Try these new figurines of wondrous power for your Tales of the Valiant or 5E game! As a refresher, here are the standard rules for figures of wondrous power, as seen in the Tales of the Valiant Player’s Guide:
A figurine of wondrous power is a statuette of a beast small enough to fit in a pocket. If you use an action to speak the command word and throw the figurine to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, the figurine becomes a living creature. If the space where the creature would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn’t enough space for the creature, the figurine doesn’t become a creature.
The creature is friendly to you and your companions. It understands your languages and obeys your spoken commands. If you issue no commands, the creature defends itself but takes no other actions.
The creature exists for a duration specific to each figurine. At the end of the duration, the creature reverts to its figurine form. It reverts to a figurine early if it drops to 0 HP or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it. When the creature reverts to a figurine, its property can’t be used again until a certain amount of time has passed, as specified in the figurine’s description.
You can find stats for the creatures in bold type in the Monster Vault.
Coral Seahorse
This magical figurine is often found in the possession of aquatic races: locathah, sea elves, and tritons. Coastal residents, sailors, and aquatic druids also find these figurines useful.
CORAL SEAHORSE
Wondrous Item, Rare 7,000 gp
This statuette stands 4 inches high and is carved from a single piece of red coral. It can become a giant seahorse for 24 hours. Once it has been used, it can’t be used again until 3 days have passed.
In addition, in seahorse form it has a conch shell horn tied around its neck. If you blow this horn, it summons 1d4 + 1 giant seahorses, which attack any enemy creatures in the area for 10 rounds. If the horn is sounded, the amount of time until it can be used again increases to 5 days.
Ways to introduce a coral seahorse into your campaign:
- A local tribe of sea elves hosts an annual aquatic race through the area around their village. The prize for first place is a coral seahorse.
- A sea monster has taken up residence in the hull of a sunken merchant ship, terrorizing shipping lanes as well as a nearby settlement of sea elves. The merchant’s guild wants the cargo retrieved; the sea elves want the creature gone. An agreement is reached between the two parties. The merchants hire PCs to deal with the monster and retrieve the treasure. The sea elves lead the PCs to the wreck and reward them with a coral seahorse (and other treasure?) once the task is complete.
- The estranged daughter of a seafaring adventurer has been notified of an inheritance—if she can come to claim it. The inheritance is buried on a remote isle in a dangerous area. She asks the PCs to recover her parent’s treasure for her. Being superstitious and leery of magic, she promises them 5% of the monetary wealth or any magic items in the lot. The buried treasure contains a coral seahorse, and possibly other magic items.
Jasper Vulture
This magical statuette is popular among goblinoid tribes, as well as certain necromancers in remote areas, who use the animal’s senses to locate new sources of material upon which to work their craft.
JASPER VULTURE
Wondrous Item, Rare 5,000 gp
A brooding bird of prey, some 4 inches tall, has been carved from striated red and yellow stone. It can become a vulture for 24 hours. Alternately, it can become a giant vulture for 8 hours. In either form, the vulture has an Intelligence of 6 and can speak Common. Once it has been used, it can’t be used again until 4 days have passed.
Ways to introduce the jasper vulture into your campaign:
- A young hunter has been lost in the mountains for nearly a week now. The village she is from has been searching, but fear the worst. Even a local necromancer, normally feared and shunned, has noticed, and offered use of his jasper vulture to aid in the search. (Or is this a ruse to keep searchers away from his lair in the mountains?)
- A local tribe of goblins has been no more than a nuisance until recently, when their raids became more frequent and successful. The tribe’s shaman has constructed a jasper vulture, using it for aerial reconnaissance prior to raids, allowing for more effective tactics and avoidance of patrols that might thwart the goblins.
- The PCs have stumbled upon a map to a former adventurer’s treasure cache. Unfortunately for them, an exiled hobgoblin warlord discovered it first. He plans to use his new wealth and magic to reclaim his tribe from the usurper, including his new mount, a jasper vulture. The warlord isn’t inclined to share, though he might consider hiring the PCs as mercenaries in his venture.
Limestone Toad
The powers of this magical figurine are of great benefit against insects of both the normal and giant variety. As such, they are often found in possession of those who live near such threats or plan to encounter them on their travels.
LIMESTONE TOAD
Wondrous Item, Very Rare 30,000 gp
Carved of dull, gray stone, this statuette is still detailed and lifelike. It can become a giant frog for 3 hours. The toad has advantage on attacks against bugs and bug-like creatures (including spiders and stirges, for example; otherwise at the GM’s discretion) of the same size or smaller than itself. Once it has been used, it cannot be used again until 5 days have passed.
The toad has one additional special ability: it can use its action to inhale a swarm of Tiny beasts within 10 feet of it. The swarm must make a DC 11 STR save, taking 10 (3d6) force damage on a success. On a failure, the swarm is entirely ingested by the toad and is reduced to 0 HP. The toad immediately returns to statuette form regardless of the result of the save.
Ways to introduce the limestone toad into your campaign:
- An old hermit, living at the edge of a swamp, lost a wager to a trio of hags. His limestone toad is now in their hands, but he’s sure they cheated. He hires the PCs to return the statuette to him. (Unfortunately, the hags are expecting treachery. They’ve cursed the statuette. The next person to activate it is polymorphed into an insect, which the toad eats.)
- An eccentric, old druid has had a rivalry with a tribe of kobolds that live nearby. This druid is partial to insects, and exclusively uses beasts of that variety to harass the kobolds. However, they’ve recently handily defeated his insect attacks. He wants the PCs to discover why and stop them. The kobolds’ chieftain possesses a limestone toad that helps protect them from the druid’s assaults. They would happily part with it if the PCs would help stop the druid from constantly attacking them.
- The vault of an insect-worshiping cult has many “cursed” items safely enclosed therein, including a much-hated limestone toad.
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