A GM’s work is never done, so to make things easier on you, we’re providing a series of tables to help you flesh out your encounters, adventures—your world. This week’s dungeon table presents our Mildly Magical Curios! Similar to our Trinkets and Treasures table, this chart provides you with forty items for your characters to loot, steal, or buy. But unlike the Trinkets and Treasures, the Mildly Magical Curios all feature some minor magical effect. The effect won’t give your characters a bump to their stats or an obvious edge in combat, but particularly clever players will find plenty of ways to put these items to good use!
| 1d100 | Mildly Magical Curios |
| 1–2 | A thin silver ring with a round center stone that you can change the color of by rotating the ring around your finger once |
| 3–5 | A linen shirt that never needs to be ironed |
| 6–7 | A felted brown toy goat that bleats when squeezed |
| 8–10 | A black top hat that, when doffed, causes the sound of applause to echo around the wearer |
| 11–12 | An orange glass butterfly that periodically flutters its wings |
| 13–15 | A pink quill pen that writes without ink |
| 16–17 | A white and blue ceramic mug that warms or cools its contents to the ideal temperature |
| 18–20 | A deck of cards that shuffles itself |
| 21–22 | A human skull that cackles madly when a joke is told within 10 feet of it |
| 23–25 | A glass perfume bottle that creates a cascade of illusory cherry blossom petals when spritzed (it also smells of cardamom and cinnamon) |
| 26–27 | A delicate, 18-inch silver necklace chain that repairs itself when broken |
| 28–30 | Three purple taper candles that never get any shorter, no matter how long they burn |
| 31–32 | A tiny porcelain rabbit that animates and hops in a circle when set on a flat surface |
| 33–35 | A bouquet of dried roses that become fresh and rejuvenated when flourished |
| 36–37 | A white lace parasol that creates three possible illusory effects beneath its open canopy: a soft flurry of snowflakes, gently shifting rainbow lights, or tiny, flitting songbirds |
| 38–40 | A palm-sized notebook that always has at least one more blank page |
| 41–42 | A 5-foot piece of twine that never gets tangled |
| 43–45 | A black glass ball with a flat base, 4 inches in diameter, that projects a glowing replica of the night sky onto the walls and ceilings |
| 46–47 | Four 3-inch tin soldiers that animate and skirmish when you yell, “To arms!” |
| 48–50 | A blue clay pot, roughly the size of a loaf of bread in which any plant planted in it survives indefinitely without water or sunshine |
| 51–52 | A combat dummy that heals any damage done to it after 24 hours |
| 53–55 | A set of crystal salt and pepper shakers that never need to be refilled (but cannot provide more than 26 ounces of salt or pepper in a 24-hour period) |
| 56–57 | A pair of gray wool socks that stay warm and dry no matter the traveling conditions |
| 58–60 | A knitted yellow plush octopus that, when hugged, hugs back with all of its arms, hums happily, and turns a pale pink |
| 61–62 | A petticoat that gives your skirt just the right amount of swirl when you twirl |
| 63–65 | A self-cleaning handkerchief |
| 66–67 | A hinged, velvet-lined jewelry box that, when opened, plays a well-known lullaby while an illusory gold dragon rises from the interior and flies in a figure-eight above the box |
| 68–70 | A set of steel carving knives that never get dull |
| 71–72 | A black quill pen with a shining gold nib that requires no ink but writes in a glowing gold script in the air that remains in place for 60 seconds before dissolving in a shower of golden sparkles |
| 73–75 | A cookie jar that always looks empty at first glance |
| 76–77 | A shimmering silver veil that flutters even in the absence of a breeze |
| 78–80 | A silver bracelet in the shape of a snake biting its tale that, when worn, allows you to use a bonus action to mentally command the snake to a location within 5 feet of you, and once it reaches the desired location, it reconnects to itself and becomes inanimate |
| 81–82 | Brown leather boots that add 3 inches to the wearer’s height, despite not having high heels |
| 83–85 | A pouch of shimmering pink dust that allow you to use an action to toss a handful of dust into the air that then settles on the ground into a pattern determined by you (the pouch contains 1d20 uses of dust) |
| 86–87 | A small harp that plays when left on its own |
| 88–90 | A pocket-sized frame of carved wood that allows you to use an action to hold the frame up and capture an image within the frame of whatever is seen through it (the image lasts for 10 days before fading) |
| 91–92 | A rug, 4 feet by 6 feet, woven with an intricate pattern of vines and leaves, and on close observation, birds, fairies, and a faun can be seen capering through the pattern before disappearing once more |
| 93–95 | A red glass phial that releases an innocuous wisp of green vapor when uncorked |
| 96–97 | A simple wooden bowl that causes its contents to taste like chocolate mousse |
| 98–100 | A pair of steel shears that cannot cut fabric, paper, yarn, or hair but can cut through metal and stone with ease |
All super fun and interesting. Makes me want to feature a magical curios shop in my next session.
I’m always looking for lists like this. I love these common magic items. You can add them as a fun reward without having to worry about balance.