Truenaming Items

Since the Strange Magic classes now have magic items that use their own brands of magic, all ethermagic, composition, and truenaming classes are considered to have a caster level equal to their class level, composer level, or class level, respectively, for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of item creation feats, as well as the construction requirements of specific magic items.

New Special Abilities

Armor Special Abilities

Howling

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate evocation; CL 7th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

Howling armor lets out an angry shriek the first time its wearer is struck in melee each round, deafening the attacker for 1 round with a DC 10 + the wearer’s reciter level Fortitude save to negate. Creatures that are deafened in this fashion take a -1 penalty to saving throws against recitations recited by the armor’s wearer.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, ode to the porcupine; Cost +1 bonus

Shield Special Abilities

Acoustic

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 10th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

An acoustic shield is shaped such that sound waves are enhanced by its presence, increasing the duration of all recitations targeting it by +2 rounds. When the wielder recites a recitation targeting the shield, he ignores that shield‘s armor check penalty for the purpose of determining the DC of the recitation’s truenaming check.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, riveting conversation; Cost +1 bonus

Contingent Speech

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A contingent speech shield allows a truemagician to store a single-targeted recitation of 1st level from the Codex of Heart and Mind in the shield. The recitation cannot have any inflections. When a recitation is stored in this manner, the reciter selects one of the three following triggering conditions: when the wielder takes damage, when the wielder falls unconscious, or when the wielder recites a recitation. When the triggering condition is met, the stored recitation is immediately recited upon the wielder as a free action.

A contingent speech shield emits a moderate aura of the transmutation school, plus the aura of the recitation currently stored.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells contingency, translate; Cost +1 bonus

Contingent Speech, Greater

Price +3 bonus
Aura strong transmutation; CL 14th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A greater contingent speech shield functions as a contingent speech shield, save that it can store any number of recitations from the Codex of Heart and Mind, so long as the sum of their recitation levels is 3 or less. Each recitation can have a different triggering condition. A greater contingent speech shield emits a strong aura of the transmutation school, plus the auras of the recitations currently stored.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells contingency, translate; Cost +3 bonus

Weapon Special Abilities

Nameseeker

Price +2 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 10th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A nameseeker weapon knows the racial identity of a creature by touch and taste, and has a tendency to fixate on one race at a time. Whenever such a weapon deals damage to a creature while unattuned, it becomes attuned to that creature and begins to howl the true name of its race ad nauseum. For the next minute, the weapon deals an additional 2d4 points of sonic damage to creatures that share a creature type or subtype with the creature to which it is attuned. When this duration expires, the weapon finally ceases its shrieking and becomes unattuned.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, boastful oratory; Cost +2 bonus

Truesong

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A truesong weapon sings along with its wielder’s recitations, but takes on an aggressive, sharp tone whenever it hears improper tonality from its wielder. This constant negative reinforcement is a useful, if fairly annoying, truenaming aid, granting a +1 insight bonus to all truenaming checks made to recite a recitation whose recitation level is less than or equal to the weapon’s enhancement bonus.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, translate; Cost +1 bonus

Warbling

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A warbling weapon echoes its wielder’s speech and recitations with constant melodic humming. Whenever the wielder is about to recite a recitation, he may choose to channel his voice through his weapon, albeit at a -4 penalty to his truenaming check. This effectively allows a truemagician to recite while being strangled, drowned, or otherwise kept from speaking. A warbling weapon functions in any media through which sound travels, but imposes an additional -4 penalty to truenaming checks in any media other than water or air. Given the limitations of the means by which a warbling weapon transmits sound, inflections cannot be recited in this fashion.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, riveting conversation; Cost +1 bonus

Wordbane

Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

A wordbane weapon treats its enhancement bonus as though it were +3 higher against creatures that are subject to an ongoing recitation.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, garble; Cost +2 bonus

Wordforged

Price +2 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Weight

DESCRIPTION

Whenever a wordforged weapon becomes subject to a 3rd-level or lower recitation from the Codex of Artifice, the duration of that recitation is set to permanent, but all other 3rd-level or lower recitations from that Codex to which the weapon is subject end immediately.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, alter blade; Cost +2 bonus

Scrolls

Baneful Pamphlet

Aura strong transmutation; CL 17th; Weight 1/2 lb.; Price varies by specific type:

