Useful "Useless" magic items.

[Kulture]

I've created this thread with the express purpose of compiling the playground's favorite understated magic items that are remarkably useful.

My personal favourites have to be the rod of surprises
Which functions as a 60 foot pole which can support 800lbs, a variety of +1 weapons both simple and martial and a dictaphone with a built in magic mouth recording device, all for 6,000 gold.
And the fan of furious flame which, for 18,000 gold (hefty, I know) causes all flame based fire sources within a 60ft cone to explode, doing damage in an area between 5 and 10 feet varying from 1D4 to 1D12, 3 times a day, and the flames are then immediately exstinguished.

Invaluable to an assassin, especially in a city with invisibility purging lanterns.

So, have fun and share some of your favorites.

[Rhiannon87]

One that we've got is a Longsword Hilt of Fake Wounding.

It looks like the hilt of a longsword without a blade. When activated, a regular-looking blade appears, and it can be wielded as a longsword. Any wounds dealt by the sword are illusions; someone might look like they've been sliced up, but in reality, they've taken no damage. Handy if you ever need to lay a trap where it looks like you're fighting your allies. (That's how we got the item, fell into a trap like that.)

[gallagher]

Bag of caltrops+glass marbles (obvious scooby-doo ability)

cast a shatter spell at the marbles, make them explode on the fallen people who fail the reflex save on marbles

not really a magic item, but it uses magic in a creative way that is good in a pinch

[AslanCross]

OP, where are those items from? They sound awesome.

[herrhauptmann]

One that we've got is a Longsword Hilt of Fake Wounding.

It looks like the hilt of a longsword without a blade. When activated, a regular-looking blade appears, and it can be wielded as a longsword. Any wounds dealt by the sword are illusions; someone might look like they've been sliced up, but in reality, they've taken no damage. Handy if you ever need to lay a trap where it looks like you're fighting your allies. (That's how we got the item, fell into a trap like that.)

Is that from a specific book? If so, what book, and what price?

[Brendan]

Perhaps a ring of cure minor wounds 1/hour. in light negatives, you will be up and running soon. well, after a night's sleep. Also, fully stabilized.

[Gorbash]

Everfull Mug. 3/day conjure 12 ounces of water, cheap ale, or watery wine. Priceless. But it actually costs 200 gp.

[Xenogears]

The Mug of the Ogre Magi (or something like that) from the Dragon Compendium. It is basically a +1 weapon blah blah some useless abilities and then the cool part. IT NEVER SPILLS! I can fill the tankard up to the brim, turn it upside down and nothing will come out. Smash someone in the face? Still got a full mug of booze.

[Lycanthromancer]

These two are only useless sometimes. Both in the MIC.

Ring of the darkhidden: For 2000 gp, you become constantly invisible to darkvision (but not to normal sight, blindsight, or anything else). Basically, very useful in the Underdark, but not generally elsewhere.

Heward's fortifying bedroll: Useless to mundane classes, but invaluable to casters. Renew your spells after 1 hours' rest 1/day. I believe it's 1000 gp.

[technophile]

Heward's fortifying bedroll: Useless to mundane classes, but invaluable to casters. Renew your spells after 1 hours' rest 1/day. I believe it's 1000 gp.

Unless, IIRC, your DM enforces the sleeping in armor rules and likes to spring midnight encounters on you.

[taltamir]

Unless, IIRC, your DM enforces the sleeping in armor rules and likes to spring midnight encounters on you.

it is also useful in cases where time is on the essence. Where you don't have 9 hours downtime to refresh spells.

[Foryn Gilnith]

Ring of Sustenance to the rescue! And Restful Crystal, at that. Sleep for 2 hours in whatever armor you want. Try IHS if you need to remove fatigue and are cheap (or stranded w/o the MIC)

invaluable to casters.

it is also useful in cases where time is on the essence. Where you don't have 9 hours downtime to refresh spells.

Hooray for repetition for emphasis.

[Lycanthromancer]

Unless, IIRC, your DM enforces the sleeping in armor rules and likes to spring midnight encounters on you.

I never wear anything over light armor, which one can sleep in anyway. That, and I try to have some way of casting rope trick. Great for those 1 hour power-naps that are so refreshing.

[technophile]

It must be great never to play a tank, I guess.

[Foryn Gilnith]

Iron Heart Surge as a standard action after waking up from heavy armor gets rid of fatigue. Or you can use a Restful Crystal from the Magic Item Compendium to sleep in any armor without fatigue.

[Lycanthromancer]

It must be great never to play a tank, I guess.

I can tank using a psicrystal, totally unarmored. Which, mind you, only has half the hp of the d4 psion. (That's also half-Con bonuses, too.) Doesn't do too well as a straight tank until level 7, except I can AssassinHate using nasty poisons until then.

[taltamir]

Ring of Sustenance to the rescue! And Restful Crystal, at that. Sleep for 2 hours in whatever armor you want. Try IHS if you need to remove fatigue and are cheap (or stranded w/o the MIC)

Hooray for repetition for emphasis.

Heward's fortifying bedroll allows you to regain spells with less sleep. The rest only reduce your sleep amount, but you still need 8 hours of rest. An elf for example naturally only "meditates" 4 hours a night instead of sleep. But they still need the same 8 hours of inaction before they can prepare a spell.
The only exception I ever came across is Heward's fortifying bedroll which explicitly allows you to recover it after 1 hour of sleep/rest.

