Cool items that the party never used.

[Doc_Subtlety]

The Immovable Rod thread got me thinking:
DMs, what items have you given to your party, and watched go to waste?

IMC, I handed out a sword hilt that could create a modified Mordenkainen's Sword effect. (Yep, I made a lightsaber.) 4d6+3+Str mod, and it affected ethereal targets without penalty. Threat 19, IIRC.

The party Paladin got a hold of it (had symbols of his god on it), but tucked it away - never once drew it - because he had a better threat range with his +3 Falchion. That's right: 2d4+3+Str mod, threat like 15 with feats and spells.

The punch line:
The PCs were in a dungeon *full* of undead and constructs. Fought almost nothing else for weeks.

So, what wonders have you guys watched flushed down the toilet?

 

[Crothian]

My favorite was a +5 vorpal long sword. THe fighter perfered using spears, the ranger had his staff, and the humaniod dog had his axe (plus there were 2 halflings but one was a mounted combat guy and the other was a psion so neither wanted this.). THis weapon was by far more powerful then anything they. We had been playing for months but they always stuck with their particuliar type of weapons. I thought it odd, so I tempted them. I through in the most commonly used weapon with very powerful enchantments. They found it and someone slung it on his back and it was never used. They didn't even blink. I think they traded it for a couple of healing potions (don't ask).

 

[SableWyvern]

In Rolemaster I provided the party an opportunity to grab a Rune (ie, Scroll) that could create an illusory white tower with five levels, mega-expensive furnishing and a butler who came with full plate and a big two handed sword (scary looking enough that the party didn't want to take him on when they met him earlier in the session).

Given the nature of illusions in RM, this was practically as useful as the real thing. Plus, it was reusable - effectively a tower that could be turned into a piece of paper while travelling.

When the group went back to check out the wizards tower after defeating him, it was no longer there. They took this in stride, and didn't even bother to search the clearing to find the rune paper. After all, towers just vanish all the time, don't they?

So, it's not so much that they didn't use it, rather they so lacked curiosity they didn't even find it.

 

[dorain]

in a long running 2e campaign (since converted) we had a magical collapsing house (ala the rune tower above) that we used as storage while adventuring. aside from tons of rations, barrels of arrows, lamp oil, battering rams and other adventuring odds and ends it contained an artifact. we found an ancient dwarven two-handed axe (greataxe now) artifact, which none of us ever used due to proficiency problems. no one ever bothered to learn to use it either. when we converted the game to 3e we took stock of the house and my dwarven fighter hasn't put it down since.

 

[Tewligan]

I once gave my party a ring that let the wearer make a paralyzing touch attach like a ghoul - however, every time it was used, the wearer needed to make a Will save to avoid temporarily becoming a mindless cannibal and tearing into the paralyzed victim with bare teeth and claws. Anyway, the first time they used it (without knowing about the side effect), the wearer passed the save, and I described a wave of light-headedness and ravenous hunger passing briefly over him. After that, they were so worried about what exactly might happen that they only used the ring two more times, and then only in dire circumstances. Happily, the save was finally failed on the last use - fun!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

About half the scrolls they made on their own.

 

[The_lone_gunman]

I once game my characters a set of tomes that provided a possible huge amount of knowledge. The tomes where the life's work of a Chosen of Azuth, who was several thousand years old and had basically been a scribe for all that time and collecting knowledge on a huge variety of subjects. Based on your intelligence, and how long you studied each tome, you could basically find out the answer to any question you could possible come up with. Here are a few titles from the collection:

A Study of Mythals and Elven High magic

Treatise on the outer planes

Netherilian spellcasting

The History of Dragons


There were over 30 tomes in all, and this set of tomes were basically priceless. They even came with their own magic book shelf that weighed 20 pounds and magically shrinked all the tombs to fit within a small bag. Incredibly, after I had spent several hours coming up with the books and titles and such (the whole intent was to give the pc's a way to find out campaign information when needed through these books), the Wizard PC announced his plan to sell them in the next town. He figured he could probably get a few hundred gold for them. I nearly collapsed when he announced this.........

The books then managed to sit in his bag of holding for the rest of the campaign, forgotten and unused *Sigh*......


TLG

 

[James McMurray]

TLG:

Its times like that when you have to let an enemy get ahold of those books from the party. Then he attacks with with massive powers and when the players say "How the hell did he do that?" You say, "He read about it in those books you sold him," or "He looked in those books and found where the lost Sword of Garok was buried, plus the ritual for imbuing a person with its power. Perhaps next time I give you people something you'll think before selling it for a few hundred gp."

 

[Hedgemage]

My group found Eyes of Doom, and the player who ran a monk was very excited about being able to use the free action gaze attack. Of course, he never remembered to use it.

I've found that by the middle levels (9th-13th) players seem to get into a habit with their characters and have a hard time breaking out of their established routine.

 

[Someguy]

Almoist every wand...

The iuon stone that lets you regenerate...never used it...they thought regen every hour was to slow...

:::sigh:::