[New Magic Item] Peasant’s Ring

Peasant’s Ring

The hobgoblins overran the small fort and were gaining ground thanks to the bugbear mercenaries.

‘Loyal Varnol, if you survive, please find me, I will lead the charge and do not expect victory,’ the prince told his man-at-arms.

Varnol nodded and prepared to bolt on the prince’s command through a secret door. The prince gave the man a salute and he made a run for the trees, arrows flying all around but not striking the man-at-arms. Varnol met up with the small contingent that the prince held back.

‘Another losing battle?’ one of the men asked as Varnol approached.

‘Looks like it,’ the man-at-arms replied.

‘Your loyalty is a thing worthy of song,’ the man said.

Varnol smiled.

‘Merely a duty to a man that would make a great king. Not many people of royal blood would lead a charge into battle that they knew they would lose,’ he said.

‘And as long as we find him he will remain a prince,’ the other man replied.

This ring is a blessing because it can obviously save one’s life, and a bit of a curse if you aren’t found in time….

Benefit: When the mortal strike hits the wearer of this ring disappears instead of crumpling to the ground to shed the mortal coil. The person is transported to the nearest village, hamlet, town or small city, taking the form of a typical peasant or yokel that the other residents recognize and are not alarmed by this person in their midst. The wearer of the ring has their same attributes but is now a peasant with an 75% chance of being found the first week after their transformation and a 55% chance the second week (providing anyone else knows about the ring and is looking for them). After this time the peasant must begin life again as a 0-level peasant. If found the peasant returns to their previous level and regains all abilities immediately.

Usable by: Anyone.

[New Spell] Cast Stones Upon Me!

Cast Stones Upon Me!

 

The mob outside was growing, a rock was thrown through the window.

‘Looks like we have worn out our welcome,’ Navnen said gravely.

‘I started this, I do have a spell that will handle it, just sit tight,’ Valance told the others.

The priest of the Spider God mumbled a spell and took a deep breath. He nodded to his companions then flung the door open and strode confidently outside.

‘I can’t bear to watch,’ Chalk said.

Navnen looked out the window.

The crowd screamed, rocks pelted the priest of the Spider God.

‘He’s laughing at them,’ the thief reported.

A renewed effort from the crowd didn’t help their cause as Valance seemed not only impervious to their stones, but was absolutely fearless, and now spiders were appearing from everywhere to nip and bite the peasants.

Several minutes later Valance returned, calm, unhurt.

‘I’m hungry, are we going to eat soon?’ he asked as the others looked at each other baffled.

 

Cast Stones Upon Me! (Cleric)

Level 3

Range: Touch or Self.

Duration: Two turns (twenty minutes).

Not always needed, but very useful when it is needed, this spell causes all objects thrown at the subject (this includes stones from slings, but not arrows or crossbow bolts) to give the target 1 hit point temporarily rather than doing any damage. These additional hit points wear off two turns after the spell expires and any damage taken is deducted from these ‘extra’ hit points rather than the subject’s actual hit point pool.

Note: The gods are not foolish. If this spell is used against the basic wishes of the deity of the caster (such as on the sworn enemy of the deity without a very good reason) the next time the caster is in combat with missile weapons all hits from missile weapons automatically hit and do double damage.

[New Magic Item] Crow’s Eye View Ring

Crow’s Eye View Ring

‘I think I see a pile of coins,’ the elf muttered.

‘Coins?’ the druid and gnome asked in unison.

‘Due east about a half a mile,’ the elf mumbled.

The druid and gnome looked at each other and slowly started ambling eastward.

Moments later the elf shook off the magic of his ring and headed west.

‘I knew I couldn’t trust those idiots,’ he said to himself.

This silver magical ring is in the shape of a stylized raven or crow’s skull. Origin of this enchanted item is unknown, but many an adventuring party (and group of bandits, wizards on the run and others needing to know what is happening around them) have made good use of this ring.

Benefit: Once per day this magical ring may be used. The wearer must sit or lie down and concentrate totally to use this magic. For twenty minutes the subject may send his or her spirit flying roughly 30-40 feet off of the ground and can spy the earth below as a corvid, noticing any creatures, obstacles, paths and shiny things below. While concentrating the ring’s wearer can communicate what he or she sees verbally.

Usable by: Anyone.

[New Magic Item] Doom Potion

Doom Potion

Fellhorn winced as more porters dropped their burdens and fled, some screaming or mumbling, others flailing their arms as they ran.

‘Next time would you get hirelings with a little more backbone?’ he asked the gnome. ‘Now we have to coax them back to work, and that won’t be easy.’

‘I did my best with what that town had to offer,’ the gnome snapped back.

The elf sighed heavily and started after the fleeing humans to get them to return.

