I went to buy groceries in my N95 mask. Had to wipe ash off the windshield of my truck. The sun was just a red circle in a grey sky. Felt like I was on Tatooine. Here are some more magic items. The fourth is more a novelty, that might serve as a hard to find but valuable treasure item. The rest might be good for schemes.
6 Treasures that Change at Sunset
-
Mukade – A boxwood comb rubbed with camellia oil. At night it turns to razor-edged obsidian.
-
Humbling Leaf – Ornate comb of solid gold, at night it turns to simple boxwood.
-
Pilgrim’s Comfort – A simple gourd canteen. Water filled in the day becomes wine at night.
-
Royal Harem Candles – Fat candles infused with perfumes, invisible by day.
-
Nightsman’s Box – A simple pine box with leather-hinged lid. Opening after sunset reveals it’s nighttime contents, after dawn, its daytime contents
-
Telecanter’s Frugal Reader – A heavy, burlap-bound book. Each night its contents will change to a copy of another book nearby.
This year's fires remind me of the Dust Bowl, in terms of their scale and how out-of-the-ordinary (and frankly, apocalyptic) they seem. I retain some faint hope that they won't drive as many people permanently from their homes.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Nightman's Box. It's easy to imagine it (or something like it) being the goal of a dungeon delve. Be sure to get there before it switches! Or else, survive long enough to get the second treasure!
Thank you, I hadn't even thought of that box as a way to build tension, that's cool.
ReplyDeleteThe Nightman's Box could be reflavored to something like a wall safe or similarly non-portable container, which would complicate heists no end. The local goldsmith/jewelery/money lender has a fortune in his shop and has no night guard, but he only does business from dawn to dusk and at night his safe is full of manure or something more unpleasant. Can you manage to rob the place despite his magic tricks?
ReplyDelete7. Belated Mirror - About 12" square, this small mirror works normally at night, but when the sun rises it replays the images that it reflected the night before. Originally created by a botched attempt to make a tool to scry the near future, belated mirrors have become popular with jealous spouses, spies, clever criminals, and the occasional adventurer.
ReplyDelete@Dick: that Belated Mirror is perfect; gives a sense of magic without unbalancing the game while giving the players options. That's exactly what I'm going for, thanks.
ReplyDelete