Greetings, gamers from all systems, places and timelines!
One criticism of 5E is that the magical items are lackluster compared to some previous editions. This has some truth to it because earlier D&D editions were more focused on the characters gaining power from treasure versus their classes. However, while 5E has a great deal of magical items that are nothing short of fantastic, others don’t live up to their reputation or can even destroy your campaign. This is why we have composed a list of items that are worth the hype and others that prove all magic items definitely were not created equally.
Now, it was a long list, so this is part one, covering items from A through H in the DMG. Look for part 2 in the future.
8 Magic Items of Excellence
Amulet of health (rare, requires attunement)
The perfect gift for any player who feels they are so lucky that constitution could be their dump stat. What it does is increase the wearer’s constitution up to 19 as long as it’s worn. And while that might give the warrior a decent boost, it would be ideally suited for someone without a constitution bonus at all. A sickly wizard or bard can go from zero to hero just like that.
Bag of Holding (uncommon, does not require attunement)
If we learned anything from playing Skyrim it was, no matter how strong you are, you can’t carry everything. This may have been less important in earlier additions because only the most hardcore players calculated the weight of everything on their character sheets. But with Roll20 and other online tabletops, all those pesky calculations are locked in, and they even include your gold pieces. So, do your party a favor and add one of these to the game as soon as possible.
Boots of the Elvenkind (uncommon, does not require attunement)
This is a classic item that allows its wearer to have advantage on all stealth checks that rely on moving silently. Now, you might be thinking that this is a class-specific item because my badass warrior wouldn’t be caught dead sneaking around, and we get that. However, what’s exceptional about this item is that it doesn’t require attunement. This means, when you’re in your upper levels and you need to make those hard choices on what to cut, this one will stay.
Belt of the Dwarvenkind (rare, requires attunement)
When trying to decide which three attunement magical items you’re keeping, you’ll want one that gives you the most bang for your gold piece. The Belt of Dwarvenkind offers +2 to your constitution, advantage on poison saves, resistance to poison, advantage on persuasion checks with dwarves, 60’ of dark vision and the ability to speak, read and write Dwarven. There are only two downsides: First, if you’re a strength-based character, it’s maybe not the belt you were hoping for. Second, you may grow a beard.
Belt of Giant Strength (varies, requires attunement )
This is and always has been one of the game’s premium items. When you put it on, depending on the type of giant it was based on, it will increase your strength to that level. And while raising your strength to a 21 may not be that game-changing, that’s not the case when it’s a 29. In fact, these items are so badass that, when I place them in one of our games, someone hostile is usually already wearing it. Good luck getting it off them.
Bracers of Archery (uncommon, requires attunement)
Before the modern military had snipers, there was the D&D rogue. These angels of death hang back and deliver devastating, if not outright life-ending, attacks on a target only to vanish into the shadows afterward. That’s why bracers of archery are perfect for such a character for two reasons: It not only gives their already deadly attacks +2 to hit, but it also provides proficiency with a longbow and ups damage output even further.
Cloak of Displacement (rare, requires attunement)
When wearing this cloak, incoming attacks will have disadvantage until one succeeds. Then, at the start of your turn in the next round, the same shenanigans start all over again. This is a great item for a tank with obnoxiously high defenses that most opponents of equal level can already barely land a hit on.
Flametongue sword (rare, requires attunement)
The downside is this sword doesn’t have a plus to hit or damage. The upside, however, far outweighs that as each hit inflicts an additional 2d6 fire damage and doesn’t use charges.
3Well-Known Magic Items That Can Destroy Your Campaign
Deck of the Many things (Legendary, does not require attunement)
Here is an item that needs no introduction as it can make a beggar a king or leave one without so much as a copper coin or even their soul. And yes, it contains phenomenal cosmic power, but it can also do crap to wreck you that even Aladdin’s lamp couldn’t fix. So, if you come across one of these, ask yourself: “Is the chance of gaining a random boon worth jacking up or killing your character permanently?” If you’re running a throw-away character, knock yourself out. Otherwise, you and your party should stay far far away from it because it’s just mean.
[Editor’s note: One PC draws the Void, and they never let you forget it…]
Helm of Brilliance (rare, requires attunement)
I really want to like this item because it provides a great mix of both fire and radiant powers. However, it has two rather unusual drawbacks. The first is that, instead of operating on charges like nearly every other item in 5E, each use of its powers destroys one of its gems. Granted, there are a lot of gems, but don’t get too attached because one day the helm may crumble into dust. That is if it doesn’t accidentally kill you and all of your friends!
That’s right, this baby goes nuclear if you fail a fire damage save and then roll a one. Because, hypothetically. the helm with all of its gems could inflict up to 100 radiant damage to anyone in 60’ feet who blows a DC 17 Dex save. Ironically, the backfire mechanic in earlier additions was arguably worse, as the wearer would be subjected to the effects of every remaining gem simultaneously.
Horn of Blasting (rare, does not require attunement)
Like with my last analysis, I’m not a fan of treasure that may kill its user or their friends. But if you are, this horn is for you. This item performs like a wand in the sense as it can inflict thunder damage and deafen anything caught in its attack. However, like the above helm, it doesn’t function on charges and has a 20% chance on every use of just exploding, destroying the horn and dealing 10d6 fire damage to its user. Here’s an idea: Get a wand that won’t kill you!
Conclusion
If we left out one of your favorite or despised items, we would love to either hear what it is or a story about it. Especially if that story is funny.
Keep an eye out for the rest of our list in a future article.