Mar 22, 2015 The magic item rules as presented in the 5th edition DMG are inconsistent, arbitrary and seem to actively discourage players from making magic items. The pricing structure is all wrong and the common/uncommon/rare availability throws up some weird glitches. Compare a potion of flying to any. A comprehensive list of all official magic items for Fifth Edition. Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e) Magic Items. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. A list of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) SRD magic items order by rarity. Sep 02, 2017 If you want to stick to the rules, the 5E DMG p.38 indicates for a high level campaign 5th level characters would have 500 gp plus ldlO x 25 gp, one uncommon magic item, normal starting equipment. And, there's a handy pdf on the wizards' site for Magic Items by Rarity, so finding Uncommon options is a snap.
Dungeon Master’s Guide. Rules for Crafting Magic Items. Note first that the DMG’s rules are more strict than Xanathar’s rules and are quite limiting. We’ll analyze Xanathar’s next, and you, as the DM, can determine which set of rules, or a combination, you would like to enforce.
5e SRD >Gamemastering >Magic Items > 3rd Party Publisher Magic Armor and Weapons
Contents
- 1 Magic Weapons & Ammunition
Adamantine Armor
Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), uncommon
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you’re wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
Animated Shield
Armor (shield), very rare (requires attunement)
While holding this shield, you can speak its command word as a bonus action to cause it to animate. The shield leaps into the air and hovers in your space to protect you as if you were wielding it, leaving your hands free. The shield remains animated for 1 minute, until you use a bonus action to end this effect, or until you are incapacitated or die, at which point the shield falls to the ground or into your hand if you have one free.
Armor, +1, +2, or +3
Armor (light, medium, or heavy), rare (+1), very rare (+2), or legendary (+3)
You have a bonus to AC while wearing this armor. The bonus is determined by its rarity.
Armor of Invulnerability
Armor (plate), legendary (requires attunement)
You have resistance to nonmagical damage while you wear this armor.
Additionally, you can use an action to make yourself immune to nonmagical damage for 10 minutes or until you are no longer wearing the armor. Once this special action is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.
Armor of Resistance
Armor (light, medium, or heavy), rare (requires attunement)
You have resistance to one type of damage while you wear this armor. The GM chooses the type or determines it randomly from the options below.
d10 | Damage Type |
---|---|
1 | Acid |
2 | Cold |
3 | Fire |
4 | Force |
5 | Lightning |
6 | Necrotic |
7 | Poison |
8 | Psychic |
9 | Radiant |
10 | Thunder |
Armor of Vulnerability
Armor (plate), rare (requires attunement)
While wearing this armor, you have resistance to one of the following damage types: bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. The GM chooses the type or determines it randomly.
Curse: This armor is cursed, a fact that is revealed only when an identify spell is cast on the armor or you attune to it. Attuning to the armor curses you until you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic; removing the armor fails to end the curse. While cursed, you have vulnerability to two of the three damage types associated with the armor (not the one to which it grants resistance).
Arrow-Catching Shield
Armor (shield), rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +2 bonus to AC against ranged attacks while you wield this shield. This bonus is in addition to the shield’s normal bonus to AC. In addition, whenever an attacker makes a ranged attack against a target within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to become the target of the attack instead.
Demon Armor
Armor (plate), very rare (requires attunement)
While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC, and you can understand and speak Abyssal. In addition, the armor’s clawed gauntlets turn unarmed strikes with your hands into magic weapons that deal slashing damage, with a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls and a damage die of 1d8.
Curse: Once you don this cursed armor, you can’t doff it unless you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic. While wearing the armor, you have disadvantage on attack rolls against demons and on saving throws against their spells and special abilities.
Dragon Scale Mail
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Armor (scale mail), very rare (requires attunement)
Dragon scale mail is made of the scales of one kind of dragon. Sometimes dragons collect their cast-off scales and gift them to humanoids. Other times, hunters carefully skin and preserve the hide of a dead dragon. In either case, dragon scale mail is highly valued.
While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC, you have advantage on saving throws against the Frightful Presence and breath weapons of dragons, and you have resistance to one damage type that is determined by the kind of dragon that provided the scales (see the table).
Additionally, you can focus your senses as an action to magically discern the distance and direction to the closest dragon within 30 miles of you that is of the same type as the armor. This special action can’t be used again until the next dawn.
