Magic Items: Bits and Pieces

 The other day I was visiting with the in-laws, when I noticed a catalogue of puzzles, garden decorations, and novelty holiday gifts. What follows are some magic items and special objects that paging through that catalogue inspired.

Bits and Pieces

1. Illuminated constellation globe. 14" tall globe with semi-accurate depictions of the political boundaries of the world in the previous age, complete with small illustrations of creatures local to various lands. In darkness, the globe becomes transparent and faintly glows with constellations. Those who ponder the lines of the stars can scry on a target as though looking down from the heavens, able to zoom closer and closer the more accurately they know the time of the target's birth.
2. Surprised garden elf statue. 12" tall carved statuette of an elf relieving himself, britches hitched around the knee. Seems kitchy and fake, but after a trespasser walks by the statuette will run to its owner to let them know.
3. Night vision binoculars. Headband with 4x magnification goggles. In the center, over the nose, burns an infrared light which enhances night vision out to 30 feet.
4. Currency vault. Monkeypod wood puzzle box, fitted with an acrylic lid so that the treasure within, typically a scroll or deed, can be seen. Takes (16-INT) hours to open, but you can fiddle with it absent-mindedly while doing other work. Forcing the box open causes a score of small blades to flit out, shredding the contents.
5. Crystal hearts snowmen. 3"-6" tall. Each joyful glass figurine is decorated with two hearts, which can be chipped off and laid on the tongue to heal 1 HP each. Such healing staunches bleeding, halts dying, and is otherwise sovereign against deteriorationg due to wounds.
6. Historic (sic) reproduction storm glass. A crystal tube on a wooden base, filled with "mysterious liquid." Can predict weather up to two days in advance, clearing for fair weather, muddling for rainy weather, crystalizing for thunderstorms, flaking for cloudy and snowy weather, and forming crystal threads for windsome days. More bizarre effects precipitate strange weather events.
7. Hands free binoculars. Heavy spectacles fitted with dials to magnify vision up to 4x, with sunshade to negate glare. -1-in-6 chance of being surprised in open terrain.
8. Electric drumsticks. Pair 14" long, silvery. When struck against any surface, it makes a sound like a snare drum. When held against a surface, it produces a 3" radius red glow.
9. Four racing mice. 4" long mechanical mice. Wind up their tails and they will scurry straight ahead up to 50 feet.
10. Wrist wallet. Red fleece wristband with a buttoned pocket, for storing cash and keys. Not magical, but looks a little odd. Maybe 1% are wristbands of holding?
11. Quick sketch pro. 8" wide blue slate that can be stood up on a narrow stand. Reflects imagines from one side of it to the other side, allowing one to trace imagines onto a fresh parchment. Alleged to be a clever gadget.
12. Gift card maze. Miniature maze with a transparent acrylic lid. By manipulating a small metal ball into the center of the maze, one can release the lid, allowing access to a gift card magic ring, spell scroll, or important note. Attempting to force the lid strikes a spark that burns up the contents.
13. The Mikado rules. Board game set with a spring apply pressure to one border of a small case filled with many-colored game pieces of varying sizes. If one can remove enough pieces without causing the spring to send other pieces flying, a treasure map is revealed.
14. Bewildering wine bottle puzzle. Case of cedar wood and red string that prevents a wine bottle from being opened. Can only be untangled by clever and unintuitive means. The wine bottle contains a useful potion with five uses, but attempting to slice the strings will drop a catalyst-soaked tag of string into the bottle, rendering the potion a gritty, syruppy sludge.
15. Four band puzzle ring. Platinum-plated copper ring that with cleverness can be separated into four thin rings. If the wearer of each ring speaks a command word, a binding circle springs up between them, forming an impassable cord running in a quadrilateral between them. This cord can be used to restrain creatures within it, but there cannot be any objects or terrain in between the users of the rings.