Preparing for a new campaign where there will be a lot of hidden magic weapons. Any suggestions on what the best ones are? Definitely flame tongue and vorpal.
If I may suggest -- make them up rather than using pre-built ones. You can easily homebrew by basing off an existing item, and then tweaking it.
For example, in my current campaign, one of the PCs is a Ranger. At level 3 she chose Beastmaster. To become a Beastmaster she had to learn to summon her pet, so I decided there is a guild of Beastmaters in my world called the Green Company. They are all female rangers (since the PC is female), who have Beast Companions. They have a lodge in the woods, and a druid NPC who knows the PCs gave the Ranger a token and sent her to them. Because she was known to the druid, who is an ally of the Green Company, they let her in, and taught her to be a Beastmaster. As part of the ritual, they gave her one of their signature forest-green cloaks. I decided that this cloak would be like a Cloak of Elvenkind, so I copied that into my homebrew, and then added the feature that when the hood is up, in addition to stealth bonus, etc., it also gives +1 to AC. So now this Ranger has a super-special, campaign-specific, magic item called "Cloak of the Green Company" instead of just a generic old Cloak of Elvenkind.
I feel it is much more interesting to the players and also adds much more flavor and realism to the world, if you populate it with unique, named magic items that are from that world. Even something simple like a Sword +1, could instead be a Sword of The Centurion, which has an interesting name and history and also has the +1 bonus.
If I may suggest -- make them up rather than using pre-built ones. You can easily homebrew by basing off an existing item, and then tweaking it.
For example, in my current campaign, one of the PCs is a Ranger. At level 3 she chose Beastmaster. To become a Beastmaster she had to learn to summon her pet, so I decided there is a guild of Beastmaters in my world called the Green Company. They are all female rangers (since the PC is female), who have Beast Companions. They have a lodge in the woods, and a druid NPC who knows the PCs gave the Ranger a token and sent her to them. Because she was known to the druid, who is an ally of the Green Company, they let her in, and taught her to be a Beastmaster. As part of the ritual, they gave her one of their signature forest-green cloaks. I decided that this cloak would be like a Cloak of Elvenkind, so I copied that into my homebrew, and then added the feature that when the hood is up, in addition to stealth bonus, etc., it also gives +1 to AC. So now this Ranger has a super-special, campaign-specific, magic item called "Cloak of the Green Company" instead of just a generic old Cloak of Elvenkind.
I feel it is much more interesting to the players and also adds much more flavor and realism to the world, if you populate it with unique, named magic items that are from that world. Even something simple like a Sword +1, could instead be a Sword of The Centurion, which has an interesting name and history and also has the +1 bonus.
I agree that homebrewed weapons are far more entertaining, and meaningful, for the players. But the danger with them is the experience level of the DM. I don't know how much experience the OP has as a DM, or how much crafting magic items. If the OP has experience in that area, fantastic.
But it can lead down a messy path if homebrew items are over-powered for the level of the campaign. And the very nature of the original question leads me to believe the OP does not have a lot of experience with magical items in a campaign.
Definitely. In one of my old campaigns we had a snarky sentient sword who was always floating around and messing with people, I might bring back that idea for this campaign. I put up this thread tho because I need some ideas on basic rules ones-- if I have too many homebrewed things it just gets confusing.
I agree that homebrewed weapons are far more entertaining, and meaningful, for the players. But the danger with them is the experience level of the DM. I don't know how much experience the OP has as a DM, or how much crafting magic items.
Again, you don't have to do much work. Take an existing item, like a Longsword +1, and copy it, and then rename it to something else "Sword of the Just" and put in some flavor text. Don't change the stats at all, if you don't want.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I mean, a hint for creating something that feels unique but also doesn't mess too much with game balance is to make some powers conditional. 5e usually has fairly weak magic items by default, but if we take BioWizard's "sword of the just" as a basic idea, +1 Longsword, okay, sounds good, but aside from the name, it doesn't really feel unique. (Actually, unless you are playing open play, you should always give your magic items names and back stories! It doesn't take so much work and it really makes the world feel more alive. Avoid handing your players "Longsword +1" without renaming it!)
