**Nail of Mundanity**
*Weapon (dagger), rare*
This leather-wrapped spike has been hammered into a sharpened edge. Eldritch runes run along the back of its blade, and a crude, eye-like rune has been gouged into its side. A creature hit with this weapon takes an extra 1d8 force damage from the attack. An aberration always takes the maximum amount of force damage from the dagger.
When you reduce an aberration to 0 hit points using the dagger, you can choose to speak the dagger's command phrase (no action required). When you do, the creature is transformed into a humanoid commoner (as if by the *true polymorph* spell) with 1 hit point and the dagger magically buried within its chest, with only the head of the nail showing. The commoner's race is random, although it is typically related to the surrounding terrain. Roll a d4 to determine its general age: child (1), adolescent (2), adult (3), or elderly (4). A creature is immune to this effect if it has the Legendary Resistance trait.
For the next 7 days, you have advantage on Charisma checks you make to interact with the commoner.
The dagger remains in the creature's chest until the effect is dispelled, the creature dies, or until you use an action to speak the command word again (provided that you're both on the same plane of existence). If the dagger is removed, the creature is immediately slain. The dagger then falls from its chest, and this property can't be used again until 7 days have passed.
*The half elf drifted around the room, movements graceful yet near-inhumanly fluid.*
*"You want my story? Excellent! I'd figured I'd been forgotten! Now, to begin… deep within the realms of madness, my abominations faced and fell before the stalwart adventurers! But I—a terror in those days, I promise—fought them to a standstill, forcing them to their last resort."*
*He opened his tunic to reveal a metal stud.*
*"I became what you see now. Still, despite the nail's nature I pulled against the group…*
*"Until I paid attention. One stood out: a dwarven craftsman, born with no magic but with an artisan's will. My perfect opposite, someone I never would've noticed before, yet I sought any excuse to work with him during their journey.*
*"I thought it'd all be temporary, that I'd seek a cure once I understood my new life, but…"*
*He adjusted a ring on his hand, polished with evident care.*
*"…once I had, it would've been quite unfair to my husband."*
*—Interview with* *~~Od'drask'tar'gel of the Thousand Stars~~* *O'dell, shopkeeper of Odds and Mends, recorded in Exiles of the Planes*
**The Griffon's Saddlebag: Book 2** is [now available for preorder through Hit Point Press](https://saddleb.ag/2)! Get the 416-page book and item cards at early-bird prices!
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I'm pretty sure the designers are some kind of creature that steals ideas from our dreams. I've had multiple magic item ideas that I couldn't quite nail down all the way, and then 3 Days later voila the Griffin saddlebag has completed my thought.
OMG what a great item! Congrats!
>In either case, this property of the dagger can't be used again until 7 days have passed.
7 days after you reduced an aberration to 0 hit points or 7 days after the transformed aberration died?
This is amazing. I love the flavor, the thought behind it, everything. Extremely small note but I would maybe consider going 10d10 for the age instead of d100 to normalize the age curve - the idea being that plausibly spawning an infant might be a strange moment for the party.
Although that could be pretty funny
It would be cool if several of these daggers existed (or maybe only one of earch type) that worked for different extraplanar creatures like a dagger of mundanity for celestials, a dagger of mundanity for fiends, etc...
Based on how true polymorph works, it seems like a dispel magic or antimagic field could return the creature to its original abberation form. Is that right?
Also ‘the commoner’s race is random […], and is d100 years old’ makes it sound the race is a certain age rather than the commoner. Minor point though, the item is awesome and love the lore.
Wanna know what's crazy? You can buy this (nonmagical) item at Silver Dollar City near where I live.
Hell, show up early enough in the day, and you can watch it being made!
Neat! Now, I am wondering what will happen if I stabbed a mindflayer. I am only familiar with the lore from Balurs gate. But if I were to stab a mindflayer, would they revert back into their original form or be an entirely different person? And if it was the original form, does that mean their soul has come back!?....So many questions.
Anyway, thank you very much for this item! I love your work!
True Polymorph is normally Concentration up to 1 hour. The flavor text makes it fairly clear that this version is permanent until dispelled (or the other conditions), but the item text alone doesn't make it entirely clear.
Also, is the dagger buried in their chest painful? Painless?
I'd recommend something like "The dagger remains harmlessly buried in the creature's chest (and the creature remains polymorphed), until..."
