Does anyone have magic items in their campaign or homebrew that are just viciously mean?
I made a homebrew armor that is vicious in that it locks on to a person like a cursed item and heats up as with the spell heat metal until hit with Remove Curse, Divine Intervention, Wish, or until the wearer is dead. For Evil characters, though, it doesn't lock on to them and it confers fire damage immunity on the wearer (but not on things/creatures they touch)
I like magic items that offer the user a choice. I like the item to have at least one benefit and one drawback, so that the PC might actually want to keep it and take the penalty. My favorite:
Bloodroot Sickle (inspired by Weird Magic Items Grindhouse 2011 contest. Bloodroot by Wayne Renaud).
Bloodroot is a particularly vicious vine. When the area around a crop is disturbed, it animates and attempts to latch on to one humanoid within it's range. (Melee weapon, +6 to hit, 1d4 piercing damage on a hit). On a hit, the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failulure, the bloodroot forms around it's host's forearm and sends roots directly into the arteries in the forearm and hand, forming a hard, sharp, protective layer and fully enveloping the hand. The bloodroot forms into a sharpened edge, and resembles a sickle. While attached to the bloodroot, one is subject to the following effects:
Fumblebum: All ability checks requiring two hands are made with disadvantage.
Wicked Weapon: The bloodroot is a +2 weapon with which the wielder is proficient. On a hit, it deals slashing damage equal to 1d8 + your strength modifier.
Insides Out:The bloodroot is essentially an internal organ existing outside the body. Due to having such a sensitive body part exposed, the wielder's AC is decreased by 1.
Stolen Vigor:The bloodroot requires a large amount of blood to maintain it's form. The wielder suffers a -2 penalty to their Constitution score while the bloodroot is attached.
The bloodroot can only be removed with a Remove Curse spell.
One concept is a bag of holding, but with a twist, this being that it gets heavier with each day that you have it. At first, it has doubled its natural weight (the two pounds or whatever), but with each day, it takes in a certain percentage of the weight of the stuff that is inside. Over time, it will take upon the weight of everything that is inside of it. As an additional catch, bind it to the player. This will especially be destructive to the squishy character (like a wizard) who uses it because of a lack of natural carrying capacity, as they'll essentially be rendered motionless under the weight of all their crap.
I agree with IBernstein that I like cursed items to have a benefit that's good enough to make the player think about keeping it. I cobbled together a cursed longsword from a few different weapons, making a +2 longsword that could erupt into flames and do fire damage for one minute a day and sheds bright light. But the curse made the user not want to part with the weapon, and at the end of combat the wielder needed to make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure they'd see any conscious creatures as hostile enemies and keep attacking until they succeeded on the saving throw. It was powerful enough to make the party consider keeping it and just having plans for when combat ended.
This magic item functions as a one-way Sending spell. You can speak up to 25 words into it and any one creature within a mile whom you can picture in your mind will hear a message in their mind of your voice saying your words, but in an entirely different language. Roll 1d20 to determine which one.
The Helm of Reversal
This magic item grants a +1 to AC when worn. When the wearer attempts to jump or takes the dash action using this helmet, the wearer will gain the ability to fly at a speed equal to her move speed after after being lifted into the air upside down to a minimum height of 20 feet, which counts against the creature's movement. At the end of each round that the wearer is airborne, he much make a CON check to be avoid becoming dizzy and disoriented. A character made dizzy by this item suffers disadvantage on all attack rolls and to Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws and ability checks. Flight ends at the end of a round in which the wearer does not attempt to move and takes no actions, bonus actions or reactions, causing the wearer to float down towards the ground similar to a Feather Fall spell. Upon descent, the wearer takes on 1 level of exhaustion for every 1 minute spent in the air. A Remove Curse or Dispel Magic spell cast on the helm and not the wearer will temporarily stop all magic on the item for 1 hour and cause the wear to plummet towards the ground.
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Does anyone have magic items in their campaign or homebrew that are just viciously mean?
