"I was the one got the tip, wasn't I?" Dosh grunted, plucking a long, black wand off a shelf and looking at it.
"You even know what that does?" Rafe asked.
"No, but it smells like money," Dosh said.
"It's a Cicario Eldan wand," a voice said from behind them. "Third generation, when the old wizard was trying to improve on his designs."
The two thieves spun, staring at the slight figure. His hair was tousled, and he was dressed in a robe, yawning. He scratched under one arm, looking at them with half-lidded eyes. Dosh raised the wand, his fingers going to the clear arcane marks as he pointed it.
"Not another step," he hissed between his teeth.
"Or what?" the slender owner asked, tilting his head slightly.
Rafe tried to say something, but Dosh traced the runes and pointed. A black glow built at the tip of the wand, but rather than firing outward it turned back on itself. A look of horror crossed the thief's face, but nothing came from his mouth but smoke when he tried to scream. His eyes melted, his skin charred, and with a soft pop his clothes fell to the floor... empty, but for some ash.
"Those third gens," the owner said, shaking his head. "There are only a few of them left for a reason. Most people don't want something that cursed in their collection."
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| Where did you find these? Gods above... I didn't think there WERE any more of these... |
The Magic Item Collector
There are always people who obsess over the rare, the unusual, and the valuable. For some it's gems dug from so deep in the earth there are only a few like them in existence. For others it's works of art, or poetry, crafted by the hands of artists dead for centuries. And for some, that obsession is magic items.
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| A burning grimoire... never thought I'd see the day where I had one. |
In many ways, the Magic Item Collector can be seen as a subset of The Gearhead Fighter. However, the major difference between the two is that a Gearhead is (as a rule) more interested in the practical applications of the objects of their obsession. The Magic Item Collector is someone who pursues the rare, unique, and unusual for its own sake, rather than to using it to further their own goals. The chase, and the catch, is all that matters... other concerns like keeping dangerous items under lock and key, or ensuring a warlord can't use the item as a weapon, are really just secondary concerns.
A Collector will have an exhaustive knowledge of magic and its applications, and they'll certainly have opinions about which items are going to be more useful/serviceable in the field. Someone who swears by high-grade vellum for conjuration magic, while preferring papyrus for evocation spells, for example. They might be willing to use mass-produced potions, and keep a few simple yew wands around, but those things are expendable. They aren't the true prizes; they're the tools.
That's the important distinction. Just as an art critic might not see all art as beautiful and worthwhile, only prizing unique creations by talented creators, so too a Magic Item Collector isn't going to hold all magic items in high regard. Many of them will be plebian and functional, the high fantasy equivalent of corporate art or mass-produced prints. Only items with history, which boast a unique composition, or some combination of the two, will get their palms sweating.
Who Are Magic Item Collectors?
Magic item collectors come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and from a hundred different backgrounds. From enchanters and artisans who want to own a piece of the work made by the old masters, to nobles who appreciate the exquisite value of such unique pieces, to organizations who feel it is their duty to preserve and protect these items so they are not despoiled... or in some cases so the items in question don't do any harm to the world at large.
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| Some things are not for the eyes of the common folk. |
The only things Collectors need to have is a knowledge of the arcane, and of the history behind these unique items. Beyond that, the sky really is the limit as to who they are, how they came by their obsession, and which items in particular they specialize in.
For an example, you might have a rogue who's a former wizard's apprentice that turns their skills toward evading the most advanced security measures out there in order to steal the most precious magic items in the world. Maybe they keep them, or maybe they hand them over to museums or secret orders, but the thrill of holding those pieces of history is something that never fades for them. Alternatively, you might have a cleric, wizard, or a sorcerer who uses their magic to craft the latest generation of magic items (the Artist, as mentioned in 10 Backgrounds For Your Spellcasters). They collect these items as examples of the art, but also as templates to use to try to understand how other masters of the mystic arts have accomplished things before them. A magus might collect examples of fine enchanted armor and swords to use as decoration, showing their taste and devotion to history, or a bard might keep enchanted masterpieces ready to play, along with instruments made from impossible materials like dragon bone and sinew.
Lastly, as I mentioned above, it's a good idea to give your Collector a specialty. Maybe it's a particular culture, a certain type of item, or even a particular time period, but if you need someone who knows about it, the Collector has forgotten more than most people ever knew. If you find a darkling sword with a brand no one recognizes, Erinaldo Hardheart can likely tell you how old it is, and whether it was forged by the master or one of his apprentices. If you need to know about the Mindlock helms worn by the Ashen Knights at the fall of the Black Empire, Setania Caul not only knows their founding and history, but has fragments of the helms that still bear a glimmer of their former aura. And if you need to know about the awoken servitors of the Iron Age, old Albarian Codge knows... though whether you can get sense out of him will depend on how drunk he is.
Collectors will, of course, have other interests. However, their obsession with their own collection, and all of the information they've learned about magic over their years of study, searching, and acquisition, is often the major skill they bring to any party they join.
Those who enjoyed this piece may also enjoy 10 Backgrouns For Your Scoundrels, as well as 10 Backgrounds For Your Martial Characters. Both of them are currently in the 5 Tips archive, featured on the page's top bar.
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