I’ve recently learned that my friend,
Elminster the sage, was (and is!) a mage of
some power — perhaps even an archmage.
So, when one of our conversations drifted
around to the topic of magical garments, I
was unusually interested. I pressed him
for details of robes of magery and the like,
but he merely chuckled, and said, “Adven-
turers — and no doubt your readers —
will probably be more interested in the
things of magic that  all  can wear, be they
farmer or king, fighter or cleric, orc or elf.
In the Realms, there are cloaks, magical
cloaks, that were once made in great num-
bers in the city of Silverymoon, long ago in
the north. Like all the best garments o’
magic, these cloaks alter instantly to fit
whatever roughly man-sized creature
dons them, and they are always of nonde-
script, weather-beaten brown or grey
appearance.”

Elminster refused to pass on the secrets
of making such cloaks, but did detail what
powers nine “types” of them have, “in case
anyone who reads this runs across one
and has need of the information.”

Cloak of battle
This cloak will entangle any weapon
parried by it (treat any unsuccessful “to
hit” roll of an opponent upon the cloak
wearer or wielder as a parry). Magical
weapons must then make a saving throw
of 20, with a bonus equal to their magical
bonuses; those magical weapons without
combat bonuses save on a 20, and all
artifacts save at + 5 on the die or at their
own plus, whichever is greater. Failure to
make the save binds the weapon fast to
the cloak for  1-3  rounds. This entangle-
ment prevents further attacks using that
weapon, and a bend bars/lift gates
strength roll is needed to pull the weapon
free prematurely. If the attacking creature
leaves or moves away to engage another
opponent before the 1-3 rounds are up, it
must part company with its weapon,
which remains in the possession of the
cloak-bearer.

The cloak has one other function; upon
the speaking of a command word while
the cloak is held (but not worn), the cloak
will be transformed into a stout bar or
cudgel for 5-8 rounds. The cudgel is
largely composed of magical force, will not
be damaged by normal usage  (i.e.,  all
except contact with magical weapons or
spells), counts as magical for “to hit” pur-
poses but has no bonuses, does 1-6/1-3 hp
damage, and cannot be used to entangle
other weapons as above. The cloak can be
destroyed by parrying (in the above man-
ner) eight blows from magical weapons
while in this form, and it can be wielded
by characters of any class without profi-
ciency penalties.

Cloak of comfort
This cloak imparts (to the wearer only)
equable temperatures for comfortable
studying, physical activity, sleep, and so
on. It does this by alternatively exuding
heat or cold that it has magically absorbed
(including the heat of the sun, the chill of
night breezes, and extremes of tempera-
ture common to deserts, glaciers, and
other inhospitable regions). The cloak’s
outlines are always clearly visible to crea-
tures having infravision. Notably, cold- and
heat-based magical attacks are absorbed
by the cloak harmlessly; thus, the wearer
is immune to  cone of cold, heat metal, and
similar spells.

Note that most fire-based spells and
magics such as ice storm do damage for
other reasons than merely the tempera-
ture of their effects. The wearer of a cloak
of comfort  suffers -2 hp per die of dam-
age from ice storm and fire-based magics
of all sorts, although the cloak itself is
immune to the effects of flame and freez-
ing. Electrical and other energy attacks
are unaffected by such a cloak. The capac-
ity for absorption of such a cloak is not
known — none is known to have ever
“overloaded” nor, when destroyed, to have
exploded or emitted any bursts of heat or
cold. The wearer of such a cloak never
suffers the effects of exposure to the
wilderness, such as reduced constitution,
dexterity, etc. Sunstroke (due to ultraviolet
radiation) and water damage to accoutre-
ments, etc., are still possible. Hypothermia
and the fatal effects of frigid waters are
not possible.

Cloak of fangs
This cloak can be worn as a normal,
heavy-wear, all-weather cloak for an un-
limited time, but when magically activated
will serve only once. The word of activa-
tion for all such cloaks is “Feerond,” the
name of their maker. When this is spoken,
the cloak is dangerous to the wearer’s
friends and foes alike; it fires darts of pure
force up to 3” distant in all directions, this
spray of invisible missiles lasting for seven
rounds regardless of the cloak wearer’s
intentions. The cloak wearer will never be
struck by any of these missiles, nor do
such missiles ricochet, but all creatures
within 3 ” of the cloak-wearer (who may,
of course, move and fight normally) suffer
6-24 hp damage per round; a save vs. spell
means half (3-12) damage, and spells such
as  shield, wall of force, anti-magic shell
and the like will offer complete protection
against the missiles. The missiles also
cannot penetrate other planes (i.e., the
ethereal) or extra-dimensional spaces  (e.g.,
those created by a  portable hole  or  rope
trick  spell), although if the cloak wearer
enters such a space or plane by some
means, the flurry of missiles will accom-
pany him or her. The missiles do not ham-
per the movement rates of affected
creatures, but do prevent spellcasting that
involves somatic and material components.
At the end of the seven-round flurry of
missiles, the cloak vanishes forever.

Cloak of many colors
This rare garment can so shift its pig-
mentation that its wearer is immune to the
effects of  color spray, prismatic spray,  and
the like, and can pass through a prismatic
sphere or wall (together with all items
carried or worn within the cloak) as
though the barrier did not exist. The
wearer  only  (not companions) is so pro-
tected, and he is likewise solely protected
from blindness due to blur, pyrotechnics,
hypnotic pattern, darkness,  blinding light
of all sorts, and magical effects.

The cloak itself does not seem to an
observer to alter its own colors, but will
always seem to have a swirling and indis-
tinct surface (aiding the success of a
wearer hiding in shadows by +10%);
more so when it is acting to shield its
wearer’s gaze from color effects cast at
the wearer. The cloak cannot, however,
deliberately be used to camouflage the
wearer by blending with surroundings,
nor does it have any powers to affect
creatures other than the wearer, either by
attack or by conferring protection.

Once every 12 turns, the wearer, by
effort of will, can cause the cloak to glow
(equivalent to a  light  spell, but  not  blind-
ing) white, such glowing lasting for nine
rounds, without any concentration re-
quired, or ceasing sooner if the wearer
wills. Obviously the wearer cannot hide in
shadows while the cloak is thus used.

Cloak of reflection

This cloak  (many  were made) confers a
limited spell immunity upon any one,
living creature wearing or covered by it.
The following spells and spell-like magic-
item functions —  and  only  the following
spells —  are directed back at the caster/
wielder as follows:

Magic missile — Reflected back at caster
with full effect (no saving throw).

Shocking grasp — Discharge directed
back instantly into caster and nullified;
caster takes no damage, but spell is lost.

Forget — Spell distorted and thrown
back at caster, who is confused (as per the
4th-level magic-user spell,  confusion)  for
the following round (no saving throw); the
forget spell is lost, and neither caster nor
cloak wearer forgets anything.

Irritation — Reflected back at caster,
who is affected normally unless save is
made (negates effect).

Ray of enfeeblement — Reflected back at
caster, who is affected normally unless
save is made (negates effect).

Hold person/animal/monster  (if cast at
cloak wearer) — Distorted by the cloak
and reflected back at caster, who must
save vs. spells (at par) or be slowed for
two rounds.

Tasha‘s uncontrollable hideous laughter
—  Reflected back at caster, who is affected
normally unless save is made (but the
caster’s saving throw is always at par,
never at a minus due to intelligence).

Polymorph other — Reflected back at
caster, who must save at +2 or be affected
normally (system shock roll must be made,
form received is as the caster intended).

Feeblemind — Reflected back at caster,
who must save vs. spells at +2 or be af-
fected normally.
Color spray — Reflected back at caster,
who must save vs. spells or be struck
unconscious for 1-2 rounds.

Entangle  —  Cloak wearer is unaffected
by entangle, but the spell has normal
effect on other creatures within area of
effect; magic is not reflected back on the
caster.

These cloaks were made to protect
rangers and other traveling messengers in
the service of the High Lady of Silvery-
moon. The precise magical defenses
against each spell are now unknown, the
knowledge having died with the maker of
the cloaks, the mage Irentalar. The caster
or wielder can escape the cloak’s reflective
effects only by escaping into another plane
(or extra-dimensional space). Momentary
dislocations such as blink, dimension door,
and teleport are not sufficient to escape,
and distance is not a factor. Elminster does
not know of any instance in which the
wearer of such a cloak faced a creature
having spell-like  natural  powers akin to
the spells reflected by the cloak, but be-
lieves that such spell-like powers would be
reflected as are spells and magic-item
functions.

Cloak of stars
The inside of this cloak contains four
stars around the neck and front hems, six-
pointed shapes of silver cloth. These are
enspelled and radiate magic. If a star is
touched and the name of its maker spoken
(Thalanta the Fair made most of these
cloaks), the star will vanish and the spell
stored within the star will be activated.
The knowledge of the making of such
stars is lost, and thus they cannot be re-
placed. Moreover, there is nothing to
identify what spell is linked to what star,
although a few sages know the secrets of
the patterns in which the stars were
placed, and can deduce what spell each
star will trigger. Only one star may be
activated per round; it will cause a spell to
be cast as though by the cloak wearer or
bearer (regardless of that being?s class or
level), and the spell will take effect as
though cast by a magic-user of 20th level,
for that is what Thalanta was.

The usual spells stored in a cloak of stars
vary according to which of three types of
cloaks is found:

1. Teleport, enchant an item, spirit-
wrack, limited wish

2. Anti-magic shell, Repulsion, reverse
gravity, imprisonment

3. Death spell, legend lore, statue, shape
change

Such cloaks are very rare, version #3
especially so. The patterns in which the
stars were placed inside the cloaks vary as
well. The three known variations (which
do not necessarily correspond to the three
types of cloaks as noted above) are: a
three-star triangle inside the right front
throat hem, one star in the center of the
triangle; four stars in a square on the left
front throat hem; and, two stars down the
right front hem and two stars down the
left front hem. Some speak of a fourth
combination ? four stars in a diagonal
row by the right front throat hem ?  but
what spells any of these patterns corres-
pond to, only a few sages know or are able
to discover. The stars can, of course, be
activated without knowing what spell will
occur; knowledge of the spell power will
fill the star-activator?s mind in time for the
spell to be directed at an area or specific
target (but  not  negated or saved for later).
gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws vs.

Cloak of survival
While wearing this cloak, any being
poison and has a -03% penalty to the
chances of contracting any disease or
parasitic infestation. In addition, the cloak
maintains a supply of pure, breathable air,
enough for the wearer only to breathe for
one turn, within itself, replenishing this
supply constantly whenever the surround-
ing air is pure, and automatically envelops
the cloak-wearer?s head in it whenever
breathable air is not present (i.e., if the
cloak wearer is enveloped in choking
smoke or plunged into water, he or she
can see, breathe, and act normally for up
to one turn).

Incidentally, the wearer of this cloak is
immune to nausea and its effects, and to
the person-affecting cantrips belch, cough,
sneeze, and yawn. Note that poisonous
vapors are protected against for one full
turn, and only thereafter must the cloak
wearer save (at +2) to avoid any effects.

Cloak of symbiotic protection
This type of cloak is very rare. It is im-
pregnated with an immobile, non-
intelligent living substance of unknown
identity and origins which cannot be iso-
lated by alchemists and naturalists for
study. The symbiote drains one hit point of
vitality from the wearer every other time
it is put on (or, if worn continuously, once
every two days) and makes the wearer
color blind while the cloak is worn.

In return, the cloak confers immunity to
the effects of green slime, olive slime,
obliviax, violet fungi, yellow musk creeper,
yellow mold, and russet mold (but not
brown mold). In addition, spore attacks of
all other sorts (including those of the my-
conid, ascomoid, basidirond, and similar
creatures) are saved against at +4. The
symbiotic life form in the cloak seems to
feed upon and neutralize spores and mi-
croscopic airborne life of all sorts; in many
cases, this power will confer upon the
cloak wearer a -06% penalty to the
chances of contracting diseases.

Cloak of the shield
The wearer of this cloak can project a
shieldlike field of invisible force once
every two turns, maintaining and moving
this force field by conscious mental con-
trol. The field lasts up to three rounds, in
the form of a square 10? × 10? across
and and four inches thick. The wearer can
employ this shield without strain within 4?
of himself as a shield, protecting himself
or another single being, so that it acts as a
wall of force (as per the magic-user spell),
a weapon (striking as an invisible ramming
force, doing 1-10 points of damage per
blow, one blow per round, no saving
throw), as a bridge or barrier (like a door),
or as a ?floating disc? (like Tenser?s spell).
The wearer can shift the force field to
fulfill any or all of these functions in any
order, but it may so serve only in one
capacity per round. If not maintained by
constant mental control (i.e., the wearer
cannot be struck unconscious, stunned,
charmed, confused, feebleminded,  or
psionically attacked, and cannot himself
cast spells), it will cease to exist instantly.

Attacks upon the field of force do not
affect the cloak. Elminster reports that
some of these cloaks have lost their
powers when used often -- and therefore
advances the hypothesis that such cloaks
have a limited number of magical charges
or uses before they are exhausted. The
truth of this, it must be stressed, is presently
unknown.