Many Magical Items
Taking a break from statting up heroes from the Finnish Mythos of the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, we have a few magic items. Direct quotes all come from Deities & Demigods. (N.B. I’ve noticed on a couple of sites that it’s customary to note that some links are affiliate links. The link to the Deities & Demigods book is an affiliate link. That means if you click here and buy there, I get a small amount of money for the transaction.)
The Elder Sign
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
“This small grey (sometimes greenish) stone in the shape of a five-pointed star is a powerful protection against all minions of the Old Ones. The true potent Elder Signs are few in number and incredibly ancient, having been made by the elder gods. They have the following powers:”
* While carrying the Elder Sign, you have immunity to psionic powers (such as the innate spellcasting of the Great Race of Yith). Your Armor Class improves by +3 against attacks from the minions of the Old Ones.
* When you use an action to strongly present the Elder Sign, minions of the Old Ones such as Shoggoths, Byakhee, Flame Creatures, Deep Ones, and Mi-Go flee from you. An affected creature moves as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
Magic Wool
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
“Certain mighty persons of Pohjola [the land of evil and wizardry] have some of this material which, when rubbed against the flesh, produces a flock of thirty sheep once a month.”
Magical Brush
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
When you are injured or otherwise in trouble, the magical brush sheds blood, no matter the distance between you and the magical brush.
Magical Sledge
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
The
The Necronomicon
Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
“The Necronomicon is a powerful and perilous magical tome of ancient origins. It was originally written by Abdul Alhazred, a great magic-user known to some as the ‘Mad Arab’. After ten years alone in the desert he wrote a book called Al Azif — words used to denote the nocturnal sounds of insects which may be the voices of demons. Alhazred was later seized in the streets of a desert city by invisible demons and devoured horribly in front of many witnesses.”
A creature attuned to the book must spend 80 hours reading and studying it to have a chance of understanding its contents. If the creature is non-evil, that creature must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment shifts one step closer to chaotic evil (see Slip into Madness below).
Forbidden Knowledge. You can reference the Necronomicon whenever you make an Intelligence check to find information about the Old Ones and their minions. When you do so, double your proficiency bonus on that check.
Open What Ought To Stay Closed. Using the blasphemous incantations in the Necronomicon, you can open portals to alien realms. As a ritual, you can use contact other plane, gate, or plane shift.
Slip into Madness. Each time you use the Necronomicon, you must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, your alignment shifts one step closer to chaotic evil, shifting from law to neutrality to chaos before shifting from good to neutral to evil. With each shift in alignment, you acquire a minor detrimental property (DMG, page 220). When you become chaotic evil, you become an NPC under the DM’s control. If you were already chaotic evil, you become irrevocably mad (and an NPC under the DM’s control).
Random Properties. The Necronomicon has two randomly determined two minor beneficial properties.
Rake of Iron
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
“This item appears to be 3′ in length but, because of its magical nature and purpose, it can elongate to as far as the user wishes (up to 200 yards).” When used to rake an area as part of a search, you double your proficiency bonus to find what you’re searching for.
Snowshoes of Speed and Traveling
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
While wearing these snowshoes, your walking speed is doubled, and any creature that makes an opportunity attack against you has disadvantage on the attack roll. You ignore difficult terrain created by ice or snow.
True Ankh
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a cleric of the Life domain)
“This magical device, carried by all the gods of the Nile at one time or another, enables them to raise any dead creature fully….”
The true ankh combines the powers of a rod of resurrection and a staff of healing. It has 10 charges. It regains 1 expended charge daily at dawn. If the true ankh is reduced to 0 charges, it disappears in a burst of radiance, returning to the realm of the gods.
For reasons unknown to me, these three magic items do not appear in the 5E DMG. They might appear somewhere else, but I don’t own somewhere else. These are strange omissions. Some version of these crossbows have been part of D&D for decades.
Crossbow of Accuracy
Weapon (crossbow), very rare (requires attunement)
The crossbow of accuracy is a +3 weapon. All ranges are considered normal. One in 10 of these weapons are heavy crossbows.
Crossbow of Distance
Weapon (crossbow), rare (requires attunement)
The crossbow of distance has double range in both categories. Otherwise, it is a +1 crossbow. One in 10 of these weapons are heavy crossbows.
Crossbow of Speed
Weapon (crossbow), very rare (requires attunement)
This +1 crossbow automatically cocks itself when it is grasped. When you use the crossbow of speed in combat, you roll initiative with advantage. If you are wielding this weapon when surprised, you may make one attack with it during the round in which you are surprised. The crossbow of speed does not have the load property.
I had not even noticed the missing crossbows but you are right, it is an odd omission.