Item: Heckling Tools
Perception +9; precise vision 30 feet, imprecise hearing 30 feet
Communication telepathy (two common languages)
Skills Intimidation +9, one skill associated with their use +9
Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2
Will +7
Tools that are severely misused or left in malevolent circumstances can develop malicious sapience, dedicated to critiquing those who use them. Such heckling tools are often born from implements useful to adventurers because such people are the likely to misuse tools or leave them in a corrupting situation. When you first set to using the tools, they fuse to you. Used for their intended purpose, the tools telepathically badger and disparage you, mocking your abilities and giving you ill-founded advice. You must succeed at a DC 19 Will save to realize this badgering comes from the tools and not your own negative thoughts. Instead of the tool's usual bonus, you take a –2 circumstance penalty to checks made using heckling tools. Once you realize the tools are cursed, you can suppress their negative effects, gaining their typical bonus for 24 hours if you succeed at a DC 17 Deception or DC 17 Diplomacy check to placate them, often by offering obsequious, public admiration.
Trait Effects
Cursed: An item with this trait is cursed to cause trouble for its owner. A curse isn’t detected when the item is identified, though a critical success reveals both the presence and exact nature of the curse. Cursed items can’t be discarded once they’ve been triggered or invested the first time. The item can be removed only if the curse is removed.
Intelligent: An item with this trait is intelligent and has its own will and personality, as well as several statistics that most items don’t have. Intelligent items can’t be crafted by normal means, and they are always rare or unique.
Magical: Something with the magical trait is imbued with magical energies not tied to a specific tradition of magic. Some items or effects are closely tied to a particular tradition of magic. In these cases, the item has the arcane, divine, occult, or primal trait instead of the magical trait. Any of these traits indicate that the item is magical.
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