It Came From Drive-Thru RPG: Video Game Magic Items

[Libertad]

A Word from the Author
Video games have become what most people think of when “gaming” is mentioned. Even role-playing games have largely become the province of video games in the public mind. And while tabletop role-playing will never be totally eclipsed by digital gaming, there are still many interesting things in video games that can be brought to the table. Here then are magic items inspired by some of the most popular video games of all time. After years of video games drawing on tabletop RPGs for inspiration, isn’t it time they gave something to your game?

-Shane O’Connor

Video Game Magic Items, written by Drive-Thru RPG staff member Shane O'Connor, draws upon inspiration from popular video game franchises such as Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda.  Lots of these magic items you might recognize from these classics and others: the 1-Up Mushroom on the cover makes an appearance here as well.  Naturally a lot of their names have been changed to avoid copyright lawsuits, but we all know what they're talking about.

Without further ado, let's begin!



The BaBomb is a simple construct designed to follow a simple set of commands such as "keep walking until you hit something and explode."  As monsters they are Tiny CR 3 Constructs which self-destruct akin to a 5th level fireball spell.

I like this item as a dungeon monster, but it's too expensive and time-consuming to build for PC use.

The Blue Shell Armor is based off of the Blue Shell from the New Super Mario Bros.  It's a life-sized turtle shell which functions as a +3 Breastplate.  It grants deflection bonuses to AC when in full defensive by pulling into the shell, and allows you to make an Improved Overrun attempt on all opponents within a straight line of movement when in this state just like a Koopa!

I think this one's nifty, although overrun maneuvers are of limited use in a conventional D20 game.



The Bow of Light is based off of Pitt's signature weapon from Kid Icarus.  It's a +2 Holy Burst Shortbow (like flaming burst, but holy damage) which materializes a string and bow, both made of of light, when wielded.  It can also be detached to form into two +1 holy short swords.

Also pretty cool, a neat gift for archers.

Cape of the Hero is based off of the flying cape from Super Mario World.  It was made by clerics of an air deity, and grants flight speed at average maneuverability equal to twice base land speed and feather fall when falling.  Additionally, it can cause an effect similar to an Earthquake spell when the user slams into the ground, and can be used as a weapon in combat and grants Whirlwind Attack for these purposes.

It comes in at a rather pricey cost (200,000 gp), although the constant flight and AoE are pretty good.

The Cloud of Flying is based off of the Lakitu Cloud from Super Mario Bros.  It can hold up to 250 lbs. and has a fly speed (good maneuverability) of 40 feet.  Users who duck into the cloud gain a +10 bonus on Hide checks when in the air to appear as a normal cloud.

The text does not specify if ducking in the cloud grants cover; an open blue sky doesn't sound like it'd grant much cover for the Hide skill to work.



The Club of the Smash Brothers is based off of the Baseball Bat from Super Smash Bros.  It's a +2 Greatclub said to be wielded by a famous adventuring party known as the Smash Brothers, and grants Awesome Blow as a bonus feat even if the wielder does not meet the prerequisites.  It can be used on corporeal opponents one size category larger than the user's size.

Uh, Shane, you're cutting it reallly close to a lawsuit with this one, I think.



The Final Sword is based off of various blades wielded by Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7.  It is actually a set of 6 interlocking swords which can be changed out depending upon the situation, each with a different name and set of enhancement bonuses and qualities.  Crusader is the base sword, Punisher specializes against golems and constructs, Pitiless against devils, Revenger against demons, etc.

It also presents the Interlocking quality as a new non-magical descriptor to add to weapons.  In exchange for a +8 to the Craft DC and 500 gp to the highest weapon cost per additional weapon, two or more weapons can be combined into one interlocking set of parts which can be switched around as a free action.

We also get a new feat, Sure Grasp, which effectively functions as Monkey Grip (because Cloud wielded his Buster Sword one-handed).

The feat is superfluous (although I guess they couldn't reference Monkey Grip outright), but the Final Sword is something I'd put into my games if given the opportunity.



The Fiery Flower is based off of the Fire Flower from Super Mario Bros.  It is a minor consumable wondrous item which grants the user the ability to throw fire equivalent to the Produce Flame spell when eaten.  The user's clothes turn red and white for the duration of the spell.

