Bestial Helms
Just a bunch of magic helmets for Fourth Edition Dungeons & Dragons along the basic theme of “Dude, they look like animal heads”. Because my campaign is set in a world where the only mammalian life forms are the major races who came fleeing a world-ending catastrophe a few hundred thousand years ago, and a few demon-created species like gnolls and minotaurs (blame the Eladrin for summoning said demons and their minions), these have a strong reptilian bent to them.
All of the bestial helms are shaped like the heads of various animal species, with a focus more on style and appearance than on actual functionality. Only the enchantments worked into them allow these helms to be truly useful in combat, as opposed to purely ceremonial, situations. The magic of these helms draws upon primal powers, so they can be made only by those with a primal class (including a multiclass feat, etc). If the crafter has recently (within 24 hours) slain a member of the species which is captured in the helm, and done so in single combat in a fair fight (not against a chained, drugged, or weakened animal), then the cost in residuum to perform the ritual is reduced by 10%. The body of the beast must be used during the ritual to gain this effect; it is consumed in the process.
Helm Of The Greenstripe Scytheclaw
Scytheclaws are the most common predators on the planet, with dozens of species. Greenstripes are found primarily in the fertile flatlands of central Karathakos, and are known, as one might guess, for their pattern of rippling green stripes that serve as effective camouflage when stalking through the reeds and grasses of the plains. They are legendary for two things… their silent, careful, stalking and their deadly pounce. This helm reflects both aspects of their nature. It is usually made of dark iron, pitted and worn, and decorated with stripes of jade, tourmaline, or malachite. Emeralds or rare green pearls form the eyes.
Greenstripe Helm
Level 6 Uncommon 1,800 gp
Item Slot: Head
Property: Gain a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks, or a +4 item bonus when moving through jungles, swamps, or similar environments.
Power (Encounter): Free action. Use this power when you charge an opponent who did not have line of sight to you when you began the charge. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and, if the attack hits, the target also takes 5 ongoing damage and grants combat advantage to you (save ends both).
Helm Of The Skyshadow
Skyshadows are among the largest non-magical creatures which regularly take to the air. Featherless, they are adept gliders and can coast for longer periods of time between the occasional flap. They feed by swooping down on prey and snatching it up. The terrifying shriek they make as they grab their prey sends nearby creatures scurrying away.
This helm is usually constructed of high-quality leather from its namesake beast, ornamented with semi-precious gems. The hinged ‘beak’ of the helmet, still considerably shorter than the skyshadow’s own, is usually made of ivory bound with silver.
Skyshadow Helm
Level 9 Uncommon 4,200 gp
Item Slot: Head
Property: You do not need to make an Athletics check to jump any gap of 1 square or less.
Power (Daily): Free action. Use this power when you charge an opponent, at the start of the charge. Attack +12 vs. Will, Close Burst 2, centered on opponent. Target: All allies of the target of the charge. Hit: 1d6 thunder damage and push 1 square, using the target of the charge as the origin of the push effect.
Helm Of The Dawn Trumpeter
Hadrosaurs of many types are used as beasts of burden and food. Strong, herd oriented, and slow minded, many species have been domesticated, any wildness bred out of them over generations. There are plenty of wild kin left, though, and folk who live far from the wilderness and know only the domestic strains may be surprised at how fierce the untamed can be, forgetting that hadrosaurs must regularly fight off some of the most vicious predators of the land.
Dawn trumpeters are so-named because of the bellowing sounds made by males when the sun rises, calls to the herd to gather up and calls to their mates and children to come close. The helm of the dawn trumpeter features an ornate crest, decorated in patterns of silver and lapis lazuli, with heavy hide panels sewn over an iron framework.
Trumpeter Helm
Level 12 Uncommon 13,000 gp
Item Slot: Head
Property: You and all adjacent allies gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against fear effects.
Power (Encounter): Minor action. Close burst 5; all allies in burst. You may pull all allies 1 square.
Power (Daily): Move Action. Close Burst 5; targets allies. You may teleport any allies in the burst closer to you. They may be placed anywhere, so long as the total distance from you to them has been reduced (i.e, you can teleport an ally who was 4 squares to your left to a position 3 squares to your right.)
Helm Of The Megalodon
You may note that megalodons do not have some fake made up “native” name like skyshadow or scytheclaw. There is a very good reason for this. There is nothing I could come up with that’s cooler than megalodon! I mean, really. What else should I call it? “Giant Swimming Cuisinart That Noms You To Death”? (OK, actually, I think I did call it Teeth-That-Swim when I did GURPS Lands Out Of Time, but that doesn’t work well for a helmet name.)
Some people may also note that megalodons were Pliocene creatures, and that if I have no other Pliocene-era life on my world, I should not have megalodons, either. Some people can bite my shiny metal ass. All that matters when I do worldbuilding is if something is totally frakkin’ awesome, dude, and 100 foot long (To hell with all you dream-killing so-called “scientists” with your “math” and your “biology” and your “facts” and your “evidence” that says megalodons were only 60 feet or so. What’s more likely to be true? What we learn from rigorous study, careful analysis, application of proven techniques, and repeated experimentation and testing of theories, or what we really, really, wish the world would be? The 96% of the human race that’s not atheist says the latter, and who’s going to say they’re wrong? Reality? Hah! Where was I? Oh yeah, megalodons) sharks are totally frakkin’ awesome. And in my world, some have crossbred with dragons, but that’s another post.
The megalodon helm is actually formed from teeth taken from the great shark, and to be used in the crafting of this helmet, they must be taken from a living specimen that has fed on sentient flesh within the past 24 hours. The lining of the helm is made from a megalodon’s skin (all the parts do not need to come from the same creature, though it’s fairly rare for it not to be the case) and additional structural support is provided by iron mined from nodes of ore floating in the elemental seas.
Megalodon Helm
Level 30 Rare 3,125,000 gp
Item Slot: Head
Property: You gain the aquatic keyword. Your swim speed is equal to your base speed +2.
Property: If underwater, any melee attacks you make against creatures without the aquatic keyword gain a +4 bonus, instead of the usual +2 bonus.
Property: You gain a +2 untyped bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls for melee attacks against bloodied targets.
Power (At-Will): Standard Action. Attack +35 vs. AC. Hit: 3d12+10 damage, and target takes ongoing 15 damage (save at -2 ends). A critical hit does an additional 6d12 damage.
Power (Encounter): Minor action. Until the end of your next turn, all of your melee attacks against bloodied targets ignore damage resistance.
Power (Daily): Free action. Use this power when you reduce a non-minion foe to 0 hit points with the helm’s at-will power. You may regain the use of an expended martial encounter attack power. If you use that power before the end of your next turn, you gain a +4 item bonus on attack and damage rolls with it.
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