Magic Items with "Quirks"

[DiFier]

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.)

scrying you would be difficult but you'd get mistaken for a vampire all the time

 

[der_kluge]

/plug
Artificer's Handbook has a whole section on quirks.

My favorite is the quirk where the item summons all kinds of frogs and toads after being stationary for 8 hours. So, every morning, when the party wakes up, the area around them is literally hopping with frogs and toads of all shapes and sizes.

/plug

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

The sword that doesn't accept failure: This +1 shocking longsword was the sword of a Paladin that always did his best and didn't suffer failures. His sword is a reflection of this. Whenever a natural 1 is rolled with the weapon, it is the wielder that gets eletrocuted for 1d6 points of damage.

AR

 

[Hypersmurf]

We had a 3rd level party with a Wand of Fireballs (1E - could be used by a Fighter, for example). Damned handy for a low-level party in a dangerous situation - 6d6 is big power!

Unfortunately, the wand had been slightly damaged, and the bead didn't always travel in a straight line. It might veer left or right, or worse yet, up or down... having a fireball bead crash into the ground ten feet in front of you is somewhat counterproductive.

Which meant that we only used it in really desperate situations... and more often than not, when we really needed it, it went straight. I think we only ever actually killed one PC, and on that occasion the fireball prevented a TPK, so we chalked it up as "acceptable losses"...

But it was a very cool flavour item that really defines that campaign in my memory.

-Hyp.