Shadow Symbiont

Natives of the Plane of Shadows, these creatures each take one of four shapes: boots, gloves, a cloak or a black scarf. Each looks like a beautifully made garment, resizes itself to fit its wearer, and gives off no magical aura. On their home plane they appear as vague shadowy humanoids with red eyes.

Once worn, a symbiont feeds on its host's experience points and grants a power in return.

The Mask, a black bandanna or scarf worn on the head, makes the wearer immune to mind-affecting magic while he concentrates, at 20 XP per use times his level. The Cloak absorbs any magical damage to hit points that would drop the wearer below zero, costing 10 XP per point absorbed times his level. The Gloves, fine leather, grant a second roll on any failed save or ability check that involves the hands, as the luck curse-born gift, at 20 XP per use times his level. The Boots, knee-high leather, cast dimension door for 10 XP per use times his level, and also, free of charge, steer the wearer toward situations likely to earn experience, good or bad, without affecting his own decisions.

Only spells or +1 or better weapons can hurt a symbiont, and any damage to it also strikes the wearer. Rather than be destroyed, it plane shifts home, dragging its host along.

If the wearer fails to earn enough XP to feed it, he must save vs. spell. Success means the symbiont drains three times the shortfall and melts away into a deep shadow. Failure means it carries him off to its shadowy home plane and tries to eat him. On that plane every hit it lands drains 10% of a level's experience plus 1 point of Strength or Constitution (equal odds), and each gains a further power: the mask is immune to mind-affecting magic, the cloak reduces each attack on it by 8 points, the gloves act as if blessed by the luck curse-born gift, and the boots can cast dimension door every round, as a mage of 8th level.

These sentient beings seek out bold, adventurous types such as swashbucklers. Apart they feel incomplete, and each nudges its wearer to track down the missing others.

Their effect on the wider world is slight, but on the individuals who wear them it can be enormous.