Magic Items

Traveling Amulets (DnD, 3.5 Edition)

/ danielwalldammit / 1 Comment

© Daniel S. Wall, April 28, 2026.

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The general features of Traveling Amulets are listed here. The following is a set of rules intended to adapt the amulets to the specific rules of D&D, 3.5 edition.

              Manufacture: CL 17, the Craft Wonderous Item feat, Eagle’s Splendor (Mass), Freedom of Movement, Heroism (Greater), Mass Heal, Owl’s Wisdom (Mass), Transformation, Wish, Creator Must speak at least 10 languages; Weight ½ pound. Cost: 250,000 g.p.

Note that when crafting a Traveling Amulet, its principal creator may choose the trait she wishes to leave on the Amulet, leaving either her own alignment with respect to Law or Chaos, her own alignment with respect to Good or Evil, or her highest attribute. Neutral alignment on either moral dimension may not be used for a trait.

Triggering: Triggering an Amulet is a free action requiring only a moment of concentration.

Traits: Each Traveling Amulet will list either a component of Alignment belonging to its principal creator (Law, Chaos, Good, Evil) or an Attribute which was the principal creator’s highest attribute score (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). To gain the extra boost when using the Amulet, a character must either possess the component of alignment, or they must possess a natural bonus to attribute in question (most likely as a result of the character’s race).

Colors: The specific benefits of the Traveling Amulet are as follows:

Black: A Travelling Amulet turns black when it is received from am undead. This is a pretty standard category in 3rd edition D&D. The undead status of a given monster will be noted in its description.

The power for this color affects the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level of the Amulet Bearer. Once triggered, the power enables each affected character to continue functioning at a negative hit point status equal to or less than her normal hit points for up to 1 round per level. This does nothing to heal the characters, and any character not healed to a positive hit point status by the end of the duration will die immediately when the duration is up. Furthermore, any character taken below negative hit point status during the use of this power will incur 1 point of malaise +1 more per 20 points of damage taken at her lowest hit point status while the power is activated. This malaise will take effect as soon as the power ceases operation.

Note that when using this ability, each character is actually considered Undead while in negative hit point status. They can be turned or otherwise be affected by magic targeting Undead, but they suffer no additional penalties for light, etc. This effect does not modify healing for the characters in question.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she is personally immune to any attack by Undead for the balance of the game session. Should she personally attack a given Undead, this effect no longer applies.

Blue: A Travelling Amulet turns blue when it is received from an angel, deva, or any other designated benign creature residing with the gods and/or serving as a messenger for them. Note that such entities will normally be designated as outsiders in the description of the creature, but a GM may have to rule on the specific implication that they are celestial.

Once triggered, the power prevents a designated character (usually an NPC), her allies, or her subordinates from attacking the one triggering it or her known allies in any way for a full game session. The GM will simply avoid such an attack regardless of prior planning or any other considerations of the storyline. The designated character(s) will take no further aggressive action towards the Amulet Bearer for the balance of the game session.

This effect is immediately canceled in the event that the Amulet Bearer or any of her known allies attacks those affected by the power in question.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she will be aware of the location of the designated character to which she applied the ability for the balance of the game session.

Clear: Whenever the source of an amulet does not fall into one of the designated classes of creatures turning an amulet a designated color, the amulet becomes completely translucent.

The power for this color will bring the Amulet Bearer treasure equal to half of her experience points at the moment the power is triggered plus 1,000 to 100,000 more gold pieces in value. It will arrive in that game session by means of whatever plot point the GM wishes to use, but its arrival will be public.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she will find one gem worth 100 gold per level + 1d6x100 more gold. When she finds the item, she will be the only one aware of it, and she will be in a position to take it without being seen.

Gold: A Travelling Amulet turns gold when it is received from a full dragon. This does not include pseudo-dragons, dragon-turtles, or draconic humanoids, etc., but it certainly does include Asian dragons. The status of an individual as a dragon will be noted in the description of the creature, but the GM may need to rule on exceptions.

