From: lazarus@ug.cs.dal.ca (Chuck Turner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Items from the Vault
Date: 11 Nov 92 00:30:17 GMT
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

This is a listing of some of the magical doo-dads that I have incorporated
into my campaigns in the past.  I'm not going to post them all at once...
but will post one or two categories as I type the info in.  I'll start with
potions and scrolls.


						- Chuck 


Magical Items

01-20	Potions and Oils
21-35	Scrolls
36-40	Rings
41-45	Rods, Staves, and Wands 
46-60	Miscellaneous Magic
61-75	Armour and Shields
76-00	Weapons

Table #1:  Potions and Oils

D10	Item				XP Value 
------------------------------------------------ 
1	Detect Lie			250 
2	Death Sleep 			400 
3	Oil of Stoneskin		500 
4	Invulnerability (mages) 	* 
5	Oil of Nonexistence 		350 
6	Repulsion			500 
7	Philter of Fear			300 
8	Regeneration			1000 
9 - 10	Cursed Potion (see below)
* See description for XP Value 

Table #1a:  Cursed Potions

D10	Item
------------------------------------------------ 
1	Blinking
2	Poisonous Breath
3	Petrification
4	Return
5	Servitude
6	Silence

Table #2:  Scrolls

D10	Item				XP Value 
------------------------------------------------ 
1	Scroll of Announcement		1500 
2	Scroll of Recording		2000 
3	Augury Scroll			2000 
4	Protection - Fiends		2000 
5	Protection - Enchantment	1000 
6	Instant Knowledge		*
* See description for XP Value 


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
Potion Descriptions                     - 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Detect Lie - This potion allows the imbiber to detect the verity of any 
	     statement spoken in a language he or she understands.  No
	     distinction is made between half-truths, embellishments, or
out-right lies - anything that is not the strict truth is shown as false.
If the speaker believes that what he or she says is the truth, the potion
will not dispute it.  A full dose lasts for 20 minutes; half doses may be
used for a duration of 5 minutes.

Death Sleep - This potion acts similar to the 3rd level wizard spell
	      Feign Death except in the matter of duration.  The imbiber
              can remain in the cataleptic state for up to 4 days.  He or
she will not suffer the effects of thirst or hunger while under the 
effects of the potion.

Stoneskin - This oil has effects similar to the 4th level wizard spell 
	    of the same name but for one detail.  The oil confers protection
	    against 6 physical attacks, which act in the normal manner, but
there is also a duration of 10 minutes on the effects.  After that, all
protection is lost.

Invulnerability - This potion gives mages a limited protection from spells
		  and spell effects directed at the mage.  The protection
		  encompasses only the mage, and all that he or she is wearing
is subject to the normal effects of the spell cast.  The protection lasts for
5 minutes.  Potions of this sort provide protection against specific ranges of
spells.  The range affected by a given potion can be determined as follows: 

		D100	Type					XP Value 
		01-30	1st level spells			150 
		31-60	2nd level spells			200 
		61-70	3rd level spells			250 
		71-80	4th level spells			300 
		81-90	1st and 2nd level spells		350 
		91-97	1st, 2nd and 3rd level spells		600 
		98-00	1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th level spells 	900 

Nonexistence - This oil causes the user to become completely invisible
	       to all methods of scrutiny short of True Seeing.  The person
	       applying the oil can not be seen by normal vision or infra-
vision.  Nor can he or she be found using detection spells, scrying spells or
objects, or location spells.  The oil lasts for 20 minutes. 

Repulsion - This potion causes the imbiber to become unapproachable.  No
	    creature or thing is able to come into physical contact with the
	    person drinking the potion without him or her rolling a saving
throw vs petrification, or without his or her consent.  The object or creature
is stopped at a distance of two inches from the imbiber's person (including
all held items).  The potion lasts for 20 minutes. 

The imbiber is still able to suffer some effects of physical attacks.  Edged
or pointed weapons do 1 point plus strength and magical bonuses on a hit, 
while blunt weapons do half damage plus strength and magical bonuses.  Magical
attacks will be logically affected by this spell (ie meteor swarm is counted
as a blunt attack so does only half damage, but flame strike does full damage).
Spells requiring contact with imbiber do not work.  It should be noted that
an opponent may still attempt to grapple with the imbiber, but it would be 
much easier to escape a hold (all examples given above assume a successful
saving throw in each case.  Should the saving throw fail, attacks are treated
as normal).

Fear - This potion imparts an aura of fear upon the imbiber.  All creatures
       coming within 60' of him or her must save or flee in terror - friend
       and foe alike.  Creatures affected flee at their maximum movement
rate for 10 minutes.  The aura remains with the imbiber for 20 minutes.  If
a creature re-enters the 60' sphere of influence, it must make another 
saving throw or be affected again.

