A Handful of Magic Items 6

The last time we took a look at some magic items was last year, but we’ve had a couple months to brew up some new ones for you. Today we present a dagger fitting of a great assassin, a cloak for someone expecting to take a lot of damage, and an arrow designed to aid in scaling walls and cliffs. Let’s take a look!

Veinstrike (requires attunement)

This dagger counts as a +1 dagger, and grants the attuned wielder advantage on all melee attack rolls made with it. If the wielder would be at disadvantage, the advantage from this weapon is lost for the attack and does not cancel out the disadvantage.

This dagger is recognizable with it’s dark blade and ornate guard and pommel. Those who have wielded it claim that the blade seeks out the veins and arteries of enemies, adjusting in the hand of the wielder.

Cloak of the Martyr (requires attunement)

When the attuned wearer of this cloak is killed or reduced to 0 hit points, all friendly creatures within 30 feet of them gain 5 temporary hit points. Once this effect takes place it cannot occur again until a week passes.

This inside of this ordinary looking cloak glows a soft white light, flashing out brightly whenever the wearer is dealt a potentially fatal blow, lending their draining life force to their allies nearby.

Grappling Arrows

Whenever a Grappling Arrow is shot, a rope magically extends from behind the arrow back to the point where it was shot up until 100 feet before trailing behind it. If the arrow does not hit a solid surface before the rope is fully extended, the tip splays out into a grappling hook.

This arrow looks normal at first sight, aside from the overly long feathers that make up the fletching. Once fired, the fletching appears to disappear like a pulled thread, magically turning into rope as the arrow flies while the tip of the arrow splays out into a grappling hook.

I wanted to start off 2018 with a good mix of items, and so have included one offensive, one defensive, and one utility item. The dagger, Veinstrike, is intended for your rogues dealing sneak attack damage by letting them do it more often and more consistently. Most rogues I’ve played with try to maximize their weapon damage by using a rapier for the d8, but by making this weapon a dagger you halve the potential damage they’ll do in exchange for accuracy and sneak attack damage, which they will find a way to do anyway. I didn’t want to make it too powerful, which is why it has a “lesser advantage” that can be completely cancelled.

The Cloak of the Martyr is actually a tweaked suggestion of one of my players (thanks Tim!) where he came up with a similar (but albeit, fairly overpowered) version that was instead a halo. As with most magical gear that’s not a weapon, go for the rule of cool and turn it from a cloak to a halo, gloves, pendant, or anything. This is the kind of item I could see a cleric or your frontline fighter wearing, providing their friends a little extra boost if they fall, possibly allowing them to live long enough to pick the martyr up and run or continue the fight. The long recharge I thought was necessary to avoid abuse, but adjust to your taste.

And lastly, the utility of the Grappling Arrows comes forward (also started as an idea from Tim, but as a bow rather than the arrows). I like magical ammunition more than a magical bow because it allows you to bestow a bunch of arrows like this and give them the agency to choose when to use them. Maybe there’s always another solution, but giving the player the chance to shine when they want with an item like the Grappling Arrows really feels rewarding in my opinion. I designed them the way I did so that the rope length is not infinite, but so that it could be useful for distances above 100 feet (provided the party can make up the difference).

Let me know what you think of these items, and how you would improve them or change them to fit into your campaign!

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