Light(1),Visibility(2), Slow(1)		 miscellaneous, imbued

44

 Peter Maranci The Ghost Well unique A massive 3,000 lb. (1360.78 kilogram) sealed tube of battered and unknown gray metal. It is 10 feet (3m) long, and has a 3.2 foot (1m) outer circumference. A huge bent loop of metal protrudes from near the opening. The bottom of the tube is completely sealed. The top has a heavy lid secured by a screw on the side and a hasp, which if unfastened allows the lid to be slid to one side (while remaining attached via the screw). The effective STR which must be over come to unfasten the hasp is 21, while the STR to overcome to move the lid is 27 - it is tightly fastened. Scratched on the side of the Well in spirit speech is "(spirit rune), I summon you!" The Ghost Well contains ghosts. A huge number of ghosts. The owner of the Well has the power to summon and command them.

Exactly how many ghosts are in the well is an occasional subject of debate among scholars of esoterica. Some say it contains the ghost of every creature slain by Not-A-Giant, which is certainly a large number. Others refer to old texts which refer to "the 666 souls of the Ghost Well", and claim that no more than that many are within it: that if a 667th was somehow placed within, the 1st ghost would be ejected or destroyed. Nandar the Giant-Breaker claimed to have rescued a ghost from the well, who apparently reported that only 137 spirits were within; but since the Giant-Breaker died over eight centuries ago, this claim is difficult to prove. A few claim that the Ghost Well is a doorway to Hell, and as such may be said to contain all the spirits that ever existed. If so, it might also offer an interesting way to go into and out of Hell. The truth of the matter is up to the GM.

In any case, the owner of the Well may summon ghosts from it by touching it and saying "Spirit, I summon you!" in spirit speech. This summons one random spirit from the Well. Most of these spirits are the ghosts of extremely powerful beings and ancient warriors. A summoned spirit must obey one order from the summoner; after completing the task it returns to the owner, who may force it back into the Well with a successful POW vs. POW attack. In any case, the owner of the Well cannot be harmed or lose magic points to any spirit which has been bound in the well. Anyone slain by the owner of the well must resist a POW of 100 or be drawn within it. If the name of an inhabitant of the Well is known, it may be specifically summoned by the owner.

 First seen in hanging from the belt of Not-A-Giant, a huge, irascible, and sometimes astonishingly violent creature which disappeared from view roughly 700 years ago. The Ghost Well disappeared with him, until now. Special: More than spirits can come from the Well. If a living creature has been bodily stuffed into the Well it becomes bound just as if it were a spirit, and may likewise be summoned and commanded by the owner. The body itself apparently disappears while in the Well; there is no limit to the number of living bodies which can be held by it. Dead bodies may be placed in the Well too. If the owner of the well slew the body, the bodies are animated by their spirits; they may be treated as mummies or liches. If the owner of the well did not slay the body, the spirit of the body is not affected by the well and the body may be summoned as a zombie. However, normal processes of decomposition continue, and over time the zombies become skeletons, eventually disintegrating into dust and disappearing altogether.
Notes: As mentioned above, the actual nature and capacity of the well is up to the individual GM. However, here's one option:
There is no known limit to the capacity of the Ghost Well, which at present contains 5,107 entities. These make up a strange sort of community in the pseudo spirit-city of the Well, in which the terrain and features are a matter of individual will and caprice. It is an extremely strange place, much larger within than without. At times random inhabitants are pulled screaming into the lemon-purple "sky" by the Owner; others fall from above as they are captured or re-captured. The living and dead interact on equal terms here, although the former are vastly outnumbered by the latter. Skeletons and zombies act as servants for anyone who commands them, though there have never been more than a few hundred spiritless undead in Well City at a time.
Although inhabitants can inflict pain on each other, they cannot truly damage or destroy one another. There is a legend among the Well-dwellers that at one time there was at least one inhabitant who could attack others, and consumed many inhabitants altogether; it became fearsomely powerful, and on being summoned did not return (could this have been the origin of some strange god or demon?). As the inhabitants tell it, many of them have escaped over the years. But it is not easy, and far more have returned in agony.
Note #2: An ancient book exists with the names and descriptions of 1,348 of spirits bound in the well. Time and wear have rendered an additional 362 entries illegible. Of the remaining 986, only 745 are still in the Well. The book is written in code; an INT x 1 roll + 1/10 of Read Spirit Speech skill roll must be made to decode it. Each attempt at decoding takes 30 - INT hours. Along with names and descriptions are "danger ratings", which are not explained.
Scenario Hook: The party is approached by Jan, the ghost of a powerful young warrior from long ago. He seeks aid. His approach might not be direct; he's looking for the kind of people who are brave, and seem likely to help him. Once the party's suitability is determined and contact has been established, he explains that he has escaped the Ghost Well, but needs help to rescue the ghost of his sister, Naj. She is a powerful mage; the two siblings fell together in battle in a great war more than a thousand years ago. Some creature recently began summoning spirits from the Well, but Jan was able to escape rather than be forced back into captivity.
He can tell little of the new owner of the Well; a powerful but not invincible creature with many servants.
The Well was recently dug up from where it has been buried for the past seven centuries. The new owner is the leader of a band of trollkin, orcs, broo, or other entertaining and primitive type of creature. The leader may be a shaman. The Well lies at the bottom of great dug-out space in a hillside, and is constantly guarded by at least several warrior creatures.
Option: At some point Not-A-Giant may appear, spot his Well and say "Ah, that's where I put that!", hook it back onto his belt and disappear over the hills, heading towards the sea.		 miscellaneous, spirit

45

 Marko Perälä Frost Cloth rare Plain robe, cloak, hood and veil with one side black and one side white. The suit is warm at cold weathers and the veil protects face from windchill. When worn white-side-out its wearer is practically invisible in snowy and icy areas. All attempts to scan wearer are -30% and -50% when it is snowing. The real magic is shown though, when the black side is worn and the wearer enters a place no more than 20 degrees celsius. Then the suit and its wearer becomes really invisible. The suit stays invisible until the temperature around it drops below 15 degrees. This fabric was first invented by tribe Iceclub of ice trolls. Far in the north sources of clothing are limited and led to growing magical snow worms for their silk. This would have stayed as an irrelevant footnote, if a Blue Moon assassin Gerig Poisonrock had not encountered the tribe. After a failed assasination he had to flee to the glacier wounded, he would have died without meeting the tribe and getting rescued by them. When he was back in health he received a new suit of Snow worm silk as a departure gift. Suits properties were revealed, when he resumed his mission and entered the warmth of his targets house. As an assassin Gerig understood quickly suits potential and initiated trade between Blue moon cult and Iceclubs. Prices: The suit is usually sold for 500 L / 1 SIZ for Blue moon trolls, 1000 L / 1 SIZ for other trolls and for 5000 L / SIZ for non-trolls. Imbued/Enchanted: Shimmer 1 / 3 SIZ. Cost to enchant is 1 POW/SIZ miscellaneous, protection, imbued

46

 Simon The Rings of Empathy unique Two obsidian rings with unidentifiable runes engraved on them. The rings are not activated until they are worn by two different people who come into direct physical contact. Once this occurs, the rings magically shrink onto the fingers, becoming impossible to remove except by the removal of one of the digits or overcome magically, or upon the death of one of the parties.
The rings are drawn to each other, similarly to two magnets. No matter how far apart, the wearers will feel their ring gently pulling in the direction of the other wearer. Furthermore, at the expenditure of 3MP, either wearer can tell what the other is thinking, for a duration of 1d3 rounds/hours. The other wearer can submit to this voluntarily. If not willing, or unaware of the caster's intentions, they must roll their POW vs the rings' on the resistance table. The rings have a POW of 30.		 When the moon priest, Naxos' daughter, Pirenne, was to wed the glamorous but morally suspect merchant, Kintos, the old priest fashioned these rings for the ceremony. The desired result was naturally to mend the young man's ways, but the priest had not counted on the far-reaching nature of the rings' effects. Kintos was not able to overcome his worldly passions, nor Pirenne her suspicions. When completely caught up in an encounter with a wealthy baroness, Kintos became unaware of the effects of the ring, enabling Pirenne to catch him in the act. Pirenne took a dagger to herself and in a fit of shame and anger, Kintos removed the rings from himself and his slain wife, whom he loved dearly, and threw them into the nearby river, before falling on his own rapier. Not recommended for lovers! miscellaneous, communication

47

 Peter Maranci The Hammer of God unique A huge and highly impressive warhammer of black metal, chased with red gold. Curiously light. Produces weird black radiance and a deep thrumming sound when brandished. Apart from radiance and sound, the wielder also gets +500% each to Oratory and Fast Talk. The Hammer has surfaced several times throughout history. The wielder often builds a cult around themself and the hammer. In every case it was eventually taken away by a mysterious cloaked figure and disappeared for 100 years. Not an effective melee weapon. It does 1d3 crushing damage. weapon, communication

