Royal Flush: 5 Magic Items From The Book of Many Things

Tags author-davyd-atkins Deck of Many Things

While the Deck of Many Things may be the eponymous magic item of The Book of Many Things, that does not mean it’s the only arcane relic to be found within the pages of this exciting new sourcebook. Far from, as this new book is a veritable full house of magical trinkets and eldritch relics for you to use in your Dungeons & Dragons games.

Read on to find out about new arcane foci, planeswalking blades, and more with these previews of but a few fantastical magic items from The Book of Many Things.

  1. Armor of the Fallen
  2. Bow of Melodies
  3. Fate Dealer's Deck
  4. House of Cards
  5. Sword of the Planes

Talk to Your Dungeon Master About Magic Items

Depending on the campaign, your access to magic items might be limited. Your DM will determine which magic items are and are not available in the campaign. Let them know which magic items you are interested in but be open-minded if they are uncomfortable permitting some or any of the magic items you request.

Armor of the Fallen

Artist: SUZANNE HELMIGHArmor made of bone and sinew

Armor (Medium or Heavy), Uncommon (Requires Attunement)

The armor of the fallen is a suit of medium or heavy armor that is crafted from bone and sinew, and held together by the very power of your soul. It grants you a modicum of power to reach out beyond the veil of life and death. While attuned to this uncommon magic item, you can use its power to cast speak with dead, or even animate dead. However, be warned, for if you die while wearing this armor, the power that holds it together will vanish as you perish, destroying the armor in the blink of an eye.

This suit of macabre armor would be ideal for a Grave Domain cleric or Oath of Vengeance paladin, or any martial character with a particularly melancholic aesthetic. Speak with dead is a very useful spell for those parties who prefer to stab first, ask questions later—as long as they remember to ask the right questions! But animate dead is where the armor can really shine for a paladin, cleric, or fighter, allowing them to raise their own personal guard.

Bow of Melodies

Artist: SUZANNE HELMIGHA bow with multiple instrumental strings

Weapon (Any Bow), Very Rare (Requires Attunement)

This magic item puts the Bow in Bowie. Be heroes for more than just one day as you slay with this harp-like bow that imbues your arrows with the power of music. A strum of the bow's many strings allows you to perform a magical melody which enchants each shot you make.

The Melody of Precision grants you a magical bonus to your attack roll if you have proficiency in Performance. (That bonus is higher if have expertise.) The Melody of Reverberation allows you to add your Charisma modifier to an attack in the form of thunder damage.

This weapon screams, or more accurately sings, bard. Both abilities synergize well with the class and mean that a bard equipped with the bow of melodies will either regularly be getting a significant magical bonus to their attack rolls, or bringing the house down with thunderous Charisma damage (or is that charismatic thunder damage?). Either way, a bard wielding this bow will be the center of attention.

Fate Dealer's Deck

Artist: WADE ACUFFA deck of many things emits a beam of light and eerie fog.

Wonderous Item, Rare (+1), Very Rare (+2), Legendary (+3) (Requires Attunement by a Cleric or Paladin)

The fate dealer's deck appears as an ornate deck of cards adorned with various glyphs or symbols. These might correspond to the Inner Planes, such as the Elemental Plane of Fire; the Outer Planes, like Mechanus; or various deities and divine beings. While being wielded by a paladin or a cleric, the deck can be used as a spellcasting focus that empowers their spell attack rolls and spell save DC.

A powerful boon by itself, that’s not all there is to this fateful deck of cards. As an action, a character holding the deck can expend Hit Dice to either heal allies or deal guaranteed-to-hit damage! 

This item would be very much on brand for a Trickery Domain cleric, but any paladin or cleric would benefit greatly from the bonus to spell attack rolls and spell save DC, much like the rod of the pact keeper does for warlocks. The secondary effect can be excellent for emergency healing if you’re out of spell slots, but the damage ability with no chance of missing is perfect for trying to break the concentration of an enemy caster.

House of Cards

Artist: BRIAN VALEZAA 3-story house made of various playing cards.

Wonderous Item, Uncommon

Sometimes Leomund's tiny hut is just too tiny, Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion just isn’t magnificent enough, and Daern’s instant fortress doesn’t instantly appeal. For when you want a shelter with style, a residence with the rizz, a keep with charisma, there’s the house of cards. Appearing as a decorative deck of cards, one quick shuffle causes this magic item to deal itself into a magical shelter made out of cards. You can shape this literal house of cards however you wish as long as it fits within a 40-foot cube, including positioning the door and up to four windows, which only you can open. Inside, you’ll find a pleasant atmosphere to relax and unwind in.

Lasting 24 hours, or until it’s reduced to 0 hit points, the house of cards is a fantastic utility item for any party, especially one that doesn’t have access to the more traditional magical shelter options. It also adds some fun flair to the process of setting up camp but doesn’t make the party completely invulnerable during their long rests. But that’s only something the most fiendish of DMs would want to know…

Sword of the Planes

Artist: ROBSON MICHELA longsword with an ornate cross guard decorated by a saphire in the hilt

Weapon (Any Sword), Legendary (Requires Attunement)

With a single stroke of the legendary sword of the planes, you can tear the fabric of reality and open a rift between planes! You'll really put the "cut" in "shortcut" as you carve a path to the banks of the River Styx in Avernus, or the heart of Mechanus. And given that it’s an action to use this ability, it can be incredibly useful for escaping danger in a hurry. However, be careful, as the rift lasts for 1 minute, and you wouldn’t want to let your enemies in behind you. Unless that’s your plan; one quick shove and you could deposit that troublesome fiend into Limbo, or hide a body in the Feywild!

Where this +3 sword really shines is as an item key to the plot of an adventure. Its ability to open rifts between planes makes it a great objective to recover in pursuit of a larger goal such as reaching a specific location. You could also place it in the hands of an enemy, allowing them to escape the party should they face defeat, and providing an exciting piece of loot to collect after the characters eventually pin their foe down and defeat them. 

Find More Magic Items in The Book of Many Things

The fun doesn’t stop with just these five items, as there are many more to draw upon from The Book of Many Things. As you shuffle through its pages, you’ll find over 50 magic items suitable for all sorts of characters—or maybe even some monsters.

What Is The Deck of Many Things Set? Cards of Chaos to Expand Your Campaign
by Mike Bernier
Deck of Wonder: The Deck of Many Things for Low-Level Parties
by Kyle Shire
What Happens When You Die to the Deck of Many Things?
by Davyd Barker

Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including his daughter Willow (well, one day). The three of them live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in south of England.

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