Harper pin

Harper pins were enchanted brooches worn by members of the Harpers. Two main types were known, lesser and greater.

Description
Both lesser and greater Harper pins were typically made of silver. They displayed the Harper symbol, a crescent moon and harp.

Lesser
The lesser Harper pin bestowed on the wearer the same abilities as a ring of mind shielding, that is, shielding them from detect lies and detect thoughts, as well as any magical effect that would reveal their alignment.

Greater
A more heavily enchanted version, the greater Harper pin provided the wearer with significant protection against specific hazards.

First, it greatly aided the wearer in resisting all mind-affecting magic and effects and granted the effect of an undetectable alignment spell.

Next, it shielded the wearer from being scryed or detected by magical means, effectively granting a permanent nondetection effect.

Finally, it protected the wearer from all magic missiles and granted a permanent resist elements versus electricity.

The silver used in greater pins was magically treated to make it as hard as steel or even adamantine.

If an evil creature should happen to wear a greater Harper pin, then some of them would turn black and produce harsh clanking and clinking sounds, making it hard for the miscreant to sneak about.

Creation
Crafting a Harper pin required skill in item enchantment and an array of spells, including detect evil and ghost sound (only required for those that turned black), nondetection, protection from elements, resistance, shield, and undetectable alignment. Creators of unique Harper items like these were often specialized in them.

Usage
In addition to their magical protections, Harper pins could be used to prove one's affiliation with the order or gain favor with their supporters.

Availability
New members of the Harpers were granted a lesser Harper pin upon joining the order. The market price for a lesser pin was 8,000 gp.

A greater pin was valued at a base price of 75,750 gp, or 78,750 gp for one turned black, and up to 79,000 gp.

After a few months in service with the Harpers, the pin is upgraded to a greater Harper pin. The upgrade usually happened after an agent had been in the ranks for a few months or after an especially significant mission.

History
When the Moonstars split from the Harpers in the, they stopped using their Harper pins and adopted Teukiir badges instead.

Following the Spellplague of 1385 DR, the Harpers became legend, and it became popular for adventurous nobles of Waterdeep to don fake Harper pins. The situation became so bad that, by 1486 DR, High Harper Tam Zawad discouraged the wearing of Harper pins altogether among his agents, warning that if they were captured, then the pins would be easily discovered and stolen. Instead, it became increasingly common for Waterdhavian Harpers to wear magical tattoos instead, which could be concealed or displayed by uttering a secret phrase. Despite this, a few traditionalists still favored their pins.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds • Honor Among Thieves: The Junior Novelization


 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn


 * Film & Television
 * Honor Among Thieves