In my group, the Bard (who is the DM in the other game we do), really really REALLY wanted a magical instrument. Since there was no way I was giving him one from the DMG (since that is a number of bonus spells per day) I created a custom one, and then created custom items for every player (and gave them as part of one of the Encounters in Hoard of the Dragon Queen). So here are some of the items I created:
Harp of the Moon - As above - wanted to give the Bard a way to have a magic Harp Crescent Shaped Harp (similar to the Harpers symbol) - Requires Attunement by a Bard - When playing this Harp, you have advantage on performance checks. As an action you can cause the harp to glow with a dim light (pale moonlight) like the Light spell (at will). 1/day you can cast Moonbeam (DC 15).
Spike Thrower - The ranger was good at holding the line with his glaive in melee - this allowed him to control from range Longbow that has thorns growing from it - Requires Attunement - Acts as a +1 Longbow (can be used this way without attunement), and if attuned, 1/day when firing an arrow, you can activate Spike Thrower to cast Spike Growth centered on the point where the arrow lands (DC 15).
Sanctuary Cloak - Had a Paladin who was learning to be tanky and protect the party A silvery cloak that doesn't seem to get dirty - Requires Attunement - Acts as a Cloak of Protection +1 - Is also able to 1/day cast Sanctuary as a reaction to an ally being attacked within 30 feet (the spell is cast before the trigger),
Choking Armwraps - The Assassin Shadow Monk wanted to be even more deadly. Dust covered wrappings - Require Attunement by Monk - Whilst worn, these armwraps confer a +1 bonus to attack rolls with unarmed strikes. 1/day after successfully hitting with an unarmed attacked, you can activate the arm wraps to fly off your arms and start choking the foe (Note: there was Choke spell I found on Homebrew Tumblr that I borrowed for this).
There were also another 4, but these were my favourites.
One of my players recently took over as DM and here are some of the magic items he's handed out. Very creative:
Chicken Shortsword: This is a +1 shortsword that, on a successful crit, has a 25% chance of polymorphing the target into a common chicken. When hit, it will turn back into its original form, but it will count as a crit.
Invasion Javelin: This is a +1 Javelin which can be activated once per long rest to cause a single target to suffer reverse gravity. To be affected, they must fail a DC18 CON save.
Metacrawler: This jar contains an orange, glowing spiders. When released, the owner may speak a single word to the spiders. They will crawl to any instance of that word that is written within a 30ft radius, after which they blink brightly. They will return to the jar when the owner commands and must rest until the end of their owner’s next long rest.
Spellbinder pen: Once able to create spells from whole cloth simply by writing them, this ancient pen has lost nearly all of its magic. Currently, it only generates enough ink to write a single letter at a time once per long rest. As a bonus action, you may use this pen to change one letter in a spell’s name for a single casting, altering the spell in the manner the DM decides. Works on spells cast and scrolls. Get creative.
Merchant lamp: This lamp, when rubbed, will once per mission allow you to purchase a single item available from one of your city’s vendors.
Elixir of talent shifting: This flask, when drank from, allows the drinker to switch 2 stats, including bonuses, for one hour. Contains 6 charges.
A staff that shoots as many scorching rays as you command it to (maximum of 6). It carries 6 charges, if is ever out of charges, loses its magical ability. Only add your intelligence modifier if it is negative.
3. Wizards curse:
If you are any class other than a heavy caster (excluding wizards), this has no effect. All parts of your spells (including cantrips) have a +2 to all damage and attack rolls with your spells.
4. The stolen breath:
When the party kills a Behir ( large 12 legged snake with a cr of 11), they may find the lightning gland in the Behir. The gland must go to a dragonborn (Behirs hate dragons, thus the 'stolen' breath) and if any other race uses the gland (must be swallowed) then they regurgitate the gland, and shock themselves. The gland may be used 2 times a day, and deals 6d10 lightning damage (recharge 6).
