Challenge Box
Wondrous Item, rare
This ornate wooden box is intricately carved with images of adventurers. When you touch the box, it issues a challenge in a booming voice that echoes around you. The nature of the challenge varies depending on the contents of the box, but it is always an achievable task that requires some degree of skill or ingenuity.
Once the challenge has been issued, you have until the end of the day to complete it. If you succeed, a glowing mark appears on the box. If you fail, nothing happens. If you don't attempt the challenge at all, a mark disappears from the box. Casting a knock spell will also add a mark.
When there are three marks on the box, it opens to reveal its contents. Once it has opened, it loses it's magic and becomes a normal box.
The box can be damaged as normal, but if opened this way it's contents turns to dust. The box is impossible to open by other means.
GMs should theme the challenges to the reward.
Example Box
Reward: +1 Longsword
Challenges
Defeat a foe in single combat.
Deal 20 damage in a single turn.
Knock 4 creatures prone.
Land a hit on a foe over 50 feet away, with a melee weapon.
Take damage equal to your total hit points from foes.
Land the finishing blow on 4 foes.
Creation Notes
Inspiration words: challenge and count.
These words were tough. The problem with “count” is it's always annoying when rules make you keep extra counts. 3 marks is about as far as you'd want to go.
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