Warehouse 13 was a fun and charming Syfy show in which secret agents retrieved out-of-control magical/sci-fi artifacts and housed them safely in a secret warehouse. The artifacts were usually quirky, sometimes cursed, and often personal possessions of famous figures in history.

This could be a way you to tie your magic items to historical figures in the lore of your fantasy world. AD&D did something similar with artifacts like the Hand of Vecna and the Machine of Lum the Mad. Such artifacts are typically rather powerful but have drawbacks, such as…

• …insanity or a different alignment (temporarily becoming an NPC)
• …one power (magnetism) never completely turns off
• …the ability (invisibility, flight) only works for brief, unpredictable periods
• …the stone skin ability (+3 AC) also makes you slowed and very heavy
• …the ability (short-distance teleportation) accidentally triggers when startled
• …attracts a certain kind of animal (vermin, birds, predators)
• …making the bearer extra hungry or thirsty
• …causing nearby liquids—even poison—to become pure water… which ruins potions
• …making it impossible for anyone to rest in the artifact’s presence
• …making the effects gradually more powerful until they’re destructive to the wielder

Warehouse 13 artifacts sometimes had similar drawbacks or were unpredictable and/or dangerous. Substantial text below has been drawn directly from the Warehouse 13 fan wiki.

African Tribal Elephant Tusk: When the tusk is plunged into the ground, anyone who goes near it will be attacked by constrictor snakes that spring from the earth. It was taken from the corpse of the only known elephant to be killed by boa constrictor.

After-image Mirror: Holding a lit candle up to it will show images of events that happened in the area from the last few hours.

Agatha Christie’s Typewriter: It predicts unsolved crimes 24 hours before they occur, typing out the exact date, location, criminals, and resulting damages. In a medieval fantasy world, this could be the pen of a famous judge.

Albert Butz’s Glasses: When worn, these glasses raise and stabilize the wearer’s internal body temperature to avoid hypothermia, but the effect may not last indefinitely. Albert Butz invented the thermostat, but in a fantasy world might be the inventor of the thermometer.

Aleister Crowley’s Ruby-Studded Universal Hexagram Necklace: On command, this creates a smoke-like spectral projection lasting beyond the life of the user’s corporeal form. The only thing that can dispel the specter is a high C note, as Crowley could never hit that pitch.

Alessandro Volta’s Biscuit Bin: This artifact has the power to store energy, even transferred energy. In a medieval fantasy world, it might be able to capture and store electrical damage or perhaps even any kind of magical damage.

Alessandro Volta’s Lab Coat: When worn with the accompanying gloves and goggles, the lab coat briefly engulfs the wearer in light and then temporarily makes the wearer magnetic to all applicable materials. The longer the coat is worn, however, the stronger their magnetic attraction becomes. This can result in the wearer becoming permanently affixed to metal objects and unable to pull themselves away, and attracting more and more metallic objects of increasing distance and size, risking serious property damage, injury, and death.

Alfred Dreyfus‘ Sword Hilt: If the holder reflects a light off the hilt into the eye of someone guilty of a serious lie who then tells a new lie, the victim’s lungs are suddenly filled with seawater, drowning them. The effects can be temporarily negated with a Silver Necklace from the Atacama Desert Mines (the driest place on earth).

Alfred Hitchcock’s Metal Pinwheel: When spun, it sends a gust of petals and sparkles in the direction of the wind that instantly knocks out anyone it comes into contact with. It seems to spin very rapidly, even if only a small amount of force was applied. It must be continuously kept spinning in order to stay active.

Alpine Brandy Rescue Cask: This small cask on a dog collar causes the dog wearing it to switch places with its master when the cork is pulled, so that the now-free master knows where to lead a team to rescue the dog.

Amber Sphere: This sphere allows one to travel through the subconscious of a person controlled by the Pearl of Wisdom.

Angel Figurines: A set of two porcelain angels. Separating the angels causes great disturbances in geo-political relations between Christian nations. In a medieval fantasy world, these could be any kind of religious figures that, when separated, cause strife between their respective religions.

Anne Bonny‘s Cutlass: This sword is incredibly power; a single swing holds the power of fifty at once, capable of reducing anything it strikes to smithereens in an instant. This causes the air around the blade to sound like a grinder. It can possess a person and warp their mind, making them act like a typical pirate; this includes affecting the way they speak and skilled usage of the cutlass in fights and swashbuckler tricks.

Aztec Bloodstone: When “fed” blood (including merely cutting yourself on the sharp teeth inside the mouth), this carved stone head drips blood. The victim continues to bleed from their cut despite any bandaging. They become possessed, with glassy eyes and seek out virgin blood for sacrifice. It has a matching stone headdress that deactivates the possession effect (which closes the mouth) but leaves the victim briefly comatose.

Benjamin Franklin’s Lightning Rod: Absorbs lightning and other shocking/electrical effects and stores them safely, then can project them for full damage. But initially touching it bare-handed causes 1d3 damage or 1d6 with gauntlets. Stores up to 100 hp damage. In a medieval fantasy world, this would be the creation of a wizard famous for lightning experiments.

Brick from the Berlin Wall: When thrown on the ground while saying “Ich bin ein Berliner”, it will form a replica of the Berlin Wall around its target; complete with barbed wire, phantom searchlights, graffiti and echoes of sirens. In a fantasy world, this might be a stone from a famous prison and merely forms a stone wall with metal spikes.

Bobby Fischer’s Bag of Marbles: Holding one of the marbles gives the handler an intense focus and determination to achieve their goal. However, with prolonged use, the user can become obsessed, violent, and even insane.

The Warehouse 13 fan wiki has many, many more.

Using Such Artifacts

A key aspect of the show was that some artifacts came in handy in stopping, slowing, redirecting, or transferring the effects of other artifacts. As such, some artifacts weren’t particularly useful in and of themselves but might be sought out or highly prized for this ability to mitigate or redirect other effects.

It was also important that the artifacts were associated with specific people or events, which makes them perfect for broadening your world with bits of lore.