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You lift the lid of the small, wooden box to find a set of paints arranged neatly inside. Small, clay pots contain each of the major colors and soft brushes lay in a tray beside the paint, each one polished and stained from much use. |
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The elven woman points at the tray as you inspect it, "I have absolutely no talent for art, myself. In fact, it’s been many a time which I have painted myself into a corner (both figuratively and literally!) But these, my friend, can give even the least talented painter the skill of a master. There is a downside, though, if used unwisely. You see, not only do these paints allow you to accurately draw whatever you can imagine, they also make the object of the painting real." |
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These paints were originally owned by a poor artist who lived on the rough side of a miserable, deceit ridden city. While down on his luck, he prayed to the gods for some way to feed his family. In this case, the gods listened, though no one is certain which god answered his prayer. A few days later he found the paints in a pile of trash, as if they had been hidden. Not being one to pass up free supplies, he took them home and put them to use. It was after his first painting, a great lion roaring over it’s kill, that he discovered the paint’s secret. He had but to dwell upon the painting, think of what the subject would be in life, and the creature would spring from the canvas as alive as the painter himself. That was quite nearly a disaster - It took several guards to hunt the poor creature down and kill it before it slaughtered half of the poor section of town. The young man, not being foolish enough to continue to use the paints, sold them to an itinerant mage some hundred years ago for a sum of money which would easily support himself and his family for the rest of their lives. Here, the elven woman winks at you and nods a small surreptitious nod. You have little doubt as to who that particular itinerant mage was. |
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When used, the paint conveys a proficiency of 18 in artistry/painting/drawing. Also, if the user concentrates upon what he has created, it will spring forth from the canvas - just as real as the painter himself. For inanimate objects, this is a fairly safe thing to do. However, you will not be able to create magical items or potions via this method - just everyday, mundane objects. Now, when you start creating creatures is when it gets kind of hairy. You see, the creature created will be true to it’s nature. If it is a naturally aggressive creature, it will most likely attack anyone in the area. If it is a normally docile creature, you can pretty much expect it to either stand placidly or even run in fear. Just keep in mind that the creature will act as any other creature would. The painter has no control over it. The paint kit comes with enough paint left to create 2D8 three foot by two foot paintings. |
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I got the idea for this from the Thieves World books which are edited by Robert Lynn Aspirin and Lynn Abbey. Right off the top of my head, I do not remember which author wrote the stories of Lalo the Limner, but I can assure you, they are very entertaining. In the stories, the painter’s pigments did not give him the power to call his paintings to life - That was his gift, integral to his very being. It turns out that he was also a God for a short period of time! Thieves World is really a great series of short stories. To be honest, I’m not even sure if they are still in print. All the copies I have were published in the late 70’s and early 80’s. If you have a chance to read them, I highly recommend it. |
