Long story short, I’m going to be giving my players temporary magic items. It’ll be more or less expected that they’re going to lose them, so hopefully no hard feelings. Actually they will keep them, but I’m going to nerf them down to a uncommon level item.
So what are some really cool homebrew items you’ve created but decided against using, or used and perhaps regretted? I’m looking for unusual and unique stuff, but maybe it has some exploit that unbalances the game.
I can't say I really regretted any of these, but last year I finished DMing a campaign that ran from level 1-20. Near the end I gave quests to get super powered legendary items that I only anticipated them using for a fight or two. MY party didn't abuse them, but that's because we have whats called the "be-cool-rule/Cmon-man-rule" which means if an exploit is found, just be cool and don't do it lol. They are pretty dank though so here ya go lol (btw, I didn't give "official wording" for these, just described what they did and if the players had questions, I ruled in the moment. Feel free to change/clarify what you need!
Raiment of the High Priest: attunement from cleric. allowed player to cast both bane and bless simultaneously with the radius centered on self. Neither spell required concentration when used like this. (1/long rest)
Minas's Shield: Attunement. Bracers that: When UNARMORED get +3 bonus to AC. 3 charges/long rest. use charge to cast shield. If casting shield causes attack to miss, watery tendrils burst from the dealing 3d10 bludgeoning to the attacker.
Jio's Armor: Attunement. a ring that when attuned can take the shape of any armor type. this armor has a +3 bonus and grants resistance to BPS damage (magical or non)
Chaen's Pistol Attunement. A pistol that 1/Short rest can mark a hit target. when marked, until the start of the player's next turn, all damage sources gain a bonus equal to the wielder's proficiency bonus.
These are all I can remember off the top of my head! Hope it helps!
Nice, I'm going to use something like this. Probably all of the effects of yours, PLUS you can repeat as a bonus action for concentration spells. I am calling it the Exponential Wand.
I like that it can easily be transformed into a much-nerfed version that's still pretty powerful: just allow doubling of only one of those factors, and probably with charges per day.
No, but I don't own those books, so a short summary (you don't have to give away enough that I can pirate WotC content, just enough for me to know if I'm interested in buying the book or magic item).
This is probably the closest thing I've made, but I tried to make it not-quite-broken: Amphisbaena Ring
I like the idea of allowing extra concentration. I would consider adding an extra mandatory concentration check per round whether you take damage or not.
No, but I don't own those books, so a short summary (you don't have to give away enough that I can pirate WotC content, just enough for me to know if I'm interested in buying the book or magic item).
This is probably the closest thing I've made, but I tried to make it not-quite-broken: Amphisbaena Ring
I like the idea of allowing extra concentration. I would consider adding an extra mandatory concentration check per round whether you take damage or not.
The Illusionist’s bracers allow you to cast a cantrip as a bonus action if you casted that cantrip as an action.
The Gloves of Soul Catching increase CON to max, and when you hit with an unarmed strike while wearing them, they deal extra force damage and you regain a number of hit points equal to the force damage. You can choose to gain advantage on your next attack, check, or save before your next turn ends instead of healing.
cube of force is probably the most broken item in the game. It can screw over most types of encounter, and can be used many times a day. Even disintegrate only costs it about 6 or 7 charges, and no caster has enough Disintegrates to get through it.
a pair of cursed boots that can never be taken of. when you walk for an hour you take 1d4 of damage. this is normal. but if you die with the boots on you are restored to full health but with one less max hp. if cut of the head of some one wearing it then the head will grow a body and the body will grow a head. there will be 2 identical people both wearing the boot. the original will have one less max hp but the clone with have full hp. this makes an infinite glitch that lets you make an infinite army. other things the boots can do is if you cut of the hand of some one wear the boots and but on your forehead the boots with fuse the hand to your face and will restored the hand of person wearing the boots. if you cut of the head of the wear and put it on the body of some one else they are able to control them unless they are a PC to which whenever you want to do an action both head roll a d20 and the highest roller decides the cation
Amulet of Resilience: This amulet provides its wearer with resistance to one type of damage chosen by the attuner (such as fire, cold, or necrotic). Once per long rest, the wearer can use a reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to half their maximum hit points when they take damage of the chosen type. Attunement
I made this mostly as an exercise to replicate a sword from a story and as an example of a cursed weapon. I don't think I'd ever give it to a play but I might give it to an npc where the sword itself acts as the villain.
