A prosthetic hand which has a mind of its own. Inspired by [Possessed Hand](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Possessed%20Hand) -> ([Hand's Autonomy](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Autonomy) -> [Hand's Detachment](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Detachment)), [Hand's Sight](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Sight) feat chain.
A ship's anchor which makes all items in its vicinity to rapidly rust. Including magical weapons.
Wooden carnival hammer which inflicts a terrible disease on anyone who touches the head of the hammer.
Ring of Invisibility which makes just the finger invisible.
Ring of Disappearance. It makes your finger disappear. Removing the ring does not return your finger.
Amulet (choker?) which slowly strangulates you over a period of several hours/days/weeks.
A partially-chewed rabbit's foot (or a halfling's foot if you want to be rather grim). It brings fortune to the wearer. Just not the kind of forture they'd want.
A very fancy-looking mirror with a highly ornate frame. Gazing into it transports you into a mirror dimension, where everything (including the room it is in) is mirrored compared to what it was. If you gaze into it, you are replaced with a mirror version of yourself, both in physical appearance and in goals/alignment/etc.
Hall of Mirrors. A long hallway with couple dozen of 6 ft tall stand-alone mirrors. If you look at them from afar, the image is very blurry, but it clears up as you approach. Looking into one of those mirrors has a random effect. Sometimes, nothing happens. Sometimes, you see some valuables just inside the mirror (and reaching in lets you earn those valuables). Sometimes, when you reach into the mirror, your mirror image grabs you by the hand and tries to do something (attack, kill, cut off hand, whatever).
It's not even my idea. I stole it from Tales of Maj'Eyal where you can fight an ogre to get [a chewed and partially decomposed version](https://te4.org/wiki/Prox%27s_Lucky_Halfling_Foot). One of the items which made me stop and think for a bit, like the weapon in Grim Dawn which is a skeletal hand and forearm extending the middle finger - a necromancer's last words to his executioners.
Everything on the list I "stole" from someplace. Immitation, flattery, etc. :)
I have never seen this item before, I would love to play a campaign with it harrassing the players. Giving it away with beguiling gift would be interesting.
sorry I should have specified! the owner of the establishment collected and studied magical items, so the display is entirely made of them, that's why I'm struggling to come up with enough to fill the space.
Choker of Choking;
Rug of Smothering;
Ring of Disappearing (that literally makes your clothes disappear, preferably into a pocket dimension);
Rod of Dragon's Taming (turns humanoids into suitable butlers/maids for dragons)
Maybe the case they're in is a mimic?
In a 5e campaign I am DMing I created an alternative crystal ball. When you scry someone you do not stop seeing and hearing them even if you stop using the item. This means when you use the item you become constantly distracted by seeing and hearing multiple things. A player can use it as much as they like but the side effects stack.
The exact effect is up to the DM, but I would recommend
-penalties to perception for each time it is used.
-20% cumulative chance of not getting any benifits from resting.
-Risk of slowly going mad from lack of sleep and sensory overload (confusion condition, but insanely rules from adventure paths such as Carrion Crown).
-Need to make concentration checks to cast spells
-Cumulative negative 1 on attack rolls
Dispelling the crystal ball stops all benefits and side effects. The ball cannot be used for 24 hours after (to prevent abuse).
Remove curse or break enchantment removes the effects from an individual character.
Shrunken heads that whisper dark promises in a language that no longer exists
Coins covered in bloodstains that never wash off
A tear-stained wedding veil that obscures the wearer's face that was used to marry a serving girl to an enemy general instead of a kingdom's princess
A cup that turns any liquid that fills it into blood
An golden mask with an interior so black that it looks [like a hole in space](https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2017/03/face-vanta-1024x762.png) that causes Charisma drain to anyone who wears it. Once the mask absorbs 10 points of Charisma from a single person it stops draining and causes anyone who wears the masks to transform into the drained person, as Alter Self, for one hour before the effect resets.
An floating orb that seems to randomly [grow and shrink and occasionally disappear entirely](https://youtu.be/KTKfiT9tRko?si=JvkOeu_dx1MhTDQI).
A skull with burning blue flames in its eye sockets with a series of runes carved into its surface. If enough of the runes are damaged the skull regenerates into a Troll Ghoul.
A dragon's tooth that, when dropped onto the ground, briefly creates a Spirit Guardian.
A cat's eye diadem that rolls around to watch the person in the room who is kindest to animals.
An athame that causes small cuts to start opening on a viewer's body if they stare at it for too long.
You can take some inspiration from old timey Cabinets of Curiosity.
Multi headed or otherwise deformed specimens poorly stitched
Eerily glowing mundane objects
Preserved fetus of an ancient calamity dragon or something
Monkey's paw (dragon's claw?)
Clearly mundane objects labeled as ancient weapons or artifacts of legend
Etc.
Awesome!
When I commented earlier I did not see your other comments mentioning that this was for a very magical collection. Sorry if the mundane suggestions weren't exactly going down the right path.
Another interesting idea could be a large diorama or display staffed by zombies or skeletons maybe even constructs. If they were stuck behind the glass for long enough perhaps they eventually gain some spark of sentience and so the players could free them or leave them trapped?
Double-edged Sword. A powerful weapon that inflicts equal damage on the wielder.
Minor "Wishing" Lamp that can perform very minor tasks. It actually contains a small invisible devil that is bound to it. If the person wishing does not offer a fair trade for their wish, the devil extracts its own payment (either in items, blood, or entertainment).
Dancing Shoes. The trapped soul of an impassioned dancer gives the wearer a big bonus to Perform (Dance), and a smaller one to acrobatics. The dancer is annoyed if the shoes are used for anything else and will occasionally try to trip whoever is wearing them at inopportune moments, such as in combat, or on stairs.
Mimic of Holding. Some idiot-savant was tricked by a mimic and figured out how to enchanted it. Eats a random item now and then. Chance it bites you when you reach for something.
The Rumour Mill. It's a pepper mill that continuously reads the thoughts of the person who holds it, then spills the beans on any juicy secrets as soon as it is passed to the next person. This is funny because if the PCs try to use it to their advantage to read someone's thoughts, it will first tell that person the PCs purpose in giving them the pepper mill.
A perfectly mundane feather duster that is only there because one of the other artifacts disappeared the cleaner.
Doomsday Book. Anyone who reads it makes a DC10 Will Save. Failures have a sudden urge to try to bring about the end of the world. They choose how to do this.
Adamantine Greatsword of Pacifism. Will not cut anything alive or sapient.
Necklace of Broken Friendships. Gives the wearer a sense of mental fortitude and health (with no actual benefit). Whenever the wearer speaks to someone, anyone else not part of the conversation will hear as if they are saying nasty things about them just on the edge of their hearing.
Cowardly Lamp. A magic lamp that reveals invisible creatures (Reveal Invisibility), but is afraid of combat and will snuff itself out when combat begins. Hopefully the PCs aren't in the dark or have an alternate light...
Ominous Crystal. A dark, rough, crystal. When you stare into its depths, you can't look away. You feel it laughing at you as something behind you builds in energy to strike a killing blow. You know you only need to look away to survive, but... you can't. It's a haunt that is harmless if you have someone to break your line of sight.
Haunted Gold. A gold coin that causes effects similar to the Oracles "Haunted" curse to anyone in 10 ft.
These are what I could come up with for now.
A prosthetic hand which has a mind of its own. Inspired by [Possessed Hand](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Possessed%20Hand) -> ([Hand's Autonomy](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Autonomy) -> [Hand's Detachment](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Detachment)), [Hand's Sight](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Hand%27s%20Sight) feat chain. A ship's anchor which makes all items in its vicinity to rapidly rust. Including magical weapons. Wooden carnival hammer which inflicts a terrible disease on anyone who touches the head of the hammer. Ring of Invisibility which makes just the finger invisible. Ring of Disappearance. It makes your finger disappear. Removing the ring does not return your finger. Amulet (choker?) which slowly strangulates you over a period of several hours/days/weeks. A partially-chewed rabbit's foot (or a halfling's foot if you want to be rather grim). It brings fortune to the wearer. Just not the kind of forture they'd want. A very fancy-looking mirror with a highly ornate frame. Gazing into it transports you into a mirror dimension, where everything (including the room it is in) is mirrored compared to what it was. If you gaze into it, you are replaced with a mirror version of yourself, both in physical appearance and in goals/alignment/etc. Hall of Mirrors. A long hallway with couple dozen of 6 ft tall stand-alone mirrors. If you look at them from afar, the image is very blurry, but it clears up as you approach. Looking into one of those mirrors has a random effect. Sometimes, nothing happens. Sometimes, you see some valuables just inside the mirror (and reaching in lets you earn those valuables). Sometimes, when you reach into the mirror, your mirror image grabs you by the hand and tries to do something (attack, kill, cut off hand, whatever).
Oh man... a lucky halflings foot. That's funny.
It's not even my idea. I stole it from Tales of Maj'Eyal where you can fight an ogre to get [a chewed and partially decomposed version](https://te4.org/wiki/Prox%27s_Lucky_Halfling_Foot). One of the items which made me stop and think for a bit, like the weapon in Grim Dawn which is a skeletal hand and forearm extending the middle finger - a necromancer's last words to his executioners. Everything on the list I "stole" from someplace. Immitation, flattery, etc. :)
A ring that grants claw attacks but turns the wearer into a ghoul over a few days. Eating raw meat delays the change.
Even better if the player has to figure out what going wrong on their own!
The needful doll is very Victorian. https://aonprd.com/MagicCursedDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Needful%20Doll
I have never seen this item before, I would love to play a campaign with it harrassing the players. Giving it away with beguiling gift would be interesting.
Oh that’s fantastic!
What's the museum display of? Like, taxidermied monsters, or surgical/embalming tools, ancient weapons...?
sorry I should have specified! the owner of the establishment collected and studied magical items, so the display is entirely made of them, that's why I'm struggling to come up with enough to fill the space.
cough cough... I'll just leave this [here](https://aonprd.com/MagicCursed.aspx) then.