The power for this color may be used to enable the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level to go directly to a single location of their choice through 1 minute of apparently conventional travel (such as walking, riding horses, rowing a boat, etc.). They will arrive at the location, being placed so long as it is possible on a spot that will not harm them or give them clear and obvious tactical advantages or disadvantages versus any possible enemies. Of course, the sudden arrival itself may be a huge advantage, but the GM will not place them directly behind a target, nor will she set them up on a trap, etc. As much as possible, their placement will be neutral with respect to the tactical features of the location itself.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she may also take one full round of movement once she has landed in the new location before anything else happens. She is not immune to traps, and she may neither attack nor cast spells (or trigger items or special abilities) during this turn, but she can move as she sees fit during that round.

Green: A Travelling Amulet turns green when it is received from a Fey. This is a standard creature type in 3rd edition DnD.

The power for this color affects the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level of the Amulet Bearer. Once triggered, it enables all characters affected by it to gain bonus experience points equal to 50% of the total experience they would otherwise get for that game session (rounded high).

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she doubles her own experience points for that game session instead of getting just half again.

Purple: A Travelling Amulet turns purple when it is received from an elemental. When a creature fits into this category, this is usually noted in its description.

This power enables the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level of the Amulet Bearer to avoid being surprised for a single game session. If approached, even by stealthy means, they will not be surprised. They may not see a hidden creature, but they will know that someone or something has arrived.

In addition, the Amulet Bearer and her designated allies can automatically achieve maximum possible surprise in one encounter (at the choice of the person triggering it) during that game session. This assumes that the Amulet Bearer arrives only with those covered by the power. Any other characters present may trigger the normal surprise checks and thereby disrupt the complete surprise. Should the Amulet Bearer and her allies wish more re-enforcements, they may need to leave those not covered by the power behind a round or two, just far enough to keep them from disrupting the surprise effect.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, she is effectively invisible for the first 2 rounds of any encounter for that game session.

Red: A Travelling Amulet turns red when it is received from a netherspawn. In first edition D&D, this normally means a Demon, a Devil, or a Daemon. Such creatures will be of the Outsider type, but a GM may have to rule on whether or not they count as netherspawn.

The power for this color affects the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level of the Amulet Bearer. Once triggered, the power increases the odds of a critical hit on an attack roll by 1, and gives them a +1 per level in damage in the event of a critical hit by normal standards. Thus, a character who would normally gain a critical hit on a 20, for example, will gain 1 on a 19 or a 20 it gives them an extra 1 point of damage per level on such an attack with a roll of a natural 20. Furthermore, any saving throw for half damage results in no damage in the event of a natural 20.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she gains an additional bonus equal to her own level on any critical hit during the encounter in question, even those that would not normally have been critical hits.

Silver: A Travelling Amulet may turn silver when it is received from any creature possessing inherent psionic abilities. To qualify, the ability must be included in the description of the monster type itself, not one that is gained by the character through class abilities.

The power for this color affects the Amulet Bearer and up to 1 ally per level of the Amulet Bearer. When triggered, the power immediately brings one ally of the Amulet Bearer’s choice back from the dead, removes all damage and disease from the Amulet Bearer and heals half of all standard damage done to the remainder of the allies affected by the power.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she gains an additional number of temporary hit points equal to 5 times her level. This lasts for the balance of the game session, but these points may not be restored.

White: A Travelling Amulet turns white when it is received from a giant. This is a standard creature type in 3rd edition DnD.

The power for this color enables the one triggering it to determine the outcome of two die rolls during the game sessions; one for herself, and one for another character. She literally places the dice on the table with whatever result she sees fit to assign it.

