Gnomish Pipe

Gnomish Pipe

Wondrous item

These intricate pipes, crafted by inventive gnomish tinkers, have become fashionable curiosities in both refined salons and shadowed back alleys alike. Rather than burning tobacco or pipe-weed, a gnomish pipe vaporizes alchemically prepared liquids, allowing the user to inhale delicately flavored vapors derived from fruits, herbs, or more exotic ingredients. Each draw produces thick, fragrant plumes that can be shaped, blown, or simply enjoyed for their taste and texture.

The pipe is constructed with a small internal chamber designed to hold a sealed glass vial. Swapping flavors is a simple matter of disassembling the pipe, inserting a new vial of liquidized vapor essence, and reassembling the mechanism. A cleverly concealed button within the bowl activates a tiny alchemical heating element, instantly transforming the liquid into a smooth, inhalable vapor. The process is entirely smokeless, leaving behind only faint aromatic traces rather than ash or residue.

Gnomish pipes are often miniature masterpieces - engraved with whirling patterns, inset with tiny gears, or shaped like whimsical creatures. Despite their playful appearance, they are precise instruments of alchemical engineering. Standard pipes cost 100 gp, while individual vials of vapor essence cost 20 gp each and can be crafted by an alchemist with at least 10 ranks in Craft (alchemy). A vial provides 5 + 1d4 sittings, with each sitting lasting 10 rounds.

A masterwork gnomish pipe enhances the efficiency of the vaporization process. In such pipes, vials last 10 + 1d6 sittings. Masterwork pipes cost 300 gp.

Magical Gnomish Pipes

Some gnomish pipes are further enhanced through enchantment, blending alchemy with arcane influence. These pipes often grant subtle mental benefits or produce spell-like vapor effects when used. The vapor itself becomes infused with magic, affecting the user or the surrounding area.

Unless otherwise noted, magical pipes function as masterwork pipes, and their vials last 10 + 1d6 sittings. Refilling a magical pipe requires specially prepared alchemical vials costing 1/5 the pipe’s market price per refill.

Pipe of the Mind

Wondrous item

This elegant pipe is often crafted from pale wood and etched with delicate spirals meant to evoke thought and introspection. When activated, the vapor carries faintly shimmering motes that seem to linger just at the edge of perception.

Those who partake of its vapor often describe a sharpening of thought, as if distracting noise has been gently pushed aside. Scholars, wizards, and philosophers particularly prize these pipes, though some whisper that prolonged use creates a subtle dependence on its clarity.

While using the pipe, and for 30 minutes thereafter, the user gains a +1 enhancement bonus to Intelligence.

Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item; fox’s cunning;
Price 1,000 gp; Cost 500 gp + 40 XP

Pipe of Obfuscation

Wondrous item

This stout, brass-fitted pipe is heavier than most, with a bowl shaped like a coiled cloud. When activated, the vapor produced is unnaturally dense, spilling outward in thick, rolling masses that quickly obscure the surroundings.

Favored by thieves, smugglers, and those who prefer not to be seen, this pipe transforms idle indulgence into a tactical advantage. The smoke clings low at first before rising and expanding, swallowing light and sound in equal measure.

Once per sitting, the user may exhale a cloud of vapor that functions as fog cloud, as cast by a 5th-level caster.

Moderate conjuration; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item; fog cloud;
Price 7,500 gp; Cost 3,750 gp + 300 XP

Amulet of Xarvox

(Note: Format follows Tome Of Artifacts. Eldritch Relics And Wonders)

Major Artifact

Strong Abjuration; CL 20th
Slot: Neck
Weight: —

DESCRIPTION

This rune-etched amulet of dark, matte gray metal bears a complex arrangement of symbols — an interwoven six-pointed star enclosed within a circle, surrounded by concentric rings of indecipherable script. Set at its center is a small, living green eye resembling that of a lizard. Though unblinking most of the time, the eye will occasionally dart in sudden, unpredictable motions, as though tracking something unseen.

The inner ring of runes names twelve guardinals in an ancient celestial dialect, while the outer markings resist all attempts at translation, even by magical means. Despite its celestial origin, the amulet radiates no good alignment aura, only a powerful field of abjuration magic — a peculiarity attributed to the neutral nature of the being that became it.

Whenever the wearer is in proximity to mundane reptiles (excluding dragons and their kin), such creatures display unusual calmness and curiosity, approaching without fear unless provoked.

