Common Magic Item P.E.A.C.H! Whisper Vials

[Son of A Lich!]

Whisper Vials - Common Magic item (requires attunement)

This silvery vial is the size of a pinky, and is largely unassuming. It gives off faint conjuration magic when viewed with detect magic. Historically, Whisper Vials were crafted by thieves guilds; the idea was to keep communication open between the bosses and their underlings and also to hold a threat for loyalty, in the event that any minion were to attempt to run away. Having a hoodwink out on a job get Blink cast on them in the middle of a heist was always a plus as well, allowing a few minor spell casters to create the greatest impact of success along wide of the city.

On it's own, Whisper Vials do nothing. But if a creature willingly pours enough of their own blood within (Causing about 1 point of damage), they become bound by the vial. This Vial is then free to be given or stolen or traded to anyone else freely.

As long as the Bounded and the Possessor of the Whisper Vial are on the same plane, The Possessor can cast spells on the whisper vial as though it were the Bounded character themselves.

So, if the Possessor were a Cleric, they could cast Cure Wounds on the Whisper Vial and the Bounded would have their wounds cured.

Spells cast in this way do not need to roll to hit, nor does the Bounded get a save against the effects. Alternatively, whisper vials can be placed up to the lips of the Possessor and grant a casting of Sending to the Bounded, allowing the current Possessor of Whisper Vial to always be in contact with the Bounded.

A whisper vial cannot be reused. Once someone is Bounded, the vial cannot be unbound and rebounded to another. The Vials are very fragile, however. Throwing them against the ground or simply removing the stopper should be enough to break the enchantment of the item (DC5 strength check). Note that damaging spells, like Disintegrate or Fireball will not effect the Bounded, due to the fragile nature of the vials. Whisper Vials are especially good for divination magic, both for the Possessor and Bounded. Just as one can Scry on the blood within a Whisper Vial, a Bounded could Scry on their own blood to find who has their vial.

When a Possessor attunes to the Whisper Vial, the Bounded automatically knows that it's been attuned. They do not know who attuned to it, however.

[Nifft]

Cool name, and interesting item, but the name seems to have nothing to do with the item.

"Bound" is already the past-tense of "bind" -- the word "bounded" means something different. Just use "bound". English is confusing, it's not your fault.


Never allow PCs to obtain these things.

[noob]

I agree that this item is really powerful between ranged communication and ranged support it is very polyvalent and I can not see any reason to not have all the members of the party bound to each other with that item: it is well worth the atunement slot.

[Son of A Lich!]

Cool name, and interesting item, but the name seems to have nothing to do with the item.

"Bound" is already the past-tense of "bind" -- the word "bounded" means something different. Just use "bound". English is confusing, it's not your fault.


Never allow PCs to obtain these things.

Gah, I knew there was something off about "Bounded", thank you. It would have been like a cut on the roof my mouth all day if you hadn't pointed that out to me.

Originally, It was going to be a vial that you literally whisper a bound into, which was why you could always communicate between the two. I figured the blood was more thematic to the oath of loyalty thing I was going for.


I agree that this item is really powerful between ranged communication and ranged support it is very polyvalent and I can not see any reason to not have all the members of the party bound to each other with that item: it is well worth the atunement slot.

Okay, understood, it has potential for abuse...

But, first of all, a Vial itself is one object that requires an attunement slot; If you have a party of 5, the cleric can't attune all 5 items. They can ring around the Rosie but unless everyone has spell casting abilities, it would only be as game breaking as having everyone having a cell phone. The value of Sending as a spell is that you can communicate with anyone on the plane you are familiar with. This is limited only between the Bound and the Possessor, and only matters if they find a whole set for the total party.

Further, you can't use it from inside, say, a bag of holding (As the vial would be on another plane), and they are fragile constructs. I wouldn't be surprised if Whisper Vials started causing problems in games where people were paranoid that their DM's were going to use them against the players, much like People use to complain about Wizard Spell Books and Paladins Falling from Grace.

Which is only an issue if they find empty, unbound, Vials and don't respect the danger of using one.

If it ever falls out of their hands, you can not save against the spells cast on it. If a Paladin offers his blood for the Bard to have quick access to healing and buffs, and the bard gets captured, the Vial is in someone else's hands. And it can be used to against them. Including things like Dominate or Polymorph. While the party can Scry on the blood, the possessor can use it to Scry on them as well.

Further, the item is intended to ease up on the "Tyranny of Fun" when it comes to party communication, and allow a boost to party dynamics. The wizard doesn't have to rush into the fray to cast haste on the Barb, he can do so from the back lines where he is most comfy.

But that also requires a fair bit of trust on the Barb...

If the party finds a Whisper Vial of, say, a Yaun-ti Assassin, and they decide to attune to it to try and figure out whose blood it is, they have an extra chip in the pot that grants them leverage over the Yaun-Ti's plot. They could attune to it and cast Geas or Bestow Curse or whatever their needs be. Upon attuning, however, they find that they are being tracked down by one very angry Assassin.

Or A Dragon could offer a vial of a third party mutual enemy in exchange for a favor. This vial contains the blood of a lich, when he was but just a mortal. Find me these things and I will trade it to you. Be warned, it could be the only way around his spell resistance, but he will be searching for you as well. That kind of thing.