These are just some from the campaign I am running, hope this was helpful.
How about a magic item that gives you perfect precognition, but it also reduces your CHA to 1, so that no one believes you when you try to tell them the future?
How about a magic item that makes the holder invisible to the undead, but it attracts undead to it, so the undead simply attack all the other party members?
How about a magic item that gives you +10 STR but makes you turn into a statue?
How about a magic item that makes you invisible but you develop Tourette's Syndrome?
How about a magic item that allows you to command the undead but makes you unable to kill?
I like designing weapons that have a huge advantage but also a huge disadvantage to even out the advantage. I also try to make the advantage and disadvantage work together.
This is a magic item that i made for one of the first campaigns i ever ran. A warning though, this item can be VERY overpowered if you allow players to sell items. This accidentaly led to the economy of multiple towns collapsing and the party gaining virtually infinite money.
Alchemist's Engine:
The Alchemist's Engine is a complicated structure that appears to be a jumble of twisted tubes with a spout on one end. This object is a rectangular shape, and on one end is a panel that has a switch and a button. When the switch is flicked, a stream of alchemist's fire (which caused the economy problem) pours out of the spout. When the button is pressed, the engine turns into an alchemy jug until the person who pressed the button chooses for it to return to it's original state. You may also choose to press the alchemist's engine into an object, and the surface begins to magically ripple as the engine slowly sinks into the item. That item then has boosted effects until the engine is removed. The effects of that item that are boosted are determined by the DM. In order to remove the Alchemist's Engine from an object, someone must place their hand on the spot where the engine entered the item, and then slowly pull their hand away from the item. The Alchemist's Engine will then be removed from the item. The effects of the alchemist's engine can only be activated by Warlocks, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Clerics. Your DM may choose to remove this restriction. Anyone who atempts to steal the engine takes 1d10 fire damage and all of their items are set on fire. This effect ONLY happens when the Alchemist's engine is with a person who has the ability to use it (Warlocks, Wizards, Sorcerers, or Clerics) That person also fails to steal the alchemist's engine.
I use NPC bards to communicate among governmental officials. I give these bards a special Lute that when some specific tunes are played cause anyone telling a lie to feel extremely uncomfortable. This is a low grade truth magic. I also allow these bards to communicate to each other using a special flute. A tune played by one flute plays on another flute at the same time if the flute is not in it's magic bag.
A device I have for Alchemists is a special balance scale. It has one side with a gold plate and another side with a platinum plate and is able to hold about one pound or 500g on each side. The alchemist places a calibrated weight on the gold side. Then he places a substance on the platinum side and whatever amount exceeds the weight on the gold side vanishes. This is to allow alchemists to obtain exact amounts of something. The scale also comes with paired cups, gold and platinum, with a specific volume. Liquids are "balanced" using the cups, but the cups must be carefully cleaned after use or the next liquids will be impure. This magic scale is very valuable and is kept out of sight and secret to the greatest extent possible.
While not magical, alchemists in my world have a special mixing device with small fins placed on a spindle and powered by one, two or three lit candles. A small drive belt wrapped around a flywheel transfers the motion to a stirring paddle with a small table to set a beaker on.
Staff of Dragons: Requires atonement. Quarterstaff + (If used by a Dragonborn) 1d6 of either Acid, Poison, Fire, Cold, or lightning damage. 4 Magical Charges: Acid Arrow- 4 charges, Ice Knife- 2 charges, Burning Hands- 2 charges, Thunderwave- 2 charges, Ray of Sickness- 2 charges.
I'm about to give some players a Ring of Misspelling. 3 charges/day, you can add, subtract, or alter up to two letters of the spell's name to produce a different (but similarly powerful) spell.
