Baba Yaga 73 of Adoration – GearAscendancy.com

Lore: This enchanted trinket is one of the lesser-known relics crafted by the enigmatic Baba Yaga. Designed as a simple, rustic locket containing an ever-shifting portrait, it has a charm that enchants everyone who looks at it. While it could be a force of good, unlocking doors and smoothing conversations, the locket holds a subtle but dangerous magic that makes its wearer vulnerable to emotional manipulation.

Stats:

Slot: Necklace
Rarity: Common
Tier: 1

Roleplay: The wearer finds themselves the center of attention and adoration more often than not. Conversations take on a notably friendlier tone, and even potential enemies seem to hesitate, caught in a moment of inexplicable fondness. However, the wearer also becomes excessively trusting, leading to a potential downfall if cunning foes realize this weakness.

Costs:

Gold Cost: 50 gold pieces
Magical Toll: After three uses in a single day, the wearer becomes emotionally drained and receives disadvantage in Wisdom checks for the next 24 hours.

Magics:

Active Effect: Grants +2 on Charisma-based checks directed at influencing people’s emotions or opinions.
Passive Effect: The wearer gains a -1 to Wisdom saving throws against emotional manipulation or charm spells.

Tags: Emotional, Enchanting, Risky, Adoration

Defense and Offense in Different Environments:

In Political/Social Environments: This item excels in environments that require negotiation, persuasion, or diplomacy. It can be used to easily gain favor from lords, secure beneficial contracts, and diffuse tense situations.
In Combat: The trinket has limited utility but could cause enemies to hesitate or reconsider hostile actions. In rare circumstances, it may turn potential combat into a conversation instead.
In Natural/Wild Environments: The item is less useful here, but it may make interactions with sentient forest creatures or territorial guardians more amicable.
In Dungeon Crawls: Its effects could make negotiations with sentient beings more favorable but would provide no defense against traps or mindless enemies. Its emotional toll could prove dangerous if the wearer becomes too trusting of a treacherous ally or misinterprets the intentions of a deadly foe.

Remember, the subtle powers of adoration can be just as dangerous as any blade or spell, and in the hands of a cunning player, this item can change the course of history—or end it prematurely.

Perception of the Five Senses and Extra-Sensory Perceptions

Sight:
- What is Perceived: A rustic locket with an ever-shifting portrait.
- Description: The locket appears simple but captivating. The portrait inside morphs slowly, almost hypnotically, to different faces.
- Positives: Visually intriguing, drawing attention and admiration from onlookers.
- Negatives: Too captivating; could distract the user and make them prone to ambushes or surprises.
Hearing:
- What is Perceived: Soft, distant laughter or singing when opened.
- Description: Upon opening the locket, one can hear ethereal sounds, like soft chuckles or dulcet tones, that seem to come from nowhere.
- Positives: Adds to the enchanting quality of the item.
- Negatives: Could cause unease or distraction.
Smell:
- What is Perceived: A faint scent of lavender and old books.
- Description: The scent is calming but carries a heavy, ancient undertone.
- Positives: Calms the nerves, making social interactions easier.
- Negatives: The smell can be too strong for those sensitive to scents, causing slight discomfort.
Taste:
- What is Perceived: Not applicable as the item is not meant to be tasted.
Touch:
- What is Perceived: A warm, almost lifelike pulsation from the locket.
- Description: The locket feels alive, with a warmth that adapts to the wearer’s body temperature.
- Positives: Provides a sense of comfort and companionship.
- Negatives: Over time, the pulsation could become unsettling or distracting.
Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
- What is Perceived: A swirl of various emotions, predominantly affection and vulnerability.
- Description: Those sensitive to magical or emotional energies may sense the item’s duality, both the allure and the potential emotional risk.
- Positives: Helps magically-inclined individuals understand the object’s capabilities and risks better.
- Negatives: Sensing the item’s darker, more manipulative side may cause discomfort or mistrust.

Recipe for Crafting Baba Yaga 73 of Adoration

Ingredients:
- A locket made of enchanted wood from the Whispering Forest.
- A soul shard of a nymph or a creature with enchanting abilities.
- A vial of lavender essence.
- Tears of joy, harvested ethically.
- An old portrait or image that can serve as the base for the shifting images.
- Ink made from crushed sapphires and gold flakes.
Steps:
- Prepare your alchemical workspace with proper wards and shielding.
- Place the locket in the center and surround it with a circle made of salt and crushed lavender.
- Inscribe the locket with ancient runes of charm and allure using the sapphire-gold ink.
- Carefully open the vial of lavender essence and anoint the locket, chanting incantations for attraction and likability.
- Take the soul shard and place it inside the locket, sealing it tightly. Say a phrase of binding to fuse the enchanting essence with the locket.
- Use the tears of joy to moisten the old portrait, then place it inside the locket with the soul shard.
- Close the locket and perform a sealing ritual to contain all the energies within it.
- Allow the locket to sit overnight under the light of a waxing moon to charge it fully.
- Once charged, the Baba Yaga 73 of Adoration is ready for use. Store it in a silk pouch until needed.

The Tale of Admiration Locked in Trinket

Long ago, so they say, lived wise witch Baba Yaga. Forest deep, hut on chicken leg, known far and wide. Same time, young heart loved widely but love not returned. Heart aches, journey to Baba Yaga.

“Granny Yaga, all admire but none keep. What do?” young heart asked.

Baba Yaga cackled, her eyes like starless night. “Admiration hollow when forced. But, ah, heart aches, and so gift you shall have. Heed caution. Gift has two faces.”

From pocket deep within robes, pulled locket. “This Baba Yaga 73 of Adoration. Bind admiration but care, you must.”

Young heart took locket, wear it did. People drawn, admire, adore. But so enchanted they be, love, they could not. Admiration empty without depth. Locket off, love flowed but not to young heart. Confused, young heart returned to Baba Yaga.

“I warned, yes?” Baba Yaga chuckled. “Locket only admiration, not love. Love, you must earn.”

Young heart understood, left locket in deep forest. Found love true, no magic, no enchantments.

Moral of the Tale: Charm can bring close, but only true essence binds hearts forever.

Suggested conversion to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu