Fun minor loot?

[WarKitty]

So I've been looking for fun minor things to give out to the (currently level 1) party. Nothing huge or gamebreaking, doesn't have to even be of much mechanical benefit (they already have more than WBL, not that I terribly care). Less major game-breakers and more "ooo that looks neat!" items. Because really, "you get 4,000 gp and a magic sword" gets boring after a while.

[Eonir]

Jewerly/mirrors/paintings of people that are in the PCs ancestry (Who knew the wizard's great-great-great grandfather was a powerful archmage!)

Cursed treasure, nothing bad, but kinda funny. (the halfling picks up the pretty diamond and turns purple)

Maps to more treasure.

Antique Weapons- Your fighters will love those (probably...maybe).

[Kelb_Panthera]

My favorite inocuous magic item has always been a custom piece. A device that produces prestidigitation at will costs 900gp going by the item creation guidelines. It's got a million and one uses, but not one of them is combat related.

Combines nicely with murlynd's spoon. Never eat borring gruel or trail-rations again. It's still going to be gruel, but it'll taste however you want.

Which actually brings up murlynd's spoon. Even without the prestidigitation device it's a good item, unless you don't track rations and such anyway. I don't recall the price on it, but it doesn't sound like you'd much care anyway.

[The Glyphstone]

The Everfull Mug is an awesome thing to hand out. Adventurers always like having beer on hand.

[Eonir]

The Everfull Mug is an awesome thing to hand out. Adventurers always like having beer on hand.

Seconded. Infinite beer is ALWAYS a good idea.

[Lateral]

Seconded. Infinite beer is ALWAYS a good idea.

Technically, I think it's like a six-pack a day. :smallyuk:

[Eonir]

Technically, I think it's like a six-pack a day. :smallyuk:

You mean everyone DOESN'T carry 6 of those around?

[Pokonic]

The Salamander 6000


A lost invention of a gnomish explorer, this little thing resembles a typical beam pistol one would see in 50's science fiction, being as boxy and chrome-colored as that implies. For 20 min's per day, it can release a little red light that warms whatever it touches. If one focuses the beam on something for 5 min's, a tiny fire starts, regardless of what logic would say about, say, ice, catching on fire.

Pip's Dancing Doll

A little bronze statue of a tiny fairy. However, it's actualy moderatly self-aware, and can do neat tricks (with a tiny bit of illusion magic to make the jokes work).

[RaggedAngel]

I like things that supply little boosts that aren't notable at higher levels, but mean the world to lower level players.

For archers, a quiver that fills with twenty mundane arrows a day is amazing when you're poor enough to care about the cost of arrows, or in the middle of a dungeon. Higher level character can just pick up an extradimensional storage device and fill it with 20,000 units of ammo, of course.

For wizards or rogue or other weaker folk, the "can I carry everything" subgame can be a huge hassle. A Belt of Broad Shoulders that makes their carrying capacity act like they're 2 points stronger can be a huge relief, especially for the little folk.

For the martial sort, look at the cool nonmagical gear in Dungeonscape or one of the Races of Blank books; they can be really neat, and obscure enough to seem unique.

Of course, things like Widgets of Prestidigitation and Artificer's Monocles can really make life easier for your party in more standard ways.

[Tvtyrant]

A mirror of attractiveness; grants the user a +10 to disguise once a day but at the cost of 25 GP of cosmetics.

Doll of the self: Makes a little animated doll of the owner which the owner can control by closing their eyes. Has 1 HP and can only travel 200 ft. from the owner.

[Felyndiira]

The Barbarian's Assistant

A small spyglass with a silver frame. When it passes over words a written document, the device reads the words in a monotonous voice of a male wizard. The device can also be attuned to other voices: when it is passed over the mouth of another individual, the device will save his/her voice and will read all future documents using that voice. Attunements can be altered by attuning it a different individual.

