What’s better than new toys? The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide contains over 400 items that players and DMs alike will love. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the new items from this essential guide and give you a quick look at what trinkets and treasures you can bring to your game!
- Baba Yaga’s Dancing Broom
- Enspelled Armor
- Enspelled Staff
- Enspelled Weapon
- Energy Bow
- Executioner’s Axe
- Hag Eye
- Hat of Many Spells
- Lute of Thunderous Thumping
- Potion of Greater Invisibility
The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is Now Available
Prep your adventures with invaluable tools and expert advice in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide! Encompassing 400+ magic items, new rules for Bastions, a Greyhawk campaign setting, and more, this trove of tools will help you weave epic tales for your table and save you time on your prep.
If you want all three core rulebooks, you can save $60, get exclusive digital bonuses, and immediately access the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and 2024 Player's Handbook when you pre-order the Digital & Physical Core Rulebook Bundle.
1. Baba Yaga’s Dancing Broom
Wondrous Item, Uncommon
What if your house cleaned itself? Well, with one of Baba Yaga’s Dancing Brooms, you’re halfway there! This item appears as a normal broom, but you can use a Magic action while holding the broom to transform it into an animated broom that acts immediately after you on your Initiative count and follows your instructions.
The utility of a self-sweeping broom is obvious, but you can also use it as a distraction. Instruct the animated broom to knock something over in another room and then flee or render it inanimate with your Bonus Action. Or ask the broom to aid you in battle by bonking monsters over the head and then escaping using its Flyby trait!
You can communicate telepathically with the broom while you’re within 30 feet of it and not Incapacitated, so you’ll be able to sweep up all kinds of hijinks thanks to this wonderfully unique item!
2. Enspelled Armor
Armor, (Any Light, Medium, or Heavy), Rarity Varies (Requires Attunement)
An enspelled item—armor, staff, or weapon—is imbued with a level 8 spell or lower. The item's rarity is tied to the level of the spell it contains. Items imbued with cantrips are Uncommon, while those containing level 8 spells are Legendary.
Enspelled items are great for non-spellcasters because they can rest easy knowing that the spell’s saving throw DC and spell attack bonus are determined by the spell’s level, not by their character’s Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Spellcasters, on the other hand, will certainly still benefit by casting free spells but may find that the item’s set DC is lower than their own spell save DC.
Like all enspelled items, Enspelled Armor contains 6 charges, regains 1d6 charges daily at dawn, and you can expend 1 charge while wearing the armor to cast the spell that is bound to the item. Six charges are more than you’re likely to use for any single spell in one day, even if you pick a frequently cast spell like Shield or Dispel Magic.
Enspelled Armor can be any type of armor, and its spell must belong to the Abjuration or Illusion school of magic. (Note: The item is not restricted by class spell list!) Keep an eye out for armor enspelled with spells that keep you alive or support your allies, such as Armor of Agathys, Aura of Vitality, Circle of Power, Cure Wounds, Freedom of Movement, or Mirror Image.
3. Enspelled Staff
Staff, Rarity Varies (Requires Attunement by a Spellcaster)
An Enspelled Staff works very similar to Enspelled Armor, except only a spellcaster can attune to it, and it doesn’t have a school of magic limitation.
If you're a spellcaster, finding a staff enspelled with a damage-dealing spell, like Fireball, will help you save resources you'd typically need for doing damage. Or, if you find a staff infused with a healing spell, it can help keep your party alive.
Note that if you use the last charge of an Enspelled Staff, you risk the staff losing its magic!
4. Enspelled Weapon
Weapon (Any Simple or Martial), Rarity Varies (Requires Attunement)
Already have some magic armor, and staffs aren’t your speed? The Enspelled Weapon works the same way as the two previous items, with the main difference being it can only be bound with a spell of Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Necromancy, or Transmutation school of magic.
What best suits your fighting style? The enspelled item can be any type of weapon, and can contain spells that will make it easier to hit your opponents, such as Faerie Fire, Blindness/Deafness, or See Invisibility. Or perhaps spells to increase your damage output, like Hunter’s Mark, Haste, Conjure Minor Elementals, or Steel Wind Strike.
