Skip to main content

Pipes of the Sewers

Pipes Of The Sewers
  • Category: Wondrous Item
  • Rarity: Uncommon (Requires Attunement)

While these pipes are on your person, ordinary rats and giant rats are Indifferent toward you and won't attack you unless you threaten or harm them.

The pipes have 3 charges and regain 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. If you play the pipes as a Magic action, you can take a Bonus Action to expend 1 to 3 charges, calling forth one Swarm of Rats with each expended charge if enough rats are within half a mile of you to be called in this fashion (as determined by the GM). If there aren't enough rats to form a swarm, the charge is wasted. Called swarms move toward the music by the shortest available route but aren't under your control otherwise.

Whenever a Swarm of Rats that isn't under another creature's control comes within 30 feet of you while you are playing the pipes, the swarm makes a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the swarm behaves as it normally would and can't be swayed by the pipes' music for the next 24 hours. On a failed save, the swarm is swayed by the pipes' music and becomes Friendly to you and your allies for as long as you continue to play the pipes each round as a Magic action. A Friendly swarm obeys your commands. If you issue no commands to a Friendly swarm, it defends itself but otherwise takes no actions. If a Friendly swarm starts its turn more than 30 feet away from you, your control over that swarm ends, and the swarm behaves as it normally would and can't be swayed by the pipes' music for the next 24 hours.

Tactical Applications​

Creature Summoning: Summons 1d3 swarms of rats for reconnaissance, distraction, and tactical support. Exceptional for urban environments and situations requiring disposable allies.

Class Synergies:

  • Any Class: Universal utility for summoning creatures regardless of class or build specialization
  • Urban Specialists: Perfect for characters operating in cities and sewer environments with rat populations
  • Reconnaissance Builds: Essential for characters requiring scouting and information gathering capabilities
  • Tactical Summoners: Excellent for characters using summoned creatures for battlefield control and support

Build Considerations: Requires attunement and has limited daily uses. Most valuable for characters operating in urban environments and requiring reliable creature summoning.

Acquisition Methods​

Crafting Requirements: Requires summoning magic, urban creature enchantments, and sewer essences. Creation cost 10,000-20,000 gp and takes 20 weeks.

Common Sources:

  • Urban magic specialists and creature summoning practitioners
  • Treasure hoards of legendary sewer dwellers and urban explorers
  • Commission from enchanters specializing in creature summoning magic
  • Found in the collections of city guides and urban survival specialists
  • Sometimes discovered in sewer systems or obtained from rat creature encounters

Alternative Acquisition: Often found in urban underground locations with strong connections to rat populations.

Value & Trade​

Estimated Value: 15,000-30,000 gp, with higher demand in urban areas and among reconnaissance specialists.

Trade Considerations: Popular among urban adventurers and anyone requiring reliable creature summoning capabilities.

Character Integration​

Roleplay Elements: Suggests experience with urban environments, creature summoning, or professional roles requiring reconnaissance capabilities.

Character Concepts:

  • Urban explorer with sewer expertise and creature summoning specialization
  • Reconnaissance specialist using summoned creatures for information gathering and tactical support
  • Character with extensive experience in city environments and urban survival
  • Tactical summoner combining creature allies with strategic battlefield control

Adventure Hooks​

The Urban Reconnaissance: City adventures where summoned rats provide crucial scouting and information gathering.

The Sewer Exploration: Underground missions where rat allies enable navigation and tactical advantages.

The Distraction Tactics: Scenarios where summoned creatures create diversions and enable strategic positioning.

The Information Network: Investigation missions where rat scouts provide surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Variants & Customization​

Greater Pipes of the Sewers (Very Rare): Enhanced summoning with larger swarms and additional creature types.

Pipes of Urban Beasts (Rare): Summons various urban creatures beyond rats with improved tactical variety.

Master Sewer Pipes (Uncommon): Optimized for underground use with enhanced rat control and communication.

Specialized Variants:

  • Reconnaissance Pipes: Enhanced for scouting with improved rat intelligence and stealth capabilities
  • Combat Sewer Pipes: Optimized for battle with more aggressive and durable summoned creatures
  • Urban Control Pipes: Specialized for city management with enhanced creature command and coordination

Lore & History​

Origins: Created by ancient urban mages who needed reliable methods for creature summoning and reconnaissance in city environments.

Historical Significance: These pipes enabled crucial urban explorations and the success of reconnaissance missions in hostile city territories.

Cultural Impact: Represent the mastery of urban magic and the practical applications of creature summoning in civilized environments.

Magical Craft: Demonstrates understanding of summoning magic and the complex processes required for creature control and communication.

Balancing Notes​

Introduction Timing: Appropriate for levels 8-15 when creature summoning becomes tactically important and urban adventures are common.

Campaign Impact: Provides reliable creature summoning balanced by attunement requirement and limited daily uses.

Urban Focus: Most valuable in campaigns featuring extensive city exploration and urban adventure scenarios.

Encounter Design​

Recommended Challenges:

  • Urban exploration where summoned creatures enable reconnaissance and navigation advantages
  • Investigation scenarios where rat scouts provide crucial information and surveillance
  • Stealth missions where creature distractions enable tactical positioning and infiltration
  • Combat encounters where summoned allies provide tactical support and battlefield control

Environmental Adjustments: Urban encounters may need to account for summoned creature capabilities and tactical advantages.

Summoning Items: Other items that enhance creature summoning and provide tactical creature support.

Urban Equipment:

  • Items that improve city navigation and urban survival capabilities
  • Equipment for sewer exploration and underground adventure
  • Tools for professional urban reconnaissance and creature communication

Complementary Equipment: Items that enhance summoning abilities or provide additional creature control benefits.

Roleplay Opportunities​

Urban Mastery: Characters develop expertise in city navigation and urban creature interaction techniques.

Reconnaissance Leadership: Summoning capabilities create opportunities for leading urban exploration and scouting missions.

Creature Communication: Summoning abilities enable advanced creature interaction and urban wildlife management strategies.