Battle axe of Frustration: A +1 battle axe with 3 charges. If you miss on an attack while attuned with this axe, you can expend a charge to gain advantage on subsequent attacks made with this weapon until the end of your next turn. It regains expended charges after you complete a long rest (Rare)
Gloves of Lightning Manipulation: Have 3 charges: you can expend one charge to add 1d6 lightning damage to an melee attack, one charge to reduce incoming lightning damage by 1d6, or two charges to cast the Shocking Grasp Cantrip at your level. It retains expended charges after 1 hour if no charges are spent in that time (uncommon)
Circlet of the Skilled Healer: requires attunement by a creature who knows at least one healing spell. While attuned and wearing it, you know the Spare the Dying cantrip with a 10% chance of restoring 1 hit point while casting it, you can reroll one die when casting a spell that restores hitpoints (you have to take the second roll), and you get proficiency with Medicine checks and a 1d4 boost to those checks twice per long rest (rare)
A small cup that appears to be made out of untarnished silver, with a handle and a flip-top lid. When the lid is closed and tapped 3 times, the cup automatically fills with warm, delicious coffee. One minute after drinking one full cup, character becomes 'Invigorated' and the character's Constitution increases by 1 for three hours. If the character is Fatigued, fatigue level temporarily improves by 1 while Invigorated.
Charges: The cup can be used once per day and resets at dawn.
Curse: After drinking from the cup a 3rd time, the character suffers 'Dour Face' and Charisma is decreased by 1 at all times, except when Invigorated.
Investigation (Characters proficient with Smith's Tools, Jeweler's Tools, or Tinkerer's Tools; or any Dwarf have advantage): Closer inspection reveals that, while the cup appears to be made out of silver, it's actually composed of some type of white-gold alloy that appears to be a mithral/gold blend.
Arcana: You recall mention of cups such as this created by a Dwarven Artificer named Daurfase who made a name for himself producing wares designed to create specific specialty drinks.
A character I made has Tinker's Tools and Artificer's Tools and a brother who was a magic tank, and together they made gloves of light to overcome their lack of darkvision.
Gloves of Light - These gloves have orbs at the end that, when activated, shed light as if a light spell was used targeting the orbs.
Gloves are a bad place to emit light... a staff or torch is held above the head, putting it between you and what you want see is worse than dim light (IRL). So sure , if you hold them over your head or down at your sides, great, but if you actually do anything with your hands, you’re going to be constantly screwing up your vision. All home brew though as there’s no rule on what happens if you hold a light right in front of your face and how it affects your vision beyond that.
But otherwise, not sure about the damage, unless they’re spikes or something it’d be the same as a punch I’d think. Also, wouldn’t punching something while wearing a glove with an orb taped to the end of it kinda break the orb?
also, light doesn’t have the range of dark vision....and remember that dark vision leaves you at a visual perception disadvantage in the dark....so kinda apples and oranges between a light spell and darkvision. ( one short range and no disadvantage, one longer range and disadvantage)
Really more of a monster, but I'm building an animated swarm of tools that you might find in an artificer's workshop. They're a swarm of monsters, technically, and have the ability to repair objects and constructs, fabricate new items, and just generally be very distracting. I'm thinking a mixture of that swarm of keys from the first Harry Potter book mixed with "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!"
I'm generally interested in creating interesting low-powered items and phenomena that you'd expect to find in the workshop of an overeager gnome. I'm also working on updating my Lantern of Souls artifact to give it a more reasonable recharge condition, and to more closely align it with Soul Coins and other new soul-based phenomena from BG:DiA.
I'm also working on updating a few of the 3.5e Weapons of Legacy, including the Sling of the Dire Winds. The most notable trait of this item is to cause bullets and stones to expand in size when hurled, enabling them to destroy fortifications.
My most speculative project on a magic item is Garl Glittergold's jokebook. I've been working on this one for a looooong time. It's an artifact book that boasts the joke collection of the gnome overgod. It's capstone ability is to literally floor people with laughter when a joke is read, which may eventually cause them to suffocate. Think Monty Python's "The Funniest Joke in the World".
