D&D 5E Most annoying / awesome magic items

[Lanefan]

2 more are (usually) seriously annoying - lose all wealth & lose all magic items

One poor schlub in my current campaign got both of these in a pull of three! (I forget what the third one was)

2. Most bad effects were eventually solvable anyway. It might take an adventure (or many adventures).

That depends on how each DM handles the effects. For me, getting rid of a card effect is wish-level stuff at the least; or direct divine intervention.

Lan-"cards? gimme gimme gimme!"-efan

 

[Lanefan]

That said, there are entirely rational reasons to not like the Deck of Many Things- some people do not enjoy random.

Or some characters. I-as-player love the deck, but if I'm running a lawful character who likes to keep some control of things that character will take up an observation post behind a strong barrier and leave the deck to the foolhardy.

 

[Lanliss]

Have not gotten to use it in play, but I really like the look of the immovable rod. I can just imagine having a barbarian throw the halfling, carrying the rod, halfway across a 70 foot chasm. Halfling activates rod in the middle and allows others to swing off the rod to get across. Finally, the halfling ties the rope to the rod and holds on tight as the party pulls him up. And this is just one of the many uses of an immovable rod. You can also get a pair, and use it for very slow flight.

Cannot think of any off the top of my head that I hate the look of.

 

[ccs]

Would you, the real life you, take that offer?

That's the problem with this item: no sane person would take a card unless he was desperate enough to sell a kidney anyway.

But the player doesn't suffer the consequences, only his character, and from that point of view I get either a really powerful character or a dead/useless one, and I (the player) can always roll up a new character. There is no downside for the player, so draw those cards!

But characters are not aware that they are avatars who only exist to please their controlling masters in another reality! Every creature believes that it exists, and wants to live; to pursue and achieve life, liberty and happiness. No way would any non-desperate person choose to flip a coin, 'heads you die, tails you get money'.

In real life? Yes I would.

Game-wise? There was most definitely a down side for me as a player the last time I/my character got to play with a DoMT. It was last year in our 1e game. I had an 11th lv, decently equipped paladin that I greatly enjoyed playing!
Any positive result I drew aids the party/furthers the goals.
Most negatives (save donjon/void) weren't of greater impact than the positives.
Not even the skull card. Because the odds of my beating it were extremely favorable.

On the 3rd card (of 4) I drew the skull - fight death & win or forever be destroyed. My min. Damage was 11(death only has 33 hp), I only needed 8s to hit, & had 75+ hp.
I hit death twice in the 1st round. And missed every single attack after that.

As for your tangent about the character not realizing it's a game piece? Not relevant to anything. Or at least nothing in any game I've ever played.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Uh huh.1

Let's put it this way. I have, right here, a Head of Vecna for you. So very, very powerful.

How do you use it? Funny you should ask!

*snicker-snack*


1 Technically, you're supposed to say my name three times to invoke me.

That's unfortunate. I'd hoped the story behind the item--the buildup to the real deal, being a subtle and not pre-planned thing--would help mollify your dislike. Oh well. Not like I need your approval to have fun...yet!

 

[Eltab]

I love the Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity. I don't think of it as an annoying cursed item, I think of it as a fun way to toy with gender norms and stereotypes.

Recently re-named for Kaitlyn.

My Tiamat party's Warlock (who lusts after power - pardon the pun) put one on*, knowing full well what it would do, because it raised his(?) CHR - and therefore increased combat effectiveness / DPR. My NPC Paladin learned Remove Curse, if the Warlock ever gets tired of the thing.

* Courtesy a fill-in DM, while I took night classes and got qualified for a night job.

 

[Eltab]

My Wood Elf AL Monk / Rogue who trained and Expertise'd (Stealth) LOVED borrowing a Cloak of Elvenkind. Advantage on Stealth plus make everybody else take disadvantage on Perception checks to see me? In the middle of the night? Climbing down a forest-y bluff? Yes please ! The closest thing to Invisibility at L2.

My Tiamat group showed the power of an Arrow of Dragonslaying when they got a crit on Arauthator during Round 1. Almost 100 HP gone in ONE BLOW.

 

[Lanefan]

My Tiamat party's Warlock (who lusts after power - pardon the pun) put one on*, knowing full well what it would do, because it raised his(?) CHR - and therefore increased combat effectiveness / DPR.

I don't get this - why would changing gender have any effect on your Cha score (or any other score, for that matter)? I thought gender-based stat variances went out after 1e.

Or did the cloak itself have a Cha-raising ability built in as a side effect? If yes, this makes sense.

Lanefan

 

[devincutler]

Like: Rod of Lordly Might...the Swiss army knife of magic items!

 

[devincutler]

Would you, the real life you, take that offer?

That's the problem with this item: no sane person would take a card unless he was desperate enough to sell a kidney anyway.

But the player doesn't suffer the consequences, only his character, and from that point of view I get either a really powerful character or a dead/useless one, and I (the player) can always roll up a new character. There is no downside for the player, so draw those cards!

But characters are not aware that they are avatars who only exist to please their controlling masters in another reality! Every creature believes that it exists, and wants to live; to pursue and achieve life, liberty and happiness. No way would any non-desperate person choose to flip a coin, 'heads you die, tails you get money'.

And the 'getting a peasant to draw for you' idea? "Hey, peasant! Draw four cards from this deck for me! Each card either makes you rich (and you give me half) or kills you. ....Hey...where are you running off to...?"

But this is true of everything in D&D. Our characters cannot feel pain. Getting a sword through your ribs hurts...a lot! Even if you get healing soon afterwards. But the players don't feel pain and so are quite willing to take this immense pain over and over again.

Similarly, who in real life would go up against a dragon? Answer? No one. Our characters risk death because....they can and there are no ultimate consequences.