Homebrewed Magical Items

[Slider65]

What are some of the magical items that you have created for your game, either in Rifts or PF that are available?

This is an example of a simple magical item that is widely available depending on location, but can be easily dropped into a campaign.

Spell Locks: These are a specialized form of the Amulet spell, and are somewhat more versatile, but lesser in scope than a true amulet. They are created in the same way as a regular Amulet and require the exact same materials. Unlike an amulet though, a spell Lock can be constructed as anything, such as a lapel pin, ring, or other more exotic items.

The Spell Lock amulet allows a mage too increase the duration of a spell imbued into the Spell Lock amulet. When the mage casts a spell he can bind it into a blank Spell Lock, and can then store additional P.P.E. in the Spell Lock, to a maximum of 3x the P.P.E. cost of the spell stored in the Spell Lock, with the caveat that the total amount of P.P.E. that can be stored in a Spell Lock amulet is capped at the total P.P.E. cost of the initial creation of the Amulet spell used to create the Spell Lock. The spell and the increased P.P.E. must be both placed into the Spell Lock at the same time, and this P.P.E can never be added to after the initial binding.

This P.P.E. cannot be used for any other purpose, but is permanently bound into the Spell Lock. When the spell bound into the Spell Lock would normally expire, the Spell Lock renews it automatically by re-energizing it with the stored P.P.E. initially placed in it.

The stored spell cannot be an offensive spell, but could be just about anything else For instance, a Mage could bind a Breath Without Air spell into a Spell Lock, and then activate it at a later time, and it would have up to triple the normal duration of the spell if he spent the required P.P.E.

The downside is that, once the spell does expire, the Spell Lock crumbles into dust. These are strictly a one use item. The upside is the stored spell will last for years until actually used.

Spell Locks are fairly common in most magical enclaves, often blank ones being available for purchase with prices varying upon the materials used to construct them and the form they take.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Posted mine in the invented Magic topic.
"The White Rabbit's Pocket Watch" is an example of a TW device I wrote up ages ago.
"The Mobile Stable of Galrohrim" is a major magic item meant for the PF game.

So what the Spell Lock...(locket?)... is a type of magic item, that is a Talisman that besides casting a magic spell, it also boosts one aspect of the spell in it? (I said 'talisman' because what you described doesn't follow the basic structure of what amulets do. But does follow (sort of) the basic structure of what talisman are.)

Or a simpler idea...
Is it an amulet type magic item that when touching a talisman, boosts one aspect of the spell produced by the talisman?

[Slider65]

Posted mine in the invented Magic topic.
"The White Rabbit's Pocket Watch" is an example of a TW device I wrote up ages ago.
"The Mobile Stable of Galrohrim" is a major magic item meant for the PF game.

So what the Spell Lock...(locket?)... is a type of magic item, that is a Talisman that besides casting a magic spell, it also boosts one aspect of the spell in it? (I said 'talisman' because what you described doesn't follow the basic structure of what amulets do. But does follow (sort of) the basic structure of what talisman are.)

Or a simpler idea...
Is it an amulet type magic item that when touching a talisman, boosts one aspect of the spell produced by the talisman?

I had thought that the Invented Magic topic was for spells, not magical items, my bad. If a moderator would like to move this post to that topic, feel free.
So, Spell Locks 101

It is a single use item that you store one spell in, and then can put in up to 3x the P.P.E. cost of the spell to increase the duration only of the spell. So say you are exploring an underwater cave, and really need that Breath without Air spell, but you're also positive that the duration is going to run out before you can get back to the surface. Or paranoid your evil GM is going to trap you down there. A spell Lock would automatically re-cast the spell, up to 3 times if you channeled the necessary total P.P.E. into it when you "stored" the Breath without Air spell in the Spell Lock (For a total of up to 20 P.P.E. 5 for the initial spell, plus another 5 for each increase to the duration) It cannot effect anything but the duration of the spell. It cannot be used to store P.P.E. beyond up to triple the spell cost of the spell you store. That P.P.E. cannot be increased after the initial storing of the spell. It cannot be tapped, like a normal talisman, to power any other spell, ability, etc. You get one spell, that simply lasts longer, but has the benefit of being able to be made months in advance. Once used, it goes poof, crumbles to dust, goes away. But is can be anything from a pin, to a locket, to a charm dangling on a bracelet, to a coin stuffed in your pocket and you can have as many of them as you can afford.

