Hello there, as DM's and Players I'm sure we know how exciting it is to hand out and receive magical items. That is where my problem lies. I have been planning out when to give my players magic items throughout the campaign and it has been working, but I have noticed most items I come up with giving them (mostly hombrewed items) are useful in combat and not much else.
I am wondering if anyone can give me some ideas (hombrewed or DMG doesn't matter) for specifically Non-combat Magic items to give to my PC's that don't give them an easy way out of situations.
My PC's are a Kensei Monk/Bard, a Divine Sorcerer/Monk dedicated to my worlds godess of life, a Hexblade Warlock/Assassin Rogue dedicated to the raven queen, and a Wizard/Eldritch Knight who worships my worlds god of knowledge. Their races are Air Genasi, Aasimar, Human, and Half-Orc respectively.
Thank you to anyone who is willing to reply and give help.
For most non-combat items, the character's class will be mostly irrelevant, the more important thing is going to be the personality of the player and/or the character. Most non-combat items are going to not require attunement, so you can filter by that in the item listing.
Lots of magic items do not have direct combat uses.
One home-brew item I came up with was the Ivory Cup, it rendered any liquid placed within it potable and safe to drink. It did nothing to alter the taste or texture however.
Give them weird stuff that requires creativity. A good place to start is pick some ritual spells that people rarely take or use and re-spin as an item that offers a similar effect. Make them creepy, goofy or otherwise exotic too so that the players don't forget its sitting in their bag.
You can quickly homebrew non-combat items by finding a non-combat spell and making an item that casts it. Like a cup that can cast the create part of create or destroy water to fill itself.
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am doing my best to avoid simply giving them items that cast a spell as the main effect, I am looking for something a little more personal or memorable.
Seeing how most of your PCs worship a deity of some sort. I have an item Tiara of the Sentinel. It's one of my paladin's favorite items. It's a sentient silver tiara with a brilliant square ruby embedded in the center. The tiara is neutral in nature, enjoys deity sight seeing, and talks to its wearer. For a point of exhaustion the tiara will force attunement with you (Potentially becoming a fourth attuned item) for the next 4 hours. While attuned to the tiara the tiara faintly glows whenever a deity is within 100 ft. of the wearer. It's an artifact, it's origin is unknown, and how it can spot a deity when no one else can is also unknown.
I also have weapons like my Smuggler's Stiletto. The hilt of the blade has a secret compartment large enough to hold a spell scroll, stack of coin, or something of similar size. It requires a hard perception (20) DC to find the secret compartment when the wielder is being searched.
Or there are utility items; my favorite being my Bramble Cubes. I have four variants, each only working during their respective season. The basics of the cubes are when their command word is spoken they enlarge from their 2" size to create a 40 sqft. living area that doesn't shrink again until the person to originally speak the command word speaks it again.
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)
So new magic items. I'm in need of an item that can cast darkness or at least bring it to low light in the area. Any none homebrew items that do what i need, my dm avoids homebrew that not his and he dislikes UA due to rule changes or something
Earlier in the campaign I'm running I had my PCs find some magical rods (for a Thieve's Guild leader in Everlund by the name Fat Rod, who's store/front is "Fat Rod's Phat Rods"). They found the rods but decided to keep them. I can't take credit for the rods (stolen from various ideas/realms of the internet, now forgotten):
Rod of flow: Four sided wooden rod with etchings on three sides representing droplets, a creek, and a river. This rod creates water at different flows. (Party has used it to fill a pit/obstacle and also to drown an Oni magically cursed not to leave its lair)
Rods of immobility (2): 18inch rods that when the command word is used become immobile in space. Command word releases. (Party has used it to cross barriers/hold doors open)
So new magic items. I'm in need of an item that can cast darkness or at least bring it to low light in the area. Any none homebrew items that do what i need, my dm avoids homebrew that not his and he dislikes UA due to rule changes or something
Book of Truth: Once a day you can open this book and it will tell you a previously unknown truth. This is really fun, because you have total control over what it says. It can be something completely useless (Farmer Joe secretly hordes old wine bottles) to a major plot hook that you want to drop to your players (Lord Hooskittle is the head of the Cult of Asmodeus). And if you really want to screw with people, you can make it cursed and on a 1-5 it tells a lie instead.
Ravens Memory: Once per long rest you can tap into the Raven Queens hoard of memories, giving you +1 to a performance check.
Bottomless wine skin. Classic.
Cauldron of boiling. Holds a gallon, any liquid placed in it boils in 1 minute without the pot getting hot.
Loaded Dice.
Pipe of smoke monsters (think Gandalf blowing smoke monsters). They're small (1ft cube) and don't last long. But they're fun for RP.
The common magical items in Xanathar's Guide to Everything are always a great choice, but if you want something that's more powerful, I'd suggest a crystal ball.
If he doesn't like using other homebrews, maybe spark the idea of eye-wear like glasses that help with finding stuff kind of like the Eyes of Minute Seeing.
Hello there, as DM's and Players I'm sure we know how exciting it is to hand out and receive magical items. That is where my problem lies. I have been planning out when to give my players magic items throughout the campaign and it has been working, but I have noticed most items I come up with giving them (mostly hombrewed items) are useful in combat and not much else.