Basically, the item reads written stuff. It can also make for a great gag when you record the voice of one of your party mates and pass it over (in context) self-written yaoi fanfics.

[Mithril Leaf]

What I always long for at low levels are healing belts. Not so much fun as cheap and super handy.
For fun stuff, I'd second that item of at will prestidigitation. Maybe one of the vestige teeth from Tome Of Magic would be fun, they've got a wide range of effects.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Mage hand and Dust of Dryness: Good for creative players.

Pipes of the Sewers: They summon rat swarms, but require a perform check to use. I gave it to a ratfolk wizard.

Druid's Vestments: You find something to give a Druid that isn't a wand.

[Palanan]

I really like the Mother of All Treasure Tables. For the lowest levels, it has a variety of items which easily bridge the gap between a yeoman's prized possession and a PC's modest acqusition.

A lot of thought was put into some of these items, even the nonmagical ones, and I've used them to good effect in my current campaign. Definitely worth a look.

[BowStreetRunner]

Sometimes 'minor' loot can actually be more valuable loot that has been mostly used up. How about a staff of Healing with only 10 charges left? Or a Rod of Absorption that has already absorbed 40 spell levels, all of which have been discharged? Or perhaps a Bracelet of Friends with a single charm remaining?

[WarKitty]

Sometimes 'minor' loot can actually be more valuable loot that has been mostly used up. How about a staff of Healing with only 10 charges left? Or a Rod of Absorption that has already absorbed 40 spell levels, all of which have been discharged? Or perhaps a Bracelet of Friends with a single charm remaining?

Somehow, if I read my PC's right...reusable stuff tends to, well, not get used. At least if it looks expensive.

[Elvenoutrider]

A hookah sized for a dragon

[Alleran]

I like occasionally throwing in treasure that might be worth something, but also has a drawback. For example, a sword that does fire damage and/or is permanently ablaze (i.e. the "flaming sword" archetype), but the creator messed up or couldn't quite figure out how to keep it from burning the hand clutching the hilt as well via the backwash. So they threw it out, but it could be very handy in a pinch, and it'd be at a discounted price too, thanks to the drawback.

[Tokuhara]

My favorite is a Helmet of Blindsight that has the soul of an elderly wizard bound to it. He can't see very well and tends to cause people to walk into things. He is the blindsight, but he's nearly blind himself. And he talks in a crotchety old British accent. Think John Cleese having a lovechild with Mako

[WarKitty]

I like things that supply little boosts that aren't notable at higher levels, but mean the world to lower level players.

For archers, a quiver that fills with twenty mundane arrows a day is amazing when you're poor enough to care about the cost of arrows, or in the middle of a dungeon. Higher level character can just pick up an extradimensional storage device and fill it with 20,000 units of ammo, of course.

For wizards or rogue or other weaker folk, the "can I carry everything" subgame can be a huge hassle. A Belt of Broad Shoulders that makes their carrying capacity act like they're 2 points stronger can be a huge relief, especially for the little folk.

For the martial sort, look at the cool nonmagical gear in Dungeonscape or one of the Races of Blank books; they can be really neat, and obscure enough to seem unique.

Of course, things like Widgets of Prestidigitation and Artificer's Monocles can really make life easier for your party in more standard ways.

Pretty cool ideas here, actually. I've been pretty cruel in terms of both stats (PF 15 point buy) and starting gold (something like 1/2 average for class), though I did make it up to them with free rations and a custom magic item each. But I wanted to evoke the "peasants/slaves working for a lord" feel.

[Keld Denar]

The MIC has a TON of low level fun loot. Boots of Agile Leaping, Gauntlets of Fortunate Striking, Anklets of Translocation, Bracers of Quickstrike and Greatreach Bracers, Heartseeking Amulet, etc. Lots of good stuff in there for under 3k, not including consumables like the Hammersphere or Glitterstone, both awesomely useful items.

[nedz]

A minor intelligent item, with a personality and issues.
There are tables for creating these in the DMG, apart from the personality issues that is.
It would have to be fairly useful so that the players are in a dilemma as to who, if anyone, wields it.

[Kelb_Panthera]

A minor intelligent item, with a personality and issues.
There are tables for creating these in the DMG, apart from the personality issues that is.
It would have to be fairly useful so that the players are in a dilemma as to who, if anyone, wields it.

I'll second this, and add the note that simply granting intelligence with none of the other abilities normally associated with an intelligent item is dirt cheap, relatively speaking.

[Golden Ladybug]

Fun minor loot, you say?

Well, in situations like this, I like to break out the "Junk Magic Items", a category of random things I like to throw into loot for just a bit of flavour. I make them up without any particular goal or use in mind, and just give them a madcap sort of ability. Then I see what my players can think of to do with them.

Very entertaining.

Some examples:


A Coin that, when flipped, always lands on its edge
A piece of twine that ties itself up into a knot whenever you snap your fingers. You have to untie it manually
A toilet roll which, whenever a ferrous metal object is dropped through the whole, seperates the item into its component parts (so, if you dropped a dagger in, you'd get the leather wrappings, the blade, the hilt and any other bits fall out the other end)
A mirror that shows the person looking at it from a 3rd person perspective, over the top of their shoulder
A Silver Ring that seems to fit perfectly, but becomes too big for any of your fingers if you sleep while wearing it
A fork that makes any food you eat with it taste like undercooked noodles
A Matchstick that causes other flamable materials to catch alight when you strike it
A Lantern which makes all light projected through it bright pink
A hat that attracts Donkeys to your location

[Sith_Happens]

About six months ago I whipped up the "defenestrating" weapon special ability (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13017876&postcount=94), which does exactly what it says on the tin. Now with fresh errata to ensure that it is in no way actually useful, at least not in combat.

[mcv]

Works of art that are valuable but hard to sell.

Personal items, letters, diaries, etc containing useful or valuable information for those interested (perhaps the PCs?), but with no value whatsoever on the market.

Magic items with weird or impractical effects. Years ago I read lots of ideas for such items in various places. Two that I remember are:

A small and a large "blanket" made out of copper rings. The large one always has the same temperature as the small one. So throw the small one in a fire, and cook on the large one, for example. Or figure out more creative uses.

An powerful, intelligent, talking sword that wants to be owned by the most powerful warrior. Every time the wielder encounters a potentially more powerful opponent, the sword starts to throw insults until the opponent attacks.

Or just a talky sword that is very, very talky. But knows nothing that's actually useful.

[Crustypeanut]

I once gave my players in Pathfinder a cursed, intelligent bag of holding that required you to feed it cheese before it would allow you to use it. It could also purify food and drink at will, and had a long-ass tongue which scared the living crap out of the first player to use it.


I personally think that items that mimic 0-level spells are great things to give out, with exceptions. You could also do an item that acts like a 1st level spell, but only once before it becomes nonmagical. This way, the item would be useful, but only once.

Items include a Cloak of Featherfall (One time use), a Lantern (Bullseye or Hooded) that can be lit as per Light once a day for 1 hour, etc.

[mcv]

How about a Backpack of Featherfall? (Basically a parachute.)

You basically have to give up your ability to carry other stuff in order to use it. Sounds useless, but some day they're going to find a way to make use of it.

[Kelb_Panthera]

^ reminded me. If they don't already have one or more, a handy haversack is never a bad thing.

[kitcik]

Make up your own Iouon stones.

Have them be pretty common, but also have them be destroyed if the PC fails a reflex save.

Ioun Stone of +2 Diplomacy

Ioun Stone of endless water - you act as a sprinkler

Ioun Stone of endless caltrops - lol

Ioun Stone of Mondless Attacks: +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Wis, if you take it off it takes 24 hours to re-attune

You could have characters that look like they have an asteroid belt around their heads.

