Magic Teapots
by Cab DavidsonThe most important thing on a table is of course the teapot. Yet... Where are all the magic teapots? Lets fix that.
Pot of Boiling: Typically being a fairly mundane looking copper kettle, and functioning as such if water is put in it and placed on a fire, it can also (if the proper command word is used) boil up to 1 quart of water, from cold, taking 2 minutes to reach boiling, requiring no fire or fuel, up to 3 times per day. This only works with water, and, strangely, if watched the pot will seem to be warming but never reach boiling point.
Pot of Restoring: A large but ordinary looking brown porcelain teapot which can be used to brew a perfectly ordinary pot of tea (up to 1 pint, or 4 cups, although ideally 2 mugs), If the correct command words are known then up to 3 times per day the pot can be used to add the following effects to the tea:
-Anyone who drinks a cup of the tea gains a +1 bonus to saves vs. fear and (if appropriate) a +1 bonus to morale, for up to 6 turns
-Heals the drinker of a cup of tea of 1d4hp damage (although only one cup can give this benefit, per person, per brewing)
-Any sentient creature offered a cup of the tea feels welcomed, and any relevant reaction rolls are improved by +1
Note that if the water used to make the tea is not boiling, or the tea brewed for too long (mashed), the tea has no magical effect, and in protest the pot will not produce magical tea for a whole week.
Pot of Wisdom: This extremely useful piece of tableware is always in the form of an ornate porcelain teapot, holding only two cups of tea. When tea is brewed and poured into two cups, shared by the person pouring and another willing subject, then the tea leaves in the cups can be used to (crudely) predict the future.
The recipient may ask up to 3 questions of the pourer, concerning events likely to occur within the next 24 hours. The pourer is imbued with knowledge of the most likely answers to those questions, although the more complex the question, the more vague said knowledge is. Simple matters ("Will we defeat the orcs?", "Can we find a way in to the caves?") usually have straight-forward answers that the DM may answer appropriately ("Almost certainly", "If you keep looking, yes"), but more complex enquiries may only elicit responses in cryptic or riddle form.
Note that the pourer of the tea is under no obligation to answer honestly, and they may, if they choose, lie or even just refuse to answer the questions.
Pot of Compulsion: A large brown teapot that can hold up to 10 cups of tea, that will function as a perfectly normal teapot in most situations. However, when used to offer (correctly brewed) tea to an unwilling sentient creature, that creature must make a saving throw vs. spells or stop and drink the cup of tea, taking a whole round. Only one pot of such magical tea can be made per day, and offering the tea uses one cup full, but the pourer of the tea may make attempts to compel the same victim each round (by simply restating "you will, you will...") until they run out of tea.
Pot of Gold: Invariably looking like a very mundane, often battered or even chipped pottery teapot, this item will indeed function as such. If, however, coins are placed in it, they disappear, up to 1000 coins can thus be deposited in the teapot (without affecting the weight of the pot). If a command word is known and stated, then the coins reappear, as if pouring from the teapot spout. Alternatively, coins can be recovered by smashing the teapot. No other items can be hidden in the pot other than coins. If tea is in the pot when the command words spoken, then the coins spray forth in a foam of tea.
Pot Luck: A single cup teapot which, once per day, can be used to create a magical brew. The imbiber of the tea, which must be properly made, gains a +3 bonus to a single hit roll or saving throw of their choice, once, during the next 24 hours.
One in four of these teapots carries a curse, which instead gives a -3 penalty to any one hit roll or saving throw (chosen by the DM). Unfortunately the user of a cursed pot luck is unaware that this curse exists, and will most likely continue drinking (delicious) tea assuming that it is bringing them luck until, perhaps, their comrades intervene.
Pot of Tea: This plain, white, 5 cup no-nonsense looking teapot is among the most valuable magical teapots known. No matter how bad the tea leaves, how murky or poorly boiling the water, or even how long brewed, it always produces 5 cups of excellent, perfectly brewed, tea. It can be used up to 6 times per day, even therefore producing an optimal number of cups of tea in a day.
Pot of Tea-hee: A cursed version of the pot of tea, invariably producing a brew that is almost, but not completely, entirely unlike tea. While this teapot will be shunned by most civilised folk, those from uncivilised lands where coffee is preferred are often completely incapable of distinguishing between a pot of tea and a pot of tea-hee.
Alchemical Teapot: A small, metallic teapot, which may be used to brew a very small amount of tea. Its real use is, however, as a medium to turn magical potions into a vapour. When any magical potion is poured into it, it starts to warm up and vibrate rapidly, turning the potion into a vapour that immediately vaporises and emerges as coloured steam from the spout. Every creature within 10' of the teapot (and which breathes) is subject to the effects of the potion, for 3 rounds. Poisons remain deadly (a potion of poison necessitates all creatures within 10' save vs. poison or die, but with a +4 bonus to the roll because of the small dose), healing potions only cure 1 point of damage, and potions of longevity only reduce all recipients ages by 6 months, but all typical potions with duration work normally but for a very limited time as described.
Characters already under the influence of potions find that the effects of both potions are cancelled, but are otherwise unaffected.