Runequest Thursday #211 - A Trove of Trinkets Runequestified!

My most recent project to see release, in conjunction with William T. Thrasher and Skirmisher Publishing is The Jester Dragon’s Trove of Trinkets, a sourcebook that provides 100 items that a player character might have in their possession when they begin play, or collect in their travels. As added bonuses, Trove of Trinkets also provides two sub-tables of Minor Magical Effects and Hidden Contents, all for 1.99.

The trinkets included in the book are system free, and can be readily adapted to the Runequest (or any System, s100 or otherwise). Though not specifically written for Glorantha, an enterprising Gamemaster can adapt them with ease.

It has been a while since I wrote up any new magic items for Runequest and Glorantha. So I thought I would roll up several and Gloranth-ify them. I hope you like them enough to use them, and to check out the book.

As an aside, at Skirmisher we are Gamemasters too, and always try to make our books the most accessible and helpful game aids that we can. So, for ease of use, we always make it easy to copy and paste text directly from the pdf to your word-processing tool of choice. That way, you are not stuck typing out the entire entry, or referring back to the book all the time.  

Anyway, here we go:

I roll d100 four times. The results are shown below, along with the entry as it appears in “Trinkets”. Below that is an expansion on the item that gives it a little Glorantha feel. In Trinkets, there is a chance for any item to have a minor magical property and/or a hidden content. If present these are rolled on their respective tables (1d20 Minor Magical Abilities, and 1d20 Hidden Contents). For the items below, I assumed that each would have a magical property, and provided a hidden content for those which seemed to suggest one, and wrote rules for them in Runequest terms. Of course you are free to use these items as you see fir, with or without the magical property or hidden contents, or with another one of your own devising.

77 - A sharkskin pouch that contains sand from the bottom of a distant lagoon. Buried in the sand is a small black pearl.

• Magical Property: When held, this item will reduce sound in the immediate area, both that of the holder and that from other sources. 

This was created by a priest who worshipped Wachaza, wargod of the Sea Pantheon, the Unseen Jaws from the Deep. The front of the pouch is the white skin from the shark’s belly, while the back is the darker skin of its dorsal side. The sand may be sprinkled over a single subject, who gains a +20% bonus to Stealth checks for the next 5 minutes. In water, this bonus is +40%. The bag has 2d4 doses of sand.

Hidden Content (I chose this one, rather than rolling randomly, because it fit so well: Gift of the Sea: This trinket contains a flawless black pearl. There is a 25% chance that the pearl has a Minor Magical Effect (see subtable above). When I rolled to see if the peark had a minor magical effect, I succeeded, and then rolled an 11, the same roll as I already had for this one. I decided that Wyrd was telling me to make my own destiny, so I made a magical property up.

• The pearl has its one magical property, only accessible to one who attuned the item. If attuned, and in the attuner’s possession, the sand disappears and only the pearl remains. The Pearl may be used once per week, and replenishes its magic as the Blue Moon descends through the sea to the Underworld.

89 - A black egg laid by a rooster. It will not crack under any pressure and only roaring hellfire is hot enough to hatch the egg. 

• Magical Property: After 1d6 hours of ownership this trinket will begin to gently tug its owner in the direction of its creator. This tugging can easily be ignored but it does not stop. 

This magical egg is attuned to its maker, a priest or sorcerer of Death and Chaos, who has set a compulsion upon it. When still an egg, this compulsion manifests as a subtle force tugging the one who holds the egg to the very gates of Humakt’s Hall in Hell, to hatch the egg in the fire that surrounds it. After the egg hatches, under the stated conditions, into a Basilisk, the compulsion will bind the hatchling to obey the orders of the owner of the shell, and the shell will command the owner to return “home” to its creator.

97 - A child’s handmade sock, the crude image of a bear stitched into its leg. 

• Magical Property: This item cannot be lost and will reappear in the possessions or vicinity of the owner 1d4 hours after its loss. If it is intentionally discarded or stolen, however, it will not return 

This item is haunted by spirit of a bear cub – a confused and injured guardian that would have grown with the child who wore the sock, but has lost itself in the memory of the one it failed. The guardian will take comfort in the presence of whoever now owns it, but is not powerful enough to return if it is intentionally cast off. It is possible that a shaman or other capable of interacting with spirits, can aid the guardian, rejuvenating it and sending it to the spirit world, or maintaining it as a bound spirit.

40 - A necklace of silver chain with a thumb-sized ice crystal as a pendant. Although cold to the touch it is not uncomfortable when worn. 

• A soft light starts to radiate from the item when it is held, beginning imperceptibly dim and then growing to the strength of a candle over the course of several heartbeats. 

This talisman is made by cultists of Valind, Storm of Winter, to provide light by which to fight the icetrolls that hunt the glaciers and frozen forest of the far north. Not only does it light when held or next to the skin, providing a low blue heatless candlelight, but it sends a pulse of chill to the skin of the wearer when a troll comes within 30 feet.

Hidden Content: Hoary Hart: This trinket contains the withered, slowly-beating heart of an infernal being.

That is four items Gloranth-ified, there are ninety-six more waiting for you …