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WarKitty
2010-04-26, 08:09 PM
I need some ideas for "useless" magic items. I'm not looking for things that are strictly useless, but items that would obviously be intended for someone other than an adventurer. Like an amulet whose sole purpose is to alert you if one of your plants needs watering or fertilizer.

The backstory: an evil cleric group confiscated all the magic items in the area. The PC's have found a big bag of magic rings and amulets confiscated. I want to give the feel that magic was used in every-day life before the clerics took over. Plus I'm not giving them a huge bag of *useful* magic items. I presume the majority of the items will have fairly low-level effects, the type of thing a commoner might own to help his business.

Flob
2010-04-26, 08:14 PM
Tells you what type of wood something is made of.

How fertile the soil is.

Time-piece (may actually be useful).

Whether or not this will be a bountiful crop season.

I don't know.

On a more personal matter, how goes the updating of the character potrait, WarKitty?

WarKitty
2010-04-26, 08:15 PM
Tells you what type of wood something is made of.

How fertile the soil is.

Time-piece (may actually be useful).

Whether or not this will be a bountiful crop season.

I don't know.

On a more personal matter, how goes the updating of the character potrait, WarKitty?

Thanks...ugh I totally spaced on the character portrait, it's been done but I forgot to send it.

Mongoose87
2010-04-26, 08:16 PM
An amulet that tells you if the surface it's on is level.

The Rabbler
2010-04-26, 08:25 PM
for not-useful:

animated plows.
ring of handle animal +20.
gloves of craft (x) + 20.
magic toys of various sorts.
eternal wand of speak with dead (not sure if this is legal, but it'd be a nice idea).
that mush-spoon (enough gruel for 4 people 1/day)
the bottomless feedbag.
some sort of item that casts tenser's floating disc or unseen servant at will.
decanter of endless water that can only use the lowest... setting (for lack of a better word).
heatstone.
pebble of weight (used for weightlifting).
perfume of attractiveness.

Cute_Riolu
2010-04-26, 08:29 PM
Rabbler, a lot of that stuff players would easily find a use for. Ring of +20 Crafting? Sign me up! Pebble of Weight? Drop it on an enemy's head. Bottomless feedbag? Pull out enough to provide cover. Animated Plows? Rent them out to foreign farmers.

Expect your players to find good use for any number of the random items. :P

WarKitty
2010-04-26, 08:34 PM
Stuff they can find creative uses for is ok, although it shouldn't be *too* obvious. Although unlimited items could be made less handy for them by just putting on a high limit...say the bag provides enough feed per day for a team of 4 horses. And the crafting I'd imagine would be craft (sewing) or something.

I fully expect some of this stuff to be abused in creative ways. I have a bunch of RP'ers, they'll probably go out of their way to do so and thoroughly enjoy it.

AslanCross
2010-04-26, 08:37 PM
-A Bag of Holding that can only contain cow manure. It spits out everything else.

-Pillows that always remain fluffy and soft.

-A tiny golem whose sole purpose is to scoop up after a pet dog.

-A magical glove that keeps things it touches at a constant temperature. This item gives no protection from extreme heat or extreme cold.

-An enormous astronomical chart that tracks the seasons and weather without error that also recommends what kind of crops would do well given the conditions. (Okay, that's actually pretty useful.)

-A fine set of garments that automatically repair any minor to them.

-Everfull Milk Saucer for cats.

-A glove that protects from small static electric shocks. (I'm talking doorknob zapping here, not lightning.)

lsfreak
2010-04-26, 08:40 PM
A bee-attractor (for pollination, with hilarious side effects if the PC's don't know about it).
A ring with x number of charges. Used to reverse the sex of plants. Most farmers wouldn't even realize that by using 10 charges, you can alter the sex of a person.
Pebbles that act as fertilizer for a single plant.
Instantly kills all <insert insectoid plant pest here> within 20 feet. Alternatively, instantly creates a swarm of parasitic wasps that targets that pest (and these wasps are non-magical, permanent).
Makes target creature ready to mate, for faster lamb/foal/whatever production.
Creates an hour of light but steady rain within 50 feet.
Paste that patches up a weak spot in a tree, countering decay, keeping splits from happening at a weak joint, regrowth over a lighting-struck spot, or so on.

Raging Gene Ray
2010-04-26, 08:42 PM
Rabbler, a lot of that stuff players would easily find a use for. Ring of +20 Crafting? Sign me up! Pebble of Weight? Drop it on an enemy's head. Bottomless feedbag? Pull out enough to provide cover. Animated Plows? Rent them out to foreign farmers.

Depends on how high level they are. A +20 Ring of Jumping would be useless to a party that could all already fly somehow, and a ring that killed all vermin within a radius would be useless if you're not fighting any level appropriate swarms.

Animated Plows sounded like a good idea, but couldn't exactly fit in a bag.

Maybe a music box that contained a song of Inspire Competence and granted bonuses for a particular skill?

A shower head that produced water and adjusted its temperature?

Stones of light that could be turned on and off with a command word and mounted on walls?

Mood rings, Animated Pillows (which is what I first thought Animated Plows was), Sprinklers (Create Water when a certain condition like dryness in the ground is fulfilled), Animated Underwear and other novelties that even commoners have no use for but buy anyway.

A Lute or Harp with Amplify cast on it.

JaronK
2010-04-26, 08:43 PM
An Eternal Wand of Prestidigitation (useful for cleaning the house daily). A toothbrush that cleans your teeth of all plaque instantly, and also kills mouth germs, while healing the gums, every time it's used. A bucket that, on command, fills with warm soapy water. A small stone that gives off light like the sun (useful for growing plants). A painting that magically shows the picture you'd find most beautiful and poignant at this moment. A magical tent that sets itself up, makes itself hard to see for anyone but the owner, and always keeps itself at a constant temperature inside. A magical clock (it always has the right time).

JaronK

graeylin
2010-04-26, 08:44 PM
whisk broom that sweeps up 500 square feet each day.
small metal stake that keeps all weeds from growing within 25 feet.
bucket that fills itself twice a day with fresh water.
small round disc that makes vermin search elsewhere for food and nesting (won't prevent swarms or larger vermin from attacking, however).
small purse that will produce 10 copper pieces a day, 3 times a week.
a small metal rod that will magically stick to any vertical surface, and auto level itself. a faint, tiny beam of light comes out either end when a command word is spoken, and marks the level line along the surface.
a small hook that will stick to wood surfaces, and hold up to 5 pounds.
a larger hook that will stick to wood surfaces, and hold 15 pounds
a small candle that burns only at night, illuminating very faintly about 25 square feet of room.
a small rug that magically makes dirt placed underneath it disappear over 2 hours.
a small disk that when placed on a wooden door makes it shrink slightly (up to 1%), used for wooden doors that swell in the rains.
a small pair of clay brick that magically warms boots when placed inside.

Raging Gene Ray
2010-04-26, 08:46 PM
An Eternal Wand of Prestidigitation (useful for cleaning the house daily). A toothbrush that cleans your teeth of all plaque instantly, and also kills mouth germs, while healing the gums, every time it's used. A bucket that, on command, fills with warm soapy water. A small stone that gives off light like the sun (useful for growing plants). A painting that magically shows the picture you'd find most beautiful and poignant at this moment. A magical tent that sets itself up, makes itself hard to see for anyone but the owner, and always keeps itself at a constant temperature inside. A magical clock (it always has the right time).

JaronK

I'd expect some of these to have "AS SEEN ON TV" labels. They do sound pretty useful to non-adventurers...and IRL.

Abd al-Azrad
2010-04-26, 08:46 PM
I already love this thread.

"Spice": single-use Prestidigitations in the form of a handful of powder. Meant to make food taste better or rub down your body so you don't stink for a special occasion... but hugely versatile.

A goblet that will fill itself with any liquid the bearer can name (or to limit, any liquid that has already been poured into the goblet once).

An dowsing rod that can detect water (and is not blocked by earth or unhewn stone).

A mirror you can command to show you the location of a nearby small object (Locate Object)... "My freakin' keys!"


small purse that will produce 10 copper pieces a day, 3 times a week.

Oh god no! You break economics! WRAAATH!

OracleofWuffing
2010-04-26, 08:56 PM
No matter how worthless the items are, it is a PC's duty to find a valuable use for them! :smallbiggrin:

-Glows when exposed to direct sunlight.
-Permanently displays a message (like an engraving, but magic does it), or displays the image of one's spouse.
-A pair of items that softly hum when they are within 15ft of each other.
-Crankless Jack-in-the-Box.
-Empty candy dish that can only hold pieces of candy.
-Diningware which never bends and/or cleans itself.
-Beans that shake and jump around.
-Makes one's waistline appear one inch thinner/thicker, depending on the setting's view of which one's more beautiful.
-When amulet is removed, the owner's shoes are gently removed and placed next to the doorway.

deuxhero
2010-04-26, 09:00 PM
- A gourd that produces an infinite amount of cheep booze.

JeminiZero
2010-04-26, 09:05 PM
Eureka Pot- 1/day, tells you the metallic composition by weight, of a single item that can fit into the pot. Commonly used by blacksmiths.

Barne's Boring Bookstand: When a book is placed on this stand, the stand will try to open it, and then go through page by page, reading out the contents in a dull monotone voice. It can only understand clearly written common, and skips through sections that it cannot read. It cannot decipher magical script (including explosive runes). Usable up to 10 mins per day, divided as wished.

Colgate's Colourful Cup: 2/day, this small cup fills itself with a fruity flavored fluid, whose colour depends on the exact fruit flavor. Gargling with the fluid reduces the chance of plaque and leaves your breath minty fresh!

herrhauptmann
2010-04-26, 09:28 PM
Wedding ring of fidelity.
Tells you if your spouse has removed their ring (and in who's company), and tells you if they've committed adultery.

sambo.
2010-04-26, 09:41 PM
love the thread. but some of the items mentioned could be hideously abused (eternal wand of prestidigitation? c'mon....).

how about:

a Set of Stirring Utensils: a wooden spoon and a balloon whisk that can stir a bowl of ingredients on their own.

a scarecrow that automatically frightens (or at least attempts to frighten) off birds from crops.

magic sweeping broom that only functions indoors.

a ring of +10 to Knowledge: <Harvest/Crop Rotation/Crop Pests> checks (make it really, really narrowly focused)

amulet of immunity to Vermin stings (regular bees, wasps and the like)

deuxhero
2010-04-26, 09:52 PM
A material competent pouch. Farmers have more than enough uses for infinite bat poo.

Bigbrother87
2010-04-26, 10:09 PM
I've been cooking up some useless and some useful items for a 2e AD&D campaign, based on The Lost Room Objects concept, and the actual objects used started as the ones the vestige Andromalious carries, so here's what I've got:

(Each is loosely based on a clerical sphere from the Tome of Magic, and yes, if you use them together Things Happen.)

Belt Purse (All)
At noon each day, it duplicates one coin at random that is placed within it. Seems to be able to hold an unlimited amount of Objects.

Mouse (Animal)
Any animal(of animal intelligence) seeing this mouse will always stop and watch it, until the mouse leaves their view.

Silver Key (Astral)
As per Astral Window, but only through any keyhole that this key is used on.

Pair of Dice (Chaos)
When rolled, something happens a number of rounds later equal to the number rolled. See the wild surge chart for ideas ;)

Mirror (Charm)
Always shows a good image of its owner.

Arm bone (Combat)
This functions as a magical weapon for damage calculations, 1d6 damage club.

Potion bottle (Creation)
When a portion of any non-magical liquid is placed into this bottle, and the stopper replaced, after a day the bottle is filled with that liquid.

Closed black book (Divination)
Under the full moon, opens to list your heart's desire, and the way to get the heart's desire of whoever opened it last.

Dove (Elemental Air)
Calms winds around it in a large area. Note, the Mouse (Animal) Object does effect the Dove.

Copper Coin (Elemental Fire)
When flipped, it catches fire. This is purely natural fire, and can easily be extinguished.

Compass (Elemental Earth)
Points away from any cave's exit. i.e., the furthest point that the cave extends underground.

Fish Hook (Elemental Water)
Calms waters it is cast into to allow better fishing.

Egg (Guardian)
Magically nourishes it's owner while in the owners possession.

Apple (Healing)
Guards its owner against all natural diseases.

Silver Ring (Law)
Prevents panic in the user, fosters calm thought and deliberation.

Dead spider (Necromantic)
Sends bad dreams to its owner's closest enemy.

Pocketwatch (Number)
Very rudimentary device that always indicates the time of day using pieces of metal.

Oak leaf (Plant)
The owner can touch a plant and, after a round, get a sense of the plant's mood. i.e. If it's been disturbed recently, it could be agitated.

Gold Ring (Protection)
Deflects one missile weapon a day. It is always the first missile weapon thrown at the wearer in a 24 hour period.

Whistle (Summoning)
When blown, will call one animal of a type that was named if animal is within 1 mi of blower.

