Fantasy Core RPG: Magic Items

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here asOpen Game Content.
(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

I feel that magical items should never just be found lying around in a dungeon.  A magical item should be rare enough that it would actually be the object of the trip to the dungeon.  Magical items should either be in use by those with any intelligence, venerated as holy objects by those without intelligence, buried with important persons (and guarded), or lost, but rumored to be in a certain location.  Magical objects should be named and never anonymous. 

This is a short list of a few items that might be worthy of a quest, an item held by a powerful individual, a costly commissioned work of magical human artificing, or an even more costly purchase from a furtive source (dwarves, the magic black market).

Weapons

Magic weapons are created by elves, dwarves, and human enchanters.  Dwarven items will typically always work and be long lasting, and they might sell them to humans.  Stolen Elven items will certainly disappear within a day or are cursed, though gifted or lost and found items will work normally.  They will not sell them to humans.  Human made ones will inevitably break after a few uses.  Demonic tainted or Angelically blessed weapons are bonded to their wielders.  Any famous weapon may also be intelligent and potentially cursed.  They may attempt to control their wielder, or simply not work when they disagree with the wielder’s actions.

Slayer Bow: +2 Elvish Longbow, 1d8+2 damage, with no Str requirement.  With the proper command phrase, it will be +20 to hit.  This enchantment works once per encounter/turn.

Slayer Arrow: +20 to hit magic arrow, 8 damage.  Normally enchanted against a specific person or against a certain race, either requiring a personal effect of the intended target in the ceremony.  Can only be used once.  Racial Slayer Arrows, for example Orc Slayers, are usually made by the quiver by Elves or Dwarves.  Assassin arrows are usually human-made. 

Dread Axe: Dwarven made weapon.  A dread weapon excels at attacking one specific type of humanoid.  +2 enchantment, 1d10+2 damage, but max damage to the specified creature type.  Requires a piece of humanoid skin for the enchanting.  

Bane Blade: Human enchanter made sword.  +1 enchantment, 1d8+1 damage.  The sword automatically slays a type of enemy (like Orcs) with a failed DC 18 Fort Sv.  The weapon shatters on a natural 1.  Requires a piece of skin of the target race for the enchanting.  

Retaliator Blade: Human enchanter created sword.  +1 enchantment, 1d8+1 damage.  The weapon will kill a single named opponent on any hit.  Weapon immediately shatters.  (It will also otherwise shatter on a Natural 1.)  Requires a personal effect of the intended victim for the enchanting.    

Lightning Blades (Stormbrand, Electra): +3 Dwarvish swords, 1d8+3  normal damage, plus 1d6 shock damage and DC 18 Fort Sv or stunned 1 rd.

Fire Blades (Inferno, Scorch): +3 Dwarvish swords, 1d8+3 normal damage, plus 1d6 fire damage.  Causes extra fire damage after hit, 1d6/rd until extinguished. 

Holy Avenger: In the hands of a worthy paladin (at least 5^th level) in a just cause, +4 Divine enchanted sword.  It causes max damage (12 + Str bonus) on every hit.  With any other wielder, or if the paladin is dishonored or not using it in an honorable task, it is only a normal sword (1d8).

Metamorph: Elvish made assassination weapon.  A +3 sword, 1d8+3 damage, that can disguise itself as any sort of common object.  It transforms with a command phrase.  Its enchantment can be revealed with a Detect Magic spell.

Luck Blade: Elvish blade.  +4 to hit, 1d8+4 damage.  Wielder also gains a +4 bonus to all saves.

Vorpal Blades (Ripper, Cleaver, Eversharp): Elvish swords with distinctive red blades.  +4 enchantment, 1d8+4.  Decapitates with a failed DC 18 Fort Sv, but still takes damage even with a successful save.  Creatures without a head take max damage instead.

Ghost Blades (Souldrinker, Dark Avenger, Soul-Stealer): Elvish swords with a demonic taint and glowing red blades.  +4 enchantment, 1d8+4.  With a command phrase, the sword causes no physical damage, but the victim must make a DC 18 Will Sv or take 1d10 negative hp damage.  It was used to create intact bodies to necromancy ceremonies.  (Most low-level creatures will be killed after one hit; characters, important NPCs, and high-level monsters can survive up to –11 negative hp.) 

If found, a Ghost Blade will appear to be a normal sword with a red blade.  Its first taste of blood will activate its enchantment.  It will try to control the wielder when in combat.  DC 18 Will Sv to resist.  If successful, it won’t try again, but will end its enchantment the next time the character fights a more impressive opponent (trying to get the character killed to acquire a better host).  If the Will Sv is failed, it will give the character its command phrase and direct them to energy drain an opponent (or even a helpless victim or ally) once a day.  The character will lose their ability bonuses the next day, if it is not fed.  The sword can’t be gotten rid of without a Break Enchantment or similar spell.            

Black Hole Sword (Singularity): Elvish black-bladed sword with a demonic taint.  +4 enchantment.  Any hit utterly annihilates anything it hits without a magical nature, magical armor, or magical shielding (1d8+4 damage in that case) with a failed DC 18 Will Sv.  Victim still takes damage on success.  It requires a daily energy draining feeding, working the same as a Ghost Blade wanting to control its wielder. 

  

Armor

Mirror Shield: +2 human enchanted shield.  Reflects all successful magic attacks back at the caster.  Roll for shattering after each reflection, 1 in 10.

Dragonscale Armor: +8 Heavy magical armor (+4 Str and Con to wear).  Adds +4 to all Saves versus magic attacks.  Being of human enchantment, the armor will lose +1 on any Natural 18 and up hit.  It will lose its Save bonuses last, before crumbling to dust. 

Magic Items

Dynamisto-Mirror: A mirror-like device to communicate with otherworldly beings without a medium.  Can be used once per day for up to a turn.  Powered by a smear of blood and a command phrase.

Magic 8-Ball: The caster can foretell the immediate future (up to an hour), or gain information about specific questions.  The answers return in one-word replies: “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” “never,” “irrelevant,” or some other one-word answer.  May be used once per day with a command phrase.

Crystal Skull: Holds a demon, which will truthfully answer a question (if it can).  May be used once per day with a command phrase.  Breaking the skull, releases the demon. 

Magic Mirror: Holds a demon, which will truthfully show the answer a question (if it can).  May be used once per day with a command phrase.  Breaking the mirror, releases the demon.

Voodoo Doll: Sympathetic magic item for cursing.  Requires a personal affect of the victim, a specially crafted symbolic object (the doll), and a blood sacrifice in a ceremony (DC 18 Spellcheck).  It can’t kill the victim, but can inflict any sort of disabling effect (blinded, deafened, mute, hobbled, etc).  It will only work for an hour, once a day.  The cursor can be tracked during the effect by a Detect Magic spell along with a Clairvoyance spell.