D&D (2024) Enspelled items and marketing

[Ancalagon]

So

I've noted in another thread that uncommon items, given the fairly generous item creation rules, are going to be kinda common (head to that thread if you want to talk about that).

In particular, I've been very interested in pondering enspelled items, armor, weapons or staves which have 6 charges of one spell (1d6 recharge/day).

What I'm wondering is how... pompous some of those items might be, and I realized that some might be a bit... not so great, but could be made to sound great and have great flavor. For example:

LIGHTBRINGER:
This light crossbow can cast the light spell. To do so, shoot a bolt at the desired location to affix the magical glow. Comes with 3 cork-tiped bolts, can fire normal bolts too.

SHADOWHIDE:
This leather armor can cast the minor illusion spell. First owner was noted for creating illusionary crates to hide inside.

PHILOSOPHER'S CUDGEL
This elegant cane can cast Shillelagh on itself. Sometimes logic and rhetoric isn't enough.

HORN OF PLENTY
This short stout staff is made of the horn of a large animal, and can cast goodberry, which pour out of a small bow carved in the top.

IMPERVIOUS MAIL
This chain shirt can cast blade ward by shouting the command word "HELP I AM BEING MURDERED"

INFERNO BLADE
This scimitar's blade is elaborately shaped as in on fire. Can cast the spell bonfire

I'm certain some of you will come up with brilliant examples

 

[aco175]

I tend to make weapons and armor that do cool things other than be +1. I might give a weapon the ability to cast light at will and 1/rest cast misty step and 1/day make one additional attack as part of the attack action.

I never thought of giving something 1d6 charges per day like wands and such. It might make things easier or just allow players to burn through things in the first combat like the 5-minute work day.

 

[Ancalagon]

I never thought of giving something 1d6 charges per day like wands and such. It might make things easier or just allow players to burn through things in the first combat like the 5-minute work day.

So, in the new DMG, there is a new type of items, called enspelled armor, enspelled weapons and enspelled staves. The staves can have any spell, the armor and weapons are more restricted. They require attunement.

All of them are very basic 6 charges, 1d6 recharge per day, with the staves possibly crumbling if the charge is drained to zero.

These items are pretty plain, but some of them are very useful. And with a bit of effort, they can be made very flavorful, or funny. Hence this thread

 

[kigmatzomat]

I like the utility stuff. Things that could be found on a ship, in a caravan, or as part of a noble's traveling supplies.

• Noble Glue Pot - Mending - sometimes used by thieves who had to damage a door
• Third Hand Glove - Mage Hand (Lightfingered Glove to a rogue)
• Rake of Leveling - Mold Earth - repair roads (or make them almost impassable for wagons)
• Stoker's Bellows - Control Flames
• Cane of Authority - Thaumaturgy
• Shieldbearer's Caduceus - Spare the Dying
• Mariner's Astrolabe - Druidcraft
• Monocle of focus - Guidance
• Cook's Iron Spoon - Prestidigitation

Some of these are, in the correct hands, immensely impactful. A guard patrol with the Rake of Leveling can repair a couple of bad spots in a road each day, doing the equivalent of several days labor. The Glue Pot can repair tears in sails, broken spars, even split boards in the hull (assuming all are less than a foot wide). The Bellows can instantly turn a single burning coal into a blazer furnace or extinguish it. A Mariner's Astrolabe can predict the weather and extinguish fires (or start them on enemy ships). Thr Spoon can put out fires, clean dishes, and heat or flavor food.
A Cadeceus costs more than a potion of healing but can keep multiple people alive.

And while a Third Hand Glove is a boon to a lone artisan, it is more useful to a rogue as they can put a third hand anywhere they can see. The Glue can hide misdeeds and the Monocle can allow a rogue to sneak or use thieves tools better than normal just as mich as it helps a sage answer questions.

These are cases where either a group of people will fund the purchase because the net benefit in perpetuity is high or it has a clear ability to materially improve someone's performance in a way that should also increase their income and/or it can avert a very expensive event (fires, deaths, etc)

 

[Ancalagon]

@kigmatzomat I love these!

However, I already had an idea for the "guidance" granting item. Something... better... I think.

PERSONAL GOD

Also known as "pocket gods", this is a statuette of a god - a very minor, tiny god. By praying to it, you are granted divine guidance in your tasks, increasing your chances of success.

To regain charges, prayers and minor offerings must be given to the statuette (incents, herbs, foods etc worth 5 sp (the price of a ration). If this isn't done, the statuette doesn't regain 1d6 charges.

Legends say that in the far away land of Yoon Suin, such statuettes, due to the divine influence of the God River, can increase and power and become full gods.