Dragon | Resistance |
---|---|
Black | Acid |
Gold | Fire |
Blue | Lightning |
Green | Poison |
Brass | Fire |
Red | Fire |
Bronze | Lightning |
Silver | Cold |
Copper | Acid |
White | Cold |
Elven Chain
Armor (chain shirt), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you wear this armor. You are considered proficient with this armor even if you lack proficiency with medium armor.
Glamoured Studded Leather
Armor (studded leather), rare
While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. You can also use a bonus action to speak the armor’s command word and cause the armor to assume the appearance of a normal set of clothing or some other kind of armor. You decide what it looks like, including color, style, and accessories, but the armor retains its normal bulk and weight. The illusory appearance lasts until you use this property again or remove the armor.
Mithral Armor
Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), uncommon
Mithral is a light, flexible metal. A mithral chain shirt or breastplate can be worn under normal clothes. If the armor normally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or has a Strength requirement, the mithral version of the armor doesn’t.
Plate Armor of Etherealness
Armor (plate), legendary (requires attunement)
While you’re wearing this armor, you can speak its command word as an action to gain the effect of the etherealness spell, which last for 10 minutes or until you remove the armor or use an action to speak the command word again. This property of the armor can’t be used again until the next dawn.
Dwarven Plate
Armor (plate), very rare
While wearing this armor, you gain a +2 bonus to AC. In addition, if an effect moves you against your will along the ground, you can use your reaction to reduce the distance you are moved by up to 10 feet.
Shield, +1, +2, or +3
Armor (shield), uncommon (+1), rare (+2), or very rare (+3)
While holding this shield, you have a bonus to AC determined by the shield’s rarity. This bonus is in addition to the shield’s normal bonus to AC.
Shield of Missile Attraction
Armor (shield), rare (requires attunement)
While holding this shield, you have resistance to damage from ranged weapon attacks.
Curse: This shield is cursed. Attuning to it curses you until you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic. Removing the shield fails to end the curse on you. Whenever a ranged weapon attack is made against a target within 10 feet of you, the curse causes you to become the target instead.
Magic Weapons & Ammunition
Dragon Slayer
Weapon (any sword), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
When you hit a dragon with this weapon, the dragon takes an extra 3d6 damage of the weapon’s type. For the purpose of this weapon, “dragon” refers to any creature with the dragon type, including dragon turtles and wyverns.
Ammunition, +1, +2, or +3
Weapon (any ammunition), uncommon (+1), rare (+2), or very rare (+3)
You have a bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this piece of magic ammunition. The bonus is determined by the rarity of the ammunition. Once it hits a target, the ammunition is no longer magical.
Arrow of Slaying
Weapon (arrow), very rare
An arrow of slaying is a magic weapon meant to slay a particular kind of creature. Some are more focused than others; for example, there are both arrows of dragon slaying and arrows of blue dragon slaying. If a creature belonging to the type, race, or group associated with an arrow of slaying takes damage from the arrow, the creature must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking an extra 6d10 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much extra damage on a successful one.
Once an arrow of slaying deals its extra damage to a creature, it becomes a nonmagical arrow.
Other types of magic ammunition of this kind exist, such as bolts of slaying meant for a crossbow, though arrows are most common.
Berserker Axe
Weapon (any axe), rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, while you are attuned to this weapon, your hit point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have attained.
Curse: This axe is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the axe, keeping it within reach at all times. You also have disadvantage on attack rolls with weapons other than this one, unless no foe is within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear.
Whenever a hostile creature damages you while the axe is in your possession, you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or go berserk. While berserk, you must use your action each round to attack the creature nearest to you with the axe. If you can make extra attacks as part of the Attack action, you use those extra attacks, moving to attack the next nearest creature after you fell your current target. If you have multiple possible targets, you attack one at random. You are berserk until you start your turn with no creatures within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear.
Dagger of Venom
Weapon (dagger), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
You can use an action to cause thick, black poison to coat the blade. The poison remains for 1 minute or until an attack using this weapon hits a creature. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 2d10 poison damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. The dagger can’t be used this way again until the next dawn.
