NPCs as Magic Items

 As part of my weekly Endless Eon game, the party eventually gained access to the aid of the wise man Jake, an orthodox adherent of the Emulators of Jake. Conceptually, he's a high-level cleric, but I didn't want to write out a list of prepared spells or give him the potential to solve too many problems, and I knew the players were mostly interested in his ability to heal HP, so rather than make him a leveled figure with spell slots, I just ruled that he could heal any number of people of 1d6 damage per person per day. ezpz, classic DM trick.

Later, I realized that he was in effect almost identical to the classic item the Staff of Healing. It made me want to run with the idea, to expand on the idea of finding NPCs with abilities similar to magic items in the same contexts that you might find magic items while adventuring— kept captive in a dungeon, or offered as a reward or in trade. People like intelligent magic items, and these magical people could scratch the same itch. You get some interesting tension— people are often more likely to die than magic items are to be destroyed, and if you offend the character or go against their goals they might leave. You also get new affordances— the magical helper can offer advice, have contacts, fall in love, and so on. I wouldn't make it too difficult to stay on their good side. Like a magic sword or wand, their help would be a reward for overcoming the risks of dungeoneering, exc.

image from D&D 3.5 DMG, pg. 252

So, here's some ideas for occasionally replacing items such helpers:

• Coins/gems/jewelry: simply, this is a captive whose family will pay a reward for their safe return. Such payments would get full XP credit.
• Weapon: not a full-on combatant, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps an ancestral spirit, capable of empowering a non-magical weapon. Many would have a particular affinity— you want to wield a spear for the Spartish ghost to lend her best moves to, or a dwarven hammer for the hammer dwarf.
• Armor: the blessing of a protector, like a guardian angel, valar, or elf lord. Perhaps requiring you to carry some token or symbol. Perhaps, like with the weapon above, the guiding presence of a ghost. Maybe a priest anoints your armor each day.
• Potion/scroll: trapped fairy, willing to do you a good turn in exchange for freeing them. High, tinny voice, mirthful and gay.
• Broom of Flying/Flying Carpet: a flying mount! Hell yeah!
• Crystal Ball: a medium, surely. This allows for more friction with such a powerful information-gathering tool, because they have to relate it verbally to the PCs.
• Elemental Summoning Device: a summoner, surely. By creating this person as an intermediary to command the elemental, you create an extra failure point for what is also a very powerful item.
• Helm of Reading Languages and Magic: translator and scholar. Players will probably appreciate having someone on-hand to make guesses at obscure writings from ancient cultures. Unlike the helm, if the scholar is killed trying to access an artifact, the knowledge can't just transfer to someone else.
• Ring of Controlling Animals/Humans/Plants: an enchanter. Who would trust this person? And yet, what PC would pass up the chance to make use of their skill?
• Wand of Fire Balls: an evoker. In imitation of the charges, they must value their spells highly, and will consider their debts paid after 2d10 uses.
• Treasure Map: easy, someone who knows the location of a cache and can lead the PCs there. Ideally, their knowledge only approximate or things have changed since they last walked the path, to maintain the sense of incomplete information that makes treasure maps so fun.