Tyrfing (Requires attunement)
The sword is beautiful to behold gleaming like fire with golden trim. The sword never blunts or tarnishes and seemingly cuts through anything with ease. On the sword is text in dwarvish that says "May evils befall all thieves threefold"
This weapon is +3 long sword. When you miss with an attack the target must succeed on a DC 10 dexterity saving throw, on a failed save they take damage as if they attack had hit or half as much on a success. Damage from this sword ignores resistance to slashing.
When you attack a creature with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, you deal a lethal blow by cutting off it's head. The creature dies if it can't survive without it's head. A creature is immune to this effect if it has no head, is immune to slashing damage, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its heart to be destroyed with this weapon. Such a creature instead takes an extra 6d8 slashing damage from the hit.
Powerful divination spells such as legend lore or commune reveal:
Sentience Tyrfing is a sentient lawful evil weapon with an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 20. It has truesight up to 120ft and can detect the alignment of any creature it can see.
It cannot speak but communicate telepathically by imparting feelings such as fear, anger or greed.
The sword can also cast one of the following spells once a day with a DC of 17. A creature that fails it's save against one of these spells is unaware that it was effected. 1/day: command, dream, seeming, modify memory and enemies abound
Personality
Bane of thieves: The sword is cursed to cause 3 evils on any who possess it without with out the creators permission. The sword will not attempt to harm an evil dwarf or one who has suffered 3 great tragedies as result of it. For example if the sword has killed family members of it's wielder in at least 3 different occaisions it will believe they have suffered enough and leave them be. However, it has particular hatred of the one who originally stole it and tried to kill it's creator. The sword will always try to kill a relative of that thief if they are attuned to it in addition to causing tragedy.
Bringer of death: When drawn the sword refuses to sheathed without killing, all non lethal damage becomes lethal and it will attempt to take control of any one who attempts to sheath it without killing.
Manipulator of fate: Tyrfing prefers to kill through happenstance. It will use it's abilities to entice evil creatures to fight it's wielder by enhancing grudges or feelings of greed. It will also manipulate dreams and memory of events to drive it's wielder into conflict and may even result to magically disguising allies as enemies in chaotic situations to lead to accidental killings.
Forged by a great dwarf king: The sword can only be destroyed by a dwarven king in the forge it was created in.
For me the weapon that made my paladin player so much more powerful was giving them a +2 bow that allowed them to use smites from range. It's honestly the most broken thing you can give to a Paladin.
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Long story short, I’m going to be giving my players temporary magic items. It’ll be more or less expected that they’re going to lose them, so hopefully no hard feelings. Actually they will keep them, but I’m going to nerf them down to a uncommon level item.
So what are some really cool homebrew items you’ve created but decided against using, or used and perhaps regretted? I’m looking for unusual and unique stuff, but maybe it has some exploit that unbalances the game.
Behold, the Wand of Vel Doran.
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
I can't say I really regretted any of these, but last year I finished DMing a campaign that ran from level 1-20. Near the end I gave quests to get super powered legendary items that I only anticipated them using for a fight or two. MY party didn't abuse them, but that's because we have whats called the "be-cool-rule/Cmon-man-rule" which means if an exploit is found, just be cool and don't do it lol. They are pretty dank though so here ya go lol (btw, I didn't give "official wording" for these, just described what they did and if the players had questions, I ruled in the moment. Feel free to change/clarify what you need!