So what we should do to make it more unique is give it a magical property that makes it memorable -- but not so broad that it throws off the difficulty curve. So maybe an additional effect? It is a sword in service of justice, so maybe it does 1d6 against anyone who have recently committed a crime. That's ability is pretty powerful and will make the sword feel like a powerful magic item, but it is also so situational that the DM can control exactly when it would come into play. Even if there is a criminal organisation and you don't want this sword to massacre them, then you play with the word "recently" and with "committed a crime". If the boss doesn't get his hands dirty, then maybe it doesn't recognise them as having committed a crime. Maybe the crimes aren't based on local law, but based on the laws of the people who created it.
Bonuses like this are pretty safe for DMs to hand out, because effectively, that's still a Longsword +1. Ultimately, we learn by doing. So I wouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. If you end up giving someone a sword that is simply too powerful, it is possible to have something destroy the weapon and maybe then have a quest to reforge it into something else (maybe even a new sword.)
I mean, a hint for creating something that feels unique but also doesn't mess too much with game balance is to make some powers conditional. 5e usually has fairly weak magic items by default, but if we take BioWizard's "sword of the just" as a basic idea, +1 Longsword, okay, sounds good, but aside from the name, it doesn't really feel unique. (Actually, unless you are playing open play, you should always give your magic items names and back stories! It doesn't take so much work and it really makes the world feel more alive. Avoid handing your players "Longsword +1" without renaming it!)
So what we should do to make it more unique is give it a magical property that makes it memorable -- but not so broad that it throws off the difficulty curve. So maybe an additional effect? It is a sword in service of justice, so maybe it does 1d6 against anyone who have recently committed a crime. That's ability is pretty powerful and will make the sword feel like a powerful magic item, but it is also so situational that the DM can control exactly when it would come into play. Even if there is a criminal organisation and you don't want this sword to massacre them, then you play with the word "recently" and with "committed a crime". If the boss doesn't get his hands dirty, then maybe it doesn't recognise them as having committed a crime. Maybe the crimes aren't based on local law, but based on the laws of the people who created it.
Bonuses like this are pretty safe for DMs to hand out, because effectively, that's still a Longsword +1. Ultimately, we learn by doing. So I wouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. If you end up giving someone a sword that is simply too powerful, it is possible to have something destroy the weapon and maybe then have a quest to reforge it into something else (maybe even a new sword.)
I'll have to disagree with the fact that 5e has underpowered weapons... the vorpal sword should be an artifact, it's extremely powerful. Instead of doing criticals, it instantly kills most medium or large monsters, and some huge monsters. That's a 1 in 20 chance of instant death! Meaning that if combat goes on for about 10 rounds(it is assumed that any charater using this has an extra attack), you can instantly kill the boss!
To go along with BioWizard's suggestion, the DMG has an actually very useful set of tables in the 'Special Features' section of Magic Items in Chapter 7. It's one of the twenty or so useful pages in the entire book, offering a number of perks, quirks, and other minor ways to modify a base magic item to give it character and history. You can roll on the tables or pick and choose what works to create an item that has a history and a sense of place in the world.
As a supporting example, I created a custom Cloak of Protection for a druid PC in a campaign I wrapped up earlier this year. The PC was a shaman of her tribe, sent to find another PC who'd run away from home. This particular Cloak of Protection was an old, timeworn piece of ritual garb for the tribe, their Wise Woman's Cloak. On top of being an ordinary cloak of protection, the Wise Woman's Cloak also kept the user comfortable in the coldest days of winter or the warmest of summer (the 'Temperate' minor property), but anyone who wasn't a druid that attuned to the cloak felt a sense of unease and constant watchfulness, as if disapproving eyes never left them (the 'Repulsive' quirk, modified a little). It was one of my favorite items, even if it wasn't anything but a regular old cloak of protection in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred.
One can also add the properties of a common magic item to an existing magical item to give it some flair. A cloak of protection could also simultaneously be a cloak of billowing, or a cloak of many fashions. A +1 sword could also be a moon-touched sword, perhaps with a Hidden Message from the Minor Properties table on it that only appears in the light of its own shine. A periapt of health could also convey the properties of a clockwork amulet - perhaps this periapt was created to ensure the orderly, mechanical functioning of a body rather than being a Wellspring of Positivity.
