It takes very little to become a criminal. A highway bandit needs nothing more than a club, and a pickpocket needs even less. However, the greatest of criminals, be they noble rebels or the most sinister of murderers, use all tools available to them. They scour the world for whatever magics might aid in their quests, often spending great sums and risking daring heists to acquire especially useful pieces. Spies, assassins, and thieves of legends know that every advantage gives them a greater chance at achieving whatever victory it is they seek.
Dastardly Quill and Parchment
Wondrous item, very rare
In truth, this magic “item” is a pair of items: a magical quill with a powerful link to a sheet of magical parchment. Failing to know the location of either item dramatically reduces the usefulness of both. So long as both items remain on the same plane of existence, whenever the quill is used to write on any surface, the writing also appears on the magical parchment down to the exact detail. The parchment is about nine inches wide and thirteen inches tall, but should the amount or styling of the text written with the quill ever exceed the space available on the parchment, it will immediately clear itself of writing so that it can again clearly depict what text is written with its linked quill. If not cleared in this way, the text on the parchment will always fade within 24 hours. This quill and parchment are frequently used for long range communication as they allow one to rapidly send a one-way message, but the items have also been known to be used by spies, who might place the quill somewhere it will be used to write valuable secrets.
Mouse of Ash
Wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement
This small, light grey bag contains a very fine magical ash. As an action, this ash can be scattered, magically forming into a tiny ash mouse anywhere within 30 feet of the scatterer’s choice. This mouse is mechanically identical to a rat, except that it is a construct rather than a beast and has an intelligence score of 7. The creature understands its owner’s native language but cannot speak it. The mouse is wholly loyal to whoever is attuned to it and obeys the attuned’s orders to the best of its understanding and ability. The mouse lasts 1 hour before losing its form. To be used again, the bag must be filled with ash of any kind. After one week of being filled with ash, it may again be used to summon a mouse construct.
Pouch of Rusted Plenty
Wondrous item, rare, requires attunement
This unassuming pouch always jingles with the sound of only a few coins regardless of how full it might be and is a favorite among rogues and cheats. As an action, a person attuned to the pouch may choose to make any non-magical item within this pouch appear as either a copper or gold coin. Gems can be disguised as cheap copper coins and simple pebbles as valuable gold. Additionally, when an item enchanted by the pouch in such a way is removed, it maintains its form for 1d4 hours. Until the effect fades, these false coins’ true nature are only apparent through the use of magic. Detect magic detects an illusion has been cast on them, and spells such as identify and true seeing immediately reveal the “coins” true nature. The pouch can hold about 1/6 cubic foot or 5 pounds of gear. Its effect can be used five times per day, disguising a single item each use.
The Mask of Many
Wondrous item, Uncommon, requires attunement
This strange magical mask appears to be made of burlap and through illusion alters an attuned wearer’s physical appearance and the appearance of their clothing to that of the persona now widely known as “The Thief of Many,” a likely non-existent (or at least long dead) human man of around thirty years of age. The persona wears a burlap mask, obscuring almost the entirety of the illusion’s face. The Thief of Many’s blue eyes are all that can be seen through the mask, and he is dressed in the cheap burlap clothes of a peasant. This item’s value originally came in its wide availability with hundreds of crimes associated with the fictional thief rather than the many true culprits but as its use widened so did knowledge of the deception. Observers of the disguise can use their action to make a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check to notice the character is magically disguised. More problematically, anyone observing the wearer can make a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check to immediately recognize the persona, thus rendering the deception immediately obvious. Touching the wearer of the mask likewise negates the illusion. It should be noted that often the disguised person is taken as a thief immediately, even if the illusion is not detected, on account of the cheap rough clothing and frightening burlap mask.
This mask’s magic works strangely on creatures that are not Medium sized. The persona gets distorted and does not significantly alter the wearer’s height and width. The proportions of the illusion are thrown askew, giving them an appearance like a skin stretched onto a body too large for it (or likewise bunched up onto a body too small). While still obscuring one’s identity, the magic of the disguise is obvious on these sorts of creatures and often deeply unsettling to look at.
