1001 Homebrew Magic Items

[brian 333]

I'm sorry my friend, but this item must come as a pair. Otherwise it's only good for moving a boat in circles.

Sculling is also an option, as on Venetian gondolas.

261: The Jester's Mask

This item is a bard's dream or nightmare. When discovered it will appear to be a ceramic mask designed either in a dramatic frown or a comedic smile. There will be a glazed black dominoe across the eye slits and the full lips around the mouth opening will be glazed dark red. The face will be snow white except for a 'beauty mark' of some kind, usually a tiny black or red diamond shaped star on one cheek or (a larger mark) covering one eye. There will also be a three-pointed 'king of fools' crown with the points glazed purple, green, and gold.

The mask identifies as magical in the schools of abjuration and transmutation. It has no discernable alignment.

When donned the mask appears to become the face of the wearer... Or more exactly, the face that the wearer wishes to have. In fact, it can have the effect of an Alter Self spell only limited to humanoid forms and a level of detail determined by the wearer's familiarity with the being being emulated.
Vague knowledge, as if limited to stories of kobolds, will result in an appearance that anyone who has seen a kobold will recognize as fake. Having seen an elf will allow the wearer to appear to be an elf. Having lived and worked with The Baron of Eastan will allow the wearer to appear to be the baron to anyone less familiar with the nobleman.

While the wearer's voice adjusts as the wearer wishes, movement and manerisms must be performed.

The folowing skills are improved by 15% (+3 in a D20 system):

Perform
Persuade or Intimidate (depending on whether the wearer chose a friendly or fearsome visage.)

The wearer may remove the mask at will and when it is donned again chose a new appearance. When removing the mask both DM and Player openly roll a D20 simultaneously. When the two rolls are within 3 points of each other the DM should let the player know that removing the mask is difficult and painful. The closer the two dice are to the same number the more pain and difficulty is involved. If ever the two dice are the same, when the weares removes the mask his face will be gone. There will be nothing from the hair line to the chin, and from ear to ear. The face will be blank and featureless.

The character in this state will be able to see and breathe normally, but will be unable to speak, eat, or drink without wearing the mask, which will otherwise loose all other powers.

After the face is gone, wearing the mask will cause great pain so that the PC cannot concentrate long enough to cast a spell with a verbal component and the PC will make all die rolls at a 15% disadvantage, (-3.)

When not wearing the mask the faceless victim will suffer a -3 to his Charisma score. The Remove Curse spell shatters the mask but does not restore the blank face. The face can be restored by an Atonement spell, but there will be a permanent tattoo of the mask's beauty mark on the character's face thereafter.