Arcane and Deadly Objects

This table can be used either alone or in conjunction with the standard tables provided in SOBH and its supplements. Note that this table represents
magical items as things strange and deadly, and often very dangerous to use. All items follow the action requirement rules from SoBH: Two actions
to pick up, one action to pass to an adjacent model. In addition, a model may use one action to drop a magic item: place a counter in base contact
with the model. Any additional action requirements for a particular item are listed in its description. Based on the dangerous nature of some of the
items, you may rule that the item should be rolled as soon as a character comes into contact. I think its more fun to wait until the item is picked up.

Roll a d20
1. The Sire of Axes 8. Mammet of the Eye 15. Vial of Noisome Humour
2. Twisted Circlet 9. Clotpoler Maul 16. Insidious Bauble
3. Vexatious Pomander 10. Atgeir of Paracusia 17. Crystalline Lens
4. Hand-Taker 11. Irksome Sabatons 18. Ampoule of Caustic Murk
5. Fell Grenadoes 12. Meteor Hammer 19. Leaden Bolas
6. Somen of Frightful Countenance 13. Guilded Cod-Piece 20. Bearhunting Suit
7. Demonic Mortuary 14. Eldritch Grimoire

Item Descriptions and Rules:

1. The Sire of Axes: A heavy battle axe, long of beard and broad of
blade. The crimson stone surmounting the haft puts the bearer in
mind of might, and madness, and blood... (Two action to pick up
and wield) The Sire of axes grants +D3 to the wielders C score and
-D3 to his quality score. Roll 1D3 at the beginning of the
controlling players turn, and place a dice marker next to the
model as a reminder. The result stands until the beginning of the
controlling players next turn. (Note: results are not cumulative). If
the wielders quality ever becomes 7+ or greater, he immediately
goes out of action and drops the axe (mark its position with a
suitable token). If this happens, the erstwhile wielder of the axe
can no longer touch it without losing his mind. If recovered, the
axe may be given to another member of the former wielders
warband, but the wielder can no longer use it.
2. Twisted Circlet: A narrow band of corroded black iron inhabited
by the demented spirit of a long-forgotten king who speaks
strange and disjointed riddles in the ear of the wearer, inspiring
him, by turns, to unreasoning fury and utter imbecility. (Two
actions to place upon the bearers brow) At the start of the
controlling players turn, roll a D6. The result is the bearers
Quality score until the start of the next turn. On a roll of a 1, the
bearer counts as having a quality of 2+ and the Hero special rule.
If the bearer ever rolls two or more failures to activate, the spirit
of the demented king is detached from the circlet and melts into
the chaos of the other side. The crown is of no more use.
3. Vexatious Pomander: A perforated brass orb, hanging from a fine
link chain, that exudes the scent of potent herbs and odoriferous
resins, conceived by a spagyrist who bred flowers to bleed and
vines to strangle. Wise men find the perfume of the pomander
invigorating, strong men find it inspiring. The spagyrist only finds
it amusing. (Two actions to place around the bearers neck, so
that the vapours waft into their nose.) While the Vexatious
Pomander is worn, the bearers Quality and Combat scores switch
according to the chart below. (Example: a Q3+ C3 character will
become Q4+ C4 for as long as he wears the pomander. A Q4+ C3
character is unaffected.)
Quality: 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+
Combat: 5* 4 3 2 1
*A C score higher than 5 counts as Q2+
4. Hand-Taker the Squamous Flammard: A broad blade of darkly
gleaming metal with a hilt of crusty, porous, scaly texture. It begs
to be touched and will lovingly embrace and corrupt the hand of the
wielder until it is impossible for sword or man to ever part again.
(Two actions to pick up and wield) The Hand-Taker grants the
wielder +1 on combat rolls and the Mutant special rule. The
weapon may never be dropped, put down, taken, or passed to
another character unless the wielder is slain.
5. Fell Grenadoes: Metal or ceramic orbs with cotton-wick fuses.
Impossible to discern the mechanism within. (Two actions to pick
up, one action to throw. Cannot throw and make an attack in the
same turn.) Roll 1D3 to determine quantity. The bearer may use
one action to throw a grenado anywhere within medium range,
where it will explode with a blast radius of 1 short. Roll a D3 to
determine the type of explosion:
1-2 Noxious vapour: all affected models must test vs. poison.
3-4 Bewitching mist: all affected models must test vs. level 1
entangle.
5-6 Explosive: all affected models receive a C2 lethal attack.
