When I play a game, whether it be a TTRPG or video game, a big reason I am there is for the loot. I LOVE loot. I love me some gold, gems, legendary weapons created to fell gods and monsters, you name it I want to stuff it into my inventory and sell it. If it is loot. I like it. However, I do have a favorite kind of loot: simple magic items that do something really small or really specific.
I am talking about rings that raise your worst stat by one point, necklaces that give you a single cantrip once per short rest, and gloves that remove one level of exhaustion from a creature if you use a healing spell on them. Items that never go above uncommon and that, as a GM, you can give out willy-nilly to scratch that loot-loving itch without creating a massive headache for yourself.
If you are like me though, and like to stretch your brain to create minor magic items that are wholly custom, here is my recipe for creating minor magic items that your players will absolutely love.
Creating Minor Magic Items in DnD 5e
First, a disclaimer: If you are reading this you are probably already aware that the balancing system for magic items in 5th Edition is essentially just vibes. Trying to balance rarity beyond adding a +1 to attack and damage or a leveled spell to a magic item is like playing darts with your eyes closed all while being judged by people wearing blindfolds. It is silly and I really wish they would change it. It is almost inevitable that someone will disagree with the rarity of an item you create so just make something that makes sense for your table.
Step 1: Start with the Fiction
My philosophy of item design is largely influenced by an article written by Mike Shae called Lazy Magic Items. In the post, Mike starts by suggesting that you think of the history of the item and I wholeheartedly agree. The first step in creating an interesting and engaging item, even a minor one, is to think about who created it, when they created it, and why they created it. This will make the item feel like a part of your world and will help you to flesh out the world's history.
For this example, this item was created by a cleric of the God of Smiths during a war against an army of men whose minds were being controlled by a Lich emperor. The cleric knew that the people of the empire were innocent and wanted to encourage the soldiers on his side of the war to treat them well.
Step 2: Pick the Item's Type
Now that we know the who, when, and why we can pick what kind of item we wan! This usually comes pretty easily based on the fiction. If we take our example from above, we could go a few ways. It is meant for soldiers so it could be a weapon, a piece of armor, a pair of boots, or maybe a locket from a partner back home. I like to use items that a character could either have multiple of like rings or something that they are unlikely to have in their inventory already like a belt or socks.
In this case, I am going to go with an amulet. Because why not?
Step 3: Pick the Item's Name
The name is totally up to you and can be whatever makes you happy. I like to use old-school RPG-esque item names like "Sword of Non-Lethal Attack" or "Gloves of Medicinal Expertise". If your campaign has a more serious tone, you could go with something like "The Kindly Hide" or even "Omruel, Light of the North". You can also have your players name the items which can result in some truly great in-game moments later on when Erin Ravendeath uses "Mr. Daggersly" to slay a hydra.
I think I am going to call my item "Amulet of Sympathy".
Alright, so far, our magic item looks like this:
Created by a Cleric of the Forge God for those poor warriors sent to fight the Lich King's enchanted horde. This magical amulet was meant to encourage kindness to the innocents enslaved by the undead tyrant.
Amulet of Sympathy
Wondrous Item, Uncommon |
Step 4: Effects
Now that we know what the item is and its history, we are probably starting to have some ideas for what it does. This is the fun part but also where it can get tricky. Balancing a magic item can be really hard and a lot of that balance will depend on the character and your table. For minor magic items, I have a few rules of thumb that have served me well.
Rule #1: Conditions are your friend.
Making the effect of an item conditional is a great way to prevent an item from being overpowered. Maybe that means it can only be used once per long rest, maybe it means the effect only works against members of a certain faction, or maybe the item is reliant on the character completing a specific task in order for the effect to activate. If the item is particularly powerful, you can combine two conditions like completing a specific task and the effect only lasting a certain amount of time. Whatever you choose, creating strict conditions under which the item can work helps to lower the chances of it breaking your game.
Rule #2: Never Go Above +1, 1d4, or Level 0
For minor items, we want minor effects. That means that, in conjunction with our condition for use, we want to make sure that the effect is useful but never breaks out of the minor category. That means that an item should never grant more than +1 to a skill or roll, never add more than a d4 to anything, and never allow a character to cast a spell that is higher level than a cantrip.
Rule #3: Specific is Good
When designing a minor item, the more specific the item is the better. Maybe it only is helpful to Champion Fighters or characters with the Acolyte background or it could be designed to only be helpful to farmers or carpenters. An item designed for a specific person or job is not only a great world-building tool. It is also okay for it not to be useful to the characters. When it is not immediately useful, it becomes something that they can either sell or find a clever use for later on.
So, using our rules here is our example item:
Created by a Cleric of the Forge God for those poor warriors sent to fight the Lich King's enchanted horde. This magical amulet was meant to encourage kindness to the innocents enslaved by the undead tyrant.
Amulet of Sympathy Wondrous Item, Uncommon
While wearing this magical amulet, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC when you spare an enemy's life. This bonus remains at +1, regardless of how many times you spare an enemy, and it lasts until the next dawn. |
So there we have it! A minor magical amulet that has a ton of info about the history of our world and a helpful effect that has the bonus of encouraging roleplay during combat! Not too shabby. I think my players will love it.
If you end up using this to make some magic items, shoot me a message on Instagram, tiktok, or discord (www.lorelock.co/links). I would love to see what you come up with!
If you want more minor magic items and some tables for rolling them up quickly check out One-D-Seven #3 on my patreon! One-D-Seven is my weekly drop of TTRPG goodies like magic items, monsters, and GM tips and tricks.
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