DM-Nastics #41: Give It Up!

I know you said play loose and fast with the guidelines above. So I did. Hope you enjoy it.

Number 4: The Everlighting Lamp

This lamp is considered a magical item to the untrained eye. The way this works is that is someone whispers to the lamp to illuminate it grows bright lighting an entire room with full light and won't stop until it is told to stop producing light. The reason is because a Noble Djinn is trapped inside of this lamp and was told upon being told to light a room, to light a room. He would be given his freedom if he did this for 3000 years.

To the untrained eye you would not know that a Noble Djinn was the cause of this. But if someone pondered this item long enough they might see what was inside.

If the person in contact with this lamp says three wishes they are freed and the lamp no longer works. They just have an ordinary lamp.

Name: Snake Eye Marbles

Power/Rarity: One of a Kind

Backstory: Long ago, a giant, magic snake of luck and trickery named Salriss used to guard an island in a swamp. He often told adventurers that if they could sneak by him without being noticed, he would allow them to use the island and leave unbothered. Once, he offered the deal to a demigod daughter of Sigdrifa who was seeking an ally who had gone to the island and never returned - and unbeknownst to her had been eaten by Salriss. The Demigod tried once or twice to get by but was slightly clunky and the snake had some tricks that made the task almost impossible. He caught her each time and sent her back, insisting she try again. He was having so much fun. On the third try, he caught her again, unfairly in her opinion, and in her rage she tore out his eyes, casting him into the swamp. He fled and still prowls those marshes. The demigod lost the eyes upon her death and the eyes were sold, thought to be common marbles. Now their current owner has no idea what they are.

Special Abilities: Anyone possessing the eyes gains a boost in luck and cunning. Something like rerolling ones or advantage on charisma. If the owner understood their power, they would probably be used to cheat at card games etc.

I'll do number 10.
I see this going two different ways actually, depending on the tone of your campaign. Firstly,
The Sack of Many Faces: this extradimensional bag can take a lock of someone's hair or a personal effect of theirs (something they've had for a long time and have a strong tie to like a wedding ring, not just a pair of boots they've owned for a week or something else trivial) and convert it into a full disguise of that person. After the owner places the article from the person they want to become in the bag, they can speak their true name and pull out a thin mask that when placed on their face magically makes them appear and speak as that person as per the disguise self spell. The bag can only create one disguise per rest, and when a new disguise is pulled the previously used one dissolves into a light mist. However, once a particular disguise is in the bag, the user can create that disguise as many times as they'd like so long as they still know the true name. Therefore if the bag passes on to a new owner and they somehow discover any of the names a previous owner has used, they can use those disguises as well.

For a little bit darker campaign, I thought of basically the same item but with a little twist,
The Hood of Many Faces: instead of a bag this is a hood such as would be placed on someone about to be executed. It has the same disguise ability as the previous iteration, however, to gain new faces the owner must place the hood over their victim's head and kill them (the hood functions as a garrote). Then, to utilize the disguise, they can place the hood over their own head and it magically transforms into a mask of that person and changes their clothes or appearance as necessary, functioning as the disguise self spell. The same limits apply as above, the hood can only be utilized as a disguise once per rest, the same disguises can be reused, and a new owner must know or discover the appropriate names to use prior disguises.

This second iteration I feel would be an especially good item in the hands of a serial killer villain, if you're into that sort of thing.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

That's a great idea. Reminds me vaguely of the Dresden Files, although it's been a long time since I've read those so I'm not sure why.
I imagine a scenario in which the PCs are hired to help solve the murders, and it's not until they finally ID one of the headless bodies due to something like a tattoo that not many knew about that they realize it's the sheriff and that the sheriff who hired them is actually the killer in disguise.

It's been awhile, but I have done did mess up the naming and this should be #42 not #41, dun dun duunn. Also, these items are amazing!

Item #15

Name: Belloi Flower
Power/Rarity: Rare (for now at least…)
Backstory: The hidden Druidic histories record the shameful tale of Isep Lothanib, creator of the Belloi Flower. Isep reveled in the beauty of nature. He adored the sight of morning mist, the scent of rumbling storms, the chill of midnight stone, and the taste of blackberry nectar. Yet for all nature’s beauty and wonder, it was never… perfect. Not for Isep. Nature was too chaotic, too dangerous. It was sometimes crass, sometimes ugly. Nature was broken, and Isep believed his calling was to fix it.

So Isep toiled. He boiled honey and invoked earthen spirits. He coaxed silk from moths and caressed slime from frogs. He stole peat from the Lost Gardens of Queen Istrohil and sweet-talked the starlight from the Final Flame On The Western Horizon. When his ingredients were assembled, he buried them under the light of the full moon on the final eve of the year. Three hundred and three days passed before the first Belloi Flower sprouted and bloomed under the light of the sun’s apex. It was the perfect flower. The most beautiful flower Isep had ever seen. Isep beamed with pride.

