There is something to be said for keeping a campaign entirely by the book. However, the very nature of the game encourages both the DM and it’s players to constantly add their own creativity. While there are many ways that this can occur, I would like to discuss why I encourage homebrewed magical gear in my games.
Now, some gamers may have had questionable experiences with this, where they were in a party that had magic items that would make the actual Gods jealous. “Thor’s hammer is cool but you should see the hammer our 7th level dwarven fighter has!”
I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be like that.
Custom magical items can add a sense of mystery to the game as well as your own style to the already strong framework of the existing 5E system. I suspect most DM’s and players are open to the idea of introducing non-canon magical items but have valid concerns surrounding these homebrews being labeled either broken or underwhelming. To help find a middle ground between the two, I would like to share four pieces of advice (or, rather. insane ramblings) on how to create custom magical equipment in your game without derailing both your party balance and the game itself.
1. Start with a concept
For this example, let’s consider a magical ring.
Now, before anyone goes off writing a wild backstory about how this ring was forged from the purest elven silver by the high lord of an ancient sect of long-dead rune smiths that haven’t been seen in hundreds of years, ask yourself this: “What do you want it to actually do?”
Will this magical ring let you speak with the dead? Or perhaps it is infused with some of the arcane knowledge of its creator? Or even it provides its wearer with an array of defenses from an equally wide variety of attacks?
As a DM the creation of a custom magical item can be extremely challenging. This object you are imagining into existence is only limited by the boundaries of your creativity. This should be calibrated by the level your characters will be when they find this item and if it fits within the continuity of your game world.
Therefore, before we allow this ring’s wearer to summon a custom version of the Juggernaut’s armor, remember lower-powered items can also go a long way in the right context. For example, if you are running an Underdark campaign, an item like a Helm of Drow Sight ( which would give its wearer superior darkvision ) would be extremely useful to even characters with ordinary darkvision.
2. Hitting the forge
In this step of the process, regardless of what type of custom magical object you want to introduce into your game, I strongly advise that you make sure you don’t have to rewrite the actual game itself to create it. For example, it may not be the best idea to create a wand of lightning that can score critical hits. (I mean that sounds cool until someone randomly busts a 16d6 critical!)
From the example we used earlier with the Helm of Drow Sight, it has an ability an existing race possesses which was just reproduced with a magical enchantment. Now, you don’t always have to take this road, but it’s safer and less likely to cause a massive spike in your game’s power curve. ( Like a magical cloak that allows its wearer to shape change into any creature they have ever seen three times per day regardless of its CR rating might do.)
Mechanically speaking, weapons and armor usually in D&D 5E have an upper limit of +3, and it’s probably best to keep it that way. But, if you want to get fancy and imbue an item with spell-like powers, then they should be limited by a number of charges or only become available again after short/long rests.
When setting up how you want this item to operate, it might be easier to look at an existing one with a variety of abilities. Then break down its powers in relation to what they cost in terms of charges so you can swap out level-appropriate ones that best fit the theme of your new creation.
To further show how I have implemented this in my games, here is an item that uses this method.
Disclaimer: This is the description of a high-level homebrewed weapon from my current epic style campaign.
Description: The trident is 6 feet long and made from a strange silvery black metal that is both light and flexible, yet it seems more durable than ordinary steel ( a meteorite alloy). Its three extremely sharp blades always have a thin layer of frost coating them. If Detect Magic is used on this weapon, otherwise invisible runes appear in a faint blue light.
With a successful Dc 17 Acana check, it can be determined that these runes represent a connection to the frozen eighth circle of Hell where the weapon draws its icy powers.
+2 Trident of Cania
Can be used as a spell casting implement.
The weapon has 20 charges and recharges 2d8+4 every morning. These can be used to activate the following powers:
- Ice Knife cast at 3rd level: 3 charges
- Icy Mist/Gaseous form: 3 charges
- Ice Storm: 5 charges x 2 per day
- Cone of Cold: 5 charges x2 per day
- Wall of Ice: 6 charges x 1 per day
- Investiture of Ice: 6 charges x 1 day
This item utilizes the framework of a staff of power in terms of charges and recharging rate. However, its powers have been swapped out for cold-related ones, and some of the powers have both a charge and a daily limit on how often they may be used. This is because, without this restriction, the wielder could blast the opposition with four back-to-back cones of cold before even dipping into their own actual spells.
3. Surround the object in a sense of mystery
Depending on the degree of power of the object you intend to create, it should have an equally involved backstory.