Regeneration - This potion causes the regrowth of lost or severely damaged
	       tissue if applied within 24 hours.  If imbibed, it will act
	       as a full heal; if applied to the stump of a lost limb, it
will stop bleeding and begin regeneration.  If the severed body part is
present, reattachment will take 1 - 4 minutes.  Complete regrowth of a body
part will take 20 - 80 minutes.  This potion will not regenerate a severed
head, except in the case of a creature whose brain is not contained in its
skull.

Blinking - This potion causes the imbiber to begin 'blinking' in a random
	   and uncontrollable manner.  Each round the potion is in effect
	   (its duration is from 10 - 40 minutes), the DM rolls 2D8 to 
determine which segment the player blinks (this is, of course, only necessary
in combat situations).  The imbiber rolls for initiative normally and 
proceeds normally until either his or her initiative comes up, or he or she
blinks.  Blinking sends the player 20' in a random direction determined by
a D8 roll, each number representing a point on the compass.  The player will
also be facing a random new direction.  Blinking effectively disrupts any
action if it occurs before the action was completed.

Poisonous Breath - This potion causes the exhalation of the imbiber to become
		   poisonous to all around.  The effect lasts for 1 - 6 minutes,
		   but the effects of the breath can be much more devastating.
All poisonous breath potions affect an area of 10' radius.  The most common
types are listed below:

	01-06	Sleep		Save or sleep for 40 minutes
	07-12	Confusion	As spell
	13-17	Stinking Cloud	As spell
	18-19	Death Fog	As spell
	 20	Cloudkill	As spell 

Petrification - The imbiber of this potion must save vs poison or turn to 
		stone.  The unlucky soul will remain as such until a Dispel
		Magic, Stone to Flesh, Limited Wish, or Wish spell is 
successfully cast to turn him or her back.  The imbiber will be unaware of
the passage of time while thus affected.  Any damage done to the stone form
of the imbiber will be reflected in his or her natural form when the process
is reversed.

For every month that the imbiber is petrified, there is a 1% chance that
he or she will be permanently affected by the potion to a small degree, to 
a maximum of 25% chance.  The person will permanently have stone-like skin,
giving a +2 to AC, but reducing DEX by 1 at the same time.  The stony skin
will affect a thief's skills as would wearing studded leather armour.  This
effect can only by reversed by use of a Limited Wish, Wish or Restoration
spell. 

Return - These potions were created by a mage to act as a 'teleport in a 
	 bottle'.  Upon drinking the potion, the imbiber will be transported
	 to the predetermined spot chosen by the wizard who created it.  There
is no saving throw applicable to resist its effects.  The potion will never
teleport the imbiber to a spot already occupied by another object.  Likewise,
it will never teleport him or her to empty air, but will place the imbiber's
feet on the spot closest to the original destination (NOTE:  this may result
in a person appearing in a standing position at an angle not normally allowed
under the laws of gravity.)  The range of the teleport is 100 miles per level
of the mage who created it.

NOTE:  This potion obviously requires some preparation on the part of the DM
       before it is introduced to the party.

Servitude - This potion affects the imbiber in the same way as would a 
	    Charm Person spell, except that the controlling person is the next
	    person to speak after the potion has been drunk.  This potion is
usually given by the one who wishes to do the controlling, but it is possible
to find one 'laying about'.  In this case, the person who happens to speak
next may find the imbiber in his thrall for a considerable length of time.
The effect can be negated by a Dispel Magic or Remove Curse spell.  Elves and
Half-Elves have their normal resistances to the effects of this potion.

Silence - This potion causes the imbiber to become mute for 2 - 8 days.  He
	  or she is unable to make any noises other than grunts or groans.
	  This potion will seem to be a Philter of Glibness or Persuasiveness,
or a Potion of Ventriloquism until it is actually used.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
Scroll Descriptions			- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Scroll of Announcement - This scroll will cause a disembodied voice to recite
			 any words written on its surface in a special ink.
			 The ink must be made from the blood of the scriber,
mixed with powdered iron.  The scroll can hold about 100 words of text, and
once written, will be spoken the next time the scroll is unrolled.  As soon
as the text is recited, the text will disappear.  It will be 24 hours before
the scroll is usable again.

10% of these scrolls will allow the scriber to specify who may open the scroll.
If any but the person so named attempts to open the scroll, the text is lost
without being recited.  The ink for such a scroll requires powdered gold rather
than powdered iron.

