Looking for magic items with 'quirks'

[Pyrex]

For example, in Ravenloft they had a few cloaker variants that mimicked normal cloaks until you put them on, and then they took you on a host...symbiotic cloak idea with the weapon of legacy idea of magical items growing more powerful with those who wield them.

Hmm, I feel like there's room here for something interesting with the Concordance mechanic for artifacts.

Say it's a +2 cloak, at Unsatisfied it drops to +1, +0 when Angered, some other minor property at Satisfied, and goes up to +3 at Pleased.

Every time the wearer is targeted by a FRW attack, Concordance drops a point. A short rest drops another point, an extended rest drops by 5 (it's getting hungry).

Add in an Encounter Attack power that allows it to gain Concordance when it hits and a minor-action (move?) At-Will power to feed it a healing surge to gain 1d3 Concordance.

 

[Shoe]

one of my favorites I have doen is the Sword of WHAT THE!?! and the Scabbard of That's better. when you draw the sword you get a fish or something else rediculous and a hilt, you then must exclaim WHAT THE!?! and then put it back in the scabbard and then it will come back out a +2 shortsword and you have to say "That's better" or the blade will dissappear

also I have done some REALLY silly stuff like the Hood of Hoodlesness, it's a hooded cloak, if you put up the hood, it immediately flys back off again. I also had an amulet of protection that only effected the amulet itsself....I can keep 'em coming if you want

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hmm, I feel like there's room here for something interesting with the Concordance mechanic for artifacts.

Say it's a +2 cloak, at Unsatisfied it drops to +1, +0 when Angered, some other minor property at Satisfied, and goes up to +3 at Pleased.

Every time the wearer is targeted by a FRW attack, Concordance drops a point. A short rest drops another point, an extended rest drops by 5 (it's getting hungry).

Add in an Encounter Attack power that allows it to gain Concordance when it hits and a minor-action (move?) At-Will power to feed it a healing surge to gain 1d3 Concordance.

Spider Man Symbiotes, anyone?

 

[buddhafrog]

I almost never give out by-the-book magic items. I use Magic Set Editor program to create my own custom magic item cards - works great. Here are a few that I've created recently that my group likes a lot.

These two eye-related items where found on a Drow thief:

Drow Assassin Dagger's Eye:
Embedded in the tip of the hilt of a dagger, is the closed eye of a legendary Drow assassin. It takes one standard turn to mentally connect with the eye. On the second turn, the dagger is guaranteed to hit in the exact location (worked wonders last week when the dagger sliced through the throat of the guard trying to blow his horn).
Drawback: The thrower rolls a d20 - on a "1", the spirit of the Drow assassin can chose it's target - and it is usually a friend/ally of the thrower. Add +4 each time the dagger is used in one day (so if used for a 3rd time in one day, 1+4+4 = 9 or lower and the dagger spirit chooses it's own target).

Eye of the Witch
A simple, rough silver ring. When put on, an old witch's eye opens - the ring wearer can see all that is unseen: impostors, secret doors, etc.
Drawback: You must roll vs. the witch. Witch (DM) and ring wearer both roll d20. If the witch wins, the wearer sees all that is hidden, but has blinding headache - meaning they loose a healing surge, are blinded until saving throw, and normal actions are not possible because of the great pain in your head. For each additional time used in one day, the witch gains +4 to her roll.

Amulet carving of a tree -- will purify water and also give information about the water dependent upon a nature skill check (water's source, strength, inhabitants, etc)

Golden helmet -- light reflects off this helmet and blinds until saving throw when an enemy rolls and attack "1"

Folding Ship -- a simple wooden box that unfolds (and refolds) into a simple wooden one-sail ship.

Orb of Wondrous Illusion -- a small white flower that grows a shimmering small orb in it's center. This orb grows from a total size between 1 - 6 days growth. The user must take two turns to gently/carefully pluck the orb from the flower and throw it. The size of the orb's illusion is dependent upon it's size (between 1 to 6 squares). The accuracy of the illusion is a arcana skill check.

Bracelet of Boojum
A wooden bracelet made from the roots of the magic Boojum tree -- daily power: the bracelet transforms as roots grow and envelope the fist and forearm of the wearer. Gain 6d6 to any strength (athletics skill which involves strength) skill check. This has brought about some fun moments as well. Usually it is not an offensive weapon, but last week the wearer found himself on top of an enormous Star Wars Knobby Spider (highly recommended: used as a D&D floating snow spider) and used it to essentially burst the spiders belly. Much fun ensued.

