Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to visit the Sorcery Stop!
The fey are no friends to mortals, but they are neither necessarily foes—often the faerie courts don’t consider mortals at all in their decisions and workings. The fey courts are powerful and inscrutable, and their ways are not the ways of common folk; apprehensive souls whisper even that the great faerie rulers have forgotten more magical lore than the wisest earthly sages will ever know. Such statements may be fearful hyperbole, but none can deny the strange magicks that lay in forgotten barrows and slink in crypts ancient when the world was young.
Here are six such magical oddities to amaze, amuse, and test your characters.
Armor of the Golden King
Armor (breastplate), very rare (requires attunement)
This magical breastplate includes shoulder plates as well as ankle and wrist greaves, all of which gleam with a polished gold sheen. You have a +1 bonus to your AC while wearing it.
As an action, you can emit psychic energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be stunned until the beginning of your next turn. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
The Golden Kings are a legend of the Seelie court; however, this armor earns you the enmity of Unseelie fey, who will target you immediately if they know you have it.
Blade of the Golden King
Weapon (longsword), rare
The hilt of this magical sword is wrapped in finest black silk inlaid with gold, and its blade gleams as though made of gold itself. You have advantage on Charisma checks while you brandish one of these swords.
The Golden Kings are a legend of the Seelie court; however, carrying the weapon on your person earns you the enmity of Unseelie fey, who will target you immediately if they know you have it.
Dust of the Faerie Heart
Wondrous item, uncommon
This small packet contains 1d6 + 4 pinches of magic dust. You can use an action to sprinkle a pinch of it over a creature, which must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer the effects of a philter of love. Dousing an affected creature in liquid allows it to make a second saving throw, ending the effect upon itself on a success.
Mask of the Bone General
Wondrous item, rare
The visor of this magical helmet is a grimacing skull. When closed, the visor obscures your facial features entirely and grants you advantage on Charisma checks. In addition, undead creatures will not attack you while you wear the helmet with the visor close unless you attack them first.
The Bone Kings are a legend of the Unseelie court but wearing one of these helmets earns you the enmity of Seelie fey, who will target you immediately if they see you in it.
Seeds of the Basilisk
Wondrous item, rare
These magical tokens look like common acorns. As an action, you can speak a command word and throw an acorn as a ranged melee attack against a target you choose within 20 feet of you. On a successful hit, the target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw.
If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly petrified. Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained. The restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming petrified on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.
Wand of Fickle Transformation
Wand, very rare (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
This slender birch wand has 7 charges for the following properties. It regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the wand’s last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed.
Spells. While holding the wand, you can speak with animals per the spell at will. You can also use an action to expend some of its charges to cast one of the following spells (save DC 17): tongues (3 charges), dispel evil and good (5 charges), polymorph (7 charges).
When you use this wand to cast polymorph, you can only target a creature other than yourself, and you must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a success, the spell works as you intend; on a failure, the target changes into a random beast. If the target fails its saving throw by 5 or more, the change is permanent. The target retains its alignment and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. It also retains all of its skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the beast. If the beast has the same proficiency as the target and the bonus listed in the beast’s statistics is higher than the target’s, use the creature’s bonus in place of the target’s. The target can’t use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form.
