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Shojiteru
2015-10-02, 11:48 PM
A little intro: I am new to DND and recently, I have been inspired to DM. I realise this will be quite a difficult and long journey, but one I am willing to take on. I will probably frequent here for awhile with new questions, so thanks ahead of time!

Setting: it will be high magic for the players but low for the rest of the world as they journey. It will be based off the Journey to the West.

That takes us here. I want each party member to come over time, each having their own magic item from the start. This will make them powerful, yes, but I believe the challenges and difficulties they will face thanks to me shall balance it out.

Looking in the DMG, it gives lots of info, but very general info. I want them each to start with 1 legendary item. They won't get too many more, perhaps 3 tops a piece as they venture to level 20, eventually gaining the immortality epic boon. After, they will either continue on eternity on various adventures or start a new, their old characters making cameos now and then.

This is where the lovely community comes in. They platers have characters that I will be building around to accommodate the stories they want and give them all what they want. They too aren't that well versed with magic items and decided I can make items to give them that suit their characters.

We have a Drow fighter. The newest in the group who just loves to go in guns blazing. A legendary rapier should fit.

Next is a half elf bard. He will be far back, being an archer and main healer. Not even wearing armour to show reliance on the party to protect him. I figured a healing harp would be best.

Now is the last member for now, yes it is small. A shadow monk who is the brother of the bard, both half elves. I wasn't sure whether mobility and utility should be main focus, but seeing as how it will start small and with the fighter fighting on the front lines, bars in back, he will mainly be in the middle going from front to back. His legendary item should boost damage so he can help in front and get those that slip past fighter to kill the bard.

Now the fighters rapier would be a +3 flame tongue.
The bard's harp will have healing spells with 50 charges and be similar to the Staff of the Magi, as it is the closest legendary spellcasting item I cold find.
The monk would gain +3 to unarmed strikes with a bonus damage of 2d8.

These are just spitball ideas. Have anyone else got ideas that would blmake better items? Similar to the items in the Journey to the West, these will be The characters prized possessions until they pass level 11 and start to gain another magic item and their final one at 18.

If ht any chance someone else made a homebrew of Journey to the West for this, I would love to see it.

Thanks everyone and sorry for the wall of text! Wanted to let everyone know what these items are for to help those who are helping us.

Solaris
2015-10-04, 10:10 PM
Which edition of the game is this for?

What levels are the characters starting off with, and how overpowered are you willing to accept their items being? If you're taking recommendations, I'd suggest around 3rd level and "Not terribly". You might find something similar to legacy weapons (though perhaps without the costs in HP, BAB, and the like) to be a good alternative. The gist of it is that the items start off relatively mundane, but through specific quests they unlock abilities and gain in power. Thus, the same weapon remains relevant to an adventurer throughout his entire career.
You might want to look into having each item do something special, like one (or more) of the powers granted by the intelligent magic items in the back of the DMG. A flame tongue is just a sword, but a flame tongue that lets you rebuke/command fire creatures (a la the Fire domain (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#fireDomain) ability) is the sort of thing legends are made with.
Likewise, I'd look into the harp doing more than just healing - such as improving the effects of the bardic music, or maybe even continuing to play by itself while the bard does other things.

Have you asked the players what sorts of magic items they'd like their characters to have?

If you're wanting to reduce the number of magic items on characters (which I think you are, given the mention of only about three more between now and level twenty), then giving each of the characters something like the bonuses (but not bonus feats) from Vow of Poverty (without the drawbacks or having to take a feat, of course) might not be a bad idea. It has most of the expected big numbers characters are supposed to get as they advance in level without requiring that they have inordinate numbers of magic items.

Ninja_Prawn
2015-10-05, 01:36 AM
The OP sounds very much like 5e to me.

I know you said you can balance around legendary items, but are you absolutely sure you want to do that? In a low-magic world where the PCs will only have a handful of magic items, one uncommon item each ought to feel special.

The items you suggest seem kind of... uninspired. Two weapons of +X damage is pretty lame (even if they add extra of another element), and the harp sounds like a less interesting version of an Instrument of the Bards. I mean, the *uncommon* Doss Lute is an amazing item that adds power, flexibility and flavour.

Who needs 50 charges of Cure Wounds? Most parties would be hard pressed to even play 50 rounds of combat in a day. Maybe 7 charges with 1 to cast Lesser Restoration and 6 to cast Heal might be alright, but I don't know...

If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to give them sentient and/or cursed items with really unusual powers. Let them do things they can't normally do, while providing story hooks at the same time.. Something like...

A folding boat that goes at twice the usual speed, but with a mind of its own.
A rapier allows you to command spiders, but that sticks to your hand with webbing whenever you draw it.
A map that shows a random location every day, but allows to scry that place if you feed it a cookie.

Solaris
2015-10-05, 03:30 PM
I can't tell; staves of the magi, flame tongues, monks, and bards have been in the game since AD&D. Is legendary item a term from 5E?

Ninja_Prawn
2015-10-06, 02:23 AM
I can't tell; staves of the magi, flame tongues, monks, and bards have been in the game since AD&D. Is legendary item a term from 5E?

The term is present in 5e, as are 'epic boon' and 'shadow monk'. Also, 5e monks are very mobility-focussed.

It was just a feeling I got, really. I never played 3.5, so usually when someone starts talking about it, a load of terms that I don't understand start appearing. That didn't happen with this one. It'd be nice if the OP could confirm though.

Shojiteru
2015-10-06, 11:51 AM
My bad for not explain ing some things. It is 5ed and I was thinking of starting level 1. I figured legendary would be better to start with when going off the journey to the west theme where everyone basically has their own legendary weapon from the get go, although they start well over 1st level.

As for the weapons, I didn't really think much on what makes the item unique aside from different weapon, extra damage in different element.

The harp was just supposed to be a upgrade of the staff of healing.

For the monk, I was just thinking 1d6 damage and disadvantage on attackers, so a minor frostband and cloak of displacement,
Bard, staff of healing skinned as a harp that also works as a +3 longbow.
The fighters rapier could just be a +3 that could summon swarms of spiders or cast the web spell.

Thinking of it, could start then off at level 4, so they start with a feat/asi