D&D: Five Great Rods That May Not Have Seven Parts
While the competition for best rod can be quite stiff, these are firm contenders for best magic rod in D&D.
In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, the adventuring heroes are sent off in search of a legendary rod. The Rod of Seven Parts is one of D&D’s iconic rods. But rods are a hard item to classify. They each contain myriad miscellaneous powers, across a wide spectrum of options.
Which means some rods feel absolutely perfect when wielded in the right hands, while others might leave players feeling like they’ve been shafted. While the search for each part of the Rod of Seven Parts may take most of Vecna: Eve of Ruin, these other magic rods are more than capable of helping you make sure that quest comes to a satisfying finish.
Rod of Absorption
This magical rod is handy when dealing with spellcasters and the like. While grasping it, its wielder can use a reaction to absorb a spell that is targeting them. The Rod of Absorption will then cancel the spell, storing the spell’s energy in the rod. While storing magical energy, the rod’s owner can convert the energy stored into spell slots, helping to make sure that your spellcasting power can last the whole night, if need be.
Rod of Hellish Flames
This glowing rod has a flanged head and can be used as an arcane focus in addition to its other properties. It makes its wielder resistant to fire and necrotic damage, while also granting them the ability to cast Hellish Rebuke as a 4th-level spell (dealing 5d10 damage on a failed save). But what makes this rod potent is the Surge of Brimstone ability. This maximizes the rod’s output, once per day, allowing a spell that deals fire or necrotic damage to simply do maximum damage instead of rolling, which can be especially devastating with the right spell. You’ll always get that powerful punch when you need it.
Rod of Security
This magic rod will send its wielder to paradise, again and again. It’ll even work on friends of the wielder. All it takes is an action, and the wielder and up to 199 other willing creatures they can see (because you always have to consent before being sent to paradise), are instantly transported to a paradise that exists in an extraplanar space.
It might be a tranquil garden, lovely glade, cheery tavern, or whatever other paradise the rod’s wielder can imagine.
Tentacle Rod
This specialized rod ends in three rubbery tentacles that can act independently of one another to its wielder’s satisfaction. They can be directed to attack individually, hitting a creature within 15 feet of the wielder. On a hit, a tentacle deals bludgeoning damage and a creature impacted by all three tentacles must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have their speed halved and take disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, and can’t use reactions for 1 minute. Moreover, on each of its turns, the affected creature can only take an action or a bonus action but not both.
Taking on all three tentacles at once sounds like an intense experience.
Rod of Lordly Might
This rod is almost an artifact unto itself. Another rod with a weirdly specific “flanged head” this rod has six different speedssettings and can transform with the push of one of six different buttons to give its wielder the tool they need for the job at hand. One button sheathes the rod in flame, creating a flame tongue weapon of the wielder’s choice.
Another button makes it a +3 battleaxe with two blades expanding out from the rod’s flanged head.
A third button transforms the rod into a potent spear which is noted for having a “six-foot shaft”.
The fourth button transforms the rod into a massive climbing pole that can bear up to 4,000 pounds at once.
The fifth button on the rod activates its ramming mode, causing it to become a handheld ram that gives its user a +10 bonus to break through doors, barricades, and other barriers.
And the last button returns the rod to its normal form and points it north.
On top of that, this rod can drain an enemy’s vitality, paralyze them in place, or terrify any who behold this magnificent rod.
What’s your favorite rod in D&D?
