D&D: Five Magic Items That Work Every Time, 60 Percent of the Time
Sometimes that trick up your sleeve is all you’ve got. These magic items will either save the day or be a complete disaster. Epic either way.
Dungeons & Dragons is a game about defying the odds. And it doesn’t get much more odds-defying than these magic items. Which don’t necessarily defy the odds in and of themselves. It’s just they lead to those moments where everything hinges on the roll of the die way more often than not. They’ll either work completely or make everyone go down in flames. Either way, these magic items work every time.
Bag of Beans
A Bag of Beans is a small pouch that contains 3d4 magic beans. You can either remove the bean, take an action to plant and water it and wait a minute to see what happens. Or you can hurl every bean out onto the ground, dealing 5d4 points of fire damage to anyone caught in the area, and igniting anything flammable for your trouble.
Either way, this item is effective. And you never know what you’re going to get. You might grow a treant, letting you turn the tide of a pitched battle. Or you might strike a beer geyser instead. Or better yet, you might grow eggs that increase your lowest ability scores by 1. Unless they explode inside you.
Whatever happens, when you use a bean from a bag of beans, it’s going to be epic.
Bag of Tricks
When you absolutely need an effect right now, there’s nothing better than a Bag of Tricks up your sleeve. These bags are full of little furry friends just waiting to leap into battle on your side. You might summon a bear or a tiger or even a dire wolf.
Or, you could just as easily summon the help of a loyal rat. Or weasel. Your mileage may vary.
Dodecahedron of Doom
When you have to roll the dice and beat those long odds, why not actually roll the dice? The Dodecahedron of Doom is a magical d12. No really:
This twelve-sided metal die is 12 inches across and bears the numbers 1 through 12 engraved on its pentagonal sides. The dodecahedron contains arcane clockwork mechanisms that whir and click whenever the die is cast.
When you take action to roll it, anything can happen. It might glow softly with white light. It might explode, destroying itself and dealing 9d8 damage to everyone nearby. Or perhaps it will heal or shock whoever picks it up next. You never know what you’re going to get, but you’re going to get something with this.
Wand of Wonder
Lo and behold, the iconic “quick do something” item. The Wand of Wonder won’t end campaigns, as a Deck of Many Things might. But it will inject its own personality any time you try and use it.
You might use it to cast spells well outside of your level, like Stinking Cloud, or you might accidentally summon a wild, angry badger. Or turn your target to stone, or perhaps give them Haste. There is a lot that can go wrong with this item, but there’s a lot that can go right, too.
Pyroconverger
Finally, the Pyroconverger. As the picture and name imply, this is a magical flamethrower. And it’s a little more reliable than some of these items, in that it either shoots fire at your enemies, or it explodes right in your face. The more you use it, the likelier it is the latter will happen.
But sometimes, you just have to roll the dice.
Wait, not like that!