48

 Tony Den The Sage Skull unique The skull is encased in a thin layer of pewter, the entire surface of which is marked with runes and arcane symbols. Its eyeholes are plugged with jade and its jaw is hinged with copper joints, will allow it to speak. The skull contains all the information that the scholar once knew. Unfortunately the process of creating the skull also resulted in the scholars by then huge ego and very eccentric personality. The skull can be used once a week. It has a 85% chance of knowing the answer to any question asked of it. It has no senses and so will be unable to, for example: identify a potion by taste, name an animal by sight or give directions by the position of the stars. A detailed description of anything to be identified in this manner may work, depending in the describer's ability to draw a picture with words. (A speak own language check should suffice, although GM's discretion may be exercised here). It understands most major languages. (Once again, the GM should identify whether a particular language is in much use).
The scholars eccentric personality and ego shine through at every opportunity. It takes offense at certain questions and gives vague answers as a punishment. It can ramble on, providing information which is of no practical use. It cannot lie and must answer questions posed to it (eventually). If it does not know the answer, it will tell a similar story and, very rarely, might state that it hasn't a clue. A favourite game it plays is to ignore any questions posed to it unless they are addressed in a certain manner (GM's discretion, maybe something like "O most sage skull, what/where/how/why/who!").
As mentioned above, the skull can be asked a question once per week. If no question is asked the skull will suddenly volunteer some sort of information on its own, once a week has passed since it last spoke. This can lead to all sorts of strange consequences. The skull has POW 12, INT 18.		 The skull once perched on the shoulders of a learned scholar who traveller far and wide in his quest for knowledge. His high intelligence and perfect memory led to his head being a great store of information, be it trivial, worthwhile, vague or arcane in nature. He became the man of the hour, sought after in court and petitioned by other seekers of knowledge, who would travel great distances to speak with him. As his fame grew, so did his ego. Eventually he believed himself to be of such importance that the world would be greatly disadvantaged were he to die. As a result of this belief, he met with sorcerers and alchemists of great power and made specific arrangements. The scholar lived to be quite eccentric in his old age, given to bouts of rambling. When the scholar was on his deathbed, these same enchanters gathered and performed a ghastly ritual, the details of which are too grim to repeat in this text. Suffice is to say that the result was the sages skull. Although the skull has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. Its caustic personality usually means that it does not stay in one persons possession for long. Some of the more proficient owners of the skull have mastered the are of asking questions with a simple yes/no answer. miscellaneous, information

49

 Tony Den The Staff of Kings unique The staff is 1.2 metres in length and resembles a shepherds crook. It is made of bronze and is covered in raised hieroglyphs. The hieroglyphs are in an ancient, forgotten language. Should the two halves ever be reunited, the result will be no more than a fancy walking stick, unless the activation word of power is spoken. This word is coded into the hieroglyphs and would take considerable study and hands on knowledge of a language, which has been dead for millennia.
Should the activation word ever be deciphered and spoken while the staff is whole, the following will result: - Anyone holding the staff will become invulnerable to all but the most powerful of magical attacks. (The staff will boost their POW with its own POW.) Weapons, which have been magically enhanced, will only be able to do their normal non-magical damage.
The holder of the staff is also be covered in a faint bronze aura, which for game play, can be considered as an additional 2 AP in each hit location.
These effects will depart as soon as the staff is released. A further word of power is required to separate the staff back into its two halves. This word can also be deciphered from the hieroglyphs upon the staff in the same way as the activation word.
The staff has POW 30, AP 17.		 The Staff of Kings comes in two parts (a Rod and a Crook), which fit into each other - see Rod of Oration and Crock of Ruling. Legend states that the staff belonged to a king of a long forgotten civilisation. During his rule, he conquered many nations. He is said to have remained invulnerable to attack as long as the staff was in his possession. The king eventually died of old age without naming an heir to his empire. A civil was ensued in which the staffs two pieces were separated and subsequently lost.
The bottom half of the staff (The Rod of Oration) has appeared from time to time. Most recently, scholars have speculated that it is in the possession of a powerful orcish warlord. The top half of the staff (The Crook of Ruling) has never been traced. Scholars are in two schools. Some say it was destroyed while others state that it still exists, but is well hidden.
Some legends state that the staff was created by the kinds court wizards. In reality, the king feared sorcery but was very devout. The staff was a reward from his gods, for building temples in all the lands he conquered and thereby spreading their worship.
Further legends tell of how the staff is the key to finding the ancient empire whence it came.		   weapon, protection

50

 Tony Den Crook of Ruling unique The Crook is made of bronze and resembles the traditional Egyptian Pharaohs crook in most ways. It measures 70 centimetres in a straight line from base to tip, the curved part taking up one third of its entire length. It has a diameter of 5 centimetres, which narrows to 4 centimetres at the base, as if the Crook were to be fitted into something. The Crook is covered in raised hieroglyphs and is surprisingly light for its size. The Crook is more a symbol of rulership than anything else. It is magical though and bestows a calm upon the holder, allowing them to clear their thoughts and concentrate on a task at hand. Treat as a 5% bonus on all intelligence based skill rolls. The Crook of Ruling is part of a two piece set. (See Rod of Oration). In ancient times, the Crook belonged to a king from a long since disappeared kingdom. The king was a military genius who conquered all his kingdom's neighbours and launched successful campaigns against powerful nations from across the sea.   miscellaneous, skill

51

 Tony Den Rod of Oration unique The Rod is made of bronze and is 50 centimetres long, with a diameter of 5 centimetres. It has raised hieroglyphs all over its surface. These hieroglyphs spell out command words in a lost language. For its size, it is surprisingly light. One end is hollow, as if something was meant to fit into it. The Rod has two charges, which are replenished daily, but do not accumulate - thus it can be used up to 2 times a day.
Should someone hold the rod when making an Orate roll, their base chance of success increases by 15%. Thus if a character with an Orate of 10% holds the rod when making an orate roll, he will have to roll less than or equal to 25 (10 +15) on d100 to succeed. Orate rolls made with the assistance of the Rod do not allow the character to make a mark in their Orate check box.
The Rod has other drawbacks. Characters who use it regularly (more than once a week) will become addicted to it over time. They will try to orate (with the Rod's help) whenever there is an opportunity. Glib loudmouths are not always welcome everywhere and interesting events could result. Its second major drawback is that as much as it helps a character orate, it will also make their fumble so much worse if they fumble. Fumbles are on the characters normal Orate %, not on the rod-adjusted %. EG: A character who fumbles a normal Orate may get booed, but a character who fumbles while using the Rod may get stoned.		 The Rod of Oration is part of a two piece set. (See Crook of Ruling). In ancient times, the rod belonged to a king from a long since disappeared kingdom. The king was a military genius who conquered all his kingdom's neighbours and launched successful campaigns against powerful nations from across the sea. His armies became so vast that he was unable to address them all at one time. In exasperation, he turned to his court wizards to create something to help him address his people. The result was the Rod of Oration. The real secret of the Rod is in the hieroglyphs. If the activation word can ever be deciphered and spoken, it will immediately boost the speakers Orate by 70% and will allow the speakers words to be heard for a radius of 2.215 kilometres (1 Roman League). The speakers words will be heard as they are spoken - a whisper will be a whisper and a shout a shout. miscellaneous, skill

52

 Tony Den Bazzats Battle Brew, aka Bazzats Best Bezzle, Bazzats Bilious Beer, Bazzats Berserk Barrel, and Bazzats Bitter Bevvy rare   Imbibers of Bazzats Battle Brew must resist their CON vs. the brew's POT (normally 2d12), per mug quaffed (the brew being active). A successful resist allows the drinker to roll on the success table below. A critical success (01) results in the imbiber going berserk. (The original brew resulted in an immediate berserk rage, but the process was never duplicated). A failure to resist allows imbiber to roll on the failure table below. A critical fumble (00) will result in the imbiber dropping dead on the spot. (Subject to standard divine intervention rules, nyar nyar snigger.). Bazzat was an infamous orcish brew master. It is reasonable common knowledge that orcish beer can make guzzlers do some strange things. Most orkish beer differs greatly from barrel to barrel, depending what ingredients were available to the brewer at the time of brewing. Bazzat was an orc of exceptional intelligence. While experimenting on new brews, he stumbled across a recipe, which contained certain herbs known to have magical properties, which was to become his masterpiece. A beer that would make the drinker invincible. He committed this recipe to memory.
Unfortunately, orcish brewing techniques being what they are, the recipe was not always duplicated exactly, resulting in some interesting side effects. The net results was that Bazzat was beaten to death by an enraged chieftain, after his army of veterans was forced to join battle while sick from one of Bazzat's kegs and were subsequently slaughtered. The recipe supposedly died with him although his apprentices often tried to duplicate it. Kegs of Bazzats original brews are still to be found and drunk, if one dares.		 Note: Imbibers should resist once for every mug quaffed and roll on one of the below tables for every mug, bar for critical successes or fumbles. The brew takes up to an hour before any effects are felt.
<IMG SRC="http://www.maranci.net/bazzats.gif">
GMs Note: Please modify this table as it suits you. It is designed specifically for orc and human drinkers, so feel free to make changes for other species.
Guarantee: Bazzats Battle Brew is guaranteed to make the imbiber drunk and result in a raging hangover.
Caution:Beware of imitations, such and Danukz Deadly Dram and Gurdoks Grotesque Grog. Be specifically weary of Nimgos Nefarious Nectar – even cave trolls have thought twice before guzzling this baleful booze. Quaffers of Bazzats beer should also be aware of the healing properties of Brodoc Bros Bottled Black Bull ™.		 miscellaneous, potion

53

 Tony Den The Mystery Bowls of Azun ka Nut unique These two ancient bowls are ceramic, set into a beaten tin outer shell. The lips of each bowl are purely of tin and thicker on the inside, so as to hold the ceramic portion in place. Each lip is inlaid with copper hieroglyphs on the inside and outside. The ceramic of one bowl is stained red with ochre while the other is stained blue with lapis lazuli. They are both 7 centimetres in height, the tin lip being 2 centimetres wide and have a top diameter of 15 centimetres. (Base diameter is 7 centimetres). The bowls are of ancient origin and, for their age, are well crafted. What is more interesting is what they do. When placed outdoors overnight, the bowls gradually fill with liquid until the whole ceramic portion is filled to the tin hieroglyph inlaid lip. This process takes the whole night. The red bowl looks to be filled with blood, the blue bowl with water. The nasty bit is that these are illusions, and the reverse is true. Drinkers from the red bowl taste cool refreshing water, while the liquid in the blue bowl, when tasted, turns out to be warm blood – which, though quite refreshing to certain creatures, is not most adventurers first choice for a drink. The mystery bowls of Azun ka Nut were used for religious ceremonies. Azun is a benevolent vulture god, but also a bit of a deceiver. All is never what it seams with Azun.   miscellaneous

54

 Peter Maranci The Strength Tester unique, indestructible A wooden stand 4 meters tall; a carnival strength tester, with a bell at the top and a hammer at the base. Users strike the lever at the base of the stand to test their strength. Along the height of it are painted strange and unrecognizable runes in bright colors. The Tester can be used to compare strength; two users can each try it and see who can drive the weight higher. However, the true power of the Tester is this: Anyone using it may make a STR roll vs. their own POW. If they succeed, the next time they would have gotten a POW gain roll, they get a STR gain roll instead! This effect can be gained only once in a person's lifetime. This ancient game is the living incarnation and shrine of a powerful disorder spirit. According to obscure ancient legends it was once part of a bizarre traveling carnival. If you fail, you automatically fail your next POW gain roll. If you fumble your chance to overcome your own POW, you immediately lose a permanent point of Strength.
The tester is the living embodiment of an ancient spirit, POW 57		 miscellaneous, spirit, characteristic

55

 Andy Dagger of Bleating   This dagger is about the size of a dirk and it has the same attack benefits. It bleats like a sheep whenever there is a demon around.   Demons probably dislike the sound of sheep bleating. weapon, information

56

 Peter Maranci Sword of Haste rare A sword of haste looks normal in almost every way. It feels strange, though; curiously light and moveable in the hand. And yet it's not simply a light blade. There's an electrified, active quality to its motion. Anyone who has handled a blade of haste will know whenever they touch another. Depending on the strength of the enchantment (technically <A HREF="http://www.maranci.net/imbue.htm">imbuement</A>), the strike ranks of the weapon are reduced from one to four points. This can actually completely negate the natural SR speed of the weapon itself. There are legends of blades of uncommon speed from pre-historical days, but only recently has a method of recreating these weapons been known—and that only to one man, Vincenz of Pearl Street. He makes only one such sword every one or two years, and charges a high but fair price (which varies depending on the strength of the imbuement).
No one knows how Vincenz arrived at a formula to create this imbuement; he has had a long career as an adventurer (a practice which he still follows for much of the year—it's necessary in order for him to continue making swords), and some say he discovered the ritual in an ancient scroll found deep underground. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that Vincenz was always known as a cunning artificer and mage; he also invented the collapsible pack which allows the user to carry up to 50% more weight than is usually possible, due to the careful positioning of various straps—yet allows the user to drop the entire pack quickly in time of combat. So the question is still open to debate. It is also moot, since Vincenz allows no one to observe any part of his rituals.		 The total strike ranks to attack can never be reduced below one; the weapon remains physical, after all. Also, it takes considerable practice to learn to use a blade of haste properly. 50 hours of practice are required for each -1 to SR that the weapon gives. Until that practice is completed, each -1 of the weapon gives -5% to attack and -10% to parry rolls.
Imbued/Enchanted: Fanaticism (1), Coordination 1, Mobility 1 – 4. Total POW cost to create: 5-14.		 weapon, imbued

57

 Peter Maranci Token of Clear Thought rare This enchantment can only be placed in a rune-metal object which is whole - it cannot be pierced and hung on a chain, for example. It must be worn on the uppermost quarter of the body (closest to the head) in order to work. Once imbued the token gains a permanent swirly luster. The wearer is immune to the Befuddle spell, and cannot become confused. A useful item, but the ritual to create it is particularly difficult; -30% to Enchanting skill. Imbued: Detect Befuddle (1), Dispel Magic 2. Total POW cost to create: 4. miscellaneous, protection, imbued

58

 Peter Maranci Protector Amulet matrix A hard, unmarked wooden disc on a heavy leather thong. A Spell Spirit matrix. The spirit inside is INT 24, POW 27. It knows only one spell: Dispel Magic 8. It casts this spell on the user on command. Created by a shaman as a gift to a warrior friend. Because the user must command the spirit in order to have the spell cast, this item is useless against spells such as Befuddle. miscellaneous, protection, matrix

59

 Peter Maranci ChangeStone unique A beautifully-shaped silver-rainbow-hued crystal which suggests the shape of a graceful figure with arms stretched overhead. It smells faintly but definitely of old blood. The crystal contains the body of a forgotten ancient Hero. By casting all of their personal magic points into the crystal, the user switches their spirit into the Hero-body while simultaneously switching their own body into the crystal. The apparent effect is to instantly transform the user's body into the Hero-body.
The Hero-body has the following stats: STR 38, CON 26, SIZ 26, DEX 27, APP 40. The user's original INT and POW are used, as are all skill percentages (with appropriate characteristic modifications). It has a natural Shield 6 in effect around itself at all times. Its hair, eyes, and nails are metallic-silver. It has large golden wings folded at its back, but they are maimed and useless - even a slight attempt to move them causes crippling pain. The Hero-body is magnificently female, and wears a gilded iron chainmail bikini which gives the torso an additional 12 AP. In the Hero-body, the user lacks any sense of smell or taste--the Hero-body has been dying slowly over the millenia, and these senses were the first to go (the original spirit of the body is long gone).
The user transforms back into their own body when:

• They fall asleep, even for a moment,
• They fall unconscious,
• 24 hours have passed in any case.

Once the bodies have been changed back the user is at zero magic points, and therefore is normally completely unconscious and helpless until at least one point has regenerated. They also are at zero fatigue, and desperately need sleep.

 Its origins are unknown; it has turned up now and again throughout history. For some reason no one has used this crystal for more than one year. The Hero-body has one terrible weakness: it cannot heal normally. It also cannot swim.
Sooner or later, depending on their level of empathy, users eventually find their dreams filled with unendurable images of eternal battle and pain. Giving up the crystal alleviates but does not end these dreams, and the user remains marked by them for the remainder of their life.		 miscellaneous, transformation, crystal

60

 Peter Maranci Blood Keeper common Varies. Almost any item can be turned into a blood keeper. Each point of Slow included in this object improves the roll needed to avoid bleeding by a 1x multiplier, i.e. if Slow 2 was used than a CON x 5 roll would be reduced to CON x 3. If Slow 5 or greater is used, the wearer cannot bleed. Invented long ago, this useful object is one of the more common imbued magic items extant. Imbued: Detect Blood (1), Slow (variable). Total POW cost to create: 4+. miscellaneous, protection, imbued

61

 Peter Maranci Green Swap Crystal unique A pyramid-shaped green and yellow crystal the size of a hen's egg. Once attuned (POW 21), the owner discovers that this crystal is inhabited: it contains the spirit of an ancient magician, a member of a long-forgotten cult of monster-fighters. The owner (and only the owner) can communicate with this spirit when they touch the crystal. No transfer of knowledge or magic points is possible, however. At the owner's mental command, however, they may switch places with the captured spirit: the owner's spirit takes up residence in the crystal, and the spirit of the ancient mage occupies the owner's body. The crystal cannot be unattuned, and when the owner dies their spirit enters the crystal and the previous spirit is released to complete its journey to the afterlife. A "powered" crystal of some forgotten god--or possibly two gods. Used by an ancient cult of heroic monster-fighters as an unusual sort of allied spirit. Long ago that cult was almost completely exterminated. The switch between spirits can be initiated by either spirit, but if the other resists a POW vs. POW roll is required.
Special: The ancient mage is well-meaning, but not used to the modern world; s/he attempts to continue his/her holy war and re-start the ancient brotherhood of which s/he is the last remnant. However, s/he will not force the owner against their will, but instead relies on persuasion. Incidentally, if there are any members of the enemies of the brotherhood still around they might recognize the crystal from ancient stories.		 miscellaneous, transformation, crystal

62

 Peter Maranci Switch Crystal unique An egg-shaped red crystal which seems to be hollow inside. Astonishingly, this POW 17 crystal can only be attuned by two people simultaneously. Once this is done, one of the two is absorbed by the crystal and frozen in complete stasis. The other user remains fully active. At the active user's mental command the two may switch places: the active user is absorbed by the crystal, while the dormant user emerges and becomes active. The switch can only be initiated by whoever is the active user at the time, and takes one minute to complete. If the active user dies, the dormant user emerges from the crystal within one minute. Anyone absorbed by the crystal takes all the possessions which they are carrying with them. However, no other living thing can be brought into the crystal, and objects must be actually held or worn. A "powered" crystal of some forgotten god - or possibly two gods.   miscellaneous, transformation, crystal

63

 Peter Maranci Ice Crystal unique A very clean, straight broadsword which hisses slightly, gives off a cold smoke, and gradually becomes rimed with frost as it is used. The hilt is heavily wrapped in pale blue leather, with a large pale blue stone at the crosspiece. The scabbard is made of metal wrapped in brown leather. The blade does an additional 1d10 of cold damage to flesh once it has penetrated armor. Pain and shock are reduced due to the numbing effect of the cold; all rolls are improved by a category, i.e. if a CON x 3 roll is needed to avoid shock only CON x 2 need be rolled. The cold effect has been known to paralyze hit locations for several rounds; this is determined by an opposed resolution of the cold damage inflicted vs. the normal full hit points of the struck location. Depending on weather the cold powers of the blade gradually fade, taking between half an hour to an hour to entirely vanish. Each third successful (armor-penetrating) blow reduces the cold damage done by the blade by one point. Created seven years ago by The Deep Thinkers, a group of brilliant young Knowledge scholars, who sold it to a highly-placed noble. It was recently stolen from the noble, who has placed a reward for its return. The Deep Thinkers disappeared without explanation four years ago, incidentally. Unknown to most, the blade itself is not actually magical. In fact, there are six identical blades which have been used as the Ice Crystal, and constructing more would be fairly easy. The magic is in the scabbard (there is only one), which is an exceptionally effective Cool Vat (q.v.). The blade is cooled by the scabbard, reaching its coldest temperature after being stored for 24 hours. The blades provided by The Deep Thinkers for use with the scabbard are specially made; the metal is particularly resilient, and therefore less likely to shatter from the extreme cold. The hilts are also heavily insulated, and the use of leather gloves is advised when wielding the blade. Only three blades remain to the noble who owned the sword; one was shattered in a particularly violent demonstration, and another was stolen some time ago (but since the scabbard was left behind, the theft was of no importance - the latest theft included the scabbard as well as a blade). Other blades could be used in the scabbard, although the less perfect the fit, the less the effectiveness of the cooling--plus, of course, the other obvious dangers.
Imbued: (in scabbard) Darkwall (2), Extinguish 4. Total POW cost to create: 14.		 weapon, imbued

64

 Peter Maranci Pierce Arrows rare Normal-looking arrows. When these arrows strike flesh a Glue 1 spell is activated. This sticks the arrow to the wound as if an Impale had been rolled - no extra impaling damage is done, but the arrow remains in the wound and causes 1/2 normal damage ignoring armor for each round that the victim moves. Arrows may be removed as normal impaling arrows. After the Glue spell expires the arrow simply drops off. If an impale is rolled with a Pierce Arrow, there is no additional effect. Pierce Arrows may be re-used if they have not broken - the Glue spell is automatically "reset" when the arrow is fired again. These have been crafted by certain obscure tribes for centuries. A cult of eastern assassins recently began using these arrows in combination with poison to deadly effect. Experiments have been made to use these arrows with a light strong cord in order to climb towers and retrieve objects. Some progress has been made, but the rituals have not yet been perfected.
Imbued: Glue 1, Detect Flesh. Total POW cost to create: 5 per arrow.		 weapon, imbued

65

 Peter Maranci Welleran's Sheath unique At first glance, this is an extremely simple and plain leather sheath for a broadsword. Closer examination by anyone with a sword-related skill reveals that this may be the ultimate in design. It is clean, without adornment, and every line and seam is perfect. Near the opening inside the sheath is set a ring of iron; set into the metal are the finest sharpening stones in the world. This sheath is nearly priceless. The sheath is entirely non-magical, as the Anti-Magician discovered to its cost; or rather, the only magic involved was the skill of Welleran. Likewise, magical swords are almost never placed in the sheath. For good reason. Every time a sword of the proper size and shape is placed in the sheath and drawn from it, it is sharpened; depending on the quality of the sword and the closeness of the fit to the sheath, the enhancement is from +1 to +4 damage. This sharpening is non-magical, and the edge usually blunts after several blows (exactly how quickly depends on the quality of the blade, the skill of the swordsman, and the surface it has been striking). Created by the near-legendary Hero-Smith Welleran 100 years ago for battle against the Anti-Magician. The sheath has been passed from one owner to another over the years. For some, it has been an object of art in their collections; others have tried to put it to use, with varying degrees of success. In order to benefit from the Sheath a sword must be specifically made to fit it by a master smith; the greater the degree of success the greater the sharpening effect. However, sharpening does wear out a blade; again, depending on the quality of the metal and construction a sword might last for anywhere from a hundred to a thousand uses. The sharpening effect tends to ruin the fine engraving used for enchantments, too; a magic sword with a matrix on the blade must make a resistance roll to avoid being marred, the POW used to create the matrix vs. an effective POW of 1. weapon

66

 Peter Maranci The Zapper unique Description: A large round golden gem, approximately 3 centimeters across. It is normally kept in a golden wire basket and hung from a chain. The gem glows with a bright clear light. The light of the Zapper is almost irrestistable to all insects (they must resist a POW of 30 per round to stay away). On contact every insect receives a Disrupt spell, doing 1-3 points of damage and destroying all small bugs. Larger bugs may survive this damage, of course. The zapping continues every round for as long as the bug remains in contact. Non-insects are not affected in any way by the Zapper. Created 37 years ago by MacBane, a half-elf priest of the Sun God with an inexplicable Scots accent. MacBane had been cursed by the Troll Insect God, and was subject to frequent attacks by swarms of insects; the Zapper was his attempt to break the curse.
The attempt seemed successful. After several years, however, on the High Holy Day of the Troll Insect God, MacBane found himself under attack by a horde of ghost insects. It is written that it was then that he girded himself for MacBane's Last Ride, the famous subject of so many songs and poems.		 The Zapper is haunted by the ghosts of a swarm of bugs, 237 in number. Each use of the Zapper carries a 1% chance of receiving the curse of the Troll Insect God.
Imbued: Light 1, Disrupt 1, Detect Insect (1). Total POW cost to create: 6.		 weapon, imbued

67

 Kris Darken Globes rare Following a lengthy ritual lasting many days, the ingredients of the spell crystallize into a handful (1d6-1) of perfect obsidian coloured globes which appear to devour the light, each one about the size of a human head. The Darken Globes are a dormant evil, and require a sacrifice of MP in order to become 'primed', after that whenever they are in the presence of a large concentration of magical power (such as a very powerful spell, or a number of magical items) the Globes begin to 'hatch'. Eight tentacles spring from the centre of each globe, radiating a hideous chill to the touch, (when a tentacle touches a character, match magic point totals; should the Globe win, the character is drained of 1d3 CON) as well as the physical damage caused by the animated stone appendages. Darken Globes may be destroyed only through the use of magical light spells, each casting of which consumes 1d3 of a Globe's HP. The Darken Globes are the creation of an evil and twisted intellect, and are the result of many years of alchemical research and pacts with demonic creatures. Dark Globe: STR 3D6, INT 0, DEX 10, CON 0, SIZ 5, APP 0, POW 2D6 + 6 + 1/point of POW sacrificed in their creation. HP generally around 30HP each globe. hazard

68

 Jeremiah Brownlee "Powered" Armor, Calabretto very rare Description: A large, finely crafted 'suit' made from rock. It stands a solid 8 feet tall <about size 25>, is made from a dark colored stone. Eyes are carved from the hollow head. Enchanted with both Animate Stone, and Craft Stone, both enchanted with 30 points so it requires no free Int of your own, and will last about 8 hours. Also possesses 30 points of magic point storage to fuel the casting. The suit usually stands with a large opening in its back for the user to climb into. Once inside, they may cast these enchanted spells (requiring multispell to cast together, otherwise the user must expend additional MP), and close the back. After that, he may use craft/animate stone to move the 'armor'. He can attack, jump, etc. at his current skill. The suit generally has 25-30 armor points. Bigger people require the armor to be thinner to accomodate them, but that's up to the GM. Pretty cool, huh? ;) Created by the Magi Sorcerer, Elryk, when he felt like testing the mettle of any hearty party of adventurers. Enchanted: Form/set Stone (30), Animate Stone (30), Magic Point Storage (30). protection, matrix

69

 Peter Maranci Twin Rings unique Two rings carved from a single large blue stone. The intricate facets seem to run right through the substance. On the surface of each is a complicated rune; when the two rings are pressed together the runes interlock perfectly. Cannot be removed from the finger, once they have been put on. Automatic Mindspeech at will with other ringwearer. All damage is shared - if one wearer is struck for 4 points of damage, each takes 2 points instead. If one wearer dies, the other does, too. Created long ago by the Mad Mage, who presented them as gifts at the birth of the West Mountain King's twin sons. The two princes split the kingdom between them upon the old king's death, and although they nearly came to blows on several occasions, never took the final step to war. But that was long ago, and the rings have long since been lost. Imbued: Mindspeech, Harmonize (divine). Total POW cost to create: 14 (7 each). communication, imbued

70

 Peter Maranci Moonbeam unique A silvered broadsword, somewhat more slender than most. The hilt is green, and beautifully carved to resemble a cluster of spring buds. The weapon itself is so perfectly balanced that is gives +3% both to attack and to parry. The wounds made by this weapon do not cause pain, and in fact cannot be felt at all. In addition, they do not bleed. The weapon itself has a magical +10% to attack and parry. In combination with the bonus for perfect balance, adds up to +13%. However, the weapon only does normal broadsword damage. Of course, since the blade is silvered it is able to affect were-beasts normally.
The blade has a POW of 12 and 21 AP.		 Created long ago by the nameless Elf Hermit of the Silver Wood, who slew many were-beasts with it. Imbued: Bladesharp 2, Heal 2, Detect Pain, Silence 1. weapon, imbued

71

 Peter Maranci Axe-Hammer rare A war hammer with a pick or axehead back - alternatively, an axe or pick with a hammer-back. This weapon is reversible, with both sides of the attacking ends enhanced. The enchantments placed on both ends are usually equal, since the weapons tend to skew oddly if they are magically unbalanced. One odd effect of this item is that each one makes a strange and distinctive noise upon striking. Each weapon makes a different sound, but all share the quality of metal under stress. Particularly powerful versions can produce sound which is painful enough to serve as an additional attack. Trolls are particularly vulnerable to this effect.
It is said that a famous chef had a cleaver that used this enchantment - the edge sharpened for obvious reasons, while the flattened back edge was used to tenderize meat.		 These items are frowned on by most cults which favor any one type of weapon, and even more so by those which forbid the use of another weapon-type. Therefore Axe-Hammers (and Pick-Hammers) are rather rare. They are, however, quite useful, particularly for powerful and experienced warriors. Imbued: Bladesharp 1or more and Bludgeon 1+. Total POW cost to create: 3 - 60+. weapon, imbued

