The Baptism of Fire RPG is set in a "medieval authentic" early 11th-century Poland where the world is exactly as the people of that time imagined it—meaning that magic, monsters, and fairies are real.
Here are five magic items suited for that setting, blending historical folklore with low-key, OSR-style magic:
Five Magic Items for Baptism of Fire
1. The Iron Baptismal Cross
A heavy, blackened iron cross, crudely forged but blessed by a newly Christianized bishop.
Effect: This item grants a significant bonus when used against creatures associated with the old pagan spirits, the dark wilderness, or pure demonic evil (such as Żmij or Czart). It creates a low, palpable aura of divine protection.
Drawback: Pagan villagers and those who still cling to the old ways view the cross with suspicion or outright hostility. Carrying it might make negotiations or gathering information in the deep wilderness more difficult.
2. The Jar of the Wodnik's Tears
A small, stoppered clay jar containing a swirling, brackish water said to be the wept sorrow of a defeated Wodnik (a malevolent water spirit).
Effect: Once per day, the user may uncork the jar and pour out the liquid. They can use the "Tears" to bless a body of water (well, river crossing, etc.), making it immune to magical corruption or fouling for one day. Alternatively, they can throw the water at a single target to impose a penalty on their next roll, as the spirit's sorrow momentarily burdens them.
Drawback: The jar must be refilled with ordinary water after each use. If the water is not changed for three days, the Wodnik's spirit may attempt to possess the nearest living creature.
3. The Hunter's Whispering Arrow
A single arrow shaft carved from hawthorn, feathered with a raven's plume, and enchanted with a hunter's prayer.
Effect: When fired at a living target, this arrow ignores one layer of natural cover (light brush, thick fog, etc.) and allows the user to hear the exact location of the target for $1d4$ rounds if the shot lands.
Condition: The arrow is always recovered undamaged after striking a target, but the magic will not work if it is used to hunt an animal purely for sport or pleasure—it must be for survival or to defeat a monster.
4. The Belt of the Wild Man (Leshy's Gift)
A woven leather belt decorated with tiny, dried moss and leaves, smelling faintly of pine and woodsmoke.
Effect: While worn in the wild (forest, swamps, mountains), the wearer gains limited Leshy-like abilities. They can walk through thick underbrush without hindrance and ignore the effects of one non-magical, naturally occurring environmental trap (e.g., a shallow pit hidden by leaves) per day.
Curse/Trap: If the wearer ever cuts down a living, healthy tree for non-essential use (i.e., not for shelter or crucial defense), the Leshy becomes enraged, and the belt wraps tightly, imposing a penalty on all movement for $1d6$ days.
5. The Sheaf of Saint Stanislaus' Wheat
A small, tightly bound sheaf of perpetually fresh wheat, tied with a simple, silver thread, blessed for a bountiful harvest.
Effect: The Sheaf can be broken apart and the seeds planted. The area where the seeds are scattered is rendered magically sterile to all forms of undead or unholy plant life for a period of $24$ hours. It's an excellent deterrent against Upior (vampires) or ground haunted by a Dziwożona (a wild woman spirit).
Limited Use: The Sheaf contains only 1d3 uses. Once all the seeds are scattered, the silver thread crumbles to dust, and the magic is gone.
Let's focus the adventure hook on the Jar of the Wodnik's Tears, as its dual function (blessing water/hindering foes) offers immediate local conflict.
Adventure Hook: The Poisoned Well
The Setup: Jar of the Wodnik's Tears
The party arrives at the small, remote village of Kamienna (Stone Village), nestled beside the edge of a deep, shadowed forest and relying entirely on a large stone well for water.
The Problem
The well water, which was clear and sweet just a week ago, has turned putrid, dark, and oily. Several children and livestock have fallen gravely ill. The local priest insists it is God's punishment for some hidden sin, while the villagers whisper that the Wodnik (Water Spirit) from the nearby, stagnant creek has finally claimed their source.
The Task
The frantic village Elder approaches the party, offering everything the poor village possesses (a few silver coins, enough food for a week, and a promise of eternal favor) to cleanse the well.