If the Amulet Bearer triggering this item possesses the trait matching the Amulet, once she triggers the ability, she gains the option to place one damage die on the table as she sees fit per round for the balance of the game session. This can be on any damage die roll, but it only applies to one die, even if several dice would normally be rolled as damage for the attack. Someone rolling 3d8 for damage for example, could place 1d8 on the table, but other two would be rolled normally.

Traveling Amulets

/ danielwalldammit / 1 Comment

© Daniel S. Wall, April 27, 2026.

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Some magic items are not meant to be held onto. They are meant to be passed along. A “Traveling Amulet” is one such item. It will appear as an exceptionally beautiful amulet featuring a gem of some kind. It is a magic item of great power, but a Traveling Amulet may be used only once, after which it must be exchanged in ritual to an appropriate party. Doing so in a timely manner may bring additional magic into the life of an Amulet Bearer; failure to do so will have negative consequences in that it tends to weaken the will of an Amulet Bearer. For this reason, a Traveling Amulet can be a burden as much as it is a boon.

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Exchange

To receive full benefit for a Traveling Amulet, an Amulet Bearer must receive it in direct exchange for another. To confer the normal benefits upon each party, this exchange must trigger a change in color (see below) for each Amulet. The exchange must be conducted in the context of a simple ritual in which both parties eat and/or drink together. Each must also toast the other in some manner. When this is done properly, each party may thereafter carry the item they have received for up to a year in game-time, but each can only use the magical powers of their new amulet once. Once its power has been triggered, the party in possession of it will begin to accrue a small  degree of malaise for each game session completed without giving it up.

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Restrictions on Use and Possession: A party of characters may only carry one Traveling Amulet with them at a time without incurring a penalty (one Malaise point per game session to each Amulet Bearer traveling in the same party). If anyone in a given party has already received benefits from triggering the powers of a Traveling Amulet during a given game session, then no other amulet may be triggered in their presence, nor may a second amulet help them for the balance of the game session in any way. Attempts to do so simply will not work. No character may trigger the same amulet more than once in their lifetime. A given amulet simply will not work for her a second time. Note also that no amulet may be triggered in any game session wherein it has been kept hidden for any significant encounter or any significant length of time. Amulets hidden during a game session simply cannot be triggered in that game session.

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Magical Features

Each Traveling Amulet has three features relevant to the magical effect it will produce; its name, its color, and its trait.

Its name: This simply identifies an amulet and helps characters to distinguish one Amulet from another. Each amulet carries its own lore, lore that may well be known to experienced bards and scholars.

Its color. This is a function of the type of creature from whom it was acquired. The color of the central decoration within a Traveling Amulet literally changes when it is transferred from one Amulet Bearer to another. This color determines the benefit to be gained from triggering the Amulet. The known colors and powers are as follows:

  • Black: A Traveling Amulet turns black when it is received from Undead. It holds death at bay for the one triggering it and a certain number of allies for a limited time, but this effect may prove costly to those whose death has been so averted.
  • Blue: A Traveling Amulet turns blue when it is received from an Angel or Celestial. It prevents a designated character, her allies, or her subordinates from attacking the one triggering it or her known allies in any way for a full game session.
  • Clear: The source of Amulet turning clear may be anything that does not fit into any of the other categories mentioned here. It enables the one triggering it to gain a substantial quantity of wealth over the course of the game session.
  • Gold: A Traveling Amulet turns gold when it is received from a Dragon. It enables the one triggering it and a certain number of allies to go directly (and quite inexplicably) to a single location of their choice anywhere in the world through 1 minute of apparently conventional travel (such as walking, riding horses, rowing a boat, etc.).
  • Green: A Traveling Amulet turns green when it is received from a Sylvan, a Sprite, or a Fey. It enables the one triggering it and a number of her known allies to learn a great deal from a single game session.
  • Purple: A Traveling Amulet turns purple when it is received from an elemental. It enables the one triggering it and a number of her known allies to avoid being surprised for a single game session. In addition, they can automatically achieve the maximum possible surprise in one encounter (at the choice of the person triggering it) during that game session. (Note that scholars have debated what would happen if two parties employed Purple Amulets in the same encounter, but the truth is that nobody knows. If such an event has ever happened, there is no record of the results.)
  • Red: A Traveling Amulet turns red when it is received from a Netherspawn or a Fiend of some kind. It enables the one triggering it and a number of allies to gain spectacular benefits from critical combat rolls for one game session.
  • Silver: A Traveling Amulet turns silver when it is received from a creature with inherent powers of psionics or Spiritual Warfare. It immediately heals the one triggering it and a number of allies. (Note that in RPGs without psionics or spiritual warfare, Traveling Amulets dimply do not turn silver.)
  • White: A Traveling Amulet turns white when it is received from a Giant. It enables the one triggering it to determine the outcome of a two die rolls during a single game session, one for herself, and one for another character (which can be friend, ally, or even foe). Her player literally places the dice on the table with whatever result she sees fit to assign it.

