Bag of Beans

• Category: Wondrous Item
• Rarity: Rare

This heavy cloth bag contains 3d4 dry beans when found. The bag weighs half a pound regardless of how many beans it contains and becomes a nonmagical item when it no longer contains any beans.

If you dump one or more beans out of the bag, they explode in a 10 -foot-radius Sphere centered on them. All the dumped beans are destroyed in the explosion, and each creature in the Sphere, including you, makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d4 Force damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

If you remove a bean from the bag, plant it in dirt or sand, and then water it, the bean disappears as it produces an effect 1 minute later from the ground where it was planted. The GM can choose an effect from the following table or determine it randomly.

1d100 Effect

01 5d4 toadstools sprout. If a creature eats a toadstool, roll any die. On an odd roll, the eater must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5d6 Poison damage and have the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. On an even roll, the eater gains 5d6 Temporary Hit Points for 1 hour.

02-10 A geyser erupts and spouts water, beer, mayonnaise, tea, vinegar, wine, or oil (GM's choice) 30 feet into the air for 1d4 minutes.

1d100 Effect

11-20 A Treant sprouts. Roll any die. On an odd roll, the treant is Chaotic Evil. On an even roll, the treant is Chaotic Good.

21-30 An animate but immobile stone statue in your likeness rises and makes verbal threats against you. If you leave it and others come near, it describes you as the most heinous of villains and directs the newcomers to find and attack you. If you are on the same plane of existence as the statue, it knows where you are. The statue becomes inanimate after 24 hours.

31-40 A campfire with green flames springs forth and burns for 24 hours or until it is extinguished.

41-50 Three Shrieker Fungi sprout.

51-60 Id 4+4 bright-pink toads crawl forth. Whenever a toad is touched, it transforms into a Large or smaller monster of the GM's choice that acts in accordance with its alignment and nature. The monster remains for 1 minute, then disappears in a puff of bright-pink smoke.

61-70 A hungry Bulette burrows up and attacks.

71-80 A fruit tree grows. It has 1d10 + 20 fruit, 1d8 of which act as randomly determined po- tions. The tree vanishes after 1 hour. Picked fruit remains, retaining any magic for 30 days.

81-90 A nest of Id 4+3 rainbow-colored eggs springs up. Any creature that eats an egg makes a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, a creature permanently increases its lowest ability score by 1, randomly choosing among equally low scores. On a failed save, the creature takes 10d6 Force damage from an internal explosion.

91-95 A pyramid with a 60 -foot-square base bursts upward. Inside is a burial chamber containing a Mummy, a Mummy Lord, or some other Undead of the GM's choice. Its sarcophagus contains treasure of the GM's choice.

96-00 A giant beanstalk sprouts, growing to a height of the GM's choice. The top leads where the GM chooses, such as to a great view, a cloud giant's castle, or another plane of existence.

Tactical Applications

Combat Strategy: Extremely unpredictable utility item. Can create beneficial or harmful effects. Most safely used outside of combat or as a desperate last resort when conventional tactics have failed.

Class Synergies:

• Chaos-Aligned Characters: Fits naturally with characters who embrace unpredictability
• Creative Problem Solvers: Appeals to players who enjoy unconventional solutions
• Risk-Takers: Most useful for characters willing to accept significant risks for potential rewards

Build Considerations: Not suitable for tactical builds requiring predictable outcomes. Best used by characters with contingency plans and adaptability.

Acquisition Methods

Crafting Requirements: Cannot be reliably crafted due to chaotic magical nature. May result from wild magic experiments or divine intervention.

Common Sources:

• Rewards from fey creatures who appreciate chaos and whimsy
• Discoveries in ancient ruins of wild magic practitioners
• Gifts from chaotic deities or their agents
• Random magical phenomena in areas of high magical instability

Alternative Acquisition: Sometimes found in the aftermath of wild magic surges or in locations where reality has been twisted by chaotic forces.

Value & Trade

Estimated Value: Highly variable, 3,000-8,000 gp depending on buyer's risk tolerance and need for unpredictable solutions.

Trade Considerations: Difficult to appraise due to unpredictable nature. Some buyers pay premium for chaos potential, others avoid entirely.

Character Integration

Roleplay Elements: Possession suggests embracing chaos, desperation, or a gambling nature. Characters may develop superstitions about when to use beans.

Character Concepts:

• Chaos mage who thrives on unpredictable magic
• Desperate adventurer willing to try anything
• Collector of unusual and dangerous magical curiosities
• Trickster who enjoys surprising allies and enemies alike

Adventure Hooks

The Chaos Garden: Someone has been planting beans systematically across a region, creating a landscape of chaotic magical effects that threatens local stability.

The Bean Thief: Magical beans are being stolen from the party, and they must track down the thief before the beans are used for catastrophic purposes.

The Experimental Farm: A wizard is attempting to breed more predictable versions of the beans, but their experiments are creating increasingly dangerous mutations.

The Last Resort: The party faces an impossible situation where only the chaotic potential of the beans might provide a solution.

Variants & Customization

Stable Bag of Beans (Very Rare): Allows the user to influence the table roll by +/-10, providing some control over outcomes.

Amplified Bag of Beans (Legendary): Effects are more powerful but also more dangerous, with enhanced versions of all table results.

Elemental Beans (Rare): Specialized bags that produce effects themed around specific elements (fire, water, earth, air).

Specialized Variants:

• Fey Beans: Effects are more whimsical and less dangerous but still unpredictable
• Divine Beans: Effects tend toward lawful outcomes while maintaining randomness
• Abyssal Beans: Effects are consistently dangerous and chaotic

Lore & History

Origins: Created by ancient druids experimenting with chaos magic and natural growth, or possibly by fey entities seeking to spread unpredictability.

Historical Significance: Several major historical events have been triggered by beans, including the creation of famous landmarks and the resolution of impossible situations.

Cultural Impact: In many societies, the beans represent the ultimate gamble and are associated with both desperate hope and reckless folly.

Magical Theory: The beans tap into primal chaos magic, making their effects fundamentally unpredictable and resistant to control or modification.

Balancing Notes

Introduction Timing: Can be introduced at any level but works best when the party needs unconventional solutions or when embracing campaign chaos.

Campaign Impact: Can dramatically alter campaign direction through random effects. Creators should be prepared for unexpected developments.

Risk Management: The inherent unpredictability creates natural limits on usage while maintaining the thrill of potential benefits.

Encounter Design

Recommended Challenges:

• Situations where conventional solutions have failed
• Encounters that can accommodate dramatic environmental changes
• Scenarios where chaos and unpredictability enhance rather than disrupt the story
• Moments when players need encouragement to think outside normal parameters

Tactical Adjustments: Creators should be prepared to adapt quickly to unexpected bean effects and incorporate them meaningfully into ongoing encounters.

Related Items

Chaos Magic: Other items that embrace randomness and unpredictability in their effects.

Wild Magic:

• Items that trigger wild magic surges
• Equipment that interacts with chaos and random effects
• Tools for managing or controlling unpredictable magic

Complementary Equipment: Items that help manage risks or provide contingencies when using unpredictable magical effects.

Roleplay Opportunities

Risk Assessment: Characters must weigh desperate situations against potential catastrophic consequences, creating meaningful decision points.

Chaos Acceptance: Learning to work with rather than against unpredictable outcomes can lead to character growth and adaptability.

Group Dynamics: The beans can create tension between cautious and reckless party members, leading to interesting character interactions.