The Fabulous Bag of Maybe...

Most magic is pretty dramatic. But what if there's an echelon of so-called practical magic desired by adventurers for their convenience value. Maybe try these on for size...

Bag of Maybe. Has a 10% chance of producing some small, desired object.

Everful Skin. Holds an endless supply of some beverage but won't flood a room. 

Self-Warming Bedroll. Magically heated, the character is always comfortable. 

Steadfast Torch. Never goes out until commanded to do so or magically dispelled.

Waterproof Tinder. Self explanatory. This stuff never gets wet or gets used up.

These things don't look any different, and you'd need to detect magic to know they were more than their ordinary counterparts. Magic is spectacular; but sometimes practical's better...

Simpler Things: Then and Now...

Hope everyone had a happy fourth, even if you hail from someplace else. For me, chilling on the porch got me thinking about how my gaming tastes have changed with time...

Then: I bought transparent, spinkle-filled dice because they looked cool.

And Now: Give me solid, high-contrast colors. Black on yellow or white on green.

Then: I chose flashy, so-called realistic miniatures and worshipped Tom Meier, scoffing at the garish and lumpy Grenadier figures not knowing why I secretly loved them...

And Now: The worship continues; but I appreciate Grenadier for the same roughness I previously derided because a second look reveals how well their crudeness nails it.

Then: I used everything in every sourcebook I could get because it was new.

And Now: Just the first three booklets for OD&D, please. And the P&P core rules.

Some of this is aging. But I suspect it's perspective as well. Sourcebooks are still cool, and so's Tom Meier; but advanced age brings an appreciation for the simpler things...