Magic Item Interest Generator

Simple Magic Weapon Interest Generator

Mainly intended as a starting off point for an item and a way to make it more interesting than a simple plus one weapon. Featuring initial quirks, and potential lore related to its origin for the players to discover with 3 easy rolls of a d12

First roll on the origin table, then roll on the table that corresponds to the number you originally rolled.

You then roll a final d12 to see if it is sentient, 1-11 is not sentient, 12 is sentient

Origin

1. It fell from the skies

2. It comes from a great underwater civilization

3. It was recently found in the core ancient tree that was struck down by lightning

4. It was found in an iceberg

5. It was made 5,000 years ago but no one knows who made it

6. An explosion of magma rocked the earth and in the crater sat this weapon

7. A dragon gifted it to a close friend

8. It grew out of a giant flower

9. It was found in an alien junkpile

10. It was an interdimensional trade

11. It materialized in a cloud of smoke caused by great mages getting together to smoke

12. It’s a new experimental item made by a local mage

1) Fell From the Sky

1. Whenever it moves quickly through the air a choir can be heard

2. The wounds it leaves show the constellations

3. It casts out dim light

4. It always hovers slightly, never touching the ground

5. A small gyre clouds surround the business end

6. Any metal appears to be gold but is as hard as steel

7. It’s engraved with phrase death from above, the character that spells them out glow slightly

8. Birds are naturally attracted to it

9. A wind gust always follows with the use of the weapon

10. The weapon is rough and resembles a meteor

11. It is decorated with images of feathers

12. It always falls facing tip-up

2) Great Oceanic Civilization

1. It always has a slight layer of moisture at the end

2. It is made of an unidentifiable bright blue metal

3. The sound of the waves on the beach are heard by the holder

4. Whenever you strike with it a flash of illusory tentacles follows the attack

5. There are perfect metal replications of crab shells decorating it

6. It is perfectly neutrally buoyant 

7. It smells of fish, no matter how hard you clean it

8. When dropped it always points towards the nearest body of water

9. It glows when under water

10. Illusory fish swim around it at all times

11. It repels any water near it

12. A slight fog always emanates from it

3) Ancient Tree

1. When left on soil flowers quickly grow around it

2. A large termite decoration adorns it

3. It kills any trees it comes in contact with

4. If it is sharp the sharp part is made of impossibly strong leaves, if blunt it is made of incredibly hardwood. Cannot be burned

5. Creatures of the forest are calm around it

6. It's carved with ruins of a dead script

7. Small amounts of electricity arc off of the metallic parts

8. It is metal but looks like smoldering wood

9. It bears the name of an ancient family on the handle

10. If left unattended fungus will grow from it

11. There is a gem on it that changes colors with the seasons

12. It smells of pine

4) Iceberg

1. The business end of the weapon made up entirely of ice

2. When someone new picks it up they suddenly have a vision of great treasure under the ice

3. When it is left alone in a room you can hear from the other room it cries out for someone named Annabel Lee.

4. The wooden bits look to be made of an old shipwreck

5. If someone holds it their teeth jitter

6. It is decorated with a great swirling tusk

7. The weapon freezes any water it comes in contact with

8. The weapon always seems drawn to heat, like it’s still cold

9. It is adorned with white furs that cannot be torn

10. It moves by itself during a snowstorm

11. It fills you with internal warmth in cold air

12. The weapon sings along with you if you sing about the cold. It has a high pitched voice and seems to linger on the notes at the end of the song

5) Five Thousand Years ago

1. It gives you a prophetic vision of things to transpire within your lifetime

2. People killed by the weapon seem to disappear, leaving no corpse

3. The first person to pick it up gets a flashback of an ancient ancestor of them telling them they are proud

4. It glows brightly on the night of a full moon

5. Birds instinctively fly away from it

6. The room seems darker where it is

7. It has a timer on the handle that is counting down, it starts at 1 year and 5 days. It appears to have been counting down for thousands