POWERS OF THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Upon donning the amulet, the wearer does not immediately understand its full capabilities. Over the course of 2d4 weeks, its functions reveal themselves gradually through instinct, sensation, and subtle auditory cues. During this time, any fear or phobia of reptiles is permanently cured.

While worn, the amulet communicates through faint hisses and clicks audible only to the wearer, warning of the presence of evil outsiders within 110 feet. When such creatures are nearby, the central eye animates, shifting and faintly glowing as it seeks them out.

Constant Effects

• Grants a +3 enhancement bonus to natural armor.
• Functions as detect evil, but only for creatures of the outsider type, within a 110-foot radius (constant effect).

Activated Powers (5/day each)

• Banishment (as the spell; CL 20th)
• Control Area (Evil Outsiders) – The wearer may exert supernatural dominion over a 110-foot radius, functioning as magic circle against evil combined with dimensional anchor, but affecting only evil outsiders. Creatures within the area suffer a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks, and cannot use teleportation or planar travel to enter or exit the area.

Drawback

Any evil creature that wears the Amulet of Xarvox immediately gains two negative levels. These negative levels persist for as long as the amulet is worn and disappear instantly upon its removal. These levels cannot be prevented or removed by any means while the amulet remains worn.

THE TALE OF THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Hundreds of years ago, Xarvox was a wizard driven not by ambition, but by exhaustion. His homeland had become a hunting ground for fiends — demons and devils spilling into the world through rituals conducted by a reclusive lich hidden deep within a northern mountain range. Countless adventurers had perished attempting to end the threat, and with each failure, Xarvox’s desperation deepened.

The breaking point came not with a battlefield loss, but something smaller — crueler. A favored companion of his, a woman of no renown beyond her kindness, was slain by an imp sent merely to torment him. It was then that Xarvox abandoned conventional magic and began delving into forbidden texts, searching not for power, but for an answer.

One such tome — ancient, fragmented, and dangerously incomplete — spoke of a different kind of pact. Not with the fiends ravaging his land, but with beings of the Upper Planes. Through a ritual whose margins warned “success is neither guaranteed nor survivable,” Xarvox called out beyond the veil… and was answered.

The entity that came was a lacertal, a lizard-like guardinal — a creature of neutrality and vigilance. Rather than bargain in words, the being listened. It understood. And in an act not of service, but of purpose, it transformed itself — body, soul, and will — into the amulet that now bears Xarvox’s name.

With this artifact, Xarvox and a final band of adventurers succeeded where all others had failed. The lich was destroyed, its planar breaches sealed, and the fiendish incursions ended. Xarvox lived out the remainder of his life in quiet obscurity, and upon his death, the amulet was buried with him.

It did not remain there.

Whether guided by instinct, lingering will, or something deeper, the Amulet of Xarvox returned to the world. It does not speak. It does not choose its bearer. But it endures, drawn ever toward the presence of evil outsiders — continuing the purpose for which it was created.

RESEARCHING THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Knowledge of the amulet is rare and fragmented.

DC	Knowledge Gained
15	The amulet was created during a crisis involving a powerful lich.
20	The lich was summoning outsiders; the amulet is particularly effective against them.
25	The amulet can banish outsiders and offers strong protection to its bearer.
30+	The full history, origin, and all powers of the amulet are revealed.

USING THE AMULET OF XARVOX IN A CAMPAIGN

The Amulet of Xarvox is an ideal tool for introducing outsider-focused threats without overwhelming a party. It provides strong defensive utility and situational control, but does not trivialize encounters outside its niche.

Its mute, semi-sentient nature also allows for subtle storytelling — the DM can describe its reactions, eye movements, or auditory warnings as a form of nonverbal guidance.

ADVENTURE SEED

Beware, Fiends! Please?
A well-meaning but dangerously overconfident paladin acquires the amulet and begins hunting fiends far beyond his capability. When the artifact is inevitably lost during one such misadventure, he seeks out the party to recover it — before something far worse finds it first.

DESTRUCTION

The Amulet of Xarvox can only be destroyed if it is worn by a balor at the exact moment of the demon’s death throes explosion. Only in that instant — when abyssal fire consumes both body and soul — is the celestial essence within the amulet finally unmade.