 

[Haxor295]

There's always the magical armor that begins to fuse to the wearer's flesh as it's worn, although that might be a bit gruesome for some peoples' tastes.

if you make it water-resistant armor, you've got yourself a Big Daddy from Bioshock

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The Learnean Hydrox

A small cookie consisting of a chocolate outer portion and a creamy center. When twisted apart (separating one of the chocolate portions from the cream), both sides will regrow into complete cookies. This regeneration can only be stopped by acid.

(Which means each portion eaten is destroyed and digested.)

 

[Whisper72]

Other quirks for magical items:

Potions with side effects:
- the imbiber turns green (temporarily or permanent)
- the imbiber temporarily grows horns
- the hairgrowth accellerates dramatically

Wands / Rods / Staves:
- the regular effect malfunctions on a specific chance (nothing happens, or the effect backfires: f.ex. a fireball explodes directly, centered on the user in stead of at the target)
- the regular effect is swapped with another power the item also has (if the item has multiple effects / powers)
- the regular effect is swapped with the effect of a Rod of Wonder random effect

 

[Psychotic Jim]

Reposting this from over in the Amusing/Unhelpful Magic item idea thread over in the D&D Legacy subforum. You'll find some more ideas of other posters there too.

Hat of Suggestion

This hat is usually large and ostentatious. Made for a large head (just check the size card on it!), this had has nonetheless been worn by many others of varying hat sizes; for it has been said that many this object has the power to sway people's minds. It can indeed make suggestions as its name suggests- but just really inane ones and certainly not of the magical kind.

The hat is in fact, an intelligent (mildly so, and certainly not Wise) magical item, and some would say it was cursed. The hat is also known by wise sages as the Hat of Mercurial Whims, for nothing seems to hold its attention for long. The wearer of the hat is blessed (or perhaps cursed?) with the ability to telepathically communicate with it. However, its random observations, dirty double innuendos, and nonsense dialogue would only be distracting to most people (though the hat is never powerful enough to cause a spell-caster or the like to lose concentration). The Hat has only a mediocre Intelligence and low Wisdom, but it has a VERY high Ego. Prolonged use of the hat may cause the wearer to speak in a poor faux-British accent and develop a proclivity for large tea parties.

Some sages believe that the Hat is inhabited by a spirit of a haberdasher. He is said to have been driven insane by exposure to the mercury that was used to cure the pelt used in the hat’s construction. Whatever the source for the hat’s (quasi) intelligence, it certainly bestowed a certain flair for double entendre and a dirty mind to go with it upon the hat.

 

[Wannabehero]

Quirky Magic Items - Shrunken Heads

I'm a big fan of a shrunken head-type items that don't quite fulfill their purpose diligently.

For example, a shrunken head amulet the party found that can be questioned 3/day as if by the spell augury, where the head must answer a question about a given course of action, telling the wielder if the action will have good or bad consequences. However, the head hates its enslavement and mouth's off to the party whenever asked a question. Additionally, the party found that if they didn't stuff the head in a sack or gag it while trying to stealthily sneak up on an enemy, the head would start shouting and alert the enemy.

 

[Pbartender]

I'm a big fan of a shrunken head-type items that don't quite fulfill their purpose diligently.

For example, a shrunken head amulet the party found that can be questioned 3/day as if by the spell augury, where the head must answer a question about a given course of action, telling the wielder if the action will have good or bad consequences. However, the head hates its enslavement and mouth's off to the party whenever asked a question. Additionally, the party found that if they didn't stuff the head in a sack or gag it while trying to stealthily sneak up on an enemy, the head would start shouting and alert the enemy.

Furthermore, whenever the PCs don't take the head's advice and consequently get into trouble, the thing goes into a nagging "I told you so" tirade.


I've often given the PCs in my group a gold and amber scarab that glows with an inner light. Practically, it functions as an everburning torch. Secretly behind the scenes, if they ever bother to go through the trouble of deciphering the ancient arcane hieroglyphs inscribed upon it, they might be surprised to discover that it's the phylactery of Acererak, the demi-lich.


Once, when they killed a demon, they found a handful of coins and gems in a pouch the demon was carrying. Each of the coins was stamped with an intricately detailed profile of a person's head, and each profile was unique. The expressions would change slightly every time the characters looked at them. The gems were blood stones that were warm to the touch, and when held faintly pulsed with what felt like a slow drum beat.

Other than their monetary value there wasn't anything to them, but boy did the descriptions creep out the players.