8. It hums in a nearby woods, close inspection will repeal there used to be a building there

9. All dogs seem to take a particular interest in it

10. Thunder cracks in the distance when you strike something with it

11. It has a dead language written on the handle if you find a translator it says beware the Lady’s might

12. If you meditate while holding it you mentally relive the last fight you were in

6) Magma

1. It stains the hands of people who hold it a sooty grey

2. It is always warm to the touch

3. If dipped into water it will come out encased in stone

4. If struck against the ground the ground will shake hard enough to let small loose object tip over

5. It spews smoke 

6. Rough black stone adorns the weapon

7. A constant warm glow emanates from the business end

8. The business end is made of volcanic stone

9. It is adorned with the visage of an angry god

10. When dropped it points towards the nearest hot spring

11. Any stone it hits melts somewhat under the blow

12. It gives off a constant sizzling sound

7) Dragon Gift

1. It is encrusted with many jewels

2. A small dragon scale decorates it, obviously from a molt long ago

3. You can use it to divine towards gold, seems the enchantment is a bit too old

4. The handle has a decorative dragon head on the end

5. The business end is made more deadly by the addition of teeth from an enemy dragon

6. It whispers to you in draconic, if you speak draconic you know they are innuendo-laden sonnets

7. Whenever you strike with it you hear the roar of a dragon

8. The handle looks like the wrapping tail of a dragon

9. It smells intensely of dragon

10. Gilded threats run through the black leather handle

11. Flames (or other possible dragon’s breath) engulf the weapon when it swings

12. It is adorned with so much gold, like so much

8) Flower

1. Bees are naturally drawn to it

2. It always smells mildly like fruit

3. It hums when in the presence of flowers

4. If left alone on the soil it will begin to grow roots

5. It is a delightful pastel color

6. It is adorned with petal-like protrusions

7. It tastes like honey

8. It sings songs that songbirds respond to

9. It glows during harvest season

10. Nectar slowly drips from it

11. A giant flower always blooms on the handle

12. It looks plain in the sight of most but those with ultraviolet vision it is a dazzling display

9) Alien Junk Pile

1. It hums ever so slightly

2. Arcs of electricity occasionally burst from faulty circuits

3. It glows a radiant blue

4. The weapon can retract fully into its handle with the press of a button

5. The weapon is made of pure energy

6. It sounds like a sawtooth wave when it moves fast enough

7. It appears to be a wireframe version of the object

8. On cloudless nights it seems to communicate with something up there

9. When picked up by someone for the first time it says genetic user identified

10. Small metal objects are attracted to it

11. It seems to give off bad physic vibes

12. A small projection of an alien occasionally pops out and speaks, if you understand them they are saying “if you enjoy this product so far please consider upgrading to the full luxury model”

10) Interdimensional Trade

1. It is made of clockwork that ticks along seemingly doing nothing

2. It is made of pure water

3. It is craggy and earthen, but still very usable

4. Demons seem irritable in the presence of it

5. Angels seem disgusted by it

6. You can see an astra sea in the place of where it once for a few seconds

7. When it strikes something it makes loud white noise

8. At night it seems transparent

9. At night the holder receives dreams about them with minor changes to who exactly they are every night

10. It comes with the design sensibilities of a much sillier universe

11. When an attack is made with it you can see in the blur a destroyed version of our own reality

12. Fey seem to want the sword a fair amount

11) Smoking Wizards

1. It smells incredibly skunky

2. The colors seem to change every so slightly

3. Smoke always flies off of it when it hits against something

4. There is an ornament of a drooping eye on it

5. There is a crystal on the end that many would claim is magic but does nothing

6. It lets out a high pitch whine when near law enforcement

7. It gripping onto it tightly calms you down somewhat

8. When picked up a laugh not too dissimilar to Seth Rogan's laugh is heard

9. A mild coating of cheese-flavored dust always appears on the handle

10. The weapon occasionally burps

11. It causes massive bubbles within any water it is put into

12. The colors on it are just so pretty

12) Mage Experiment

1. Reroll to see it’s quirk but it keeps the mage experiment origin

2. It is roughly made with care put into it but obviously an untrained hand

3. It comes with a tag saying prototype v1.3

4. It is perfectly matte black with no light reflecting off

5. It has a handy mechanical calculator attached to it

6. The handle is profoundly ergonomic

7. It sparkles, even on bits that would not normally shine

8. It has nuts and bolts in it in a seemingly haphazard manner

9. Any damage to it seems to mend itself slowly over the course of a day

10. It is incredibly smooth, almost frictionless

11. As it moves fast you can hear it play a small tune

12. It lets out a small chime every day at noon