HYPERBOREA / New magic items

**Posted by Yora** 5/04/2014 12:39 pm

I have some ideas for new items and so do probably some of you. So let's share our creations here.

Shaman's Masks
These masks are made from wood or bone, but sometimes more exotic materials as well. Most cover only the upper half of the wearers face or leave an open space for the mouth. They are usually painted in stark colors or decrated with feathers or leaves. These masks are used by shamans to help them communicate with spirits, as it makes them appear not quite human and separates them from the mortal world, and allows them to peer into the spiritworld and see things normally hidden from human eyes. Each mask is different in both appearance and specific abilities and the more powerful ones have often been handed down from masters to apprentices for many generations. Common abilities are:

* Infrared Vision (as the spell).
* Detect Magic (a limited number of uses perd day or permanent).
* Surprised by spirits only on a 1 in 6 chance.
* +2 or +4 Willpower bonus on saving throws (replaces and does not add to the modifier from Wisdom).
* Immunity against fear.
* Immunity against mind reading and mind control.
* +2 or +4 bonus on reaction rolls against spirits.
* Observers are unable to identify the wearer of the mask and can only remember his clothing (including the appearance of the mask).
* Wraithshape one or three times per day.
* Permanent charm person.
* Suggestion three times per day.

**Posted by Agricola** 5/07/2014 11:56 am

A "helmet" that can be placed on a medium sized creatures head. An apparatus or two on it then bores into the unfortunates head and extracts a particular portion of the brain which is then distilled into a "Brain Elixir" or "Thought Distillate" which when drunk imparts to the imbiber certain thoughts. Probably favored by Ixian Necromancers.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 5/07/2014 1:17 pm

Agricola wrote:
Probably favored by Ixian Necromancers.

Tagline in the worst advertising campaign ever!

But I like the helmet! I have an artifact-like device kicking around in my head. More details as they form. I also gave out some thongs that loose and bind at command--perfect for the Chewbacca maneuver. And from a one-page dungeon, a cool magic item was a +0 long sword that allowed anyone to wield without a penalty, no matter what class.

**Posted by Agricola** 5/07/2014 2:29 pm

Cool about the artifact idea!
Yeah, I remember those items from reading your campaign threads. Good stuff, really like the campaign write ups! I'll post more ideas for magic items, can really let the twisted stuff shine in AS&SH!

**Posted by RedJowel** 5/08/2014 10:38 pm

Any thoughts to weopons with extended crit ranges? perhaps only effective when weilded by fighters with appropriate weopon mastery? Or are crits something we agree should be kept as rare as possible to stay in line with the feel of assh

**Posted by NAJones** 5/09/2014 12:47 am

RedJowel wrote:
Any thoughts to weopons with extended crit ranges? perhaps only effective when weilded by fighters with appropriate weopon mastery? Or are crits something we agree should be kept as rare as possible to stay in line with the feel of assh

Most magical weapons in my campaign crit on a natural 19 or 20, but on the other hand I don't use +1, +2, etc. to denote a "magic" item, they're almost always artefacts of power with histories, lore and potentially nasty side-effects. The +1, +2, type stuff is all made from superior materials and craftsmanship and they don't have an increased critical hit range.

Last edited by NAJones (5/09/2014 12:47 am)

**Posted by Yora** 5/09/2014 3:13 am

I havn't been using critical hits at all, so far. Are those even in the rules?

**Posted by nDervish** 5/09/2014 4:02 am

Yora wrote:
I havn't been using critical hits at all, so far. Are those even in the rules?

Yes. They're an optional rule on p.221 of the Players' Manual.

Personally, I wouldn't use any kind of extended crit ranges except maybe as a special ability of a tiny set of unique weapons. I'm not that big of a fan of effects that trigger based on the natural die roll in general (it feels wrong to me that, if your chance to hit sucks, then that increases the proportion of hits which are crits), plus the very phrase "extended crit range" reminds me unpleasantly of 3e...

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 5/09/2014 8:53 am

I think it's more AS&SH style to let the enchantment add to the 1d6 one rolls to see what type of critical hit is scored, increasing the odds of getting X2 or X3 damage.

**Posted by RedJowel** 5/09/2014 2:15 pm

Handy Haversack wrote:
I think it's more AS&SH style to let the enchantment add to the 1d6 one rolls to see what type of critical hit is scored, increasing the odds of getting X2 or X3 damage.

That would never have occured to me, I like it, as it would still be limited by the individualised charts for the different classes. I'm assuming you would treat rolls greater then a six as a six, or would you follow the pattern and let magic weopons break the crit chart?

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 5/09/2014 3:17 pm

I'd probably just treat them as 6, but I could see some items where such a result triggers its special purpose ("I have a special purpose!"). Explosions, witherings, soul stealing, eyebiting, that kind of thing.

**Posted by RedJowel** 5/11/2014 1:07 am

Handy Haversack wrote:
Explosions, witherings, soul stealing, eyebiting, that kind of thing.

Oh man, I just might have to put in an (cursed?) item, of what's true purpose is eyebiting
that being said, any interesting cursed items being brought to the table? just knowing they exist gives me fear to be the first to pick up anything that could be magical, but most cursed items become obvious shortly after picking them up. How about something that is almost worth the curse, and simply realised by the weilder to be so only after a while? although, maby this falls under the "sentient" category of magic items

**Posted by nDervish** 5/11/2014 6:59 am

RedJowel wrote:
How about something that is almost worth the curse, and simply realised by the weilder to be so only after a while?

IMO, that's the best kind of cursed item! An item which has a terrible cost associated, yet the player still chooses, of his own free will, to use it despite the cost is awesome. The first example which comes to mind is The One Ring, although that's not really "choosing of your own free will".

The standard D&D "Ha-ha! You have a -2 sword and can't put it down!" type of cursed item is really kinda boring, at best.

**Posted by joseph** 5/11/2014 10:58 am

I taken to doing this sort of thing lately. A character recently found a ring of warmth the powered itself by draining the characters constitution by one point. He gets the point back after removing the ring, which he can do at will.