Fun with cheap magic items!

[The Neoclassic]

The most appreciated magic item I ever gave my players during my time as DM was a dull gray ioun stone. I'm not sure that they even have them in 3.5, but in 3.0 you could get the buggers (which were burned out versions of regular ioun stones) for 25 gold. Gray and boring, all they did was orbit your head.

"ASTEROID HAT!!!" Mr. Hung, our monk with 6 charisma, declared upon discovering the stone's power. Constant jokes and admiration surrounded the asteroid hat, and it solidly placed Mr. Hung as the coolest PC.

Have you ever had something like that happen in your game, on purpose or not? Some little item with a lot of roleplaying or novelty value, or which lends itself to being quite useful if used creatively, but nothing with a big straight-up stat bonus or such?

[Hzurr]

Honestly, the one item that seems to allow my group the most fun, is the rod of ropes (from Complete Scoundrel, I believe). It's a relatively cheap item, and becomes pretty useless after "fly" becomes avaliable, yet we still have a blast with it.

[ronnyfire]

i havnt seen it to common with items... but our group seems to do that with random npc's a ton xD
like random people we find in prison as we are breaking out. we make them the party friend before we know there name.

[Sonofaspectre]

Cu, our strange Druid, got a jacket of prestidigitation. He loved it so much, he bought pants of Prestidigitation to match, and now is the absolute coolest character, even with his very low Charisma score (got attacked by a Vamp-Goblin Head and a Chaos Beast in the same session.)

Everyone loves Cu.

[PlatinumJester]

Gloves of Groping from BoEF is great .

My old DM gave a player some bracers that allowed him to meld into stone which he expolited greatly since there was no limit to how long he could stay underground.

The greatest item I've ever had is a disease my DM recently gave my PC that gives him glowing urine.

[Hasivel]

Grey Ioun stones become even more awesome when you cast "Permanent Light" on them and have a torch that follows you around, never goes out, and doesn't take up one of your hands.

Anyway cheap fun stuff I like:

Hand of the Mage: All kinds of tricks available here, at will moving lightweight stuff can be so handy. For one thing your character can keep his hands free while drinking ale in the tavern.

[mostlyharmful]

Hat of Disguise. Not just insanely useful, rediculously dangerous in the hands of a rogue, essential for all half dragons But also really, really funny.

[bugsysservant]

Gloves of Groping from BoEF is great .

Book of Exalted WHAT!?!?!

[PlatinumJester]

Book of Exalted WHAT!?!?!

I would say it but it's probably against the rules to discuss it just know that the E doesn't stand for Exalted.

If you really want to know then PM me and I'll tell you.

[bugsysservant]

I would say it but it's probably against the rules to discuss it just know that the E doesn't stand for Exalted.

If you really want to know then PM me and I'll tell you.

No thanks, I just Googled it. It was substantially better than I had imagined, in fact (I have a large vocabulary and a very healthy dose of creativity.) Now, as to why you knew about that...

[Hzurr]

Book of Exalted WHAT!?!?!

Book of erotic Fantasy. I always thought it was just a silly rumor, and no such book existed, but then I was at a gaming store, and I was looking on the shelf of crappy 3rd party stuff, and I saw it. It was one of those things where I was just scanning the spines of all the books, and not paying attention, so I read it, and kept going, then about 5 books further down the line, I went "wait...WHAT?" I double checked, and realized (much to my dismay) that I had read the title correctly. I didn't actually take time to pick it up and read it, but it did have enough of an impact on me to make me come to the firm conclusion that I would stick with WotC material only.

[PlatinumJester]

No thanks, I just Googled it. It was substantially better than I had imagined, in fact (I have a large vocabulary and a very healthy dose of creativity.) Now, as to why you knew about that...

I knew about it because a person in my DnD group whose name I won't mention cough CrazedGoblin cough was looking for PDF books on a certain citrus wire download place and found it. I think it's hilarious .

[Guy_Whozevl]

Feather Tokens are pretty fun to use. Pull out a Feather Token (anchor) and drop it on someone from above. Use the Feather Token (tree) for an instant obstacle.
The winner for me is the Robe of Useful Items. Nothing beats pulling out a ten-foot pit, chucking it in the path of the enemy, and watch them fall in. With the doors and windows, you can recreate a scene from Looney Toons.

[Collin152]

Gloves of Groping from BoEF is great .

You need magic for that?
I'm sorry.

[MCerberus]

You don't even need magic items. Alchemy crafted stuff is mundane and you can still burn down a city with it.

[PlatinumJester]

You need magic for that?
I'm sorry.

They're long range so they reduce the slap factor that comes afterwards.

[Azerian Kelimon]

A modded rod of superior wonder, modded by combining things form just about any splatbook, including third party ones, including Immortal's handbook and BoEF. It was a level 52 artifact, for GOOD reason. We had to pass 6 Will rolls.