[GoatBoy]

101 Curious Items (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/7263/roleplaying-games/101-curious-items-collected-pdf)

Samples:

3. A tattered, and sadly unusable, scroll fragment, inscribed with a spell unknown to any living mage.

7. A blood-stained dress which, despite being found in ruins which have lain undisturbed for centuries, is still a vibrant, stunning blue.

14. The holy symbol of a god long thought dead and gone. Although wrought in iron, it resists any normal attempts to damage it.

29. Within an elegant hinged case of black onyx, the characters find a set of masterwork gaming darts. Although useless for combat, the darts will give a +2 skill check bonus to anyone using them to play a game of darts (due to their superb balance and construction).

47. A mask carved to look like the face of a man, but which has been fitted for something wholly other.

[The Glyphstone]

Ioun Stone of endless caltrops - lol


That sounds like something you'd want to give to an enemy...

hey, that's an idea - offensive/cursed ioun stones. Throw them at a target, and if you 'hit', they start orbiting and applying some annoying/minor debuff until the target takes an action to get rid of the thing (which could include throwing it back at you).

[Sgt. Cookie]

A small mechanical mouse, thoroughly worthless, except as a curiosity, that gives off a faint magical aura (It gives 1 xp to an Artificer for crafting), that awakens at the touch of a hand.

Upon activation, this mouse does everything a regular mouse does, scurries across the floor, cleans itself, hibernates in winter and even squeaks! It does not eat or drink though. No matter where it goes it always returns to the person that activated it, though they have no direct control over the mouse, it will attempt to copy what the activator is doing, broadly speaking.

For example, if a rogue activated it and was moving silently, the mouse would also follow suit and move silently, if the rogue was sleeping, so would the mouse.

The mouse can be used as a familiar, if so desired.

[Tokuhara]

A small mechanical mouse, thoroughly worthless, except as a curiosity, that gives off a faint magical aura (It gives 1 xp to an Artificer for crafting), that awakens at the touch of a hand.

Upon activation, this mouse does everything a regular mouse does, scurries across the floor, cleans itself, hibernates in winter and even squeaks! It does not eat or drink though. No matter where it goes it always returns to the person that activated it, though they have no direct control over the mouse, it will attempt to copy what the activator is doing, broadly speaking.

For example, if a rogue activated it and was moving silently, the mouse would also follow suit and move silently, if the rogue was sleeping, so would the mouse.

The mouse can be used as a familiar, if so desired.

I second this! This is just awesome

[WarKitty]

A small mechanical mouse, thoroughly worthless, except as a curiosity, that gives off a faint magical aura (It gives 1 xp to an Artificer for crafting), that awakens at the touch of a hand.

Upon activation, this mouse does everything a regular mouse does, scurries across the floor, cleans itself, hibernates in winter and even squeaks! It does not eat or drink though. No matter where it goes it always returns to the person that activated it, though they have no direct control over the mouse, it will attempt to copy what the activator is doing, broadly speaking.

For example, if a rogue activated it and was moving silently, the mouse would also follow suit and move silently, if the rogue was sleeping, so would the mouse.

The mouse can be used as a familiar, if so desired.

This is happening. I've always had good luck dropping animals into the campaign. My last group adored their mutant kitten.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Drop me a PM about how it goes, would ya WarKitty? I'm just interested in how it's received is all.

[White_Drake]

I once had a skeleton key that created a locked door whenever you twisted it in midair, that was pretty neat.

[Acanous]

Cracked Ioun stones from Pathfinder are pretty minor, inexpensive, and cool.

[kitcik]

That sounds like something you'd want to give to an enemy...

hey, that's an idea - offensive/cursed ioun stones. Throw them at a target, and if you 'hit', they start orbiting and applying some annoying/minor debuff until the target takes an action to get rid of the thing (which could include throwing it back at you).

Ioun Stone of Interruption - whenever you begin to cast, it zaps you in the forehead with a force bolt increasing your spell failure % by 20%.

