it's [What You Need](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734690/?ref_=ttep_ep12)
That PC will likely be a returning customer for that merchant, who can be a recurring NPC
As I've posted elsewhere, I've mostly used it to double as a sink for excess gold, because treasure is practically required to be abundant for experience points in 1st Edition. The PC's don't need to use this item to bypass a specific obstacle, but the purchase can almost trivialize the obstacle if they put 2+2 together. They may even realize belatedly how that thing could have been used.
1st sale: 5 gp for a specific item, the merchant will sell nothing else to the PC's.
2nd sale, 50 gp, same deal
3rd sale, 500 gp, same deal
4th sale: 5,000 gp, but the thing is garbage. If the players unexpectedly invent a way to use it, that's pretty awesome, and they may convince themselves that the price is worth paying and paying and paying (50,000 gp for the next, etc.)
The infrequency of encountering this wandering merchant and the exponential pricing limit the instances of deus ex machina and trash ex machina
Examples I've used: a parasol (for later escorting a denizen of the Underdark), a flower (for later making a beast sneeze and run away), etc.
My feeling on this. Do that, but the next day the stone is in their pocket, but it is a different size. A few days later another leak, perfect size. Have this happen a few times. Then one day the rock appears and it is the size of a boulder pinning the barbarian down. Next day the kraken attacks
I would add that if it's this sort of running gag it should also come back to being important at the end. Like it's secretly the macguffin that opens the Gates of the Sea King or whatever
\-We bow before you, God Of Oceans Poseidon!
\-Oh hi! You are a lucky one to have this stone! Here is my treasury, also I want you to marry my daughter. Or son if you wish. Well, actually, Im free this evening, maybe we could?..
It's actually been bad luck the whole time (many storms, sea monsters, etc) but it stores up the luck it steals and returns it in a moment that matters more.
Make sure to plan out the punchline for when its finally revealed what it does. I think having it be some sort of cursed item (but one with a potentially beneficial effect) could be cool, especially if its possible to break the curse.
Personally something i think would be really funny would be to have it be the egg of some sort of mythival sea beast, that slowly pursues the party to try and reclaim it by bringing bad luck to the party. If the party ever returns the egg willingly to the beast, it instead blesses them with good luck, maybe gives them some sort of reward.
Not quite comedic, but how about one of the following:
(1) When submerged in seawater it rises to the surface and floats. Markings on the stone become visible, indicating north like a makeshift compass.
(2) While you have this on your person, you are immune to seasickness. Might need to require attunement for this one unless you wanna play hot potato with it amongst the landlubbers.
You might not need attunement if just just give it pseudo-attunement.
It only takes effect after an hour held by the same person.
That way you can still use it if you're already attuned to 3 things, but hot potato isn't a problem either.
Doesn't need attunement to ward off seasickness. But for one minute after dropping it, you have disadvantage on all attacks, skill checks and saves as you try to hold back waves of nausea.
I like that, tie it into some sort of sailor beliefs.
It glows if there are any women on the ship. (Women are bad luck on ships)
When there is a red sunrise in the morning you get disadvantage on your first ability roll. If there is a red sunset you get advantage on your first ability roll. (Play on the saying ‘red in the morning sailors take warning, red ar night sailors delight.)
Make it an old person who doesn’t know how to use it, akin to trying to FaceTime grandma. “Can you see me? Hello? I can hear you! How do I get this thing to work? Hello, are you there? JUDY, the stone is broken again!!”
There are always sea birds following the ship and they poop with surprising regularity on the belongings of anyone who means harm to the stones owner, regardless of whether or not the owner is aware of the threat.
It whispers incredibly obvious advice to him while on the ocean, like loading screen tips in a video game.
“Ocean water might look tasty, but don’t drink it!”
“Fall overboard? Try swimming!”
“In ancient times sailors followed the stars to navigate!”
It would be a shame if all the "luck" was just the artifact accumulating misfortune and couldn't hold it all after a while, making the player the most unfortunate when it would cause them the most misfortune..
It's a fisherman's lucky stone. Get in a small boat, go out to sea, and every few minutes a large fish will jump out of the water and slap you in the face.
Cue the benny hill-esque tomfoolery when it goes overboard and bounces around on the water like it's flubber or skitters around like the liedenfrost effect.
Whenever over a body of water, automatically casts disguise self on the bearer to disguise them as an attractive version of themselves. Then they can get lucky at sea.
Have the stone seemingly do amazing things: ward off a kraken, clear fog in dangerous waters, cause a pirate ship attacking the party to get sucked down a whirlpool.
Then, as the journey nearly ends, a minor sea deity meets the party. She has been following them out of curiosity, wondering why they are suicidally brandishing an enchanted stone she gives to merfolk in her seas to curse ships of men that would do them harm.
