Luckstone
Sitting on a velvet cushion within a tiny open box, a purple gemstone glows fainly, purplish light emanating from the smoothly polished facets. An untarnished silver filigree cage-like setting surrounds each facet. Clearly, this is more than just a pretty amethyst. Indeed, any Adventurer who comes across one of these is far luckier than they could have imagined!
Regardless of the number of facets, the crystal is bound into a silver filigree setting that demarks the edges of every facet. A small ring is always fused to this setting/cage to accept a fine chain or cord allowing the gem to be worn as a pendant or perhaps a bracelet. The silver work never tarnishes, and careful inspection will reveal strange runic etchings all around the item.
If an appraiser is unaware of the Luckstone's powers, they are likely to value the stone at between 5 and 60gp depending on the number of flawed (consumed) facets. A completely burned out stone would be worth nothing. If the appraiser is aware of the Luckstone's abilities, however, the value rises to 50gp per unspent facet.
Item Name
Luckstone
Rarity
Uncommon
Value
varies (50gp per unspent facet)
When worn or held in a hand, any skill checks attempted by a character will be successful. If the dice roll indicates failure, a success occurs instead, and one facet of the gem "burns out".
Limited number of uses
Each facet of the Luckstone represents one "charge" of good fortune. When a charge is consumed, one of the facets, chosen randomly, will burn out. Instead of a smoothly polished facet of rich purple emanating a faint glow from within, a consumed facet will show visible cracks, and the color of the gem will be a pale, cloudy or opaque whitish purple. No glow emanates from a consumed facet.
If the bearer of a Luckstone is unaware of its ability - and its effect on their own abilities - it is quite likely that the wearer will be unaware of the magical aid they are being granted. This could lead to misplaced confidence in their own abilities, with catastrophe looming once the Luckstone's power is spent. If the bearer examines the stone periodically, they should notice that from time to time another facet seems to suddenly appear damaged. Unless the owner manages to link their episodes of good fortune with the cracking of a gem facet, they may never realize what it is they're wearing.
NOTE: The information appearing in the spoiler below will be moved into a Gamemaster Subscriber Only region after the completion of the February, 2024 Cabinet of Curiosities Challenge.
Gamemaster's Notes
Description
A Luckstone is a purple amethyst gem crystal approximately 1/2 in (1cm) in diameter that has been cut and polished to have a number of flat facets. Typically, they are cut into "perfect dodecahedron" shapes (i.e. the shape of a 12-sided die). Occasionally, they may be cut into shapes with fewer facets (resembling 10, 8, or 6-sided dice). Extremely rarely, icosahedral (20-sided) stones could be found.Regardless of the number of facets, the crystal is bound into a silver filigree setting that demarks the edges of every facet. A small ring is always fused to this setting/cage to accept a fine chain or cord allowing the gem to be worn as a pendant or perhaps a bracelet. The silver work never tarnishes, and careful inspection will reveal strange runic etchings all around the item.
If an appraiser is unaware of the Luckstone's powers, they are likely to value the stone at between 5 and 60gp depending on the number of flawed (consumed) facets. A completely burned out stone would be worth nothing. If the appraiser is aware of the Luckstone's abilities, however, the value rises to 50gp per unspent facet.
Effects
Limitations
Effects
A character or creature wearing a Luckstone, or holding one in their hand (or paw), will find their attempts to succeed at a variety of physical or mental challenges to be uncannily lucky. In fact, as long as the Luckstone has unused facets remaining, they simply can't fail! Often, the character or creature may not even be aware that it is the Luckstone that is providing them with their successes.Each facet of the Luckstone represents one "charge" of good fortune. When a charge is consumed, one of the facets, chosen randomly, will burn out. Instead of a smoothly polished facet of rich purple emanating a faint glow from within, a consumed facet will show visible cracks, and the color of the gem will be a pale, cloudy or opaque whitish purple. No glow emanates from a consumed facet.
Limitations
The most obvious limitation of the Luckstone is its limited number of facets. The item cannot be recharged; once expended, the luck within the stone is gone for good.If the bearer of a Luckstone is unaware of its ability - and its effect on their own abilities - it is quite likely that the wearer will be unaware of the magical aid they are being granted. This could lead to misplaced confidence in their own abilities, with catastrophe looming once the Luckstone's power is spent. If the bearer examines the stone periodically, they should notice that from time to time another facet seems to suddenly appear damaged. Unless the owner manages to link their episodes of good fortune with the cracking of a gem facet, they may never realize what it is they're wearing.
NOTE: The information appearing in the spoiler below will be moved into a Gamemaster Subscriber Only region after the completion of the February, 2024 Cabinet of Curiosities Challenge.
Gamemaster's Notes
If a character is either wearing the Luckstone or is holding it in their hand when any Skill Check is attempted, the attempt is guaranteed to succeed. The character's player should roll the dice for the Skill Check. If the roll indicates success, nothing special happens. If the roll indicates failure, however, one of the Luckstone's facets will be used up, and the roll will succeed. The character has no choice in this - other than to decide whether or not to be wearing or holding the gem at the time of the Skill Check. If the dice roll is an "open roll", and its result clearly should be a failure, the Gamemaster and/or player should roleplay a situation where, despite what appears should be a failure, a success occurs instead.
Example: Gronk attempts to climb a steep rock face. A Dexterity skill check fails, indicating he should slip and fall. But Gronk is wearing a Luckstone. Instead, just as his hands start to slip, a really ugly spider peers out of a crack in the rock in front of his face. Startled and perhaps a bit frightened, Gronk doesn't even realize that he successfully scrambles up the rock face in an attempt to avoid the spider.
If the character is unaware of the powers of the Luckstone, they should be given an opportunity to hear a faint "pop" or cracking sound each time a facet is consumed. This requires an Awareness Skill Check with a base DC of 15. This check, like any other, is subject to the fortunes offered by the Luckstone, meaning a second facet could burn out as a result of hearing and investigating the first one. This will, however, result in the Luckstone's owner being aware that the stone had something to do with their recent good fortune.
If this item is found "in the wild" as loot, Rolling 1d4 to determine the number of used facets is recommended, but more or less could be used depending on Gamemaster preference.
Example: Gronk attempts to climb a steep rock face. A Dexterity skill check fails, indicating he should slip and fall. But Gronk is wearing a Luckstone. Instead, just as his hands start to slip, a really ugly spider peers out of a crack in the rock in front of his face. Startled and perhaps a bit frightened, Gronk doesn't even realize that he successfully scrambles up the rock face in an attempt to avoid the spider.
If the character is unaware of the powers of the Luckstone, they should be given an opportunity to hear a faint "pop" or cracking sound each time a facet is consumed. This requires an Awareness Skill Check with a base DC of 15. This check, like any other, is subject to the fortunes offered by the Luckstone, meaning a second facet could burn out as a result of hearing and investigating the first one. This will, however, result in the Luckstone's owner being aware that the stone had something to do with their recent good fortune.
If this item is found "in the wild" as loot, Rolling 1d4 to determine the number of used facets is recommended, but more or less could be used depending on Gamemaster preference.
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