All who saw the Belloi Flower marveled at its beauty. They gasped at the texture of its petals, swooned at the sprinkles of light dancing within its bloom. They rejoiced when the flower spread further, easily taking to any quality of soil. Yet that joy was tempered with annoyance when the Belloi pushed into already existing gardens. Annoyance gave way to anger when the Belloi's roots broke the foundations of their homes. Anger cowered in the face of fear when no blade nor flame nor incantation could pry the cursed flowers from the earth.

Animals who attempted to consume the Belloi died poison-scarred deaths before the flowers grew anew to replace the carcasses. Many who lived too close the Belloi fields accidentally breathed in a seed one night, only to find the plant bursting from their mouths and eyes a few days later, making of their blood a beautiful garden. It required a Convergence of Archdruids to banish Isep’s creation to its own plane, a plane of desolation where the Belloi’s contagion might be tempered.

Isep remained proud. “The Belloi are the perfection of Nature,” he said. “When they have covered the world, then the wild will be completed. Whole. Perfect.” The heretic remained unrepentant as he was sealed in a vault of burning iron (a punishment reserved solely for the Druid’s most grievous traitors) and buried within the endless caverns of the Umbral Veins. Yet the legend also has it that Isep’s final cache of seeds was never found. Most believe that the last seedlings of the Belloi were consumed by Isep before his imprisonment, so that his children would have a verdant plot from which to grow.

Special Abilities: A Belloi Flower thrives even when disconnected from its root structure. It provides bright light in a 60’ radius and dim light for an additional 60’. Displaying a Belloi Flower on your person gives you Advantage on Persuasion, Deception, and Performance checks (or the equivalent of a huge Charisma boost in systems not-5e). If replanted on any living substance, the Belloi Flower will take root once more and germinate.

The petals of a Belloi Flower can be ground into a powerful poison with a DC 15 check using an Herbalism Kit with which you are proficient. When the poison is coated on a weapon, that weapon deals +2d8 Radiant damage for 24 hours. Targets killed with Belloi poison will sprout Belloi Flowers. When the poison is consumed, the target must make a DC 15 CON save or it is Poisoned (condition) and takes 2d8 Radiant damage (a save removes the poison from the target’s system, usually by vomiting out whole and plantable seeds). This check must be made every 24 hours until the target saves or fails four times. On the fourth failure, the target dies as Belloi Flowers burst from its body. A single Belloi Flower yields this much poison 5 times.

Belloi Flowers cannot be destroyed. They can be burned, slashed, carved, smashed, sliced, stomped, baked, or eaten, but, eventually, the remnants of the “ruined” flower will grow anew. Fully-grown Belloi Flowers will spread their seeds. Belloi seeds grow to “adulthood” after three days in fertile soil or living tissue.

Etc: Adventure Hooks:

• A kingdom waits in trepidation as their ruler grows more and more sickly, but is horrified when his body bursts into a wicked and beautiful bloom. The Court Apothecary reveals the true nature of the monarch’s death, and the adventurers are charged with finding the wanton assassin. (Bonus points if the party returns to collect the bounty, only to find the castle devoured by flowers.)
• The adventurers (especially a Druid) begin to see dreams of a land covered in heavenly flowers. The flowers call to them, begging them to open a portal between their realms. The flowers promise that the connection of their two worlds would lead to beauty and peace. (Depending on how trusting your PCs are, you may need some other force in the world to open this gate.)
• The adventurers stumble upon a large iron safe that burns to the touch. The narrow cracks in the safe pour forth golden light. (I’ll admit to the evil of this one, as it plays entirely on loot baiting. This also makes it hilarious.)

tl;dr - 

Item #8

Name:
The GreenWalk Boots
Power/Rarity:
Variable/Unique
Backstory: Made by a sect of extreme druids who believe that man's influence is too strong in the world, the GreenWalk boots have appeared many times throughout history. They were first given in secret, where they nearly destroyed the city of Lorheim. They were seized and kept secret for years, until they reemerged on a hermit who sought to bring beauty to the world and shunned cities. They were given to a young adventurer named Vald when the hermit rescued him from exposure, and were then taken by bandits who killed Vald in his sleep. Now, the rest in a cobbler's shop, unsuspecting and plain among his second-hand shoes.
Special Abilities: Plants appropriate for the region grow in your footsteps within an hour of your passing. In a field, you might spawn wildflowers; in a desert, cacti; forest, saplings or ferns, etc. However, when in a man-made area, such as paved streets or stone floors, plants break through, cracking the stone. Floorboards made of wood revive and sprout. An unsuspecting messenger wearing these boots could convert an entire city into a forest overnight (this is what nearly happened in Lorheim). The GreenWalk Boots' only other magical property is that they show no wear, regardless of time or use.

- The Backwards DM