(There are few resources available for magical treasure in the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons until the source books are published later this year. Until then, I am building custom treasures and sharing it here as the adventuring company in my new campaign discovers them. The system has great tools for making custom content.)
Well, the Company kicked over a nest of ghouls and hidden among the detritus of their meal was a set of magical leather armor ... much to the delight of the rogue. There are two levers I am going to be very cautious about throwing while building custom magical items: magical armor and magical blunt weapons.
I need to keep my undead healthy for a little longer.
The Blending Leathers are a real treat. They aren't for GMs who throw poor dice. My d20s tend to roll well, so I figured my party could benefit from a little disadvantage on my part.
Blending Leathers
This supple set of leather armor is stained dark. The craftsmanship is exquisite. There are cleverly positioned straps and ties that will allow any medium sized creature to adjust the armor to fit themselves like a glove.
An adventurer attuned to this armor grants Disadvantage to all attackers until struck by a ranged or melee attack. Once struck, this power is not available until a long or short rest is taken.
They are currently knocking around in a haunted lighthouse, trying to get it restarted for the nearby town. If they continue to roll poorly on the random treasure table ... this series of blog posts isn't going to go anywhere...
(There are few resources available for magical treasure in the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons until the source books are published later this year. Until then, I am building custom treasures and sharing it here as the adventuring company in my new campaign discovers them. The system has great tools for making custom content.)
Without the company clerics (both went to Pennsic), the Company of the Wayward Dragon had an interesting third session. Most of it was running around town and figuring things out. The clerics still weren't back for the fourth session ... but that was fine. The Company had already accepted work clearing out an island graveyard of some indeterminate evil plaguing the local fishing fleet.
No spiffy magical custom treasure came into their hands during session three, but after spending an evening kicking over mausoleums and fighting undead, a few choice items found their way into company hands.
I am leaning heavily on charges right now. I will probably back off a bit going forward. I am also hoping that I haven't made anything too terribly broken. One thing I am trying to do is put more powerful effects on not longswords. Also, I am trying to avoid letting them have any magical blunt weapons for a while.
Always search the pits you fall into, you just might find something like:
Tyranny the Doomspear
A long pole of blackened metal with blue inlays tipped with over a foot of wickedly sharp, flattened blade. The edges of the blade flicker with crackling purple energy.
Charges: 5
Recharge: 1/day
Cool Down: 4 days (if completely drained, this item begins recharging normally after 4 days have passed)
Attuned: Spend a charge and choose one –
a) Gain Advantage on your next attack with Tyranny
b) Give Disadvantage for 1d3 rounds to an opponent in melee with Tyranny
Spend two charges – Add +1d6 per Proficiency Bonus to the damage of an attack (before rolling damage)
Spend three charges – Add +1d6 per Proficiency Bonus to the damage of an attack (after rolling damage)
And if you wipe out a nest of cultists, it pays to search their stuff thoroughly. They might have looted something from the cemetery they call home.
Orb of Sudden Brilliance
A perfect sphere of what looks like blown glass but is made from something far more durable. When fully charged it is slightly warm to the touch.
Attuned:When activated by the attuned adventurer, a fully charged orb will emit an incredibly bright flash of light after 1 round. Anyone expose to the light or caught unaware by it must make a DC 15 Dexterity check or be Blinded for 1d4 rounds. Any creature successfully saving against the flash has Disadvantage for 1 round.
After activating the orb glows as per a torch for eight hours. It can only be recharged by remaining exposed to sunlight for eight hours.
I made a variety of interesting non-longsword things. But I did make one longsword ... the company happened to pull it off the random loot table.
Heartstriker, the Sword of Seeking
This longsword glows a dim blue with purple highlights only the sharpened edges. The hilt is swept back like a bow with curled quillions at the ends. The pommel is set with a dark purple stone.
Attuned: The wielder of Heartstriker has advantage on all attacks made with the weapon until the first time it misses. The power is reset after a long rest.
I like Heartstriker because a sword with Advantage is better than a +1 anything. And this Advantage goes away with a bad die roll. It may seem like I am handing out a pile of treasure early on, but I have 10 players. It is going to take a while before everyone is rolling deep enough to scoff at any wondrous items.
About Fading Interest
After writing op-eds and travelogues for several years, after finishing a few books, and after failing to get the ball rolling with project after project I stumbled into an idea that might just hold my interest long enough to enjoy some level of satisfaction with my writing.