5e dmg magic items
A good place to start is by focusing on abilities that support the item's personality. After all, it is legendary. However, these cursed items should impose quite the cost for those who wield their ultimate power. When making a cursed legendary magic item, balance isn't necessarily a major concern. RELATED: What Happened to D&D's Fourth Edition Classes? Powerful Magic Items Should Come at a Cost It prevents the magical properties from being used unless the user supplies fresh human blood. Hungry is an especially interesting one for an evil cursed item. For instance, Painful can cause the object to give off a harmless burst of pain and Repulsive puts a bad taste in the user’s mouth. Properties related to death - like necrotic damage and special feats that are triggered when the wielder kills something - makes sense for that type of item.Īdditionally, the DMG provides a list of Quirks and Minor Properties that help round out the item's personality and cursed nature. The aforementioned halberd could actually be a giant scythe representing death. When designing evil and cursed items, it's also helpful to think of a theme to convey. For instance, if a halberd is a sentient evil item that despises all life, the Destroyer purpose could fit, goading the users into fights and wanting to see blood spilled. When homebrewing a legendary item, DMs can choose from the list provided or develop a specific purpose that suits their needs. The DMG also suggests basic purposes the item might have, such as Destroyer or Bane and item alignments. RELATED: Strixhaven Is the Perfect Dungeons & Dragons Sourcebook for a Mini-Campaign DMs can roll for these or decide its scores based on its personality. Sentient items also have Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom scores. As stated in the DMG, it can be best to think about this item as an NPC. Choose what the item wants and what type of person it would be. Cursed items are often so powerful because they are, to some degree, sentient and have a will of their own to carried out. Next, DMs should figure out the purpose and personality behind the item.