[Invader]

I once had a skeleton key that created a locked door whenever you twisted it in midair, that was pretty neat.

This is awesome. Someone will get this in my campaign.

[TypoNinja]

Decanter of Endless Tequila. Drunken master's best friend. It's pure rotgot, so as not to have any real economic usefulness.

A vest that provides fast healing 1 (as per lesser vigor) is wonderfully cheap, provides for easy out of combat healing, but isn't really powerful enough to effect the outcome of battle. A favored item on all my beatsticks now. Though, you may not actually consider it 'minor' as its still a few grand.

I once gave my party four small gold globes, worth about 200gp each.
They triggered a detect magic when they were all together.
If one was separated the remaining three were magical, the loner was not.
If split two and two there was a 50/50, one pair was magical the other not.

The party stopped and messed around with the little buggers for like an hour real life (pretty much all day in game) before deciding to store them for later study. In my game they made a portal if fed enough spell levels, have them do whatever strikes your fancy in yours.

Small things can be amusing too.

A cape that never gets dirty, or a rag that can clean up any mess. A magic pillow case that will morph into a weapon of choice, if you are the type to ambush your PC's. Underwear that repel vermin (not as the spell, they just keep the fleas and such out). A compass that always points to the nearest bar.

Weirder the better in my opinion. People tend to have preferences, magic items they like and always go for, but the truly funny stories always come out of the times when the PC's are stumped and go consult the Party Loot bag full of all the random crap they saved "In case it becomes useful in the future". Then the really creative solutions appear.

Needing to add variety to random loot is also a great place to slip in some items the party doesn't have but is going to need, but may not realize it. Couple extra anti-toxins, climbers kit, cold weather gear. The Arms and Equipment guide is your friend here, oodles of random mundane crap that's all fairly cheap, and situationally useful.

[DigoDragon]

Fun minor magic items found in my group's history:


A magical golden warhammer with red and green markings. If it slays a living target on a critical hit, the target is polymorphed into a walnut.
A magical dagger that chirps like a cicada whenever it's unsheathed. Gives a -10 penalty to move silently checks, but provides a 60 foot radius Sanctuary spell effect versus animals (Will DC 14).
Arcane & Divine scrolls of 0-level spells with metamagic feats applied (i.e. Maximized Ray of Frost, Twinned Cure Minor Wounds).

[MesiDoomstalker]

Something I mentioned in another thread: paraglider capes. They let you glide, but are super fragile (1 point of fire damage destroys them). Fun for flying off cliffs, dangerous if there uis anything to shoot at you.

[TuggyNE]

A magical golden warhammer with red and green markings. If it slays a living target on a critical hit, the target is polymorphed into a walnut.


Is that... is that an Erfworld reference? (If so it is amazing.)

[hex0]

How about some small manuals that give skill ranks, similiar to the stat boosting books. Like, Beginner's Acrobatics (gives 1 rank in Balance, Jump, and Tumble) to give to the party wizard.

[BowStreetRunner]

How about some small manuals that give skill ranks, similiar to the stat boosting books. Like, Beginner's Acrobatics (gives 1 rank in Balance, Jump, and Tumble) to give to the party wizard.

Oooh! I really like this idea. How would you determine the value of something like this though?

[hex0]

Oooh! I really like this idea. How would you determine the value of something like this though?

I looked at items that grant feats...and it is a broad range. (Though most items grant additional stuff) The ones that do avearge around 5,000 gp for a feat. Now, using the feat Open Minded (which grants 5 skill ranks), I'd say an item would grant 1 rank per 1,000 GP. Though, not all skills should be equal when calculating this. Profession (Cook) isn't as good as UMD or Tumble.

[ericgrau]

Open the wondrous item section of the DMG. Everything up to 2,000 gp might get some use. The cheapest one I like to use a lot is the 150 gp unguent of timelessness for food preservation. 8 uses IIRC.

Do the same with the magic item compendium. Plus it has minor weapon/armor crystals and what not.

