[3.5] I Want Your Skulls

[Thurbane]

Looking for a magic item, for thematic reasons.

I'm looking for something that is a skull, head, or shaped like either of these. If it's about the size of a skull/head of a medium humanoid, all the better.

A few things to note:
- I'd prefer it not have "evil" themed abilities (a Darkskull (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#darkskull) is less than ideal for this)
- It must be permanent, so it can be Intelligent (i.e. no charged or consumable items)
- I don't want to stray into custom items if possible
- Official 3.0/3.5 sources preferred: no homebrew, no Pathfinder, and Dragon/Dungeon Mags are on a case-by-case basis

Cheers - T

[Zaq]

I know the mimir is an old 2e item that got a 4e version... was there a 3e version?

[tstewt1921]

Warlock Scepter: Has a horned skull: MIC 63
Trudeath Crystal: Crystal shaped like skull: MIC 66
Skull Plaque: MIC 136
Blast Disc: MIC 152

Then there is obviously all the other undead themed stuff that would have skulls, but nothing that is an actual skull, you may have to go custom magic item depending on what you want it to do.

[schreier]

Coin of Eternal Rest
A raised skull adorns both sides of this otherwise featureless copper coin

Mask of the Skull
This ivory mask has been fashioned into the likeness of a human skull.

Orbakh's Glass Skull
Created by a Thayan inhabitant of Myth Drannor, this thick glass skull is hollow and suitable as a tankard.

White Skull Mask
This bone-colored mask is shaped like a skull and painted black around the eyes. When worn, it transforms the wearer's visage to look like an actual skull

Skull of Fear
This ebony skull is fashioned so it can be mounted on armor, a weapon haft, or a staff or pole.

[daremetoidareyo]

There's a spell in an adventure that allows decrying through skulls. I forget all of the details.

Expedition to ravenloft has the stifled skull.

Maybe I was thinking undead eyes from shadows of the last war?

[Segev]

An Orb of Dragonkind is about the right size, but you'd have to dress it up.

If you could get an Eyeball Beholder from Improved Familiar and the Dread Necromancer's familiar option of a Ghostly Visage, you could have the latter infest the former and manifest a skull head over it.

You could simply cast continual flame on an actual skull; this would technically make it as much a magic item as an everburning torch is.

Edging into custom item territory, but you could merge the mechanics of Boccob's Blessed Book with those in C. Arcane for "alternative spellbooks" and have a skull etched with your spells that can contain as many spells as the Blessed Book but as a skull form factor.



What do you need it for?

[Thurbane]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Its going to be a pseudo-NPC that the party encounters at some point. I specifically want an item rather than a creature, for RP and other reasons.

Since the party includes a Paladin, would be better if he didn't get the urge to smash it to pieces after it detected as evil...

[Maat Mons]

Book of Exalted Deeds has rules for "redeeming" a Darkskull.

[Thurbane]

Book of Exalted Deeds has rules for "redeeming" a Darkskull.

Ooh, that might be a winner!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Weapons of Legacy has a flail that uses skulls as the damage dealing part. Interchangeable ones, too, with different effects depending on what skull(s) are currently in use IIRC.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There are plenty of items that could appear different but still serve the same purpose. For example, Eternal Wands are command word activated rather than spell trigger, they're technically not wands at all. An Eternal Wand of Hound of Doom (CW) could be a hound figurine, not unlike a figurine of wondrous power. So make a skull that functions as an intelligent Eternal Wand of Skull Watch (SC), which it happily casts on itself at the most inopportune times.

[BlackOnyx]

So make a skull that functions as an intelligent Eternal Wand of Skull Watch (SC), which it happily casts on itself at the most inopportune times.

Love.

(I like the idea of such an item setting its own parameters so that it can blow out its users' ear drums when it doesn't get what it wants.)

[ShurikVch]

Ruby Skull of Wee Jas (Complete Champion)
Truedeath weapon augment crystal (Magic Item Compendium)
Dragonskull Talisman (Dragons of Faerûn)
Talisman of Undead Mastery (Magic Item Compendium)
Talisman of Undying Fortitude (Magic Item Compendium) Art (in the center) (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/mic_gallery/103217.jpg)
Klen's Gargoyle Skull (Silver Marches)

From magazines:
Crystal Skulls of Doom (Dragon #297)
Dragonskull of Vigilance (Dragon #332)
Graverobber's Skull (Dungeon #138)
Scryskull and Scryskull Helm (Dragon #319)
Skull of Dragonform (Dragon #342)

[Telonius]

It's an April Fool's Day prank, but WOTC's archives have a full Head of Vecna (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20070401a) adventure. :smallbiggrin:

[Segev]

It's not what you want, but I had the sudden image of a homonculus living in a skull, like a hermit crab. Though a homonculus that was designed to be skull-shaped, having an oversized-for-its-body head and tiny limbs hidden inside, might work. (They're constructs, so technically items, and sometimes survive the death of their masters to become free-willed creatures.)

While the rules call for it to be something you add to a magic item, since you're already using sentient item rules, why not just make the only thing magical about it be it was designed to be an intelligent magical skull? That is to say, roll up or pick the sentient item properties you want it to have, and those are the only magical properties it has. Unless you have specific powers you want it to have that being another magic item would enable.

Heck, Bob the Skull could be modeled like this: Item Special Purpose - be a repository of knowledge. Item powers include several Knowledge skills. May also be a competence-bonus item to knowledge skills. Add other sentient item powers to taste.

[Goaty14]

Can't believe that those weird potion-like skulls in Frostburn haven't been mentioned yet.

IIRC, it's simple as having a skull with a spell imbued to it. When the skull is broken, the spell is released. I was going to suggest a skull of wish that, when broken, wishes in a new, identical, skull to itself, but then remembered that the higher the spell that's imbued, the bigger a skull that you have to have. A 9th level spell size would be about... an elephant skull.

[ShurikVch]

Can't believe that those weird potion-like skulls in Frostburn haven't been mentioned yet.That's because of OP:
- It must be permanent, so it can be Intelligent (i.e. no charged or consumable items)

[Vaern]

You could simply cast continual flame on an actual skull; this would technically make it as much a magic item as an everburning torch is.

But an ever burning torch isn't a magic item. It's a mundane item that's had a spell cast on it. It's as much a magic item as, say, a waterclock that's had shrink item cast on it. It doesn't follow any of the normal crafting rules for an actual magic item and thus doesn't have the chance of becoming intelligent.