In terms of the original question of 'best magic weapons'...sadly, the game is almost entirely devoid of actually cool weapons without some elements of homebrew involved. I'd suggest simply buzzing through the list to see what trips your fancy. Only six pages long, not much of a hike considering how many weapons are duplicates. Even easier if you eliminate artifacts and legendary weapons from the list
your question is like asking what's the best race or class. A character could have the fattest sword in Faerun in front of them, but if they love using a slingshot, then a +1 strap of leather is better. I'd start by asking your players what kinds of weapons their characters dream about and what powers they want...and see what you can do. At least watch and see what weapons your characters have and lean towards. I'd also definitely search heavily for comparable weapons/powers though so you don't have something wacky out of balance. Pretty much any spell/ability can be stored in an object as a charge.
My party consists of: Wizard, who plans to take a 2 level dip into fighter so they can be gandalf. Cleric who likes hammers, they like to play up their dwarf part. Barbarian goliath who always customizes their weapons by saying it has decals and stuff. Ranger who uses a mix of bows and finesse weapons, definitely gonna homebrew for them because there is only one basic rules magic bow. And, a paladin who loves swords, calls their greatsword a claymore and thei longsword a bastard sword, and uses a lot of horses.
Quick edit: should I buy the wand of orcus on the marketplace? seems like it might be kinda cool.
Well the Cleric would probably like the Dwarven Thrower hammer.
"Gandalf" would love the Staff of the Magi, because you can break it to do what he did on the bridge with the Balrog (that's probably why the ability exists, since Gygax hardly ever made up anything original himself but mostly stole from other sources).
The Paladin would enjoy a Holy Avenger sword.
Not sure any of those are in the Basic Rules though. If you're not going to buy the DMG, you're going to miss out on a lot of items.
ALSO -- all of those are HIGH LEVEL items. You do NOT give items like this to level 3s.
I mean, a hint for creating something that feels unique but also doesn't mess too much with game balance is to make some powers conditional. 5e usually has fairly weak magic items by default, but if we take BioWizard's "sword of the just" as a basic idea, +1 Longsword, okay, sounds good, but aside from the name, it doesn't really feel unique. (Actually, unless you are playing open play, you should always give your magic items names and back stories! It doesn't take so much work and it really makes the world feel more alive. Avoid handing your players "Longsword +1" without renaming it!)
So what we should do to make it more unique is give it a magical property that makes it memorable -- but not so broad that it throws off the difficulty curve. So maybe an additional effect? It is a sword in service of justice, so maybe it does 1d6 against anyone who have recently committed a crime. That's ability is pretty powerful and will make the sword feel like a powerful magic item, but it is also so situational that the DM can control exactly when it would come into play. Even if there is a criminal organisation and you don't want this sword to massacre them, then you play with the word "recently" and with "committed a crime". If the boss doesn't get his hands dirty, then maybe it doesn't recognise them as having committed a crime. Maybe the crimes aren't based on local law, but based on the laws of the people who created it.
Bonuses like this are pretty safe for DMs to hand out, because effectively, that's still a Longsword +1. Ultimately, we learn by doing. So I wouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. If you end up giving someone a sword that is simply too powerful, it is possible to have something destroy the weapon and maybe then have a quest to reforge it into something else (maybe even a new sword.)
I'll have to disagree with the fact that 5e has underpowered weapons... the vorpal sword should be an artifact, it's extremely powerful. Instead of doing criticals, it instantly kills most medium or large monsters, and some huge monsters. That's a 1 in 20 chance of instant death! Meaning that if combat goes on for about 10 rounds(it is assumed that any charater using this has an extra attack), you can instantly kill the boss!
It is actually a 65% chance (use algebra and probability distribution), but close enough. However, most battles do not last 5 rounds, let alone 10.
Well the Cleric would probably like the Dwarven Thrower hammer.