[robertbevan]

you could always give them something to make keeping track of things less time consuming. our group doesn't really keep track of things like ammunition or rations anyway.

but it'd be nice to have a basket of endless sandwiches or something to explain why we never buy food. or a quiver of arrow generating to explain why we never buy arrows.

if they start selling sandwiches, or try to build a bridge out of arrows, then you might have a problem. but if they know the reason you gave it to them and don't try to abuse it, it's worth thinking about.

[Wonton]

Personally, I'm a fan of randomly generating goods using the rules in Appendix I of the Draconomicon. I rolled randomly, and here are the things I got:

A glass phylactery embellished with several mosaics.
A hickory scepter
A peacock feather helm (:smallconfused:)
A silk tapestry depicting a group of dancing elves
A banded agate worth 6 gold
A golden yellow topaz worth 300 gold
5 pounds of tobacco (2.5 gold)
3 ounces of an exotic incense (45 gold)

Much more fun that just saying "you find 1000 gold in the chest". :smallbiggrin:

[Blightedmarsh]

A faded picture of your own face on what is unquestionably a wanted poster, abeit one in a language you can't even identify.

A small ear trumpet that translates whatever said into something utterly unintelligible.

A ring that when you put it on makes your finger go stiff, swell up and become lumpy. You cant for the life of you figure what its for, surprisingly you have already had several offers from older men for what is obviously a cursed artifact.

[TuggyNE]

A small ear trumpet that translates whatever said into something utterly unintelligible.

It's funny because it's true! (I will always consider that the real function of my grandparents' hearing aids....)

[GolemsVoice]

My rogue found a (minor) bag of tricks very early in a campaign that started from level 1. It was fantastically useless, since it could only produce small animals, but I annoyed the party fighter by producing beavers and making them dance. Good times.

[Wookie-ranger]

A ring that when you put it on makes your finger go stiff, swell up and become lumpy. You cant for the life of you figure what its for, surprisingly you have already had several offers from older men for what is obviously a cursed artifact.

I see what you did there :smallwink:

[Kelb_Panthera]

I see what you did there :smallwink:

So did I. I'd say "shame on you" if I were an old-fashioned, overbearing d-bag.

Since I'm not, I just laughed. :smalltongue:

[Blightedmarsh]

A pedigree toy weasel, probably worth a small fortune in the right circles; if it didn't keep trying to bite your fingers off.

An ilithid pillow book. Something tells you not to open it; some things are better of not known.

An decanter of endless brain bleach.

A tome of ultimate knowledge; in its yellowed pages lie the secrets of the inner workings of the universe; you have found the fabled, nigh mythical DMG.

A diary; your diary, one you haven't written yet. It appears to be different every time you open it and it is curiously unfinished.

A rare and highly illegal tome of political and economical philosophy. Its worth an untold fortune and this red manuscript could probably make you an emperor; if it doesn't get you killed first.

An old signet ring of unknown provenance. On further inspection there is a small empty capsule hidden within it.

[Suddo]

Potion of Delusion is the best.

DM: So the people come and pick you up from the dragon's swamp home (after several party members died). You see some potions attacted to a belt they are a glowing electric blue, like the one's you've collected before.
Me: Screw this my paladin is going to drink one. What does it do.
DM: What do you want it to do?
Me: Taste delicious?
DM: It does.
Me: Turn me into a Black Dragon?
DM: It does.
Me: I dive into the water to attack the other dragon.
DM: Okay everyone else sees the paladin drink the potion and then dive into the water with full plate mail.

Same campaign we had a wet chest that was locked that caused all the boats we got into to eventually sink; Elven Unicorn armor that turned my paladin steed into a unicorn; A piece of armor (evil under my evil radar) that dealt a third of the damage dealt to the wearer to everyone else instead of themselves (killed people several times)... And others that I can't remember.

It should be noted this was a 1st-ish edition campaign so you could powergame like you can in 3.5.