At 250 gp, it's sort of overpriced, but can be useful if the party arcanist combines it with Pyrotechnics.



The Gi of Heaven is based off of the gi worn by Akuma in the Street Fighter Series.  It is an unholy gi, granting any non-good monk wearer the Enraged Demon Technique.  Once per day, the technique can be used on an opponent as a touch attack, dealing Wisdom damage equal to the Monk's level on a failed Will Save.  Opponents reduced to 0 Wisdom die instantly.

The Gi's reputation as an instant death attack falls short mechanics-wise, as the Monk would need to be really high level to take out most (Wis 10+) creatures.

Thoughts so far: I really like a lot of these items.  A few I find rather unimaginative and situational, but overall they're quite cool.

Next time, more magic items!

[Libertad]

The Glove of Power is a +2 Gauntlet which cannot be disarmed from a wearer, and you do not provoke Attacks of Opportunity when fighting with it.  It also grants Mage Hand and Spectral Hand at will, and Bigby's Interposing Hand and Grasping Hand spells twice per day.

It's too expensive (112,952 gp) for its utility.  But Spectral Hand at will is great for spellcasters with touch spells.

Leaf of the Raccoon is based off of the Raccoon Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3.  It was designed by a cabal of druids and is a one-use edible item.  It transforms the user into an anthropomorphic raccoon for 10 minutes, with a natural tail weapon (with Whirlwind Attack); the user can wag the tail to fly at double base land speed (average maneuver) or feather fall.

Kind of like a one-use Cape of the Hero.  It's still way too expensive (11,000 gp) to be practical.

Aw yeah, we're on the Masamune, baby!  This legendary blade was wielded by Sephiroth, one of the most memorable villains in the Final Fantasy series, and it's game stats do not disappoint.  It's a Large +7 keen greatsword of speed which can be wielded by Medium characters without penalty.  It overcomes the hardness of all objects, and grants a BAB equal to the user's HD when wielded (if they already have this, they automatically confirm all critical hits).

Mirrors of Restoration are based off of save points from the Final Fantasy series, and are known as such in D&D settings with them as well.  When a user peers into it, it makes a near-replica "save" of his or her current condition, including hit points, level, experience, equipment, etc.  The mirror can be deliberately smashed to restore the user to their current condition, and "saves" can be erased in case they want to create a more up-to-date replica.

It's one of the few items worth the price, of 60,000 gp.  Crafting it requires the Wish spell.

I love the idea, but the item is open to some extreme abuse.

The Mushroom of Growth is... oh come on, you all should know what this is from!  It's a one-use item which grants enlarge person (Caster Level 5th) on those who eat it.



Scorpion's Sting is a +2 Spiked Chain/Whip (variable use) based off of Scorpion's harpoon from the Mortal Kombat series.  As a standard action, the wielder can use a special attack where an opponent within range is pulled adjacent to them and stunned for one round on a failed Strength check.  Squares the opponent passes through provokes attacks of opportunity from creatures within range.

This is an awesome weapon for AoO and Spiked Chain Fighter builds.



The Star of Invincibility is a one-use item which bestows a Prismatic Cloak spell on the user for 6 rounds.

Prismatic Cloak is a new 7th level Sorcerer/Wizard spell in this book.  Basically it wreathes the target in a shimmering array of rainbow colors.  Each of the 7 colors protects the user from a certain harmful effect, and each color can only be negated by a specific spell.  For example, Red stops non-magical ranged weapons and is negated by Cone of Cold, Yellow stops poison, gas, and petrification and is negated by disintegrate, and indigo stops all spells except daylight (which negates it).  The spell can even function in anti-magic fields and is not affected, and dispel magic can only negate the Indigo color (which blocks all objects and effects).

Since it lasts 1 round per level, this spell literally makes you invincible for the duration, more than enough time to take care of the opposition.  A really overpowered spell which I would never allow in any game.  The Invincibility Star, maybe.

The Suit of the Raccoon is made by the same cabal of druids responsible for the Leaf of the Raccoon, and is a wooden carving which transforms into a suit via mental command.  It has all the powers of its leaf counterpart except for a +5 natural armor bonus and the ability to use the Statue spell on the user for 13 rounds per day.

