Yethamerands Stonecloak
A fine cloak that allows the wearer to see from a statue's eyes.
Appearance
The cloak appears as a finely crafted cloak, umber in color, with red sandstone buttons.
Usage and Powers
Upon donning and closing the cloak, the wearer appears to transform into a statue of their likeness, but that is limited to their physical form.
Their spirit enters a room with pitch black walls but with a brilliantly lit floor, as if from unseen spotlight. Numerous statues casting deep shadows onto the floor. These are the projections of attuned statues in the physical realm, and the spirit can select a statue to occupy simply by walking up to it and touching it.
Once a statue is occupied, the user can see and hear from it, the field of view defined by the position of the statue's eyes. An occupied statue will radiate magic slightly stronger then background magic, and while unoccupied only a tiny amount could be detected. The user can choose to speak from the statue, though it requires significant effort to do so.
The user can reenter the world simply by willing it, wherapon the anchor statue will be transformed back into their physical form.
While occupying a statue, the wearer physical body does not exist - and so aging, sleep, breathing, the need to eat, etc, are suspended. The wearer could choose to stay forever in the room, but it probably would eventually destroy their sanity.
Combat
The user, while occupying the statue, is quite resistant to physical injury, and requires but a moment to withdraw from the statue. However, should the statue be somehow destroyed while occupied, the user is slain. Spells directed against the statue that do other then physical damage can target the user, again only so long as the user stays in the statue.Â
The statue created upon donning the cloak is very important - it is their anchor point to this reality. If it is destroyed, they are trapped in the room. Powerful magic might be able to recover the user at the GM's discretion.
Attuning
Attuning requires the addition of a special rune onto the target statue, carved into the stone. This process is not overly mystical and is no more difficult to craft then more mundane carvings. There is no limitation on how far apart the statues can be positioned. Â The statues need to be human sized to be attuned, and made from solid stone.
History
The cloak was a divine gift to Yethamerand , First and Last King and of the ancient kingdom of Thyanir.  It was his reward for his service in the construction of a vast, ornate temple to the Thyanirian Mountain god Hu.  After the sudden destruction of King, Kingdom and god, the cloak was found by an unnamed looter and subsequently has passed from person to person since.
Plot Ideas
The Night has a Thousand Eyes
The Church of Ceadrid's Pontiff is a fraud, but he uses the cloak and the many hundreds of statues in the various churches to keep tabs on his clergy. Â He is working on having 'holy visages' positioned within the homes of the powerful to further extend his reach.
Not Alone
The room is not unique to the cloak - there is more then one! While the PC is using statues to eavesdrop, someone - or something - enters the Room. Â
Grand Vistas
Queen Alamoore has had statues emplaced in all of the areas of great beauty in her lands, and she frequently used them to virtually travel her realm. However, one time while gazing upon the Cyan Woods of Sahthor, her anchor statue was seized by an enemy. Â While she remains within the room and the statues, her enemy cannot get to her, but with the statue in their possession, she is trapped. Â
The pcs are contacted by being nearby one of these statues at an opportune moment, and she will attempt to get them to help her. With the enemy holding the statue the adventure could play as a thriller against time.
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? Responses (9)
I like the notion of having to rescue the princess when she is a stone statue, and the metaphysics of the sub are interesting
Very flavorful item with a cool twist! A perfect gift for one of my campaign-recurring npcs. The Poppy-Seed King's incredible hubris and unmatched vanity has led to literally *thousands* of statues to be built in his likeness across the vast kingdom. It is said, one cannot walk a hundred paces in any direction, without bumping into one of the king's many statues. Now, i can add this cloak to his repertoire and Voila! Love it. Also, 'Not Alone' is a good hook!
(change wear to wearer in the tagline)
After reading Muro's comment this did it for me. It was interesting in the beginning, a small minor item of magic that could be thrown at the players at any time or even introduce a new player. The players have a battle in a treasure room and when all is done someone pops from a statue thanking them for rescuing him/her. They had to hide or be killed.
Sweet.
Once destroyed would be a royal pain. I like the idea that gargoyles in this world could be those in that trapped situation. Magic is able to allow them to take other sigiled statues forms but they would remain stone. Once destroyed they could continue to inhabit others. Slim to nil ability to communicate or write because of the difficulty of using the other statues. Perhaps they can even be summoned into the new styled gargoyles by wizards. Perhaps an incentive for a wizard to trap somebody in there too.
Is each styled rune a different 'room' then? That is how I envisioned it.
I had a hard time describing my mental picture. All that exists in the room are the forms of the real world statues as if lit by an overhead spotlight. They could form a circle, or any other arrangement, but it would take little time to walk fromone to another, unless of course there were hundreds attuned :)
I was thinking of allowing animation, but i like the low-magic/espionage side better.
Stands out to me as almost an organization or race magic item, rather than a unique one. You could have some sort of 'sinister' organization built around having these cloaks and the ability to see all around the world, or even farther.
Or perhaps the cloaks made by some ancient people, and now only used by this organization, who use them only for espionage, not fathoming some greater purpose....
Great idea and item.... very useful in a paranoia driven game where the people, in the streets, swear the government hears everything they say...lol cheers
simple useful and well thought out (as far as I can tell). I like it.