Magic Item Histories

[dorfen]

I'd like to provide background information, such as history and previous owners, on each magical item my players get. Anyone know if there is some kind of database or book with item histories? If not I guess I could always make my own.

 

[KingOfChaos]

I looked on Google and couldn't find anything. However, even if I had I would have suggested you make up your own anyway. Why? I am a individual who likes to read other people's creative works.

 

[Ashrum the Black]

As somebody that has made up histories for a number of my characters magic item I'd have to say it works out better if you make it up yoourself. Then you can wrap it into a fabric that fleshes out the history of you campaign.

About 1st level my pc's found a +1 long sword. No big deal right? I gave it a history about it being the sword of an ancient general. Later the PC's cam across a dagger with link to this general and the elven kingdom. Now this has led the PC's on a quest to destroy a ghost dragon and bring back an ancient eleven kingdom form its prison out of time.

Further the paladin found a magic sword that was powerful +4, yet unremarkable. I turned that around and made the sword the ancient blade of the Emperor's champion forged by the divine inspiration of a diety. (not his) He has been acclaimed as the true champion by divinations performed by this dieties clergy and now is trying to resolve this split.

I guess what I'm saying is use these histories as plot hooks and stepping stone for adventure. And doing this means you need to make the histories up yourself.

Check out what I mean at my web site: www.oakland.edu/~dkbriske/

 

[the Jester]

If you do it yourself you can tie magic items into your campaign, with references to events, countries, and npcs- or even pcs- from the past.

F'rinstance, you can have magic weapons forged by a legendary dwarf master smith; you can have the cloak of elvenkind woven for the rangers of the ancient elven kingdom; you can have the phylactery of faithfulness made for use by clerics of the custom god Blahblah inscribed with his symbol.

A lot of the time there are obvious tie-ins between history and appearance, or clues to the functions of the items that justify a bard knowing a little about them ("See the symbol here in the pommel? That was the mark of Durak the dwarf, a smith of great renown, known for his hatred of goblins.." for a goblin bane weapon).

 

[Emiricol]

For one campaign, I had my players come up with a unique name for every single magic item, and how they came across it, when they made up their characters (3rd level for that game.). I made them tie it in somehow to the game world, and allowed them to make up events, people, names etc., as long as it didn't conflict with the timeline that already existed.

This 1) further fleshed out the timeline, and 2) gave me about 20 more potential plot hooks, and 3) made the world seem much more alive to the players.

I was happy with the results, but certainly that's not the only way to do it. It helped that mine was a "low magic" setting.

 

[alsih2o]

you can have the phylactery of faithfulness made for use by clerics of the custom god Blahblah inscribed with his symbol.

ah, the ancient god Blahblah. god of whatever, and thingamabobs. destroyer of the specific, bringer of generalities.

known for creating the keen blade of whosiwhatsis. and the hammer of "eh?"

i can still hear the prayers of his follwers echoing off the temples walls(the temple of wherever), all lined up in different directions chanting "yada yada"

you slay me jester

 

[the Jester]

ah, the ancient god Blahblah. god of whatever, and thingamabobs. destroyer of the specific, bringer of generalities.

known for creating the keen blade of whosiwhatsis. and the hammer of "eh?"

i can still hear the prayers of his follwers echoing off the temples walls(the temple of wherever), all lined up in different directions chanting "yada yada"

you slay me jester

I slay you?!?

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

ah, the ancient god Blahblah. god of whatever, and thingamabobs. destroyer of the specific, bringer of generalities.

known for creating the keen blade of whosiwhatsis. and the hammer of "eh?"

i can still hear the prayers of his follwers echoing off the temples walls(the temple of wherever), all lined up in different directions chanting "yada yada"

you slay me jester

LMAO

 

[Kilmore]

Well, more important than the history of a magic item is the history of the world. When you have that, then not only do you have a rich vein of history to mine for magic items, but for adventures and aged characters and monsters as well.

But sometimes in the course of making a magic item, you end up creating a bit of history with it, so it all works together.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

alsih2o — nice stuff.

Best,
tKL