My inspiration for the first of the magic items that came to me today come from a table over at +Shane Ward’s 3 Toadstools Blog. He has a page of Tables. One of the tables is, 100 Minor Magical Items. Catch Shane’s podcast, Gilligan’s Isle of ADD.
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you should realize that when my brain encounters a title like that, I’m going to get a skewing of that. What came out is 100 Miner Magical Items. Queue obligatory scene from Galaxy Quest.
No, I don’t have a list of 100 items yet. What I thought of is a list of items dwarves might make to make their life in the mines easier. So far, I only have one item:
Auger of Impossible Depth
This auger allows the user to bore holes of the diameter required to great depths. The more narrow the diameter required the quicker it can drill. Originally developed by the brother of a miner lost to a mining accident. It is used to open air vents in collapses and cave ins, and bore supply and rescue tunnels. It soon found use in following veins, probing for underground caves, streams, and gas pockets. Additionally, it is used to bore wells, cisterns, and drill precision grooves for quarrying stone.
With the losses of many dwarves in the goblin wars, this allows the young and old dwarves left in the mines to maintain their quotas.
The Auger also saw use in sapping, and counter mining, and breaching walls in the goblin wars.
Stats
This device appears to be a wand or baton. It is usable by any intelligent creature who understands its use and knows the activation word. The dwarven word for drill. The dimensions, depth, and direction of the shaft must be specified. It will return to the owner once the command is completed. Only powerful magics or magical creatures can interrupt its orders.
It can bore a pencil thin shaft 100 feet long through hard rock in an hour, or a 10 foot diameter shaft at the rate of 10 feet per hour. Softer stone is at triple the rate, and earth is at 6 times that rate.
Creatures that burrow in earth, or rock, or from the elemental plane of earth are sensitive to the vibrations of this device. Any within a mile of it will seek it out to stop its annoying tone. Those more than a mile away will find it easier to avoid it. There is a 10% chance that a creature more than a mile away is so annoyed by this thing interrupting its day, that it will seek it out and attempt to destroy it.
Magically summoned earth elementals and other rock burrowing creatures will be harder to control for both friendly and unfriendly spell casters. If a spell caster loses control of the summoned creature, it will deal with the annoying noise before turning on the spell caster who summoned it.
Simply ceasing to use the device will stop the tone and there is a 90% chance attracted creatures will resume their prior activity. For the 10% of creatures truly annoyed by this device, there is a 50% chance.
Cursed Auger
There is a cursed item that some mad, trickster mage created to annoy those who find it. The Auger of Impossible Drilling. It will only drill one inch into any substance and makes an annoying sound that irritates all who hear it in 100 yards. Conversation is impossible until the augur completes its task. While it only drills to a depth of one inch, it will continue to drill for the duration it would take to complete the task as if it really were the Auger of Impossible Depths.
It attracts all the same creatures as its counterpart, but within 5 miles and there is only a 50% chance of them breaking off if it ceases before their arrival. If the creature sees it or its user, it is too late. Annoyed creatures will find the item and its user and seek to silence both.
This item will obey any depth and direction comments by its unfortunate owner. Only a remove curse can free the owner. Once freed, the device will bore into the ground in a random direction and the castings behind it will harden and make it impossible to trace. Anyone who successfully grapples it before it gets away will now be cursed and it will take them with it to the nearest cavern in the underdark.
Ring of Elven Years
This fine gold or mithril ring bestows a wearer of non-elven blood with an extended lifespan. They will age at a fraction of the normal rate, merely one month for every year. Further they will have elvish resistance to sleep and charm spells. Spells causing haste and slow have a 50% chance of failure as they are of too similar to the phase, or energies of those spells. The slow spell will
If a haste or slow spell is effective it will have double the duration and age the wearer double the normal rate.
Additionally, non-elven wearers will gain the ability to sense hidden and secret doors at the same rate as elves. This keen eyed ability will carry over to the use of long swords and bows, as well as magic use. Magic users who wear this ring, have no penalty to the use of armor and weapons of the type usable by elves.
This ring is most effective with humans.
Elves will feel none of the magic others can sense. Only the most ancient elf could discern that they feel a bit more spry than yesterday. Younger elves will sense the magnitude of eternity and get a true sense of the years ahead. NPC elves will require a morale check to continue the life of an adventurer. If they fail, they will return home seeking to be a productive member of elven society.
Half-elves will get the full benefit of their elvish blood, and will have a more elf-centric outlook on life. They will tend to ignore their human heritage, and may even act as if they have no human blood.
Halflings will wonder at their less than hearty appetite, but will use their heightened senses and immunities to good advantage.
Dwarves and gnomes will have none of the anti-aging effects, it will make their finger itch. Dwarves will freely spend their gold and wealth to help others, even non-dwarves. PC’s get a save vs. magic. They will have a new appreciation for elves and seek to learn more about elves and their ways.
Half-orcs will feel self-loathing and it will burn. They will not willingly leave it on as it causes them too much angst and self-doubt. For the next 1+d6 weeks they will have a strong desire for stealth, strategy, and negotiation if they normally charge in without asking questions.
Cursed Ring
The cursed Ring of Elvish Years will cause those of elvish blood to age at the same rate as humans and instantly age d100 years.
For those of non-elvish decent, there is a 90% chance that they will age d100 years. Save verses magic for half. For each week the ring remains on a digit, whether finger or toe, they will age one year. Removal of the ring will not restore lost years.
