The Magic Shoppe: Undead Items

The sound of the main boulevard grows fainter as you wind your way through the dark alleyways. The paved lanes slowly give way to dirt covered streets. At the end of a particularly narrow pathway, you spot Valcav sitting at a stall under a single flicking torch. He spots you and waves you towards him. “Welcome friends, I trust you were not followed?” He looks around, squinting towards the alley’s entrance suspiciously. “There are some who consider my merchandise evil simply because it deals with the undead. But if you’ve taken the time to track me down, then clearly you do not share the same concerns.” He spreads his arms out to show off his wares…

Wasting Handwraps

Guardians of ancient tombs are known to wear these items to defend against grave robbers.

These strips of linen are yellowed with age and fraying around the edges.

Pathfinder

Aura moderate necromancy; Price 27,000 gp; Slot hands; CL 7th; Weight

BENEFITS

The wearer must wrap these strips of cloth over their hands in order to activate the item’s powers. This process takes 1 minute for each hand and both must be worn. The wearer’s fingers are kept free allowing them the normal use of their hands. The layers of linen harden the wear’s hands granting a +2 bonus to damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

The wrappings also contain a small fragment of the unholy energy that animates mummies. As a result, the wearer is rendered immune to mummy rot but can pass on a variant strain onto others. Once per day after successfully dealing damage with an unarmed strike the wearer can force their damaged enemy to make a DC16 Fortitude saving throw. On a failure, they 1d4 Constitution damage and 1d4 Charisma damage. They must make another Fortitude save every day at midnight or take the same ability damage again. The target cannot recover from this ability damage naturally but magical healing can keep it at bay. Like traditional mummy rot, this hybrid of a curse and a disease can only be cured casting both remove curse and remove disease.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item; Spells bestow curse, contagion; Special must incorporate the remains of a mummy; Cost 13,500 gp

5e

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

You must wind these linen bands around your hands and knuckles to use their power. This takes 1 minute for each hand but otherwise leaves you free to use other items and weapons as normal. When you make an unarmed strike with your wrapped hands you deal 2 extra points of necrotic damage. Wearing these handwraps makes you immune to the rotting fist ability of mummies. You can also curse a target with a weakened form of that same ability. Once per day after damaging a target with an unarmed strike you can force them to make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they are cursed and cannot regain hit points through resting, but magical healing can still help them. Every 24 hours the cursed target loses an additional 1d4 hit points. This curse remains until it is removed with a remove curse spell or similar ability.


Ghoul Knife

According to necromantic lore, the first version of this weapon was a severed ghoul hand missing several fingers.

The long handle of this dagger is wrapped in textured gray leather.

Pathfinder

Aura moderate divination and necromancy Price 18,000 gp; Slot none; CL 6th; Weight 1 lb;

BENEFITS

A ghoul knife functions as a +1 dagger that allows it’s wielder to harness some of the abilities of ghouls. Three times per day after damaging with the dagger a target the wielder can force them to make a DC 13 Fortitude save. On a failed save they become paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. A target that succeeds on their save cannot be subject to the paralysis from that specific ghoul knife for 24 hours.

A ghoul knife can also provide its wielder with ghoulish insights. If the dagger is stuck into a dead body, the wielder instantly becomes aware of its creature type, and how long they have been deceased. The information comes to the wielder through their sense of taste and smell. This effect only works if the knife pierces flesh, and cannot function on just a skeleton.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells blood biography, ghoul touch; Cost 9,000 gp

5e

Weapon (dagger), rare

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this dagger. Three times per day after you damage an enemy you can force them to make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If they fail they become paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. If they succeed on the saving throw they are immune to further attempts to paralyze them with the dagger for 24 hours.

By sticking the dagger in the remains of a dead creature you get flashes of sensory information. You become instantly aware of how long the body has been dead and what type of creature they were in. This effect only works if there is flesh on the body that you can stab with the dagger.


Feasting Mace

These weapons are favored by death worshiping cultists not yet ready to become undead creatures themselves.

This head of this mace is coated in a layer of rust that can be flaked off to reveal silver beneath.

Pathfinder

Aura moderate conjuration and necromancy; Price 14,680 gp; Slot none; CL 8th; Weight 8lbs.

BENEFITS

A feasting mace is a +1 alchemical silver unholy heavy mace. In the presence of blood, the mace becomes more powerful. Whenever the wielder strikes a target suffering from bleed damage the mace sucks up some of the blood and some of the rust vanishes. The mace’s bonus increases to +3 and remains so for one round. Damaging a bleeding target multiple times can keep this bonus active longer. One round after not damaging a bleeding target the bonus falls back to +1 and the mace grows rusting again. Making a critical hit with the weapon allows the wielder to feed off of the target too. After rolling the damage from the critical hit the wielder regains a number of hit points equal to the amount of bleed damage the target is taking.

The feasting mace can call on other vampiric powers aside from feeding on blood. Once per day by holding the mace aloft the wielder can summon a swarm of bats. The wielder can telepathically direct the bats to attack a target within 60 feet. If undirected the bats will automatically attack a randomly determined target. The bats remain for up to 1 minute or until destroyed.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells summon swarm, vampiric touch; Cost 7,340 gp

5e

Weapon (mace), very rare (requires attunement)

You attune yourself to this mace by cutting yourself and dripping your own blood on it. A feasting mace is a silvered weapon that also gives you a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. Whenever you damage a target whose current hit points are below half of their maximum the mace will feed on their wounds by absorbing some of their blood. For one round, your bonus on attack and damage rolls increases to +3. By repeatedly striking the wounded target it is possible to keep this bonus going for multiple rounds. If you score a critical hit the mace funnels some it’s siphoned life energy to you and you regain 1d6 hit points.

Once per day you can hold the mace aloft to summon a swarm of bats. The bats swarm around you but do not cause you any harm. As a bonus action, you can command the bats with your mind to attack a nearby foe. If you don’t spend your action, the bats will fly towards a random target. The bats remain for up to 1 minute or until destroyed.



About Michael Vail-Steele

Michael has been playing RPGs regularly since 2012. In addition to RPGs he's also a fan of puns and bad movies. He hopes you will enjoy these trips through his imagination, and asks you to please wipe your feet.

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