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View Full Version : DM Help Giving the party an expensive magic item.



Necrovosh
2015-02-10, 11:57 AM
Scarab of Gold Seeking

Price: 1950 gold (Item level: 6th)
Body Slot: Throat
Caster Level: 3rd
Aura: Faint (DC 13) Divination
Activation: Standard (Command word)
Weight: -

With a whispered "find" you cause this black stone scarab to rise up from your chest and pull slightly in the direction of ancient gold.

Twice per day, a character with at least 4 ranks in the Search skill can attune the Scarab to the presence of gold coins, as the locate object spell.


I'm running a campaign where gold is exceedingly rare and highly sought after, and the PCs (along with others) are searching the ruins of an ancient megacity where gold was used as currency. I want to use this to hook them into "fun" situations (animated door guards, other search parties, generic trapped rooms, etc.)
My worry is that giving it to a party of level two characters, who all just pooled their wealth to buy a Haversack, might be a bit heavy handed. How would you go about giving this item to your players? Would you even worry about it? It's difficult to justify other forms of treasure here, as this was an extremely peaceful city till the wraithocolypse. They have superiors in the search and rebuilding effort, but why choose their group over the dozens of others?

Deophaun
2015-02-10, 12:26 PM
If I wanted to give this item to my players, the easiest way would be on a thief that they have to capture/kill. The scarab was how the thief found his targets, not the loot the PCs need to recover, so it's fair game for the PCs to keep as far as their job is concerned.

Lightlawbliss
2015-02-10, 12:44 PM
Trope answer: they are the heros because they get the Item.

Necrovosh
2015-02-10, 12:50 PM
If I wanted to give this item to my players, the easiest way would be on a thief that they have to capture/kill. The scarab was how the thief found his targets, not the loot the PCs need to recover, so it's fair game for the PCs to keep as far as their job is concerned.

That's brilliant, mind if I steal that?


Trope answer: they are the heros because they get the Item.

Heh, the end goal for this campaign is to have them Teleport Through Time and stop the wraithocolypse. Having that start because they got a magical metal detector is hilarious. I'm going to have to rework some leads based on that idea.

Deophaun
2015-02-10, 12:53 PM
That's brilliant, mind if I steal that?
Go for it!

Troacctid
2015-02-10, 01:39 PM
I saw the thread title and assumed it would be about, like, a flying carpet or a crystal ball or something. That could be unbalancing at low levels. But an item that detects gold within 520 feet, for 6 minutes per day? Yeah, that's not unbalancing anything is my bet. The effect is already easily accessible to 3rd level PCs, being a 2nd level spell, and it's limited in range and duration.

nedz
2015-02-10, 07:43 PM
This sounds more like the much more famous Scarab of Caper Seeking

Glimbur
2015-02-10, 07:48 PM
It could be a family heirloom that one of them just happens to inherit now. They could find it under a rock. They could have a prophetic dream about it and go find it (but PC's being PC's you are better off having them awaken already owning it). It could fall out of the sky in front of them.

With that said, I like the idea of them finding it on a thief.