Scroll of Recording - This scroll will convert to text anything spoken by a
		      specified person as long as he or she is within 20' of
		      the scroll or its bearer.  The scroll need not be unfurled
or even in sight of the person it is keyed to.  It can record up to 200 words
at a time.  The scroll can be controlled using three command words to start
recording, stop recording, and erase.  When starting a recording, the person
to be recorded must be uniquely named.

The scroll will only record words spoken in a language that it 'understands'.
These languages are decided by the mage who creates the scroll, and each
additional language increases the XP Value by 500.  Most scrolls typically
understand only one or two languages due to the costs involved in including
more.

Augury Scroll - This scroll acts similar to the 4th level priest spell,
		Divination.  A question may be written on the scroll using ink
		made from the petitioner's blood and holy water.  After 12
hours, the scroll may be opened to reveal an answer to the petition, if any.
If the holy water was blessed by a priest of the same order as the one who
created the scroll, there is an 80% chance that there is an answer, and that
it is correct.  If the priest is of the same alignment, and the gods they
worship do not have any animosity between them, there is a 65% chance that there
is a correct answer.  If the priests are of opposing orders, then there will
not be a correct answer, and there is a 65% chance of there being an answer
designed to cause confusion or harm.

Protection From Fiends - (reading time - 6)  There are 5 varieties of this
			 scroll.  They are listed below.  The magic protects
			 the reader from the type of fiend noted.  The
protection affects a maximum of 30 Hit Dice of fiendish creatures of a specific
type, 20 Hit Dice if it is against all forms of fiends.  The protection lasts
for 5 - 40 minutes.  Fiends affected may not attack into the circle of
protection, but are not prohibited from using spells or missile weapons.

	01-20	Protection From Baatezu (Devils)
		Nine Hells 
	21-40	Protection From Tanar'ri (Demons) 
		Abyss 
	41-70	Protection From Yugoloths (Daemons) 
		Tarterus, Hades, Gehenna, Acheron 
	71-85	Protection From Gehreleths (Demodands) 
		Tarterus 
	86-00	Protection From all Fiends
		all lower planes 

NOTE:  The names in brackets are for you folks not using the new 'non-
       offensive' names for these creatures.  

Protection From Enchantment - (reading time - 4)  This scroll invokes a globe of
			      anti-magic in a 5' radius from the reader which
			      protects him or her from all forms of enchantment.
No enchantment spell may pass in or out of the globe.  As with other protections
the globe moves with its invoker.  The protection lasts for 5 - 30 minutes.

Instant Knowledge Scrolls - These scrolls impart upon the reader knowledge
			    that would normally take months or even years of
			    training.  The knowledge is only transitory, and
will fade from memory without even a vestige of understanding remaining.
These scrolls come in a multitude of subjects, the most common being as
follows:

	1 - 2	Minor spell casting		1000
	  3 	Major spell casting		1500
	4 - 5	Weapon and Armour Use		500
	  6 	Weapon Specialization		750
	7 - 10	Skill Knowledge			500 

Minor spell casting:  This allows anyone the ability to read spell scrolls or
		      spells out of books, as long as the spells are third
	level or lower.  It also allows the casting of one Read Magic spell.
	The knowledge lasts for 40 minutes. 

Major spell casting:  This allows anyone the ability to read spell scrolls or
		      spells out of books, as long as the spells are sixth
	level or lower.  It also allows the casting of one Read Magic spell and
	one Dispel Magic spell.  The knowledge lasts for 20 minutes. 

Weapon and Armour Use:  This allows anyone the ability to use armour effectively
			in combat (wizards are still restricted in their spells
	and rogues suffer penalties in their abilities).  It also allows the
	person to use any non-proficient weapon with only a -2 (that of a 
	warrior).  It also allows one style specialization (see Fighter's
	Handbook for details, p. 61-64).  The knowledge lasts for 48 hours. 

Weapon Specialization:  This allows anyone to specialize as a fighter in all  
			weapons from a single tight group of weapons.  (see
	Fighter's Handbook for details, p. 58 - 59).  He or she gains +1 to
	hit and +2 to damage for any weapon in the tight group that this scroll
	is devoted to.  The knowledge lasts for 24 hours.

Skill Knowledge - This scroll gives the reader competence in a specific
		  non-weapon proficiency.  The knowledge lasts for 72 hours. 


 _______________________________________ 
|                                       | '..err..of course I suck blood.' 
| "--whether you are quiet and ALIVE or | 'I don't believe you.' 
| quiet and DEAD makes no difference to | 'I've got a straw right here PAL! 
| Cerebus."                             |  You want a demonstration?!'
|       - Cerebus the Aardvark          |                   - The Tick 
|_______________________________________| Chuck Turner -> lazarus@ug.cs.dal.ca