Regal Clothes and the Fine Pipe of the Mad

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The Finery of The Duke of Gaw

The Duke of Gaw, a wide and rich land of dark soil and excellent vintages, was known centuries back for his extravagances. Most notably, his wardrobe was the envy of his peers and the King, himself. It was said that none could match him in splendor.

One of his finest vestments, a silken tunic in black and gold paisley fringed in Brindenwood lace, a pair of royal blue herringbone breeches, doveskin leather bootlets and a spillory cloak of pure white farmalan fur…

…was also made by his personal sorcerer, a dark man who made it for dark purposes. The Duke died in battle when his tent was overrun by wolves in the night.

System: The clothes are perfectly gaudy and overfine. They restrict movement such that stealth, athletics, and acrobatics (and related) rolls are disadvantaged due to the cut and stitching of courtly attire. This is also why the AC is a flat number and one doesn’t add their Dex mod.

That being said, they are infused with an aura of awe and respect. The wearer of the finery (in total, with all the jewelry and lace and all the stuff) has an AC of 18 to anything with an intelligence score 6 or higher. The splendor elicits tiny, minor feelings of either awe or avarice in others such that they subtly attempt to harm you without harming the finery. Thus the higher AC.

Anything with an intelligence lower than 6 (5 or lower) is immune to this. They do not understand or appreciate the finery on that level and one’s AC with respect to them is 10–unarmored, and your Dex mod is still restricted by the garments’ cut and form.

Donning takes 10 minutes, doffing takes 1 minute.

 

Brucker’s Pipe

An Archy-Fey–the Magister of the Bright Sun–made a mark on this world three centuries back with a simple, but mysterious polished walnut and bone pipe.

His Warlocks roamed the lands, wreaking both havoc and horror as well as bringing hope and salvation. And when they came together at a great conclave to share their experience with the Magister, the great Arch-Fey left for them a gift–and told them nothing about how to use it.

As the dozen Warlocks communed with each other, speaking of mysteries… debating rights… testing each other… arguing about who is best-loved of the Bright Sun… sharing their adventures…

In the lost glade of their conclave, in a bed of violets that sprung up from nowhere, laid a simple polished pipe.

At first, they took it as a sign of favor on the conclave from their great Patron… but soon they turned on each other and disagreements, debates, and arguments turned to blades and bows and eldritch fire. The last Warlock standing, Brucker of Pekal, kicked over the bodies of his “fellows”, looting what interesting things they had and high on his supremacy over these lesser cultists of the great Magister.

He saw the pipe, laying there… and took it up and left.

Weeks later, he would pull it out of his satchel while in a small boring town of no great interest and buy a few pinches of tobacco from a travelling merchant–he’d never much liked smoking, but boredom took him and it reminded him of the slaughter he survived and proved himself in.

And he lost himself.

Four years later, the great and powerful Warlock gasped into the rain, withered and tired… choking on his own vomit… dead in a gutter by an outhouse in a village he never learned the name of. A rattle. A gasp. And he was gone. The pipe falling from his hand into the mud, and where it fell new violets sprung.

System: The pipe is an arcane focus, only for Warlocks of an Arch-Fey, and gives advantage on any rolls against other Warlocks (of any Patron) on contested rolls. Every time such a roll is made, add a counter to the pipe (so long as someone possesses it). Every time a long rest is taken, the possessor of the pipe takes an amount of Psychic damage equal to the counter of the pipe. This does not interfere with their long rest and they will heal damage normally otherwise.

So, if a Warlock uses it 3 times then as he starts his long rest, he’ll take 3 psychic damage. If he never uses it again, but still has it, the next long rest? 3 more. The long rest will heal all of this normally.

Eventually, with enough uses, it will be dangerous as taking 46 psychic damage BEFORE the rest could kill you. You waste away, and you die. (Note: it never resets, per person; can’t give it up, then come back to it later–same count for you)