Tales from the Wilderlands Magical Treasures

[Michebugio]

Since I wanted to incorporate the rules for Magical Treasure from Rivendell in Tales from Wilderland to make things more interesting for my players, I crafted this. I hope the following index will be helpful to new Loremasters seeking to add some flavor to their upcoming Tales from the Wilderland campaign, and more in general to give ideas to craft rewards based on important details of the existing adventures.

Let me know what you think!


MAGICAL TREASURE INDEX

Loremaster: Michebugio
Campaign: Tales from the Wilderland
Campaign Members: Varbrand the Man of the Lake, Aeranthor the Elf, Egil the Woodman, Carl the Hobbit

Note: instead of making Magical Treasure rolls, the players in my campaign found the following objects without rolls needed: to use them, however, they had to invest 3 Experience points for Wondrous Artefacts with one blessing, or 6 Experience points for Wondrous Artefacts with a Greater Blessing or for Famous Weapons and Armours.
I’ve organized the index sorting the items by adventure, indicating the occasion where they can be found.


The Marsh Bell

If the players manage to find and take the treasure of the Mewlips, treat it as a T* and they will also find a strange refined dagger. The blade is long and broad, almost resembling a short sword, and the making is crude and essential, but nonetheless elegant and efficient. If the characters choose the Go see a lore-master undertaking during a Fellowship phase, the dagger will reveal itself as the Protector of the East, a famous blade forged by the Men of Westernesse.

Item: Protector of the East.
Companion: Ideally, a Barding or a Man of the Lake. If no Bardings or Men of the Lake are present in the group, it can be assigned to a Woodman or a Beorning.
Type: Dagger. A Loremaster who feels particularly generous at this early stage can make it a Short sword or even a Sword.
Craftmanship: Nùmenòrean.
Banes: Evil Men, Wolves.
Qualities: 1. Superior Grievous, 2. Superior Fell, 3. Keen.
Notes: In the fourteenth century of the Third Age, King Ròmendacil II of Gondor crushed the Easterling in T.A. 1248, and many Northmen joined his army. When he sent his son Valacar as an ambassador to the so-called King of Rhovanion, Vigudavia, he also brought this dagger as a gift and a sign of gratitude for his military help. The blade was not only an ornament, as it was wrought to protect the northern and eastern frontiers of Gondor from the Easterlings and the wild wolves once so widespread in those lands.
The blade then passed down to Vinitharya, the son of Valacar and Vidumavi (the king’s daughter) who became known as king Eldacar in Gondor. The blade was lost in the ensuing Kin-strife, the civil war in T.A. 1447.


Don’t leave the path

After the fragment of the Wolfbiter Axe is obtained from the hermit and taken to Woodland Hall, a character who passes a Lore check with a great or extraordinary success can make an offer to the elders of the village: to bring the fragment to Rivendell and convince Damron, the Elven-smith, to re-forge the axe.
Regardless of the craftsmanship of the original weapon (the history of the ancient item is up to the Loremaster), the re-forged Wolfbiter Axe will be of Elven craftsmanship, long and lean, light and sharp like no Woodman has ever kept in his hands.

Item: Wolfbiter.
Companion: A Woodman (if no Woodmen are present, the fragment could not be obtained in the first place).
Type: Long-hafted axe.
Craftmanship: Elven.
Banes: Wolves.
Qualities: 1. Raging, 2. Cleaving, 3. Foe-slaying.
Notes: at Loremaster’s discretion, the axe may have some additional effect if used against the Werewolf of Mirkwood, given its Bane and elven craftsmanship.


Of leaves and stewed hobbit

If the characters manage to take the treasure of the goblins in their caves, among the rubbish they may find something of value. Treat this as a T** and roll for it. This may be a good occasion to let your players find objects especially suited for them (pick from your own Magical Treasure Index)


Kinstrife and Dark Tidings

After the fight with the Spectre, the players find a torque in the tomb near the ruins of Haycomb. If not sold, the torque may reveal enchanted qualities (Blessing of Awe), at the price of a Curse of Ill-Omen.

If the players defeat Valter (either by killing or subduing him), they can take his armor for themselves. Doing so, however, is considered an act of thievery and the player who will take the armor for himself will automatically gain 2 Shadow points. Also, the misdeeds of the original possessor have a lingering effect on the armor itself, and the player must make a Corruption test to avoid gaining an additional point of Shadow.

Item: Coat of Bronze Mail.
Companion: Any Man or Dwarf.
Type: Coat of mail.
Craftmanship: Dwarven.
Banes: none
Qualities: 1. Ancient Close Fitting, 2. Cunning Make, 3. Cunning Make.
Notes: This is an ancient armor forged by the Dwarves of Erebor for a close relative of Girion, Valter’s ancestor, passed down for generations until it came to Valter himself.


Those who tarry no longer

At the end of the adventure, Irimë will reward the players with the following objects from her personal belongings.

Item: Ring of Irimë
Companion: Only Elves.
Blessing: Awe.
Notes: In addition to the Blessing, if the possessor of the ring has the Wood-elf Magic Virtue, he may automatically gain all the spells associated with the Virtue, including those taught by Ormal the Lamp-maker in the Woodland Realm, as a single Undertaking during the next Fellowship phase (and without having to study with Ormal). He must still spend the experience points for each spell.
Additionally, the ring can act as the medium for Elf-lights (and all other spells associated) to work: so, instead of using a torch or a lamp, the wielder of the ring can light the ring itself to obtain all the Virtue effects.

Also, Irimë gives her cloak to the group.

Item: Elven cloak
Companion: Any.
Blessing: Stealth.


A Darkness in the Marshes

At the end of the adventure, if the players performed very well Radagast may reward the characters with one (or more) of the following: an enchanted book of herbs and salves recipes (Blessing of Healing), a wooden staff with a travel enchantment (Blessing of Travel), or a pair of boots with a sure-striding enchantment (Blessing of Explore).


The Crossings of Celduin

At the end of the adventure, generous Loremasters may let King Bard reward a Barding/Man of the Lake player with an enchanted royal silver circlet made by the Dwarves for Girion himself (Blessing of Inspire).


The Watch on the Heath

The hidden treasury in the Watch in Zirakinbar is a T***. Moreover, if the players find the original lair of Raenar, they may find additional items... provided they are experienced enought for the task!

[Dunkelbrink]

Some really good ideas here - I like the concept of being able to hand out magical items to the companions in context in additions to Hoards, and with the xp cost it does not feel unbalanced. My players are just now taking farewell to Irimë and I'll be using her cloak, but not the ring. The only risk I see here is the risk of crowding the world and the company with items. IMO every adventure should not include one. But that is of course easy to adapt.

[Majestic]

Yeah, I like what you've done here. I'm kind of at that decision point, too. I don't want to have too many magical items in my campaign (something I felt I did in my Decipher game), but on the other hand my players haven't gone after a single Hoard yet (even with two Treasure-hunters in the party). Two Treasure-hunters had trouble leaving the Mewlips' Hoard (and wanted to stay), but were drug off by other members of the company and have never tried to go back.

[Michebugio]

Of course, this summary is the best case scenario: the characters have to perform really well in each and every adventure to get the maximum rewards, and even then a wise Loremaster can limit the number of enchanted equipment found to one or two objects for each player.

In my Campaign, for example, the characters didn't loot the Mewlips and the Goblins lairs, Wolfbiter has not been re-forged yet, and they weren't able to kill or capture Valter in Kinstrife and Dark Tidings. Moreover, I didn't handle any of the rewards I've indicated in Darkness in the Marshes.

It's all up to the Loremaster generosity, and to the players' ability to earn these rewards.