Altered Magical Items
Table 35 lists magical items that work differently in Ravenloft. The following pages present descriptions of each of the altered magical items.
Amulet of Life Protection: As long as the amulet is in Ravenloft, a captured psyche cannot leave the Demiplane. If the amulet leaves Ravenloft, the psyche can then depart.
Amulet of the Planes: Even if found in Ravenloft, this device simply does not work within the Demiplane.
Amulet vs. Undead: In Ravenloft, undead are more difficult to control. The amulet functions at one level below its usual capacity while on the Demiplane. In addition, the act of turning undead is itself less effective in Ravenloft, as indicated in Appendix Three: Character Classes.
Bag of Beans: Each bean has a 20% chance to "sprout" a Ravenloft encounter.
Bag of Bones: In other campaign settings, this bag can create a small army of skeletons. The bag works only in battles where at least one hundred creatures per side are involved. However, encounters this large rarely occur in Ravenloft. In the event that this occurs and this bag is used, twice as many skeletons appear (up to one hundred sixty). The user must also make a Ravenloft powers check.
Book of Vile Darkness: After reading this book, the evil priest gains just enough experience points to rise two levels, not the paltry half-level increase granted in other realms. Also, the priest still gains one point of Wisdom. A character of good alignment who reads the sinister scribblings in this tome must make a madness check. Reading this book requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals:
Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals:
Censer of Commanding Air Elementals: The elemental
cannot return to its native plane unless it finds a normal
escape route from Ravenloft. Thus, if the elemental breaks
free of control, it almost always attacks the summoner.
Crystal Ball: Domain lords are so much a part of the Demiplane that the crystal ball cannot distinguish them from the fabric of the land itself. Thus, characters cannot use these wondrous devices to study those dreaded creatures.
Attacks that require visual contact can affect the viewer. Thus, a vampire could feasibly charm the viewer through the crystal ball.
This item can reach across only a single Mist-bound region, which may include more than one domain (such as the Core or a Cluster). However, it does not work in the Mists themselves, as they distort location and distance.
Cubic Gate: This device does not function in Ravenloft.
Curdled Death: This aromatic oil is actually more powerful in Ravenloft. Its radius of effect extends to ten feet (instead of the usual five feet). Using such an evil substance requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Dimensional Mine: When this mine explodes, it kills all living creatures within the extradimensional space. It does not eject them onto the Astral Plane.
Disintegration Chamber: Placing someone—even a domain lord—in one of these chambers warrants a Ravenloft powers check.
Flask of Curses: In Ravenloft, this flask can confer even more horrid curses on the person who opens it. Table 36 lists the possible curse strengths. For further information to flesh out the curse, consult Chapter Twelve: The Whispered Evil.
Table 36: Flask of Curses Effects
| 1d10 Roll |
Strength of Curse |
|
| 1-3 | Embarrassing | |
| 4-5 | Frustrating | |
| 6-7 | Troublesome | |
| 8-9 | Dangerous | |
| 10 | Lethal |
Gem of Seeing: This item functions normally, with the following clarification: The description states that the caster can detect illusionary and invisible creatures. This does not include ghosts or other intangible beings, who are real while not physical. Undead creatures of this ilk do not appear differently through the gem of seeing. If they look like normal people, this item does not change the user's perception.
Globe of Serenity: The bonuses of this globe apply to fear and horror checks, even nullifying the effects of a failed fear check. If used on someone who has failed a horror check, he may make a new check to attempt to recover from the horror. This item does not affect failed madness checks.
Helm of Telepathy: In Ravenloft, undead with a low Intelligence or better can deliberately project thoughts to mind-reading characters. Usually an undead creature sends false, reassuring messages, but it can choose to reveal its true psyche, requiring the wearer of this helm to make a madness check.
Horn of Valhalla: As usual, the horn blower summons berserkers from Valhalla to fight for him. In Ravenloft, however, the berserkers break free of the enchantment after six turns, and they cannot return to Valhalla unless they find a different method of escape. Understandably, the berserkers will not be pleased about the summons, but if they were summoned to battle for a "worthy" cause, the newly freed fighters do not attack the horn blower and his companions. Instead, they simply leave in search of a route home. If they are ill-used or forced to act in a manner they find distasteful, though, the berserkers attack the summoner.
For every twenty-five fighters called, the horn has a 1% cumulative chance of summoning a greater power of Valhalla. Not bound by the laws of Ravenloft, it claims its fighters, takes the horn, and vanishes back to Valhalla. If the fighters were ill-used, it may even punish the wielder of the horn. Under no circumstances will this power release the characters from the Demiplane.
If the horn blower ever leaves Ravenloft, he may still have to answer for his actions. For each berserker summoned while in Ravenloft, there is a 1% cumulative chance that a greater power of Valhalla appears before the user when he departs the Demiplane. This powerful being demands that the horn blower justify his actions, condemning him for trapping the berserkers in Ravenloft. At that point, the characters must make immediate reparations to the greater power or suffer the consequences.
Horn of Valor: This item functions as described for mobs and crowds of villagers, granting them a +2 bonus to their morale rolls for 1d4 turns. Hearing this horn also entitles a fleeing mob to a new morale check. If successful, the mob rallies and may once again approach monsters and the like. If used for a group opposing the mob, the horn lowers the mob's morale by one for 1dlO+10 rounds.