I've priced "blank" Spell Locks as anywhere from 5000 to 10,000 credits, depending on how fancy they look, and the availability of someone to cast the Amulet spell to make it. In places like Lazlo, or the City of Brass, or Center in the 3 Galaxies they should be fairly common, given their usefulness. But they can be vastly more expensive in less magically inclined places. Spell Locks that already have a specific spell stored in them go up in price depending on the extent of the increase to the duration, and the level, and usefulness of the spell stored in them. And watch out for the fakes of course.

As an example you really need a Tongues spell to understand everyone at a business meeting, for... reasons, and you know the meeting is going to be very long. Several hours lets say. And you're caster level is only going to get you 30 minutes of the spell. Interrupting everyone to cast a spell is rude, possibly hazardous, and might have serious social ramifications. So you get a spell lock. Cast the Tongues spell into the Spell Lock, that looks like a fancy tie pin, and expend the 6 P.P.E. for the spell. You can then store up to an additional 18 P.P.E. in the Spell Lock, and when the initial Tongue's spell expires, the Spell Lock will automatically renew the spell just as if you had cast it again. And can do so up to three times, before your tie pin turns into dust. And if say you put that Tongues spell in there the day before, you are not casting the spell when you activate the Spell Lock, you are simply activating it like you would a magical or T-W item. Same as when it renews, there is no cost to you, there is no casting involved, the spell is already cast.

It cannot be used to cast any combat spell, or even a purely defensive spell such as Armor of Ithan. Just utility spells.

Hope that long-winded explanation clears up things for you.

[Library Ogre]

One of my favorites, and very simple, is a wand. The sole purpose of this wand is to allow a mage to cast a single spell, as if they knew it.

[taalismn]

One of my favorites, and very simple, is a wand. The sole purpose of this wand is to allow a mage to cast a single spell, as if they knew it.

Ah, the 'Saturday Night Special' of mages....

I went with Disposable Scrolls that allow the holder to cast one spell, then the scroll disintegrates like wet toilet paper or crumbling parchment.
Quality of spell may vary depending on cost and creator...

[drewkitty ~..~]

One of my favorites, and very simple, is a wand. The sole purpose of this wand is to allow a mage to cast a single spell, as if they knew it.

*a man walks into the bar. He is wearing a pointy hat marking him as a wizard. But he has a bandoleer holding a 30 wands. Some shiny, some dingy, while a few are just sticks.*

I have one char that is sort of like this. But the char can cast the talisman spell so the char had made up about 10-15 talisman for rapid response.
The char's favorite wand for 'non-violent retribution' is one charged with 'Bad Hair Day'. (see invented magic topic in one of my posts there)

[Mack]

One thing missing from Palladium Games is a good old wizard's staff.

Don't recall where my write-up is, but I created a ritual spell (4th level or so) that would bind a wooden staff to them. The staff then has the following properties:
-- MDC item and can parry/block MDC attacks.
-- The staff serves as a PPE battery, and holds 10 PPE per level of the caster when it was created (it doesn't level up with the mage). The mage can pump his own PPE into the staff, then draw it out later as needed. So if the mage is level 5 when he makes the staff, it can hold up to 50 PPE but never more than that.
-- Grants a +1 to spell strength as long as the mage is holding the staff. (I had an idea on slowly increasing this bonus as the mage levels up, but I forget the details. The intent was to give the mage a reason to keep his old staff and not replace it with a new one, as new ones would be back to the default +1.)
-- Can fly to the mage's hand with a thought, as long as it's within 10 feet/level.
-- When swung as an attack the damage is SDC, but power swings (2 actions) inflict MDC.

You get the general idea.

[taalismn]

One thing missing from Palladium Games is a good old wizard's staff. .

True...though if that becomes common enough, it can work the other way as well to good effect.
Mage: "I took t carrying an old gnarled vine-wrapped staff everywhere I went. There was nothing special about it; it was just something I picked up in the woods outside town one day, from I carried it everywhere from then on. Made a point of having it on or near my person at all times, especially in public.
Eventually, when somebody had a go at me, they cleverly targeted my staff first, thinking it the focus of my powers. I subsequently taught them that I am a master of wandLESS magic."