Dancing Sword
Weapon (any sword), very rare (requires attunement)
You can use a bonus action to toss this magic sword into the air and speak the command word. When you do so, the sword begins to hover, flies up to 30 feet, and attacks one creature of your choice within 5 feet of it. The sword uses your attack roll and ability score modifier to damage rolls.
While the sword hovers, you can use a bonus action to cause it to fly up to 30 feet to another spot within 30 feet of you. As part of the same bonus action, you can cause the sword to attack one creature within 5 feet of it.
After the hovering sword attacks for the fourth time, it flies up to 30 feet and tries to return to your hand. If you have no hand free, it falls to the ground at your feet. If the sword has no unobstructed path to you, it moves as close to you as it can and then falls to the ground. It also ceases to hover if you grasp it or move more than 30 feet away from it.
Defender
Weapon (any sword), legendary (requires attunement)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
The first time you attack with the sword on each of your turns, you can transfer some or all of the sword’s bonus to your Armor Class, instead of using the bonus on any attacks that turn. For example, you could reduce the bonus to your attack and damage rolls to +1 and gain a +2 bonus to AC. The adjusted bonuses remain in effect until the start of your next turn, although you must hold the sword to gain a bonus to AC from it.
Dwarven Thrower
Weapon (warhammer), very rare (requires attunement by a dwarf)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. It has the thrown property with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. When you hit with a ranged attack using this weapon, it deals an extra 1d8 damage or, if the target is a giant, 2d8 damage. Immediately after the attack, the weapon flies back to your hand.
Flame Tongue
Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
You can use a bonus action to speak this magic sword’s command word, causing flames to erupt from the blade. These flames shed bright light in a 40-foot radius and dim light for an additional 40 feet. While the sword is ablaze, it deals an extra 2d6 fire damage to any target it hits. The flames last until you use a bonus action to speak the command word again or until you drop or sheathe the sword.
Frost Brand
Weapon (any sword), very rare (requires attunement)
When you hit with an attack using this magic sword, the target takes an extra 1d6 cold damage. In addition, while you hold the sword, you have resistance to fire damage.
In freezing temperatures, the blade sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
When you draw this weapon, you can extinguish all nonmagical flames within 30 feet of you. This property can be used no more than once per hour.
Giant Slayer
Weapon (any axe or sword), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
When you hit a giant with it, the giant takes an extra 2d6 damage of the weapon’s type and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or fall prone. For the purpose of this weapon, “giant” refers to any creature with the giant type, including ettins and trolls.
Hammer of Thunderbolts
Weapon (maul), legendary
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Giant’s Bane (Requires Attunement): You must be wearing a belt of giant strength (any variety) and gauntlets of ogre power to attune to this weapon. The attunement ends if you take off either of those items. While you are attuned to this weapon and holding it, your Strength score increases by 4 and can exceed 20, but not 30. When you roll a 20 on an attack roll made with this weapon against a giant, the giant must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or die.
The hammer also has 5 charges. While attuned to it, you can expend 1 charge and make a ranged weapon attack with the hammer, hurling it as if it had the thrown property with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If the attack hits, the hammer unleashes a thunderclap audible out to 300 feet. The target and every creature within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn. The hammer regains 1d4 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn.
Holy Avenger
Weapon (any sword), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit a fiend or an undead with it, that creature takes an extra 2d10 radiant damage.
While you hold the drawn sword, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. You and all creatures friendly to you in the aura have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.
Javelin of Lightning
Weapon (javelin), uncommon
This javelin is a magic weapon. When you hurl it and speak its command word, it transforms into a bolt of lightning, forming a line 5 feet wide that extends out from you to a target within 120 feet. Each creature in the line excluding you and the target must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d6 lightning damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The lightning bolt turns back into a javelin when it reaches the target. Make a ranged weapon attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes damage from the javelin plus 4d6 lightning damage.
The javelin’s property can’t be used again until the next dawn. In the meantime, the javelin can still be used as a magic weapon.
Luck Blade
Weapon (any sword), legendary (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. While the sword is on your person, you also gain a +1 bonus to saving throws.
Luck: If the sword is on your person, you can call on its luck (no action required) to reroll one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you dislike. You must use the second roll. This property can’t be used again until the next dawn.
