The Amber Bazaar: Double-Edged Magic

Traveler! Come close. You like magic, yes? Everyone loves magic. You’ll find great deals here. But fair warning, magic often takes as much as it gives. And these magic items bite back. Take heed.

Arrow of Ancestral Annihilation

Weapon (arrow), legendary (requires attunement)

Fletched with bloodhawk feathers and charred black by demonic fires, this arrow of slaying is attuned to kill one specific person. The claimant of the arrow also gains the benefits of the Favored Enemy ranger feature against that individual. Once it has killed its chosen target, the arrow disappears, reappearing in 1d6 days in the possession of the slain’s next of kin who immediately gains the knowledge of who slew their family member. If the next of kin is slain before they can kill the arrow’s target, it appears in the possession of the next blood relative. If there are no living blood relatives, then it remains where it was shot; its new prey becomes the enemy of the next creature to possess it. Against any opponent other than its quarry, the arrow functions as a regular arrow, though it never breaks.

Barghest’s Blade

Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement)

This +3 greatsword is carved with druidic runes, and its pommel is bound in greasy black fur. At night, the wielder of the blade is troubled by strange dreams, always with an inescapable black dog with red eyes. The wielder gains an intense fear of dogs, always having the frightened condition when near them. Furthermore, whenever the wielder slays an enemy with the sword, that night at midnight, without fail, a shadow mastiff appears and attacks them. The shadow mastiffs stop appearing after one night with no contact with the sword. But the fear of dogs remains.

Candelabra of Voluptuous Repose

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

This thin, angular candelabra has three stems of descending height and is etched with twisting engravings of peacocks and orchids and smothered in shoddy gold leaf. Any candles held by it and lit give off a floral scent, and their light takes on a soft violet hue around the edges of the illuminated area. When all three holders have a candle in them and all three are illuminated, creatures within the radius of the light all have the charmed condition toward all other creatures within the radius. If any candle burns down or is otherwise extinguished, the charm is immediately broken and all previously affected creatures feel a sense of shame and discomfort toward all those who were likewise charmed.

Ghostlamp

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

This lantern of revealing is made of wrought iron and upon speaking the command word illuminates with a haunting purple flame. Rather than merely revealing invisible creatures, the Ghostlamp provides truesight within its radius. However, it also acts as a beacon for undead souls: after 1 minute of use, 1d3 specters appear to attack the lamp’s bearer, and 1d3 specters appear every subsequent round until the light is extinguished, at which point all specters disappear.

Herne’s Horn

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

Carved from the antler of an ancient stag with holes drilled into every sharp tip, this black horn is banded with brass rings that depict hunters poaching deer from a king’s forest. A long brass chain hangs from front to back, and placing it to one’s lips, the mouthpiece tastes of blood. Herne’s Horn is a brass horn of Valhalla that summons scouts instead of berserkers and without the simple weapons proficiency requirement. However, when the user blows the horn, they immediately transform into a beautiful stag with brass-colored fur, per the druid’s Wild Shape feature (use the statistics for a deer). Their equipment merges to their new form, including the Horn, which now clearly becomes one of the user’s new antlers. The summoned scouts attack the user’s enemies, but once the foes are defeated, they turn their attention to the stag itself, hunting the user in their new form to the best of their abilities. After 1 hour, even if all scouts have been slain, the user reverts to their normal form, panting, and immediately seeks something to quench their thirst.

Robes of Earthly Abandonment

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

Woven by monks of a long-forgotten god of purity, these plain grey robes hang loosely on any wearer. After one day of wearing the robes, the wearer gains a +1 temporary Wisdom bonus and gains the first level of the exhausted condition. Each following day, the Wisdom bonus increases by +1 and the exhaustion gets one level higher, eventually resulting in death after 6 days. As long as the robes are worn, the wearer cannot have their exhaustion level reduced. If the robes are removed, the wearer immediately loses all Wisdom bonuses but retains the exhausted condition, which may be reduced as normal.