Favorite Custom Magic Items

[NerdHut]

First order of business: HOORAY! The forums are back!

Second order of business:
I'm trying to make my campaign world feel more alive than I have in the past. What I've found works with my players is to use something that gels well with the standard system, but doesn't explicitly exist in the books. Sometimes I'll use a sprinkling of plot-magic, or throw in a re-skinned race (one player's family had a Quarter-Orc Butler).

Recently, magic items have been on my mind. So I'm curious about custom or homebrew magic items you've used as players or DMs that you and/or your players really liked. They can be for any level of play, but ideally not game breaking. And details about them or stats would obviously be awesome. Interesting mundane items are welcome too.

I'll give some examples of what I have used in the past.

For a changling rogue NPC who would periodically pop up and help/distract the party had a Ring of +10 Bluff and +10 Diplomacy. I used the rules in the DMG for this one, which gave it a market cost of 25,000 gp (he came from a rich family and the party was mid-level by the time they met him, so I didn't feel it was too crazy).
For an E6 campaign that is on hiatus (and may or may not resume at this point), I made a low-power version of a Rod of Wonder. Effects included a loud shriek, glowing like a torch, producing a few gallons of water, and temporary ability bonuses/penalties.
In my first campaign, there was a long sea voyage. Without wasting multiple sessions trying to come up with workable sea encounters, I gave the players optional activities to produce the sensation that time was actually passing for their characters. One activity was gambling on dice below decks. One of the sailors had magically loaded dice. They'd consistently score well for him, but as soon as someone else used them, they'd roll normally. The players never quite figured out what was going on, so I didn't have to worry about market value or special stats on that one.

[Gildedragon]

Fingerless gloves of prestidigitation and +X to sleight of hand

[D&DPrinceTandem]

One of my players made: Continuous.....Ring of time stop...... Yea that combined with Ring of Delayed fireball [at/will] pretty much killed everything

[Seerow]

I like boots of Striding. A while back we took the price of boots of Striding and Springing, and figured that it's only 2k gp to get +10ft move speed (assuming either the +skills or the move speed is like +stat items and don't incur a price multiplier for adding on to an existing item). From there it was a pretty straightforward discussion to have higher move speeds be based off the quadratic weapon progression. So a custom +30ft move speed item runs around 18k gp.

For a less impactful item, one of my characters once picked up a "Lucky Coin". The coin bonds with a specific person, and once it is bonded it won't rebond until the original user has died. The coin does not detect as magical to anybody other than the person who it is bonded to, but the holder can at-will choose to call it when flipping the coin (regardless of who flips it), and if he ever discards the coin, loses it, or gives it away, it shows back up in his hand within a few minutes.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

An item that has maybe a minor obvious effect (to get people to wear it), but after wearing it for 24 hours (nobody takes their stuff off at night, so 24 hours should be doable) the character gains a level in a special prestige class. (XP to be payed the next time they have enough to level up.) The class is something that has to do with the item so that it ends up on the right character. For instance, an incredibly "girly"/princessy item of jewelry could give ranks in a swan maiden class that gives wild shape at will into a swan, bonuses to grace and social skills and eventually stuff like water walk, while demonic powers would come in an obviously evil dark metal flaming sword and powers like never getting lost, spider climb and being able to drink contaminated water safely might come with some sort of outdoorsy item, maybe a knife with a bony hilt, or some form of navigation equipment? The player then gets an overview of what the rest of the class (2-4 more levels or so) does, and can choose freely to take them or not. But if the item is ever worn by another person for more than 24 hours the blessing passes to them, and the first characters suffers some permanent ill effect, like permanently turning into a swan, losing their soul or always getting lost. You don't need to outright give them this information, but whenever someone else holds the object, for instance to identify its magic, the character gets a decisively bad feeling about that. (Whether they lose all their class levels and whether they can get levels in another class in return are questions that need answers if the curse is not bad enough to permanently retire the character or if there is a way to lift the curse.)

Okay, maybe that's one you need to at least sort of discuss with the player in question. At least something like "Hey, mind if I curse your character? It's going to be really cool, but it will screw with your optimization a bit." And that is if you know the player likes surprises.

[Braininthejar2]

My wizard has a circlet that combines continuous alter self (making it a deluxe hat of disguise) with circlet of persuasion. It has been many sessions since he last really wore his own face...

[flappeercraft]

I have not made this yet but I would suggest a Vodoo doll that makes you sit on it. Good luck getting up or even moving at all if you don't have a high strength score.

[Quertus]

Don't really have any. 2e was much better for that. Some items people liked:

Duel Portable Hole: 2 storage spaces, one container.

Ninja Pajamas: +15 circumstance Hide.

Portable Nuisance: hollow, spring-loaded rod, containing dice-sized animated Gelatinous Cube pieces.

The Eternal Gardener: belt of "sleeping" sprites. Whenever one dies, the next one "wakes up", apologizes for making on the job, and sets to work in the gardens.

The Ice Chest: portable hole, enchanted with permanent Gentle Repose.

Tongue Ring of Diplomacy: +10 circumstance diplomacy (grows heavy when you're about to say something stupid?)

Bob? Earl? I think it was Earl: sentient Ever Burning Torch.

Boots of the Fiery Path: Boots of Striding, that continuously cast Continuous Flame as you walk.

Bow of Juxtaposition (cursed): every time you attack, both you and the target must make a save. If you both fail, you switch places.

The Death Star (so named OOC for the pez top I used as it's mini): multi-headed half-dragon rhino effigy.

And several variations on Deck of Many Things and Rod of Wonder.


Fingerless gloves of prestidigitation and +X to sleight of hand

Want, IRL.