Saturday 29 March 2014

The Ice Grill of Dis

The bards of the coastal city of Dis are known as much for their ostentatious and flamboyant style as they are for their cruel wit and quick fire verse. The gaudy wordsmiths are notorious for possessing a savage competitive streak that often results in epic feuds. Magicians of Dis work in tandem with the cities booming jewellery industry to produce unique (and incredibly expensive) items that give the bards an edge in their poetic battles. The Ice Grill is one such piece, gifting the bard with the ability to literally freeze their opponents in place with nothing more than a well timed insult.

Description: The Ice Grill appears to be a mould of an adult humans upper teeth, carved out of solid platinum. It is inscribed with tiny, intricate runic etchings that glow with a blue flame when the item is activated. It is worn by being inserted onto the upper teeth, and will magically tighten or loosen to hold firmly in place when in a wearers mouth.

Effects: Once per day, a bard wearing the Ice Grill may pick a single sentient target that can understand the language the bard is speaking as the subject for their vicious rhyming insults. They roll to affect the target as if using the bardic ability Charm. If the target is affected they are paralysed for 1 turn per level of the offensive bard, and may not move, speak or cast spells, attack or take any action except defending themselves with their AC modified -2 [+2]. If the player can successfully improvise a 4 line rhyming insult tailored to the target that makes the table cheer, then the AC modifier is increased to -3 [+3].

Friday 28 March 2014

Parker's Pipe

This is the famous pipe of Captain Pineas Parker, believed lost in the elven raid that destroyed the trading colony on Crab Shanks island. Parker was renowned for his habit of crumbling coral from the reef around Crab Shanks into his tobacco before smoking, an affectation that he described as 'victuals for the sharp mind and a tonic for the shaky soul'. Survivors of the colony have suggested that this habit was also the catalyst for his eventual horrible death at the hands of the elves.

Description: A long handled ivory pipe, carved from the horn of a narwhal. Delicate grooves circle the slender handle, and the bowl is carved with the face of a jungle puck.

Effects: Parker's Pipe is inhabited by a capricious sea daemon that hates the elves and poisons the mind of anyone that uses it. When used to smoke crushed coral from an elven reef, it will increase the users Intelligence score by +1 and give magic users the ability to memorise one more spell per day up to the highest level available to them. This effect lasts for 24 hours or until the pipe is smoked again, but bonuses do not stack. Each time the pipe is smoked, there is a cumulative 5% chance that the daemon will be activated and begin to affect the mind of the smoker. Once the daemon has been activated, the bonus increases to give a +2 Intelligence score to the user and the ability to memorise two more spells per day, but this only lasts for 4 hours before the pipe must be used again. The activated daemon will whisper secret recipes to the user, suggesting that using the pipe to smoke elven flesh along with the coral will bring further powers. Each time the daemon activated pipe is smoked the user must make a saving throw or be possessed by the subtle devil for the next 24 hours, during which time they will quietly seek to murder, flay and smoke an elf.


Thursday 27 March 2014

The Illume Chisel

The Chisel is the grand prize at the Illume, the annual art contest in honour of Easel, God of Artists and Corruption. It's entire purpose is to give the winner an unfair advantage in the next years competition. The Illume gets incredibly vicious, as judges are bribed, works are destroyed, artists are assassinated and backs are stabbed. The Chisel gives it's wielders supernaturally attuned senses when carrying out the dark deeds necessary to assert their artistic dominance.

Description: A steel headed chisel. The handle is made of smoothed and polished onyx, carved with beautifully illuminated images of artists at work.

Effects: The Illume Chisel may be used in combat as a Dagger +1.

When holding the Illume Chisel, a character who does not have access to Thieving Skills gains the use of Thieving Skills as if they were a Thief at ½ their current level (example; a 4th level Fighter wields the Illume Chisel. He may fight as if using a Dagger +1 and gains access to Thieving Skills such as Climb Walls, Hide in Shadows and Open Locks as if he were a 2nd level Thief).

When holding the Illume Chisel, a character who does have access to Thieving Skills (Assassin, Monk, Thief) increases their effective level when using Thieving Skills by 3 levels (example; a 5th level Thief wields the Illume Chisel. He may now use Thieving Skills as if he were an 8th level Thief for as long as he holds the Chisel).

In addition, the Illume Chisel is a masterful tool for sculpting. It has a particular affinity for any work which sucks up to Easel, God of Artists and Corruption.