  • Least baneful pamphlet 150 gp
  • Lesser baneful pamphlet 300 gp
  • Baneful pamphlet 450 gp
  • Greater baneful pamphlet 600 gp

DESCRIPTION

Scions of discordia are natural-born instigators and troublemakers. Creating rhetorical ties that bind seemingly-unrelated subjects by pointing out their common flaws may be a valuable tactic for demagogues and politicians in search of soft power, but in the hands of a scion, such skills become dangerous in a much more immediate sense. Baneful pamphlets combine the idea of a magical scroll with the aforementioned rhetorical slant, resulting in pieces of parchment that bring nothing but ill fortune by the tried-and-true method of using the First Language to insist that this ill fortune is a thing that should exist. If a creature is holding a baneful pamphlet whenever it uses the condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability, it may consume the pamphlet as a free action to “split” that condition, effectively applying it to two eligible targets rather than one. When split in this fashion, the condition’s remaining duration is halved, rounded down.

If one of the two targets resists the condition dispersal ability, then both the original subject from which the condition was taken and the creature that failed its save gain that condition at the newly-halved duration. If both of the two targets resist the condition dispersal ability, then the original subject from which the condition was taken retains the condition at its original, unhalved duration. Only one baneful pamphlet may be used per use of the condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability.

The more debilitating a condition is, the more powerful a baneful pamphlet must be in order to split it. A baneful pamphlet can always split conditions that may be split by a weaker, less expensive type of baneful pamphlet.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Scribe Scroll, creator must know the condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability; Cost varies by specific type:

  • Least baneful pamphlet 75 gp
  • Lesser baneful pamphlet 150 gp
  • Baneful pamphlet 225 gp
  • Greater baneful pamphlet 300 gp

Rings

Heckler’s Immunity

Aura strong evocation; CL 13th; Slot ring; Weight —; Price varies by specific type:

DESCRIPTION

The emblems of various factions that fly against the established norm adorn this otherwise-plain silver band.

If worn by a truemagician whose recitations can accidentally become reversed while that individual apologizes to the universe to reset the Law of Finite Malleability, the ring becomes attuned to that individual for 24 hours and gains a pool of immunity points whose size varies by specific type.

  • Least 1 point
  • Lesser 4 points
  • Greater 10 points

While wearing heckler’s immunity, if the creature attuned to the ring accidentally recites the reverse recitation, it may expend immunity points equal to that recitation’s recitation level in order to ignore the reversal and recite the intended variant of that recitation instead. Heckler’s immunity‘s immunity pool refreshes whenever it attunes to a new wearer, or whenever the creature to which it is currently attuned apologizes to the universe to reset the Law of Finite Malleability.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Forge Ring, corrosive remarks, shocking remarks; Cost varies by specific type:

Profane Signet

Aura moderate evocation; CL 9th; Slot finger; Price 4,500 gp; Weight

DESCRIPTION

An iron band with a large, scowling face as its emblem, the profane signet is simple, sturdy, and incredibly loud and obnoxious when provoked. Whenever the wearer of this ring becomes subject to a recitation, the ring’s emblem animates momentarily and lets loose with a tirade of some of the foulest language ever to be extrapolated from study of the First Language, dealing 1 point of sonic damage to a creature adjacent to the wearer.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Forge Ring, shocking remarks; Cost 2,250 gp

Potions

Truelixir

Aura weak universal; CL 1st; Slot —; Price 125 gp; Weight 1/4 lb.

DESCRIPTION

All magic is derived from the First Language in some way, shape, or form. It is this truism that makes the truelixir possible. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a creature holding a vial of truelixir may influence the shapeless fluid contained within, transforming it into a potion of any 1st-level spell on any spell list to which it has access. Single-target spells that cannot normally be made potions, such as the magic missile spell, can be transformed into potions in this manner and can either be consumed or used as a thrown splash weapon that affects a random creature in the square of impact.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Brew Potion, CraftWondrous Item, uncork; Cost 62 gp, 5 sp

Wands

Artifice Wand

When it comes to storing magic in an object, those magics derived from the First Language (everything but truenaming) are far better behaved about it than the First Language itself. A great deal of research went into making magical items that could recite the First Language on their own, but teaching a thing to use the proper inflection is next to impossible. As it turns out, since an item is a thing and truenaming is all about thinking like the noun that is the subject of a recitation, things taught to speak could only recite from the Codex of Artifice (which, itself, is all about things) with anything even approaching consistent success. Even then, the Law of Finite Malleability made the time-honored tradition of “wand whipping” an insurmountable obstacle. Yes, artifice wands work, but wand purists are likely to hesitate when asked to classify them as true wands. Of course, the truenamer would immediately counter that these are the only true wands.

