Amulet
of Shapechanging
“During
my travels, I've often found magic items discounted at stores.
Typically, this is innocent as any other sale or bargain, but when
magic is involved, damaged, dubious, or poorly-made goods can go from
merely useless to outright dangerous. One should always be skeptical
of bargain bin magic.”
-Elric
Hartson, monster researcher
Created
by a renowned wizard specialized in the alteration of living
creatures, the plainly named Amulet of Shapechanging is seen as a
modern standard of transformative wear by adventurers. It earned this
reputation through a balance of utility, power, and affordability.
When invoked by the wearer, the amulet transforms them into any
natural animal smaller than a large horse, chosen by the wearer. They
gain all non-magical abilities of the animal, but cannot do anything
the animal could not physically do. The amulet melds with the
wearer's body while in use. This transformation lasts one hour, but
can be ended early at the wearer's will. It can store up to three
charges, with each transformation using a charge, and it recharges
fully at dawn.
While
the amulet is normally fairly safe and reliable, there are many
flawed copies in circulation. Some believe these are inferior
replicas, while others say they merely damaged or poorly made
originals. In any case, these all share a few curious quirks. The
most noticeable problem is that every morning, upon recharging, the
amulet forcibly activates, transforming the wearer into a random
animal native to the area they're in. This transformation cannot be
ended by the wearer until it naturally expires. In addition, it's
difficult to remove safely, delivering a powerful electrical shock to
the wearer and anyone touching them if they try to remove it.
Curse-removing magic can reliably but temporarily prevent the shock,
allowing for safe and easy removal.
