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I need help. I'm trying to compile a list of items that are bizarre oddities that exhibit properties contrary to those you would take for granted for a game.

This is what I have so far:


1. A mirror that, upon looking in it, shows something frightening preparing to attack you from behind, occasionally.
2. A mirror that reflects no living (or undead) creatures at all.
3. A doll that changes poses and facial expressions when no one is watching.
4. A ring that makes your hands uncomfortably cold.
5. A ring that makes your hands uncomfortably warm (and sweaty).
6. A bed (or bedding) that always causes nightmares.
7. A large gem that, upon staring into it, shows you various ways you might die.
8. A gem that leaves trace amounts of blood behind on whatever touches it.
9. A music box that sometimes has a hairy spider in it that tries to bite you when you open it, and then scurries away before you can smash it.
10. A towel that that feels cold and wet every time you try to dry yourself off with it.
11. Wind chimes that are activated by light, not wind. Direct sunlight sounds like painfully loud static noise.
12. A conch shell that has no sound when you listen to it.
13. A conch shell that sounds like a small child crying when you listen to it
14. Fine eyeglasses that make you periodically see someone in the corner of your eye.
15. A ring that, after wearing it a while, causes a painful but harmless cut somewhere along your finger.. There is never anything sharp along any part of the jewelry.
16. A cup that, when placed around another cup, has the liquid you weren't expecting in it.
17. A conch shell that sounds like you begging for help when you listen to it.
18. A shirt you only realize was uncomfortably chafing after you remove it. It is the most comfortable shirt while being worn.
19. A teapot that always splashes your hands with hot water.
20. Shoes that always have a pebble in them.
21. A rope that always slips when depended upon.
22. A pillow that sometimes makes you feel like you're falling right as you start to sleep.
23. Incense that attracts insects after an hour.
24. Spices that smell amazing, but then taste horrible.
25. A breathing reed that frequently has an insect in it.
26. A skeleton key that jams every lock you need open quickly.
27. Dining utensils that put maggots in your food after the first bite.
28. Dining utensils that cause your foot to rot, but not before you bite in.
29. A vase that wilts flowers.
30. A vase that causes flowers to thrive too well.
31. An hourglass that takes between .5-2 hours at random to flow.
32. A paintbrush that causes the subject of a painting to appear to age 10 years.
33. A wig bust that mimics facial features of the last wearer of a wig placed atop it.
34. A coin that, when flipped, always lands on its edge.
35. A coin that, when flipped, hits the ground and cannot be found.
36. A small sack or pouch with a hole you cannot see.

Anyone have any further ideas?

How about; A disguise that always mimics the appearance of the person you are talking to

38. A torch that won't burn in the dark.
39. A towel that leaves whatever you clean with it dirtier than when you began.
40. Spectacles that only work underwater.

41. A waterskin that dehydrates you as you drink from it.
42. A cloak that makes you cold whenever you wear it.
43. A torch that increases darkness.
44. A chair that causes vertigo whenever you sit in it.
45. A goblet that makes you speak another language when you drink from it.

 daedalus wrote:

11. Wind chimes that are activated by light, not wind. Direct sunlight sounds like painfully loud static noise.
30. A vase that causes flowers to thrive too well.
31. An hourglass that takes between .5-2 hours at random to flow.
Anyone have any further ideas?

Not going to lie, if I had access to these items I would totally just fill my psion's tower (er...I mean home) with them.

EDIT: I really love the hourglass one because it it was truly random then it would still keep perfect time, you would just be unable to determine the exact time within ~1 hour. It's the quantum hourglass! (well, it would if it was between .5 to 1.5 hours. .5 to 2 would make it run slightly slow)

I will build on that one by suggesting a few other temporal oddities (or other random things):

46. A clock that has a slightly irregular tick (it will randomly skip a tick or else tick twice in rapid succession)
47. A door that, when opened, always displays the last room you entered
48. Shoes that slightly age you as you walk forward, and slightly reverse aging when you walk backward
49. a crystal. Whenever you look into it it displays the face of someone that looks vaguely familiar
50. A violin. whenever you play it it sounds like the most entrancing music you have ever heard, regardless of your musical ability. other people hear nothing.
51. A cloak that makes you constantly feel like someone is standing just behind you


There you go. I kind of want to let my mind run wild with all kinds of unsettling stuff, but I'm kinda scared of what I will think up.

A hat that makes it feel like someone is breathing on your neck.

I had a nightmare once, I was hiding from the monster. Then I felt the slightest breath on the back of my neck. Freaked me out so bad it woke me up. Haven't had a nightmare for a while, but that feeling definitely stuck with me, haha.

 dementedwombat wrote:

48. Shoes that slightly age you as you walk forward, and slightly reverse aging when you walk backward

In AD&D those would be murderous, every time you take magical aging you have to take a system shock roll, even if you're a big tough fighter you'll fail one eventually.

And as soon as you fail one...

52.Magnifying glass that makes things looks further away.
53. Storm lantern that only works when wind (either real or someone blowing on it) hits the..'fuse'? (not too sure of the technical term)
54. Gloves that leaves you with a feeling of having greasy hands after you've removed them.

56. The Fork of Piercing - A fine kitchen fork which is unusually pointy.
57. The Rug of Softness - A rug so soft all must stand on it.
58. The Box of Coldness - A small metal container, lightly enchanted with frost. Keep items inside slightly cool.
59. The Ring of Dazzling - A very shiny gold ring that under the right angle of light can be pointed at an enemies eyes to distract them.
60. The Lens of Zooming - A small round lens that provides a 1.5x zoom function when worn.
61. Parchment of Vanishing - Parchment that when written on absorbs all ink.

(all of these came up in our campaign, they are of course all "enchanted")

Ha! These are great. Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming.

62. A coat that stays wet on the inside.
63. Gloves that stay oiled and slick on the outside.
64. A shovel that won't hold dirt.
65. A hammer that never pounds a nail more than halfway in.
66. A rope that can't be knotted.
67. A pick that makes the ground harder as you work it.
68. Nails that never drive straight.
69. A saw that always cuts crooked.
70. A paddle that slowly splashes water into the boat, no matter how you hold it.

 Sinful Hero wrote:

64. A shovel that won't hold dirt.
65. A hammer that never pounds a nail more than halfway in.
66. A rope that can't be knotted.
67. A pick that makes the ground harder as you work it.
68. Nails that never drive straight.
69. A saw that always cuts crooked.
70. A paddle that slowly splashes water into the boat, no matter how you hold it.

Hmmm, I must have a lot of these magical tools, because all of these effects happen whenever I work...