One of my players recently took over as DM and here are some of the magic items he's handed out. Very creative:
Chicken Shortsword: This is a +1 shortsword that, on a successful crit, has a 25% chance of polymorphing the target into a common chicken. When hit, it will turn back into its original form, but it will count as a crit.
Invasion Javelin: This is a +1 Javelin which can be activated once per long rest to cause a single target to suffer reverse gravity. To be affected, they must fail a DC18 CON save.
Metacrawler: This jar contains an orange, glowing spiders. When released, the owner may speak a single word to the spiders. They will crawl to any instance of that word that is written within a 30ft radius, after which they blink brightly. They will return to the jar when the owner commands and must rest until the end of their owner’s next long rest.
Spellbinder pen: Once able to create spells from whole cloth simply by writing them, this ancient pen has lost nearly all of its magic. Currently, it only generates enough ink to write a single letter at a time once per long rest. As a bonus action, you may use this pen to change one letter in a spell’s name for a single casting, altering the spell in the manner the DM decides. Works on spells cast and scrolls. Get creative.
Merchant lamp: This lamp, when rubbed, will once per mission allow you to purchase a single item available from one of your city’s vendors.
Elixir of talent shifting: This flask, when drank from, allows the drinker to switch 2 stats, including bonuses, for one hour. Contains 6 charges.
Great items; the spellbinder pen is amazing, especially the part where the DM decides what changing the name of the spell does. The possibilities are endless and potentially hilarious.
I'm a new DM, but I have a family group of novice players that definitely couldn't handle a party member death or TPK at this point, and they have some pretty intense battles and situations ahead of them. I put them through a fairly challenging time-based trap+combat and then rewarded them with a magic item called "the mysts of time". It's a one time use vial and they don't know exactly what it does, but it basically works like the Omega 13 from Galaxy Quest (though I'm going to make it more like 5 minutes); it brings the whole party back in time but only the person who used it knows they went back in time. This way if everyone in the party is getting killed off and it looks bleak, they can use that to go back and figure out a different approach, or avoid the situation/combat altogether.
Cratchit's Twin Quills: These twin quill pens write the same message after the magic phrase is spoken. A character writing with one causes the other one to write as well. This can be used to make two copies of the same document (map or scroll) at once -or- they can be used to transmit a message to the other pen by writing with one pen while the other pen writes the same message somewhere else. A proper source of ink must be placed in the same position relative to each pen so the writer may 'load' both pens with ink as they begin to write. The pens are activated by a magic phrase which causes the pens to "link" for sixty seconds; "Coniungere et Exemplum." The pens could also be used to transmit a message by just learning a code of moves in a manner like Morse Code, but the pens lose their link after sixty seconds so the magic phrase might need to be spoken over and over during a long message.
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((I'm not sure if I should put this in Rule&Mechanics or DM Guild. But for now this feels like a good place. Sorry if someone already did this))
The Cross-Dimensional Magic Item Compendium
I'll be your Fungeon master for this session. What's a Fungeon? Well it's like a dungeon but it's FUN! ~Fungeons and Flagons~
I'll be your Fungeon master for this session. What's a Fungeon? Well it's like a dungeon but it's FUN! ~Fungeons and Flagons~
In my group, the Bard (who is the DM in the other game we do), really really REALLY wanted a magical instrument. Since there was no way I was giving him one from the DMG (since that is a number of bonus spells per day) I created a custom one, and then created custom items for every player (and gave them as part of one of the Encounters in Hoard of the Dragon Queen). So here are some of the items I created:
Harp of the Moon - As above - wanted to give the Bard a way to have a magic Harp
Crescent Shaped Harp (similar to the Harpers symbol) - Requires Attunement by a Bard - When playing this Harp, you have advantage on performance checks. As an action you can cause the harp to glow with a dim light (pale moonlight) like the Light spell (at will). 1/day you can cast Moonbeam (DC 15).