"Gandalf" would love the Staff of the Magi, because you can break it to do what he did on the bridge with the Balrog (that's probably why the ability exists, since Gygax hardly ever made up anything original himself but mostly stole from other sources).
The Paladin would enjoy a Holy Avenger sword.
Not sure any of those are in the Basic Rules though. If you're not going to buy the DMG, you're going to miss out on a lot of items.
ALSO -- all of those are HIGH LEVEL items. You do NOT give items like this to level 3s.
Level 3's should not be looking at anything higher than Common items. Maybe at level 5, they can start dabbling in Uncommon items.
Well the Cleric would probably like the Dwarven Thrower hammer.
"Gandalf" would love the Staff of the Magi, because you can break it to do what he did on the bridge with the Balrog (that's probably why the ability exists, since Gygax hardly ever made up anything original himself but mostly stole from other sources).
The Paladin would enjoy a Holy Avenger sword.
Not sure any of those are in the Basic Rules though. If you're not going to buy the DMG, you're going to miss out on a lot of items.
ALSO -- all of those are HIGH LEVEL items. You do NOT give items like this to level 3s.
Actually, all three off them are basic rules! I have always found the holy avenger sword slightly overwhelming though...
The Good Ole Vorpal Sword isn't an artifact, but it is of Legendary rarity. By the table in the DMG players should not expect to see Legendary items until 17th level or higher. By that level a Bard, Sorcerer, or Warlock might have Power Word Kill. By comparison the Vorpal Sword doesn't seem that overpowered.
Sayeth githbrains:
"should I buy the wand of orcus on the marketplace? seems like it might be kinda cool."
"I have always found the holy avenger sword slightly overwhelming though..."
Not overwhelming, underwhelming. And yes, I am serious about all of this. I honestly need advice bc there are like 8 pages of magic weapons in the basic rules alone... hard to pick.
I wasn't going to resurrect this thread but it's just too interesting to let die.
My experience has been the Moonblade is an amazing weapon yet it can be almost underpowered for mid-level to high-level characters even though it's a sentient Legendary item. It has multiple abilities but the tricky thing about the Moonblade is it's unlikely any two will be the same because each Moonblade's special abilities (and how many abilities it has) are randomly rolled for on tables in the DM's Guide. So a DM can roll up a blade that is essentially a +1 sword that floats or the Moonblade can turn out to be a half-weight longsword that is also a finesse weapon which combines all the abilities of both a Defender and a Vorpal and crits on a 19 or 20 but insists that its wielder never attune another magical item once the Moonblade itself is attuned (wow, was this combo ever a surprise!). Or something in between. Fortunately, the die rolls necessary to generate that second ridiculously overpowered weapon are very rare but not impossible, as I found out.
The only real limitation on a Moonblade is one can be used only elves or half-elves.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK! - Me
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Preparing for a new campaign where there will be a lot of hidden magic weapons. Any suggestions on what the best ones are? Definitely flame tongue and vorpal.
It is done.
Ummm...what level are you starting the chars at?
1, but I'm not gonna give them magic weapons until at least level 5 (this campaign is designed to last a while).
It is done.
If I may suggest -- make them up rather than using pre-built ones. You can easily homebrew by basing off an existing item, and then tweaking it.
For example, in my current campaign, one of the PCs is a Ranger. At level 3 she chose Beastmaster. To become a Beastmaster she had to learn to summon her pet, so I decided there is a guild of Beastmaters in my world called the Green Company. They are all female rangers (since the PC is female), who have Beast Companions. They have a lodge in the woods, and a druid NPC who knows the PCs gave the Ranger a token and sent her to them. Because she was known to the druid, who is an ally of the Green Company, they let her in, and taught her to be a Beastmaster. As part of the ritual, they gave her one of their signature forest-green cloaks. I decided that this cloak would be like a Cloak of Elvenkind, so I copied that into my homebrew, and then added the feature that when the hood is up, in addition to stealth bonus, etc., it also gives +1 to AC. So now this Ranger has a super-special, campaign-specific, magic item called "Cloak of the Green Company" instead of just a generic old Cloak of Elvenkind.
