Cage of Shelter (Magic Cage)

This object looks like a large bird cage that has been neatly folded into a package about the size of a medium shield. The user, who can be of any character class, places it on the ground, steps back, and claps his or her hands loudly two or three times. If the hands are clapped twice, the cage grows into a sturdy, metal-framed tent that can house eight people or two horses. The tent confers no magical benefits on its inhabitants, but by using it and huddling together for warmth, a party can survive a snowstorm that would kill an unprotected party. If the tent is erected in the desert, a party can avoid the danger and discomfort of a sandstorm.
If the user claps his or her hands three times, the cage grows into a strong 10- by 10' cell. The door to the cell has the equivalent of a wizard lock, the cage's owner can open it at any time, and any magician with a knock spell can open it by using that spell. A person in the cell would have to make a successful bend bars/lift gates roll (or use a knock spell) to escape: the door's lock cannot be picked.
To return the cage to its original form, the owner claps again, twice if it is in tent form, three times if it is in cage form. If someone is in the tent while it is collapsing, it opens around the person inside-both the tent and the victim are unhurt. If someone is in it when it is a cage and it collapses, it inflicts 2d6 damage before it breaks open-after that it is ruined forever.
The cage of shelter knows its owner. If someone finds it in a treasure, the finder must carry it in his or her gear for one month so that the cage can attune itself to its new owner. If its true owner sells it to someone else in the cage's presence, the cage will obey the claps of its new owner immediately.
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Cages