Item sets are likely a very familiar concept to players of nearly any modern RPG, especially if that RPG happens to be one of the myriad of MMOs that have come about in the last decade or two. It's a simple concept, but one that turns finding a magic item—something already sure to please the lucky player—into an epic quest in and of itself to find all of the item's magical kin.

Item Sets: Design Theory

While many games handle item sets differently, there are almost always a few basic elements that go into it. These elements should be carried over when adapting this concept to D&D.

First and foremost, each individual item in the set must share a theme with the rest. Not only should these items all be geared toward the same type of character and "feel" like a cohesive collection, but they will traditionally be rooted in a single story or background, as well as support (or complement) a single aesthetic. Most often this comes from the items' origin or intended purpose, but can really be anything that thematically unifies each item in the set.

Second, the set should focus mechanically on one aspect of the intended character's performance. In other words, an item set should focus on improving its owner in one specific area, though the exact breadth of that area is up to the set's creator. For example, while each piece of the set presented below is helpful for just about any heavily-armored character, the set together focuses on allowing its wearer to better hold their ground, and to keep their allies out of harm's way (sometimes by putting themselves in danger to do so).

Finally, the trademark element of an item set is that the set as a whole improves the more pieces of it the character finds and equips. These bonuses are usually cumulative, but can realistically work however best suits the individual set. These improvements should ideally follow the same theme that the items themselves do, namely improving the wearer in the same specific area.

Having said all this, it's not necessarily a bad thing if you deviate from this formula. Many players are vocal critics of how D&D is sometimes treated by some as if it were a video game, and honestly (in my opinion anyway), those criticisms aren't without merit. So don't be afraid to treat item sets however works best for you and your table, but most of all, remember that the objective for everything you do at the table is for everyone to have fun, so if that's being accomplished, you can't be too far off the mark.