Spike Thrower - The ranger was good at holding the line with his glaive in melee - this allowed him to control from range
Longbow that has thorns growing from it - Requires Attunement - Acts as a +1 Longbow (can be used this way without attunement), and if attuned, 1/day when firing an arrow, you can activate Spike Thrower to cast Spike Growth centered on the point where the arrow lands (DC 15).
Sanctuary Cloak - Had a Paladin who was learning to be tanky and protect the party
A silvery cloak that doesn't seem to get dirty - Requires Attunement - Acts as a Cloak of Protection +1 - Is also able to 1/day cast Sanctuary as a reaction to an ally being attacked within 30 feet (the spell is cast before the trigger),
Choking Armwraps - The Assassin Shadow Monk wanted to be even more deadly.
Dust covered wrappings - Require Attunement by Monk - Whilst worn, these armwraps confer a +1 bonus to attack rolls with unarmed strikes. 1/day after successfully hitting with an unarmed attacked, you can activate the arm wraps to fly off your arms and start choking the foe (Note: there was Choke spell I found on Homebrew Tumblr that I borrowed for this).
There were also another 4, but these were my favourites.
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
One of my players recently took over as DM and here are some of the magic items he's handed out. Very creative:
1. Torvon's eye:
+3 to passive Perception.
2. The staff of disruption:
A staff that shoots as many scorching rays as you command it to (maximum of 6). It carries 6 charges, if is ever out of charges, loses its magical ability. Only add your intelligence modifier if it is negative.
3. Wizards curse:
If you are any class other than a heavy caster (excluding wizards), this has no effect. All parts of your spells (including cantrips) have a +2 to all damage and attack rolls with your spells.
4. The stolen breath:
When the party kills a Behir ( large 12 legged snake with a cr of 11), they may find the lightning gland in the Behir. The gland must go to a dragonborn (Behirs hate dragons, thus the 'stolen' breath) and if any other race uses the gland (must be swallowed) then they regurgitate the gland, and shock themselves. The gland may be used 2 times a day, and deals 6d10 lightning damage (recharge 6).
These are just some from the campaign I am running, hope this was helpful.
Some are O.P.
I've made a handful with more to come. Here's the link.
How about a magic item that gives you perfect precognition, but it also reduces your CHA to 1, so that no one believes you when you try to tell them the future?
How about a magic item that makes the holder invisible to the undead, but it attracts undead to it, so the undead simply attack all the other party members?
How about a magic item that gives you +10 STR but makes you turn into a statue?
How about a magic item that makes you invisible but you develop Tourette's Syndrome?
How about a magic item that allows you to command the undead but makes you unable to kill?
I like designing weapons that have a huge advantage but also a huge disadvantage to even out the advantage. I also try to make the advantage and disadvantage work together.
This is a magic item that i made for one of the first campaigns i ever ran. A warning though, this item can be VERY overpowered if you allow players to sell items. This accidentaly led to the economy of multiple towns collapsing and the party gaining virtually infinite money.
Alchemist's Engine:
The Alchemist's Engine is a complicated structure that appears to be a jumble of twisted tubes with a spout on one end. This object is a rectangular shape, and on one end is a panel that has a switch and a button. When the switch is flicked, a stream of alchemist's fire (which caused the economy problem) pours out of the spout. When the button is pressed, the engine turns into an alchemy jug until the person who pressed the button chooses for it to return to it's original state. You may also choose to press the alchemist's engine into an object, and the surface begins to magically ripple as the engine slowly sinks into the item. That item then has boosted effects until the engine is removed. The effects of that item that are boosted are determined by the DM. In order to remove the Alchemist's Engine from an object, someone must place their hand on the spot where the engine entered the item, and then slowly pull their hand away from the item. The Alchemist's Engine will then be removed from the item. The effects of the alchemist's engine can only be activated by Warlocks, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Clerics. Your DM may choose to remove this restriction. Anyone who atempts to steal the engine takes 1d10 fire damage and all of their items are set on fire. This effect ONLY happens when the Alchemist's engine is with a person who has the ability to use it (Warlocks, Wizards, Sorcerers, or Clerics) That person also fails to steal the alchemist's engine.
