Poetic Justice?!
A 1st-level homebrew magic item containing weaponized poetry
My previous experiments have been with analyzing official 4th edition powers. This post is similar, but I am focusing on a magic item of my own creation.
Give this post a like if this is something you would like to see more of.
While exploring the depths of the world, it is not uncommon to come upon ancient tomes of mysterious origins. Some contain long-forgotten history. Other are filled with spells of wonderous power. And there are a few you’d like to return and forget you ever discovered in the first place.
The Book of Awful Poetry1 is just such a tome. It is a collection of verses so wretched that even the most battle-hardened warrior will struggle to endure their power.
Let’s open it up.
After this message…
Support the Journal
All my new content is free for everyone. If you like this content, you can show your support for the journal by making a one-time contribution through PayPal or Ko-Fi.2
OR, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Be sure to read my About page for details.
Origins
From his earliest days, Lyrin Dryquill dreamt of attending a bardic college. After completing his chores, he would relax under the weeping willow near his home and write down every flowing word that came into his head. He longed for the day when the world would praise his mastery of the written word. Indeed, whatever he lacked in poetic talent, he more than made up for in unwarranted self-confidence.
But, alas, his dream of bardic college was not to be. One by one, each school rejected his application.
The day following his final rejection, he found himself sitting under that same weeping willow lamenting his situation. He resolved that he would find a way to make the world hear his beautiful verses.
Over the next few months, Lyrin compiled his favorite works into a series of volumes. With the help of a traveling wizard and a few silver pieces, he imbued each book with magical properties that would force those nearby to listen whether they wanted to or not.
Sadly, he did not live long enough to see his collection in use. While reciting the verses in the shadow of his favorite tree, the weeping willow suddenly, and most unexpectedly, fell and crushed Lyrin—forever silencing his pen.
It is not clear what became of the books after that fateful day, but various volumes have popped up from time to time.
Rules Lawyer
No Mercy Be mindful that reading from the book affects all creatures in the blast area. This includes your allies.
Recharge At the start of your next turn after reading from the book, roll 1d6. If the result is a 5 or a 6, then you can read from the book again. If not, then reading from the book will have no effect on creatures until you complete a short rest.
Burned in Your Brain You do not need to read from the book to get the +1 bonus to Intimidate checks. The words have a way of staying with you. Just having the book in your possession is enough to influence your message.
Real-World Applications
There are a number of scenarios where the Book of Awful Poetry could be a game-changer.
Disarm Enemies Just when things are looking dire for the party, a few lines from this book could force your enemies to drop their weapons. They will need to use a minor action to pick it up again.
Steal an Item If a foe is holding the artifact that you seek, some well-timed poetry could be what you need for them to lose their grip on your quarry.
Stealthy Retreat If an escape is what you are after, drop a verse and your deafened enemies won’t be able to hear you running away.
Get Past the Guard The book has uses outside of combat as well with a +1 bonus to your Intimidate skill. Your mind cannot unhear the words you’ve read and they find their way into your veiled threats at the best possible times.
This power accomplishes four things that I like.
It provides a benefit outside of combat
It disrupts the enemy (and possibly allies) during combat
It has the chance of allowing multiple uses during an encounter
It can be fun to roleplay
What do you think?
Visit my website for SRD 5.1 license details
PayPal and Ko-Fi contributions are processed via Shenanigans Media LLC
I like this it is very flavorful. Perhaps a higher level version Dryquill’s Tome of Truly Aweful Poetry could also attack VS Will & inflict some ongoing psychic damage (save ends of course) or give some other relevant status affect like dazed or immobilized?