An artifice wand is a thin baton that contains a single recitation of 4th level or lower from the Codex of Artifice.

Inflections may be added to an artifice wand? however, any inflection added to an artifice wand increases the effective recitation level of the recitation to be stored within by an amount equal to the Malleability DC Modifier of that inflection, minimum +1, but only for the purpose of determining the price of the wand and whether or not its effective recitation level is low enough to be a wand in the first place. Unlike a standard wand, an artifice wand does not have a finite number of charges. Instead, it may be activated up to twice per day. The price of an artifice wand is equal to the level of the recitation × the creator’s reciter level × 750 gp. If the artifice wand has a material component cost, 50 times that material component cost is added to the base price and cost to create. Table: Artifice Wand Cost gives sample prices for wands created at the lowest possible reciter level. Physical Description: An artifice wand is 6 to 12 inches long, 1/4 inch thick, and weighs no more than 1 ounce. Most wands are wood, but some are bone, metal, or even crystal. A typical wand has Armor Class 7, 5 hit points, hardness 5, and a break DC of 16.

Activation: Artifice wands use the spell trigger activation method, so reciting a recitation from an artifice wand is usually a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the recitation being recited has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to recite from an artifice wand.) To activate an artifice wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for non-humanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area.

An artifice wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.

Artifice wands are subject to the Law of Flowing Rhetoric, meaning that they cannot be activated while their effects are still ongoing. Recitations with a duration of instantaneous generally lock out repeated use for 5 rounds. See each recitation’s entry for details. The DC of the Use Magic Device skill check required to activate an artifice wand increases by +2 for its second daily activation in accordance with the Law of Finite Malleability, if applicable.

Special Qualities: Roll d%. A 01–30 result indicates that something (a design, inscription, or the like) provides some clue to the wand‘s function, and 31–100 indicates no special qualities.

Table: Artifice Wand Cost
Recitation Level Truenamer Scion of Discordia
1 750 gp 750 gp
2 6,000 gp 6,000 gp
3 15,750 gp 15,750 gp
4 30,000 gp 30,000 gp

Wondrous Items

Book of Concatenated Recitations

Aura strong transmutation; CL 11th; Slot —; Price 20,000 gp; Weight 5 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

One of the many creations of the prolific Professor Maxwell Feytouched, a book of concatenated recitations is a sturdy, oversized tome designed to act as a training aid for those truenamers struggling to break into the Codex of Far-Flung Spheres. It achieves this by mixing together recitations from the Codex of Heart and Mind in real time, effectively weaving together two complex sets of syllables such that any speaker following along with the text ends up reciting both at once. This closely resembles the function of the more-complex Codex of Far-Flung Spheres while remaining recognizable to the journeyman using it.

A book of concatenated recitations can store up to two 2nd-level or lower recitations from the Codex of Heart and Mind at once. While storing fewer than two recitations, any creature that wields the book in one hand considers it to be a legal target for any qualifying recitation of that Codex. Rather than be subject to the effects of any qualifying recitation cast upon it, the book of concatenated recitations instead flips open to a random page and starts writing out the recitation. As the second recitation is added to the book, the recitations mesh together in flowing crimson and cerulean script. At this point, any creature that knows both of the recitations stored within the book may read from the book as a full-round action, casting both of the stored recitations upon a single target. Treat the reciter level of these recitations as the lowest reciter level among those who either added a recitation to the book or read from the book when it was finished. If the subject of this combined recitation is an illegal target for one of the combined recitations, then that recitation has no effect, but the other one acts normally. Recitations added to the book are stripped of their inflections, if any, upon being stored.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, tinkering; Cost 10,000 gp

Cloak of the Loquacious

Aura strong transmutation; CL 14th; Slot shoulders; Price 44,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

An indispensible accessory for those whose prodigious vocabularies merit its equally-prodigious expense, the cloak of the loquacious is an exquisite violet-hued cloak whose surface has all but been encrusted with various truenaming conceits in silver, spidery script. The cloak grants the following benefits.