I am wondering if anyone can give me some ideas (hombrewed or DMG doesn't matter) for specifically Non-combat Magic items to give to my PC's that don't give them an easy way out of situations.
My PC's are a Kensei Monk/Bard, a Divine Sorcerer/Monk dedicated to my worlds godess of life, a Hexblade Warlock/Assassin Rogue dedicated to the raven queen, and a Wizard/Eldritch Knight who worships my worlds god of knowledge. Their races are Air Genasi, Aasimar, Human, and Half-Orc respectively.
Thank you to anyone who is willing to reply and give help.
For most non-combat items, the character's class will be mostly irrelevant, the more important thing is going to be the personality of the player and/or the character. Most non-combat items are going to not require attunement, so you can filter by that in the item listing.
Here are a few of the official ones that seem to fit: Alchemy Jug, Bag of Holding, Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone), Cloak of the Manta Ray, Decanter of Endless Water, Driftglobe, Helm of Comprehending Languages, Immovable Rod, Robe of Useful Items
I might come back later to post something more helpful, but for now I just want to say that a luckstone is very much combat-relevant.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
Lots of magic items do not have direct combat uses.
One home-brew item I came up with was the Ivory Cup, it rendered any liquid placed within it potable and safe to drink. It did nothing to alter the taste or texture however.
Give them weird stuff that requires creativity. A good place to start is pick some ritual spells that people rarely take or use and re-spin as an item that offers a similar effect. Make them creepy, goofy or otherwise exotic too so that the players don't forget its sitting in their bag.
You can quickly homebrew non-combat items by finding a non-combat spell and making an item that casts it. Like a cup that can cast the create part of create or destroy water to fill itself.
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am doing my best to avoid simply giving them items that cast a spell as the main effect, I am looking for something a little more personal or memorable.
Seeing how most of your PCs worship a deity of some sort. I have an item Tiara of the Sentinel. It's one of my paladin's favorite items. It's a sentient silver tiara with a brilliant square ruby embedded in the center. The tiara is neutral in nature, enjoys deity sight seeing, and talks to its wearer. For a point of exhaustion the tiara will force attunement with you (Potentially becoming a fourth attuned item) for the next 4 hours. While attuned to the tiara the tiara faintly glows whenever a deity is within 100 ft. of the wearer. It's an artifact, it's origin is unknown, and how it can spot a deity when no one else can is also unknown.
I also have weapons like my Smuggler's Stiletto. The hilt of the blade has a secret compartment large enough to hold a spell scroll, stack of coin, or something of similar size. It requires a hard perception (20) DC to find the secret compartment when the wielder is being searched.
Or there are utility items; my favorite being my Bramble Cubes. I have four variants, each only working during their respective season. The basics of the cubes are when their command word is spoken they enlarge from their 2" size to create a 40 sqft. living area that doesn't shrink again until the person to originally speak the command word speaks it again.
There was a thread a few days ago about a similar subject. Here are my homebrew items for utility.
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.
Merchant's Watchdog
Its a ring that lets you know if someone is trying to mess with you using illusions or enchantments.
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So new magic items. I'm in need of an item that can cast darkness or at least bring it to low light in the area. Any none homebrew items that do what i need, my dm avoids homebrew that not his and he dislikes UA due to rule changes or something
Earlier in the campaign I'm running I had my PCs find some magical rods (for a Thieve's Guild leader in Everlund by the name Fat Rod, who's store/front is "Fat Rod's Phat Rods"). They found the rods but decided to keep them. I can't take credit for the rods (stolen from various ideas/realms of the internet, now forgotten):
Rod of flow: Four sided wooden rod with etchings on three sides representing droplets, a creek, and a river. This rod creates water at different flows. (Party has used it to fill a pit/obstacle and also to drown an Oni magically cursed not to leave its lair)
Rods of immobility (2): 18inch rods that when the command word is used become immobile in space. Command word releases. (Party has used it to cross barriers/hold doors open)
Rod of alertness
The only thing I can think of is the eversmoking bottle
"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
Book of Truth: Once a day you can open this book and it will tell you a previously unknown truth. This is really fun, because you have total control over what it says. It can be something completely useless (Farmer Joe secretly hordes old wine bottles) to a major plot hook that you want to drop to your players (Lord Hooskittle is the head of the Cult of Asmodeus). And if you really want to screw with people, you can make it cursed and on a 1-5 it tells a lie instead.
Ravens Memory: Once per long rest you can tap into the Raven Queens hoard of memories, giving you +1 to a performance check.
Bottomless wine skin. Classic.
Cauldron of boiling. Holds a gallon, any liquid placed in it boils in 1 minute without the pot getting hot.
Loaded Dice.
Pipe of smoke monsters (think Gandalf blowing smoke monsters). They're small (1ft cube) and don't last long. But they're fun for RP.
The common magical items in Xanathar's Guide to Everything are always a great choice, but if you want something that's more powerful, I'd suggest a crystal ball.
If he doesn't like using other homebrews, maybe spark the idea of eye-wear like glasses that help with finding stuff kind of like the Eyes of Minute Seeing.
Connecting you to the Funny/Ironic Magic Items thread.