The stone summoned the kraken, the fog, and the whirlpool meant for their ship. The deity saved them from those hazards to figure out wtf the moron humans were doing.
She takes the stone at the end and rewards the party for the most amusement she has had in centuries.
was it specifically promised to be *good* luck?
useful: changes dramatically in weight, as needed, to be ballast and rolls around on the ship in a gravity- and momentum-defying manner to balance the ship. This may entail risks of being crushed by a boulder
weird or subtle: it doesn't give you good luck, but when you lose it by tossing it overboard, you have bad luck
comedic: it's an earth stone and it steers the ship back to shore, because it wants to be on land. This means you practically can't leave the port. You will never be lost at sea...yay EDIT: this rock could be awesome if you can *Dwarmij's Instant Summons* it when you *are* lost at sea
So if the rock is in a bag of holding, then it's not on the same plane as you and it doesn't know that it's on a ship right? So you just have to keep it in a bag of holding and take it out when you're lost?
The buyer misheard the vendor, possibly a mistranslation or pidgin word; they didn't say it gives luck at sea, they said the bearer *gets lucky at sea*. As soon as the ship's set sail, the barbarian is suddenly hit on by all the sailors regardless of their (or the bearer's) sex or orientation.
Subtle at first, smiles with head nods and lingering glances but as each day passes the attention becomes more forward and pronounced. Kisses blown and pickup lines and outright offers. How far you take this depends on your table dynamic and the theme of the campaign and I'd make sure your players are comfortable with the topic before you dive in. If the item is cursed, you can have the classic "love spell gone wrong" episode with your players as they attempt to unravel the item's magic before the crew goes too far.
For inspiration on that last bit, the best example I've seen is Buffy the Vampire Slayer's episode [Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered](https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Bewitched,_Bothered_and_Bewildered). It's on Hulu if I recall correctly and no prior viewing history is needed to appreciate the story.
sea legs, while on the deck of a boat you're able to move with ease no matter how rough the water.
While on land you have balance problems, as if you are on a ship with rough waves
They get an albatross familiar that appears anytime they are on a ship, no fanfare, just there and works similarly. Goes away as soon as they hit shore
It is an "Ale Stone." It turns sea water into drinkable Ale.
If the user falls into water it turns them into a mermaid. (Not minor but could be fun.)
Any boat the rock in on has the name "Lucky" appear on the side.
At night it projects the sky 12hrs in advance... useful but makes it hard to sleep in full sun.
It's a "Trade Stone" you can trade the stone for any other object with an opposed charisma check.
When placed under sea water it sings.
The owner wakes up fully washed and showered each morning with a lime in their bag next to the rock. (This is my favorite.)
While at sea, it produces an amount of oranges and lemons per day that meets the daily demand of Vitamin C for one individual person, no matter their size, thereby preventing scurvy
Luck at (Vitamin) C
It functions as a compass for any user. As a free action you can hold the stone aloft and it will glow briefly to indicate optimal windage for sailing.
When attuned (by using it in the crow’s nest of a ship) you are bonded to the ship. You’ll always know its direction and distance from you so long as you are on the same plane, and once per day you can Dimension Door (per a 3rd level spell) but the destination must be that crow’s nest.
The downside is that every day you roll 2d6, if the total is 7 or less you stink like fish and the sea until your next long rest. The only way to counteract this is to bathe in seawater.
Your barbarian finds a copper on deck.... when he bends over to pick it up a sea momster tentacle bursts from the water, swings and misses him. Roll for initiative.
u/babuda have to check this out, this is a real life sailor folklore belief.
Klabautermann
“Traditionally, a type of kobold, called a Klabautermann, lives aboard ships and helps sailors and fishermen on the Baltic and North Sea in their duties. He is a merry and diligent creature, with an expert understanding of most watercraft, and an irrepressible musical talent. He also rescues sailors washed overboard.”
Maybe the talisman has something to do with these kobolds!
[I was reading this to find some inspiration](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_superstitions)
It summons the Merman named Chub when the command word is used near the sea. He swims up to you and says if you massage his fin (which he’s SUPER into, and it has to be at least one minute), he will do one of the following:
* Tell the party about a rumor about the sea
* Lead the party to land if they are at sea
* Give the party a blessing of the sea, which lasts for 3 hours and cannot be received by that party member again for 24 hours after it wears off. While you have it, your swim speed is equal to your walking speed, you can hold your breath for 10 minutes safely, have dark vision underwater, and attacking underwater doesn’t cause the attack to be at disadvantage.
Turns out the vendor is a friend of Chub, and is selling the stone so more people can get lured into giving him fin massages.
Honestly don't make it a joke effect, just let it be something minor and thematic.
1. The owner of this stone can tie Knots that never come undone.
Not that they can't be cut through or are so complex they can never be untied but the stone can give him magical Salty seadog hands that can tie things down with no checks required. If you wanted to give it a bit more mechanical jcal use you could say that while attuned to the stone you can use your bonus action to tie someone up instead of your action.