I feel it is much more interesting to the players and also adds much more flavor and realism to the world, if you populate it with unique, named magic items that are from that world. Even something simple like a Sword +1, could instead be a Sword of The Centurion, which has an interesting name and history and also has the +1 bonus.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I agree that homebrewed weapons are far more entertaining, and meaningful, for the players. But the danger with them is the experience level of the DM. I don't know how much experience the OP has as a DM, or how much crafting magic items. If the OP has experience in that area, fantastic.
But it can lead down a messy path if homebrew items are over-powered for the level of the campaign. And the very nature of the original question leads me to believe the OP does not have a lot of experience with magical items in a campaign.
Definitely. In one of my old campaigns we had a snarky sentient sword who was always floating around and messing with people, I might bring back that idea for this campaign. I put up this thread tho because I need some ideas on basic rules ones-- if I have too many homebrewed things it just gets confusing.
It is done.
Again, you don't have to do much work. Take an existing item, like a Longsword +1, and copy it, and then rename it to something else "Sword of the Just" and put in some flavor text. Don't change the stats at all, if you don't want.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I mean, a hint for creating something that feels unique but also doesn't mess too much with game balance is to make some powers conditional. 5e usually has fairly weak magic items by default, but if we take BioWizard's "sword of the just" as a basic idea, +1 Longsword, okay, sounds good, but aside from the name, it doesn't really feel unique. (Actually, unless you are playing open play, you should always give your magic items names and back stories! It doesn't take so much work and it really makes the world feel more alive. Avoid handing your players "Longsword +1" without renaming it!)
So what we should do to make it more unique is give it a magical property that makes it memorable -- but not so broad that it throws off the difficulty curve. So maybe an additional effect? It is a sword in service of justice, so maybe it does 1d6 against anyone who have recently committed a crime. That's ability is pretty powerful and will make the sword feel like a powerful magic item, but it is also so situational that the DM can control exactly when it would come into play. Even if there is a criminal organisation and you don't want this sword to massacre them, then you play with the word "recently" and with "committed a crime". If the boss doesn't get his hands dirty, then maybe it doesn't recognise them as having committed a crime. Maybe the crimes aren't based on local law, but based on the laws of the people who created it.
Bonuses like this are pretty safe for DMs to hand out, because effectively, that's still a Longsword +1. Ultimately, we learn by doing. So I wouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. If you end up giving someone a sword that is simply too powerful, it is possible to have something destroy the weapon and maybe then have a quest to reforge it into something else (maybe even a new sword.)
I'll have to disagree with the fact that 5e has underpowered weapons... the vorpal sword should be an artifact, it's extremely powerful. Instead of doing criticals, it instantly kills most medium or large monsters, and some huge monsters. That's a 1 in 20 chance of instant death! Meaning that if combat goes on for about 10 rounds(it is assumed that any charater using this has an extra attack), you can instantly kill the boss!
It is done.
To go along with BioWizard's suggestion, the DMG has an actually very useful set of tables in the 'Special Features' section of Magic Items in Chapter 7. It's one of the twenty or so useful pages in the entire book, offering a number of perks, quirks, and other minor ways to modify a base magic item to give it character and history. You can roll on the tables or pick and choose what works to create an item that has a history and a sense of place in the world.
As a supporting example, I created a custom Cloak of Protection for a druid PC in a campaign I wrapped up earlier this year. The PC was a shaman of her tribe, sent to find another PC who'd run away from home. This particular Cloak of Protection was an old, timeworn piece of ritual garb for the tribe, their Wise Woman's Cloak. On top of being an ordinary cloak of protection, the Wise Woman's Cloak also kept the user comfortable in the coldest days of winter or the warmest of summer (the 'Temperate' minor property), but anyone who wasn't a druid that attuned to the cloak felt a sense of unease and constant watchfulness, as if disapproving eyes never left them (the 'Repulsive' quirk, modified a little). It was one of my favorite items, even if it wasn't anything but a regular old cloak of protection in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred.
One can also add the properties of a common magic item to an existing magical item to give it some flair. A cloak of protection could also simultaneously be a cloak of billowing, or a cloak of many fashions. A +1 sword could also be a moon-touched sword, perhaps with a Hidden Message from the Minor Properties table on it that only appears in the light of its own shine. A periapt of health could also convey the properties of a clockwork amulet - perhaps this periapt was created to ensure the orderly, mechanical functioning of a body rather than being a Wellspring of Positivity.