Option 1 (Pious): The Priest demands a lengthy rite of purification, requiring the party to fetch blessed herbs and holy water from a distant monastery—a journey that will take days, during which more villagers will sicken.
Option 2 (Folkloric): The villagers believe a sacrifice is needed to appease the Wodnik. They want the party to venture into the haunted creek to find its lair and offer a valuable trinket.
The Twist/The Item's Location
The source of the problem is not the well itself, but a smaller, abandoned hut near the creek where an old hermit lived.
The hermit recently tried to trap the Wodnik using pagan magic to gain control over the water supply.
The Wodnik defeated the hermit and, in its rage and sorrow, wept its caustic tears into a jar, which it then sealed and left near the body as a warning.
The spirit didn't foul the well directly; it's keeping the nearby creek in a state of corrupted, brackish water. The Wodnik's presence is so strong that the creek's corrupted flow is now leaching into the well's underground source, slowly poisoning the village.
The Finding
The party must navigate the creepy, fog-filled creek area to find the hermit's hut. Inside, they find the dead hermit, the strange remnants of his failed ritual, and the small, corked Jar of the Wodnik's Tears beside him.
The Resolution
The party realizes they can't purify the source with normal means. They must use the jar:
Immediate Use: They can pour the tears into the main well. The magic of the Wodnik's Tears instantly pushes out the contamination and seals the well's source from future corruption for the next day, giving the villagers clean water and buying the party time.
Alternative: They could use the tears to hinder the actual Wodnik if they decide to confront it directly in the creek (though this risks losing the long-term benefit of purifying the water).
Here's a key NPC and the Wodnik
The Wodnik (Water Spirit)
The Wodnik in this setting is a spiteful male water spirit, often the soul of an unbaptized boy or a drowned suicide victim. It is tied to its specific body of water—in this case, the cold, muddy creek that feeds the village well.
| Attribute | Value | Notes |
| Armor Class (AC) | 14 (Natural Algae/Scales) | Difficult to hit with un-enchanted weapons. |
| Hit Dice (HD) | 4 | Roughly equivalent to a strong guard or low-tier monster. |
| Movement | 90 ft. (Swim), 30 ft. (Walk) | Agile in water, slow and weak on land. |
| Attacks | 1 (Claw or Drowning Snare) | See special abilities below. |
| Morale | 10 (Fanatical) | Will not flee while in its body of water. |
| XP | 175 |
Special Abilities
Water Dependence: The Wodnik must maintain contact with water. If forced onto dry land, its AC drops to 10 and its Movement drops to 10 ft. It will frantically try to return to the creek or a nearby water source.
Drowning Snare (Attack): The Wodnik can make a special attack against a target within 10 ft. while submerged or standing in deep water. If it hits, the target is grappled and pulled under the water (or into the mud). The target must make a Strength Save each round to escape the grapple and avoid taking $1d4$ points of drowning damage.
Shape-Shifting: It can appear as an old man with a dripping green coat, a large fish, or a frog. It maintains its AC regardless of the form. A successful Alertness/Know World Lore check may reveal its tell-tale sign: a single patch of its clothing is always dripping wet.
The Power of Tears: When it is grieving, enraged, or defeated (reduced to 1 HP), it may weep, and these tears are caustic, capable of magically corrupting or purifying water. This is the source of the magic item.
The NPC: Paweł, The Elder of Kamienna
Paweł is the village Elder—tired, pragmatic, and desperate to save his community without angering the new Christian God or the old spirits.
| Detail | Description |
| Appearance | A worn, middle-aged man with hands gnarled from years of field work and worry lines etched deep into his face. Always wears a plain woolen cap. |
| Motivation | To save his village and his own grandchildren, who are sick. He distrusts both the extreme piety of the priest and the old pagan rituals. |
| Initial Stance | Humble and Negotiable. He appeals to the party's sense of charity and fame, but will offer 5 Silver grzywna (coins) and the promise of a place to stay and resupply if the party succeeds. |
| Key Information | He knows the hermit, Kazimierz, was obsessed with controlling the water and that he tried something "foolish" near the creek a few weeks ago. He urges the party to check the hermit's abandoned hut first, as it is less dangerous than the creek itself. |
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