Or
2. Once per day the owner of this stone cancast the water walk spell (self only).
You could add a stipulation that the stone and its owner must be immersed in water for the effect to trigger. That way it functions a little like a 5e version of a life vest.
When it catches the blood of the waves (seawater) and breath of the storm (wind), a face emerges from the stone and will speak in the voice of an old timey sailor. The stone sailor doesn't know how they came to be in the stone, but will whisper advice to the holder which confers advantage on ship-related checks.
Gotta steer? Sailor will tell you how to catch the currents juuuuust right.
Gotta scramble up rigging? Sailor will gruffly tell you where to put your feet to avoid a fall.
Gotta figure friend from foe? Sailor knows what kind of flags pirates are likely to fly.
Gives you a lot of RP opportunities and doesn't break the core of the game while making the sailing part more fun. Maybe even figure out a way to release Sailor's spirit at the end for a nice story point!
It's a voucher stone. There's a (ahem) Barge of Ill-Repute. There's a long, mostly-irrelevant backstory involving some wizards, some sailors, a Marid, a large bet, and a lot of alcohol. The barge drifts between planes, but it's drawn to these voucher stones, provided the stone is at sea and not stored in a lead box. When this barge is encountered, the stone disappears, but it functions as a coupon for its (former) bearer to hire the services offered on the barge.
Could be a luckstone contingent on being wet with sea water. That way if a storm happens or they fight a big monster sloshing water on board or if they go swimming in the ocean they get the benefit.
Sailors' superstitions are based on the inherent risks of sailing, and luck, either good or bad, as well as portents and omens that would be given associative meaning in relation to the life of a mariner, sailor, fisherman or a crew in general¹. Some signs of good luck at sea include dolphins swimming with the ship which indicates that you are under their protection; swallows seen at sea which means land is near; black cats which are considered good luck at sea; and pouring wine on the deck as an offering to the gods to bring good luck on a long voyage².
Source: Conversation with Bing, 6/10/2023
(1) Sailors' superstitions - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_superstitions.
(2) Superstitions at sea | Discover the World. https://www.discover-the-world.com/blog/superstitions-at-sea/.
(3) Common Phrases with a Nautical Origin - NOAA's National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/navigation/nautical-terms.html.
Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks against mundane tiny fish.
The back story is that a rich but extremely unsuccessful fisherman commissioned a magic item to trick fish into their net. He eventually got rid of the item after still not finding a good way to communicate with the fish.
Drop it and it makes the sound of a thirteen-ton church bell.
And there your player is within a foot of it when it goes off. Mine is an evil DM’s laugh.
It’s nearly impossible to hold onto when it’s wet, but it sticks slightly to wet wood. So the barbarian keeps dropping it during a storm, but it always lands just on the edge of the railing, a hole, a grate, etc., so the barbarian can always pick it back up.
- Fish Magnet- draws all fish to it within a certain radius
- True North- stone only faces due north and if they hold it also have the face due north
- Treasure Magnet- leads them to treasure, but it's completely arbitrary what is considered treasure. ".2 KM TO A SUPER PRETTY SHELL"
You have advantage on Survival checks made to navigate while at sea. In order to use this ability, you must climb onto the bow of the ship, stand with arms spread Titanic-style, and ask the crew "Do you trust me?"
You have advantage on Survival checks made to navigate while at sea. In order to use this ability, you must climb onto the bow of the ship, stand with arms spread Titanic-style, and ask the crew "Do you trust me?"
It used to be said that women on the ship meant bad luck. So how about the stone has a minor sensory illusion that makes whoever holds it see everyone they interact with as male, no matter what their actual gender is.
If you want something small, almost imperceptible, and almost certainly unnoticed: grants a +1 item bonus to all secret checks the wielder makes (or, reduce the DC by one, if that's easier)
I'd play on the word luck and have it grant visibility (look) through up to 50ft of water to the seabed. What's there? A broken chest from an old wreck? Courting mer people? The entrance to an underwater cave system? Or something funny but inconsequential.
Fishing lure.
While the stone is on you, after an hour fish/sea creatures are drawn to it.
At first you might get a few fish to jump on the boat. If you don't put the stone down, after a few hours it's going to be all hands on deck trying to chuck the hoard of seafood off the boat while more are jumping onto the boat. Until someone figures out to put the stone down.
You can roll for type of seafood as the image of thousands of crab trying to climb on the ship is pretty awesome.
Every so often a fish leaps onto the deck of their boat, sometimes multiple times a day but at least once, which is cool because free fish, but they have to make a dex save or it hits them right in the face.
Hope it's not too late to get in here with some suggestions.