Set of lock picks (Sun)
Partially conceals the user in shadows while these are in use.

Human skull (Thoughts)
Eye sockets glow different colors to show different emotional states of the one touching it.

Scroll (Travelers)
When a landmark the user has visited is mentioned aloud, and the this scroll is opened, the fastest route to that landmark is indicated with very basic pictography and directions.

Comb (Time)
When used on a creature's hair, the creature is sent two(2) rounds into the future. Requires hair to work.

Bell (War)
When wrung, it draws the attention of everyone you can see.

Lock (Wards)
When used on a door, door becomes invisible unless a save vs. spell check is passed.

Charred stick (Weather)
Natural lightning will not strike anywhere around this piece of wand shaped wood.


If you're interested, the combinations and effects I've worked out so far:

Belt Purse (All) + Any (except the Copper Coin)
Objects placed inside the belt purse, no matter how many, do not interact with each other and seem to go dormant. The exception seems to be the Copper Coin (Elemental Fire), which, when placed inside the Belt Purse and noon is reached, creates a Fireball (as spell) around the Belt Purse instead of being duplicated.

Mouse (Animal)
+ Dove (Elemental Air)
Any animal seeing both of these objects will be calmed and friendly towards the user, but not prevented from actions. Effect fades as soon as either animal moves out of the field of vision of the animal, though the mouse then functions normally.

Scroll (Travelers)
+ Compass (Elemental Earth)
When used together, the Compass will point to the landmark.
+Compass (Elemental Earth) + Closed Black Book (Divination)
Compass will point to your hearts desire.
+ Pocketwatch (Numbers)
Will show how long the trip will take, roughly.
+ Pocketwatch (Numbers) + Compass (Elemental Earth)
Pocket watch gives exact time the fastest route, indicated by the compass, will take.

Set of Lock Picks (Sun)
+ Lock (Ward)
Used together, the user becomes fully invisible for a number of rounds equal to his/her intelligence score, after which the Lock Picks pick the lock and the effect fades.

Bell (War)
+ Dead Spider (Necromantic)
Creates a feeling of dread in all creatures you can see.
+ Silver Ring (Law)
Creates a feeling of calm in all creatures you can see.
+ Silver Ring (Law) + Dead Spider (Necromantic)
Able to exclude friendly targets from either effect.

Apple (Healing)
+ Human Skull (Thoughts)
Used together, the user can heal the thoughts of one person close by. Target must be willing.
+ Potion Bottle (Creation)
When placed together, a bit of water is placed in the bottle, after a day has passed the bottle will be filed with a potion able to heal 1d4 damage.

Gold Ring (Protection)
+ Copper Coin (Elemental Fire)
Sets the deflect missile on fire.
+ Silver Ring (Law)
Calms the attacker, so they are less likely to attack you next round

Pair of Dice (Chaos)
+ Apple (Healing)
Whatever happens, it will be beneficial to the user
+ Dead Spider (Necromantic)
Whatever happens, it will be hurtful to the user

Abd al-Azrad
2010-04-26, 10:16 PM
Wedding ring of fidelity FTW!!! (Or, frankly, for the lose...)

A stone that lights up whenever some ability in the vicinity forces a die reroll. Counter-cheat! How many gamblers would like to know when their opponent is a Fatespinner?

Charm of returning: single use, speak the command word and the item charmed is dim-doored into your hand ("where the *bleeping BLEEP* are my keys?")

Night-light of Calm Emotions (for the youngling who just can't sleep through the night, for fear of monsters under the bed). Projects an aura. Powerful ability, low DC.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-04-26, 10:27 PM
One of my favorites:

The Ever-Washing Basin: Once a command word is spoken, it fills with soapy water and will clean anything placed inside it.


Interestingly, my party picked this up on our first adventure in Eberron, at level 1. Ten levels later, my Orc Barbarian remembered it existed in time to negate the BBEG's improved invisibility spell with a well-placed basin of water to the head. We tracked the suds through the air, and beat him up.

The DM was both immensely pleased, and immensely annoyed. :smallbiggrin:

Venerable
2010-04-26, 10:46 PM
Self-cleaning Chamberpot: If left covered for five minutes, any human waste in the pot will disappear.

Weather Ring: Appears to be a plain brass ring. When worn, a word will appear on the ring that predicts the next day's weather at the ring's location ("fair", "showers", "snow", etc).

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-26, 10:46 PM
small purse that will produce 10 copper pieces a day, 3 times a week.I wouldn't mind this, assuming I was a wizard; I'd be tossing it in my flowing-time plane with a construct what's only purpose is to pull out the money.

What about...

-A flexible wooden rod that stands perfectly vertically whenever its command word is spoken.

-A thick dowel rod made of smooth wood that vibrates when warm.

-A small container with the name 'Kyj' on it that produces one dollop of slick Universal Solvent twice per day, but the solvent denatures and becomes useless after one hour.

-A piece of paper that is resistant to tearing and stains, and erases any writing on it when crumpled (and smooths itself out when uncrumpled).

-An eternal wand of several of the more...utilitarian spells from the BoED.

-A music box with a permanent image of a small dancing ballerina.

-A handheld device that drives nails into wooden surfaces that it's placed against. The nails must be provided manually, and a trigger squeezed.

-A round disc that unscrews lids of foodstuffs (and only foodstuffs) that have become stuck.

-A pot that slowly heats up to 1 gallon of water or other liquid (up to boiling, depending on the settings) over the course of 10 minutes; the liquid never boils over or burns, though it may eventually go rancid or evaporate if left long enough.

-A small box of pills that purify up to 8 ounces of liquid of all nonmagical poisons and diseases with save DCs of 15 or less. It contains 5 pills, though it's obvious that there were once more. If ground into powder, it can be sprinkled over a surface to purify any toxins or diseases over 1 square foot.

-A collar (wearable by Small, Medium, or Large undead) that casts inflict minor wounds once per hour, but only if the wearer is undead and either it or its creator (if mindless) gives the command word (once belonged to a benevolent necromancer who used it to keep the animal skeletons he used to plow his neighbors' fields in good working order).

-A handheld device that launches small mundane balls of multicolored dye that splatter on whatever they hit; requires a ranged touch attack as an attack action, range increment 10', deals no damage (not even on a critical hit), and the dye glows in the dark. Used in the children's game, Peg The Village Idiot (less cruel than it sounds; think Ranged Freeze Tag).

-A small device that is used in body piercing; it takes standard finger rings and makes a small modification to them, such that they can be worn on body parts other than the fingers. It can then be used to pierce the desired body part in question. Magic rings still take up the appropriate ring slot, however.

-A needle that, when placed in the aforementioned piercing device, can inscribe tattoos on the body when the device's reservoir is filled with ink. Magical inks (distilled from magical potions or specially made for the purpose) can be activated as a move action to activate whatever effect is stored in the tattoo, which makes the tattoo disappear. Only 3 magical tattoos can be stored on any given character at a time, although there is no limit to mundane tattoos on a character, other than available 'canvas space'. Yes, this one is useful, but only if the players figure out its more pragmatic uses.

-An eternal wand of detect alignment. As detect evil, but discerns if there's any creature with any of the nine alignments within range (but does not pinpoint their location). Mindless nonliving creatures without an alignment subtype (such as golems) are unaffected.

-A golden wedding ring of teleportation. It translocates itself to another finger (or even another hand, or a pocket) as a free action, requiring only a thought.

-A wand of tongues. No, seriously, it's made of tongues. It allows you to taste something as a melee touch attack.

Mushroom Ninja
2010-04-26, 10:54 PM
-A thick dowel rod made of smooth wood that vibrates when warm.


:smalleek: Am I reading too much into this?

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-26, 10:55 PM
:smalleek: Am I reading too much into this?Depends.

What are you reading?

It's useful for massages.

WarKitty
2010-04-26, 10:57 PM
:smalleek: Am I reading too much into this?

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: That is DEFINITELY going in. Along with the wand of tongues.

OracleofWuffing
2010-04-26, 11:01 PM
Depends.

What are you reading?

It's useful for massages.
... Okay, to be honest, that just made me read more into it.

Mushroom Ninja
2010-04-26, 11:04 PM
Depends.

What are you reading?

It's useful for massages.

Massages... right... That's what I was thinking!

Moving on...

- A pair of shoes which cast grease on their souls when the command word is spoken. Endless fun at parties.

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-26, 11:04 PM
... Okay, to be honest, that just made me read more into it.Why, whatever could you possibly mean?


Massages... right... That's what I was thinking!

Moving on...

- A pair of shoes which cast grease on their souls soles when the command word is spoken. Endless fun at parties.City slickers?

-A scroll of sole bind. Makes fish constipated.

