Tuesday Magic Item – Map of the Territory

Gollaon sprinted after the assassin. “Come on we almost have them!”

Voddick did his best to keep up, his crossbow cocked and loaded.

Gollaon rounded a corner and slide to a halt, a large piece of paper gently wafted towards the ground in front of him.

“What?” half asked, half demanded Voddick as he followed, crossbow quickly aimed at the moving paper.

“Thrice damn him to hell!” shouted Gollaon.  “Back to the Royal quarters and hope we are not too late.”

Voddick spun and began running back the way they came and Gollaon followed behind as the map settled to the floor behind them.

Map of the Territory

These maps are a recent invention, though their source is unknown, they were widely used before their secondary function was discovered.  Now they are still used but much more carefully and their creator is even more avidly sought out.

The map begin blank, the owner chooses when it begins to create the map and on what scale.  As the owner sees things, they are added to the map, at the appropraie scale in ways that make sense to the owner.  For example, if the map is set to record a building or a castle, the detail is fairly fine, showing doors, windows, perhaps even furniture.  A city would be in less detail, showing streets and building.  While a country, it will will be very light on precise details.

 Once, using a precise command word, the owner may teleport to a precise point they touch on the map, as long as the location that they are currently at is also on the map. Though the larger scale the map is, the more difficult precision of point becomes. After using this power, the map is no longer magical.

An owner may only be tied to one map at a time.

Aura moderate conjuration and divination; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 4,000; Weight 1 lb
Construction Requirements
Craft wondrous item, arcane mark, clairvoyance, teleport; Cost 2,000

For D&D 5E:

Wondrous item (map), rare (requires attunement but see below)

First three paragraphs as above.

The owner must attune to the map, and they can only be attuned to one map at a time, but it does not count against the maximum number of items they can attune to.

Notes: Inspired indirectly by the saying that “the map is not the territory.”  Hey, inspiration comes from odd places.  This magic item also get around the limitation on teleportation in the Sea of Stars that you have to be able to see the point you are teleporting to with your own eyes if you want to arrive safely, as, in a way, you have.

Image map from “Handbook to the Orkney Islands. With illustrations [and a map]” from the British Museum and is in the Public Domain.