[Vacation Content 7/7] Magic Item — Loot Tavern (Patreon)

Loot Tavern is one of the most prolific item makers in the 5e scene! Their work continues to fill in the game's item and flavor gaps with fun and interesting magic items. They enjoy creating items of varying rarities, so if that's a thing you really like to see in an item, be sure to check them out! They also release other content, much like the Saddlebag, so if you want to expand your haul of magic items and side content, Loot Tavern is a great option!

Preying Mantis

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

Spellcasters keeping you down? Sick of getting caught in fireballs? Loaded with vials of Branton Quark’s proprietary anti-magic serum, ‘Chemical Hex’, this stylish prosthetic is just the tool for you. The preying mantis: putting the power back into your hands — literally!

This item can function as a prosthetic forearm or can be inserted into your arm as part of the attuning process. Either way, it can’t be removed against your will while you remain attuned to it. The item has 3 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.

Mantis Jab. While wearing the prosthetic, you can use a bonus action to extend or retract the blade within it, which functions as a shortsword while it’s extended. While the blade is extended, you can use an action to expend 1 charge and make a special melee attack with it. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects and must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 1d8 poison damage on a failure, or half as much damage on a success. A spellcaster that fails this save takes 2d8 poison damage instead and can’t cast spells of 1st level or higher until the start of your next turn.

Hextech Recharge. As an action, you can slot a gemstone worth 250 gp or more into the item, which immediately destroys the gemstone and regains 1 charge. Once this property of the item has been used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.

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Very rare variant: Increase the charges to 5, the recharge to 1d4 + 1, and the DC to 16.