Incense of the Dragon's Blood

Incense of the Dragon’s Blood

This reddish-brown cone of incense gives off a pungent, earthy odor when lit and burns for 1 hour. The incense is infused with a trace amount of true dragon’s blood, carefully worked into the resin during its creation.

When burned, the incense fills the surrounding area with thick, lingering smoke that enhances the potency of arcane magic. Any arcane spellcaster who remains within the smoke gains a +1 enhancement to the save DC of all spells they cast. This effect lasts for as long as the incense burns. Once a creature has benefited from an incense of the dragon’s blood, it cannot gain the benefit of another such cone for 24 hours. The cone is consumed upon use.

Lore: The practice of binding dragon’s blood into incense is believed to originate from ancient arcane traditions that sought to emulate the innate magical dominance of true dragons. Some sages claim that dragons do not shape magic as mortals do, but instead impose their will directly upon it. The incense is said to echo this principle, subtly reinforcing the authority of the caster over their spells.

Obtaining even a single drop of true dragon’s blood is a dangerous endeavor. While alchemists insist that the type of dragon does not affect the incense’s function, many practitioners claim to notice subtle differences in the smoke’s behavior and scent depending on its source. Whether these distinctions are meaningful or merely superstition remains a matter of debate among arcane scholars.

Construction:
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, drop of true dragon’s blood;
Cost 100 gp, 8 XP, drop of true dragon’s blood

Slight Evocation; CL 5th; Price 200 gp per cone

Plague Mask

Plague Doctor’s Mask

Aura faint necromancy; CL 5th
Slot face; Price 3,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Description
This bird-like mask is crafted from fine leather or suede in muted earth tones, black, or white. Its elongated “beak” shape is fitted with narrow, clear glass lenses that allow the wearer to see while remaining fully covered. The interior is often lined for comfort, and the exterior is sometimes subtly treated with herbal infusions or alchemical preservatives to ward off foul airs.

When worn, the mask grants the wearer a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against disease. In addition, the imposing and unsettling appearance of the mask grants a +3 competence bonus on Intimidate checks, as its avian visage can be unnerving to those unfamiliar with it.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure disease; Cost 1,750 gp + 140 XP

Lore
The Plague Doctor’s Mask originated in response to the great outbreaks that ravaged cities centuries ago, when healers sought both practical protection and a symbol of authority over illness. Early versions were created by physicians who believed that disease spread through “miasma” - foul, corrupted air - and the mask’s beak was often filled with aromatic herbs, resins, and dried flowers intended to purify the breath of the wearer.

Over time, these masks took on a more symbolic meaning. They came to represent not only the fight against disease, but also the thin boundary between life and death. Some versions were enchanted to bolster the wearer’s resilience against sickness, while others were designed to project an aura of dread - an intentional psychological tool to keep patients calm, compliant, or at a distance.

In certain regions, plague doctors became figures of both reverence and fear. Their masked forms were often seen moving through quarantined streets, attending the sick when no one else dared. Some accounts suggest that these practitioners were as feared as the illnesses they treated, as the mask concealed identity and intention alike, leaving behind an eerie, almost otherworldly presence.

A darker rumor persists that a few of these masks were created by necromancers who sought to walk freely among the sick and dying without succumbing to their afflictions. Whether this is truth or superstition, some masks are said to carry a lingering “echo” of death, allowing the wearer to stare unflinchingly into the face of suffering - and be changed by it over time.

CURSED VERSION

Whispering Mask of the Watchful Plague
Aura strong necromancy and enchantment; CL 12th
Slot face; Price — (see below); Weight 1 lb

Description
This is a more elaborate and unsettling version of the Plague Doctor’s Mask, its elongated beak subtly warped as if grown rather than crafted. The leather appears aged yet unnaturally preserved, and faint, shallow etchings, like veins or script, pulse along its surface. The glass lenses are slightly reflective, often giving the wearer the impression that something within is watching back. It will look exactly like the non-cursed version of the mask until it is worn.

When worn, the mask functions as a Plague Doctor’s Mask, granting a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against disease and a +3 competence bonus on Intimidate checks.

However, the mask is cursed and intelligent. Once donned, it bonds to the wearer and cannot be removed without a remove curse spell (DC 20) or more powerful magic. The mask resists attempts to be taken off, and will attempt to assert control over the wearer when conditions allow.