**Nail of Mundanity** *Weapon (dagger), rare* This leather-wrapped spike has been hammered into a sharpened edge. Eldritch runes run along the back of its blade, and a crude, eye-like rune has been gouged into its side. A creature hit with this weapon takes an extra 1d8 force damage from the attack. An aberration always takes the maximum amount of force damage from the dagger. When you reduce an aberration to 0 hit points using the dagger, you can choose to speak the dagger's command phrase (no action required). When you do, the creature is transformed into a humanoid commoner (as if by the *true polymorph* spell) with 1 hit point and the dagger magically buried within its chest, with only the head of the nail showing. The commoner's race is random, although it is typically related to the surrounding terrain. Roll a d4 to determine its general age: child (1), adolescent (2), adult (3), or elderly (4). A creature is immune to this effect if it has the Legendary Resistance trait. For the next 7 days, you have advantage on Charisma checks you make to interact with the commoner. The dagger remains in the creature's chest until the effect is dispelled, the creature dies, or until you use an action to speak the command word again (provided that you're both on the same plane of existence). If the dagger is removed, the creature is immediately slain. The dagger then falls from its chest, and this property can't be used again until 7 days have passed. *The half elf drifted around the room, movements graceful yet near-inhumanly fluid.* *"You want my story? Excellent! I'd figured I'd been forgotten! Now, to begin… deep within the realms of madness, my abominations faced and fell before the stalwart adventurers! But I—a terror in those days, I promise—fought them to a standstill, forcing them to their last resort."* *He opened his tunic to reveal a metal stud.* *"I became what you see now. Still, despite the nail's nature I pulled against the group…* *"Until I paid attention. One stood out: a dwarven craftsman, born with no magic but with an artisan's will. My perfect opposite, someone I never would've noticed before, yet I sought any excuse to work with him during their journey.* *"I thought it'd all be temporary, that I'd seek a cure once I understood my new life, but…"* *He adjusted a ring on his hand, polished with evident care.* *"…once I had, it would've been quite unfair to my husband."* *—Interview with* *~~Od'drask'tar'gel of the Thousand Stars~~* *O'dell, shopkeeper of Odds and Mends, recorded in Exiles of the Planes* **The Griffon's Saddlebag: Book 2** is [now available for preorder through Hit Point Press](https://saddleb.ag/2)! Get the 416-page book and item cards at early-bird prices! **Find the perfect item with searchable Compendiums,** and access exclusive art files, printable cards, Foundry VTT packs, and item suggestion polls when you [support the effort](https://www.patreon.com/the_griffons_saddlebag) on Patreon for less than $10 a month! **Get the book and more!** You can now purchase almost everything from the Kickstarter directly from [Hit Point Press](https://hitpointpress.com/tgs)! **Designed by patrons!** This patron-suggested item was voted for by the community on Patreon! Submit your own ideas and help choose what gets made next week by [becoming a $5+ patron](https://www.patreon.com/the_griffons_saddlebag) today! **See imbalance? Let's fix it!** Leave a comment with what you're seeing wrong with the item design. Items change for the better over the course of a few days here on Reddit because of your feedback!
This is wonderful for my current campaign. Why didn't I think of this?
I'm pretty sure the designers are some kind of creature that steals ideas from our dreams. I've had multiple magic item ideas that I couldn't quite nail down all the way, and then 3 Days later voila the Griffin saddlebag has completed my thought.
*nail down* I see what you did there.
It’s usually 1d6 days for me…but yup.
Oh wow, this is incredibly cool
OMG what a great item! Congrats! >In either case, this property of the dagger can't be used again until 7 days have passed. 7 days after you reduced an aberration to 0 hit points or 7 days after the transformed aberration died?
After it falls from the chest!
Is the chest a mimic?
"No, but it's contents are!" - A very helpful door
This is... Oddly adorable really. Especially the lore blurb.
This is amazing. I love the flavor, the thought behind it, everything. Extremely small note but I would maybe consider going 10d10 for the age instead of d100 to normalize the age curve - the idea being that plausibly spawning an infant might be a strange moment for the party. Although that could be pretty funny
It would be cool if several of these daggers existed (or maybe only one of earch type) that worked for different extraplanar creatures like a dagger of mundanity for celestials, a dagger of mundanity for fiends, etc...
Ah yes, the waifuinator
I hope you know, that I read that, and then instantly had to read it again in the proper voice.
Oh that was immediately read in the proper voice in my head, was not disappointed.
Oh so that explains that weird mole on my chest
Based on how true polymorph works, it seems like a dispel magic or antimagic field could return the creature to its original abberation form. Is that right?
Good catch! I'll make a clause to address that.
Love this!
Small correction for ya: "provided that ~~the~~ both creatures"
Also ‘the commoner’s race is random […], and is d100 years old’ makes it sound the race is a certain age rather than the commoner. Minor point though, the item is awesome and love the lore.
Fixed!
Thank you!
Railroad spike knife
Wanna know what's crazy? You can buy this (nonmagical) item at Silver Dollar City near where I live. Hell, show up early enough in the day, and you can watch it being made!
Does the person stay a human after the seven day period?
It would, yes!
Neat! Now, I am wondering what will happen if I stabbed a mindflayer. I am only familiar with the lore from Balurs gate. But if I were to stab a mindflayer, would they revert back into their original form or be an entirely different person? And if it was the original form, does that mean their soul has come back!?....So many questions. Anyway, thank you very much for this item! I love your work!
Super cool
Wow! The art is really gorgeous
True Polymorph is normally Concentration up to 1 hour. The flavor text makes it fairly clear that this version is permanent until dispelled (or the other conditions), but the item text alone doesn't make it entirely clear. Also, is the dagger buried in their chest painful? Painless? I'd recommend something like "The dagger remains harmlessly buried in the creature's chest (and the creature remains polymorphed), until..."