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Pipes of the Sewers

D&D 5e · 2024·Wondrous items·Uncommon·Requires attunement

Type
Wondrous items
Weight
Not specified
Attunement
Required
Rarity
Uncommon
Price
Not specified

Magic: Magic action to play each round; Bonus Action to spend 1–3 charges calling swarms.

What Pipes of the Sewers does

  • This item uses one of your attunement slots. Compare its benefit with the other items you want to keep attuned.
While these pipes are on your person, ordinary rats and giant rats are Indifferent toward you and won't attack you unless you threaten or harm them. The pipes have 3 charges and regain 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. If you play the pipes as a Magic action, you can take a Bonus Action to expend 1 to 3 charges, calling forth one Swarm of Rats with each expended charge if enough rats are within half a mile of you to be called in this fashion (as determined by the GM). If there aren't enough rats to form a swarm, the charge is wasted. Called swarms move toward the music by the shortest available route but aren't under your control otherwise. Whenever a Swarm of Rats that isn't under another creature's control comes within 30 feet of you while you are playing the pipes, the swarm makes a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the swarm behaves as it normally would and can't be swayed by the pipes' music for the next 24 hours. On a failed save, the swarm is swayed by the pipes' music and becomes Friendly to you and your allies for as long as you continue to play the pipes each round as a Magic action. A Friendly swarm obeys your commands. If you issue no commands to a Friendly swarm, it defends itself but otherwise takes no actions. If a Friendly swarm starts its turn more than 30 feet away from you, your control over that swarm ends, and the swarm behaves as it normally would and can't be swayed by the pipes' music for the next 24 hours.
Full item details & properties

Magic properties

Activation
Magic action to play each round; Bonus Action to spend 1–3 charges calling swarms.
Consumable
No
Calling is not control
1–3 charges call one Swarm of Rats per charge only if enough rats within half a mile; otherwise wasted. Called swarms approach but are not yet controlled.
Control tune
Uncontrolled swarms within 30 ft. save Wisdom DC 15. Failure makes them Friendly and obedient while you play as a Magic action each round. Success or starting turn beyond 30 ft. gives 24-hour immunity; other creatures' controlled swarms are excluded.

Charges & recharge

Maximum charges
3
Recharge
1d3 expended charges, daily at dawn

Tags & related references

Uncommon →MagicalRat InfluenceRequires AttunementSwarm ControlWondrous Item →

Pipes of the Sewers FAQ

Does Pipes of the Sewers require attunement?

Yes. You need to attune to this item to use the properties that require attunement.

Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?

The source does not specify a price for this entry. Ask your GM about availability and cost.

Rules source: System Reference Document 5.2.1 ↗

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. Equipment tables transcribed and visually checked by JustRoll; prices converted to GP; mechanics and tags structured for the catalogue; item summaries paraphrased by JustRoll. The original Open5e import snapshots are retained unchanged.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0