72

 Nikodemos Trident of Wachaza unique A war-trident. The trident can cast the following spells on command: True Trident II, Strength 6, Wachaza's Tooth, Coordination 9, Fanaticism, Demoralize, Slow 10, Heal Wound III. It has triple the armor points of a normal trident. It also contains a 27-point magic point storage matrix. This trident was maded in the First Age by a Primal Chaos sorcerer/priest. He defeated a Wachaza runelord in battle and bound/enslaved the runelord into the trident. In time the runelord of Wachaza learned the secrets of chaos (learned to sense chaos and illuminated persons at 90%). He learned also resist the commands of the chaos priest late in the Second Age and were helped defeat the chaos priest.
Wachaza runelords found trident, but weren't able to free the spirit - so they bound some Power spirits and spell matrices into the trident instead. Trident was a relic of the Wachaza cult for for 200 years, after which it was stolen from the temple and never seen again.		 Only Wachaza runelords may access the spells in the trident, but any non-chaotic wielder may access the stored magic points. The trident itself can only be wielded by non-chaotics. The Rune Lord spirit in the trident has a 10 INT and 25 POW. weapon, matrix

73

 Peter Maranci The Exalter unique By appearance, a small and ordinary powered crystal. It is a 1.5cm purple cube with an off-center yellowish blob inside. The Exalter is a 23-POW powered crystal; it must be attuned to gain its benefits. Once attuned, it acts as a 1-point spirit-supporting crystal, adding 1 to POW for purposes of resisting spirit attacks. However, it also increases the chance for the owner to succeed in a POW gain roll by 25%, effectively adding 5 points to the creature's species maximum POW. Brought to these shores from the mysterious East by a ship with lemon-coloured sails several hundred years ago. Little else is known of it, and it is spoken of only in the most obscure texts.   crystal

74

 Peter Maranci Cloak of Terror (Holocaust Cloak) rare Varied types of cloaks, but Holocaust Cloaks are always a deep, midnight black. Variable. All have the power to radiate fear (Demoralize effect on all w/in 30m), Protection (at least 2) and darkness (add 90% to Hide skill). Other powers can include Flame Shield (2d6 damage to all w/in 3m), Silence, and Strength. Holocaust Cloaks have been known for many centuries. The first was created by a young boy, the last survivor of a small tribe which was exterminated by their enemies. The boy created the Holocaust clock from his father's best robe, grew up as a wild shaman, and won a terrible revenge before! Imbued: Demoralize (2), Darkwall (2), Protection 2+, others as needed. Total POW cost to create: 10 - 30+. clothing, imbued, protection, fear

75

 Peter Maranci Baleron's Ring unique A beautifully-crafted ring of heavy red gold. A large ruby is set on it. Deep in the ruby is a barely-discernable flaw; a miniscule Disorder rune. The wearer is protected with a Protection 6 against fire damage, Protection 3 against all other kinds of damage. Found at the river bottom by Baleron, Prince of D'nark, who used it in the last battle against the River-Pirates. He later fell under its power and burned the city to the ground. He perished in the blaze, and the ring wasn't seen again for a hundred years. Over time, the wearer becomes infected with pyromania. At appropriate crisis points and moments of opportunity (on a dry grassland, for example), the wearer must resist a POW of 23 or else feel an overpowering sense of power and strength. This fit lasts 23 rounds. During that time anything they touch is Ignited per the spell. The source of the pyromania is not obvious; the ring is not likely to be blamed. The pyromania increases in strength over weeks, until the victim is constantly under its effects and unknowingly casts Ignite on objects up to 30m away just by looking at them, with no MP expenditure or cast roll required. At this point the victim is extremely dangerous. If they can be restrained and the ring removed (which they will actively resist), they must immediately resist a POW of 23 or go insane. Methods and time for recovery from insanity must be determined by the GM. If they fumble their resistance roll they immediately spontaneously combust.
Imbued: Protection 4, Fanaticism (2), Ignite (1). This ring is the product of a fumbled Imbue roll.		 ring, protection, hazard, cursed

76

 Peter Maranci Noisemaker rare A metal weight, sealed inside a large non-magical metal tube with a flat base at one end. The weight clings to the narrow end of the tube until an enemy comes within 30m. At that point the weight drops with a loud clatter down the length of the tube, warning the owner. The noise is sufficient to wake even the deepest sleeper. Created by merchant travelers for safety on the road. Imbued: Glue 1, Detect Enemies, Dispel Magic 1. Total POW cost to create: 6. miscellaneous, imbued

77

 Peter Maranci Brynna's Family unique A 1m long heavy mace, made of somewhat charred wood bound and reinforced with metal. The wood was the mantle of the door to Brynna's home, which was burned; the metal is the re-worked scraps of her melted pots and pans. Four small objects are set in the hilt:
• The nib of a pen, which was used by her oldest child (he was a bookworm)
• A baby tooth in amber, from her middle child, who lost it a few days before being killed
• A small glass bead; the eye of a small toy duck, the favorite toy of her smallest child
• A gold bead melted into the shape of a tear. It was once a heart-shaped locket given to her by her husband.
 The mace glows with blue light whenever undead come within 30m. The light is painful for undead to look at; they are -50% to strike the wielder. It is brightest in the presence of skeletons. The light is the precise color of Brynna's youngest child's eyes.
The mace has the following continual effects: Bludgeon 6 (i.e. +6/+6) against skeletons, 4 against other undead, 2 for all others. Shimmer 10 against all undead as above. Two Armoring Enchantments have been cast on it, raising its armor points to 24.		 Created over many years by Brynna, a young farmwife whose husband and three children were killed by skeletons in the service of the Underlord. She became a warrior, destroying undead and skeletons in particular for many years. She is very old and respected now, and too weak to wield the Family without a Strength spell; but she sometimes loans it out in a good cause. She is looking for someone worthy to take care of it after she is gone. Imbued: Detect Undead, Shimmer 10, Bludgeon 6, Light weapon, protection, imbued

78

 Peter Maranci The Eye of Revelation rare A glowing eye-shaped ovoid, sometimes on the end of a rod. Usually made from a valuable gem. It is rumored that at least one particularly powerful Eye was created using a god-crystal. When the Eye is uncovered, all magic items within 30m glow with a visible light. This effect can normally be shielded by a Countermagic 4 or higher, although more powerful Eyes will penetrate this. Invented by a sage who became tired of being robbed by fellow party members - particularly thieves. Drawback: An uncovered Eye glows strongly, and anyone in range can see that it is the source of the magical effect.
Imbued: Light (1), Detect Magic (1). Total POW cost to create: 4+.		 information, imbued, perception

79

 Peter Maranci That Little Extra Something rare Varies; usually a short, beautifully-made hand-sized rod with a single round metal rod protruding from the end. Often has a crossbar to aid turning. Always has at least two black jewels. When placed in a lock temporarily solidifies all the air within the lock, acting as an effective key. In effect a magical skeleton key for almost any lock. According to underground legend at least one master thief supposedly had one which had a special Glue matrix on the opposite end, which allowed him to permanently seal locks behind him. Invented by a clever thief sometime long ago; his name is forgotten. Imbued: Multimissile 2, Detect Lock (1). Total POW cost to create: 5. miscellaneous, imbued

80

 Jim Lawrie Crystal Ball   A 15cm diameter ball of dark crystal, set on top of an ebony rest. 3 ENC, 5 AP. The crystal ball contains a binding enchantment for a magic spirit, this specimen has the following statistics: Int: 17, Pow: 23. Sense Projection: 95%, Phantom Sense: 95%, Intensity: 95%, Range: 95%, Multispell: 95%. These allow the user of the crystal to sense distant events.   Conditions:

• Only users first muttering the word "Tormanos" may command the spirit,
• The spirit casts both spells, the sight projection in the direction and distance where the user desires, and a multispelled Phantom Sight to display the results on the crystal's surface.
• The spirit may only cast these spells in that combination and none others,
• The item must be used in a dark environment.
 crystal, matrix, information, miscellaneous, perception

81

 Peter Maranci Herkon's Reward generic Usually a bracelet, but other forms are possible. The wearer never feels tired. S/he is immune to all effects of pain, and automatically makes CON rolls for injury or weariness. S/he is also able to function on half as much sleep as before. However if the Reward is ever taken off the wearer immediately rolls on the following table:

• CONx1 or less: Tired, but able to function.
• CONx2 or less: Incredibly weary and sore, but able to stay awake for 1d6 hours.
• CONx3: Immediate unconsciousness for 3d6+3 hours.
• CONx4: Collapse for 24+3d6 hours, lose 1d3 points of permanent CON.
• CONx5: Coma; roll CONx1 after each 1d10 days to revive. It is easy to starve to death while in a coma. Lose 1d6 points of permanent CON.
• CONx6+: Death.

 Supposedly invented long ago by a famous miser-Lord as a way to squeeze more work out of his peasants. Imbued: Endurance 1, Fanaticism (2). Total POW cost to create: 5. hazard, imbued, miscellaneous

82

 Peter Maranci The GraveStone unique An unnaturally cold piece of jagged grey stone, set in a tarnished silver buckle, attached to a worn old leather belt. The wearer cannot be distinguished from a zombie. They give off no perceivable body heat, have no audible heartbeat or pulse, and appear to have a POW of 1. The wearer also seems pallid and dead (APP minus 10), although additional make-up is often employed to improve the disguise. The wearer is immune to all special vampiric powers. While they resist spells normally, their chance to overcome is based on a POW of 1. Created by Amrok the Black from a stone reportedly chipped off the tombstone of the Vampire God, in order to allow a brave young knight to spy on Gorgothua, a Vampire Lord. Imbued: Spirit Screen 2, Silence 2, Countermagic 2. amulet, transformation, imbued

83

 Peter Maranci Nimble Jack's Boots unique Dark grey mid-calf boots of an exotic leather. No metal shows on the outside of the boots, which are fastened with strong leather ties. Both boots are designed to comfortably hold a dagger, and each has a lockpick hidden in the toe. The boots seem to grip walls and ropes, adding 80% to Climb. They are also absolutely silent, adding 40% to the wearer's chance to Sneak. First known as the property of Nimble Jack, a famous thief of the big city. The boots have been stolen or borrowed from him several times, but he has always managed to get them back in the end. Imbued: Glue 4, Silence 4. clothing, imbued, transportation, skill

84

 Peter Maranci Ghost Sword unique An odd-looking shortsword with a translucent, shimmering blade. The hilt is solid black; the blade is immaterial. The wielder can perceive the spirit world, and use the sword to combat spirit entities. A successful hit enables the wielder to make a POW vs. POW roll against the target; success means the target loses 1d6+1 personal magic points. Even failure causes the target to lose 2 MP. It is possible to impale and fumble. Since the Ghost Sword is very light, its strike rank is 0. The wielder is also protected with the effect of a Spirit Screen 4. First seen in the hands of the Madman of Z'moyen, who claimed that it had been made for him by the ghost of his grandfather to help him fight their mutual enemies. The wielder of the Ghost Sword is treated respectfully by most spirits. The blade may also be used against living creatures. It cannot parry physical objects, but can parry spirit attacks!
Imbued: Second Sight (3), Spirit Screen 4, Bladesharp 1, Disrupt (1). Total POW cost to create: 19.		 weapon, protection, imbued, perception

85

 Peter Maranci The Boneblaster unique A 30-cm horn of pale, almost translucent ivory, finished with gold and studded with red gems in a confusing pattern. The horn emits a deep, muffled, tunneling blast which causes intense pain and damage to the bones of all within range. Each listener must resist with CON vs. POW 17 each round; otherwise the vibrations cause 1d3 hit points damage to each hit location for every round that resistance is failed. Even if successfully resisted, the Boneblaster reduces all Listen skills in its listeners by 10% every round. Armor does not protect from this damage, nor do spells with two exceptions: spells which protect against magic may resist a spell effect of POW 17. And Silence protects - each point of Silence acts as 1-point armor against damage, so that Silence 3 gives perfect protection.

To blow the horn the user must overcome a STR of 18 for every round of use. Each round of blowing temporarily lowers the STR and CON of the user by 1d6 points each. If this reduction takes a characteristic to zero or below, the user collapses into unconsciousness. They take general physical damage equal to 1d6 + (total characteristic points below 0), and must roll their resultant hit points x 5 or die from shock. STR & CON recover at a rate of 1d3 points each per day with bed rest, 1 point per day with non-strenuous activity. Listen comes back at 10x that rate.

 Created 19 years ago as an experiment by an extremely precocious young sage, who made it on a dare. Soon after the horn was stolen and used in battle, where its ghastly effects became manifest. The young sage (now a powerful Sage Lord) has spent the last 15 years trying to recover and destroy the Boneblaster. Imbued: Detect Bone (1), Strength 4, Disruption (1). Total POW cost to create: 17. weapon, miscellaneous, imbued

86

 Peter Maranci Lady Kraggelthorg's Tiara unique A completely over-the-top diamond tiara. Rocks the size of a walnut, gold, platinum, the whole magilla. Worth approximately 50,000sp new, but various owners have pried gems out of it over the years; it's worth about 10,000 now. Nonetheless the magic still works. Speeds up the metabolism of the wearer while sparing them the effects of exhaustion and hunger, allowing rapid and fairly painless weight loss. Created by Meliakor, Court Enchanter for Lady Kraggelthorg, former serving-wench and (later) wife to Duke Kraggelthorg the Barbarian. Unfortunately Meliakor had a loose tongue, and it wasn't long before the secret of the tiara was public knowledge. In shame, the lady threw the tiara into the gutter along with Meliakor's head. A lot of people have been killed for it since, and it's rumored to be cursed. Imbued: Mobility 1, Endurance 1. Total POW cost to create: 4. clothing, imbued, jewelry, miscellaneous

87

 Peter Maranci Wood Knife generic Varies, but always made with the finest craftsmanship and from the best metal and wood available. This blade carves wood beautifully. Depending on the level of Bladesharp imbued, it may simply cut better. Woodknives imbued with high levels of Bladesharp can slice the hardest wood as if it were soft cheese. A few "safety" models have been made that incorporate an additional Detect (wielder's species) and some level of Dullblade in order to keep the blade from cutting the user accidentally. All of these blades are regarded with fear and loathing by intelligent vegetable-based lifeforms, although it is rumored that some special versions of these blades incorporating healing and painkilling magic are used by the Healers of Elfwood for surgery. A useful tool that has been popular with woodworkers for centuries. Imbued: Detect Wood, Bladesharp 1-4+. Additional as noted. Total POW cost to create: 4 - 19+. weapon, imbued, miscellaneous

88

 Peter Maranci Fleshseeker unique A very fine iron broadsword. Black hilt wrapped in red leather which has an unpleasant feel: odd, slightly warm and resilient. Some claim to feel a faint pulse. A strange red crystal in the pommel. Fleshseeker always strikes at the most weakly-armored point of a living opponent. Magical protection is taken into account after the first successful hit. It adds +05% to the chance to critical, but does not improve total to-hit chance. If an opponent has equal armor at all points the sword does not "seek" any particular location, but the chance to critical goes up to 10%. If the wielder fights Fleshseeker's "seeking", all of its powers are deactivated for the duration of combat but the wielder's chance to fumble increases to 15%. The weapon has 15 AP. Origin unknown. Has been active for several hundred years. Imbued: Bladesharp 4, Detect Flesh, Control Human. weapon, imbued

89

 Peter Maranci Cool Vat generic A vat or container of any size. Extremely large ones cost more POW to create. The lid is either solid or a grill. If a grill, the contents inside seem to be in pitch blackness. The lid to the vat is imbued with a Darkwall, with the dark side facing inward - in other words, no light passes from outside to within the vat. The vat itself is imbued with an Extinguish 1 (or more, depending on how much coolness is desired) in a separate ceremony. The combination blocks energy from entering the vat. Advanced models include an extra Darkwall in the vat itself. Probably invented by a desert tribe to protect their water supply, although alchemists also claim to have invented this item. There are legends of entire Cool Rooms hidden in the desert, and some great alchemical guilds supposedly also have Cool Rooms. Imbued: Darkwall (2), Extinguish 1-4. Total POW cost to create: 7 - 16+. imbued, miscellaneous

90

 Peter Maranci Token of Balance unique An exquisite golden token in the form of a balancing scale. On each pannier is a small ivory hand holding an asymmetrical piece of gray crystal which resemble the two halves of a human brain. The scale is fixed and does not move. The Token attunes as a POW 11 powered crystal, i.e. it must be worn for a week and then overcome in a POW vs. POW roll. During that week, the wearer is afflicted with a bad stutter (-20% on all Comm skills). Failure results in the usual penalties. Success makes the wearer ambidextrous. In either case, the wearer forever after has a mild stutter (-5% Comm). If the Token is ever taken off, the benefits are immediately lost - but the stutter remains. Created for Mr. Slith, but left behind when he fell off the Edge of the World. Imbued: Coordination 2, Mindlink I. jewelry, imbued, miscellaneous

91

 Peter Maranci SpellStealer unique An iron kite shield, with emeralds along the inner border ("Why should I give my enemies one more reason to attack me? Or something pretty to look at?") . Any spell targeted at the wielder of SpellStealer has a 50% chance of hitting the shield instead. If it does, it must overcome a POW of 12 or be absorbed. Each absorbed spell adds to the shield's effective POW, but all POW above 12 dissipates at the rate of 1 hour/point. Any enspelled weapon parried must also resist vs. its current POW, or be absorbed as well. The shield has one drawback: any spell cast by the wielder is also subject to the absorption effect. The shield has 24 AP. Created by Donato the Doomed, a Priest who claimed he was hit by every random spell and arrow. The first time he used SpellStealer in combat he was killed by a critical random arrow in the eye. Imbued: Absorption 3. protection, imbued

92

 Jeremy Guardian Moons generic Four small stones, gathered from the same place and similar in appearance. When fed 1 MP and thrown in the air, the stones will swirl around the character who threw them at a distance of 1, 3 or 10 meters. Anyone (friend or foe) crossing the circle made by these stones takes 3D3 damage to a random location, ignoring armor. They will return when commanded by their user, and will fall to the ground if their user dies or 1 is knocked out of the air (requires a Special hit targeting a Stone). These stones circle at 6 meters per round, and can keep up with anyone moving at Move 6 or less. These four stones were made for Wind Lords going into battle. Over the years, many have been lost or purposefully destroyed or scattered. Imbued: Fly 4 and Warding 3 on the set of stones. Total POW cost to create: 18. protection, imbued, weapon