Law's Banner: All the effects of this item can affect mobs and crowds of villagers. The Dungeon Master must determine whether or not the mob or crowd is sufficiently lawful, keeping in mind that, almost by definition, a mob is a chaotic group. However, if the crowd of villagers appears to be highly organized, as might be the case with a unit of militia, the Dungeon Master might deem it lawful enough to qualify for aid from this magical item.
Libram of Ineffable Damnation: An evil character who reads this vile book in Ravenloft gains just enough experience points to rise two levels. The grim and terrible contents of this book require any good character to make an immediate madness check upon reading it. Otherwise, nonevil characters suffer the usual effects. Reading this libram requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Medallion of ESP:
Medallion of Thought Projection: In Ravenloft, undead with a low
Intelligence or better can deliberately project thoughts to
mind-reading characters. Usually an undead creature sends
false, reassuring messages, but it can choose to reveal its
true psyche, requiring the wearer of this medallion to make
a madness check.
Mirror of Life Trapping: Using this item to trap a life requires a Ravenloft powers check, but freeing a trapped individual does not.
Mist Tent: Each time this item is used, it has a 5% chance of transporting the occupants to some other location on the Demiplane. Within the Mists, the chance rises to 25%. Like the Mists, this item has no compunctions about transferring the tent to a place above a lake or other potentially dangerous terrain.
Necklace of Memory Enhancement: In Ravenloft, many things are best forgotten. While wearing the necklace, the owner receives no bonuses to horror checks for the passage of time; in fact, the effects of failed horror checks never wear off. Prolonged use of the necklace (more than a week) under the weight of a failed horror check forces the wearer to roll a madness check.
Oil of Etherealness: Though a character can make himself insubstantial with this oil, he still cannot fully enter the Ethereal Plane and thus escape the Demiplane of Dread. The closest that the character can come to such a transference is a brief stroll in the Border Ethereal.
Phylactery of Monstrous Attention: When donned by a priest in Ravenloft, this item alerts the domain lord to the priest's location (within a mile). This phylactery summons only monsters native to the domain in which it is used.
Plate Mail of Etherealness: Though a character becomes insubstantial while wearing this armor, he still cannot fully enter the Ethereal Plane and thus escape the Demiplane of Dread. The closest that the character can come to such a transference is a brief stroll in the Border Ethereal.
Potion of Undead Control: An undead target receives a saving throws vs. spell to avoid the effects of the potion (undead that are not mindless get a +2 bonus). Domain lords automatically avoid being controlled. Significantly, intelligent undead may feign obedience to position themselves for attack. Using this potion requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Powder of the Hero's Heart: The +2 bonus to morale checks also applies to fear checks in Ravenloft. The powder does not affect horror and madness checks, however.
Ring of Djinni Summoning: After appearing and performing a service, the djinni will discover that it cannot return to its own plane. This violates the pact of the ring, so the djinni is immediately freed. If its former master was kind and reasonable, the djinni leaves to find its own exit from the Demiplane. If its former master was cruel and harsh, the djinni attacks immediately.
Ring of Vampiric Regeneration: Undead do not provide healing hit points to the wearer. Instead, they send Negative Plane energy through the channel created by the ring, inflicting as much damage upon the wearer as they would have healed otherwise. The undead monsters still suffer normal damage.
Each use of this ring requires a Ravenloft powers check, to a maximum of one check per week. (The character can use the ring more often, however.)
Rod of Rulership: Anyone controlling undead or extremely evil creatures for personal gain must make a Ravenloft powers check.
Scroll of Protection vs. Undead: Undead are more difficult to control in Ravenloft. The scroll's effects last only 5d8 rounds and restrain only 20 Hit Dice of undead.
Sphere of Annihilation: Anyone who attempts to use this sphere must make a Ravenloft powers check.
Staff of the Magi: The staff is incapable of planar travel in Ravenloft. Any attempt to utilize its planar travel ability fails but does not expend any charges.
Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals: The elemental cannot automatically return to its native plane. Therefore, if it somehow gains its freedom, the elemental attacks whoever summoned it.
Sword +2, Nine Lives Stealer: The wielder must make a Ravenloft powers check each time this sword steals a life.
Sword of Life Stealing: The wielder must make a Ravenloft powers check each time this weapon steals a life.
Sword of the Planes: Since Ravenloft lies within the Ethereal Plane, this sword has a +4 bonus here.
Talisman of Ultimate Evil: Using this item requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Teleportation Chamber: This arcane device cannot help someone escape the Demiplane. Neither can it teleport anything or anyone through closed domain borders.
Thought Bottle: A self-willed undead creature could place in the bottle a thought that reflects its evil essence. Any mortal who opens the bottle and speaks the command word would then suddenly experience the depths of evil in the undead monster's mind, which would require a madness check. Vampires and liches occasionally use this magical item as a trap for unwary hunters.
Trimia's Catalogue of Outer Plane Artifacts: The catalogue itself functions normally, except that it almost always requires an additional item (besides the money to acquire the device). The extra item must be placed on the book along with the required money. Some sample items include a drop of vampire's blood, a feather from a wereraven, a stone from the high temple of G'Henna, and so on.
The device that appears is one of the few ways to leave the Demiplane of Dread. However, in Ravenloft the item has a 20% chance of a malfunction, far greater than the normal 5% chance. The device vanishes when used, regardless of success. If unsuccessful, the character remains in Ravenloft.
Well of Many Worlds: In Ravenloft, this item looks like a simple, seamless piece of black cloth. It radiates strong magic but does not function.
