I’ve been inspired by the musings of Josh in his blog “Rise up Comus” on the subject of magic items. See his posts here:
http://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/01/making-1-swords-feel-magical.html
http://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/making-magical-items-feel-magical.html
Below are a few magic items I sketched out based on (or entirely lifted from) Josh’s ideas. I’ve purposely been vague with numbers and specifics to let you interpret the text to fit your ruleset, campaign, and preferences.
Weald Reaver
A battle-axe forged by legendary Goblin metalsmith Guzgurl Ninefingers. The haft of the axe withers away when its owner dies. To claim the axe, a new owner must bring the blade to the Heartwood and find a suitable sapling which will grow to become Weald Reaver’s new handle over the course of a day.
Weald Reaver is a magic weapon. While attuned to Weald Reaver its owner:
– Is not impaired when moving through rough terrain in forests
– Can cause the haft of the axe to grow and lengthen turning the weapon into a poleaxe
– Can cause the haft of the axe to shrink back down into a battle-axe
– Once per day, can swing the axe mightily felling a tree, splitting a wooden door, or perform some equally impressive feat
-Once per day, can harden their skin as though it were made of bark, which causes a crown of briarwood to grow on their head
Teodora’s Tremendous Trunk
Either because it was deemed too useful, or because the King’s wisest sages could not find a way to destroy it, the trunk, crafted by famed artificer Theodora the Tinker, is one of the few magic items to survive the centuries since the culling of magical artifacts during the prohibition of the arcane arts.
The trunk appears to be mundane with a standard interior, however when the appropriate words of command are spoken in its presence the exterior alights with magic glyphs and opens revealing a large chamber inside.
This chamber can be manually customized to meet the owners needs. Popular choices are storage shelving for merchants, a comfortable bedroom for frequent travelers, or prison cells for bounty hunters.
Brimstone Cloak
A cloak crafted out of a tough, unidentified, leathery material. The cloak smells of ash and melted stone and continuously seeps dark smoke. An individual can only attune to the cloak in the Hells or by stepping into living flame which usually results in serious burns and scarring.
While attuned to the cloak the wearer:
– Is resistant to flames and heat
– Can summon an Imp named Faz’ul who is reluctantly bound to the wearer’s service
– Once per day can release a cloud of black smoke which obscurer’s the area around the wearer and makes breathing difficult
– Once per day can release a gout of flames out from beneath the cloak
Illisian Vessel
An artifact notorious among assassins, most famously used by the Ancient Med’Gragarian empire to innocuously infiltrate the castle of King Vurth and wipe out royal the entire royal bloodline in a single night.
By performing a complex ritual an individual binds their soul to the marionette. While within a limited range the individual can transfer their soul to the doll, taking possession of it. While occupying the marionette the individuals body remains in a defenseless catatonic state. If their body is destroyed while possessing the doll, their soul remains trapped within the Illisian Vessel.
Conclusion
I’ve drafted a quite a few more items that I plan to share in the future. Please share your constructive feedback! I’d love to know how you’d adjudicate the items and will be curious to know if you use them in your own games!
I highly recommend you take a look at Josh’s blog. He has many fascinating insights on the hobby and I usually find all kinds of inspiration after reading his words. Also keep an eye out on his upcoming release His Majesty the Worm which looks like it will be buckets of fun.
Lastly, if you read Josh’s post on Magic Items you’ll find “Additional resources” at the bottom of the post which are also well worth reading.
Happy delving!
Fantasy Folio 