Real D&D treasure - and other props

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

The other day, I was in an antique store (yes, I'm an antique freak, I collect porcelain shoes, old bottles, and anything shaped like a crab or lobster), and I saw something really cool. It was a tin box, covered with red velour, with gold colored edging on four little feet. And It had a really nicely detailed butterfly on the lid with flowers and leaves worked into its wings. Next to it was another tin box with a domed lid, in silver and gold, with an angel on it. And I got to thinking - "Wouldn't those make great little treasure chests in D&D?" Since both were cheap, I snapped them up (they're actually old candy tins).

Then I got to thinking - "Well, if I use these as props, I need treasure to go in them!" A trip to the candy store solved my problem for gold coins. A trip to the hobby store got me some fake gems and pearls. A trip to two different stores having sales got me some cheap jewelry (some of it was even vintage!). And now I have the ultimate treasure chest.

But what was even cooler than the fake gems and coins was the jewelry. I started wondering what kinds of magical properties they might have. Here's what I've come up with (some aren't fixed). Note that most of these are for a 1-2 level party.

Silver chain with a quarter man-in-the-moon pendent - either a Necklace of the Moon Eyes that grants the wearer darkvision, or a Necklace of Moon's Favor providing an +2 AC bonus against lycanthropes.

Silver pin shaped like a leaf - either a druid's pin giving the wearer the nature sense ability or a woodman's pin giving +4 to Wilderness Lore checks.

Tiny bracelet with tiny hematite beads and larger silver a wood beads - a faithful blade amulet. When wrapped around the hilt of a sword, the weilder can have magic weapon cast upon the blade by the amulet 3 times per day.

Gold bracelet with amulets depicting sea creatures and objects (fish, turtles, shells, starfish) - This is the sea's friend bracelet that allows the user to breathe water and to have a swim speed equal to her base for 3 hours 1/day.

Very long silver necklace with large silver beads at regular intervals - this is either a double-looped necklace on a Medium humanoid, or a double-looped belt on a Small humanoid. Created by halflings, it is called the belt of hin's luck. It grants the user +1 to all saving throws for 3 hours 1/day.

Solid red ring - Carved from a single red stone (garnet, ruby, or other), this is called the bloodsaver ring. The wearer automatically stabalizes when at negative hit points and never suffers the effects of a wounding weapon or attack.

Gold ring with small green stones making up the leaves and three small pearls making up a flower - This green ring allows one to speak with plants 1/day for 5 minutes.

Butterfly made out of gold, decorated with red enamel and diamonds and rubies, it's thorax is a perfume bottle - I'm using this as is, though the perfume may have magical properties. Perhaps wearing it gives one a +2 bonus to Charisma checks against fey, though it only lasts for 2 hours.

So who else has used physical props in the game? Have you made up new magic items from things you've picked up? Do tell!

 

[Rel]

For a couple of years when playing Rolemaster, we used actual coins for monetary treasure. We used foreign currency that the GM picked up when out of the country in central america. You can get a LOT of centavos for a few american dollars.

When we found a bag of coins, he gave us an actual bag of coins. When we bribed the barkeep for information, we tossed a few coins into a big cup in the center of the table.

We used different nationalities of coinage to represent different coinage systems in the campaign world. Working out the exchange rates and trying to bargain for the ones with stronger buying power ("Your Imperial coins are worth almost nothing out here in the frontier lands.") was an added intricacy for trade that made things fun.

I don't know how well this would work for D&D because the quantities of coins involved tend to be a lot higher. It would give the party a new appreciation for what it's like to walk around with a sack of a couple thousand coins though.

 

[KnowTheToe]

You could also use treasure that you find in your own travels. I was climbing a mountain and low and behold I found a gold like ring. It is a worthless piece of junk, but I found it in the middle of nowhere, I was not on a trail, I was actually on a dangerous sandstone cliff face wondering how to get safely back where I started. Anyway, I still have it and I no longer make fun of random treasure found on the ground in video games.

 

[diaglo]

Eversmoking bowl
Incense of Scent Masking
Tankard of Everfilling Beer

 

[Number47]

Used a few props. One was an old etched perfume bottle that became the intelligent, talking potion the party found. Having it as a prop was great because the player who took a liking to it would pop the top up and down while "talking" for it.

The next time I start a game from 1st level, I intend to buy a whole slew of washers, leaving some silver and spray painting others to be copper or gold. Unfortunately, it would probably only be interesting for a few levels until the mass of coins overwhelms the group.

 

[Voadam]

When I was twelve for part of my birthday party I ran the 1e fire giant module and had premade characters done out, each with a unique artefact or powerful item (staff of magi, hammer of thunderbolts and a ton of items I made up). The way I had people choose their characters was I took them to our shed where I had twelve items lined up (walking stick, maul, a survival knife, etc.) and they picked their item. Once they picked up the item they got a pregenerated character I had made that went along with the item.

Unfortunately I was not up to running a high level game for 12 people at that time and they never got past the inn they started at.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?

[edit] - I also picked up a tiny mirror in an elaborate gold frame, like for use in a dollhouse. I figured it had the property to enlarge itself when given the command word, allowing wizards to scry without having to drag a mirror of the proper size along.