  • The wearer gains a +1 luck bonus to saving throws, but only when subject to an ongoing recitation.
  • While within the area of effect of a recitation from the Codex of Far-Flung Spheres that the wearer recited, the wearer gains a +4 bonus to CMD against all combat maneuvers that would result in being ejected from the area of effect of that recitation.
  • The cloak itself is treated as though it were any piece of non-weapon, non-armor, non-shield equipment, such as a shirt or goggles, for the purpose of being a valid target for recitations from the Codex of Artifice. If not currently affected by ongoing recitations, any recitation from the Codex of Artifice targeting the cloak has its duration increased by +1 round.
  • The first time the wearer of the cloak is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points each day, the cloak recites volatilize on a potion on the wearer’s person as a free action, then shatters the vial as a second free action, dousing the wearer in that potion as though it were delivered as a thrown splash weapon. The cloak preferentially selects healing potions or potions that grant temporary hit points, but will try something at random should none be available.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, identify, rig the game, volatilize; Cost 22,000 gp

Fountainless Inkpen

Aura weak conjuration; CL 1st; Slot —; Weight 1/4 lb.; Price varies by specific type:

  • Fountainless inkpen 100 gp
  • Illuminator’s fountainless inkpen 300 gp
  • Notary’s fountainless inkpen 2,100 gp
  • Spy’s fountainless inkpen 500 gp
  • Student’s fountainless inkpen 300 gp
  • Truescribe’s fountainless inkpen 3,500 gp

Special: A fountainless inkpen with the abilities of multiple variants can be produced. To determine its price, add 25% to the price of all variants to be added together, save the most expensive, then add their prices together. For example, a spy’s truescribe’s fountainless inkpen has a price of 4,250 gp.

DESCRIPTION

Truemagicians are nothing without their books, and as their understanding grows, so too do their libraries. For an academy of truenaming, the price of ink, parchment, and binding is absolutely immense, and a need to reduce the cost of such essentials led to the rapid development of magical means to pay once for one of these necessities and be done with it. The most ubiquitous of these items is the fountainless inkpen, an endless reservoir of ink that just about every truenamer worth his salt owns. Given their commoditization, such pens come in many different varieties in order to give the discerning customer precisely the sort of badge he desires.

All fountainless inkpens contain an infinite reservoir of black ink, though various variants with other, more interesting amenities exist.

An illuminator’s fountainless inkpen is built to glide along paper with almost zero friction and compensates for mistakes its user is about to make, thus tripling the rate at which the owner can manually duplicate documents.

A notary’s fountainless inkpen features a little button on one end. When clicked, a free action, the color of ink produced by the pen changes from black to blue or from blue to black. As far as a bureaucrat is concerned, other colors do not exist. Additionally, on command five times per day, the pen can cast the arcane mark spell, but only if the target is a document.

A spy’s fountainless inkpen features a little button on one end. When clicked, a free action, the ink produced by the pen becomes invisible and can only be detected in the same manner that invisible arcane marks are detected.

A student’s fountainless inkpen features a little knob on one end. When turned, a move action, the color of ink produced by the pen shifts to a different color. Though the colors produced vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, all designs offer 24 distinct hues.

A piece for the truly discriminating connoisseur, a truescribe’s fountainless inkpen features construction that aids in the production of truenaming scrolls. When creating truenaming scrolls through the use of the illuminating manuscripts class feature, the number of truenaming scrolls the wielder may have at any one time increases by +1. A truescribe’s fountainless inkpen can only produce one additional scroll per day in this manner? sharing simply does not work.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, arcane mark; Special creator must be able to recite 2nd-level recitations; Cost varies by specific type:

  • Fountainless inkpen 50 gp
  • Illuminator’s fountainless inkpen 150 gp
  • Notary’s fountainless inkpen 1,050 gp
  • Spy’s fountainless inkpen 250 gp
  • Student’s fountainless inkpen 150 gp
  • Truescribe’s fountainless inkpen 1,750 gp

Overlord’s Dogtag

Aura strong divination and enchantment; CL 17th Slot neck; Weight —; Price varies by specific type:

  • Lesser overlord’s dogtag 70,000 gp
  • Greater overlord’s dogtag 150,000 gp

DESCRIPTION

The overlord’s dogtag is nothing more than a simple iron tag set on a slender chain of alloyed metals drawn from each of the outer planes. When placed about the neck of an outsider whose Hit Dice are less than or equal to the dogtag’s maximum, that creature must make a Will save or have its true name inscribed upon the iron tag itself, effectively giving the owner of the overlord’s dogtag control over the outsider as the true name arcane discovery. The Difficulty Class of the Will save varies by the specific type of dogtag.