[Kioran]

A modded rod of superior wonder, modded by combining things form just about any splatbook, including third party ones, including Immortal's handbook and BoEF. It was a level 52 artifact, for GOOD reason. We had to pass 6 Will rolls.

But that isn´t cheap, by far. That is "ZOMG Numbers/Splatbooks"

I´ll have to second the robe of useful items. It´s highly useful if cleverly employed, and the "Instant door" or pit or just made of pwnage.

[Ninja Chocobo]

The most appreciated magic item I ever gave my players during my time as DM was a dull gray ioun stone. I'm not sure that they even have them in 3.5, but in 3.0 you could get the buggers (which were burned out versions of regular ioun stones) for 25 gold. Gray and boring, all they did was orbit your head.

I'm playing a Wizard, going into Runesmith, and what I wanted to do was inscribe all my runes on these. (For those who don't know, Runesmiths write runes on stones etc, as part of preparing spells, and use the runes during casting, in exchange for Still Spell on everything.) At level 20, I'd look something like a Caesium atom. That's still a long way off, though...Especially since they don't have a listed price any more.

[cupkeyk]

Quall's Feather Tokens are awesome, especially the tree. It can block passages and create something to scale obstacles with.

I had a clown bard once who glued on feathers and wood chips to a dull gray ioun stone and made herself walk around with a canary orbitting her head.

[Lochar]

I'm playing a Wizard, going into Runesmith, and what I wanted to do was inscribe all my runes on these. (For those who don't know, Runesmiths write runes on stones etc, as part of preparing spells, and use the runes during casting, in exchange for Still Spell on everything.) At level 20, I'd look something like a Caesium atom. That's still a long way off, though...Especially since they don't have a listed price any more.

I'd say 1/10th or 1/20th the price of the original ioun stone.

Pale Lavender is 20k, so either 2k or 1k a pop.

[Ninja Chocobo]

I'd say 1/10th or 1/20th the price of the original ioun stone.

Pale Lavender is 20k, so either 2k or 1k a pop.

Whaa?!
But...
They're USELESS.
Their only possible use is to grant 1 PP to a Psion, once!

[mostlyharmful]

More like 25 gp, they're a fun little gimick for children. For them to have any damn use at all they need to be worked on by a high level caster, they're just magical waste turned out by USING UP something valuable. No way should their price be assosiated with what they were capable of doing. I could see their price rising if they were used by someone famous, as a "signed Photo" sort of bost but not because they once absorbed a baleful polymorph.

[Alex12]

More like 25 gp, they're a fun little gimick for children. For them to have any damn use at all they need to be worked on by a high level caster, they're just magical waste turned out by USING UP something valuable. No way should their price be assosiated with what they were capable of doing. I could see their price rising if they were used by someone famous, as a "signed Photo" sort of bost but not because they once absorbed a baleful polymorph.

25 gp per burnt-out ioun stone? If you're a low-level psion, that's good, since you can use "spent" stones to get 1 PP, and disintegrate them.
"I'll buy 100 spent ioun stones" then go on a laseriffic rampage.

[mostlyharmful]

25 gp per burnt-out ioun stone? If you're a low-level psion, that's good, since you can use "spent" stones to get 1 PP, and disintegrate them.
"I'll buy 100 spent ioun stones" then go on a laseriffic rampage.

fair enough, if they have a use in your world mark up the price. I don't use Psi so i've never run into the problem

Edit: Also bear in mind that they aren't created like this. They are burned out high level magic items. So there isn't going to be 100 on sail, esspecially if they have a use in your world. There'll be like 1 maybe 2, hardly the stuff of ultimate smashy-stompy

[Beleriphon]

25 gp per burnt-out ioun stone? If you're a low-level psion, that's good, since you can use "spent" stones to get 1 PP, and disintegrate them.
"I'll buy 100 spent ioun stones" then go on a laseriffic rampage.

But they can only be used one at a time, and as a psion you can never channel more than your level in power points so at first level you can use one of them to manifest a power.

As for the most fun an immovable rod is hard to beat.

[Crow]

If there are burned out ioun stones out there, are there ioun stones that use charges? Or rules for an ioun stone burning out?

[Yuki Akuma]

If there are burned out ioun stones out there, are there ioun stones that use charges? Or rules for an ioun stone burning out?

There are several ioun stones that only work once, or a set number of times, yes.

[VerdugoExplode]

I would like to point out that dull gray ioun stone + continual flame or any other convenient light spell = hands free light that you can just grab to put out. Also it can look quite impressive regardless of whether or not it actually does anything.

[mostlyharmful]

I would like to point out that dull gray ioun stone + continual flame or any other convenient light spell = hands free light that you can just grab to put out. Also it can look quite impressive regardless of whether or not it actually does anything.

except a light as bright as a lit torch zooms past your eyes every couple of seconds.