D&D General "Minor" Item, Major Benefit

[EzekielRaiden]

Do you have any items, regardless of edition, that the rules treat as being pretty minor, but you've seen them prove their worth time and time again?

Because I've discovered one in 5.5e that I genuinely think should be a top-priority pick for anybody in the party who tends to stick in the middle of the group and doesn't need a fancy weapon: a Weapon of Warning. The "wake up allies when combat starts" thing isn't bad, but the real juicy part is that it gives all allies within 30 feet of you Advantage on initiative rolls, so long as the weapon is within reach and you're attuned to it.

Is it going to change the world? Nah. Is it letting you do monstrous DPS? Nope! Does it prevent PC deaths? Absolutely the heck not, we literally just had our Cleric go from full HP to instant death in two attacks in last week's session of Hussar's game.

Does it make a big difference and help whittle down enemy groups faster? Yes indeed you'd better believe it. Especially with my Sorcerer. Dropping a point-blank Careful Spell fireball has already proven its effectiveness. It's probably not highly optimized. It's probably not the greatest thing ever.

But it is a comparatively "minor" magic item--one you can buy in even just a relatively large town, not just a big city--with, IMO, a major benefit. I'm absolutely certain the folks around here have a bookshelf worth of stories about this sort of thing. What's your "minor" item with a major benefit?

 

[aco175]

Decanter of Endless Water; We managed to use this so many different ways over the years. We turned on the geyser mode to propel out rowboat, both to escape from chasing bad guys and to quickly cross a moat without being seen. We geysered the fire elemental endangering the town. We used it to fill up a dungeon room to reach the door on the ceiling and continue the exploration. There is also the more normal things like watering crops and providing for thirsty caravan mounts.

 

[GM Lent]

The Immovable Rod - and Uncommon item that is insanely useful, especially if you can get two or better yet 3 of them. Climb up or down sheer surfaces, bar a door either open or closed, pin an enemy down, cross a pit, the uses are near endless.

 

[humble minion]

I just handed out a Robe of Useful Items to my level 5 party. I expect to get REALLY annoyed by that thing from time to time!

 

[Maxperson]

Do you have any items, regardless of edition, that the rules treat as being pretty minor, but you've seen them prove their worth time and time again?

Because I've discovered one in 5.5e that I genuinely think should be a top-priority pick for anybody in the party who tends to stick in the middle of the group and doesn't need a fancy weapon: a Weapon of Warning. The "wake up allies when combat starts" thing isn't bad, but the real juicy part is that it gives all allies within 30 feet of you Advantage on initiative rolls, so long as the weapon is within reach and you're attuned to it.

Is it going to change the world? Nah. Is it letting you do monstrous DPS? Nope! Does it prevent PC deaths? Absolutely the heck not, we literally just had our Cleric go from full HP to instant death in two attacks in last week's session of Hussar's game.

Does it make a big difference and help whittle down enemy groups faster? Yes indeed you'd better believe it. Especially with my Sorcerer. Dropping a point-blank Careful Spell fireball has already proven its effectiveness. It's probably not highly optimized. It's probably not the greatest thing ever.

I'd put Bags of Holding and the Wand of Secrets into this category.

But it is a comparatively "minor" magic item--one you can buy in even just a relatively large town, not just a big city--with, IMO, a major benefit. I'm absolutely certain the folks around here have a bookshelf worth of stories about this sort of thing. What's your "minor" item with a major benefit?

Only if you have magic items for sale can you buy it, and then it's not found in large towns.

The default for 5e is that magic items are not for sale unless they are common, and the Weapon of Warning is uncommon, and even if it's common it's rarely a matter of just walking into a store to buy it. Without magic marts it would be difficult to find a Weapon of Warning.

5.5e made it so that you could find uncommon or rare items in a city, with the rarer items being found in places like The City of Brass. Even then it says that it's only if the DM allows magic items sales.

 

[bloodtide]

I'm a fan of things like the Alchemy Jug. Having the ability to magicaly make liquids is great, for both utility and combat and social encounters. The 5E version is a bit dull, but I homebrew much better items.

I love items like this as it can make players think and take interesting actions, backed up by what they cleverly think to conjure up.

 

[Horwath]

I always try to get Shifweave magical clothing.
it's great for utility and roleplay

you can get 5 sets of cloths in it and change between then as a Bonus action,
better yet, get 2 of them if you can.

1st for city exploration:
your standard exploration clothes
Luxury clothes,
City guard uniform
beggars clothes,
some kind of entertainer,

2nd for wilderness exploration
commoner clothes
Forester clothes,
arctic survival,
desert survival,
aquatic gear,