Case in point: Not every +1 handaxe in your campaign does not need a two-page story surrounding who made it. Now, if you placed an adamantine greatsword with a plethora of radiant powers inside a knight’s tomb, then it should have a bit of background (which may even tie into one of your plot lines or a character’s backstory).
To this end, I am a believer in giving magical gear a strong presentation and making it interesting rather than just simply piling stat bonuses or abilities. Aside from the fact that you don’t want one of your homebrewed creations ending up as a forgotten footnote on the treasure keepers sheet lost in the bag of holding next to a cloak of many fashions and a dread helm.
Here are two examples of how the same homebrewed item can be introduced.
Presentation 1
“Your character finds a pair of high-quality boots that you think might be magical.”
After attunement and or identification: “After some time is spent examining them, you discover that these are Boots of Fire Resistance that also allow you to walk on lava.”
Or
Presentation 2
Your character finds a pair of black and red leather boots that feel slightly warm to the touch. They are composed of types of metal and leather that are alien to you. Upon a closer inspection, the red leathery hide the majority of the boots are made from seems to have fine interlocking scales that make them far more resilient than ordinary boots. The soles and toes of the boots seem to have flexible dark metal inlays, which reinforce them in places, but without making them heavier in the slightest.
After attunement and or identification: “The boots are, not surprisingly, magical and infused with mystical energy from the elemental realm of fire. This affords the wearer shielding from both heat and flame, whether it be from the environment, spells or abilities. These magical protections would help the wearer survive running into a burning building or even the flame breath of a red dragon, which would normally turn someone to blackened ash. Additionally, it’s protective enchantment will allow the wearer to actually walk across a river of flowing lava as if they were standing in a calm brook, totally unharmed.”
4. How will your custom gear be received?
This can be a truly daunting thing to predict. As a DM you might introduce an item with a solid concept, decently balanced powers and even a well-put-together description/ backstory and still have your players go “Meh.”
In my previous articles, I have talked about avoiding things that would suck the energy out of your gaming table at all costs. Well, spending a decent block of time creating a reward for a player only to hear them say, “Throw it in the bag of holding,” will just drain the life right out of your DM screen! I’ve been in this scenario, and it will make you wish you had just left a +1 short sword on top of a small pile of loose change.
However, by addressing if this item is at a power level that suits your party and is a good fit for the theme of your game, you can hopefully avoid this reaction.
Out of all of the items we have used as examples, it is the Boots of Lava Walking that I would be the most concerned with how well they would be received. The players would need (repeated) opportunities to actually walk on lava or the boots just act as a highly fashionable ring of fire resistance. Unless you could then roll this into a plot device where one of the items the party needs to complete the main quest is in the possession of a red dragon who resides in a lava spouting volcano. ( Or something to that effect !)
When said, it all sounds obvious, yet I have witnessed several seasoned DMS make this mistake (and in many forms). In one campaign, my friend found a magical axe that turned out to have dragon-slaying powers. Then, right after that, dragons became so rare we might have encountered one over the next 13 sessions. In another game, our DM gave us a decanter of endless water as a reward for completing a long quest. The only problem was, water was in no way hard to come by in this setting. So, unless we came across a burning building, it was basically a magical water cooler that served room temperature H2O.
These bad item drop scenarios remind me of a crappy childhood Christmas where we got a gift that made our younger selves disgustedly think “WTF?” Like the time I got that Pittsburgh Pirates jacket when I was only a casual baseball fan at best and they weren’t even my team.
Final thoughts
The introduction of magical weapons, armor and items beyond what has been printed can add entire new levels of depth and flavor to your game. This may especially be the case with players who have read the source material extensively and could probably guess what half of the traditional magical items are just by your description.
I know, it can be tempting to give one of your players an incredibly powerful magical item, but if you do, consider this: The other players won’t want to be sidelined because Ragnar the barbarian just found a vorpal axe of flying and massive criticals. If you are going to make a weapon of that power available in your game, then be prepared to hand over a holy avenger of prismatic rays and haste to your paladin the following session.
This also begs the question: Over time, what possible item upgrades can you offer your party without making their equipment nearly as broken as pre-Crisis Superman’s powers? Then you have to upgrade your monsters accordingly, which could bring everything back into balance. Or you could end up with a party who would barely break a sweat in an encounter with six storm giants who flew into battle riding ancient blue dragons.
A more practical solution is to create something that upgrades gear one of the players already has but with a unique twist (and perhaps adds to the character’s theme or your campaign setting).
Finally, DM Dave did an excellent job describing the magical items we recovered during his Christmas game (episode upcoming). Why is that so noteworthy, you might ask? Because If you can’t make your treasure sound cool, then why should the players believe that it is?