Since it's not one-use, it's a lot more expensive (200,000 gp).  I'd personally favor it over Cape of the Hero due to its defensive capabilities.

Summoning Spheres are based off of the Pokeballs from Pokemon.  Once per day it can be thrown at a monster to capture it if empty, with user rolling a d20 + character level + ball strength, which becomes the Will Save DC for the monster to resist.  If successfully captured, the monster can be summoned as per a Summon Monster spell of a level keyed to the ball's strength with a command word (usually "I choose you!").  Balls come in different levels of magnitude, which provide greater bonuses on roll (the normal sphere is +0 and replicates Summon Monster 3, while the Master sphere grants +12 and replicates Summon Monster IX).

This is my favorite item in the whole book.



The Vegetable of Might is derived from the vegetables of Super Mario Bros 2.

The original vegetables of might were grown by the same druids who created the leaf of the raccoon, adding further evidence that they must have been smoking some of the more exotic forest plants when they were dreaming up new magic items to create.

 

When eaten, it heals 1d8+5 hit points of damage, and can be used as a thrown weapon dealing 1d8+Str modifier points of bludgeoning damage with a 20 foot range increment.  It leaves behind 1d4 seeds which grow into more Vegetables of Might in 1d4 months.

I really like this spell's theme, but it takes too long to grow and is too expensive (500 gp) to be worth it.  Perhaps reduce the price to 50 gp, and then we might have something.

Thoughts so far: I'm pleasantly surprised by how accurately these items map to the d20 rules set.  Unfortunately a lot of them are overpriced, meaning that per RAW they're more useful as found items than bought or created.

Next time, the final section, the Artifacts!

[Libertad]

The Keysword is based off of Sora's Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts.  It's a minor artifact and key-shaped +4 longsword which grants wielders the ability to cast Knock and Arcane Lock at will.  It is designed to fight creatures with no souls, and ignores damage reduction of all undead and constructs.  It's said to be the key to unlocking a "kingdom hearts" where all souls-to-be lie.

Sort of underwhelming for an artifact, but it can be a good primary weapon for a heroic sort of PC (like in the aforementioned game).

The Mushroom of Extra Life is the quintessential 1-Up Mushroom seen in all those Mario games.  To outward non-magical detection it appears as a Mushroom Growth, but anybody who eats it will have True Resurrection cast upon them if they die within the hour.  If they survive beyond that the Mushroom has no effect.

Overall it's worse than the Mirror of Restoration: its nature can't be easily discerned, its duration is limited, and it can't be 'updated.'  I wouldn't put it on artifact-level status.

The Ribbon of Protection is named after the Ribbon equipment from the Final Fantasy series.  When worn as a bracelet, it provides immunity to all forms of poison and disease, petrification, mind-affecting and death effects, ability damage and drain, and unwilling polymorph effects.  Just like the video game one.

I don't know if I'd make it an artifact, but few pieces of equipment in other sourcebooks provide this much protection.



The Seven Gems of Chaos derive from the Chaos Emeralds of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.  They were created by an unknown deity of Chaos long ago, and the full extent of their power is accessible only when all of them are together (left to the DM).

Individually, a Gem of Chaos grants a wielder command over time and space, with the haste, slow, dimension door, and time stop a limited number of times per day with the command word "Chaos Controlled!"  Spellcasters can apply the Quicken Metamagic feat to spells 3/day without increasing their level or casting time.

Additionally, a Gem can be embedded (removable) into a magic item with charges, effectively granting it infinite uses due to the seemingly limitless power of raw Chaos.

Finally, a magic item worthy of the title artifact!

The Thriforce is a major artifact based off of the Triforce from the Legend of Zelda series.  It's imbued with the power of three creator goddesses, of Wisdom, Courage, and Power.  Each individual Thriforce can meld with wielders who represent virtues closest to them, manifesting as a mark on the back of their left hand.

Each Thriforce grants the wielder +20 bonus to 2 ability scores (Str and Con for Power, Dex and Cha for Courage, Int and Wis for Wisdom), and makes all saves as Fort/Ref/Will saves (Power/Courage/Wisdom respectively), among other things.

