Magic Items with "Quirks"

[Enkhidu]

How about something like 7 League Boots?

Each step taken while wearing these boots is the same as if the wearer just moved ten times the distance. You step 5', you actually move 50' - all in one step. Moving through a space otherwise occupied by a solid object in this fashion causes damage to the walker equal to falling damage (as if the wearer had fallen an equal amount of distance).

Great for long distance travel, sucky for regualr movement.

There could also be a variant that makes one step a mile or kilometer - hefty use of trig coould be necessary to figure out how to get from point A to point B while wearing them.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Wig of Cher- This wig works much like a hat of disguise, except the wearer gains a +30 bonus to disguise, and can only disguise themself as a tall black-haired woman with a disturbingly deep voice. Furthermore, the character must make a will save every minute (DC 5+number of minutes) or else they will be compelled to give a "farewell concert", by removing the wig as they sing a song of their choosing.

Alarm Clock of Perfectly Timed Sleeping- This minor artifact is shaped like a small clock and can be set for any ammount of time, from an hour to several centuries. When set, the owner of the clock immediately falls asleep until the alarm goes off. When they awake, they are completely refreshed as if they had slept 8 hours. However, every time the alarm goes off the owner must make a will save (DC 20) to avoid hitting the snooze button. IF they do, they fall asleep again for one fifth as long as they had initially set the clock (thus, a character who went to sleep for one hour would wake up twenty minutes later, and a character who set the clock to wake them up after a millennium would end up waking up about a bicentennial late).

Helm of Bad Jokes- This helm, when worn, allows the wearer to initiate a telepathic conversation with anyone on the same plane as them whose name they know. However, every minute that the wearer wears the helm, there is a cumulative 1% chance that they'll call a random person and make a bad joke such as "Hello ma'am, is your chest of icy storage +1 running" or the like.

 

[Gez]

How about something like 7 League Boots?

They're awful. They make you walk 7-league steps. It's really painful to have each feet separated by 7 leagues. It hurts the crotch real hard.

 

[Gez]

The other way is when they make you make 7-league jumps. Awful also, unless you have a slowfall effect as well. (I've tried that in Morrowind. A good way to kill your character from falling damage.)

 

[Ashwyn]

I created an intelligent sword with lots of abilities and Ego, and gave it the trait Doesn't like to be touched. It was a dancing sword. I never got to use it though, because the campaign fell apart and all my D&D stuff(including notes so i don't remember all the abilities I gave it)was stolen.

 

[rounser]

Another idea is for the PCs to find some prototype magic items. They're failures and quite dangerous compared to the real thing, but somewhat useful nonetheless. For example:

Prototype Ring of Flying: When used, the Prototype Ring of Flying acts as a Fly spell only on itself, but not on the bearer. The bearer can choose to hang on for dear life as the ring takes off, and endure a point of subdual damage (from the pain of being suspended by such a small object) for every round of flight. The ring can be slipped off at will, including when in use, but will fall when removed.

Prototype Ring of Invisibility: This ring functions as a normal Ring of Invisibility, but only when the wearer has his or her eyes closed.

 

[krispykreme]

Some other neat-o quirks:

Recharging: After every use, either the PC must perform an action or immerse/expose the item to something. Examples include: PC must eat spinach prior to using guantlets of ogre power, sword must taste blood before it is sheathed, cloak of charisma must be taken to a nudie bar each night or cease working for a day.

Unreliable/malfunctioning: Item is partially broken. Only works 25-75% of the time, determined daily. For items with a duration (such as... winged boots), odds of malfunctioning could be determined after each round/minute of use. Another interesting variant would be a wand of fireballs that targets foes 50% of time, and caster other 50% of the time.

Daylight Dependant: Item ceases working at nighttime. Extreme variant: talking item that is afraid of the dark.

Nighttime dependant: As above, only different.

Lunar dependant: Item ceases working during the period of the new moon. Variants include talking sword with "feminine problems" that becomes grouchy, irritable and will not function for one week out of every four



The above quirks are most likely only suitable in a lighthearted campaign, but depending on your players they could be a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[DiFier]

I can see a small magic shop in some city, Falin's discount magic shop. run by the slightly deranged gnome Falin. Falin only sells quirky magic items, some of which he makes most of which he buys at a deep discount.

Falin does his research he know what is "wrong" with each item. He tells the PC's exactally what the items that he is selling do what their drawbacks are. He is rather good at convincing shoppers that the drawbacks are well worth the huge discounts on the items.

 

[Painfully]

You got the prototype invisibility ring all wrong. It's only the user that can't see himself. Everybody else sees him just fine.

 

[Gez]

No, no, the PROI is only working on people who don't have line of sight toward you...

(If you're feeling generous, it would thus makes you invisible to people who see you without having line of sight -- scrying, mirrors, X-ray, etc.)