In terms of the original question of 'best magic weapons'...sadly, the game is almost entirely devoid of actually cool weapons without some elements of homebrew involved. I'd suggest simply buzzing through the list to see what trips your fancy. Only six pages long, not much of a hike considering how many weapons are duplicates. Even easier if you eliminate artifacts and legendary weapons from the list
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your question is like asking what's the best race or class. A character could have the fattest sword in Faerun in front of them, but if they love using a slingshot, then a +1 strap of leather is better. I'd start by asking your players what kinds of weapons their characters dream about and what powers they want...and see what you can do. At least watch and see what weapons your characters have and lean towards. I'd also definitely search heavily for comparable weapons/powers though so you don't have something wacky out of balance. Pretty much any spell/ability can be stored in an object as a charge.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
My party consists of: Wizard, who plans to take a 2 level dip into fighter so they can be gandalf. Cleric who likes hammers, they like to play up their dwarf part. Barbarian goliath who always customizes their weapons by saying it has decals and stuff. Ranger who uses a mix of bows and finesse weapons, definitely gonna homebrew for them because there is only one basic rules magic bow. And, a paladin who loves swords, calls their greatsword a claymore and thei longsword a bastard sword, and uses a lot of horses.
Quick edit: should I buy the wand of orcus on the marketplace? seems like it might be kinda cool.
It is done.
Well the Cleric would probably like the Dwarven Thrower hammer.
"Gandalf" would love the Staff of the Magi, because you can break it to do what he did on the bridge with the Balrog (that's probably why the ability exists, since Gygax hardly ever made up anything original himself but mostly stole from other sources).
The Paladin would enjoy a Holy Avenger sword.
Not sure any of those are in the Basic Rules though. If you're not going to buy the DMG, you're going to miss out on a lot of items.
ALSO -- all of those are HIGH LEVEL items. You do NOT give items like this to level 3s.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
It is actually a 65% chance (use algebra and probability distribution), but close enough. However, most battles do not last 5 rounds, let alone 10.
Level 3's should not be looking at anything higher than Common items. Maybe at level 5, they can start dabbling in Uncommon items.
Actually, all three off them are basic rules! I have always found the holy avenger sword slightly overwhelming though...
It is done.
The Good Ole Vorpal Sword isn't an artifact, but it is of Legendary rarity. By the table in the DMG players should not expect to see Legendary items until 17th level or higher. By that level a Bard, Sorcerer, or Warlock might have Power Word Kill. By comparison the Vorpal Sword doesn't seem that overpowered.
Sayeth githbrains:
"should I buy the wand of orcus on the marketplace? seems like it might be kinda cool."
"I have always found the holy avenger sword slightly overwhelming though..."
I begin to suspect you are trolling.
<Insert clever signature here>
Not overwhelming, underwhelming. And yes, I am serious about all of this. I honestly need advice bc there are like 8 pages of magic weapons in the basic rules alone... hard to pick.
It is done.
I wasn't going to resurrect this thread but it's just too interesting to let die.
My experience has been the Moonblade is an amazing weapon yet it can be almost underpowered for mid-level to high-level characters even though it's a sentient Legendary item. It has multiple abilities but the tricky thing about the Moonblade is it's unlikely any two will be the same because each Moonblade's special abilities (and how many abilities it has) are randomly rolled for on tables in the DM's Guide. So a DM can roll up a blade that is essentially a +1 sword that floats or the Moonblade can turn out to be a half-weight longsword that is also a finesse weapon which combines all the abilities of both a Defender and a Vorpal and crits on a 19 or 20 but insists that its wielder never attune another magical item once the Moonblade itself is attuned (wow, was this combo ever a surprise!). Or something in between. Fortunately, the die rolls necessary to generate that second ridiculously overpowered weapon are very rare but not impossible, as I found out.
The only real limitation on a Moonblade is one can be used only elves or half-elves.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
- Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK!
- Me