Faerie Ring, Goodberry Bush, etc. (Druid Wondrous Items)

[rferries]

Faerie Ring
This circle of mushrooms is 5-feet wide and has been enchanted to allow transport at will to any other linked faerie ring, as if by transport via plants. The mushrooms are hardy and will thrive indefinitely without tending, but the ring cannot be uprooted and moved without destroying it. Any number of faerie rings may be linked to the same network, but they must all be crafted by the same druid. The mushrooms glow at night, as if by faerie fire (though the creator may choose any colour or colours for the glow rather than just blue, green, or violet).

Faerie rings are common sights in the wild, as they are used both by friendly druids and by fey. A Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, or Survival check identifies a faerie ring, its function, the locations of all linked faerie rings, and how to activate them (DC 25 for each such check). A secretive druid can speak a command word to suppress the ring's faerie fire and increase the skill check DC to 35. The ring can also be set to glow only at specific times (e.g. during certain lunar phases, on a solstice or equinox, etc.).

Moderate conjuration (teleportation); CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, create water, endure elements, faerie fire, transport via plants; Price 26,400 gp; Weight - lb.

Golden Orchard Tree
This Large tree in all ways seems to be a standard fruit-bearing tree (typically apple, but sometimes pear, apricot, coconut, or the like), save that its fruit are always ripe and appear to be made of solid gold. The first fruit plucked and eaten from the tree each day restores a creature to the prime of life, negating all aging penalties to her physical ability scores for 24 hours and permanently increasing her maximum lifespan by 1 day. However, any creature that plucks a fruit must be immune to magical aging (e.g. fey, dragons, high-level druids) or otherwise make a DC 16 Fortitude save to avoid instant death. A creature may pluck a fruit on behalf of another creature.

The tree requires watering and tending just as any other orchard tree. It must be planted in solid ground (i.e. cannot be transported in a pot). In order to avoid lethal accidents involving the fruit, a druid often commands fey and dragons to tend and guard the tree, respectively.

Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, death ward, goodberry, plant growth, reincarnate; Price 30,080 gp; Weight - lb.

Goodberry Bush
Druids often plant these Small bushes in helpful spots in the wilderness (particularly wild forests, desert oases, arctic tundras, etc.) or sometimes gift them to frontier villages. Goodberry bushes have been enchanted to produce 12d4 goodberries each day. The goodberries last for 5 days before losing their magic. A goodberry bush survives comfortably both in harsh environments and in portable pots and has no need of water or sunlight (underground varieties often resemble clusters of large edible fungi that perpetually regenerate themselves).

Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, Empower Spell, create water, endure elements, goodberry, light; Price 24,000 gp; Weight 45 lb.

[Knitifine]

I like both of these items, though of course the goodberries suffer from the weird 'only x per day' restriction that's always been on them.

[rferries]

I like both of these items, though of course the goodberries suffer from the weird 'only x per day' restriction that's always been on them.

Yeah, I didn't want the bush to be useable at will (just liked the idea of the berries growing back over at least a little bit of time) but I did want it to provide a semi-sizeable crop. Resulted in some interesting numerics :D

[Westhart]

I would personally make the druid able to hide their Faerie ring, increasing the check (knowledge nature or arcana?) to identify them.

For the berries... I would say they grow 1d4 an hour... a total of 24d4 vs your 12d4, but represents the slow grow idea more fittingly (I think).

Otherwise these look good.

[rferries]

I would personally make the druid able to hide their Faerie ring, increasing the check (knowledge nature or arcana?) to identify them.

For the berries... I would say they grow 1d4 an hour... a total of 24d4 vs your 12d4, but represents the slow grow idea more fittingly (I think).

Otherwise these look good.

The trouble is, 12d4 is the most the bush can produce per day before it becomes equivalent to an at-will magic item, which I wanted to avoid. Edited in the faerie ring idea though :)

[Westhart]

The trouble is, 12d4 is the most the bush can produce per day before it becomes equivalent to an at-will magic item, which I wanted to avoid. Edited in the faerie ring idea though :)

ah, good point, didn't think about that...

[rferries]

ah, good point, didn't think about that...

Hey no worries! If anything its silly NOT to spend the full price of an at-will item haha, the only reason is to retain the flavour of a bush that can't be harvested endlessly.

[jqavins]

For Faerie Ring, I would make the knowledge that a Spellcraft etc. check can give tiered, i.e. different DCs for each level of detail. It seems odd to me that a mere 25 on a Survival check can reveal the full extent of a magical network. Perhaps something like (but change the specifics to suit your own notions):

DC	Knowledge Gained
25	The item's function
30	1d2 + 1 linked locations
35	How to activate
40	All linked locations

For the Goodberry Bush, I'd change 12d4 to 6d4 + 15. That's the same average daily crop of 30 berries, but with less variability (21 to 39 instead of 12 to 48). Of course, the chance of getting either 12-20 or 40-48 on 12d4 is very remote, but I often like to eliminate the extremes completely. In this case, to eliminate both virtual crop failures and extreme bumper crops.

[rferries]

For Faerie Ring, I would make the knowledge that a Spellcraft etc. check can give tiered, i.e. different DCs for each level of detail. It seems odd to me that a mere 25 on a Survival check can reveal the full extent of a magical network. Perhaps something like (but change the specifics to suit your own notions):

DC	Knowledge Gained
25	The item's function
30	1d2 + 1 linked locations
35	How to activate
40	All linked locations

For the Goodberry Bush, I'd change 12d4 to 6d4 + 15. That's the same average daily crop of 30 berries, but with less variability (21 to 39 instead of 12 to 48). Of course, the chance of getting either 12-20 or 40-48 on 12d4 is very remote, but I often like to eliminate the extremes completely. In this case, to eliminate both virtual crop failures and extreme bumper crops.

I like the thought you've put into the staggered DCs but it's a bit more complex than I was intending. The idea is that although the rings are sometimes used by secretive druids, they are just as often planted by druids to help lost wanderers (like the goodberry bushes), and they're common enough that anyone with proper Survival training can identify them. The mushrooms grow in such a way (e.g. their colours, shapes, spacing between them) that identifies how to activate them, where they're linked to, etc if you know what to look for.

The goodberry bush is based off of an empowered goodberry spell, four times per day (2d4 x 1.5 x 4= 12d4). Although your formula is definitely a safer return, I like the idea that you sometimes get a scarcer/more bountiful harvest, just like from normal plants.

[rferries]

Added golden orchard tree (from Greek, Norse, etc myth).

[Westhart]

Added golden orchard tree (from Greek, Norse, etc myth).

Seems pretty standard to me, not something to take the banhammer to unless a PC attempts to plant an orchard of them (you say they can only get 1 apple not benefit once per day)
EDIT: Nevermind, I should really stop commenting when I am sick ><

[rferries]

Seems pretty standard to me, not something to take the banhammer to unless a PC attempts to plant an orchard of them (you say they can only get 1 apple not benefit once per day)
EDIT: Nevermind, I should really stop commenting when I am sick ><

Ha no worries, my wording is ambiguous so I'll edit it. Hope you feel better soon!

[Westhart]

Ha no worries, my wording is ambiguous so I'll edit it. Hope you feel better soon!

Eh, I've lost my voice and a small throat ache, took a while to make my professor believe me ><
"You just don't want to answer the question because you don't know, am I correct?"
[shows paper]
"Oh, alright then."

[rferries]

Eh, I've lost my voice and a small throat ache, took a while to make my professor believe me ><
"You just don't want to answer the question because you don't know, am I correct?"
[shows paper]
"Oh, alright then."

Haha! Score! :D

[jqavins]

Added golden orchard tree (from Greek, Norse, etc myth).

Once picked, how long does the fruit retain its potency? The fruit is functionally a potion, and a pretty awesome potion to be produced daily by an item that costs only 18,000 GP to create.

Step 1: Buy two trees; cost: 72,000 g.p.; produces fruit to spare.
Step 2: Use Unseen Servants to harvest fruit.
Step 3: Be immortal.

Anyone with great wealth, be it PC on NPC, can do this, so many people of the rich and powerful classes will. Kings and merchant princes never die of natural causes.

[rferries]

Once picked, how long does the fruit retain its potency? The fruit is functionally a potion, and a pretty awesome potion to be produced daily by an item that costs only 18,000 GP to create.

Step 1: Buy two trees; cost: 72,000 g.p.; produces fruit to spare.
Step 2: Use Unseen Servants to harvest fruit.
Step 3: Be immortal.

Anyone with great wealth, be it PC on NPC, can do this, so many people of the rich and powerful classes will. Kings and merchant princes never die of natural causes.

The fruit has to plucked and eaten on the same day to provide the benefit, no stockpiling allowed! :D

EDIT: Just realised I've horribly miscalculated the gp cost - I thought reincarnate was a 5th level spell but it's actually 4th, but I also forgot to include the expensive material component (I was equating 1 day of youth to 1 casting of reincarnate).

[Westhart]

Not sure it would be equal to rein. after all reincarnation has a chance to get you a different form, which can be devastating (trust me)...

[rferries]

Not sure it would be equal to rein. after all reincarnation has a chance to get you a different form, which can be devastating (trust me)...

Reincarnation is the only way (in core) to get back to a young adult body, but it has the penalty of needing a wish/miracle to fully return to your original race (otherwise you risk getting racial HD and/or level adjustment). This tree only gives you the benefit of being young adult for one day at a time, but you don't have to worry about being transformed into an undesirable creature.

[Westhart]

Reincarnation is the only way (in core) to get back to a young adult body, but it has the penalty of needing a wish/miracle to fully return to your original race (otherwise you risk getting racial HD and/or level adjustment). This tree only gives you the benefit of being young adult for one day at a time, but you don't have to worry about being transformed into an undesirable creature.

Fair enough then.

Spoiler: Mostly unrelated

Show

I had a DM using alternate tables, and he claimed you did not get RHD or LA... Well, our barbarian became a young adult force dragon, I became an ogre -.-' (was a rogue) and our wizard? He became a sentient houseplant XD

[rferries]

I had a DM using alternate tables, and he claimed you did not get RHD or LA... Well, our barbarian became a young adult force dragon, I became an ogre -.-' (was a rogue) and our wizard? He became a sentient houseplant XD

I think we know who your DM liked and who he disliked... :D

[Westhart]

I think we know who your DM liked and who he disliked... :D

Maybe b/c he made the mistake of letting SA being multiplied on a crit... which I then got a scythe with a ridiculous crit range (3.0 weapon master, some other things)...
...and the wizard liked celerity, so getting the [plant] subtype was actually beneficial for him due to quickened dimension door and the like.

[rferries]

Maybe b/c he made the mistake of letting SA being multiplied on a crit... which I then got a scythe with a ridiculous crit range (3.0 weapon master, some other things)...
...and the wizard liked celerity, so getting the [plant] subtype was actually beneficial for him due to quickened dimension door and the like.

Ha that's more fair... but with a 25d12 force damage breath weapon I think the barbarian still came out ahead. :p

[Westhart]

Ha that's more fair... but with a 25d12 force damage breath weapon I think the barbarian still came out ahead. :p

Oh, just imagine the nightmare when the BBEG casts a chained/mass charm monster and someone failed their save...

[rferries]

Oh, just imagine the nightmare when the BBEG casts a chained/mass charm monster and someone failed their save...

TPK from within!

[Westhart]

TPK from within!

Err, my rogue (after I got change back from an ogre -.-') escaped... after dropping the plant (who was telepathically screaming)... he almost made it out, 'cept the barb had mage slayer or whatever and his casting provoked an AoO... My rogue had the wizard resurrected, although he seemed somewhat... opposed? to going back

By the time we got back the barb had escaped the charm effect and had cleared the base himself XD

[jqavins]

The fruit has to plucked and eaten on the same day to provide the benefit, no stockpiling allowed! :D

Good, but it doesn't seem to say so.

Even so, and even with the increased cost, I think it is too easy for the very rich to buy one, buy a ring of Unseen Servant or similar, and have an apple a day to be immortal.

Is aging deferred, or reversed and/or cancelled? If it's the former, then a 200 year old person missing his/her apple one day drops dead, and that's a good balancing limitation. Otherwise, this either 1) defines the structure of the wealthy and ruling classes or 2) breaks the setting.

Remember that in myths, these things are generally limited to the gods, and also that characters in myth don't have to behave like real people, let alone like gamers.

[rferries]

The first fruit plucked and eaten from the tree each day

If the fruit isn't eaten the same day it's plucked the magic is wasted.

Since you have to be a druid to make one, they're unlikely to be for sale to cityfolk/nobles (or even for sale, period). A druid might be willing to rationalise prolonging her own life (to serve as an eternal guardian of the wilderness), but she'd most likely view an immortal urban socialite as an unnatural (and therefore undesirable) outcome. A wizard can craft one using limited wish to duplicate reincarnate, but that requires 100 castings of the spell with a corresponding increase in the gp & limited wish XP costs, plus a 13th-level wizard is powerful enough to have earned immortality (really just a flavour benefit).

Rings of unseen servant, summoned nature's allies etc can all be used to pluck the fruit, the "immortals only" harvest is really just flavour from the Hesperides tree.

The maximum age increase effectively lets you "tread water" -each day you eat a fruit increases your maximum lifespan but doesn't slow your aging, so eventually you'll start accruing aging penalties if you go without the fruit but still have an extended "old age" to live through.

For example:

1) Let's take an infant human, let's say he rolls a maximum age of 100 years at character creation.

2) He eats the golden fruit for the next 100 years, ignoring aging penalties to Str/Dex/Con the entire time and adding 100 years to his maximum lifespan (new maximum age of 200 years).

3) Through random chance the tree is destroyed. His actual age is 100 years (so without the fruit he now has aging penalties as a venerable human, as he is over 70 years old). However, the fruit has given him longevity, so he will live another 100 years as a venerable human and die at the age of 200.

The advantage of the tree is that since it stops you from approaching your maximum age, you don't have to worry about the "crumbling to dust" stereotype if you go without the fruit - giving yourself enough time to plant another tree or use a proper reincarnate spell on yourself.

Again, these trees won't be mass-produced for public/elite consumption, nor can they be moved. Any tree conquered by a villain makes for a great plot hook/quest.

[Ranged Ranger]

Cool Items... For the Faerie Ring, I'd suggest a few more options during creation:

1) add to the existing color options the option of only glowing on certain moon phases or only on solstice(s)/equinox(es)

2) add an option for an additional increase to the DC's of the identification check with false information given in the event of a failed check

3) add the option to force travel in the network to follow a predetermined loop or to be randomized instead of letting the person activating it choose their destination

4) allow the creation of dumping rings that can be transported to but not from.

[rferries]

Cool Items... For the Faerie Ring, I'd suggest a few more options during creation:

1) add to the existing color options the option of only glowing on certain moon phases or only on solstice(s)/equinox(es)

2) add an option for an additional increase to the DC's of the identification check with false information given in the event of a failed check

3) add the option to force travel in the network to follow a predetermined loop or to be randomized instead of letting the person activating it choose their destination

4) allow the creation of dumping rings that can be transported to but not from.

I've added your first suggestion but the others are a bit too "meta" for me, almost verging on cursed items/traps. Wizards might employ those techniques but druids would be more straightforward, I feel. Thanks!

[Ranged Ranger]

The other uses were things I thought would be more likely to be used by fey than typical druids...