I made a homebrew armor that is vicious in that it locks on to a person like a cursed item and heats up as with the spell heat metal until hit with Remove Curse, Divine Intervention, Wish, or until the wearer is dead. For Evil characters, though, it doesn't lock on to them and it confers fire damage immunity on the wearer (but not on things/creatures they touch)
Any other favorites/examples?
The homebrew armor I made is here:Hellfire Armor
I like magic items that offer the user a choice. I like the item to have at least one benefit and one drawback, so that the PC might actually want to keep it and take the penalty. My favorite:
Bloodroot Sickle (inspired by Weird Magic Items Grindhouse 2011 contest. Bloodroot by Wayne Renaud).
Bloodroot is a particularly vicious vine. When the area around a crop is disturbed, it animates and attempts to latch on to one humanoid within it's range. (Melee weapon, +6 to hit, 1d4 piercing damage on a hit). On a hit, the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failulure, the bloodroot forms around it's host's forearm and sends roots directly into the arteries in the forearm and hand, forming a hard, sharp, protective layer and fully enveloping the hand. The bloodroot forms into a sharpened edge, and resembles a sickle. While attached to the bloodroot, one is subject to the following effects:
Fumblebum: All ability checks requiring two hands are made with disadvantage.
Wicked Weapon: The bloodroot is a +2 weapon with which the wielder is proficient. On a hit, it deals slashing damage equal to 1d8 + your strength modifier.
Insides Out: The bloodroot is essentially an internal organ existing outside the body. Due to having such a sensitive body part exposed, the wielder's AC is decreased by 1.
Stolen Vigor: The bloodroot requires a large amount of blood to maintain it's form. The wielder suffers a -2 penalty to their Constitution score while the bloodroot is attached.
The bloodroot can only be removed with a Remove Curse spell.
"To die would be an awfully big adventure"
One concept is a bag of holding, but with a twist, this being that it gets heavier with each day that you have it. At first, it has doubled its natural weight (the two pounds or whatever), but with each day, it takes in a certain percentage of the weight of the stuff that is inside. Over time, it will take upon the weight of everything that is inside of it. As an additional catch, bind it to the player. This will especially be destructive to the squishy character (like a wizard) who uses it because of a lack of natural carrying capacity, as they'll essentially be rendered motionless under the weight of all their crap.
I is the feels good.
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InsiderI agree with IBernstein that I like cursed items to have a benefit that's good enough to make the player think about keeping it. I cobbled together a cursed longsword from a few different weapons, making a +2 longsword that could erupt into flames and do fire damage for one minute a day and sheds bright light. But the curse made the user not want to part with the weapon, and at the end of combat the wielder needed to make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure they'd see any conscious creatures as hostile enemies and keep attacking until they succeeded on the saving throw. It was powerful enough to make the party consider keeping it and just having plans for when combat ended.
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Not strictly mean, but could be seen that way.
The Horn of Jamming
This magic item functions as a one-way Sending spell. You can speak up to 25 words into it and any one creature within a mile whom you can picture in your mind will hear a message in their mind of your voice saying your words, but in an entirely different language. Roll 1d20 to determine which one.
The Helm of Reversal
This magic item grants a +1 to AC when worn. When the wearer attempts to jump or takes the dash action using this helmet, the wearer will gain the ability to fly at a speed equal to her move speed after after being lifted into the air upside down to a minimum height of 20 feet, which counts against the creature's movement. At the end of each round that the wearer is airborne, he much make a CON check to be avoid becoming dizzy and disoriented. A character made dizzy by this item suffers disadvantage on all attack rolls and to Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws and ability checks. Flight ends at the end of a round in which the wearer does not attempt to move and takes no actions, bonus actions or reactions, causing the wearer to float down towards the ground similar to a Feather Fall spell. Upon descent, the wearer takes on 1 level of exhaustion for every 1 minute spent in the air. A Remove Curse or Dispel Magic spell cast on the helm and not the wearer will temporarily stop all magic on the item for 1 hour and cause the wear to plummet towards the ground.