Uncommon Magic Items

[Estralita]

So, I'm getting ready to join a new 5e game, where we start at level 6 and the GM has ruled we all get an uncommon magic item to start. I don't own a copy of the DMG, so what kind of item would be good for a Level 6 Favored Soul in the Death Domain?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Winged Boots are ludicrously overpowered, but your DM will probably thank you to choose something more balanced.

Sending Stones are good. Robes of Useful Items are fun. Shield +1 is always solid if you're a tanky sort of favoured soul. Wand of Web might be a good option too.

Make sure someone takes a Bag of Holding!

[ronlugge]

Depends on the type of favored soul you want to be!

There are a lot of fun items out there. There's a PDF that lists them by rarity here (http://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/MagicItemsRarity.pdf).

My personal favorite, at the uncommon level, is either the ones that turn a dump stat into a positive (headband of intellect, gauntlets of ogre power), or something that gives you advantage at something you're already good at (cloak of elvenkind, gloves of thievery).

[Estralita]

Okay, I guess my next question would be how do I find out what these items actually do? Like, how exactly would a wand of web work? (sounds like a good choice, but not certain)

[JNAProductions]

Dungeon Master's Guide.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Okay, I guess my next question would be how do I find out what these items actually do? Like, how exactly would a wand of web work? (sounds like a good choice, but not certain)

Summary:

7 charges, recharges 1d6+1 at dawn.
1 charge = 1 casting of Web, DC 15.

[SharkForce]

note that the wand of web stands out for being really good at first, but will gradually become less amazing as time goes on.

it isn't a bad choice, but if you expect to spend a significant amount of time at very high levels, the wand will fall off. on the other hand, it's a very good choice at 6th level (basically gives you a bunch more spell slots and another spell known), and will remain a very good choice for several more levels.

[PoeticDwarf]

If you want to be boring. You can go for a +1 item. (wand of war magic)
If you want to go MAD. Take the gauntlets of ogre power or the band of intellect (gives you 19str or 19int).
If you go for da fun. Take a bag of tricks (lots of uses).

[SharkForce]

If you want to be boring. You can go for a +1 item. (wand of war magic)
If you want to go MAD. Take the gauntlets of ogre power or the band of intellect (gives you 19str or 19int).
If you go for da fun. Take a bag of tricks (lots of uses).

i would never take a wand of war magic. they're not just boring, they're also terrible.

[Ninja_Prawn]

i would never take a wand of war magic. they're not just boring, they're also terrible.

Looks pretty good to me. Not many other ways of getting a flat bonus for your spell attacks. And half cover comes up all the time - shooting through another creature imposes half cover.

[SharkForce]

Looks pretty good to me. Not many other ways of getting a flat bonus for your spell attacks. And half cover comes up all the time - shooting through another creature imposes half cover.

the vast majority of what a caster does when they genuinely care about the outcome of a fight does not involve making attack rolls.

that isn't true 100% of the time; certainly, if you throw a high-level scorching ray at a single target, it's because you care about the fight enough to expend those resources. but it does absolutely nothing for web, hypnotic pattern, hold person/monster, banishment, confusion, mass suggestion, fireball, any buff spell (if they're worth using), wall spells, force cage, any summoning spell, etc.

then, you add in that it doesn't add damage like a magic sword or bow would (multiple times per round), and requires you to give up an attunement slot.

the things it adds to are generally speaking the things i care least about on almost any caster (with the exception of warlocks that are focused entirely on eldritch blast and literally don't care about any of their other abilities including the numerous CC spells they can get).

it isn't worse than nothing. but i can think of a lot of other uncommon magic items i'd rather have. heck, i can think of a lot of uncommon magic items i'd rather have than even a +3 wand of war magic.

[Estralita]

Okay, I'm seriously considering Wand of Web, but before I do, I want to ask if Careful spell would work on a Web cast by a Wand.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Okay, I'm seriously considering Wand of Web, but before I do, I want to ask if Careful spell would work on a Web cast by a Wand.

Ask your DM; I would rule "no" on account of Metamagic only working on "your spells". Spells cast from a wand are not your own; they belong to the person who created the wand.

I suppose it might be possible to create a magic item that somehow stored a metamagiced spell, but that would have to be specified in the item's description.

Edit: Now I'm also curious as to how Web interacts with Careful Spell even under normal circumstances. Because Web itself doesn't force saves - it creates an area of webbing that only requires a save when other creatures interact with it. Just from an intuitive, common sense point of view, I don't think it should be possible to Careful Spell Web. If you sculpt the webbing around your allies, what happens when they move out of their safe pocket? What happens if an enemy moves into it? Has there been any Sage Advice on this?

[SharkForce]

don't think there've been rulings on careful spell.

but frankly, it's magic. you've imbued your spell with the ability to recognize your party members and to not go after them as much. why? because it's a spell.

frankly, sorcerers are a pretty unimpressive caster even with careful spell (yes, it lets you avoid your own party, but generally speaking you want to be casting your CC before your party is in it anyways), and careful spell goes a long way towards making them not awful. taking that away is a nerf to one of the casters that needs it the least.

[Sindeloke]

Yeah, I'd let a Careful web slide as a DM. The point of the metamagic is the smart targeting, not the specific fluff detail that you're casting it all gingerly and cautious.

Still wouldn't let it apply to the wand, though. Not that you need it for it to be potent.

[SharkForce]

yeah, like i said... careful should be a nice thing you can add when you need. if you're never able to land meaningful CC without your party being mixed in, you should probably examine why you're always getting ambushed in melee, or why your front line is charging through the enemy front line rather than trying to keep the enemy front line and your back line separate.

[blingking]

Sentinel Shield is ridiculously good. It doesn't give you any armor bonus (apart from the usual +2 you get from any shield), but advantage on Perception checks and Initiative is just incredible. Also remember that advantage on Perception checks means you get a +5 to your passive perception.

[Spojaz]

If you know you can get a specific magic item, it could be cool to build a character around it. Put your 8 (or whatever your worst roll is) and put it as your class's primary stat. Then get the item that changes that stat. Turns that 8 into a 19, which would be pretty good for your level, but your other stats would be amazing. You could also play an abnormal race for your class without your effectiveness being hampered (gnome fighter anyone?). It also comes with a very interesting weakness. What happens if you lose those gauntlets of ogre power?

[Easy_Lee]

I'm a fan of sentinel shield and bag of holding. One's generally useful, and one's got lots of applications.

[Slipperychicken]

Helm of Telepathy all the way.

Most importantly, it gives detect thoughts, at-will, with no verbal, somatic, or material components (meaning people can't tell that you're casting it). Even if you don't want to risk people saving against a deep probe, you still have access to peoples' surface thoughts, no save. IIRC it lets you detect intelligent creatures (int 4 or higher?) within range, making it a decent early-warning system. The telepathy and 1/day suggestion are icing on the cake. Used properly, a helm of telepathy will allow you to steamroll basically all social encounters, give you a heads-up for ambushes, and potentially sequence-break whole adventures.

[ronlugge]

Also remember that advantage on Perception checks means you get a +5 to your passive perception.

Where is that in the rules?

[SharkForce]

Where is that in the rules?

the hiding sidebar in the stealth section of the skills chapter.

[RedMage125]

Broom of Flying is also a good choice.

If you're looking for a +1 item, Cloaks of Protection boost AC AND saves.

Periapt of Wound Closure is nice. Auto-stabilize and double benefit of nonmagical healing.