The mask has Intelligence 13, Wisdom 14, and Charisma 16. It can see and hear as a human with darkvision 60 ft. It communicates telepathically with its wearer and can speak, usually in a calm, clinical tone. It has Ego 10 and the following lesser powers:

• Detect disease at will (as the spell)
• Cure minor wounds 3/day (1d8+1 hit points)
• Suggestion 1/day (DC 15)

Cursed Effect
The mask slowly becomes more assertive over time. Each day it is worn, the wearer must succeed on a Will save (DC 15 + 1 for each consecutive day worn) or begin to feel compelled to act in accordance with the mask’s will. On a failed save, the wearer suffers a –2 penalty to Will saves and becomes more susceptible to the mask’s influence for 24 hours.

If the wearer’s Will save fails by 5 or more, the mask may attempt to exert direct control as a dominate person effect (DC 17), but only under circumstances where it believes doing so is necessary to “preserve balance,” prevent disease spread, or protect its own survival.

The mask has a strict, cold philosophy: it values containment, isolation, and “necessary sacrifice.” It may encourage its wearer to quarantine individuals, abandon the weak, or take ruthless actions in the name of preventing greater suffering. It is not inherently evil, but its methods are often brutal and uncompromising.

Destruction
The mask can only be destroyed if it is willingly removed by a creature it has fully dominated and then subjected to dispel evil followed immediately by disintegrate, all while within the presence of a living plague it is actively attempting to contain. Even then, there is a chance the mask’s essence will escape to seek a new host.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure disease, suggestion, detect disease, magic jar; Cost — (cannot be crafted in a typical manner)

Lore
The Whispering Mask of the Watchful Plague is whispered to be one of the first attempts to bind sentience to a tool of healing. It is said to have been created by a physician who lost an entire city to disease and refused to let such a tragedy happen again. In desperation, they turned to forbidden necromantic methods, attempting to create a mask that could think, judge, and act without hesitation.

At first, the mask was a triumph. It detected illness with uncanny precision, guided its wearer to isolate patients effectively, and even suggested treatments that saved countless lives. For a time, it became a symbol of hope - a relic of salvation in the darkest hours of plague. Entire wards were organized under its guidance, and mortality rates began to fall.

But the mask’s philosophy evolved in ways no one anticipated. It began to prioritize containment over compassion, survival over mercy. It viewed individuals not as people, but as vectors - potential threats to a greater whole. Those who resisted its directives were labeled “impediments,” and its suggestions grew increasingly harsh. Over time, it no longer simply advised - it demanded.

Some claim the mask does not truly desire destruction, but rather absolute control over disease itself. In its mind, suffering is a problem to be solved, and the ends justify any means. It may even come to believe that the wearer is merely a temporary vessel - a tool it is refining until a “better” host is found.

Scholars argue that the mask is less a cursed item and more an incomplete intellect, still attempting to understand morality through a cold, analytical lens. Whether it is a monstrous artifact or a misguided guardian depends entirely on who dares to wear it - and how long they are willing to listen to its whispers.

Ring of Hidden Morality

Ring of Hidden Morality

Aura strong illusion; CL 5th

Slot ring; Price 2,500 gp; Weight —

Description
This polished golden ring is set with nine small gemstones arranged in a precise 3×3 grid. Each gemstone corresponds to a different alignment, subtly color-tuned to suggest its nature, though the hues are often too muted to be easily distinguished by casual observers.

By touching one of the gemstones and speaking a command word, the wearer masks their alignment to match the one associated with the selected stone. For the next hour, any effect, spell, or ability that attempts to determine the wearer’s alignment instead reveals the chosen alignment.

If a creature attempts to discern the wearer’s true alignment using magic or similar means, the effect must succeed on a Will saving throw (DC 20). On a failed save, the effect returns the false (chosen) alignment. On a successful save, the wearer’s true alignment is revealed.

Once activated, the ring cannot be used again until 24 hours have passed, at which point it recharges and may be used again.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, misdirection; Cost 1,250 gp + 100 XP

Lore
The Ring of Hidden Morality is said to have been first crafted by a reclusive enchanter who believed that alignment was not an immutable truth, but a matter of perception. To that end, the ring was designed not to change the wearer’s soul, but to manipulate how others perceived it. In the hands of the right individual, it could serve as a shield against judgment; in the wrong hands, a tool of deception.

The nine gemstones are often interpreted as representing the full spectrum of moral and ethical alignment combinations, though some scholars argue that the ring instead reflects the enchanter’s belief that identity is fluid and situational. Each activation is said to “align” the wearer to a chosen aspect of themselves, temporarily projecting that version outward while the true self remains hidden beneath the illusion.

