[3.P] Favorite Intelligent Magic Items

[Thurbane]

I'm always intrigued by intelligent magic items. The DM can have a field day giving them their own personalities.

In my game, I have an Intelligent NG +1 Merciful Spiked Gauntlet, than can cast Cure Moderate Wounds on it's wielder 3/day. It's called the Cestus of Mercy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlIZErrPAl8). *badum tish*

Just wondering what other memorable items people might have had in their games?

Cheers - T

[BioCharge]

I've only had one intelligent item in any of my games, and it was quite non-standard.

In the very first game I ever played, I had made a bounty hunter-esque Ranger who ended up more of a truthseeker kinda of person in the end. Along the way during the story, the DM threw the classic "two guardians; one always lies and one always tells the truth." Well, we didn't go quite what he had planned. Our CE Wizard decided to take a 50/50 shot and allow one of the "guardians" (which were simply sentient torches, essentially) to possess him to solve the riddle. He got the liar, which was also essentially a Demon. I, on the other hand, decided to transfer the other flame into my hooded lantern. I forget the ultimate result of the little exchange, but in the end, I got a little sentient lamp whom we all affectionately called Lampy. On top of a high sense motive check and fervently seeking the truth and opposing "the great deceiver" (his title for the liar demon), he was a relentless pyromaniac. That was often his suggested solution for most problems and ended up getting us into... interesting... situations.

Mechanically, on each of my turns (as his "possessor") he would roll for a simple aid another check (something, something seeing the truest shot, etc.). On a natural 20, he would emit a small 1d4 flame pulse. Additionally, he essentially acted as a mobile Bardic Knowledge check. Nothing too impressive, but the DM knew me like a book and kept him entertaining. Unfortunately, we never did finish that campaign, though we always reference that pyromaniac lamp in our other games.

[137beth]

I may as well put in a recommendation for the excellent 30 Intelligent Magic Items (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/90067/30-Intelligent-Magic-Items--PFRPG?term=30+intelligent+magic+items&test_epoch=0) supplement for Pathfinder.

As far as homebrew items go, my preference is to start by designing an NPC, and then asking myself whether I could turn the NPC into an item. If I have a bunch of NPCs that I am planning on using an a campaign, I'll go through and ask try turning them into items while making as few changes as possible to their personalities and motivations. At one point I decided that the leaders of the Mercykillers/Red Death faction in Sigil were all intelligent weapons. The fact that the faction was lead by items was kept secret from all but those who are fairly high up in the faction hierarchy. At least until the PCs discovered the secret...:smallamused: