Endless uses for a ring of keys

Endless uses for a ring of keys

I like to pick up everything the DM give me even when it’s a crate of useless junk.  A large part of the fun i get from RPGs is figuring out how to solve problems in unexpected ways.  As an example one of my characters recently pocketed a set of keys and i was asked why.  Without much thought i adopted a hurt tone and said that there was a thousand possible uses for it.  

I am imagining the large iron ring you see on the belt of the dungeon jailer in a fantasy movie.  there is probably a couple dozen crude iron keys on it and it makes a good jingle as he walks.  Most any fantasy castle should have at least one giant ring of keys laying around somewhere.  as an adventurer this may seem like a hunk of junk or useless room detail but things like this should be your jam.  here are some obvious and less obvious uses for a ring of keys. Hopefully this will also inspire you to pick up other seemingly useless junk.

1. Opening and locking doors: of course this is the obvious first use and could even justify multiple uses for each key.  Maybe there are more keys than doors in this dungeon, what do the others unlock?  does each key only unlock one door or a set of doors?   (that’s between one and Infinity uses already)

2. Maybe taking this ring of keys prevent other people from locking or unlocking doors in the future? (that’s at least two uses per key)

3. Sell it:  at worst it’s a hunk of iron, at best some local thieves will be very interested in it.

4. blackmail:  It won’t look good for the jailer if the local thieves get a hold of the keys he was entrusted with.

5. weapon: a bundle of car keys makes a decent weapon in a tight spot, imagine what a few pounds of iron keys could do to some goblin’s face.  they could also be used as a tossed or launched weapon.  bonus xp for anyone who beats a mimic to death with an iron key ring

6. distraction:  of course they make noise and are hefty enough to be thrown.  they could also be used to attract attention as part of a trap.

7. disguise:  a big enough ring of keys is sort of a badge of office.  that guy must belong here, otherwise why does he have the keys to the place.

8. material properties:  some keys are made with silver or possibly other materials.  I’ve heard Fey creatures don’t like iron.

9. choking hazard:  it’s about the right size and shape to be a serious choking hazard for a large but not gigantic monster.  also hazardous to any clockwork automatons.

10: individual keys:  use them as trail markers, sell them as lucky charms or leave them as your signature calling card at the scene of the crime. (see #4)

11: bluff: convince someone that they are more important than they actually are.  it’s not like the palace labels one ring “treasury” and the other “cleaning supplies”

12: magical properties?:  these keys have been present to years of human suffering.  many people have probably spent their last moments wishing they had these.  that has got to have value to someone who practices the darker arts.  maybe as a ritual component?  certainly any spell that concerns that castle from a distance could use them to make a connection.

13: enchant them:  who doesn’t want magical keys

14. its heavy:  sometimes you just need ballast, break a window or replace something sitting on a pressure plate..

15: its conductive: maybe this should go into material properties but i can’t think of a better way to mess up a chain lightning attack.

16: Rust Monster snack:  rust monster terrify role players, won’t you look smart when you lead them away with a trail of delicious snacks.  maybe you can get them to perform tricks like roll over and play dead.

17: cool signature arrowheads: magical or otherwise

that’s a bunch off the top of my head.  can you think of more?  Or give a good example of using something you thought was junk in an interesting way (or regret not picking up that junk when you had the chance).