  • Lesser 12 HD maximum, DC 22Will save
  • Greater 18 HD maximum, DC 25Will save

Should the outsider make its Will save, it is forever immune to the effects of that particular dogtag. The control granted by the overlord’s dogtag differs from that of the true name arcane discovery in a number of fundamental ways.

First, the true name of the outsider is right there on the beast’s neck for anyone to read and memorize, making controlling the outsider through coercion regarding said name effectively impossible. To combat this, the overlord’s dogtag twists the nature of the universe itself, rendering control over the outsider through use of its true name impossible by anyone save the owner of the dogtag, but only so long as the owner of the dogtag is alive. This alone is typically enough to terrify even the most belligerent of outsiders into keeping its master alive, if only to doublecross him later by finding a clever way to put him in suspended animation and effectively gain immunity to the laws of truename magic.

Second, the wearer of the overlord’s dogtag treats its owner as under the effects of a permanent sanctuary effect that does not end when the master takes a hostile action.

Third, the wearer of the overlord’s dogtag is compelled not to take the chain off. Should the chain be removed, the outsider no longer considers the dogtag’s owner as under a permanent sanctuary effect, but is still the owner’s property and can be disciplined as detailed in the true name arcane discovery.

Finally, should its dogtag be destroyed, an enthralled outsider is slain or otherwise destroyed instantly. The overlord’s dogtag has hardness 15 and 40 hit points.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item; Special creator must be a willshackler or know the true name arcane discovery; Cost varies by specific type:

  • Lesser overlord’s dogtag 35,000 gp
  • Greater overlord’s dogtag 75,000 gp

Platypus Talisman

Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Slot neck; Price 2,000 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.

DESCRIPTION

One of the best ways to make the universe hide its face in shame is to remind it of its failings, and since all truenamers know there’s some lingering unhappiness with the platypus, it tends to be the icon of choice. The DC to recite recitations defensively increases by +2 for all creatures that are within the wearer’s threatened area.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, ode to the porcupine; Cost 1,000 gp

Porcupine Talisman

Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Slot neck; Price 5,000 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.

DESCRIPTION

There’s just something about the porcupine that makes the universe swell with pride. As a result, magical icons depicting the creature tend to be one of the best ways to get on the universe’s good side. When worn by a creature while that individual apologizes to the universe to reset the Law of Finite Malleability, a porcupine talisman becomes attuned to that individual for 24 hours. When it becomes attuned, the wearer selects a single known recitation. The first time the wearer fails a truenaming check to recite the chosen recitation that day, the Law of Croaking Failure is summarily ignored. The benefit of a porcupine talisman refreshes itself whenever it attunes to a new wearer, or whenever the creature to which it is currently attuned apologizes to the universe to reset the Law of Finite Malleability. In both cases, a new recitation may be chosen.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, ode to the porcupine; Cost 2,500 gp

Simian Choker

Aura moderate evocation; CL 8th; Slot neck; Price 14,500 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.

DESCRIPTION

Three monkey charms, one bronze and covering its ears, one silver and covering its eyes, and one gold and covering its mouth, rest on a plain silver chain. When put on by a sapient creature (Int 3+), if the simian choker is currently unattuned, the three charms let out a raucous hooting and hollering, thereby attuning themselves to their new master. As soon as they attune, each monkey charm gains charges as detailed below.

  • Bronze charm – 1d3 charges
  • Silver charm – 1d3 charges
  • Gold charm – 6 charges minus the sum of the number of charges gained by the bronze charm and the silver charm

As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the attuned wearer may expend a charge from one of the charms to affect a creature within 60 feet with the corresponding effect. A DC 15 Fortitude save negates.

