One Liners

A handful of item short takes today. I'm feeling a bit scattered, so rather than a single item, here are a few quick ideas that can be used as is, or fleshed out to as needed. Sometimes I feel being too detailed is a bad thing, leaving no wiggle room for the GM.

• The Mantis - An ornate mace with a handle carved and enameled to resemble a praying mantis at rest. The mace head is held within the mantis's forelimbs. Fair damage and accuracy weapon, with Great damage bonus versus insects.
• Intruder's Hand - A short, thick-bladed dagger with a solid iron hilt ending in a heavy, round pommel. The weapon is curiously unbalanced, using the blade in combat incurs a Fair penalty to accuracy. The pommel makes quite an effective billy club however, providing a Good chance to stun human-sized foes. The blade is an admirable pry, granting a Fair bonus to opening doors or locks if it can be applied.
• Bawd's Stein - This plain pewter mug is the working girl's friend. It negates the effect of any poison or drug placed within. With a word the owner can also remove the alcohol from any beverage poured into the Stein, or cause it to simply disappear. The Stein also serves as a Fair quality weapon in a bar fight.
• Cloudwrap - At first glance this item is nothing more than a gray silk cloak with a polished iron clasp. Once donned the item's power becomes apparent, as the cloak transforms, becoming a mantle of shifting gray clouds which provide a Good defensive bonus and Great resistance to electrical attacks. Twice per day the wearer can become insubstantial for five rounds, immune to physical attack and able to pass through small openings with ease.
• The Chameleon's Dish - Cut from maple burlwood, this oval plate has a polished face and an ornate rim carved with intertwined chameleons. Thrice per day the plate can be commanded to transform any meal it holds into food of the finest quality, removing any taints or poisons in the process.

There you have it! Enjoy your weekend!

Book of Mutations

This malignant volume is more rumor and myth than fact. Legend says the tome was created by a powerful demon lord as a reward for one of his most loyal worshipers in the material world. The Book grants great power, but like all such gifts, the volume exacts a price from anyone that chooses to use it.

The Book is a large volume, approximately 18 inches wide, 24 inches high, and several inches thick. The covers of the Book are fashioned from strips of bone, carefully polished and woven together with human hair. The volume's spine is made of black-dyed human vertebrae, while the pages are carefully tanned and stretched human skin. The contents of the book are written in the foulest of demonic tongues using human blood as ink.

The Book radiates Epic protection magic and Legendary alteration magic. It is a potent artifact of evil.

The Book's protection magic is aimed at protecting the volume itself. This protection has two components:

• Only the most potent destructive magics can harm its pages. It is immune to physical attack, and only Legendary magical attacks will affect it.
• Despite its horrid appearance the Book exerts a powerful effect on any that handle it. Anyone touching the volume will find themselves draw to it, and desire to keep it safe. Shaking off this effect requires a Great test of willpower.

To unlock the secrets of the Book requires many days of study and research. Simply translating the contents is a Great test of language skill. Comprehending each of the rituals described requires a Superb test of ritual lore.

The Rituals

There are seven rituals outlined in the book. Each ritual requires a collection of ritual objects (Superb quality and cost) to perform, though the objects are not consumed when used. Carrying out a ritual requires a full day of preparation. The rituals themselves take one hour to carry out (success requires a Great test of ritual magic). A ritual affects a single subject, unless the Ritual of Preparation is used. There are three ways each ritual can be used. Each use of a ritual inflicts Demonic Consequences (see below) on the caster.

• Performed upon self - The Book's owner performs the ritual upon themselves, gaining the benefit outlined in the individual ritual.
• Performed upon a willing subject - The target receives the benefit of the ritual and becomes Bound by Blood (see below).
• Performed upon an unwilling subject - The target receives the benefit of the ritual and suffers Taint of the Demon (see below). Unwilling subjects succumb to the ritual if they fail to make a Superb magical resistance check.

The rituals are:

• Ritual of Preparation - This ritual can only be performed upon oneself. It allows a subsequent ritual to be performed upon multiple targets (six times the subjects). This ritual can be performed multiple times before another ritual is used, multiplying the subjects of the final ritual by six each time (6, 36, 216, etc.)
• Ritual of Subjugation - The subject of this ritual becomes a willing follower of the caster, obeying them as if they were a revered and trusted overlord.
• Ritual of Strength - The subject gains one rank of physical strength and endurance each time this ritual is cast upon them.
• Ritual of Altered Senses - This ritual enhances the senses of the subject, allowing them to see in the dark, hear a pin drop from across the room, or smell as well as a dog. Each use of this ritual improves two random senses one rank.
• Ritual of Living Blood - The target of this ritual gains superior healing abilities. Each casting of the ritual improves their resistance to disease and poison by one rank. It also improves their healing speed by one rank. Three uses of this ritual provide the target with true regeneration.
• Ritual of Guardian Flesh - This ritual strengthens the target's body against physical assault. Each casting of this ritual improves the target's natural resistance to physical harm by one rank.
• Ritual of Resilience - This ritual grants the subject improved resistance to damaging magic of all sorts (though specifically not to the effects of the Book itself). Each time this ritual is cast the subject gains one rank of resistance. Three uses of this ritual provide the target with true magic resistance.