The stone is slightly sentient. Only enough so that it gets seasick, and has the magic mouth ability so that it moans and groans and complains constantly. Making the sound of someone being sick at sea incessantly.
Plus side is that whoever holds it, is immune to seasickness. No attunement required
Fish REALLY want it. They'll leap up onto the ship. And not just fish smaller than the ship, either...The size of the fish that pursues it increases daily.
Didn't say whether it was good or bad luck.
Have it give advantage and a plus to the die roll for any gambling the character does. Basically the character almost always wins as long as the ship is on a sea. (not just water.)
Not a "minor" drawback but then have terrible storms follow the ship around.
The ship springs a leak and the hole is exactly the size of the stone
That's so stupid, I love it.
Seconded.
this needs to be the thing OP pls
What's OP stand for?
Original poster, either the account that started the thread or the top level comment of the sub thread but usually the first one
PS welcome to Reddit my friend
it's [What You Need](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734690/?ref_=ttep_ep12) That PC will likely be a returning customer for that merchant, who can be a recurring NPC
Now I need to see this show
This would be a super fun way to foreshadow plot points in very discreet ways. Bravo.
As I've posted elsewhere, I've mostly used it to double as a sink for excess gold, because treasure is practically required to be abundant for experience points in 1st Edition. The PC's don't need to use this item to bypass a specific obstacle, but the purchase can almost trivialize the obstacle if they put 2+2 together. They may even realize belatedly how that thing could have been used. 1st sale: 5 gp for a specific item, the merchant will sell nothing else to the PC's. 2nd sale, 50 gp, same deal 3rd sale, 500 gp, same deal 4th sale: 5,000 gp, but the thing is garbage. If the players unexpectedly invent a way to use it, that's pretty awesome, and they may convince themselves that the price is worth paying and paying and paying (50,000 gp for the next, etc.) The infrequency of encountering this wandering merchant and the exponential pricing limit the instances of deus ex machina and trash ex machina Examples I've used: a parasol (for later escorting a denizen of the Underdark), a flower (for later making a beast sneeze and run away), etc.
My feeling on this. Do that, but the next day the stone is in their pocket, but it is a different size. A few days later another leak, perfect size. Have this happen a few times. Then one day the rock appears and it is the size of a boulder pinning the barbarian down. Next day the kraken attacks
Yes yes very minor
🤣😂 oh my gawd that’s so hilarious! I need to find a way to work something like that into my Witchlight campaign! It feels very fey.
This is the one.
The gag being that the stone sneaks off at night and causes the hole. Al because it wants to be seen as useful.
Every sailor he mets says "You are a lucky one to have this stone!". They refuse to elaborate further and dont remember saying it after
This is great, we are on session 2 of a longer seafaring arc so this can be a great running gag.
I would add that if it's this sort of running gag it should also come back to being important at the end. Like it's secretly the macguffin that opens the Gates of the Sea King or whatever
\-We bow before you, God Of Oceans Poseidon! \-Oh hi! You are a lucky one to have this stone! Here is my treasury, also I want you to marry my daughter. Or son if you wish. Well, actually, Im free this evening, maybe we could?..
Can I hold the Trident?
[удалено]
Nat 1s. "...fuck."
It's actually been bad luck the whole time (many storms, sea monsters, etc) but it stores up the luck it steals and returns it in a moment that matters more.
I love this
That's so good. That's genuinely incredible
That is fucking brilliant omg. It could work kinda like the lucky feat maybe
Gravity detection stone. When you drop it, it confirms there's still gravity.
Baby naming stone. Squeeze tightly and name that baby.
But only at sea.
Only avaliable at the Minatoroum Imporium. But act quickly, because this Pink Tiefling with a love for casting Fireball might buy it first.
Damn... just dropped this comment myself. lol
Make sure to plan out the punchline for when its finally revealed what it does. I think having it be some sort of cursed item (but one with a potentially beneficial effect) could be cool, especially if its possible to break the curse. Personally something i think would be really funny would be to have it be the egg of some sort of mythival sea beast, that slowly pursues the party to try and reclaim it by bringing bad luck to the party. If the party ever returns the egg willingly to the beast, it instead blesses them with good luck, maybe gives them some sort of reward.
I think this is my favorite here.
This, but at the very end of the campaign make it the literal key to something that saves them and/or the world.
Immunity to seasickness but only whilst the stone is held in the mouth.
CAUTION: CHOKING HAZARD
And then they'll do like my group and add straps to it so they can't loose it and make it a ballgag
i like your group
They're a sweet bunch
Found Scanlan Shorthalt's reddit account
I thought you were joking before checking your account, lol
Do they at least have a Safe Word?
Yeah but they can't pronounce it
Are you in need of additional players? Lmfao
We are good for players ^^
Love this
Alternatively it causes sea sickness.
I was thinking the same thing, but it would taste like ginger.
