Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity
- Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity
The Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity is a type of magical item in the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons that's infamous for its unusual effect. Such a girdle looks like an ordinary leather belt, but when worn immediately switches the wearer's gender, then loses all power. Additionally, 10% of these items remove sex from the wearer. The change causes no actual damage, but it is permanent and most characters can be expected to be "very" uncomfortable with it.
The Girdles are included in the first and the second editions of AD&D, their magic potent enough to be fiendishly difficult to reverse; even a "Wish" spell has even odds, though a deity can set things right. They appear to be absent from the third edition, though similar effects are mentioned as a possible curse outcome. One such item also makes an appearance in "Baldur's Gate", where it's quite possibly among the first magical objects the player finds, but only takes a "Remove Curse" to do away with.
The webcomic "The Order of the Stick" introduces a Girdle early on [ [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0009.html Giant In the Playground Games ] ] and brings it back much later, where it's used to good effect [ [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0233.html Giant In the Playground Games ] ] [ [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0234.html Giant In the Playground Games ] ] and later yet undone with a "Remove Curse". This, combined with the fact that it is taken from an ogre, suggests that it may be a reference to the one found in Baldur's Gate.
Using a Girdle is the best-known if not only method to bring about such an effect, and over the years they have served to bring mirth, cheap jokes and roleplaying opportunities to D&D fans everywhere.
"Reverse user's gender" is also one of the random cursed item effects in the 3rd edition of D&D.
Amulet of Change
One of items in NetHack is "Amulet of Change" which has the same functionality. It crumbles to dust when worn, preventing any kind of reversal other than finding another such amulet or having luck with polymorph.
Notes
References
*"Encyclopedia Magica: Vol 2", Wizards of the Coast (1995), ISBN 9780786901241
Further reading
*"Dragon" magazine, issue 104, "Sage Advice"
*"Dragon" magazine, issue 215, "Putting Evil to Good Use"
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