Another idea I had:

SNAKE BLADE:
This wavy-bladed short sword or dagger (both models exist) can cast the poison spray cantrip.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I agree that there should be a non-trivial number of enspelled weapons. They are relatively easy to make and will likely be thematic or purpose built for their source. Like a priest of Pelor would have Sacred Flame/Word of Radiance items, while dwarves who live near Salamanders would search out Frostbite weapons.

The latter creates interesting opportunities for odd bedfellows. I.e. dwarves sell salamander bits to Frost Giants. Frost giants make Frostbite weapons for dwarves but use salamander bits to make Burning Hands/Create Bonfire weapons to use as part of a coup. After the coup (and after dwarves have dealt with Salamander infestation) giants plan to enslave the dwarves, whose magical weapons are harmless.

Or the dwarves don't actually have a Salamander infestation anymore, they have figured out how to "cultivate" the salamanders, keeping the population low but stable, and "farming" them for parts that the Giants trade for Frost weapons which the dwarves now mostly use as trade items with other groups.

Neat magic items are interesting, but I like thinking out plausible events that can turn into plot lines. D&d is a game about powerful people and economics/wealth is a form of power.

A particular ship captain has figured out a route through a set of "impassable" shoals using the Glue Pot to repair damage to their ship as it happens. Are they a trader who can now shave days or even weeks off a voyage (saving hundreds of gp in crew expenses) or a pirate who uses it as a way to escape pursuit?

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

So

I've noted in another thread that uncommon items, given the fairly generous item creation rules, are going to be kinda common (head to that thread if you want to talk about that).

In particular, I've been very interested in pondering enspelled items, armor, weapons or staves which have 6 charges of one spell (1d6 recharge/day).

Extremely useful and nearly gamebreaking. I trust my players.

LIGHTBRINGER:
This light crossbow can cast the light spell. To do so, shoot a bolt at the desired location to affix the magical glow. Comes with 3 cork-tiped bolts, can fire normal bolts too.

Attract third-party enemies driven toward light. Provide illumination in combat at the start of the fight when previously the party wanted no light. Provide illumination centered on the enemies for easier targetting while staying in the dark. Immensely useful in the right situation.

SHADOWHIDE:
This leather armor can cast the minor illusion spell. First owner was noted for creating illusionary crates to hide inside.

Provide concealment (create a wall with silent image for people unabe to hide?) at the same action that one does a standard action. Breaks action economy, so not sure it would work like you hope.

PHILOSOPHER'S CUDGEL
This elegant cane can cast Shillelagh on itself. Sometimes logic and rhetoric isn't enough.

I foretell regular cane will be unheard of, soon after one starts producing shillelagh-improved canes.

HORN OF PLENTY
This short stout staff is made of the horn of a large animal, and can cast goodberry, which pour out of a small bow carved in the top.

Nourish your extended family and descendant forever 200 gp. Any merchant crossing the 200 gp threshold will invest in one, preventing everyone he loves forever from dying of famine. I call this an agriculture-collapsing device.

IMPERVIOUS MAIL
This chain shirt can cast blade ward by shouting the command word "HELP I AM BEING MURDERED"

Actually, I am thinking that enspelled items will be the new game-breaking line of spell of 3e that was discontinued in 5e, Contingency, except on steroids. It's not uncommon items that I fear. It's the high-level party spending money into a Sword of Banishment. "Looks like we'll be fighting devils in the next few days, let's equip accordingly".

But you're right that first-level spells will be enough to create interesting things. Crossbows of Divine Smite comes to mind, because casters from the back really needed a power boost.


Or a test of insanity, with the Shirt of the Roasted Illitterate. This shirt clearly wears a label in three languages saying it's Enspelled with Hellish Rebuke. As a robber, would you really try to stab the wearer? Are you that insane? The shirts generally come in wardrobes of 7 shirts. The cheap set has a single magically enspelled shirt, all the other are decoys to wear on other days, incentivizing robbers to stab your barbarian friend instead of you at no magical cost at all. The other, whose commercial target is an adventuring party, contains all 7 enspelled items. INT 4+ enemies should run instead of fight a party wearing those.


Beginners often marvel when they meet very experienced heroes who use Drawmi's Instant Fortress to sleep well for the night. They will be very pleased to know that buying inexpansive staves of ditch digging can make them surrounded with large moats when they sleep in the wild? And yes, if you buy 14 of those common items, a golf bag is gifted.

