4d4 Wondrous Magic Items III
Magic items should be wondrous objects, but these days they often seem to be relegated to nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold like any other (expensive) item. That’s not right, and an evocative, flavoursome description of an item can help to reestablish the the sense of mystique and excitement that should surround such items.
Wondrous Rings
Famed in legend, magical rings are quintessential magical items. Imbued with a wide range of powers, magic rings are a classic adventurer’s accoutrement.
This band of burnished silver has patches of obvious wear and a few nicks and scrapes mar its surface.
Intricate etchings of wind-blown leaves cover this golden band. Worn runes—possibly of elvish origin—decorate the ring’s inner surface, but they are illegible.
This gold band has three small glimmering stones set within; two glow with a faint reddish light while the third gives off a pale white luminosity.
This golden band has been forged in the shape of a serpent eating its own tail. The serpent is so finely detailed it eyes and fangs are visible as are the tiny scales covering its body.
Wondrous Scroll Cases
A magical scroll is nothing without a scroll case to hold and protect it. It follows, then, that some spellcasters might enchant their scroll cases.
Of bleached bone, this long scroll case was once the leg bone of some tall creature. Stoppered at one end with a bone plug a leather cap fits over the other.
Of stretched and hardened leather, this scroll case is surprisingly rigid. Investigation reveals the leather is stretched over a framework of thin, but strong, copper wire.
Decorated with various sigils of esoteric power, this leather scroll case is soft and malleable. The sigils look freshly painted and a faint, undefinable smells hangs over the case.
This seemingly unremarkable leather scroll case comprises a cleverly constructed wooden framework. It conceals a hidden compartment at one end big enough for a few gems or coins (or perhaps even a potion vial).
Wondrous Staves
One of the most potent categories of magical item, staves are often imbued with immense power. They are much coveted by adventurers—particularly those such as wizards and clerics that can unlock and control their full powers.
Almost six-foot in length, this thick oak staff seems strangely twisted, as if rung out like a wet blanket. The grain of the wood twists round the staff in a spiral pattern.
Mystic symbols picked out in blue woad decorate the whole length of this four-foot long staff. Several of the symbols speak of home, hearth and health while others hint at the magical powers lurking within. From the staff’s size it looks like it was crafted for a gnome or halfling.
This slender staff is of smooth, polished white wood; it shimmers in the light and the air always seems fresh and airy in its immediate vicinity.
Knobbly and gnarled, bark still clings to various bits of this brownish-red staff. String of various colours and a couple of white swan feathers are tied to one end.
Wondrous Unholy Symbols
The exact appearance of an unholy symbol depends on the cleric’s faith. However, some unholy symbols are more than they first appear.
This unholy symbol has a secret compartment; it contains a single platinum piece minted in an ancient now fallen city state. Wrapped in scraps of cloth the coin does not rattle.
This holy symbol has a secret compartment; it contains scraps of bone and hair—remnants of a great hero of the faith. The owner believed they imbued the symbol with extra power.
This steel unholy symbol has one particularly sharp edge; close examination reveals dried blood smeared over the sharp edge.
This holy symbol has several spikes. Close examination reveals a hidden compartment inside designed to hold poison which affects anyone stabbed or cut with the spikes. The compartment can hold two doses of lethal poison.
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This article is an extract from 20 Things #51: Items Most Wondrous II which is available for download here at the Raging Swan Press store.