The Thriforce of Power represents strength.  It grants proficiency with EVERYTHING, DR 20/epic, and can act normally at -1 to -9 hit points.  Surprisingly the least versatile and powerful of the three.

The Thriforce of Courage represents skill and hope, and is traditionally wielded by history's greatest heroes.  It grants a +10 bonus on all skill checks, immunity to mind-affecting effects, Spell Resistance 20 + HD, and improved evasion and improved uncanny dodge.  Better than Power, but not as good as Wisdom.

The Thriforce of Wisdom is a spellcaster's dream come true.  They can automatically use all magical devices and artifacts successfully, can cast spells in anti-magic fields, +10 to concentration and 0% arcane spell failure, and 3 bonus spells per day per spell level (including any granted from the ability score increase).  If the wielder is not a spellcaster, they cast spells as a sorcerer equal to their HD, but substitute Wisdom for Charisma as their key spellcasting ability score.  This blows the other Thriforces out of the water.

If united, the Thriforce's abilities are unknown but said to be great.

Overall I like the Thriforces, but Shane forgot to add in the most iconic ability.  If anybody can unite all three together, they gain one wish.  But if one with an evil heart has his wish granted, the world will fall into ruin.  Of course this never manifested in the game series,  though.

Yenova's Corpse is based off of the monster Jenova from Final Fantasy Seven (three items from the series, somebody's a big fan!).  A minor artifact, Yenova was an evil entity from beyond the stars which sought to absorb all the magic from the world before a band of heroes slayed her.  Even as a corpse her body appears freshly dead.  Any spell cast on her corpse is automatically absorbed, and anyone who attempts to attack her is afflicted with a random stored spell (there's millennia worth of spells inside her).  Its real power is that anybody who touches the body gains the Heir of Yenova template.  Heirs are beings with immense magical powers but in telepathic contact with Yenova, which erodes their sense of will over time until they become a slave to her.

We are provided with the template.  In short, they gain a bunch of spell-like abilities which increase in number and power with Hit Dice, Spell Resistance, ability to ignore magical forms of protection with a special application to attack rolls, and turn Neutral Evil and serve Yenova on a failed Will Save, which is rolled whenever they advance in hit die or level.

The entry contains two pictures, which I don't see as related to Yenova or her minions at hand:





I really love the mechanics and flavor of Yenova.  It provides a great long-term enemy for campaigns.

Final Thoughts: Overall I like Video Game Magic Items.  Most of their entries are faithful replications of their original appearances, and the selection is varied and interesting enough to fit well in most campaigns to override the "silliness factor" of some of them.

I'd recommend this as a purchase.

[X-Codes]

Question: Are you sure the Masamune is Sephiroth's Masamune and not Frog's Masamune?

[awaken_D_M_golem]

The Seven Gems of Chaos derive from the Chaos Emeralds of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.  They were created by an unknown deity of Chaos long ago, and the full extent of their power is accessible only when all of them are together (left to the DM).

Individually, a Gem of Chaos grants a wielder command over time and space, with the haste, slow, dimension door, and time stop a limited number of times per day with the command word "Chaos Controlled!"  Spellcasters can apply the Quicken Metamagic feat to spells 3/day without increasing their level or casting time.

Additionally, a Gem can be embedded (removable) into a magic item with charges, effectively granting it infinite uses due to the seemingly limitless power of raw Chaos.

Huh, interesting.
Marvel's Infinity Gems pre-date that by quite a bit, but the Infinity Gauntlet is right around the release date of Sonic.
They seem very similar.

[Prime32]

They probably owe more to the Dragonballs than anything, considering their in-game effect.

[Libertad]

Question: Are you sure the Masamune is Sephiroth's Masamune and not Frog's Masamune?

Flavor Text:

This powerful weapon has been held by many wielders over the centuries.  The most recent was the villain Sefirah at the Battle of the Meteor, two centuries ago.

[X-Codes]

It doesn't help that it's in every game and every time it looks like something else.

[Amechra]

I think the Glove of Power is intentionally too expensive. After all, it's so bad. i'm sorry don't hurt me

[Bauglir]

i'm sorry don't hurt me

You shouldn't be.