  • Bronze charm – Deafen for 1 minute
  • Silver charm – Blind for 2 rounds
  • Gold charm – Render mute (unable to speak) for 1 round

A simian choker‘s charges replenish themselves after eight hours of rest on the part of its master? these hours do not need to be consecutive, but such hours of rest only count if the choker is actually worn during that period of rest. If separated from its master for 24 hours, the simian choker becomes unattuned and loses all remaining charges.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, shocking remarks; Cost 7,250 gp

Singing Shards

Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Slot eyes; Price 6,000 gp; Weight

DESCRIPTION

Singing shards are crystals that come in sets of three and are worn above each of the eyebrows and on the chin. Though they may be worn on top of a mask or the like with little trouble, the nature of the eyebrow crystals does make wearing lenses and other ocular accessories rather impossible. Precise placement is necessary, for they produce a resonant field that can subtly change the voice and tonality of the wearer on command. Once per day, when reciting a recitation with exactly one inflection applied, the wearer may treat the Truenaming DC Modifier and Malleability DC Modifier of that inflection as though they were +0 for the purpose of that recitation.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item, translate; Cost 3,000 gp

Specific Magic Shields

Comeuppance

Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Weight 50 lbs.; Price 8,000 gp

DESCRIPTION

This +1 steel tower shield may not look all that special, but its construction demanded that it be forged in the flames of burning spellbooks, both arcane and divine. Comeuppance can store a single recitation of any level from either the Codex of Heart and Mind or the Codex of Artifice, but this recitation cannot be unleashed except as detailed below. As a readied action, the wielder can counterspell any spell whose spell level is less than or equal to the stored recitation’s recitation level and whose school matches the stored recitation’s similar school.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disdain for the derivative; Cost 4,000 gp

The Echoing Wall

Aura strong transmutation; CL 13th; Weight 50 lbs.; Price 24,000 gp

DESCRIPTION

This +2 contingent speech steel tower shield has been built in such a way that were a tiny orchestra to wedge it in the ground, build a stage in front of it, and begin to perform, they would have some rather excellent acoustics to go along with the whole being absolutely adorable thing they have going on. Any recitation stored in the echoing wall gains the stereo inflection. When a stored recitation is unleashed as per its chosen triggering condition, one of the recitation’s two targets must be yourself, while the other must be another creature within 10 feet. If there are no other creatures within 10 feet, then only you are affected.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells contingency, translate, creator must know the stereo inflection; Cost 12,000 gp

Portable Watchtower

Aura strong transmutation; CL 15th; Weight 60 lbs.; Price 85,000 gp

DESCRIPTION

This +3 greater contingent speech steel tower shield is built to look like one side of a squat, square watchtower. As a standard action while there are no other creatures in the wielder’s space, he may slam the portable watchtower against the ground, where it takes root and surges up around the wielder on all sides, producing a squat stone tower some 10 ft. high and as long and wide as the space the wielder occupies. The walls of a portable watchtower are made of stone and are 12 inches thick. If deployed in a space that has less than 10 ft. of clearance, the portable watchtower grows until it is flush with the ceiling, but does not deploy an automated archer (see below).

While deployed as a tower, the wielder, now the occupant of the deployed tower, enjoys the following amenities.

  • All portable watchtowers offer a ridiculously comfortable overstuffed chair of some description for general lounging about.
  • All portable watchtowers come standard with a heavy oaken door that can only be seen on the inside of the tower. From the outside, a portable watchtower just looks like a square block of stone. This door allows the occupant to leave the portable watchtower whenever he wishes, though the tower immediately reverts back into a shield should he open the door or otherwise leave the tower through any means. The tower also reverts back into a shield if its walls are breached in any manner.
  • All portable watchtowers have a built-in periscope that allows for 360-degree vision while lounging in the aforementioned ridiculously comfortable chair.
  • All towers need defenders. Built right into the top of a deployed portable watchtower is the torso of a stone crossbowman. This crossbowman wields a heavy crossbow whose enhancement bonus is equal to the portable watchtower’s enhancement bonus. Its attack bonus is equal to the occupant’s character level + its crossbow’s enhancement bonus + 2. It may reload and fire the crossbow once each round and has a limitless supply of mundane bolts. This guardian attacks either the closest foe or, if the occupant bothers to look around, whatever creature the occupant wants it to attack. The stone crossbowman has hardness 8 and 50 hit points. While deployed as a tower, the greater contingent speech shield special ability changes its functionality as follows. Rather than being assigned a triggering condition when added to the portable watchtower, all already-stored recitations, as well as those recitations added to the tower while it is deployed, imbue the stone crossbowman’s weapon. If the stone crossbowman hits a creature with a ranged attack, that creature becomes the target of all of the recitations stored in the tower. If the stone crossbowman misses, the stored recitations are lost. If there are recitations without an assigned triggering condition stored in the tower when it reverts back into a shield, the wielder must assign each of these recitations a triggering condition as a free action.
  • Watching a tower get the job done is thirsty work. Luckily, all portable watchtowers include a magically-restocking minibar. Though its offerings are non-nutritive and will not stave off starvation, they are tasty and designed to mimic the best parts of drunkenness without actually getting the occupant drunk. If the occupant spends at least 1 minute inside the deployed tower, he gains a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, and initiative checks for 1 hour upon leaving it. When a portable watchtower reverts back to a shield, it cannot be deployed again for 24 hours.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells contingency, stone shape, translate; Cost 42,500 gp

