One-Line Rewards: Greyarkin's Gear

Once a week, I take a few minutes and create a handful of magic items.  My goal with these is to avoid the "+1 sword" problem that some systems have with magic items.  I also want to create items that have the feel of classic magic from mythology and literature.  Those items tend to really only have one power, and that's usually compensated by a condition or a setback.

In order to keep these creations short, and to avoid creating needless paragraphs of backstory, I limit these magic items to a single line in a document.  Granted, I use a small font, but I still stick to the limitation.  It also turns out that a single line in my Google Doc works out to about 140 characters, with some tweaks, so I usually post a few on Twitter on Wednesdays.

Each of these one-line rewards comes with a description and an ability.  Short and sweet.  I also don't include any mechanics.  That way, they can easily be translated into a rules-heavy system (+3 attack, 1d10+2 damage, +1d6 fire, 1/day +2 AC) or a rules-light system (+1 offense on an odd roll, +1 defense on an even roll).

In the midst of these creations, I found myself with a set for an unknown character named Greyarkin.  I don't know what Greyarkin was up to, but it was intense.  Here are some example one-line rewards, all taken from Greyarkin's inventory.

One-Line Rewards
Greyarkin’s Guard: This leather chestplate has a tree etched into it.  While barefoot on grass or dirt, the wearer is safe from necromancy.

Greyarkin’s Girdle: This leather belt has six brass buttons in middle. If plucked from the girdle, the brass buttons turn into trained sparrows.

Greyarkin’s Gloves: This pair of black gloves is made of thin silk.  The wearer earns great strength after sacrificing something dear.

Greyarkin’s Glass: This black and silver spyglass is of a high quality.  The spyglass looks far away, but also into the distant past.

Greyarkin’s Globe: This small, brass sphere is perfectly smooth.  A verbal command transforms the sphere into a 6’ diameter cage.

Greyarkin’s Glaive: This slender spear is tipped with a curved obsidian blade.  Its strike weakens spirits and makes them corporeal, briefly.