The other night, I played a dungeon crawl one-shot a friend was DM-ing, with premade characters by the DM. One thing he did was give every character two magic items, which weren't amazingly powerful, but added some extra flavor and fun to the experience.
I am currently running a CoS campaign and would like to do something similar for my party, just provide them with a few magical items that will give them more options to think about without outright boosting their character's power overall. One item I am considering, for example, is a homebrew item on D&D beyond called the "All or Nothing Coin"
Does anyone have any magic items (either from the DMG or homebrew) that they found the party had alot of fun utilizing?
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Classics include: communication gear, and the ability to carry equipment easily.
One that I remember from my Player days was a "Wood knife" - which was a very dull knife, about the size of a butter knife, and totally unsuitable as a weapon. However, it cut through wood like hot metal through soft butter.
We got an amazing amount of utility out of that: cutting into buildings, felling trees and chopping them up for firewood and/or barricades, etc.
I remember seeing a list of non-lethal interesting magic items in an old Dragon magazine I believe. Some of those that stuck in mind were really cool - but wouldn't be of any use to an adventuring Party - like a chessboard that played you back; a fancy armchair which - if you were seated in it - you could not fall asleep in ( reputed to be have been made for an elderly nobleman who didn't want to nod off over dinner parties ); a pack of beads which when thrown onto the floor of a house would vanish, and take all dirt, dust, and garbage within 20' of the point of impact with them ( wish I had some of these IRL! ); etc.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
One current example. My brother and I are playing through a new campaign with our friends/gaming group. Rolling out the character went well. After session zero, my brother said he wanted a mummified mouse. It would be in a small long wooden cage, five inches long or so by a couple inches square. And he wanted to name it Manny. Manny the Mummified Mouse. HIS sense of humor. I said sure. I made booklets for all the players with character sheets, note paper, pages for spell cards. And I made a card for Manny the Mummified Mouse. If the bearer focuses on the mouse for ten minutes between long rests, the character gets advantage on one attack rolls, skill check or saving throw. Now he spends a lot of time talking with Manny. Imagine, a large female Tiefling Cleric having conversations with Manny the Mummified Mouse. Just walking down the street. Getting looks and then getting looks. It has made for some interesting and hilarious in game moments.
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Thank you. ChrisW
Ones are righteous. And one day, we just might believe it.
Xanathar's guide has a lot of more fun than functional magic items.
I actually gave each of my players one of those items (their choice, but without a few options available) with the understanding that they would come up with a reason why they had it. One had the pelt of the first wolf that they killed given to them with the clothes of mending enchantment attached to it so that they would always remember that druids must protect nature but sometimes that means to protect it from itself. Another was the cousin of Gundren Rockseeker from LMoP and was given a moon-touched sword as a foreshadowing of the type of riches that could be expected if the PC joined the party. A ranger chose the Horn of Silent Alarm, and while I haven't yet heard how he came about it, he's managed to tame a wolf (just leveled to third and went revised beastmaster incorporating the wolf) and used it to call the wolf when the party was ambushed using the horn (I controlled the wolf for that fight since it was pre- third level), which I thought was a nice storytelling moment.
coinpurse: a couple of times a day will have some random number of coins of varying types in it when you try to pull some out.
fishing pole: a 10' pole (magical) that with a command words casts a line so you can fish.
everburning lamp: a magical lamp/lantern which doesn't need oil. It's always on, so will need to be shuttered at times.
cleansing bucket: a bucket that if you put water in it, will purify the water after an hour (some number of times per day).
I also like occasionally using beads, like:
a bead of force
a couple of beads from a necklace of prayer beads
a bead of dispel magic (throw it, and it will dispel magic in that area).
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
The E.R.R.O.R. for short, it allows the wielder to cast spare the dying or to consume its diamond coating to cast revivify. (its a magic defibrillator)
I purchased a guard dog for my first party to watch the horses and cart while we were in the dungeon.
I made a homebrew Lute that when one of a few tunes were played helped determine if someone was telling the truth.
I used carrier pigeons for messages.
I had a special magical fire that would burn low, or high, or blue or yellow, or whatever the player wanted. It was a small can of oil with a top. When the top was removed to expose the wick, the flame was born in two seconds. A somatic gesture controlled the flame. When the cap was placed over the wick it extinguished the flame.
There are any number of things you can make. A bucket that magically fills with water or a jar that always has clean flour inside are great food sustaining items.
Homebrew magic items that let the user cast low-level utility spells are always good. I'm very fond of giving out a 'Staff of Voices', which lets them cast Comprehend Languages for free once a day. Or the billowing 'Cloak of Grace', which does the same with Feather Fall. I've found that some players are hesitant about using spell slots on non-combat/damage spells so enabling a single-fire use for them is very helpful and makes them feel more powerful even if the spell is very situational.
I give this to every D&D party I run as soon as possible. It's fun, a bit ridiculous, and can offer both practical and creative solutions to all sorts of problems. If I play a one shot that gives me magic items that is always one of the items I request.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
One that I remember from my Player days was a "Wood knife" - which was a very dull knife, about the size of a butter knife, and totally unsuitable as a weapon. However, it cut through wood like hot metal through soft butter.
Looks like somebody home-brewed an item out of a book from my favorite series. The Guardians of the Flame (1983) series by Joel Rosenberg ... Specifically from the second book, The Sword and the Chain (1984). :)
Kharl! Kharlkhulinayn!" Chak ran toward them, a long, thin piece of metal held high in his hands.
"Look!" He jerked to a halt and handed it to Karl, holding it carefully as though it were a fragile piece of glass. Chak smiled broadly, as though he had just presented Karl with the Hope diamond.
Ahira looked at it. It looked like an oversized butter-knife, actually; the flat blade was almost three feet long. He reached over and tested the edge against his thumb. Dull as a butterknife, too. "What is this?"
Chak stood back. "You don't know? That, Ahira, is a woodknife."
Karl cocked his head to one side. "I'm no wiser; what is a woodknife?"
"Look." Chak lifted it from Karl's outstretched palms and walked to a nearby sapling. Holding the handle with just thumb and two fingers, he slashed at the trunk, as though in slow motion. The blade passed through the trunk as though it weren't there. With a rustling of leaves, the sapling crashed to the ground.
"See?" Chak said, bouncing the blade off his own neck. "It cuts only through wood. Nothing else. Quite a find, eh? I expect we're going to find quite a bit of use for this, where we're going."
EDIT: Didn't realize I was logged into wife's account at the time I posted this ... Tim.
Somehow my party was able to tame a sphinx. Don't ask me how. A lot of Nat 20s and quite a but of bad luck with the saving throws on the sphinx's side made it happen. To not totally unbalance the game I gave the ranger, who had taimed the beast, the ablility to feed the sphinx with her HP. The sphinx started at zero HP. Once per long rest our ranger is able to magically transferes her HP to her new companion. She loses the HP while the sphinx gains the transfered HP. This isnt really an item but it is still a lot of fun to see the party trying to use this monster in a fight.
a telescope that "can see the stars regardless of day/night/weather/inside/underground" is the 'Oo that neat' part, rather then just looking at things far away the telescope will create magical sensor they can look around from, that only lasts a few moments, potentially only looking in one direction, away from the telescope as a 'nifty magical tool'. make the recharge mechanic "during a long rest you find and observe a particular star to recharge the telescope" as it can always see the stars its not really an imposition, and once per long rest is a standard recharging time.
the the alchemy jug set to mayonnaise is always fun (it no longer surprises me how often players try and find a use for that in particular)
the the alchemy jug set to mayonnaise is always fun (it no longer surprises me how often players try and find a use for that in particular)
Just as an example... I was playing through a one-shot where all the players could get two uncommon items of their choice. One player, playing as a mad scientist artificer, had an alchemy jug and a bag of holding. At the end of the one-shot he made his escape by turning the bag inside out, and blasting a room with gallons of mayonnaise that he had been gradually filling the bag with throughout the adventure.
The other night, I played a dungeon crawl one-shot a friend was DM-ing, with premade characters by the DM. One thing he did was give every character two magic items, which weren't amazingly powerful, but added some extra flavor and fun to the experience.
I am currently running a CoS campaign and would like to do something similar for my party, just provide them with a few magical items that will give them more options to think about without outright boosting their character's power overall. One item I am considering, for example, is a homebrew item on D&D beyond called the "All or Nothing Coin"
Does anyone have any magic items (either from the DMG or homebrew) that they found the party had alot of fun utilizing?
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Re-imagining unpopular subclasses as part of FIFY WotC. Let us know what you think of our changes!
Classics include: communication gear, and the ability to carry equipment easily.
One that I remember from my Player days was a "Wood knife" - which was a very dull knife, about the size of a butter knife, and totally unsuitable as a weapon. However, it cut through wood like hot metal through soft butter.
We got an amazing amount of utility out of that: cutting into buildings, felling trees and chopping them up for firewood and/or barricades, etc.
I remember seeing a list of non-lethal interesting magic items in an old Dragon magazine I believe. Some of those that stuck in mind were really cool - but wouldn't be of any use to an adventuring Party - like a chessboard that played you back; a fancy armchair which - if you were seated in it - you could not fall asleep in ( reputed to be have been made for an elderly nobleman who didn't want to nod off over dinner parties ); a pack of beads which when thrown onto the floor of a house would vanish, and take all dirt, dust, and garbage within 20' of the point of impact with them ( wish I had some of these IRL! ); etc.
Non-combat magic items can be a lot of fun :)
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
One current example. My brother and I are playing through a new campaign with our friends/gaming group. Rolling out the character went well. After session zero, my brother said he wanted a mummified mouse. It would be in a small long wooden cage, five inches long or so by a couple inches square. And he wanted to name it Manny. Manny the Mummified Mouse. HIS sense of humor. I said sure. I made booklets for all the players with character sheets, note paper, pages for spell cards. And I made a card for Manny the Mummified Mouse. If the bearer focuses on the mouse for ten minutes between long rests, the character gets advantage on one attack rolls, skill check or saving throw. Now he spends a lot of time talking with Manny. Imagine, a large female Tiefling Cleric having conversations with Manny the Mummified Mouse. Just walking down the street. Getting looks and then getting looks. It has made for some interesting and hilarious in game moments.
Thank you.
ChrisW
Ones are righteous. And one day, we just might believe it.
Xanathar's guide has a lot of more fun than functional magic items.
I actually gave each of my players one of those items (their choice, but without a few options available) with the understanding that they would come up with a reason why they had it. One had the pelt of the first wolf that they killed given to them with the clothes of mending enchantment attached to it so that they would always remember that druids must protect nature but sometimes that means to protect it from itself. Another was the cousin of Gundren Rockseeker from LMoP and was given a moon-touched sword as a foreshadowing of the type of riches that could be expected if the PC joined the party. A ranger chose the Horn of Silent Alarm, and while I haven't yet heard how he came about it, he's managed to tame a wolf (just leveled to third and went revised beastmaster incorporating the wolf) and used it to call the wolf when the party was ambushed using the horn (I controlled the wolf for that fight since it was pre- third level), which I thought was a nice storytelling moment.
A few things I have used:
coinpurse: a couple of times a day will have some random number of coins of varying types in it when you try to pull some out.
fishing pole: a 10' pole (magical) that with a command words casts a line so you can fish.
everburning lamp: a magical lamp/lantern which doesn't need oil. It's always on, so will need to be shuttered at times.
cleansing bucket: a bucket that if you put water in it, will purify the water after an hour (some number of times per day).
I also like occasionally using beads, like:
a bead of force
a couple of beads from a necklace of prayer beads
a bead of dispel magic (throw it, and it will dispel magic in that area).
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I have two utility uncommon items.
Etheric Revitalizer Rods of Resuscitation
The E.R.R.O.R. for short, it allows the wielder to cast spare the dying or to consume its diamond coating to cast revivify.
(its a magic defibrillator)
Figurine of Wondrous Power: Brass Butterfly
You get a butterfly for one hour that you can Beast Sense through, giving you a good scouting option.
