Ma1function's Magical Mechanisms: Minor Items and Trinkets

I have always had a soft spot for unusual and whimsical items in roleplay, and since I have been on a Dungeons and Dragons kick recently, I thought I would try my hand at a few unusual items that can give some flavor to a magical setting. With that being said, these are designed with the newest  (5th) edition of Dungeons and Dragons in mind, but should be fairly easy to adapt. 

Tome of Ritual- this heavy codex details the process of casting a single, predetermined spell of first to third level as a ritual in terms so simple anyone can use it. The text seems to shift over time, perhaps in accordance with an unwritten law of the cosmos, making duplication or memorization of the text impossible. Using the tome requires an additional ten minutes added to the typical 10 minute ritual casting time. 

Self-cleaning Mess Kit- This mess kit is a finely crafted implement that can service most dining needs, complete with utensils and a case that becomes a cooking skillet, plate, and bowl. In addition, by speaking a simple command word, the entire kit cleans itself of any residue, stains, or grime, leaving a perfectly polished kit that is slightly warm to the touch. 

Defective Self-cleaning Mess Kit- Perhaps flawed during creation or damaged by some form of arcane backfire, this Self-cleaning Mess Kit tends to activate on its own accord. It is always clean, not even allowing food to touch its surface. 

Bag of Everlasting Glass- This unassuming terrycloth bag secretes a silvery gel from its interior at a spoken command, which magically repairs damaged glass as per the mending cantrip. Simply touching the exterior of the bag to a glass surface will instantly polish and clean it as per the prestidigitation cantrip.

Defective Bag of Everlasting Glass- Something has affected the magic that permeates this item. Three times per day, when commanded, the bag fills itself with large, sharp shards of glass. These can be used however one might employ random fragments of glass, but it does find occasional use as effective but irretrievable caltrops. 

Vial of Endless Ink- This inkwell simply never runs out of ink. As an added benefit, overturning the vial will spill none of the contents.  

Defective Vial of Endless Ink- This flawed creation erupts with a three gallon burst of ink the first time it is opened each day, ensuring a terrific mess. 

Friendship Bracelets- Focusing on this item with an action allows for communication with the wearer of the matching band as per the message cantrip, but with a range of one mile. 

Defective Friendship Bracelets- Sometimes known as the  "Bracelets of Teenage Friendship", the second one to don one of these matching bands is subject to the effects of the friendship cantrip ( dc12 ) cast from the wearer of the first band. All effects are included, even the subsequent hostility when the duration expires. 

Tea of Diffused Language- Consuming this tea allows the user to speak one additional language for ten hours. The language gained is chosen at the creation of the tea. 

Defective Tea of Diffused Language- Consuming this tea limits the user to speaking with only the language chosen at during the creation of the tea for ten hours. If the language was previously unknown by the user before drinking the tea, roll a d6 each time they speak. On a six, the speaker proposes marriage or courtship instead of the intended meaning. On a five, the speaker delivers the best possible conveyance of their intended message, with advantage on any associated ability check. On a four, the words are spoken as intended. On a three, the words uttered are complete gibberish. On a two, the speaker instead delivers insult to his audience, with disadvantage on any associated ability check. On a one, the speaker threatens violence to their audience. The speaker themselves have no knowledge of the results of their speech beyond their intended message and any response it garners.

Silken Rope of Mighty Lifting- Pulling a weight with this 50 foot length of rope treats the weight as one quarter of the true weight. Cutting the rope destroys the magic that permeates it.  

Defective Silken Rope of Mighty Lifting- Attempts to use this rope make it adhere to a nearby surface as if suspended by an invisible block and tackle.  It also functions as such.  

Terrific Trinkets  

I am also enamored with the trinket each.character recieves at creation in the fifth edition system, so I thought I might add a few of my own. The player's handbook describes trinkets as basic objects with a touch of mystery, and some seem to have very practical uses. 

1: A jet-black shell from a crustacean you can't recognize. Putting it to yourear produces not the sound of the ocean, but dark and difficult to discern whispers.  

2: A faded toy soldier of wood with a complex brass interior mechanism. When saluted, it salutes in return and turns to face in a direction with unusual consistency. 

3: A gaunt, withered hand that can be lit on the fingertips as a strange, everlasting candle. Though no wick is present, the flames smell faintly of brimstone.  

4: A silver key to a library that burned centuries ago  

5: A worn leather journal dated four years in the future 

6: A brass gyroscope that makes one full rotation every five seconds exactly. It never stops spinning.  

7: The gavel of a judge who wrongfully convicted someone close to you. 

8: Patents of nobility for an ancestor who never existed, according to official records. 

9: A contract with a lesser demonic entity, written in blood on vellum touched by scents of sulfur. The document is unsigned. 

10: A holly berry wreath blessed by an ancient druid and given to your family 

11: A shield inscribed with the lorica of a long-forgotten saint

12: Handwraps embroidered with the final words of the wisest monks of a great monastery

13: A primordial flower, preserved in amber

14: The capstone of a distant pyramid, polished smooth by the millennia

15: A locket given to you by a ghost that has long haunted the cemetery of your home town

16: A faded plaque that reads "Up then down, what's left is right. Those who enter die tonight"

17: The massive tooth of an ancient beast, carved with the tribal markings of your earliest ancestors. 

18: The cold and bloodied ritual dagger your master attempted to slay you with.

19: A golden arrow fletched with feathers from the wings of an angel

20: The hunting horn of a powerful fey entity. Its clarion call resounds through dense foliage and stirs the primal instinct to hunt within your heart.

Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments on the blog forum thread here. Do you have any ideas for new discussion topics, or perhaps some homebrew items of your own? If you do, I would love to read about them.