93

 Jeremy Farseer Spectacles generic A band of leather, with pockets to insert two glass lenses. The lenses are finely crafted fragile glass circles. With both lenses in place, when the spectacles are pulled in front of the eyes, a character can see objects as if they were 4 times closer. Unfortunately, since one lens is currently missing, the character will still see things closer if (s)he covers one eye, but must also resist a POW 8 Befuddle every round. This side effect ends if the character ever finds or has made a second lens. Made by priests of Dormal (or other Seafaring god), these spectacles are a great boon to shipboard lookouts, among others. Imbued: Each glass lens has Farsee 3 Imbued. This can also be used for Farstrider Boots (Mobility 3). clothing, imbued, miscellaneous, perception

94

 Jeremy Trollslayer unique A finely made sword and matching scabbard with two halves of a ruby set in the pommel and scabbard, though the scabbard's is loose and easily stolen. This sword continuously burns with the heat of a Fireblade. It always inflicts 3D6 damage and glows brighter than a torch. If put down or sheathed in any but its scabbard, it will start to melt the object! If a new scabbard is fashioned without a split ruby inserted in the scabbard and pommel (or the ruby is gone), it will permanently extinguish the Fireblade and explode, doing 3D6 damage to all within 14 meters. Fashioned long ago by a Sun Priest, this sword and accompanying scabbard were designed to end the "Troll problem". The sword can be used for any purpose, but the Trolls remember - anyone seen with this sword has the enmity of all Trolls. Imbued: Fireblade on the sword, Extinguish 3 on the scabbard. weapon, imbued, fire

95

 Peter Maranci SoulThresher unique A large grain flail made of finest materials. When used, manifests three additional "ghost" flails which strike for a total of quadruple damage - 4d6 - against elves and their kin. The wounds made do not heal naturally. Whoever uses it against elves loses the ability to take nourishment from vegetable matter, and has the hatred of elves and their friends. Fashioned on commission for a wealthy farmer by his dilletante brother-in-law, this large and well-made grain flail was supposed to be able to quadruple (at least) grain production. Unfortunately the spell was fumbled, as was tragically discovered when the farmer accidentally flailed his elf wife to death. He died soon after from grief, but placed a dying curse upon the flail. Imbued: Multimissile 3, Detect Grain. Special: Haunted by ghosts of elf wife and the brother-in-law. weapon, cursed, imbued

96

 Peter Maranci Gold-Seeker generic A well-made hammer, including some decoration in gold (or whatever metal it "seeks"). When used to hammer and beat out ore, this hammer detects even minute traces of gold ore and separates them out from rock. The effect of the Bludgeon is restricted to gold only, which ends up mashed into the underlying surface where it may be easily scraped up and collected. This sort of hammer has been used by knowledgeable miners for many years. The techniques for creating them may have been originally developed by the dwarves. They come in varying powers, and Seekers for other metals are sure to exist. Imbued: Detect Gold, Bludgeon 1-4. Total POW cost to create: 4-14. weapon, tool, imbued

97

 Peter Maranci Ring of Ultimate Power unique A beautiful gold ring of surpassing hardness. When placed on a living finger, the wearer gains the effect of the following spells: Coordination 4, Glamour 4, Mobility 4, Strength 4, and Vigor 4. These effects do not cease if the ring is taken off. The wearer (victim) also becomes hyperactive, unable to sleep, and cannot tire. The Ring has 54 AP. Unknown. The victim lives for exactly as many days as they have CON. At the end of that time they explode messily, doing 2d6 damage to everyone within a 3m radius. A knowledgeable Healer might be able to counteract the effect of the Ring, but even if they succeed the victim loses 1 point of CON per day that the Ring was worn before its power was negated. Lost CON cannot be restored by magic. The Ring can only affect one living thing at a time, even if it is not being worn. Damage to the Ring inflicts equal damage on the victim/wearer, if there is one. cursed, ring, characteristic

98

 Peter Maranci Wand of the Puzzle Canal unique, indestructible A rod of Truestone, as thick as a human forefinger and long as an average human's forearm. It is so covered with bizarre arabesques and unknown runes in various Rune metals that the Truestone is not visible. Contains all common spirit magic spells (but no rituals). Variable spells are all at level 4 or 6. There are many strange (substance) and (species) spells. These are all cast with an effective POW of 30, and all spells cost 1MP to cast. The Wand takes 1 SR to activate. Unfortunately, for most people there is no way to choose what spell comes out of the Wand, nor who the target will be. Created by a secretive and possibly insane group of sages and tricksters. Only works predictably for a person with an absolutely pure heart for a good purpose. For anyone else, the result is completely random. matrix, miscellaneous, staff

99

 Peter Maranci ShimmerShield unique A large kite shield of hardwood and sealed aluminum (or aluminium, if you prefer), covered with faint wavy patterns in pale blue-green. In combat, the shield emits a green glow. The surface moves and shimmers like rough ocean waves. Anyone facing the wielder in combat hears the deafening sound of waves, while the light of the sea dazzles and confuses them. A fine sea-spray pours forth from the shield. Opponents must resist a POW of 19 each round or be -30% on all actions for that round; even if they resist, they suffer a -5% to all actions. The shield cannot sink. It has 22 AP. A gift from the mermen of the Coast to the Pirate King. Imbued: Demoralize (2), Shimmer 4, Detect Enemy, Mindspeech 1. protection, imbued

100

 Peter Maranci That Horrible Old Statue unique An ugly statue of some long-forgotten general that has been standing in the market square of this city for ages. It's dirty, and covered with droppings, and no one can read the words on the base of it. The general looks stupid, and his horse is ugly. And what does it mean when one hind leg of the horse is raised? The statue itself is a Spirit Home (q.v.). It has one unusual quality: any spell cast from inside it has no visible effect. There is no indication that the statue is the source of the spell. The spirit inside is INT 17, POW 19, and it knows the following spells: Mindspeech 5, Befuddle (2), Ignite, Glue 4, Repair 1, Slow 2, & Demoralize (2). It uses these spells to make mischief among passers-by, by linking several strangers with Mindspeech for example. It's been standing here for ages. Secret: Sometime in the past, the statue became inhabited by a small imp or spirit. It's not necessarily evil, but very mischieveous. matrix, miscellaneous, spirit

101

 Peter Maranci Sir Harp unique A very large wooden harp decorated with copper and gold. The harp has a POW of 31. The powers of the harp activate only when played by a musician with a skill of 60% or more, or if any player has a critical success. When activated, the player gains the effects of Coordination 2 (+2 DEX), Glamour 4 (+12 APP), and Ironhand 1. The Ironhand allows the player to play much more loudly than is normally possible. Anyone who listens to the music of Sir Harp must resist a POW of 31 or be affected by a Fanaticism spell - but rather than combat, the victim is compelled to dance. The effect continues until unconsciousness, or one round after the music stops. Note: The 22 strings of Sir Harp are not enchanted, and take a terrific beating from the Ironhand effect. There is a 10% chance per round of playing that a string will break, reducing the player's effective skill by 5% per lost string. Each lost string also reduces Sir Harp's attack POW by 1. It takes DEX SR + 1d10 strike ranks to replace a string, and this cannot be done while the harp is being played. Created recently by a band of minstrels, it served as the basis for their powerful music until it was stolen by bandits. Recently reports have come that whole villages have been seized by a "dancing madness", only to awaken to find their goods and more attractive women missing. Imbued: Coordination 2, Glamour 4, Ironhand 1, Fanaticism. characteristic, communication, offense, imbued

102

 Peter Maranci Spirit Home generic A Spirit Home may be made out of any object which can be enchanted. A Spirit Home is a modified form of a Spirit Binding. They are created using the Imbue rules on this site. To create a Spirit Home, the caster simply imbues a spirit binding of the desired type, for a total cost of 4 POW. This can be placed in any target which can normally house a Binding. However, spirits are not constrained to remain in the Home. They may choose to leave at any time, and are free to act as they wish. The Spirit Home provides a "base" in the material world for spirits who wish to remain there.
Spirits in the Home may perceive the material world normally, as well as with spirit vision. Up to three spirits at a time may dwell in the Home, although larger Homes have been built. When more than one spirit is in the Home, any spell attacking the inhabitants must overcome their total POW in order to affect them. The spirits may cast spells (if they are able) normally. Some Homes have been created with one or more levels of imbued Spirit Screen.		 Generic - many exist. Most commonly used by shamans.   matrix, imbued

103

 Peter Maranci Aleron's Vambrace unique A small gold-chased bronze plate vambrace with a heraldic symbol inlaid in semi-precious gems. Fits SIZ 6 - 10. 8AP. The wearer automatically has exactly enough STR and DEX to use whatever bow weapon they wield without penalties. If either STR or DEX is already sufficient, that characteristic is not increased. In addition, every arrow shot by the wielder gains a Speeddart effect (in d20, +3 to hit/damage). Created by a noble for his sickly son.   characteristic, miscellaneous, matrix, imbued

104

 Peter Maranci The Eyes of Enzio unique Two eye-sized clear, faceted unpowered crystals (8MP each), set in a light brown leather headband, fastened by a looped gold buckle in the back. When an undead creature comes within 30m of the Eyes, a powerful beam of light shines from the lenses. The fan-shaped beam is 10m long, and at its maximum length is 8m wide and high. The beam causes Demoralization in vampires and the undead, with an effective POW of 38. If worn, the wearer also has the effect of a Farsee 4 through the lenses, targeted for vampires. The crystals themselves are indestructible, and the headband has 8AP. The beam cannot be deactivated. Created over a 6-year period by Enzio Deathstalker (a sage with special enmity for vampires and the undead) these crystal lenses set in a heavy leather head-band have been used by several heroes in the 30 years since Enzio mysteriously disappeared.   crystal, miscellaneous, perception