5. Energy Bow
Weapon (Longbow or Shortbow), Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
Battlefield controllers will love this new weapon—and fans of the 1980s D&D cartoon may recognize it! The Energy Bow grants you a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon, creates its own ammunition, and deals Force damage. Plus, its ammunition disappears after it hits or misses the target, leaving no physical evidence behind!
The Energy Bow has three additional properties:
- Arrow of Restraint. Whenever you use this weapon to make a ranged attack against a creature, you can attempt to apply the Restrained condition instead of doing damage. If you choose to do so and hit, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or have the Restrained condition for 1 minute. If a Restrained creature wants to try to free itself, it must use an action to make a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to escape.
- Arrow of Transport. You can use a Magic action to fire an energy arrow at a target up to 60 feet away, as long as that target is a willing Medium or smaller creature or an object that isn’t being worn or carried and fits inside a 5-foot cube. The arrow teleports that target to an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you. Use this to pull your fragile Wizard or daring Rogue out of a tough spot or teleport a MacGuffin right into your hands!
- Energy Ladder. You can use a Magic action to fire a flurry of energy arrows at a wall up to 60 feet away. The arrows become magical glowing rungs upon impact, creating a magical ladder up to 60 feet long on the wall. The ladder lasts for 1 minute, so using it to scale a massive cliffside will require impeccable footwork and timing, but you can use it to easily climb most buildings or city walls.
6. Executioner’s Axe
Weapon (Battleaxe, Greataxe, Halberd, or Handaxe), Very Rare
The Executioner’s Axe is specialized for killing Humanoids. It deals an additional 2d6 Slashing damage on a hit when your target is a Humanoid and it grants the wielder Temporary Hit Points equal to the damage dealt this way. (It also provides a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against any creature, so it’s no slouch against other monsters either!)
The item can be a Battleaxe, Greataxe, Halberd, or Handaxe— allowing you to find a weapon that matches nearly any style of combat. Martial characters will fall in love with the Executioner’s Axe, but characters playing a tank role will especially appreciate the item’s boost to Temporary Hit Points.
7. Hag Eye
Wondrous Item, Uncommon
Hag Eyes don’t grow on trees, and a hag coven won’t give their eye to just anybody. This item, which previously appeared in the 2014 Monster Manual, has been brought into the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide as a way to make a hag’s insidious concoctions more accessible in your campaign.
With it, the wielder of a Hag Eye can expend 1 of the item’s 3 charges to cast Darkvision or See Invisibility on themself, making them a better spy for their coven sponsor. Only hag covens can create these creepy little eyeballs. They then fit them to pendants and can use their Concentration to see whatever the eye sees as long as the hag and the Hag Eye are on the same plane.
Did you make a deal with a coven, or have you been tricked into wearing the Hag Eye? Do you disguise the necklace, and if so, how? Are you a coven’s spy, or are they spying on you?
8. Hat of Many Spells
Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement by a Wizard)
The Hat of Many Spells is going to be a new favorite item for creative players and players who enjoy unpredictability. If you are a Wizard, you can use this item to attempt to cast any level 1+ spell that you don’t know, meaning spells not yet added to your spellbook.
That spell must be on the Wizard’s spell list, must be of a level you can cast, and cannot have Material components that cost more than 1,000 GP. A spell cast from the hat uses its normal casting time and has an interesting additional Somatic component: you must reach into the hat and “pull” the spell out of it.
As seen in the 1980s D&D cartoon, the Hat of Many Spells has plentiful rewards, but it presents a risk: You spend the spell slot before you know if the attempt to cast the spell succeeded, and your success depends on an Intelligence (Arcana) check (DC 10 plus the spell’s level). If you fail, that spell slot is expended, and you roll on a random effect table to see what happens next. Without listing the specific effects here, I’ll say that the table reminds me of the Wild Magic Surge table from the Wild Magic Sorcery subclass.
Use this hat to cast valuable spells that may have felt too niche to learn, such as Knock, Fabricate, or Move Earth. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you complete a Short or Long Rest.