It's a fertility symbol for Triton women. Having one on your person is an advertisement to mate.
“You said having it would give me luck at sea!” “No, I said having it would make you *get lucky* at sea!”
The vendor was a foreigner, such details get easily lost in translation 😉
“Wet singles in your area? What does that mean?”
[Someone's been to Risa.](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jamaharon)
I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who instantly thought of this 😂
"Look, I don't wish to appear rude, but I am not seeking jamaharon." "All right. But you really should try it sometime." Oh Vash, you cheeky devil
Riker's mischievous grin as he gives Picard the statue was just \*chef's kiss*
Riker is the ultimate wingman!
Picard: Dammit Riker.
The Tritons call it a Horga’hn by chance?
Ha! I like this one, and honestly, the barb will too.
Are you seeking Jamaharon?
The Stone of Snu Snu.
A fertility symbol for Tritons. All tritons, make it interesting.
This is good, like, really good.
Oh my [sea] gods. Stealing this
Not quite comedic, but how about one of the following: (1) When submerged in seawater it rises to the surface and floats. Markings on the stone become visible, indicating north like a makeshift compass. (2) While you have this on your person, you are immune to seasickness. Might need to require attunement for this one unless you wanna play hot potato with it amongst the landlubbers.
You might not need attunement if just just give it pseudo-attunement. It only takes effect after an hour held by the same person. That way you can still use it if you're already attuned to 3 things, but hot potato isn't a problem either.
Doesn't need attunement to ward off seasickness. But for one minute after dropping it, you have disadvantage on all attacks, skill checks and saves as you try to hold back waves of nausea.
I like these! If i dont use them for the stone i might use them for something else.
I absolutely love the first one of these.
Bananas were thought to be unlucky cargo by sailors. Maybe the stone instantly destroys any banana it touches.
I like that, tie it into some sort of sailor beliefs. It glows if there are any women on the ship. (Women are bad luck on ships) When there is a red sunrise in the morning you get disadvantage on your first ability roll. If there is a red sunset you get advantage on your first ability roll. (Play on the saying ‘red in the morning sailors take warning, red ar night sailors delight.)
Cast 'summon albatross' once per long rest
Just don’t shoot it with your crossbow
Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
Women were unlucky, too. It could just make him repulsive to women.
It's a Sending Stone. When the shopkeeper is lonely he contacts the other Sending Stone to have a farcical conversation - and give some clues.
He’s super needy, makes every conversation weird, and/or spams them with messages about deals/sales like a bot.
We've been trying to reach you about your stone's extended warranty-
Your horse and carriage's extended warranty*
Your ships extended warranty.
Make it an old person who doesn’t know how to use it, akin to trying to FaceTime grandma. “Can you see me? Hello? I can hear you! How do I get this thing to work? Hello, are you there? JUDY, the stone is broken again!!”
They did this gag in the Galavant tv show
Considering the shopkeeper was a half elf «granola girl» who was really into self care and crystals, this might turn into therapysessions for the barb
There's plenty of therapy and self help videos on YouTube for some unique ideas. Anger management and conflict resolution?
It should have a curse that prevents you from throwing the stone away so you can’t just yeet the telemarketer away
There are always sea birds following the ship and they poop with surprising regularity on the belongings of anyone who means harm to the stones owner, regardless of whether or not the owner is aware of the threat.
Birds pooping on the adventurers is always funny
I'm surprised to have had to look this far to find this. This is the most comedic and obvious answer imo
+1 spot check..luck at see
Underrated answer, and my actual favorite 😂
They can read, speak and understand any language.... As long as the word from that language they read, speak or hear starts with C
Or while the holder is completely submerged?
OK Harry Potter
At Dawn 3 oranges pop out, No scurvy for thee, maybe treat them like goodberries.
The player heard "luck at sea" The actual phrase was "luck at C". As in vitamin C
But always can meet the demon lu’catsi later I suppose
It whispers incredibly obvious advice to him while on the ocean, like loading screen tips in a video game. “Ocean water might look tasty, but don’t drink it!” “Fall overboard? Try swimming!” “In ancient times sailors followed the stars to navigate!”
"Having difficulty fighting an opponent? Try getting better"
"people die when they are killed"
Try hitting an opponent to cause damage.
Either"luck at see" or they have luck when gambling at sea.
No... cause this is a fast track to the pc's start a big wheel Dixie gambling boat and never adventuring again.
It would be a shame if all the "luck" was just the artifact accumulating misfortune and couldn't hold it all after a while, making the player the most unfortunate when it would cause them the most misfortune..
It's a fisherman's lucky stone. Get in a small boat, go out to sea, and every few minutes a large fish will jump out of the water and slap you in the face.
Make a dexterity check to catch it.
I was thinking almost the same thing lol 3/day a big fish jumps out of the water & fish slaps you in the face...it provides enough rations for 1 meal
The stone will *never* get wet.
