Magical pools

 Magical pools of water have been a part of D&D since at least B1: In Search of the Unknown and its infamous room of pools, and of myth, legend, and fantasy for far longer. A "pool" can be found in a dungeon, a deep forest, a mountaintop, a ruined castle, or even in a town. It can be a standard pool, or a font, a fountain, a basin, a pond, a spring, a cistern, or any other smallish body of water. Typically, the powers of a magical pool are invoked by drinking its water, bathing or sprinkling oneself or another object, immersing something in it, or gazing at its surface, though other methods are possible. Its waters are usually only potent in the immediate vicinity of the pool, and lose their powers if bottled and carried away.


Pool of Vanity: The surface of the water reflects the images of those gazing on it in an exaggeratedly grand fashion, making them more attractive and more extravagantly attired.

Pool of Clarity: This pool reflects only the truth, revealing the true appearance of invisible, polymorphed, or otherwise disguised beings and objects.

Pool of Cleansing: Bathing in the waters of this pool will remove any and all poisons, diseases, and curses from the bather. Any one creature may receive these benefits only once per year.

Pool of Avoidance: A person sprinkled or bathed in the water repels wandering monsters for 1d6 hours, halving the chances of random encounters.

Pool of Peril: Any contact with the water taints the character with an aura that attracts monsters, doubling the chance of random encounters for 1d6 hours.

Pool of Luminance: An item or creature immersed in the water will glow with a golden light in a 10' radius for 2d6 turns. Drinking it causes the drinker's entire body to glow, making stealth and surprise effectively impossible in most cases.

Pool of Disappearance: Any non-living item becomes invisible while immersed in this pool, becoming visible again when removed. An item partially immersed is visible above the water, and invisible below. Treasure or other items may be hidden beneath the surface.

Pool of Scrying: By immersing an item belonging to a particular person or creature, that person or creature may be observed in the pool's surface for 1 turn. Sounds are also conveyed as if transmitted through water. The item is not consumed, but cannot be used to scry on its owner again until it has been in his or her possession for at least a week.

Pool Portal: By completely immersing oneself in this pool, a character may be transported to another location on the same plane of existence. Tossing a pebble from a specific place into the water allows travel to that place; otherwise, transportation is to a random location or to another similar pool.

Pool of Metamorphosis: A creature fully immersing itself in the pool is transformed into another form for 1d6 turns. The form may be rolled randomly or chosen by the DM. The effect is identical to the Polymorph Self spell, i.e. no magical or supernatural abilities of the new form are gained. Excessive use may result in the transformation becoming irreversible, possibly a horrifying hodge-podge of forms previously taken.

Pool of Glamour: Immersing oneself in this pool causes the bather and all items carried or worn to become more beautiful. Shabby cloth becomes luxurious silk, iron buckles become gold, a battered sword and scabbard become shiny and bejeweled, etc. The effect lasts for 1d6 hours, increasing the bather's Charisma by 1d6 points, to a maximum of 18.

Pool of Repugnance: A person immersed in this pool and all items carried become ugly, mangy, and shabby. The bather will appear homely, dirty, and diseased (boils, lesions, rotten teeth, etc.) while his or her clothes and equipment appear filthy, tattered, and poorly maintained. Charisma is reduced by 1d6, to a minimum of 3. The effect lasts 1d6 hours.

Pool of Imprisonment: A creature touching this pool will immediately be sucked beneath the surface and imprisoned there in suspended animation, visible to those above. If the pool currently has a prisoner, that creature is released upon capture of a new one. Only powerful magic, such as a wish, can free a prisoner without providing the pool a new one.

Pool of Restful Floating: A creature entering this pool will not sink, no matter how heavily encumbered. Lying still on the surface suffuses one with a deep sense of serenity and peace, granting the equivalent of a full night's rest and healing 1d4 hp in a single hour. It is unwise for any one person to use the pool more than once per day. Abuse of the pool's powers may cause a deep, comatose sleep.

Bottomless Pool: Rather than a bottom, this very deep (20 feet or more) pool has another surface, through which a person reaching its full depth will emerge into another location, usually nearby (e.g. a secret room in the same dungeon.) Whether this effect is a mere sensory illusion in a U-shaped body of water or a more intricate twisting of dimensional space is left to the DM.


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