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-26, 11:07 PM
Double post; ignore, please.

Mushroom Ninja
2010-04-26, 11:13 PM
- Tome of Many Tomes: A book which contains an abridged version of a different, randomly chosen, work of literature. Each time the book is opened, a new book is randomly chosen.

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-26, 11:18 PM
- Tome of Many Tomes: A book which contains an abridged version of a different, randomly chosen, work of literature. Each time the book is opened, a new book is randomly chosen.-A Deck of Children's Card Games Serious Business. Gives you a bunch of random monster cards you can then play card games with, but provides no clues about how to actually play. Screw the rules, you have money! The deck is a lie! Instructions sold separately.

the humanity
2010-04-26, 11:26 PM
Hairband of Curliness/Straightness?

Pitchfork of sticky command? (to make hay stick to it when you say ____ and unsticky when you say _____

Escheton
2010-04-27, 01:53 AM
eternal wand of cubed haystacks: because stacking hay isnt as easy when there are no machines around

mallet of cobbling +10
box of prestidigitation: shoeshine only
sooteating chimneybroom

Ormur
2010-04-27, 02:44 AM
A magical collapsible dinner table for 10 complete with chairs, silverware, dishes, goblets, candles and a tasteful tablecloth. Fits in a backpack cleans all the stuff on it when folded. Perfect for picnics or civilized adventurers.

kestrel404
2010-04-27, 08:57 AM
Some advice on choosing 'useless' magic items:
Never give the player an unlimited source of anything. Any material, even cow manure, which you get in unlimited quantities can be turned into a significant advantage. If I were given an unlimited supply of manure, for example, I would dry it and turn it into an unlimited supply of building material, source of fire, fertilizer, possibly even explosives. I can do worse things with milk, grain, flour, or other things. If you give your players an 'everfull X', make sure that there is a reasonable per-day cap on how much X they can get.
Remember that any item that grants a mechanical bonus has a re-sale value. If these are 'common' magic items, make sure the resale value is low enough that your not breaking wealth-by-level. The PCs may just choose to sell off this stuff, after all. For this reason, a +20 ring of ANY skill is out, as it would be a serious chunk of the WBL of a level 20 character. A magic item of +4 to a skill is still a relatively powerful item.
Not all magic items have to be N uses per day. Some of the lesser ones (or the really powerful ones) can be per-week, per-month, per-season, or per-year. Making an item useable once per season means that while it isn't actually a one-use item, it will probably one be useable once in the campaign.

Some of my favorite 'useless' magic items:

A matchbox containing a single match. The match won't blow out no matter how windy it is. After the match is used, it will re-appear in the box at midnight, so long as there is a moon in the sky (so no new match if it's raining or if it's a new moon). If the match is taken from the box but not used, it dissapears within 2 hours. Any tinder or kindling kept in the matchbox is kept dry no matter what. (Faint conjuration)

A necklace that looks like a lamb. Once per day, the wearer may use the suggestion spell on any domesticated animal. The animal automatically understands. (Faint enchantment)

A masterwork forge hammer. Once during any (metal based) crafting, the user may choose to 're-do' their work. After they make a craft roll they don't like, they may spend an extra in-game hour and re-roll. They must accept the second roll, even if it's worse. Also counts as masterwork equipment for forge work (+2 skill bonus to craft checks involving forging). (Faint transmutation)

Mixed Magic beans. There are 40 beans of various shapes and sizes. Roll 1d4 for each when sewn in the ground. On a 1, it grows a giant beanstalk overnight. Kind of like a delayed-activation 'feather-token Tree'. On a 2, it immediately grows a common 1hd skeleton. This acts as a summon-monster I spell cast from a scroll. On a 3, all plants within 20 yards wither and die, then a single small tree bearing a single red apple spring up. The apple is delicious, but requires a save vs. poison or the eater is sickened for several hours. The apple is magic, and the poison cannot be used to taint a weapon. On a 4, you get exactly the same effect as 3, but the apple heals 1d6 hp when consumed and the person who eats it is not hungry for the rest of the day. The apples are otherwise identical. (Faint necromancy)

Portable fence. A series of white poles. When layed end-to-end and a command word is spoken (engraved in elven on one of the poles), the poles create an illusory 5-foot tall fence. This fence looks and feels perfectly real to the touch, but any attempt to climb it results in a person falling through - it's not really there. If the poles are layed in a circle, the fence will keep in just about any kind of livestock. (Faint illusion)

