A mystic, tired of being left behind by his more swifted-footed companions, devised this as a simple solution.
Full Item Description
The Headband of Swift Thought is a simple band of silver, shaped to fit around the head of a humanoid; a minor enchantment worked into the quartz crystal adorning the front of it allows it to fit most humanoid creatures of roughly human size, but the true wonder comes from the potent magic in the metal itself.
When worn, the headband provides a focus for the mental energies of the wearer, transforming it into an acceleration of the wearer's limbs to grant them greater speed. The exact degree of the enhancement depends on the intellect of the wearer, however, and it does have a minor drawback - the greater the increase in speed, the more reduced the wearer's mental abilities becomes.
History
First created in a much more effective form by the mystic Xelhan of the Phaedran Empire, the Headband originally only provided a specific, fixed increase in speed - enough that Xelhan could keep up with his swift companions rather than being forever left behind. The original headband does not draw enough mental energy to reduce the wearer's intellect, but later incarnations - crafted by other mystics who were of the opinion that if a little extra speed was good, more speed was that much better - draw on so much of the wearer's intellect that the increased speed simply makes for a fast-moving imbecile.
The original headband has long since been lost, presumably interred with Xelhan when he died. Later versions remain in circulation, however, as many people find them on the remains of the unfortunates who wore them before, and never recovered enough wit to pull them off before they did something foolhardy, such as trying a running jump over a wide canyon.
Magic/Cursed Properties
The weakest version of the headband simply increases the movement rate of the wearer by a small amount - no more than ten percent, at best.
Stronger versions provide greater boosts in speed, but begin to draw on the intellect of the wearer. For every ten or fifteen percent of speed, the overall intellectual ability of the wearer is diminished by an equal amount. Eventually, the swiftest headbands result in drooling idiots who can outrun the wind - usually headfirst into a wall to die.
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Award XP
Enjoyed this? Sign in to thank Kassil with blade clashes — 5 XP each, up to 25.
5 10 15 20 25Sign in to award XP.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Continue the path
Three more steps through the hall.
- Generic Magical Items by manfred Bound
Other takes
No other takes yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.
Bonds
Curated bonds across the Citadel. Kindred Favors are another thread in the same weave.
Great. Definitely an item, that would be produced over and over, is not cursed at all, but can be distinctly dangerous to it wearer.
Short, solid, logical.
Interesting-does the mental damage regenerate if the user survives?
I would definitely say yes.
(If not, the item can be considered cursed!)
The mental damage persists only as long as the headband itself is on. When the wearer removes it, it clears away like a mental fog lifting, usually to the great embarassment of the wearer.
I think this is the first Talislanta item the site has ever had. Not that it can not be adapted to other systems and worlds, but it is a first.
Talislanta is quite a unique setting. ;) I find that I dearly love the rule system, and particularly the way they handle magic. No more 'I should've memorized (spell)!' as long as a reasonably reative person is playing the mage.
I like this item, and not knowing anything about Talislanta (apart from No Elves, right? :)) I saw nothing game-specific about it.
Good Job!
No Elves, indeed. Alas, it currently happens to be languishing horribly in the hands of the current company, suffering horribly from poor proof-reading and an utter lack of communication with fans. While I love the copy of the Big Blue Book that I own, I am sorely disappointed by the fifth edition of the game.
That said, the system itself is well-designed, and the setting is wonderfully unique. It's just a shame that the current producer is having difficulties with it.