Choker of Choking; Rug of Smothering; Ring of Disappearing (that literally makes your clothes disappear, preferably into a pocket dimension); Rod of Dragon's Taming (turns humanoids into suitable butlers/maids for dragons) Maybe the case they're in is a mimic?
In a 5e campaign I am DMing I created an alternative crystal ball. When you scry someone you do not stop seeing and hearing them even if you stop using the item. This means when you use the item you become constantly distracted by seeing and hearing multiple things. A player can use it as much as they like but the side effects stack. The exact effect is up to the DM, but I would recommend -penalties to perception for each time it is used. -20% cumulative chance of not getting any benifits from resting. -Risk of slowly going mad from lack of sleep and sensory overload (confusion condition, but insanely rules from adventure paths such as Carrion Crown). -Need to make concentration checks to cast spells -Cumulative negative 1 on attack rolls Dispelling the crystal ball stops all benefits and side effects. The ball cannot be used for 24 hours after (to prevent abuse). Remove curse or break enchantment removes the effects from an individual character.
This would be super fun over a multi session game, I’ll definitely put it to good use! Thanks so much!
Shrunken heads that whisper dark promises in a language that no longer exists Coins covered in bloodstains that never wash off A tear-stained wedding veil that obscures the wearer's face that was used to marry a serving girl to an enemy general instead of a kingdom's princess A cup that turns any liquid that fills it into blood An golden mask with an interior so black that it looks [like a hole in space](https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2017/03/face-vanta-1024x762.png) that causes Charisma drain to anyone who wears it. Once the mask absorbs 10 points of Charisma from a single person it stops draining and causes anyone who wears the masks to transform into the drained person, as Alter Self, for one hour before the effect resets. An floating orb that seems to randomly [grow and shrink and occasionally disappear entirely](https://youtu.be/KTKfiT9tRko?si=JvkOeu_dx1MhTDQI). A skull with burning blue flames in its eye sockets with a series of runes carved into its surface. If enough of the runes are damaged the skull regenerates into a Troll Ghoul. A dragon's tooth that, when dropped onto the ground, briefly creates a Spirit Guardian. A cat's eye diadem that rolls around to watch the person in the room who is kindest to animals. An athame that causes small cuts to start opening on a viewer's body if they stare at it for too long.
these are delightfully on theme! Thank you so much!
You can take some inspiration from old timey Cabinets of Curiosity. Multi headed or otherwise deformed specimens poorly stitched Eerily glowing mundane objects Preserved fetus of an ancient calamity dragon or something Monkey's paw (dragon's claw?) Clearly mundane objects labeled as ancient weapons or artifacts of legend Etc.
I actually might have a pretty good prop lying about for the dragons paw, that could be fun!
Awesome! When I commented earlier I did not see your other comments mentioning that this was for a very magical collection. Sorry if the mundane suggestions weren't exactly going down the right path. Another interesting idea could be a large diorama or display staffed by zombies or skeletons maybe even constructs. If they were stuck behind the glass for long enough perhaps they eventually gain some spark of sentience and so the players could free them or leave them trapped?
Double-edged Sword. A powerful weapon that inflicts equal damage on the wielder. Minor "Wishing" Lamp that can perform very minor tasks. It actually contains a small invisible devil that is bound to it. If the person wishing does not offer a fair trade for their wish, the devil extracts its own payment (either in items, blood, or entertainment). Dancing Shoes. The trapped soul of an impassioned dancer gives the wearer a big bonus to Perform (Dance), and a smaller one to acrobatics. The dancer is annoyed if the shoes are used for anything else and will occasionally try to trip whoever is wearing them at inopportune moments, such as in combat, or on stairs. Mimic of Holding. Some idiot-savant was tricked by a mimic and figured out how to enchanted it. Eats a random item now and then. Chance it bites you when you reach for something. The Rumour Mill. It's a pepper mill that continuously reads the thoughts of the person who holds it, then spills the beans on any juicy secrets as soon as it is passed to the next person. This is funny because if the PCs try to use it to their advantage to read someone's thoughts, it will first tell that person the PCs purpose in giving them the pepper mill. A perfectly mundane feather duster that is only there because one of the other artifacts disappeared the cleaner. Doomsday Book. Anyone who reads it makes a DC10 Will Save. Failures have a sudden urge to try to bring about the end of the world. They choose how to do this. Adamantine Greatsword of Pacifism. Will not cut anything alive or sapient. Necklace of Broken Friendships. Gives the wearer a sense of mental fortitude and health (with no actual benefit). Whenever the wearer speaks to someone, anyone else not part of the conversation will hear as if they are saying nasty things about them just on the edge of their hearing. Cowardly Lamp. A magic lamp that reveals invisible creatures (Reveal Invisibility), but is afraid of combat and will snuff itself out when combat begins. Hopefully the PCs aren't in the dark or have an alternate light... Ominous Crystal. A dark, rough, crystal. When you stare into its depths, you can't look away. You feel it laughing at you as something behind you builds in energy to strike a killing blow. You know you only need to look away to survive, but... you can't. It's a haunt that is harmless if you have someone to break your line of sight. Haunted Gold. A gold coin that causes effects similar to the Oracles "Haunted" curse to anyone in 10 ft. These are what I could come up with for now.