Hat of the Returning Brim

Aura Moderate transmutation; CL 9th

Slot Head; Price 18,000 gp; Weight 2 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This finely crafted hat may take the form of any common brimmed headwear - a gentleman's hat, a traveler's broad-brimmed hat, a noble's cavalier hat, or similar design. While worn, it appears entirely mundane aside from exceptional craftsmanship. The brim remains flexible and comfortable, and the hat functions as ordinary headwear.

As a standard action, the wearer may remove and throw the hat as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet. The moment it leaves the thrower's hand, the brim stiffens and sharpens through magical transformation, becoming a deadly spinning disc of force-hardened material.

A Hat of the Returning Brim functions as a +2 returning chakram. It deals 1d8 points of slashing damage (19-20/x2) and is treated as a martial thrown weapon. The hat automatically returns to the thrower's hand immediately before the beginning of their next turn, functioning as the returning weapon special ability. If the thrower's hands are occupied, the hat instead settles neatly upon the wearer's head.

While transformed in flight, the hat ignores the first 5 points of hardness possessed by nonmagical objects it strikes.

The hat may be thrown by any creature proficient with chakrams. Creatures not proficient with chakrams take the normal penalties for using an unfamiliar weapon.

LORE

At first glance, the Hat of the Returning Brim appears almost comically impractical. Civilized folk rarely expect formal attire to become a weapon, and many owners delight in the bewildered expressions of brigands who watch a seemingly harmless hat remove itself from a gentleman's head before carving a bloody arc through the air. Yet the item's origins lie not in humor but necessity.

The earliest examples were commissioned by wealthy merchants who traveled dangerous roads while wishing to avoid the appearance of carrying arms. In many regions, displaying a sword openly invited challenges, theft, or political complications. A fashionable hat, however, drew little suspicion. Artificers quickly discovered that a reinforced brim enchanted with transmutation magic could become surprisingly lethal when properly balanced.

As decades passed, the hats became favorites among duelists, spies, caravan masters, and adventurers who appreciated concealed defenses. Tales persist of nobles ending assassination attempts by casually tipping their hats before sending them spinning through crowded ballrooms. Witnesses often described the attack as resembling an enormous steel razor disguised moments earlier as elegant attire.

Collectors particularly prize older examples bearing signs of long service. Tiny nicks along the brim often tell stories of battles survived, while faded sweatbands reveal years of faithful use. More than one Hat of the Returning Brim has been passed down through generations as both family heirloom and trusted weapon, serving as a reminder that appearances are frequently deceptive.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, telekinesis, keen edge; Cost 9,000 gp, 720 XP

Kelwyn's Notes

One finds it difficult not to admire the sheer audacity of this object. Humanity has always possessed a peculiar talent for hiding danger beneath civility. The sword concealed within the cane, the dagger secreted inside the boot, the poison resting within the crystal goblet - all are expressions of the same ancient lesson. We dress violence in respectable clothing and then act surprised when respectability suddenly develops teeth.

What fascinates me most is not the hat's ability to wound but its ability to deceive expectation. Every culture develops symbols intended to communicate safety, status, or normalcy. A hat is among the most harmless of these symbols. It shields one from rain, marks social standing, and serves as an accessory for polite conversation. The moment it becomes a weapon, one is reminded how fragile assumptions truly are.

There is also something strangely philosophical about its return. The hat departs, performs its task, and inevitably comes home again. Actions often behave much the same way. We cast our intentions into the world believing them separate from ourselves, only to discover that consequences possess an uncanny tendency to circle back. Some return carrying success. Others return carrying regret. The hat, at least, is honest enough to warn its owner of this principle every time it flies.

I confess a certain fondness for the image of an elderly traveler standing alone upon a dusty road, removing his hat with perfect courtesy before reducing an ambush to a brief and highly educational experience. Civilization, after all, is often little more than barbarism wearing a particularly nice hat.