20 Magic Items (OSR Edition)
Most of the items done in the first two of these were not
very OSR, the idea is more to have a tool than to have a weapon or static
bonus, so I’ll try to keep these descriptions vague to make them more osr. I know I said I was gonna write them based on spells, but Ive kind of moved towards just personalities. Looking through obscure spell lists is still a good way to come up with them though.
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| Looks a little more expensive than tin... |
1. A sword with a steel tentacle instead of a blade, it can be
used as a bludgeoning weapon. The tentacle end of the
weapon can become malleable, and while it can be told what to do, it does have
a mind of its own.
2. A cheap, tin ring that everyone really wants to wear, the
greater the ego of the ring, the more powerful this effect is. The effect on it
is fairly powerful at the moment, as two tribes are currently in a war over it.
3. A dagger that thirsts for blood, though it will behave while
sheathed or otherwise covered, as soon as it feels the freedom of a naked
blade, it will lunge toward the nearest warm-blooded creature (Str. to resist
or sheathe), if you do not resist, you can follow along with it and soar
through the air in a spectacular arc toward the victim chosen.
4. A small silver key you can stab into your body (take one
damage) to open a small pocket of space large enough to hold one item. The key
believes it is the key to the heart, and will try to convince you to stab it
into your heart, this is a bad idea.
5. A pair of shoes that walk really fast, but only where they want to go. They are cowardly and
will get you out of the dungeon as fast as possible. A good method of taking
them off involves intentionally tripping yourself, then reaching over to remove
the boots.
6. A pen that draws stuff for you! It is also has a 10% chance
to know a random piece of information it can write down for you, this includes
drawing maps or monster anatomies. They really like to seem knowledgeable, and
may give you a piece of bad information if they don’t know an answer.
7. A hooded lantern that creates cones of darkness, it likes to
tell visceral and depressing stories, it also tells really good, original horror
stories that make the average person save vs. vomiting uncontrollably.
8. A hammer that’s really good at carpentry, structures or
barriers made with it are built 25% faster and are twice as effective at what
they do, as it dispenses knowledgeable advice, he does this in an overbearing manner.
9. An extinct elephant species’ tusk, with blood still on the end. The spirit
inside acts as a translator between you and the dead. He's basically E-oar
10. A small wooden statue of a hawk with outspread wings that
allows you to see through its eyes. It can only do this when it is mounted atop a
helmet.
10. A door that never opens to the same place twice, it's very indecisive,
and is not sure whether or not it wants to be used. It is the door that does
this, not the frame.
11. A box that contains a random tool, the tool inside
the box changes every day. If it is not replaced in the box, it will be unable
to generate a new one the following day. It can be replaced meaning you can put
any other random tool you happen to have in the box if the item taken out goes
missing.
12. Two pieces of slate, they contain two halves of a spell. When one piece is written on, it appears on the other. If the two parts are ever matched together, they fuse and can be used to ask a random higher power 1 question.
13. A key that can be used to locate small lost objects. He has a 50% chance of getting lost on the way. They track the items in a bad Croc Dundy impersonation.
14. A glass eye that the user can see out of as long as they are in contact with it. It can move about on its own but never in sinc with your other eye. It attempts to interpret everything as art.
15. A bag that can hold five items in one inve tory slot, but it's very picky about what it'll carry. It will only allow items with a value of 20g or higher, if anything does not meet that requirement, it will petulantly spill out all of its contents at the next inopportune moment.
16. A violin that plays itself. It can be held in a way that makes it look as if you're playing it, which it will allow, but doesn't appreciate very much. It is very good at playing and a little snobbish about it. You will probably stumple upon it by hearing its haunting melodies faintly in another room.
17. A bust of a man with an open mouth. Feeding him rations causes him to dispense delicious food. He laments on how he doesnt truly get to taste the food, and will whine incessantly at the sight of you eating it.
18. One of those childrens toys where you put the shapes in the holes, except it doesn't come with the shapes. It can turn small rocks into geometric shapes designed to fit in the holes. At least one hole is non-euclidean. Has the personality of a bored child.
19. An executioner's sword with a handle shaped like a headless man, and twisting fonts of blood emerging from it forming a cross guard. It can be used like a normal sword, but will target the head of any 'headed' enemy, Save vs. Str to resist. Whenever a 'headed' enemy is prone, attacks made with it automatically decapitate. It sings as he is used in battle, in your head, or to priests or devout followers of X religion, this manifests as an actual singing voice, to others, this manifests as a constant resonating of the blade, causing enemies to Save vs. Con or fall prone, clutching their ears. He is devout to X religion and will not let himself be swung at other members of his faith.
20. A compass that always points toward a specific location, this location cannot be changed. It can be anything from a major plot point or location, to a small decrepit, yet homely inn. It values adventurous tales and will thus will good-naturedly point you the way using the most challenging path reasonable. It talks with the voice of a GPS.