Its trait: Each Amulet bears a single trait, preserving something of the character who creates it. When an Amulet Bearer triggers an Amulet possessing a trait she herself possesses, she personally gets an extra boost out of it.

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Alternative Means of Amulet Travel

If a traveling amulet is acquired by any means other than the exchange mentioned above its magical powers remain inert until it is exchanged properly, at which point, both of the parties in the exchange gain the appropriate powers. Yes, this means that a character acquiring a Traveling Amulet from a fallen foe, for example, would have to exchange it with another creature to gain any actual powers from an amulet. Once a character has done this at least once, they are considered to be a genuine Amulet Bearer.

If an Amulet Bearer gives away or loses her Amulet by any means other than the appropriate exchange, she acquires a significant penalty likely to last beyond a single game session. (The suggested penalty is 3 points of Malaise.)

Should an Amulet Bearer (or one of her allies) rob or otherwise harm a character (or a known ally of such a character) with whom she has exchanged amulets in the same game session, she will acquire significant penalties for doing so. (The suggested penalty is 1-3 points of Malaise; 3 if both relevant parties were Amulet Bearers, 1 if both were allies of an Amulet Bearer involved in the exchange, and 2 if one was an ally and the other was an Amulet Bearer.)

Beginning with the game session immediately after the one in which an Amulet is triggered, the character acquires a small penalty at the end of every full game session it is retained until it is exchanged or otherwise given up. (The suggested penalty is 1 point of Malaise per game session conducted after the one in which the Amulet has been used.)

If the item is kept for more than a year without use, the same penalty is applied. (The suggested penalty is 1 point of Malaise per game session conducted after the year in question.)

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The Social Life of an Amulet and its Bearer

An Amulet Bearer has a vested interest in knowing the identity and location of other amulet bearing individuals. She even has an interest in letting her own identity and name be known to others bearing amulets, although doing so also carries its own risks. Known Amulet Bearers may attract potential trade partners, but they may also attract would-be thieves. So, Amulets and their Bearers tend to become public knowledge; stories will be told about them.

In many respects the full significance of a Traveling Amulet is as much a stimulant to role-play as it is a practical asset. A Traveling Amulet will lead a character into social interactions they would not otherwise have, and it will get them talking to creatures they might not otherwise speak with.

I would suggest that a GM aim for campaign in which a few amulets and their Bearers are known to the player characters, and one wherein with a little extra effort they may find one or two additional amulets. What one probably does not want is a campaign in which characters can shop freely for an amulet carried by the creature of their choice, nor does one want a campaign in which exchange is simply not possible and the burden of an Amulet is likely to weigh more heavily than the benefits.

Maintenance and care of a Traveling Amulet should not be taken for granted, but neither should it be overly burdensome, and the steps taken to manage one’s relationship to an amulet should generate interesting plots lines in their own right.

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The above description is presented in fairly general terms. For mor detailed rules, you may look here for D&D, 3.5 edition.