Wish: The sword has 1d4 – 1 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 charge and cast the wish spell from it. This property can’t be used again until the next dawn. The sword loses this property if it has no charges.
Mace of Disruption
Weapon (mace), rare (requires attunement)
When you hit a fiend or an undead with this magic weapon, that creature takes an extra 2d6 radiant damage. If the target has 25 hit points or fewer after taking this damage, it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be destroyed. On a successful save, the creature becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
While you hold this weapon, it sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
Mace of Smiting
Weapon (mace), rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The bonus increases to +3 when you use the mace to attack a construct.
When you roll a 20 on an attack roll made with this weapon, the target takes an extra 2d6 bludgeoning damage, or 4d6 bludgeoning damage if it’s a construct. If a construct has 25 hit points or fewer after taking this damage, it is destroyed.
Mace of Terror
Weapon (mace), rare (requires attunement)
This magic weapon has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to release a wave of terror. Each creature of your choice in a
30-foot radius extending from you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. While it is frightened in this way, a creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If it has nowhere it can move, the creature can use the Dodge action. At the end of each of its turns, a creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The mace regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
Nine Lives Stealer
Weapon (any sword), very rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
The sword has 1d8 + 1 charges. If you score a critical hit against a creature that has fewer than 100 hit points, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be slain instantly as the sword tears its life force from its body (a construct or an undead is immune). The sword loses 1 charge if the creature is slain. When the sword has no charges remaining, it loses this property.
Oathbow
Weapon (longbow), very rare (requires attunement)
When you nock an arrow on this bow, it whispers in Elvish, “Swift defeat to my enemies.” When you use this weapon to make a ranged attack, you can, as a command phrase, say, “Swift death to you who have wronged me.” The target of your attack becomes your sworn enemy until it dies or until dawn seven days later. You can have only one such sworn enemy at a time. When your sworn enemy dies, you can choose a new one after the next dawn.
When you make a ranged attack roll with this weapon against your sworn enemy, you have advantage on the roll. In addition, your target gains no benefit from cover, other than total cover, and you suffer no disadvantage due to long range. If the attack hits, your sworn enemy takes an extra 3d6 piercing damage.
While your sworn enemy lives, you have disadvantage on attack rolls with all other weapons.
Scimitar of Speed
Weapon (scimitar), very rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, you can make one attack with it as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Spellguard Shield
Armor (shield), very rare (requires attunement)
While holding this shield, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and spell attacks have disadvantage against you.
Sun Blade
Weapon (longsword), rare (requires attunement)
This item appears to be a longsword hilt. While grasping the hilt, you can use a bonus action to cause a blade of pure radiance to spring into existence, or make the blade disappear. While the blade exists, this magic longsword has the finesse property. If you are proficient with shortswords or longswords, you are proficient with the sun blade.
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon, which deals radiant damage instead of slashing damage. When you hit an undead with it, that target takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage.
The sword’s luminous blade emits bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet.
The light is sunlight. While the blade persists, you can use an action to expand or reduce its radius of bright and dim light by 5 feet each, to a maximum of 30 feet each or a minimum of 10 feet each.
Sword of Life Stealing
Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
When you attack a creature with this magic weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 3d6 necrotic damage, provided that the target isn’t a construct or an undead. You gain temporary hit points equal to the extra damage dealt.
Sword of Sharpness
Weapon (any sword that deals slashing damage), very rare (requires attunement)
When you attack an object with this magic sword and hit, maximize your weapon damage dice against the target.
When you attack a creature with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 4d6 slashing damage. Then roll another d20. If you roll a 20, you lop off one of the target’s limbs, with the effect of such loss determined by the GM. If the creature has no limb to sever, you lop off a portion of its body instead.
In addition, you can speak the sword’s command word to cause the blade to shed bright light in a 10- foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. Speaking the command word again or sheathing the sword puts out the light.
Sword of Wounding
Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
Hit points lost to this weapon’s damage can be regained only through a short or long rest, rather than by regeneration, magic, or any other means.
Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack using this magic weapon, you can wound the target. At the start of each of the wounded creature’s turns, it takes 1d4 necrotic damage for each time you’ve wounded it, and it can then make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, ending the effect of all such wounds on itself on a success. Alternatively, the wounded creature, or a creature within 5 feet of it, can use an action to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check, ending the effect of such wounds on it on a success.
Trident of Fish Command
Weapon (trident), uncommon (requires attunement)
This trident is a magic weapon. It has 3 charges. While you carry it, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to cast dominate beast (save DC 15) from it on a beast that has an innate swimming speed. The trident regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
Vicious Weapon
Weapon (any), rare
When you roll a 20 on your attack roll with this magic weapon, your critical hit deals an extra 2d6 damage of the weapon’s type.
Vorpal Sword
Weapon (any sword that deals slashing damage), legendary (requires attunement)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, the weapon ignores resistance to slashing damage.
When you attack a creature that has at least one head with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, you cut off one of the creature’s heads. The creature dies if it can’t survive without the lost head. A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to slashing damage, doesn’t have or need a head, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its head to be cut off with this weapon. Such a creature instead takes an extra 6d8 slashing damage from the hit.
Weapon, +1, +2, or +3
Weapon (any), uncommon (+1), rare (+2), or very rare (+3)
You have a bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The bonus is determined by the weapon’s rarity.
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- 15e Equipment Design Guide
- 1.2Mundane Equipment
- 1.3Magical Items
5e Equipment Design Guide[edit]
Have you ever felt like you creating an item to highlight a unique idea or concept, but were unsure of how to create a piece of equipment? Well, you're in luck, because this guideline is a good place to start, as it should help cover how to create most types of equipment in 5e. As with everything on the wiki, please make sure that you are familiar with the precedent, which in this case for items is set by the 5th edition corebooks, the Player's Handbook, (PHB) and Dungeon Master's Guide, (DMG). Explicit guidelines for creating a magical item are provided on 5e DMG pp. 284-5.
Naming Your Item[edit]
Mundane Equipment[edit]
Most mundane items and equipment tend to be quite common in any campaign, mainly due to the fact that many townsfolk have jobs relating to the creation and sale of mundane equipment. This section of the Equipment Design Guideline will go over many of the nuances behind creating a homebrew piece of mundane equipment as well as guide the creation process of creating any particular piece of mundane equipment.
Mundane Weapons[edit]
A mundane weapon should have something that differentiates itself from other existing homebrew and 1st party mundane weapons. A mundane weapon can be made to be unique through a variety of ways. It can have differing properties than another weapon. It can deal a different amount of damage. It could deal a different damage type. Or, it could even have a special property unique to the weapon.
- General
Mundane items should be able to be used by all characters. They should not have class, race, or background requirements and they should not provide additional features for being a certain class, race, background.
- Mundane Item Description
Adding a description to nonmagical items is essential to understanding what the item looks like. Everyone is not going to know what exactly you mean when you call an item a katana, even if the name fits the item you are creating. Explaining how the weapon looks, its length, and any other discerning characteristics is key to having a good description.
- Cost
Realistically, changing the cost of mundane weapons does not affect how balanced the item would be, though if an item does have a gold cost that falls too out of line of the standard gold cost for mundane weapons, it likely needs to be adjusted. Weapons should, however, usually have a gold cost similar to its weapon counterpart if it has one. Below are the approximate costs of what a mundane weapon should cost based on the 1st party mundane weapons.
- Simple melee weapons should usually cost between 1 sp and 5 gp
- Simple ranged weapons usually shouldn't cost more than 25 gp
- Martial melee weapons should usually cost between 5 and 50 gp
- Martial ranged weapons should usually cost between 25 and 100 gp
- Renaissance weapons costs vary greatly, but they should usually fall between 50 and 500 gp
- Modern and futuristic items are assumed to be anachronistic in a vanilla D&D campaign, so do not have a purchase cost(—). [1] Specific campaigns in which these items are considered 'mundane' may list prices.
Considerations for the cost include:
- The materials used. For example, a steel-hafted polearm will cost more than a wooden one. Even if the weapon statistics are the same, it matters when the DM needs to adjudicate (such as what might burn, or what is magnetic). It could conceivably matter for a homebrew class's weapon proficiencies, for example, if the class is restricted to cheaper wooden weapons.
- If the item has some versatility (not as in the versatile property!). For example, if the weapon can deal more than one type of damage, this could add an extra 5 gp to its value.