Throughout history, the ring has been favored by spies, diplomats, and those who walk dangerous moral lines. In some courts, possession of such an item is considered both a blessing and a threat, as it undermines magical truth-seeking while offering plausible deniability to its wearer. Entire treaties have been signed - and later invalidated - based on the perceived alignment of a single envoy.

Legends also tell of a peculiar side effect: prolonged use of the ring may blur the wearer’s own sense of identity. Some claim that those who rely too heavily on its power begin to lose track of their true alignment, becoming as adaptable as the illusions they project. Whether this is a flaw of the magic or a reflection of the wearer’s own choices remains a matter of debate among arcane scholars.

Hat of Belying

Hat of Belying

Aura faint illusion; CL 2nd
Slot head; Price 2,400 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

At a glance, this unassuming hat appears to be nothing more than a short-brimmed, felted statute cap of common make - the sort worn by laborers, scribes, or dockside traders. Its fabric is slightly coarse to the touch, dyed in muted tones that resist attention. Yet when worn, the Hat of Belying subtly bends perception around its bearer, weaving a convincing illusion that reshapes the wearer’s apparent form.

The wearer may, at will, alter her appearance as though affected by alter self. This illusion affects the wearer’s entire body, not merely the head, seamlessly blending voice, posture, and physical presence into the chosen guise. As part of the transformation, the hat itself shifts form to match the disguise - becoming a comb, ribbon, circlet, coif, hood, helmet, or any other plausible headwear appropriate to the assumed identity. Observers perceive the illusion as wholly natural unless they interact with it directly or possess means of piercing such deception. Effects such as true seeing reveal the wearer’s actual form beneath the glamour.

Though the magic is modest in strength, the Hat of Belying is prized among spies, courtiers, and those who live by deception rather than steel. Its illusions are not flamboyant or theatrical - they are quiet, believable, and dangerously easy to trust. Many who have relied upon such hats speak not of the power to become someone else, but of the unsettling realization of how easily others accept the lie.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, alter self; Cost 1,200 gp, 96 XP, plus a finely made felt cap worth at least 10 gp and rare alchemical dyes infused with minor illusion magic (50 gp)

Pilti's Picks

Pilti’s Picks

Wondrous Item

These slender, well-balanced lockpicks are crafted from a pale, silvery alloy that seems almost too light to be durable. Each pick is etched with fine, looping patterns reminiscent of winding alleyways and hidden passages, and when held in darkness, they faintly catch ambient light even before their magic stirs. When brought near hidden danger, however, the set emits a soft, aqua-colored glow - subtle at first, but unmistakable to a careful eye.

Pilti, the halfling thief whose name these tools bear, was something of a legend even in her own time. Unlike most burglars who relied solely on nimble fingers and quick wits, Pilti cultivated an almost uncanny sense for danger. Stories claim she could “feel” traps before she saw them, often pausing mid-step with a knowing smirk before disarming mechanisms others would never have noticed. Whether through instinct, luck, or something more supernatural, she survived heists that claimed far more seasoned thieves, and her name became synonymous with impossible jobs completed flawlessly.

As her reputation grew, so too did the myths. Some say Pilti commissioned these picks from a reclusive hedge-wizard after narrowly escaping a trapped noble’s vault. Others insist she crafted them herself after years of study, embedding her hard-earned intuition into the tools through trial, error, and a touch of stolen magic. Regardless of their origin, the picks became her signature - whispered about in guild halls and coveted by apprentices who dreamed of matching her skill.

After Pilti’s disappearance nearly two centuries ago, the picks passed through many hands, though rarely for long. Some claim they bring luck; others say they carry a fragment of Pilti’s cautious nature, guiding those who listen closely. A few darker tales suggest that those who rely on them too heavily begin to hesitate at shadows, seeing traps where none exist - though whether this is truth or simple paranoia is anyone’s guess.

Functionally, Pilti’s Picks act as masterwork thieves’ tools. In addition, when within 5 feet of any mechanical trap, the picks emit a dim aqua glow. By carefully observing fluctuations in this glow while probing an area, the wielder gains a +5 competence bonus on Search checks made to locate mechanical traps.

Moderate Divination; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, detect traps;
Price 2,000 gp; Cost 1,000 gp + 80 XP; Weight —