Raiment of the High Priest: attunement from cleric. allowed player to cast both bane and bless simultaneously with the radius centered on self. Neither spell required concentration when used like this. (1/long rest)
Minas's Shield: Attunement. Bracers that: When UNARMORED get +3 bonus to AC. 3 charges/long rest. use charge to cast shield. If casting shield causes attack to miss, watery tendrils burst from the dealing 3d10 bludgeoning to the attacker.
Jio's Armor: Attunement. a ring that when attuned can take the shape of any armor type. this armor has a +3 bonus and grants resistance to BPS damage (magical or non)
Chaen's Pistol Attunement. A pistol that 1/Short rest can mark a hit target. when marked, until the start of the player's next turn, all damage sources gain a bonus equal to the wielder's proficiency bonus.
These are all I can remember off the top of my head! Hope it helps!
Nice, I'm going to use something like this. Probably all of the effects of yours, PLUS you can repeat as a bonus action for concentration spells. I am calling it the Exponential Wand.
I like that it can easily be transformed into a much-nerfed version that's still pretty powerful: just allow doubling of only one of those factors, and probably with charges per day.
Does it need to be homebrew?
illusionist's bracers and gloves of soul catching are pretty broken.
This is probably the closest thing I've made, but I tried to make it not-quite-broken: Amphisbaena Ring
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
No, but I don't own those books, so a short summary (you don't have to give away enough that I can pirate WotC content, just enough for me to know if I'm interested in buying the book or magic item).
I like the idea of allowing extra concentration. I would consider adding an extra mandatory concentration check per round whether you take damage or not.
The Illusionist’s bracers allow you to cast a cantrip as a bonus action if you casted that cantrip as an action.
The Gloves of Soul Catching increase CON to max, and when you hit with an unarmed strike while wearing them, they deal extra force damage and you regain a number of hit points equal to the force damage. You can choose to gain advantage on your next attack, check, or save before your next turn ends instead of healing.
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
cube of force is probably the most broken item in the game. It can screw over most types of encounter, and can be used many times a day. Even disintegrate only costs it about 6 or 7 charges, and no caster has enough Disintegrates to get through it.
This ring is a li’l busted because it stacks on top of the corresponding Eldritch Invocations: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/1721810-ring-of-eldritch-empowerment).
This sword is kinda up there: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/2336919-firebrand-longsword).
This one I genuinely regret making because it doesn’t require attunement: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/1342017-armband-of-the-bear).
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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a pair of cursed boots that can never be taken of. when you walk for an hour you take 1d4 of damage. this is normal. but if you die with the boots on you are restored to full health but with one less max hp. if cut of the head of some one wearing it then the head will grow a body and the body will grow a head. there will be 2 identical people both wearing the boot. the original will have one less max hp but the clone with have full hp. this makes an infinite glitch that lets you make an infinite army. other things the boots can do is if you cut of the hand of some one wear the boots and but on your forehead the boots with fuse the hand to your face and will restored the hand of person wearing the boots. if you cut of the head of the wear and put it on the body of some one else they are able to control them unless they are a PC to which whenever you want to do an action both head roll a d20 and the highest roller decides the cation
If you want broken items the blade of Olympus is one and also the vorpal sword
;)
Amulet of Resilience: This amulet provides its wearer with resistance to one type of damage chosen by the attuner (such as fire, cold, or necrotic). Once per long rest, the wearer can use a reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to half their maximum hit points when they take damage of the chosen type. Attunement
I made this mostly as an exercise to replicate a sword from a story and as an example of a cursed weapon. I don't think I'd ever give it to a play but I might give it to an npc where the sword itself acts as the villain.
Powerful divination spells such as legend lore or commune reveal:
For me the weapon that made my paladin player so much more powerful was giving them a +2 bow that allowed them to use smites from range. It's honestly the most broken thing you can give to a Paladin.