6. Somen of Frightful Countenance: Decorated facial armor
displaying great anatomical imagination. Those who have seen it
swear to its verisimilitude; those who have worn it never recall the
depraved utterances they made in the dark behind the mask. (Two
actions to put on.) Grants the wearer the Terror special rule, -1 to
quality rolls.
7. Demonic Mortuary: A cavalry sabre bearing the countenance of a
goodly crusader on the basket hilt. There is an otherworldly twinkle
in the garnet eyes when battle is thick and danger nigh. The demon
in the sword cares not for liege nor loyalty, only the smell of fear.
The wielder of the blade will understand this, and will often shirk
battle to avoid releasing the beast. (Two actions to take up and
wield) Grants the wielder the Coward special rule and the Were
special rule with the following profile: Q4+, C4, Savage, Tough,
Magic Resistant. If the Were rule is activated (i.e., the wielder is
killed or knocked down by a non-magical attack) the wielder is
immediately possessed by and transformed into the demon within
the mortuary. The wielder is no longer under the players control
but will instead, at the start of the (would-be) controlling players
turn, roll 3 dice to activate and spend all actions first moving
towards and then attacking the closest model. (If the Demon is in
contact with more than one model, the controlling player may
choose who to attack.) If the demon ever rolls three failures, he is
sucked back into his blade-prison, and the wielder is left passed out
on the ground (out of action). If he was killed before his
transformation, then roll for injury after the battle as normal.
8. Mammet of the Eye: An Icon of chaotic portent, mesmerizing even
in spite of the rotting cloth and flaking gilt. A dread symbol that
 weighs on the fate of those who march beneath, bending them to
the fickle will of the Eye. (Two actions to tie or strap the Mammet
to a staff, branch, or weapon. Cannot be removed unless the
bearer spends two actions and takes -1Q permanently, as ever
after he succumbs to grim pareidolia, seeing the peering Eye in all
things.) Roll a D3 at the beginning of each battle or when the
Mammet is first affixed. The Mammet will grant all models within
1x Long except the bearer either +1C, -1C, or -1 on all Q rolls. But
remember, the eye is fickle. If the bearer ever rolls two failures for
activation, re-roll the D3 and immediately apply the new result.
9. Clotpoler Maul: A leaden lump in the likeness of the head of a
drooling idiot, affixed to a stout oaken haft. It is unclear whether
the stupidity of its victims is an attribute of the weird hammer, or
merely the result of concussion, but the likeness of the morons face
in soft lead seems to grow more vapid and lunatic with every strike.
(Two actions to take up and wield) Whenever the wielder wins a
melee combat roll, roll a D6. On a roll of a 6, target gets -1 Q for
rest of game, wielder gets +1 C for rest of game.
10. Atgeir of Paracusia: A polearm of deadly brightness. Many are the
songs that tell of the men it has taken back to the mud. But when
the blades wielder listens closely, he can hear the many tortured
songs of those it has taken someplace else (Two actions to take
up and wield. A Magic User wielding the Atgeir may use Two
actions to destroy it.) Confers no bonus to the wielder at first.
Whenever the wielder wins a melee combat by knocking down his
opponent, that opponent must make a quality check on three dice.
On three failures, the opponent is absorbed, with a roil of smoke
and an odour of camphor, into the Atgeir. For each model
absorbed in this way, the Atgeir grants +1C to the wielder. If,
however, the wielder loses a melee combat by being knocked
down, he must pass the same test to avoid being absorbed in the
same manner. If the wielder is absorbed, the Atgeir is dropped
where he stood, and can be picked up by another model who then
gains the accumulated combat bonuses. The Atgeir may be
destroyed by a magic user who spends two actions in the act. If
successfully destroyed, all models absorbed by the Atgeir will re-
appear during the witching hours of the following fortnight, with
haunted looks in their eyes and voices hoarse from ceaseless song.
11. Irksome Sabatons: Armoured footwear crafted of greasy black
steel, causing blisters, bunions, and all-encompassing ire. (Two
actions to put on the bearers feet) Grant the wearer the Savage
and the Short Move special rules.
12. Meteor Hammer: Two spiked, spherical weights joined by a length
of chain. Almost as unpredictable to attack with as to defend
against. (Two actions to take up and wield) Grants the wielder the
Tail Slap special rule as he uses the Meteor Hammer to surprise
and entangle his foe. However, on a tied melee combat roll, the
wielder himself is entangled or overbalanced with the weapon and
must either recoil or be knocked down, according to whether his
opponent rolled odd or even with his combat dice.
