The Box of Wonders
The Box is an ornate silver box the size of a small music box and has engravings of pixies and fae dancing around it’s exterior.
When the Box is opened and peered into, those watching see the viewer bathed in a bright golden light coming from the Box. To the person looking into the Box, it appears to be a window, through which they see their all their dreams coming true, feeling compelled to stare at it endlessly.
Unconsciousness will break the Box’s hold over a person but more than once it’s been found in the hands of a corpse that has starved to death.
When a character opens the box roll +WIS:
6 or less: The character stares into the box and will do nothing else. If they are jostled or forcibly restrained from viewing the box they will become violent to friend and foe alike until they are able to stare into the box again.
7-9: as 6 above but the character can be talked to and urged to do simple things like sit, stand or be physically led somewhere but they will not avert their eyes from the box willingly. Talking to them is like talking to someone who is asleep.
10+: The character stares into the box and recognizes the images as little more than amusing flights of fancy. They can also see that the box has an odd false bottom to it that perhaps contains… something.
This is my first attempt at a magic item (trap?) with a move attached. Let me know what you think.
Why the move? The description above seems totally perfect. I somehow feel the move isn’t needed. Just use the 6- result.
I really like the concept though.
Tim Franzke
Because I think “You pick up the box, open it and you are trapped!” is boring.
Also, when I introduced this it was being used to commit robberies. Hand the barkeep the Box, rob him blind, sap him, leave town. Rinse, repeat. Once a barkeep resisted and violence ensued which was got the charlatan busted.
So I guess the fiction needed it to have the mechanic, but like anything I post, feel free to use it your own way, and enjoy!
it’s only a dick move if you didn’t warn them beforehand.
I simply found it uninteresting, not “dickish”. Shutting down someone’s ability to effectively generate fiction in DW is much different than other games. At a 7-9 you can still have a little bit of fun being a danger to yourself and others at least, and who’s to say the character can tell the difference between friends and enemies talking to them when entranced?
Also I wanted an extra twist or secret in the form of the false bottom.
Feel free to mod away for your own use!
The box alone was great. The way you introduced it in your campaign just put it over the edge! Awesome!