It's fun to use magick in a game like D&D, and it's arguably even more fun to use it in a techno-centric cyberpunk world like Starfinder or Shadowrun, but in the real world anything that looks like magick can be pretty frustrating. That's because magick is something no one can ever hope to understa...
These horns always come in identical pairs, one of which is quite useful, while the other is cursed. Known properly as Anchored Signal Horns, these items radiate powerful magic if tested for, but no amount of testing will reveal a cursed from a non-cursed one. They can be plain, or ornately worke...
Open the door labeled OBSCURA, and players are met with a bright flash of lights. Players with 15 ft of the door (or 1d4 players, if you're not tracking player position on a grid) are blinded for 1d20 minutes.
Furthermore, the room is a camera obscura and creates a magical duplicate of the p...
A Romance of Two Worlds by Maria Corelli provides you with so much to think about, your mind will be racing for the duration of each chapter. The obvious thing you'll be thinking about is the story as presented: a musician goes abroad in an attempt to rest and recover from depression and illness....
Upon triggering, a perfectly spherical boulder of enormous size either falls off a pedestal, or comes out from a hidden panel, and rolls towards the characters. They may attempt to get out of the way, using Dex, AC, or Saving throws (GM's choice), or they may try to outrun it (50-50% chance of succ...
This appears as a well-made long sword that radiates strong magic if checked for. Early tests will show that it endows the wielder with +2 to both Hit and Damage.
When first used in actual combat, the wielder must roll a Saving Throw vs. Magic, or else see their opponent(s) as their party-membe...
Upon triggering, many long metal spears pop up from the floor and out from the wall simultaneously, and lock into place. Anyone in the area may be struck by 1d4 spears, taking 1d6 HP damage from each. AC and/or Dex rolls/Saving throws to avoid, may apply, as might acrobatic skills, etc.
Anyone...
This appears as an ornate leather belt with a bronze clasp. It will magically alter to fit any wearer's size. During initial tests, it will appear to provide +2 to both AC and Saving Throws of the wearer.
The first time it is used in combat, it becomes impossible to remove, and reveals its true...
A murky pool with a beautiful, especially rare water flower floating on its surface. If players approach, an ancient and powerfully hungry octopus launches itself onto the player's face (Reflex save DC 15 negates).
The octopus squeezes the player's head for 1d8 damage every round until destroy...
Upon triggering, all exits seal up, holes in the wall open, and water rushes in, quickly flooding the area. The water only comes up to about mid-chest height on a human, then freezes solid in an instant. Characters are trapped, and possibly freezing to death.
The ice is kept frozen magically, b...
A pair of apparently finely-made armored boots provide +1 AC. Apparent value is 400 GP (DC 20 to realise that the boots are a cheap imitation).
The boots remain sturdy and comfortable until combat, when they fall apart upon the wearer's first turn, cutting into the wearer's legs, dealing 1d6 d...
Few game systems match the apathy and brutality of Dead Earth. If you're a fan of Fallout, Rage, Mad Max, and all things post-apocalyptic, this game is one you must try.
And I do mean try, because surviving Dead Earth is by no means guaranteed. Dead Earth is just that cruel. As the game int...
This is an item for spellcasters. It will appear as a large jewel-encrusted brooch of a type often used to close cloaks and capes. It will radiate magic, if tested. All checks will indicate that this item endows the wearer with the power to see invisible creatures. There is no activation process fo...
I was first introduced to role-playing games in Spring of 1978. At the time, I was spending most of my free hours at a local comic shop, hanging out with friends. One of these was a guy named Crash. That was the only name anyone knew him by for a long time. It turned out, he had some gangster/Mafio...
This talisman causes its owner to appear and detect as undead to all non-evil non-undead (effectively -8 CHA, or minimum 0 total CHA modifier). Most good-aligned creatures may attack the player, believing them to be undead, supernatural, or evil in some way.
However, it has no such perceptual e...
This will appear as a silver ring of great craftsmanship. Magical testing will reveal it to have the power to sustain the wearer without food or drink for an indefinite period of time.
The curse has a cumulative 05% chance per day of taking hold (GM rolls once per day), whereupon it will start...