105

 Peter Maranci Betrayer unique A bastard sword. The hilt has been changed many times to disguise the weapon, but as soon as it is drawn there can be no doubt, because the blade of Betrayer is a smooth dull black. Any edged weapon struck by this sword is immediately affected by a Dullblade 4. Non-magical, unspelled weapons cannot resist this effect; enchanted weapons make a resistance roll of POW used to make them vs. a POW of 16. Weapons with active spells resist with a POW equal to the points of the spell. The effect lasts for fifteen minutes, but any non-magical weapon affected is still dull after the magical effect expires, with a -4 to damage until re-sharpened. Any other edged weapon used by the owner of Betrayer is automatically subject to the Dullblade 4 effect. When striking to damage or break a sword, Betrayer has +4 to damage and +20% to hit, as well as its Dullblade effect. For any other use, it has no bonuses at all. Betrayer has 28 AP. Forged by a forgotten minor hero who was a renegade from a sword-using faith, the wielder of this weapon earns instant enmity from sword-revering cult members.   weapon

106

 Peter Maranci Disruptor Gauntlet rare A black enameled plate gauntlet of fine workmanship, inscribed with "power runes" and "control lines". Set flat into the metal on the back of the hand is a short rod of pale metal, tipped with a clear red stone. Each gauntlet holds 2d6+12 Disruptions, which are released when the wearer says the word "Law!" in beastspeech. Charges may be restored by casting Disruptions into the gauntlet normally. Each gauntlet has been further enhanced with an Armoring Enchantment (+1d10AP). Legend has it that the Duke himself had a special Disruptor, which was made of iron, had 26 AP, and held 42 charges. Its location is unknown. These gauntlets were crafted a hundred and seven years ago by the Mage-Guild of Avernee for the personal guard of the Duke of the Avernees. 17 gauntlets were created, but three are known to have been destroyed and the remainder have been scattered across the world since the fall of the kingdom.   weapon, matrix

107

 Peter Maranci Chime of the Elements very rare A chime made of many different Rune metals. Hanging from it are five or more bells, each a different color and shape. The Chime may be activated for one hour by inputting 17 magic points and making a successful Ceremony roll. Each bell summons a particular type of elemental when rung. The first four bells are always Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Other known bells include Spirit (which can summon random or specific kinds of spirits), Lune, Darkness, and many others. Individual bells can be detached, but will not work if not attached to the Chime. If a bell is struck once, a small elemental of the appropriate type appears when the bell stops reverberating. Alternatively, the bell can be quickly struck two or three times, which results respectively in a medium or large elemental once vibrations cease. Striking a bell four times at once may either shatter the bell, summon a huge elemental, or both. If more than one bell is rung at once, there is 90% chance that two elementals will be summoned simultaneously, an 8% chance than no elemental will appear, a 1% chance that the Chime and all bells will be destroyed, and a 1% chance that a large and insane hybrid form will be created that incorporates elementals for all bells rung. If any of the elementals are mutually antagonistic (Fire/Water, for example, or Lune/Air), the resulting entity attempts to slay everyone present, shatters the Chime, and then destroys itself. Several Chimes are known to exist. Legend has it that there is a Chime that includes a bell for every type of elemental known, including many which are otherwise forgotten. According to some old texts, if every bell on that Chime were to be rung at once the world would end.   communication, miscellaneous, summoning

108

 Magnus Vindegg A well-oiled bag of Skybull leather unique Painted with spirals in blue woad and tied up with a seven-linked bronze chain. Inside is hundreds of clacks and bolgs, all with a hole through the middle and inscribed with Air and Spirit runes. The chain is a matrix for Grow Hair IV (Ritual Ceremony spell) and Animate Hair II, and can only be used by Storm rune theists or shamans. A medium-sized sylph lives in the bag. It will attack anyone opening the bag without fitting the user restrictions. The sylph will always return to its bag after being Controlled, provided it is 'fed' a little oil every week. If asked in Stormspeech, the sylph will recite a long litany of Sartarite staves. The staves detail how the caster can command his growing beard and hair to thread itself through the clacks, weaving a suit of leaden ringmail around his body. The user can decide which parts to cover at will, as well as the cut and shape of the suit. This may be worn over Woad, at the GM's discretion. Another use of the rather unique Animate Hair spell is to animaimate one's hair to wave about in random patterns, obscuring one's shape in a cloud of hair. Provided the hair and beard animated is long enough, this will act like an active Shimmer spell for every point of Animate Hair. The bag was made and used by Clackbeard, a Kolat/Drogarsi shaman who died while trying to capture Bony Death in the Wastes.   matrix, miscellaneous

109

 Peter Maranci Troll-face mask and gloves unique Made of beautiful soft grey velvet. If worn and given 1 magic point, the wearer's face and hands will look exactly like a female Troll's for one hour. This time can be extended by sacrificing an additional magic point for another hour. However, more than three hours in a row or more than six hours in a day will make the transformation permanent. The mask and gloves do not change the body, nor characteristics, and do not confer Darksense or any other ability. The APP of the Troll form is 18 to another troll.   Warning: the mask is an exact copy of the Beauty of Tarlemaine. Those who have seen this worthy perform will recognize the wearer. Depending on proximity to Tarlemaine, there is a 1-5% chance that a rune-level Troll will have seen the Beauty. clothing, transformation

110

 Peter Maranci An oval-shaped patch of tanned human skin unique About 10cm (4") by 7.5cm (3"). The edges are ragged, and there are no distinguishing marks. A random spell matrix has been tattooed into it. The matrix still works. It has a condition "Only works for person wearing the skin", but will work if you hold the skin against you.     clothing, matrix

111

 Peter Maranci The Lamp of King Elf very rare An elegant lamp crafted from virgin copper and gold which has never been touched by a dwarf or a troll. This lamp gives no light, but if filled with proper fuel and placed against the ground it warms the ground, preserving the life of the seeds within the confines of the growing area (a forest, for example) against any frost or cold for a full winter.   These lamps can be enchanted on a High Holy day along with the willing self-sacrifice of a tree. miscellaneous, protection

112

 Peter Maranci Lump of Chaos very rare A lump of solidified Chaos. They come in any size. Anyone who touches it will acquire 1 chaotic feature per round of contact.   Anyone who touches it will acquire 1 chaotic feature per round of contact. miscellaneous, hazard, transformation

113

 Peter Maranci The Orb of Communion unique A massive (1.5 meter diameter) globe of polished black stone, set atop a square 2m across, 1m high pillar of grey granite. The top of the pillar is hollowed out, so that only the top half of the Orb shows. Any entity within 30m of the Orb is in full Mindlink with every other entity: which means they have access to all of their spells, skills, magic points, and knowledge. The Orb is extremely heavy, but it could theoretically be moved. However, it is likely to be found in some heavily guarded magical area. It fell from the sky long ago, they say.   miscellaneous, communication

114

 Peter Maranci A mechanical bird rare A mechanical bird of any type, crafted of rare metals. A simple pointer on a dial on its belly controls it, and it is animated by giving it 1 MP per hour of animation required. The dial allows the following actions: fly straight until all power is exhausted, fly forward and return after half the time of activation has expired, circle overhead, and loop-the-loop. These are expensive toys for the children of the wealthiest nobles and merchants.   miscellaneous

115

 Peter Maranci SunEye rare A sphere the size of two human fists, carved from gold-bearing ore. Left in the sun, it "soaks up" light. In the dark it gives off light equal to a Light spell for as many hours as it was left in the sun.   SunEyes are created from a sphere of the highest-quality gold-bearing ore, enchanted and blessed on a holy day by a Priest of the Sun. miscellaneous, stone

116

 Peter Maranci The Red Sash of Falkayne unique, indestructible A small red sash, two meters long and 25cm wide, marked with apparently meaningless runes in black. If the user casts all their magic points but one into the sash and then ties it around their waist, they cannot lose the final magic point. This makes them immune to spirit combat. However, they cannot regain magic points until they untie the sash, at which point MPs return normally.   Only one is known to exist. clothing, miscellaneous, protection

117

 Peter Maranci Thrindlestone unique, indestructible A mottled green crystal tube 5cm long and 1.5 cm wide. A powered crystal (see RQ2), with a POW of 13. While attuned to it, the user gets +3 to DEX but -2 each to STR and CON.     characteristic, crystal

118

 Peter Maranci Eyes-Behind unique A heavy bronze necklace, studded with semi-precious gems. It contains a bound magic spirit, INT 13, POW 16, who knows a single spell. The necklace has one casting condition on it: if anyone comes up behind the wearer with a weapon in hand, the spirit inside it casts a Light spell on their eyes.     jewelry, miscellaneous, perception, protection, spirit

119

 Peter Maranci Crown of Glory unique A bronze circlet with a golden Sun rune on a disk on the front. When worn by a Sun worshipper, it automatically casts a Light spell when the word "Light!" is said in Draconic.     jewelry, miscellaneous, perception

120

 Peter Maranci Dancing Stone rare An irregular oval rock of a rare but otherwise useless ore. If soaked with clean water and placed on a hot surface (a fire, a griddle, even hot sand or a rock on a sunny day), it will begin to rock from side to side. The clatter that it makes varies in speed and volume depending on the amount of heat.     miscellaneous, stone

121

 Peter Maranci Bar Sinister unique A left-handed sword. Contains a Bladesharp 4 matrix. The spell can only be cast by left-handers. The sword is badly worn, and has only 5 AP left. Right-handers have a -10% to skill when wielding the blade.     matrix, offense, weapon

122

 Peter Maranci Magic Tester rare Varies, but usually incorporates an unpowered magical crystal. The tester glows when magic is cast on it or within 30m of it. It only glows if the spell is successfully cast. A useful training tool for adepts.   crystal, miscellaneous, perception

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