- Properties
5e Making Magic Items Dmg Free
While weapons can have a variety of different properties, there are some combinations of properties that a singular weapon should not have.
- Heavy weapons may not have the light property
- Two-handed weapons may not have the light or versatile properties
- Light weapons may not have the versatile property
Mundane Armor[edit]
- General
Even more so than mundane weapons, a homebrew piece of armor should be unique and not serve the same purpose as another piece of armor, whether homebrew or official. Below you can find a few pointers on how to create a piece of armor.
- Armor should fit into the general theme of medieval armor (no steampunk armor)
- Armor should generally fit into its appropriate category (no heavy metal light armor)
- Light armor should add your Dexterity modifier
- Medium armor should add your Dexterity modifier, but should have a maximum such as (max 2)
- Heavy armor should just provide a static Armor Class, such as 15
- Cost
A piece of armor's cost should be reflective of how much AC the armor provides, what material the armor is made out of, whether it has any requirements, and whether it has any special properties. See 5e SRD:Armor for the costs of armor of mundane 1st party armor and 5e Armor for the costs of several homebrew pieces of armor.
Trinkets[edit]
If you have ever wanted to create a bobble and feel like it wouldn't fit well as a common magical item, well you’re in luck, D&D Wiki is host to an ever-growing list of trinkets on the 5e Trinkets page. While some PC's may consider these items to be worthless, they have the potential to both create interesting backstories on how you obtained such an item and they can be used for plot purposes by DM's. Remember, these items are meant to be mysterious and whimsical, so have fun using and creating them.
Tools[edit]
Tools are specialized equipment that allows you to do things you normally wouldn’t be able to do such as create glasswork, create a painting, or sew a blanket. A tool always has an associated tool proficiency, so you need to describe what the character can achieve with that proficiency, e.g. proficiency with this tool lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to (whatever the tool does). Any ability check you make with a tool that you are proficient in allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the check.
Tools should not state what ability score is required to use them as the use of a tool should not be tied to a single ability score, [2] and DM’s should interpret how a tool is used. For example, a DM could ask for an Intelligence check to come up with on how to incorporate a reloading feature with tinker’s tools onto a crossbow and a Dexterity check to see whether you could create such an apparatus. See 5e PHB pp. 154 for the list of descriptions on 1st party artisan tools.
Poisons[edit]
While often hard to obtain without the right contacts, poisons they can be extremely useful to a trained assassin. The effects of poison and how they are applied vary considerably, but there are some things that should remain consistent across all poisons. Creatures should be able to apply poisons by contact, ingestion, inhalation, or through an injury, poisons should always require a saving throw, poisons should never just kill a creature, and the price of a poison indicates its cost per single dose. Info on what each how poisons are applied can be found on 5e DMG pp. 257.
Mounts and Vehicles[edit]
The speed of vehicles is measured in mph and the speed of mounts is measured in movement speed per turn. As a rule of thumb, 1mph equals a movement speed of 10 feet.
- Mounts
![5e Making Magic Items Dmg 5e Making Magic Items Dmg](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125301958/564842496.jpg)
Mounts are common tamable creatures that can be used to carry gear and pull vehicles. Creating a mount is fairly straightforward, all you need a creature name, a gold cost, a movement speed, and a carrying capacity. When you are creating the mount think about how its size and physical characteristics translate into stats. See 5e PHB pp. 156-7 for more info on mounts.
- Vehicles
See the 5e DMG pp. 119.
Magical Items[edit]
D&d 5e Magic Item Generator
So you want to create a magical item? Well then your in luck, as this section on magical items should provide you with a plethora of tips and tricks on how to properly build a magical item. Let us get started then.
5e Making Magic Items Dmg Online
- Making A Unique Magical Item
Making a unique magical item is usually much trickier than making mundane items. When creating such an item, ask yourself, has a similar item to this already been made by WotC(see 5e DMG pp. 150-214/5e SRD) and do a quick search on the wiki's relevant equipment section to see whether there is an already existing item that is similar to what you are trying to create. In general though, your magical items should not just provide a bonus to damage or AC, or something else similar as those concepts aren't interesting and have already been done plenty of times before. Try giving the item a one of a kind property or two to differentiate it from other magic items, and by doing so, turning a plain magical item into an interesting one.
- Adding A Description
Besides having one of a kind properties, adding a description to your magical item will make it both more flavorful while also differentiating it from other magical items. Magical item descriptions can include: a short description of how the magical item was made or info on the history of the item, or info on how the item look. Specifically, if the magical item is a piece of armor or weapon describe how the item is different than a standard piece of that specific armor or weapon. For example, does the item have a different color palette than a regular weapon or armor? Does the item have a slightly different shape? Is the item made of unique or different materials than regular weapon or armor? And are there any small touches to the item that would make it unique, such as having a tassel, engravings/inscriptions, or something else.
- Looking At Balance
If you are unsure of how balanced a magical item you are creating would be, it is a good idea to look up a relevant 1st party magical item to compare it to. See the 5e DMG pp. 150-214 for the full list of magical items and see 5e SRD:Magic Items for magical items that appear in the System Reference Document(SRD). In terms of magical item balance, remember that items that give bonuses that you don't need to hold are better than those you do need to hold, as demonstrated by the +2 shield and the +1 armor being the same rarity(rare).
Rarity | Character Level |
---|---|
Common | 1st |
Uncommon | 1st |
Rare | 5th |
Very rare | 11th |
Legendary | 17th |
- Do’s and Don’ts
While you do have a lot of creative freedom when creating a magical item, there are some guidelines you should follow when creating a magical item.
- Don’t have a magical item gain additional effects or charges based on your level, ability scores, class, race, other equipment, or through other means. A piece of equipment should also not grant additional effects to a PC's already existing traits or features.
- Don't include a gold cost for a magical item as the purchasing of magic items and their cost should entirely be under the purview of the DM in the specific campaign that they are running.
- Do use the standardized durations: 1 round, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc. over durations with round-counting, e.g. 6 turns, 1d4 + 1 turns
- Advantage on any check is extremely strong, if given consider making it circumstantial, for example, you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks made against dragons.
- Do allow an item to have a prerequisite to attune to it. Examples include 15 Strength, class/es, and a spellcaster. Try and avoid homebrew class requirements as well, as it is far too strict of a requirement.
- Don’t change how much damage a weapon itself deals (a longsword should deal 1d8/10 not 2d8/2d10) or how much Armor Class a piece of armor itself gives (plate should only give 18 AC).
- Don't have an effect that requires an on hit saving throw with every hit as it greatly slows down combat.
- Do explain exactly what bonuses a magical item grants. A +2 battleaxe does not inform players what the +2 entails. Does it mean a bonus to spell attack rolls, just damage rolls, or something else?
- Items themselves shouldn’t have a level requirement, but the DMG does state that PC's should typically obtain certain rarity magical items when they are around a certain level [3]. See the Magic Item Rarity table for specifics.
- Attunement
Remember, a character can only attune to 3 magical items at any time, and PC’s who attempt to attune to any more must first end their attunement with one of their items before being able to attune to another[4]. Also, if a magical item can be abused by passing it around or if having multiple items with bonuses would make a PC too strong, an item should require attunement. [5]Magical items themselves should never allow you to attune to more magical items, or else PC’s power can get out of control. Attunement slots should never be adjusted by player-accessible entities, as only the DM’s should have full control over this power. By giving a PC an item that allows for them to attune to more magical items, it prevents the DM from fine-tuning the power granted to PC’s by magical items.
- Charges and Regaining Powers
So you want to give a magical item the ability to cast spells multiple times or use power from a pool of power, then creating a magical item with charges should suit your need. Charges can be used to use homebrew properties items have or casting spells, in which case the charge cost should typically cost the same as the spell slot level.
It is, however, important to remember that magical items have their own powers, and don’t draw power from you. As such, magical items should regain a certain amount of charges and their uses of certain properties after a certain amount of time such as at dawn or after a certain amount of days. This is based on the precedent set by WotC for magical items. See these for an example of how a magical item's properties are recharged figurine of wondrous power, wand of lightning bolts, and staff of thunder and lightning.
Potions and Other Consumable Magic Items[edit]
Creating consumable items can be a fun endeavor. These items effects can provide a variety of boons and buffs to a PC or they can be downright silly. Also remember, when you use a consumable item such as a potion, scroll, or something else, the item is used up. [6] Generally, a consumable item should only provide an effect when used or drunk and the effect the consumable item provides shouldn't be permanent. Making its effect permanent would be like making an item that needs to require attunement and try and balance it around not requiring attunement. If done, you are effectively just giving PC's bonus traits/abilities that can not be taken back or reigned in by the DM if needed.