A milk bucket which is enchanted to wait exactly thirty-seven seconds (beginning of the 7th combat round) after it is placed on the ground, and then flip over. It was enchanted as a prank item. So far, no player I've given this to has come up with a good use for it. (Faint abjuration)

Telonius
2010-04-27, 09:17 AM
Door of the Shopkeeper. Automatically detects the life force of any creature entering the shop. If the adventurer is of sufficiently high level, it over-writes all of the price tags to be 10% higher. (Optional Add-On: if the entrant is a tax collector, it over-writes the prices 10% down, helping with sales tax evasion).

deuxhero
2010-04-27, 01:02 PM
What if it is a high level tax collector?

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-27, 02:16 PM
What if it is a high level tax collector?Tax Evasion still allows you to take no damage on a successful save.

You're thinking Uncanny Draft Dodging.

nedz
2010-04-27, 02:34 PM
A really cheap and yet ever so popular one.

Energy Subs(Cold) Continual Flame cast inside a tankard.
Depends upon rules interpretation but should keep your Beer cool.

Energy Subs(Acid) Continual Flame cast inside a glass bowl.
Depends upon rules interpretation but should stop your salad going brown.

OldFart
2010-04-27, 02:34 PM
A small cauldron that allows casting Control Weather as a 13th Level Druid (3-mile radius, 8d12 hours) – but only to produce a gentle rain. Usable once/month. Only works if there has been no rain in the area of effect for the past three weeks. The item takes 10 minutes to activate, and requires gems worth 500 GP, which are consumed upon use.

A mithral needle that grants a +5 competence bonus to Craft (Tailor) checks.

A stone that, placed inside a barrel of water up to 20 galleons in volume, will clean any soiled clothing also wholly placed in the water of said container as if it had been laundered. The effect requires two hours to complete, and the stone may be used once/week.

Fancy (almost foppish) boots just over knee height. They adjust to the wearer, but cannot be worn over other footwear. They provide a continuous prestidigitation effect that keeps them clean and shined regardless of what the user walks through. This does not protect the boots nor the wearer from corrosive or damaging substances, nor ensnaring effects such as the Entangle spell. It does provides a +2 circumstance bonus to escape Tanglefoot bags and similar effects. *

Charmed Amulet – this can represent just about every protection against the evil eye ever, so could appear several times in different forms in your bag. This amulet/ring/pendant/whatever, after being worn continuously for 24 hours, grants a +1 resistance bonus vs. spells and SLAs of the necromancy school only*

A circlet that after being worn continuously for 24 hours, will allow the users to switch any level zero he has prepared for any other level zero spell he knows/can memorize.*

A blanket, made of course material normally reserved for livestock. When placed upon an animal or if an animal stands upon it, the owner receives a +5 competence bonus to their appraise skill in judging the beast’s worth.

A rock that causes all dead vegetation within 1 foot of it to decompose at five times the normal rate.

A small ceramic rod one half inch in diameter and twelve inches in length. When placed in a container of liquid, the rod will emit an audible sound when the liquid reaches a temperature designed by the owner (usually “aboil” although other conditions could be specified).

*”Useless” is relative. In my experience, it no PC would be willing to give up an item slot for the benefit, the item is “useless.”

Kosjsjach
2010-04-27, 03:29 PM
My two favorites thus far have been the "paper that can be crumpled to erase" and "stones that emit sound based on their proximity". The magic paper can probably be based around the Chalkboard cantrip from Dragon Magazine #324, and the finding-stones would be even better if they can be turned off and their sound amplifies the closer they get.

Unfortunately, my imagination is failing to come up with any good minor charms and trinkets, but a good staple for any relatively-advanced magical society is a Amanuensis (Spell Compendium) trap for copying books (or documents, or newspapers, or whatever else that would otherwise be taken care of by a printing press).

TheMadLinguist
2010-04-27, 03:35 PM
Marbles that roll down temperature gradients, to find chinks in your insulation.

stenver
2010-04-27, 03:55 PM
Ring of persistent spell 3 times a day. Usually to make bulls stronger for field days work.

Amulet of unlimited burning hands. Farmers hate weeds. This solves all the problems.

Newspaper of time stop 10/day. So whenever you are about to strike a fly, time stops. Farmers will love this.

Amulet of reverse gravity 3/day. Farmers hate those vermin eating all their crop underground. With this ring, they can make them fall to sky.

Abd al-Azrad
2010-04-27, 04:01 PM
An ice box. It is a box. Inside, it is very cold.

A powder that, when applied to food, dessicates it.

A powder that, when applied to food, preserves it as per Gentle Repose. (Seriously, preserving food made human population growth possible).

An automatic hammer. Essentially an animated craftsman's tool. Turn it on, set it to smithing with you, and cut your construction time by 10%.

A potion of Detect Poison.

A reservoir of ink that refills itself, over the course of an hour, if you clean it and fill it with water and herbs.

An animated quill that constantly writes the contents of any book placed in a nearby shelf, provided it has a source of ink and blank parchment upon which to write. If not, it taps itself angrily upon the ground. Constantly.

Starbuck_II
2010-04-27, 04:01 PM
A clock that tells when you should be sleeping. A cuckoo bird pops out late at night yelling" cuckoo, cuckoo"

Allanimal
2010-04-27, 04:12 PM
This one is popular at taverns all over, but hated by the Bards' Guild:
It's a box that, when someone inserts a copper piece, will magically play whatever song is desired by the person depositing the money. Some versions have been known to give 12 songs when a silver piece is inserted, which is a 20% savings.

Also popular at taverns, a magical cloth that cleans beer mugs and tables.

Smart barkeeps will also keep handy a magical oil that aids in cleanup after bar brawls. It not only reconstructs shattered ale tankards, reassembles and repairs broken furniture & windows, but will also get those pesky blood & vomit stains out of nearly any surface inside the tavern. When mixed with milk, a tooth found after the rumble and soaked in the solution will magically reattach itself when placed in the original owner's mouth up to 6 hours after it was knocked out. Owners of the rougher & seedier taverns keep gallons of this stuff on hand.

Serious drinkers tend to wear anti-beer goggles, which does wonders in keeping them after a night of pounding dwarven ale from going home with that half-orc hunchback in the corner.

Finally, diverging from the drunken barroom theme, there is a legend of a traveller with a magic stone & cauldron. When the stone is placed into the cauldron and filled with boiling water, it will create enough soup for each person that brings an ingredient and throws it into the cauldron. It will not create the soup unless a minimum number and variety of ingredients have been thrown into the cauldron. The owner of the stone & cauldron, and family of the ingredient-bringers are also provided a portion. This effect will only work once per village. Sometimes the stone is replaced with a nail, an axe, or other ordinary, mundane-appearing item.

WildPyre
2010-04-27, 04:18 PM
A really cheap and yet ever so popular one.

Energy Subs(Cold) Continual Flame cast inside a tankard.
Depends upon rules interpretation but should keep your Beer cool.

Energy Subs(Acid) Continual Flame cast inside a glass bowl.
Depends upon rules interpretation but should stop your salad going brown.

Considering continual flame produces no heat and consumes no oxygen, all it does is produce light, I don't think either of these would work.

Prestidigitation is a much better choice for both.

deuxhero
2010-04-27, 05:14 PM
A small cauldron that allows casting Control Weather as a 13th Level Druid (3-mile radius, 8d12 hours) – but only to produce a gentle rain. Usable once/month. Only works if there has been no rain in the area of effect for the past three weeks. The item takes 10 minutes to activate, and requires gems worth 500 GP, which are consumed upon use.


That's Soothe the Thirsty Soil (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/gk7uKJeF296jRcx1NJw.html).


Tax Evasion still allows you to take no damage on a successful save.

You're thinking Uncanny Draft Dodging.


OK, I loled.

Shpadoinkle
2010-04-27, 06:41 PM
A pebble that lights up when touched to gambling paraphernalia that have been tampered with (marked cards, loaded dice, crooked roulette wheels, weighted slot machines, etc.)

A pair of gloves that, when worn, turn any weapon held into a useless stage replica. The weapons return to normal a round after they're no longer being held. Any weapon the wearer attempts to use only does 1 point of subdual damage per hit (no strength bonus).

Rainbownaga
2010-04-28, 03:34 AM
A scentstone- A magical stone that produces a pleasant aroma.

A magical meatlocker- A heavy chest-sized box (100lb) that generates a completely timeless demiplane within it when the lid is closed. Creatures and objects within do not age, deteriorate, or even think or act until the lid is opened up again. Creatures put within effectively assume the lid was only just closed.

Despite the implicit use in nefarious purposes, it is (as its name suggests) used to stop meat from spoiling.