D&D: The Perfect Gift For Your Adventurers
Here’s a great batch of magic items that make a perfect gift for any D&D character–all the impracticality of a Sharper Image catalogue in a single object.
Giving great gifts isn’t just about getting someone something they need–after all anyone can go buy groceries for their friends and hand them out, and while such charity and communal efforts are the reason for the season, and will likely see us through the harsh winters sure to befall our weary world, there’s nothing quite like finding that perfect gift that is something you’ve always wanted, but would never actually go out of your way to spend your own money on.
And you don’t even have to take an airplane and thumb through Skymall to find the perfect gifts if you carry the gift-giving tradition over to your D&D games. With that in mind, here are a few extra pieces of loot to tuck underneath the Ent, Rampaging this season. Let’s take a look at the best gifts any DM can find for their players:
Cast-Off Armor
aNot pictured, the quick-release snaps.
This is armor you can doff as an action. This is surprisingly handy for what it is–if you fall overboard in heavy plate, hey now you can jettison that armor. Or you can show your enemies that you’re willing to talk peace and mean it when you step out of your scale male with a single stride. Better still, be a monk or a barbarian or someone who gets harder to hit when they’re not wearing armor, and then doff this armor when the fight gets serious.
Mystery Key
This is a mysterious key with a question mark worked into its head. It has a 5% chance of unlocking any lock that it’s used on. Once it unlocks something, it disappears. I love this idea so much–it’s a great reward, especially for parties where the rogue can’t unlock doors and nobody prepares/knows the Knock Spell. Better yet, it has a 5% chance of unlocking anything, so take that Arcane Lock–most of the time it’ll do nothing, but the one time it works will be one of those memorable moments.
Shield of Expression
This is a shield with a face engraved in it. When using the shield, as a bonus action you can alter the face’s expression. So if you want your shield to be roaring in anger as you charge, or pouting on your behalf while the party talks about how they’re going to ignore your genius plan to take over the castle (again), you need look no further than this magical shield.
Walloping Ammunition
This ammunition packs a wallop (taken verbatim from Xanathar’s Guide). This ammunition forces creatures hit by it to make a strength save or be knocked prone. It’s only DC 10, but every single time it works the party’s archer is going to be delighted. For maxmimum enjoyment, try and find Shuriken or Darts or Sling Bullets with this property.
Pot of Awakening
Your potted pal who’s fun to be around, this is a strong contender for my single favorite item on this list, this is a magical 10-pound clay pot, which, if you plant an ordinary shrub and let it grow for 30 days (no more, no less), the shrub will transform into an Awakened Shrub which is friendly towards you and may listen to commands you give it.
Moon-Touched Sword
No no moon-TOUCHED-you know what it’s fine.
This one’s pretty cool–a sword that when unsheathed in darkness sheds moonlight, providing bright light out to 15 feet and dim light out another 15 feet. It’s nothing super fancy, and nothing you can’t achieve with a light spell, but the fact that it’s moonlight makes it seem a little more wondrous, and might be of particular interest to players whose characters have an affinity moonward. Or if you’re fighting against cursed pirates whose true form is only revealed by moonlight, this lets you know when said scalawags are present.
Unbreakable Arrow
This is the stuff that dreams are made of. An arrow that cannot be broken, except when inside an antimagic field. If you can’t think of at least a dozen possible uses for this arrow, there’s no helping you. This is the arrow for making your DM get that far-off sad stare that you know means their spirit is broken just that much more inside. Hang the arrow somewhere and use it as a way to climb down. Wedge open any door. Bet people in taverns that you’re stronger than them–you snap a regular arrow, and give them your unbreakable arrow. Build a shelter out of unbreakable arrows and weather a storm. The list goes on–but this item has potential.
Most of the common magic items have that kind of potential–there are ways to use them, but you have to get creative to really make the most out of them. And that’s what I like about them. It isn’t just that they’re frivolous, but that they encourage players to really think about how they can get away with things in the game–that’s as much a part of D&D as kicking in a door to a 10’x10′ room with an Orc guarding a chest. So, I hope you enjoy figuring out how you’re going to use the Tankard of Sobriety (which means you never get drunk) to create further adventures.
Until next time, happy adventuring AND holidays!