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And one more I forgot about
Merchant's Watchdog
Its a ring that lets you know if someone is trying to mess with you
Site Info: Wizard's ToS | Fan Content Policy | Forum Rules | Physical Books | Content Not Working | Contact Support
How To: Homebrew Rules | Create Homebrew | Snippet Codes | Tool Tips (Custom) | Rollables (Generator)
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Feats | Spells | Magic Items
Other: Beyond20 | Page References | Other Guides | Entitlements | Dice Randomization | Images Fix | FAQ
Ivory Cup: Renders any liquid placed in it safely drinkable. It does nothing however for the texture or taste.
I purchased a guard dog for my first party to watch the horses and cart while we were in the dungeon.
I made a homebrew Lute that when one of a few tunes were played helped determine if someone was telling the truth.
I used carrier pigeons for messages.
I had a special magical fire that would burn low, or high, or blue or yellow, or whatever the player wanted. It was a small can of oil with a top. When the top was removed to expose the wick, the flame was born in two seconds. A somatic gesture controlled the flame. When the cap was placed over the wick it extinguished the flame.
There are any number of things you can make. A bucket that magically fills with water or a jar that always has clean flour inside are great food sustaining items.
Homebrew magic items that let the user cast low-level utility spells are always good. I'm very fond of giving out a 'Staff of Voices', which lets them cast Comprehend Languages for free once a day. Or the billowing 'Cloak of Grace', which does the same with Feather Fall. I've found that some players are hesitant about using spell slots on non-combat/damage spells so enabling a single-fire use for them is very helpful and makes them feel more powerful even if the spell is very situational.
The Alchemy Jug
I give this to every D&D party I run as soon as possible. It's fun, a bit ridiculous, and can offer both practical and creative solutions to all sorts of problems. If I play a one shot that gives me magic items that is always one of the items I request.
I mean...2 gallons of mayonnaise.
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
DM: You come across a flock of chickens.
Player ( whipping out Alchemy Jug ): mmmmm... chicken salad ....
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Looks like somebody home-brewed an item out of a book from my favorite series. The Guardians of the Flame (1983) series by Joel Rosenberg ... Specifically from the second book, The Sword and the Chain (1984). :)
Somehow my party was able to tame a sphinx. Don't ask me how. A lot of Nat 20s and quite a but of bad luck with the saving throws on the sphinx's side made it happen. To not totally unbalance the game I gave the ranger, who had taimed the beast, the ablility to feed the sphinx with her HP. The sphinx started at zero HP. Once per long rest our ranger is able to magically transferes her HP to her new companion. She loses the HP while the sphinx gains the transfered HP. This isnt really an item but it is still a lot of fun to see the party trying to use this monster in a fight.
immovable rod
beads of force
dust of disappearance
hat of disguise
I am probably going to use some of these, they are pretty interesting.
Not all those who wander are lost.
Check out my Monsters, Magic Items, and Spells. (These are all links.)
Another vote for Alchemy Jug and Wood Knife
Candle with Continual Flame
Instant Pot - Will cook or cool food.
Pop Tent - Tent big enough to shelter 2 people and folds into a small pocket size packet.
Pouch of Glitter
Sack of Fruit (from Raymond Feist)
Pouch of Flavoring - Makes Something Good - makes anything taste good.
Cleaning Cloth - cleans any surface or item, making it shine
My Hook - a small hook that can be suspended in the air able to hold up 10 lbs.
Homebrew:
Blood of the Forest God
Sack of Endless Sand
Crate of Preservation
Origami Paper
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
a telescope that "can see the stars regardless of day/night/weather/inside/underground" is the 'Oo that neat' part, rather then just looking at things far away the telescope will create magical sensor they can look around from, that only lasts a few moments, potentially only looking in one direction, away from the telescope as a 'nifty magical tool'. make the recharge mechanic "during a long rest you find and observe a particular star to recharge the telescope" as it can always see the stars its not really an imposition, and once per long rest is a standard recharging time.
the the alchemy jug set to mayonnaise is always fun (it no longer surprises me how often players try and find a use for that in particular)
Just as an example... I was playing through a one-shot where all the players could get two uncommon items of their choice. One player, playing as a mad scientist artificer, had an alchemy jug and a bag of holding. At the end of the one-shot he made his escape by turning the bag inside out, and blasting a room with gallons of mayonnaise that he had been gradually filling the bag with throughout the adventure.
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