[Foryn Gilnith]

I was responding to technophile, who implied that the hypothetical character was a non-caster.

[Ravens_cry]

The only exception I ever came across is Heward's fortifying bedroll which explicitly allows you to recover it after 1 hour of sleep/rest.

And it's only a 1000 gp? That's beyond 'useful useless' that's even beyond just plain useful. That gives you, if you can hide away for 1 hour, which is often possible, at least in the games I play, twice your spells each day.
Wow.

[Lycanthromancer]

And it's only a 1000 gp? That's beyond 'useful useless' that's even beyond just plain useful. That gives you, if you can hide away for 1 hour, which is often possible, at least in the games I play, twice your spells each day.
Wow.

I just double-checked. Complete Mage, pg 132. 3000gp. Still not a bad deal.

[Coidzor]

And it's only a 1000 gp? That's beyond 'useful useless' that's even beyond just plain useful. That gives you, if you can hide away for 1 hour, which is often possible, at least in the games I play, twice your spells each day.
Wow.

Rope Trick!

[lsfreak]

And it's only a 1000 gp? That's beyond 'useful useless' that's even beyond just plain useful. That gives you, if you can hide away for 1 hour, which is often possible, at least in the games I play, twice your spells each day.
Wow.

Not quite. Even with it, all spells cast in the last 8 hours cannot be re-prepared. This seems to be something that a lot of people overlook - preparing after only a short rest is all well and good, but there's nothing that overrides all spells cast in the last 8 hours from counting against you now.

[sofawall]

Not quite. Even with it, all spells cast in the last 8 hours cannot be re-prepared. This seems to be something that a lot of people overlook - preparing after only a short rest is all well and good, but there's nothing that overrides all spells cast in the last 8 hours from counting against you now.

And what everyone seems to be overlooking, you can only do it every few days.

[starwoof]

It's still ridiculously good.

[sofawall]

Unless you have a Hewards Handy Haversack full of Hewards Hardy bedrolls.

And that still does not work.

[Akal Saris]

Well, there's always Roy's Bag of tricks, Rust. Though I absolutely love the Bag of Tricks, Tan (the 6,300g one that summons rhinos and whatnot) ever since a module I did at living FR.

We were all 1st-2nd level except for 1 guy who was 4th and who had spent ALL his money on a bag of tricks - we beat the module in ~30 minutes with a quick succession of tigers, bears and rhinos (oh my!) to our opponents' faces, while the party of full level 3's in a game of the same difficulty had a TPK after 3 hours of playing :D

[taltamir]

Not quite. Even with it, all spells cast in the last 8 hours cannot be re-prepared. This seems to be something that a lot of people overlook - preparing after only a short rest is all well and good, but there's nothing that overrides all spells cast in the last 8 hours from counting against you now.

And what everyone seems to be overlooking, you can only do it every few days.

1. buy a bunch of them.
2. Go to sleep in one at 12am for 1 hour. Prepare spells for 1 hour.
3. Between 2am and 10am cast all your spells.
4. Sleep in another one (not same one as before) of those from 10am to 11am, prepare spells for another hour.
5. Between 12pm and 8pm cast all your spells.
6. Sleep in a third bedroll between 8pm and 9pm, prepare until 10pm...
... and so on.

unless, does it specifically say you can only use A SPECIFIC bedroll onces every few days. or ANY bedroll only once every few days.
Even if it has such a limitation it is still a ridiculously good item. For 3000gp, replenish all your spells once a day... how much would pearls of power that replicate that cost? (a whole freaking lot!)

[sofawall]

1. buy a bunch of them.
2. Go to sleep in one at 12am for 1 hour. Prepare spells for 1 hour.
3. Between 2am and 10am cast all your spells.
4. Sleep in another one (not same one as before) of those from 10am to 11am, prepare spells for another hour.
5. Between 12pm and 8pm cast all your spells.
6. Sleep in a third bedroll between 8pm and 9pm, prepare until 10pm...
... and so on.

unless, does it specifically say you can only use A SPECIFIC bedroll onces every few days. or ANY bedroll only once every few days.
Even if it has such a limitation it is still a ridiculously good item. For 3000gp, replenish all your spells once a day... how much would pearls of power that replicate that cost? (a whole freaking lot!)

Like I said above, does not work.

[jindra34]

1. buy a bunch of them.
2. Go to sleep in one at 12am for 1 hour. Prepare spells for 1 hour.
3. Between 2am and 10am cast all your spells.
4. Sleep in another one (not same one as before) of those from 10am to 11am, prepare spells for another hour.
5. Between 12pm and 8pm cast all your spells.
6. Sleep in a third bedroll between 8pm and 9pm, prepare until 10pm...
... and so on.

unless, does it specifically say you can only use A SPECIFIC bedroll onces every few days. or ANY bedroll only once every few days.
Even if it has such a limitation it is still a ridiculously good item. For 3000gp, replenish all your spells once a day... how much would pearls of power that replicate that cost? (a whole freaking lot!)

The bedroll specifies that one person cannot benefit from a bedroll more than once per 48 hours. Even though its powers work every 24 hours.

[Blackfang108]

Ring of Sustenance to the rescue! And Restful Crystal, at that. Sleep for 2 hours in whatever armor you want. Try IHS if you need to remove fatigue and are cheap (or stranded w/o the MIC)

The ring specifically doesn't lower the time you need to rest to renew spells.

EDIT: spelling.