With that said, there a few magical items which can boost a pc's ability scores permanently. These items include the tomes and manuals. Although these and other potentially permanent consumable items could be given to pcs, DM's should remember to make these items both few and far between and not more powerful than a +2 ability score increase, lest the issues descripted above come to fruition.
Cursed Items[edit]
Generally, curses on items shouldn’t be too deliberating since severely punishing a player for attuning to a magical item doesn’t feel good as the PC and often times is just downright cruel. Cursed items should also require attunement as to not overtly punish PC's for being inflicted by a curse just for finding a magical item and because all 1st party cursed item require attunement. Also, when making a cursed item, the item itself should be balanced as a standalone item without the curse, as again, 1st party cursed items are balanced this way. Remember, that attunement to a cursed item cannot be undone except through use of a remove curse spell. [7] Having to suffer the effects of curse that you can not get rid of because it needs a spell of a much higher level than you have access to can be very frustrating for a player, especially if their character is dramatically changed (gender change, becoming another race, turning a neutral good hero into an chaotic evil murder without talking to your pc about it, etc.) and the effect has no relevance to the story. Remember that cursed items too are rated by rarity. [8] This helps you to balance the effects of the curse to something appropriate to the level at which the player character will be usually encountering the item. In general, no effect of a cursed item is permanent. In addition, no cursed item provides benefits unless it helps it fulfill the function of its curse, neither is it unique. (A bag of devouring function as a bag of holding so you want to reach inside it, a berserk axe grants an attack bonus so its berserk wielder can better kill people, etc.) Unique items with powerful, long lasting advantages and penalties are the purview of artifacts, the deck of many things (which functions more as an artifact and campaign killer than a 'normal' magic item) or items that grant access to the wish spell. Remember, you are trying to develop something FOR your PC's to interact and tell a story with, not to humiliate or punish them. Lastly, your players are very likely to find a way to weaponize cursed items against their enemies or for personal gain, so be careful with items that self replicate, control creatures, polymorph something into another form, etc.
Sentient Items[edit]
The 5e Dungeon Master's Guide contains an excellent guide on how to create sentient items, covering generating its ability scores, its method of communication, special senses, alignment, characteristics, purpose and conflict on page 214-6 which should be referenced throughout the process. Regardless, this design guide will go through the nuances of creating a sentient item as sentients items are one of the hardest types of equipment to create. But first, know that sentient items shouldn't just be more powerful than other items of its rarity, though they can have a variety of unique effects.
- General Info
The first things to consider when making a sentient item is the name of the item and the name of the sentience that is occupying this item. This name may be identical, but it isn't the name of the sentient item should reflect the appearance and properties of the said sentient item. After that, the item likely needs a unique appearance that sets it apart from any regular item. Finally, you may include a summary as to how this sentient item was created and its background.
- Properties
Overall, sentient items tend to just have more properties than a regular magical item of a similar rarity. For example, if a regular legendary item has 2 properties, a sentient item that is legendary might have 5. With that said, these properties should not make the sentient item more powerful than other items of its rarity. A legendary sentient item should still be on similar power level to other legendary items.
- Sentience
The sentience section should have include all the mechanical stats of the sentient mind housed in a sentient item. This section should include the sentience's alignment, their mental (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) ability scores and their corresponding ability score modifiers, the sentience's hearing, vision range, and any special visions, what languages the sentience can speak, read, and understand, and how they communicate(out loud, telepathically to wielder, telepathically to creatures within X range).
- Personality
Here you should describe the sentient item's personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws, as if you were making a new character. This info should include what the weapon likes, dislikes, its goals, how the item reacts to a wielder, and how the sentient item could possibly get into arguments with their wielder.
Finally, a model example of how a sentient item should be formatted and balanced can be found in Sunlight Rose (5e Equipment).
References[edit]
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 267
- ↑ 5e PHB pp. 154
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 135
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 138
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 285
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 139
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 138-9
- ↑ 5e DMG pp. 135
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