Magic Tool of Folklore

Many cultures tell stories about someone who carries a magic tool.  It could be a whistle that summons birds, a shoe that turns into a boat, a lasso that can catch stars...

a fishhook that can pull land up from the bottom of the sea

Stories like these are common in the Northern Lands, especially among the indigenous goblins, giants, and humans.  Like most folklore, these stories are full of myth and legend, but there's a chance that they contain a kernel of truth.

You might find one of these magic tools in your travels, and it might even have real magic.

Tool (d20)
1	harpoon
2	fishhook
3	carving knife
4	big straw hat
5	leather boots
6	woolen blanket
7	gloves, mittens
8	canoe, kayak
9	musket
10	snowshoes
11	key
12	sewing needle
13	wooden mallet
14	bow, arrow, arrowhead
15	lasso
16	ladder
17	flute, whistle
18	silver mirror
19	copper kettle
20	spoon

a canoe that glides through the air

Whatever this magic item is, it's fundamentally a tool with an ordinary purpose.  In the stories, it's used in some special way:

• Some tools are just very, very good at what they do: a key that opens any lock, an arrow that always strikes its target, a cooking pot that makes all food delicious.
• Some tools are used in the usual way, but with a different target than you'd expect, or operating in a different medium: a canoe that glides through the air, a ladder to climb to the night sky, a drum that can only be heard by the dead.
• Some tools are used in a very unexpected way, or used like something with a vaguely similar form: a spoon that digs better than a shovel, a tentpole that shoots like a musket, a mitten that unfolds to be used as a tent.

Supposed Function (d10)
1-4	Used for the usual purpose, but works unreasonably well.
5-8	Used in the usual way, but with an unexpected target or medium.
9-10	Used in an unexpected way, or as something with a vaguely similar form.

an axe that chops down the largest of trees

In the stories, it was always wielded by the same person.  The item belongs to them, at least in the popular imagination.

Wielded By (d6)
1-2	a clever craftsman who made it (d4) 1: a while back, 2: far away, 3: for a wealthy patron, 4: for the gods
3-4	a rising figure out on the frontier (d4) 1: a warlord, 2: a prophet, 3: a bringer of justice, 4: a renegade
5-6	a culture hero who might have been real (d4) 1: a trickster, 2: a wise grandmotherly figure, 3: a kid who always finds a way out of trouble, 4: a thief/pirate

a rope that can lasso the sun

The stories tell what this object looks like.  If it's a knife, it's not just a regular knife; it glows in the moonlight or it has blood on it that won't wash off.

Appearance (d8)
1	writing/picture/symbol carved into it
2	has blood on it that won't wash off
3	much larger than it has any right to be
4	wrapped/covered in crow feathers, salmon skin, buffalo hide
5	shiny, brightly colored, glows at night
6	got some kind of eyes, hands, or feet
7	makes a ringing or singing sound
8	in an ancient style, worn smooth

a harpoon that catches the skin off a creature while it swims off to grow a new one

Legends and powers aside, if you find this tool, you might not want it.  Rare and famous things bring all kinds of problems, but if you need some ideas for what trouble this brings, roll a die.

Problem (d8)
1	stolen from someone very powerful
2	broken, fragile, bent, missing a piece
3	people expect its holder to fulfill the original role from folklore
4	troubled people need its help
5	believers say it is a sign of the prophecy
6	thieves/pirates on the lookout for it
7	said to work too well: axe that keeps cutting down trees, shoes that make you walk too far
8	said to stop working at inopportune moments

Roll up your own magic tool of folklore:

random magic tool
tool
function
wielded by
appearance
problem