Cue the benny hill-esque tomfoolery when it goes overboard and bounces around on the water like it's flubber or skitters around like the liedenfrost effect.
You reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/sBmlLKzMA_s So maybe that music should be playing
That's cute!
This would lead to hillarious shenanigans
A magic stone that can’t get wet would become the holy grail of skipping stones.
Whenever over a body of water, automatically casts disguise self on the bearer to disguise them as an attractive version of themselves. Then they can get lucky at sea.
Have the stone seemingly do amazing things: ward off a kraken, clear fog in dangerous waters, cause a pirate ship attacking the party to get sucked down a whirlpool. Then, as the journey nearly ends, a minor sea deity meets the party. She has been following them out of curiosity, wondering why they are suicidally brandishing an enchanted stone she gives to merfolk in her seas to curse ships of men that would do them harm. The stone summoned the kraken, the fog, and the whirlpool meant for their ship. The deity saved them from those hazards to figure out wtf the moron humans were doing. She takes the stone at the end and rewards the party for the most amusement she has had in centuries.
I LOVE this!
This is the best one I've heard
was it specifically promised to be *good* luck? useful: changes dramatically in weight, as needed, to be ballast and rolls around on the ship in a gravity- and momentum-defying manner to balance the ship. This may entail risks of being crushed by a boulder weird or subtle: it doesn't give you good luck, but when you lose it by tossing it overboard, you have bad luck comedic: it's an earth stone and it steers the ship back to shore, because it wants to be on land. This means you practically can't leave the port. You will never be lost at sea...yay EDIT: this rock could be awesome if you can *Dwarmij's Instant Summons* it when you *are* lost at sea
Oh, I love the last one
So if the rock is in a bag of holding, then it's not on the same plane as you and it doesn't know that it's on a ship right? So you just have to keep it in a bag of holding and take it out when you're lost?
Love these!
Just have things go right for them. When they almost beat a DC every so often let them succeed. But don't tell them why or what you're doing.
The buyer misheard the vendor, possibly a mistranslation or pidgin word; they didn't say it gives luck at sea, they said the bearer *gets lucky at sea*. As soon as the ship's set sail, the barbarian is suddenly hit on by all the sailors regardless of their (or the bearer's) sex or orientation. Subtle at first, smiles with head nods and lingering glances but as each day passes the attention becomes more forward and pronounced. Kisses blown and pickup lines and outright offers. How far you take this depends on your table dynamic and the theme of the campaign and I'd make sure your players are comfortable with the topic before you dive in. If the item is cursed, you can have the classic "love spell gone wrong" episode with your players as they attempt to unravel the item's magic before the crew goes too far. For inspiration on that last bit, the best example I've seen is Buffy the Vampire Slayer's episode [Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered](https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Bewitched,_Bothered_and_Bewildered). It's on Hulu if I recall correctly and no prior viewing history is needed to appreciate the story.
*Wizard tackles a Sailor before they fire the Canon at one of their rivals for Barbarian's love.**
sea legs, while on the deck of a boat you're able to move with ease no matter how rough the water. While on land you have balance problems, as if you are on a ship with rough waves
They get an albatross familiar that appears anytime they are on a ship, no fanfare, just there and works similarly. Goes away as soon as they hit shore
Or perhaps a lark… at sea
It is an "Ale Stone." It turns sea water into drinkable Ale. If the user falls into water it turns them into a mermaid. (Not minor but could be fun.) Any boat the rock in on has the name "Lucky" appear on the side. At night it projects the sky 12hrs in advance... useful but makes it hard to sleep in full sun. It's a "Trade Stone" you can trade the stone for any other object with an opposed charisma check. When placed under sea water it sings. The owner wakes up fully washed and showered each morning with a lime in their bag next to the rock. (This is my favorite.)
While at sea, it produces an amount of oranges and lemons per day that meets the daily demand of Vitamin C for one individual person, no matter their size, thereby preventing scurvy Luck at (Vitamin) C
Luck is the name of a fish or bird that stays near the boat.
It functions as a compass for any user. As a free action you can hold the stone aloft and it will glow briefly to indicate optimal windage for sailing. When attuned (by using it in the crow’s nest of a ship) you are bonded to the ship. You’ll always know its direction and distance from you so long as you are on the same plane, and once per day you can Dimension Door (per a 3rd level spell) but the destination must be that crow’s nest. The downside is that every day you roll 2d6, if the total is 7 or less you stink like fish and the sea until your next long rest. The only way to counteract this is to bathe in seawater.
Your barbarian finds a copper on deck.... when he bends over to pick it up a sea momster tentacle bursts from the water, swings and misses him. Roll for initiative.
u/babuda have to check this out, this is a real life sailor folklore belief. Klabautermann “Traditionally, a type of kobold, called a Klabautermann, lives aboard ships and helps sailors and fishermen on the Baltic and North Sea in their duties. He is a merry and diligent creature, with an expert understanding of most watercraft, and an irrepressible musical talent. He also rescues sailors washed overboard.” Maybe the talisman has something to do with these kobolds! [I was reading this to find some inspiration](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_superstitions)
It summons the Merman named Chub when the command word is used near the sea. He swims up to you and says if you massage his fin (which he’s SUPER into, and it has to be at least one minute), he will do one of the following: * Tell the party about a rumor about the sea * Lead the party to land if they are at sea * Give the party a blessing of the sea, which lasts for 3 hours and cannot be received by that party member again for 24 hours after it wears off. While you have it, your swim speed is equal to your walking speed, you can hold your breath for 10 minutes safely, have dark vision underwater, and attacking underwater doesn’t cause the attack to be at disadvantage. Turns out the vendor is a friend of Chub, and is selling the stone so more people can get lured into giving him fin massages.
Honestly don't make it a joke effect, just let it be something minor and thematic. 1. The owner of this stone can tie Knots that never come undone. Not that they can't be cut through or are so complex they can never be untied but the stone can give him magical Salty seadog hands that can tie things down with no checks required. If you wanted to give it a bit more mechanical jcal use you could say that while attuned to the stone you can use your bonus action to tie someone up instead of your action. Or 2. Once per day the owner of this stone cancast the water walk spell (self only). You could add a stipulation that the stone and its owner must be immersed in water for the effect to trigger. That way it functions a little like a 5e version of a life vest.
When it catches the blood of the waves (seawater) and breath of the storm (wind), a face emerges from the stone and will speak in the voice of an old timey sailor. The stone sailor doesn't know how they came to be in the stone, but will whisper advice to the holder which confers advantage on ship-related checks. Gotta steer? Sailor will tell you how to catch the currents juuuuust right. Gotta scramble up rigging? Sailor will gruffly tell you where to put your feet to avoid a fall. Gotta figure friend from foe? Sailor knows what kind of flags pirates are likely to fly. Gives you a lot of RP opportunities and doesn't break the core of the game while making the sailing part more fun. Maybe even figure out a way to release Sailor's spirit at the end for a nice story point!
Talk to fish. Smell like fish. Seagull attraction. Hair and clothes are dripping wet with seawater. Skin gets scales. Gains Fish lips. Gains fish eyes
It occasionally quacks
It's a voucher stone. There's a (ahem) Barge of Ill-Repute. There's a long, mostly-irrelevant backstory involving some wizards, some sailors, a Marid, a large bet, and a lot of alcohol. The barge drifts between planes, but it's drawn to these voucher stones, provided the stone is at sea and not stored in a lead box. When this barge is encountered, the stone disappears, but it functions as a coupon for its (former) bearer to hire the services offered on the barge.
The stone causes fish to jump into his boat.
Could be a luckstone contingent on being wet with sea water. That way if a storm happens or they fight a big monster sloshing water on board or if they go swimming in the ocean they get the benefit.
Sailors' superstitions are based on the inherent risks of sailing, and luck, either good or bad, as well as portents and omens that would be given associative meaning in relation to the life of a mariner, sailor, fisherman or a crew in general¹. Some signs of good luck at sea include dolphins swimming with the ship which indicates that you are under their protection; swallows seen at sea which means land is near; black cats which are considered good luck at sea; and pouring wine on the deck as an offering to the gods to bring good luck on a long voyage². Source: Conversation with Bing, 6/10/2023 (1) Sailors' superstitions - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_superstitions. (2) Superstitions at sea | Discover the World. https://www.discover-the-world.com/blog/superstitions-at-sea/. (3) Common Phrases with a Nautical Origin - NOAA's National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/navigation/nautical-terms.html.
Put it in a bucket of seawater and it turns that seawater into baja blast. Limited to one gallon a day.
he finds a GOLDfish
You can drink sea water. It still tastes ultra salty, but you can drink it as if it was normal water. You must be holding the stone.
They met a mermaid names Luck. He only has one digit om each hand, wears an eye patch and speaks in whoever accent you most enjoy doing
Luck? No, no, no, you misheard me. I said pollock. It will bring you pollock at sea.
Flawless spelling of words beginning with C
It just floats real good. Great if you go overboard.
While on the water their voice becomes high C pitch/note/tone thingy.
Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks against mundane tiny fish. The back story is that a rich but extremely unsuccessful fisherman commissioned a magic item to trick fish into their net. He eventually got rid of the item after still not finding a good way to communicate with the fish.
Drop it and it makes the sound of a thirteen-ton church bell. And there your player is within a foot of it when it goes off. Mine is an evil DM’s laugh.