13. Guilded cod-piece: An intricately fashioned and generously sized
article with a girdle for fastening about the waist. (Two actions to
gird the bearers loins) Grants the wearer +2 to morale rolls.
14. Eldritch Grimoire: A musty tome bound in an oily, unwholesome
leather, bearing the forgotten hymns of uncaring gods. The one
who bears the grimoire will begin to read aloud from it incantations
of power, and will be unable to stop, or to close the Grimoire. (Two
actions to take up and begin reading) All those within earshot gain
+1 to Quality rolls for casting spells or for resisting Transfix.
However, as the bearer of the grimoire continues to read, his voice
gets hoarser and hoarser, quieter and quieter. In the first battle,
the range of the grimoire is 1 long, in the second it is shortened to
1 medium, and in the third to 1 short. After three battles, the
bearer has gone mute, but will refuse to relinquish the tome (it
cannot be given to other characters. Even if the bearer is killed, he
will clutch the grimoire to his body such that it cannot be removed.
It must be interred with him until his flesh rots and some other
unfortunate happens upon it.) If the bearer was a magic user, he
loses the magic user special ability.
15. Vial of Noisome Humour: A tiny crystal decanter of unstable and
highly pungent liquid. (Two actions to pick up. One action to dump
the vials contents on the bearers head, or one action to splash it
on an opponent in base contact.) A model doused with Noisome
Humour receives -1 Quality and the Terror special rule for D3 turns.
Furthermore, at the time the affected character is splashed, any
models in base contact with him are automatically repelled one
base width, as if the splashed model had just beaten them in
combat on an odd dice roll. Roll a dice when the character declares
that they will use the vial. On a roll of a 6, the Noisome Humour
evanesces in a flash. The bearer is immediately knocked down and
loses all further actions. If the model is knocked down before using,
the Vial will break and its effect is resolved immediately.
16. Insidious Bauble: An unassuming trinket that grants the ability to
fade, but also inspires a fascination that eventually will grow into a
deep and abiding obsession. (Two actions to clutch greedily in a
hand and bury deep in a pocket. The bearer will never give up the
bauble, though it can be taken from his corpse.) In the 1st battle in
which the bearer has possession of the bauble, it grants him the
Stealth special rule. In the second, it will also grant Opportunistic.
In the third, Greedy. In the fourth, Evil.
17. Crystalline Lens: A cunning, if fragile, invention, invaluable to the
marksman. (Two actions to affix to a ranged weapon.) Can only be
used by models with the Shooter special rule. Grants the wielder
the Unerring Aim special rule, and allows the wielder to perform an
Aimed Shot for one action instead of two. The lens will break if the
model is knocked down.
18. Caustic Murk: An ampoule of thick, smoky glass containing a highly
corrosive liquid which eats organic substances with a sound like fat
cooking. (Two actions to pick up. D3 applications, 1 action to unseal
the ampoule, 1 action to apply the murk to the blade, point,
striking surface, &c. of a weapon. May be applied to the weapon of
another model in base contact. Unused applications cannot be
carried over from one battle to the next.) When applied to a
weapon, the Caustic Murk grants +1 C on the next attack. If the
bearer of the Murk is knocked over after the Vial has been opened,
the Murk will spill, causing -1 C to the erstwhile bearer for the
remainder of the battle.
19. Leaden Bolas: Three lumpen balls of metal tied into a central knot
with leather thongs. When not in use, the straps tend to tangle
together, as though all they desire is to strangle. (Two actions to
take up and wield. One use only) The wielder of the Leaden Bolas
gains the Shooter, medium special rule for one shot. On a
successful hit, the target is automatically ensnared, and if beaten
on an even die roll, is both knocked down and ensnared.
20. Bearhunting Suit: A suit of leather covering the entire body and
face. The suit is quilted and studded over every inch with iron nails.
(Two actions for a model to gird himself with the Suit) When an
enemy model causes the wearer of the Bearhunting Suit to be
repelled in melee combat (only by a C roll, not by a Noisome
Humour), the wearer automatically makes a second attack against
the opponent with a Combat score of that of the opponent,
rounding down.
Exempli gratia: A C3 Sneering Bandit attacks Aldric of
Wyrdwold, who is C2 and wearing the Bearhunting Suit. The bandit
rolls a 3 for a total of 6, while Aldric rolls a 2 for a total of 4. Aldric
is repelled, but the Sneering Bandit immediately suffers an attack at
his own C, rounding down (1). The Bandit unluckily rolls a 1 (total
4), and Aldric rolls a 6 (total 7), knocking the Sneering Bandit on his
arse, bleeding from many pinhole sized wounds.