As a tribute to the other thread, enjoy the Vial of Infinite Riches. For 200 gp, get a vial that casts the most powerful 1st-level spell ever designed. It's Ceremony. Read it if you haven't and nobody really has since it's a spell obviously designed for burial rite, marriage and so on, useless for adventurers. EXCEPT... IIRC the enspelled item replaces the necessary components. So it can generate 1d6 doses of 25 gp holy water a day. Which is sold at half-price by PCs, so each 200 gp the group gather should be invested into a 3.5x12.5 gp a day generator. The annual return of this IRA is 63,875% as the party starts outcompeting churches for the community holy water needs.

 

[Oofta]

Still working on it for my next game, but I'm giving the monk magical Wraps of Unarmed Power. When she crits, a magic mouth triggers with words like "BAM!", "BONK!" "WHACK!" from the old Batman TV series.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Back to utility items

• Alchemists Apron - heavy leather protective item, usually lots of burn marks - Absorb Elements
• Hunter's Tassel - a tassel on a foot long ribbon attached to a stick - Animal Friendship
• Huntsman's horn/Falconer's Gauntlet/Cavalry Bridle - Beast Bond - useful for hunting large game, scouting, and on the field of battle
• Bridle of Giddyup - Longstrider - useful on draft horses & oxen
• Velvet Glove (aka Slaver's Glove) - Charm Person - who cares if a slave knows they've been charmed as long as they obey?
• Diadem of Domination - Command - BBEGs and level 0 nobles/priests/judges/guards with big egos love this thing.
• Flask of Copious Water - Create Water - Cross deserts or oceans
• Quartermaster's ring - Detect Poison (the more expensive corrolary item is Quatermaster's Staff that casts Purify Food & Drink)
• Army Courier's Boots - Zephyr's Strike ( Coward's Boots use Expeditious Retreat)
• Chime of the Trustworthy Servant - Unseen Servant - can't spy on you
• Furrier's Flute - Sleep - used to put creatures to sleep so they can be killed in a way that doesn't damage the valuable pelt.

One weapon just because it has more value than just combat

• Butcher's Harvest (ranged weapon) - Hail of Thorns. A skilled hunter can bag a vast amount of small game in a day (nesting birds, animals in a den, school of fish, etc). (On ships this is also known as Pirate's Bane/Friend for how much it can impact pirates attempting to board)

 

[kigmatzomat]

Extremely useful and nearly gamebreaking. I trust my players.

It does change a game. Take it from milquetoast to spicy. Doesn't break it though unless the GM "Just Can't Even"

Attract third-party enemies driven toward light. Provide illumination in combat at the start of the fight when previously the party wanted no light. Provide illumination centered on the enemies for easier targetting while staying in the dark. Immensely useful in the right situation.

Yeah, much like Dancing Lights. ~30gp/scroll in Xanathar

Provide concealment (create a wall with silent image for people unabe to hide?) at the same action that one does a standard action. Breaks action economy, so not sure it would work like you hope.

That one did change the casting action.

The issue with making a wall is that it only works if people don't know there's not a wall there. Pretty sure I'd notice if a new section of wall appeared at work on any of the 3 floors I frequent. Which is why the spell is less useful than Invisibility.

And again, Minor Image can do similar and scrolls of that are 25gp ea. No concentration, even. My bard uses that to create concealment for the cleric in his golden "Favored of Pelor" plate mail.

I foretell regular cane will be unheard of, soon after one starts producing shillelagh-improved canes.

Meh, casters don't usually want to be in melee and non-casters don't have high casting stats. There's no impact to game combat but it means someone mugging a priest is in for a solid wallop or two.

Nourish your extended family and descendant forever 200 gp. Any merchant crossing the 200 gp threshold will invest in one, preventing everyone he loves forever from dying of famine. I call this an agriculture-collapsing device.

For humans, orcs, etc, the impact is small. Only small percentage of people get wealthy enough to afford 200gp and most of those wind up nobility. History has proven people in power become jerks who don't want to share power, so agriculture is fine.

But this does explain how dwarves & drow live underground and elves live in those forest cities. Their long lifespans make it feasible to either save their coppers and silvers from chores as children to buy one at adulthood or be gifted one by family.

Beginners often marvel when they meet very experienced heroes who use Drawmi's Instant Fortress to sleep well for the night. They will be very pleased to know that buying inexpansive staves of ditch digging can make them surrounded with large moats when they sleep in the wild? And yes, if you buy 14 of those common items, a golf bag is gifted.

Or have a party member with Mold Earth. My bard uses that a lot too. Bury corpses in moments, make cover for 2+ people (5ft hole + 5ft pile of dirt), eases travel (turn patches of difficult terrain to normal), and it is a very effective form of restraint if you bury people up to their armpits.

And again, ~30gp/scroll in Xanathar

Edit-fixed price/source of scroll cost