Item Seed: Transcendent Pajamas.

These might be a bit of a trap.

Transcendent Pajamas – Google Docs

Transcendent Pajamas

 

Description: one set of men’s cotton pajamas, blue and white, with an Atomic Age motiff (the pajamas were made in the early 1950s).  The Pajamas will magically adjust to fit any regular-sized human being above the age of sixteen, and do not get dirty, fray, or otherwise decay.  Theoretically the two pieces of the Transcendent Pajamas will not work if separated, but nobody’s ever been able to manage that trick for very long.  The ‘Transcendent’ modifier, incidentally, refers to the Pajamas’ appearance: they are universally considered to be hideously tacky, including by magical species that cannot otherwise understand the concept.

Surprisingly enough, for once the backstory to this item is known.  In 1958 the most powerful wizard in North America was ambushed at his remarkably bourgeois Akron, Ohio home by a team of demon ninja assassins*.  Unfortunately for said assassins, said wizard was particularly good at imbuing objects with magical power, and happened to be flush with magical energy that was primarily useful for enchantments. The combination of skill, resources, adrenaline, and pure luck allowed the wizard to create — on the fly — a magical armor set out of his own pajamas.

 

It’s not just that the Transcendent Pajamas block kinetic energy up to the level of a tank round, or that its magical defenses are similarly potent.  No, what makes this item unique is that anyone wearing them can, if attacked, mystically call to every ally, both mystic and mundane, within a mile. They’re not forced to come, but they’re allies, right?  It’d be awkward for them to explain why they didn’t show up.

 

The Transcendent Pajamas are not foolproof, of course.  First off, they don’t protect the head, feet, and hands.  Also, wearing them under anything more concealing than an open bathrobe is effectively impossible.  Reality itself will conspire to remove any clothing or armor that tries to hide the Pajamas. And, of course: if you’re somehow in the possession of the Transcendent Pajamas, every magically-aware entity in the vicinity will recognize them on sight, wonder why you’re wearing them, and will not be shy about asking.  In other words, they’re absolutely useless for spies. And not much more useful to thieves.

 

What happened to the owner?  Well, he survived the ambush, obviously.  And then he went on to have a pretty active career.  The wizard eventually retired in the 1990s, gifted the Transcendent Pajamas to a major good-magic organization (which now loans out the Pajamas ‘at need’), and passed away in 2009 (as much as any mage really ‘passes away’).  Nothing unusual, honestly. Because sometimes that’s what happens.

 

*Some demon ninja specialize in burglary, espionage, and courier services.