Tuesday Magic Item – Royal Token of Heroism

Gollaon buffed the medallion with his sleeve.  “Nice to get some recognition for a change.”

“I think the bag of silver was a better gift,” replied Voddick.  “And what is the nonsense about shouting ‘for Queen Anathalya and Noviragen’ to activate it?”

“I still think it was a nice gesture after we saved the kingdom.”

“I liked the feast.”

“Well, I liked the friendly servants,” grinned Gollaon.  “And this,” he pointed to the medallion, “only made them more friendly.”

Royal Token of Heroism

These are usually made of silver or gilded copper in the form of a medal or medallion usually with the crest of the granting monarch on one side and an allegory for the deed that the token was awarded for on the other side.  The craftsmanship is always exceptional.

These items are activated by being gifted by the royal represented upon them, from there they can be freely and willingly passed on.  Taking them by force renders them inert until the new bearer publicly swears an oath (usually inscribed around the rim) to uphold the ruling family who first bestow it.

It has the following abilities:

• Once a day, when the bearer is dropped to zero or fewer hit points (but not killed outright) they are restored to one hit point.
• By crying “For monarch and country!” (filling in the appropriate reigning monarch and country) gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and a +1 morale bonus to Will saves, all other patriots of the country within 60′ gain a +1 morale bonus to fear saves, for 7+3d6 rounds.  This ability can be used once per day and is a swift action.

But such gifts are not free, the medal relays any call for aid made by the reigning monarch (silently) to the wearer and if they are within sight of the monarch, they will feel compelled to aid them.  And if the bearer ever actively commits treason, the medal turns to poisonous dust (save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves) that effects the traitor.

Aura strong enchantment; CL 11th
Slot chest (as medal) or neck (as medallion); Price 10,000; Weight –
Construction Requirements
Craft Wondrous Item, cure serious wounds, quest, poison, prayer, sending; Cost 5,000

 

Notes: Inspired by the Random Royal Thank You table at the Land of Nod which got me thinking about what sort of gift would the royals be giving out to those dangerous venturers?

Photo from the UK Department of Defence and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.