Hope you enjoy the item!
I use NPC bards to communicate among governmental officials. I give these bards a special Lute that when some specific tunes are played cause anyone telling a lie to feel extremely uncomfortable. This is a low grade truth magic. I also allow these bards to communicate to each other using a special flute. A tune played by one flute plays on another flute at the same time if the flute is not in it's magic bag.
A device I have for Alchemists is a special balance scale. It has one side with a gold plate and another side with a platinum plate and is able to hold about one pound or 500g on each side. The alchemist places a calibrated weight on the gold side. Then he places a substance on the platinum side and whatever amount exceeds the weight on the gold side vanishes. This is to allow alchemists to obtain exact amounts of something. The scale also comes with paired cups, gold and platinum, with a specific volume. Liquids are "balanced" using the cups, but the cups must be carefully cleaned after use or the next liquids will be impure. This magic scale is very valuable and is kept out of sight and secret to the greatest extent possible.
While not magical, alchemists in my world have a special mixing device with small fins placed on a spindle and powered by one, two or three lit candles. A small drive belt wrapped around a flywheel transfers the motion to a stirring paddle with a small table to set a beaker on.
Staff of Dragons: Requires atonement. Quarterstaff + (If used by a Dragonborn) 1d6 of either Acid, Poison, Fire, Cold, or lightning damage. 4 Magical Charges: Acid Arrow- 4 charges, Ice Knife- 2 charges, Burning Hands- 2 charges, Thunderwave- 2 charges, Ray of Sickness- 2 charges.
I'm about to give some players a Ring of Misspelling. 3 charges/day, you can add, subtract, or alter up to two letters of the spell's name to produce a different (but similarly powerful) spell.
Think:
Dancing Wights.
Mage Band.
Fish.
Create Otter.
Instant Caste.
Eldritch Flask.
:)
Battle axe of Frustration: A +1 battle axe with 3 charges. If you miss on an attack while attuned with this axe, you can expend a charge to gain advantage on subsequent attacks made with this weapon until the end of your next turn. It regains expended charges after you complete a long rest (Rare)
Gloves of Lightning Manipulation: Have 3 charges: you can expend one charge to add 1d6 lightning damage to an melee attack, one charge to reduce incoming lightning damage by 1d6, or two charges to cast the Shocking Grasp Cantrip at your level. It retains expended charges after 1 hour if no charges are spent in that time (uncommon)
Circlet of the Skilled Healer: requires attunement by a creature who knows at least one healing spell. While attuned and wearing it, you know the Spare the Dying cantrip with a 10% chance of restoring 1 hit point while casting it, you can reroll one die when casting a spell that restores hitpoints (you have to take the second roll), and you get proficiency with Medicine checks and a 1d4 boost to those checks twice per long rest (rare)
+3 to hit, 1d10 for damage, 1d6 for random element 1.Lightning 2.Ice 3.Poison 4.acid 5. Necrotic 6.Fire
Daurfase's Neverending Coffee Cup
A small cup that appears to be made out of untarnished silver, with a handle and a flip-top lid. When the lid is closed and tapped 3 times, the cup automatically fills with warm, delicious coffee. One minute after drinking one full cup, character becomes 'Invigorated' and the character's Constitution increases by 1 for three hours. If the character is Fatigued, fatigue level temporarily improves by 1 while Invigorated.
Charges: The cup can be used once per day and resets at dawn.
Curse: After drinking from the cup a 3rd time, the character suffers 'Dour Face' and Charisma is decreased by 1 at all times, except when Invigorated.
Investigation (Characters proficient with Smith's Tools, Jeweler's Tools, or Tinkerer's Tools; or any Dwarf have advantage): Closer inspection reveals that, while the cup appears to be made out of silver, it's actually composed of some type of white-gold alloy that appears to be a mithral/gold blend.
Arcana: You recall mention of cups such as this created by a Dwarven Artificer named Daurfase who made a name for himself producing wares designed to create specific specialty drinks.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
A character I made has Tinker's Tools and Artificer's Tools and a brother who was a magic tank, and together they made gloves of light to overcome their lack of darkvision.
Gloves of Light - These gloves have orbs at the end that, when activated, shed light as if a light spell was used targeting the orbs.
1D4 Bludgeoning Damage
Light and gloves
Price = 100 GP
Weight = 1 lb per glove
Gloves are a bad place to emit light... a staff or torch is held above the head, putting it between you and what you want see is worse than dim light (IRL). So sure , if you hold them over your head or down at your sides, great, but if you actually do anything with your hands, you’re going to be constantly screwing up your vision. All home brew though as there’s no rule on what happens if you hold a light right in front of your face and how it affects your vision beyond that.
But otherwise, not sure about the damage, unless they’re spikes or something it’d be the same as a punch I’d think. Also, wouldn’t punching something while wearing a glove with an orb taped to the end of it kinda break the orb?
also, light doesn’t have the range of dark vision....and remember that dark vision leaves you at a visual perception disadvantage in the dark....so kinda apples and oranges between a light spell and darkvision. ( one short range and no disadvantage, one longer range and disadvantage)
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
Really more of a monster, but I'm building an animated swarm of tools that you might find in an artificer's workshop. They're a swarm of monsters, technically, and have the ability to repair objects and constructs, fabricate new items, and just generally be very distracting. I'm thinking a mixture of that swarm of keys from the first Harry Potter book mixed with "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!"
I'm generally interested in creating interesting low-powered items and phenomena that you'd expect to find in the workshop of an overeager gnome. I'm also working on updating my Lantern of Souls artifact to give it a more reasonable recharge condition, and to more closely align it with Soul Coins and other new soul-based phenomena from BG:DiA.
I'm also working on updating a few of the 3.5e Weapons of Legacy, including the Sling of the Dire Winds. The most notable trait of this item is to cause bullets and stones to expand in size when hurled, enabling them to destroy fortifications.
My most speculative project on a magic item is Garl Glittergold's jokebook. I've been working on this one for a looooong time. It's an artifact book that boasts the joke collection of the gnome overgod. It's capstone ability is to literally floor people with laughter when a joke is read, which may eventually cause them to suffocate. Think Monty Python's "The Funniest Joke in the World".
Great items; the spellbinder pen is amazing, especially the part where the DM decides what changing the name of the spell does. The possibilities are endless and potentially hilarious.
I'm a new DM, but I have a family group of novice players that definitely couldn't handle a party member death or TPK at this point, and they have some pretty intense battles and situations ahead of them. I put them through a fairly challenging time-based trap+combat and then rewarded them with a magic item called "the mysts of time". It's a one time use vial and they don't know exactly what it does, but it basically works like the Omega 13 from Galaxy Quest (though I'm going to make it more like 5 minutes); it brings the whole party back in time but only the person who used it knows they went back in time. This way if everyone in the party is getting killed off and it looks bleak, they can use that to go back and figure out a different approach, or avoid the situation/combat altogether.
Cratchit's Twin Quills: These twin quill pens write the same message after the magic phrase is spoken. A character writing with one causes the other one to write as well. This can be used to make two copies of the same document (map or scroll) at once -or- they can be used to transmit a message to the other pen by writing with one pen while the other pen writes the same message somewhere else. A proper source of ink must be placed in the same position relative to each pen so the writer may 'load' both pens with ink as they begin to write. The pens are activated by a magic phrase which causes the pens to "link" for sixty seconds; "Coniungere et Exemplum." The pens could also be used to transmit a message by just learning a code of moves in a manner like Morse Code, but the pens lose their link after sixty seconds so the magic phrase might need to be spoken over and over during a long message.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt