Weapons

Crossbow of Angling: This appears to be a quite normal light crossbow, although it has a thick wrist strap attached which is of unusual design and toughness. On command it can fire bolts with special properties up to three times per day. The magical bolt fired counts as a +2 bolt for determination of attack rolls (and damage if appropriate). When fired, this special bolt is trailed by a pencil-thin snaking line of faint blue light (which radiates magic fairly strongly) which connects it to the crossbow. When the bolt impacts, the head expands into a small claw which embeds itself in the target, such that the bolt grips it strongly. By the use of a second command word the crossbow user can "reel in" the target, the thin "cord" of magical energy shrinking to drag the target to the archer.

The speed at which the target is retrieved depends on its weight, friction, etc.; the maximum speed is 60 feet per round. The DM may need to exercise his judgement in most cases. If the target is heavier than the archer or is immovable or braced in some way, then the crossbowman may actually be dragged to the target rather than the reverse applying. This can be exploited, of course, to pull a thief up to a ceiling or up a wall. The magical cord is AC -2 and takes 15 points of damage (nonmagical weapons do no damage) to destroy.

Dagger of Impaling: These daggers are +2 to hit and damage, and on a natural roll of 20 (and also of 19 if this is sufficient to score a hit) on a backstab attack they impale the target, inflicting an additional 1d4+2/1d3+2 points of damage and also staying in the wound, where they cause an additional 1d4+2/1d3+2 points of damage each round until removed.

Dagger of Resource: These daggers usually have handles of ebony or ivory, or some similarly valuable and exotic substance, and have 1d3+1 small studs in the cross guards. The dagger has attack and damage bonuses, but it also has additional tools located within it, and depressing one of the studs will cause the corresponding item to spring from the hilt of the dagger, ready for use (only one tool at a time can be used). These bonuses and tools depend on the number of studs in the weapon, as shown below:

No.	Hit/
of	damage	Tools	Description
studs	bonus	avail.	of tools
2	+4	2	Lock picks adding+5% to
			Open Locks rolls,
			plus tool for removing
			stones from horses hooves'
3	+3	3	As above, plus Lens of
			Detection (see DMG p.173)
4	+2	4	As above, plus Gem of Brightness with 3d10
			charges

Dagger of Sounding: This oddly-designed dagger is +1 for attack and damage determination, but it has a peculiar, hollow bronze bulb at the end of its pommel. If this is gently tapped against a hollow surface, it gives a resounding ring quite different from the dull tone emitted if struck against solid stone. Tapping it gently against walls allows the thief a 5 in 6 chance for finding a secret door, rising to 11 in 12 if the thief is elven or half-elven. Also, the thief can search for secret doors at twice the normal rate when using this dagger. In other cases, the thief is 80% likely to be able to determine successfully the approximate thickness and nature of the material the dagger is used to sound.

Scabbard of Poison: These scabbards have reservoirs in which poison can be stored, and when a blade is placed in the scabbard and then drawn, the venom will automatically and magically be drawn from the reservoir to coat the blade. The venom will be wiped from the blade after one successful hit on a target, or evaporate after 2d4 rounds in any event. Any venom can be used, for the dweomer gives the venom virulence against whatever creature is struck. The scabbard holds enough poison for six doses, but must be manually refilled when empty. 25% of these scabbards are the right size for long swords, 25% suitable for short swords, and 50% for daggers. All restrictions which apply to the use of poison weapons apply here, of course, and only evil characters would routinely use such a device.

Short sword of Backstabbing: In the hands of any character this is a +2 magical weapon, but in the hands of a thief it is especially potent. When a thief makes a backstab attempt with this short sword, it allows him to attack as if four levels higher than his actual experience level, with corresponding improvements in THAC0, attack rolls, and damage multiplier on a successful hit.

Special Results

If the DM rolls a "Special" result from Table 32, then a unique item should be developed for the thief. This takes careful work by the DM to design the item, and also to determine a suitable history for it. Multi-property items in the listings above (such as the potion of perception, boots of balance, amulet of dramatic death, etc.) can be taken as inspirations. A specially-designed item should have several functions, none of exceptional strength, and with an emphasis on protection and nondetection rather than strong offensive potential.

A history for the item is well worth the effort. One obvious possibility is that someone, sometime, will come to try and get the item back! Certain NPCs may be hunting the previous wearer/user of the item, and while they do not have a description of the previous user they know what the item looks like. Perhaps they have been hired to do away with that previous user. So, when they see it on the person of the PC . . . The history of the item can have great potential for adventure locked within it, which the DM doesn't need to exploit immediately. Also, the player whose character gets the item should not be told the history of the item; that's something he will have to find out for himself and, again, there may be adventures locked within this search. This is especially true if command words are needed to activate certain properties.

Don't make too much of such items, or other players may feel their characters are being put in the shade and overshadowed by all the attention the thief is getting. But a unique item, something the thief knows he is the only person on Oerth (or Krynn or in the Forgotten Realms) to have, adds color and character to any adventuring party!

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