Demonic Consequences

The Book's creator had a purpose in mind when he created this volume: gaining access to the material plane. Each use of the Book's rituals has a chance of inflicting a permanent change upon the caster. Each time the owner uses a ritual they must succeed at a Great test of willpower. If they fail the test their physical form is altered, gaining one physical feature of the demon lord that created the Book. The first changes will be minor, but over time the user will come to resemble the demon lord in physical form. After a score of rituals the congruence between the demon and the caster will form a bond between the two, allowing the demon to influence the user. Eventually the demon will be able to project their consciousness into the ritualist's body, permanently displacing the owner's soul.

Bound by Blood

A willing ritual subject becomes bound to the caster. Should harm befall the caster the bound subject suffers a portion of the consequences. Each wound inflicted upon the ritualist inflicts a minor wound upon the bound follower. Should the caster be slain the follower suffers a permanent Good loss of vitality.

Taint of the Demon

Unwilling victims suffer this effect each time they are subject to a ritual from the Book. Each ritual inflicts one of the following consequences upon the subject:

• Dullness - The victim's mind becomes dulled, reducing their intellect and drive by one rank.
• Demonic Visage - The victim takes on a demonic appearance, gaining one of the following features: black eyes with slit pupils; coarse, scaly skin; horny, sharp claws; twisted, knotted musculature; hunched, hulking appearance
• Cruelty - The victim becomes cruel, and vicious, taking delight in the suffering of others. They must make a Good test of willpower to resist taking advantage of any situation that allows them to be cruel to others.

Eventually use of the book will unleash a demon lord upon the world, complete with his own horde of minions. The idea for this item came from a campaign I participated in many years ago. I'm sure the details of the book are very different from the original creator's ideas. I hope you find it useful!

Muhol's Boxes

Muhol, known as Muhol the Mad, devoted his life to the study of alternate planes and dimensions of existence. When he vanished without a trace many years ago, most believed he was a victim of his own obsession, having either slipped into an alternate reality or brought something to his own plane of existence that was unhappy with the situation.

Muhol's Boxes are a collection odd little artifacts. Each box is a perfect six inch cube of lightweight, brightly stained metal (blue, yellow and red boxes are known to exist). Each box is featureless except for a small triangular keyhole in one side. There are twelve numbers inscribed in a ring around the keyhole. A single key, made of matching material, exists for each box. The triangular keyhole forms a sort of pointer, clicking into position as it matches each inscribed number. The interior of the box is lined with a soft black material, similar to felt, but impervious to alteration or damage. The walls of the box appear to be a quarter-inch thick, though the keys are over three inches long.

Muhol's Boxes (and the keys) radiate Legendary alteration and protection magic and Good divination magic. Concentrating on a box or key will give the owner a faint sense of the location of the missing part of the pair. The boxes are impervious to mundane damage or magical effects short of Legendary power.

To open a box, the appropriate key must be inserted in the lock and turned a full rotation in either direction. To close the box simply close the lid with the key removed. The key can be inserted, turned and removed freely, so long as the pointer is aligned to one of the twelve inscribed numbers.

Each of Muhol's Boxes is linked to the others. They are attuned to each other via the numbers around the keyhole. Placing an item within a box and closing the lid instantly transports it to another box according to the following rules:

• The destination keyhole must be aligned to the same number.
• The destination box must be closed and empty.

If no appropriate target box exists nothing happens to the item. If more than one box matches the criteria the destination is chosen at random.

Clearly owning two or more Muhol's Boxes could be quite useful. The problem with them is, no one knows exactly how many there are and who (or what) possesses them.

Back, with a One Page Dungeon

Well the break was a bit longer than a week, but the long holiday weekend and nice weather was just too tempting. Nevertheless, I'm back and slowly getting back into the swing of daily writing.

I'm starting off with an easy one. The One Page Dungeon Contest has been quite successful, despite a minor fumble roll on the deadline. I'll start things off by sharing my entry, Serpent Temple - Lost Tombs. I actually finished this off in a couple days, then spent two weeks twiddling details to make it fit the format. Hope you enjoy it, wish me luck!

On break - here's a link

Yeah not a real article, but here's some cool inspiration for ruins.