Deep in the nearby underbrush two dwarf adventurers snickered to themselves. Now they would get to the ruins before these interlopers.

A simple and sinister elixir that is often used by saboteurs and rivals to scare away all minor characters in an area, causing anyone using henchmen or hirelings some consternation as they try to coax the frightened back to work.

Benefit: This potion lasts for one hour, anyone who takes a drink causes all within 30′ under 2 HD to make a save versus Poison at -1 to remain unaffected. Any who fail flee the area and will not return for up to three hours, feeling an overwhelming sense of gloom and impending doom in the vicinity. This often slows down adventuring parties and other groups out in the wilds or even in an urban setting that are relying on the help of porters, henchmen and hirelings or are lower level themselves.

Usable by: Anyone.

[New Spell] My Hidden Past

My Hidden Past

 

The city guardsmen had lined up the men they rounded up.

‘Certainly one of them is the bandit king,’ the sargeant told the captain.

‘The bandit king has a scar across his face from my sword, he should be easy to find,’ replied the captain as he strolled down the line of rogues. None bore a scar which caused the captain to frown.

‘How could he have slipped away?’ the sergeant asked.

‘It seems impossible. Offer these ne’er-do-wells a thousand gold pieces for the bandit king’s whereabouts,’ the captain said sternly.

One of the bandits began sweating profusely, hoping that the dirt and grime in addition to the spell that concealed his scar were enough to keep him from being recognized. Then he had to figure out how to avoid being turned in for the reward….

 

My Hidden Past (Illusionist)

Level 2

Range: Touch.

Duration: One hour/level or until dispelled.

 

This illusionist spell portrays the subject of the spell as he or she would be without scars, brands, abrasions or even missing eye(s), limb(s), or any other distinguishing marks. While the target of the spell can see and control any missing limb, this is merely an illusion and nothing can be picked up or affected by the limb just as a missing eye can be seen, but cannot see.

[New Encounter] The Blue Dwarfs of Mnern

The Blue Dwarfs of Mnern

Koram returned to the inn’s private room with a quartet of sickly looking blue dwarfs in tow.

‘What is this?’ asked Valance.

‘I met these dwarfs near the armorer’s shop and they need work, they can be porters and keep watch at night,’ the fighter replied.

‘Why are they blue?’ Chalk asked. ‘Not just their skin and beards, but their clothes too? Is this some weird dwarf cult?’

‘Nah, just a curse or something,’ mumbled Koram.

‘Curse! You bring us cursed dwarfs to work for us?’ asked Navnen the thief.

‘We work really cheap, for bronze and copper coins,’ one of the dwarfs said.

The thief, wizard and priest of the Spider God took a moment to contemplate this.

Cursed by an evil deity, the Blue Dwarfs of Mnern wander the land in small packs, doing their best to ingratiate themselves to others to lift the foul magic laid upon them by a god of avarice appalled by their greed and ability to covet and hoard. In appearance the Blue Dwarfs of Mnern are a pale, ghastly blue, even their beards are a dark indigo. Dressed shabbily and almost begging for a task, these pitiful creatures long for their freedom and rue the day they tempted fate and lost.

In the game: In numbers of 1d6 these creatures come, looking for work, any work. The curse these dwarfs bear is that any job they accept they must accept payment in the lowest coins that there are, brass or bronze and copper in most places. Each dwarf must accrue 1500 gold pieces in these coins to be free, at which point they lose their blue tinge and regain their former appearance. While working menial jobs to this end each dwarf must also carry every coin on their person, until they reach their goal in addition to any other burdens they must carry to do their work as porters, lantern holders or soldiers. These dwarfs, regardless of abilities before their curse, fight and save as 3^rd level fighters with non-magical short swords and shields, often wearing studded leather or chain mail armor and 16 hit points each.

[New Spell] What was your Doom?

What was your Doom?

 

The hired cleric looked bored just before casting her spell.

‘Plague, plague, plague, plague, dagger, plague,’ she rattled off to the others.

‘Did you say dagger?’ Fellhorn asked.

The elf and gnome exchanged glances.

‘Yes, the fighter over there was killed by a dagger,’ affirmed the cleric.

Fellhorn tossed a small bag of coins at the priestess, she deftly caught them.

‘Is that all?’ she asked.

‘Yes, until next time,’ Fellhorn replied.

‘Dagger?’ the elf said after the cleric was gone.

‘At least we which corpse we can safely roll,’ squeaked the gnome.

 

What was your Doom? (Cleric)

Level 2

Range: Line of sight.

Duration: Five minutes/level.

This cleric spell causes a small icon to appear over all dead bodies in the invoker’s line of sight that reveals what killed any of the corpses present, of both sentient and non-sentient creatures. This spell is often used before rushing into an area where a known plague or menace is known to be.