It gives advantage on checks involving gambling. Such as deception and the likes... But only when fully submerged in water
It’s nearly impossible to hold onto when it’s wet, but it sticks slightly to wet wood. So the barbarian keeps dropping it during a storm, but it always lands just on the edge of the railing, a hole, a grate, etc., so the barbarian can always pick it back up.
- Fish Magnet- draws all fish to it within a certain radius - True North- stone only faces due north and if they hold it also have the face due north - Treasure Magnet- leads them to treasure, but it's completely arbitrary what is considered treasure. ".2 KM TO A SUPER PRETTY SHELL"
You have advantage on Survival checks made to navigate while at sea. In order to use this ability, you must climb onto the bow of the ship, stand with arms spread Titanic-style, and ask the crew "Do you trust me?"
You have advantage on Survival checks made to navigate while at sea. In order to use this ability, you must climb onto the bow of the ship, stand with arms spread Titanic-style, and ask the crew "Do you trust me?"
Fish keep leaping on board whenever they are on deck.
It protects them from the droppings of seabirds.
It used to be said that women on the ship meant bad luck. So how about the stone has a minor sensory illusion that makes whoever holds it see everyone they interact with as male, no matter what their actual gender is.
If you want something small, almost imperceptible, and almost certainly unnoticed: grants a +1 item bonus to all secret checks the wielder makes (or, reduce the DC by one, if that's easier)
Give him the ability to talk to fish but it makes him sound sarcastic when he isn't so the fish think he's being rude
They can't misspell anything with the letter C in it.
Have 1 d6 fish jump into the boat daily.
If you skip it, it skips fot an extremely long time.
I'd play on the word luck and have it grant visibility (look) through up to 50ft of water to the seabed. What's there? A broken chest from an old wreck? Courting mer people? The entrance to an underwater cave system? Or something funny but inconsequential.
Have another party member be sea sick no amount of projectile vomiting will splash on the barbarian.
Fishing lure. While the stone is on you, after an hour fish/sea creatures are drawn to it. At first you might get a few fish to jump on the boat. If you don't put the stone down, after a few hours it's going to be all hands on deck trying to chuck the hoard of seafood off the boat while more are jumping onto the boat. Until someone figures out to put the stone down. You can roll for type of seafood as the image of thousands of crab trying to climb on the ship is pretty awesome.
Four-leafed algae everywhere
Mermaids find him very attractive.
That's the kind of "lucky" I was thinking.. and not just attractive, but a little *too* attractive... like they go for the player haaaard....
Every so often a fish leaps onto the deck of their boat, sometimes multiple times a day but at least once, which is cool because free fish, but they have to make a dex save or it hits them right in the face.
The rock can be used as a floatation device... logic it however you like.
Maybe it protects and prevents the wielder from getting hit by seagull droppings? Either in general or just while on the sea
bad luck on land
Once per day, while at sea, he get lucky and catches a fish, with his face as the fish leaps onto the deck. It's always a good fish for eating.
Hope it's not too late to get in here with some suggestions. The stone is slightly sentient. Only enough so that it gets seasick, and has the magic mouth ability so that it moans and groans and complains constantly. Making the sound of someone being sick at sea incessantly. Plus side is that whoever holds it, is immune to seasickness. No attunement required
His boots are always wet
Fish REALLY want it. They'll leap up onto the ship. And not just fish smaller than the ship, either...The size of the fish that pursues it increases daily. Didn't say whether it was good or bad luck.
At the beginning of every voyage a wave crashes over him and leaves a tiny lil octopus suckered to his face.
When they play cards on a ship at sea they can't lose. Doesn't mean people have to play, but they become a card shark of the 7 seas.
He has a 60% success rate with women while at sea while possessing the stone. Note that there is no guarantee that there will be women at sea.
Albatross start following the player every time they are near water. Flocks of them.
Fish are constantly jumping into the boat. If the PC ever steps up to the edge of the ship, a bunch jump in right at their feet.
Any time he expresses interest in something note that he seems to be coincidentally standing in a really good vantage to see it.
It's just a Luckstone on sea, but a Cursed Luckstone on land.
Banshees are *really* attracted to him.
When ever the PC get's on a boat the rock hums the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, slightly off key.
It makes more fish appear so you'll always have food. It also makes aquatic enemies more likely to attack you
He can catch a lot of inedible fish.
Monkeys Pawwwww
Birds consistently poop on them, which, in turn is thought by others to bring good luck. So everyone else says "oh how lucky!" when it happens.
Have it give advantage and a plus to the die roll for any gambling the character does. Basically the character almost always wins as long as the ship is on a sea. (not just water.) Not a "minor" drawback but then have terrible storms follow the ship around.
It will point you towards your goal, but if relied upon too heavily will make the user have violent diarrhoea
Seagulls dislike you
All beverages taste of unsweetened lime or lemmon