9. Lute of Thunderous Thumping
Weapon (Club), Very Rare
This new magic item is a Bard’s best friend. The Lute of Thunderous Thumping can be used to bash monsters over the head, dealing an extra 2d8 Thunder damage on a hit. But if you’re a Bard, you can also use your Charisma modifier to make attack rolls and deal damage instead of your Strength modifier—all you need to do is sing or hum while attacking. Seems like a fair trade! Must you sing “My Heart Will Go On” with every swing? Well, there will be time to unpack that after the lute has done its job.
10. Potion of Greater Invisibility
Potion, Very Rare
Who doesn’t want to be Invisible? Whether you’re infiltrating a secure area, firing a Longbow from afar, or striking enemies up close, you’ll benefit from not being seen by your foes!
The Potion of Invisibility that we know and love also grants you the Invisible condition for one hour, but that condition ends when you make an attack roll, cast a spell, or deal damage. The Potion of Greater Invisibility suffers no such restriction; you are simply Invisible for one hour.
Keep An Eye Out For More Treasure
The new items in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, from rare relics to enchanted trinkets, offer a trove of treasures for adventurers. Players will find items suited to characters of all roles and specialties, and Dungeon Masters will discover new opportunities to reward creativity and shape unforgettable quests.
Order your copy of the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and get ready to equip your party with everything from common magical trinkets to legendary artifacts of incredible power!
Damen Cook (@damen_joseph) is a lifelong fantasy reader, writer, and gamer. If he woke up tomorrow in Faerûn, he would bolt through the nearest fey crossing and drink from every stream and eat fruit from every tree in the Feywild until he found that sweet, sweet wild magic.
They all look very interesting, especially the enspelled items
I really love the enspelled weapons so looking forward to trying them out in my games.
"Enspelled Armor can be any type of armor, and its spell must belong to the Abjuration or Illusion school of magic. (Note: The item is not restricted by class spell list!) Keep an eye out for armor enspelled with spells that keep you alive or support your allies, such as Armor of Agathys, Aura of Vitality, Circle of Power, Cure Wounds, Freedom of Movement, or Mirror Image."
Aura of Vitalit and Cure Wounds are evocation. Did AI write this article?
Enspelled looks cool.
Lute of thunderous thumping 🤔. Did they think before naming it?
The hat mentioning the wild magic sorcerer tho. That brings back memories of some mad comments I read.
Potion of invisibility. See they finally made a potion that's been long due.
Giving the axe to a barbarian and then they can plow thru so many encounters.
They are Abjuration spell in 2024.
I get the feeling that stuff like the Enspelled Armor and Staff are intended to be utilized with a crafting system, possibly with specific materials.... and I'm fine with that. It's long overdue, I think.
Enspelled Staff of Find Steed; everyone gets a flying mount, with enough time and resources, cast at 8th level (or one level lower than Fullcasters using Wish Find Steed at 9th level).
This becomes a boon for the entire party, even for the Paladin; who can only upcast Find Steed to 5th level (lol, thanks *sarcasm* for keeping Find Steed a spell).
They are now classified as abjuration spells under new rules.
odd to showcase 3 magic items that are basically the same, an already existing magic item, a already existing monster, and an incredibly simple potion as ways of showing off the supposedly brand new book.
I think their talking about 2024 version
I’m giving the axe to my BBeG
Does the Lute of thunder Thumping remind anyone lese of Edgin Darvis's Reinforced Lute attack?
I'm pretty sure that was intended.
WotC's solution to how much above bounded accuracy the combination of the Shield spell and Heavy Armor gets is... to make it easier to access. Great.
Not for the new PHB, both had been moved to the Abjuration list.
Most healing was moved to abjuration
A
Of course they are, this is from the new DMG.
Amazing!
Energy Bow - Make its basic version available at lower levels (than Very Rare) and then there is way to level it up with additional abilities. Works well with 'runic magic' type systems where you have to find/learn the upgrade rune. (That restraint arrow now requires finding an octopus bezoar and casting some higher level restraining spell to it and then affixing it to the bow.) Or the old 'legacy weapons' (or any of the other evolving weapon systems) where at the appropriate tier or event the bow evolves in power along with the user. This really opens up some 'favored enemy' arrows, e.g., first time you kill a giant with the bow it learns to generate +1 vs giants arrows maybe with a limit to how many you can have 'learned' at one time.