The Loot Pile: Punk of Horrors

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#1

PUNK OF HORRORS
Magical item

Thin sticks of bamboo or reeds coated for most of their length with a mixture of sawdust, beeswax, incense, and magical ingredients, often found in a protective wooden tube containing 2 to 24 pieces (roll 2D12).

When lit with open flame by the caster, which requires an action on the caster’s turn, a stick of the punk will begin to smolder for D4 subsequent rounds (i.e.,not including the turn it was lit) as it releases thick, colored smoke and begins to consume itself. The caster (and only the caster) can blow across the smoldering stick on any subsequent turn that it continues to smolder (following the turn it was lit), using concentration and a successful INT roll to conjure a :black_heart:-strength (one heart) monster or magical creature (depending upon the type of punk burned); one creature can be conjured per round, and each creature persists for one minute (10 turns) before it dissolves back into smoke.

In most circumstances, the conjured creatures aid the caster as unflinching allies, even in the face of destruction, but on a roll of natural 1 during any conjuration attempt, the summoning occurs, but ALL of the creatures summoned from that smoldering punk stick turn suddenly AGAINST the caster and then disappear after delivering a successful rebellious attack.

The Punk of Horrors will not function (unless well shielded) in extreme conditions, such as in a windstorm, in a downpour, or underwater; it requires oxygen and sufficient space for its smoke to deliver a summoned creature. Once burnt, a punk stick is rendered useless and worthless, and if extinguished mid-burn, its magic is lost. It is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult for mages to make, but its ease of use makes it a very handy tool, especially for new initiates to wizardry or for users not indoctrinated in the arcane arts.

Incense Type Chart (Roll D6 or D8, GM’s discretion)

  1. Myrrh—Summons dire doves :black_heart:
  2. Calamus—Summons dire wasps :black_heart:
  3. Aspalathus—Summons flying snakes :black_heart:
  4. Frankincense—Summons geistlings :black_heart:
  5. Cinnamon—Summons hellspawn imps :black_heart:
  6. Sandalwood—Summons sky servants :black_heart:
  7. Two Types—Roll again twice, ignoring 7s and 8s
  8. Assortment—Something for every occasion(?)!

Full descriptions and statistics for these one-heart flying creatures can be found in Munyb’s Menagerie: Fantastic Flyers.

Notes:

  1. For a slightly more powerful version of this magical summoning incense, you could summon Dreamland sprites :black_heart: or flying monkeys :black_heart: instead, which still fit the bill as one-heart flyers that work well in a group but make the encounter with a foe a bit spicier, owing to their special abilities and ability to pack more of a punch. New types of punk can be substituted into or added as an expansion to the chart above.
  2. If you really want to “turn off the safety protocols” and punish the caster on a critical failure during summoning, allow the rebellious summoned creatures to attack the caster on a roll of natural 1 for the full duration of their summoning, and let the Punk of Horrors live up to its name and full potential…
  3. See what else is on top of The Loot Pile.