D&D 5E Weird and terrible things to go into a collection

[AnotherGuy]

A trembling nothic that is bound and facing a mirror, its single eye pinned open, so that it is forced to gaze into its own dark secrets.

That's wickedly evil

 

[TheSword]

There are lots of great ideas here for macabre curiosities!

In terms of 5e constructs or creatures that might be good for the mindflayer to activate, what do people think? Or things kept in cabinets that might be accidentally released in the fight.

 

[Baron Opal II]

A wand of fear made from the eye ball of a beholder, skewered like a campfire marshmallow.
A jewel that can't be picked up when looking at it.
A ball of braided hair that imparts a sorrowful sleep.
A mirror that can reflect a secret image of light and shadow on a wall. (Chinese magic mirror)

 

[Quickleaf]

There are lots of great ideas here for macabre curiosities!

In terms of 5e constructs or creatures that might be good for the mindflayer to activate, what do people think? Or things kept in cabinets that might be accidentally released in the fight.

A mass of sodden wriggling flesh that flings itself at creatures, telepathically whispering "The body subsumes the will, The will consumes the body." (a re-skinned rug of smothering)

 

[Bohandas]

a bunch of taxidermied adventurers

 

[Scars Unseen]

a bunch of taxidermied adventurers

Crafted by a group of adventurous taxidermists.

 

[Baron Opal II]

The helping hands.

A wall that sprouts forearms. The arms act as shelves holding a variety of things. PCs can be knocked into it, and they restrain the PCs against the wall while incidentally dropping that which they held.

Which has interesting consequences, of course.

 

[TheSword]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Exhibits I’m thinking of including so far include.

• A brain in a jar enclosed in a glass case
• A mirror that contains a bound Bone Devil
• A scroll of Evards Black Tentacles
• Talking skull (linked to one of the players)
• A cloak of smothering - (reskinned rug)
• The Book of Vile Darkness
• A full order of angels enclosed in amber at moment of death.
• A full hierarchy of devils enclosed in amber at moment of death
• A unicorn horn
• An Efreeti bottle
• A full set of preserved beholder eyestalks
• A stone golem carved from basalt. A last ditch attempt in case the party make it all look easy.

 

[Stormonu]

A couple other thoughts:

A crystal skull, possibly enchanted as a flameskull or even a demilich
A bloodstone dorje (psychic wand) carved with glowing illithid script that floats within its display case, tuned to some psychic spell
A brain golem (perhaps a reskinned flesh golem with a ranged psychic attack), created from an amalgamation of brains from victim races
A collection of rare gems, perhaps ioun stones or holding an imprisoned soul (attunement allows asking the being questions or drawing upon a former ability).

 

[Bohandas]

*Various petrified creatures
*A cookbook entitled "To Serve Man"
*glue made out of unicorns
*various anachronistically high tech items, such as a flashlight and a gun
*A githyanki silver sword
EDIT:
*A planter where body parts are being grown like flowers