Specific Magic Weapons

Instigator’s Flunky

Aura strong conjuration; CL 13th; Weight 5 lbs.; Price 61,340 gp

DESCRIPTION

Symbols of chaos and anarchy cover this +2 anarchic earthbreaker, making the wielder feel irascible and pumped for conflict. If the wielder possesses the discordant blows class feature, the nascent intelligence in the weapon awakens and proceeds to provide supplementary commentary to each discordant blow the wielder executes, uttering the First Language equivalents of “Sweet Burn!” or “Ooooh!” to every strike. Oddly, this linguistic cronyism actually seems to enhance the potency of the discordant blows executed with the weapon, increasing the sonic bonus damage by +1d3. Additionally, the weapon’s interjections can make the repetition of recitations feel less jarring. Three times per day as a swift action, the wielder can reduce the truenaming DC modifier applied to the next recitation he recites that round by 1, to a total of a +1 modifier. This ability momentarily modifies the Law of Finite Malleability.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Special creator must be a discordant instigator; Cost 30,840 gp

Sinkhole of Banes

Aura moderate conjuration (healing); CL 10th; Weight 6 lbs; Price 36,320 gp

DESCRIPTION

This may very well be the sorriest-looking spear in existence. From the indecisively-carved runes to the warped, blanched, and somehow-excessively-heavy darkwood that makes up most of its structure, this +2 darkwood spear looks like it has seen the sorrows of the world. The sinkhole of banes, being so beaten and battered by the woes of the world, is treated as a valid target for the wielder’s condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability. While storing a condition in this way, the first creature damaged by the spear becomes subject to the stored condition as the spear rids itself of the impurity. The remaining duration of a stored condition continues to count down while within the sinkhole of banes. The damaged creature does not receive a saving throw to negate the condition? however, there is an inherent danger in using the sinkhole of banes: namely, if the spear gains the broken condition or leaves the wielder’s hands while storing a condition, the spear lets out an anguish scream in the First Language, subjecting the wielder to the condition with no saving throw allowed.

A condition transferred to the wielder in this fashion cannot be cleansed through the use of the condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, creator must know the condition dispersal Discordant Zone ability; Cost 18,320 gp

Songbird

Aura strong transmutation; CL 11th; Weight 2 lbs; Price 50,302 gp

DESCRIPTION

Rarely does one stumble across a weapon of fine enough construction to be worthy of a dynasty’s crown jewels without the value of history behind it. This exquisite +1 truesong warbling dagger, engraved with images of performing songbirds on every surface from tip to grip, is one such weapon. Songbird does not apply its enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls? however, whenever its wielder recites a recitation whose recitation level is greater than or equal to its enhancement bonus, songbird’s enhancement bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +6. Songbird’s enhancement bonus increases after the recitation resolves. Whenever the wielder begins to recite a recitation, he may reduce songbird’s enhancement bonus by any amount, to a minimum of a +1 enhancement bonus, in order to grant himself a bonus to that recitation’s truenaming check equal to the amount by which songbird’s enhancement bonus was reduced. This bonus manifests itself as a chorus of tweeting which reduces the universe’s aversion to the changes dictated by the recitation. Reduce songbird’s enhancement bonus before making the truenaming check? this may very well remove a bonus that would normally be granted by the truesong weapon special ability. Whenever the wielder resets his truenaming DCs by apologizing to the universe in accordance with the Law of Finite Malleability, songbird’s enhancement bonus resets to +1. Songbird’s enhancement bonus cannot be modified by any means other than those detailed above. This includes further crafting.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, riveting conversation, translate; Cost 25,302 gp

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