Unique Weapons

[Lucan Aligheri]

I am a DM, and I like to give very detailed accounts of the loot that my players get. I also want to give them weapons that they will treat as an important piece of the character, rather than just a tool to be discarded. As they level up, I, of course, give them more powerful weapons. What is a good ratio between player level and how"good" a weapon is?

[joaber]

You can check in page 38 of DMG. By default, 5e don't have many magic itens. You'll need to increase the CR of encounters if yours have.

[maxweasel]

Instead of magic weapons you can homebrew some "masterwork" weapons that grant more subtle benefits.


A longbow made of an exotic wood that adds 100ft to effective range
A halberd with a hook on the end that lets you attempt to trip an opponent on a roll of 19 or 20
A sword with an especially honed edge or serration can add +1 to damage roll but not attack rolls (so as not to mess with bounded accuracy)
A maul with a spike on one side that can deal either piercing or bludgeoning damage
A mace shaped like a sledgehammer that grants advantage on rolls to destroy objects


These are just a few ideas but this kind of item can be fun without making a huge difference in how the game plays. Just read through the mechanics in the PHB and you can find a ton of minor bonuses you could give items.

[Ninja_Prawn]

To answer the OP's question, I think the idea is that you stick to uncommon items up to level 4, then rare up to level 10, then very rare to level 16, with legendary items only handed out between levels 17 and 20.

Obviously this is just a guideline, but it probably works as a maximum limit: don't give them anything more powerful than items from the rarity that matches their tier and you can't go far wrong.

[jprepo1]

So a couple things to do, take the items in the DMG, and modify them to fir your characters. I personally ignore all of the weapons that have to be a certain weapon, for example, awarding a Holy Avenger Maul or Greataxe.

Then, I try to make it an item that clearly appears to one of my players' PC's, and, when possible, I work in their character backstories to make it fit together better with the story.

Here's one example from a game I;m running. Two guys were playing brothers, one a Paladin and one a Cleric of Heironious. The guy playing the Cleric had to drop out due to work schedule changes. I wrote his character out of the story by having him feel regret for the amount of killing they were doing, and going on a pilgrimage to find himself again. I had him leave behind his holy symbol for his brother.

What I did not tell the guy playing his brother, the paladin, who was role playing well enough that he forgot to check, is that it had become magical, and was able to cast limited uses of cure wounds and 1 restoration.

This worked the item into the character's backstory, while also helping to make up for the loss of an important character.

[mgshamster]

There's a table for coming up with random descriptions for unique items in the DMG. I gave my players two magic weapons, a +1 dagger and a flaming mace (+1 fire damage). They were kind of ignored until we decided to give them random descriptions using the DMG.

Now, they're the most used weapons in the group and have even made some key attacks. That +1 dagger became a +1 dagger carved from the stones of the plane of elemental earth with a blade of obsidian. And that same dagger dealt the killing blow against an Ettin who had nearly TPK'd the party (the character was knocked to 0 HP, last one to go down so we thought it was a TPK, ended up rolling a 20 on his death save which brought him back to 1 HP; threw the dagger and killed the Ettin).

[Pyon]

Hmm... These are just my two cents, but maybe give the players the idea that their weapon is unique. Imagine you are playing a Bladesinger or something, using a standard longsword. But through a quest, you gain a sword and describe it as beautiful, and crafted to perfection! When the player asks you "WHat does it do?"

You say "NOTHING!"

They will still pick it up if it sounds cool enough. I think that alone fits the idea of "unique"

If my proposal is completely silly, and you just want unique effects for weapons:

-Sword whip! A weapon that can morph between a 1d8 damage diee with 5 feet range, or a 1d6 damage die with 10 feet range.

[Gastronomie]

Look up in the Dungeon Master's Guide - pages 142 and 143. These are originally intended to be descriptions for magical items, but you could easily use them to describe non-magical weapons and make them more interesting.

For instance: "Sentinel. Choose a kind of creature that is an enemy of the item's creator. This item glows faintly when such creatures are within 120 feet of it."
This could be one interesting "unique item", especially if you're playing a campaign in which there's one particular type of enemy that appears frequently. A weapon created for a paladin that warns of approaching fiends, and such.

[KindheartedKing]

Well, another option would be to have weapons fitted to each PC as previously said, but have a magic perk that scales with the players.
Example: Someone is playing a fighter who's home town is on the coast and known for fishing/sailing. This player happens to find a trident with runes inscribed along the prongs that pulse with ocean blue electricity. This trident could start out by stunning/shocking enemies on rolls of 18-20, and as the player advances in level, the perks could also increase, such as a 25% chance of triggering chain lightning at level 10 or the stun happens on rolls of 16-20. Scaling magic perks to player level could help bridge the gap you were talking about. It really depends on what you think the players will enjoy. If an item is fun, but too OP, have it require repairs in the next town, temporarily nerfing it. It's ok to try stuff out, you ARE the DM after all! Good Luck!

[Gastronomie]

Created some ideas (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?480434-Unique-Weapons-Flamberge-Swordbreaker-Trident-Dagger-Horse-Cutter-and-Stiletto&p=20497896#post20497896), though it might not be exactly what the TC was originally intending.

[Joe the Rat]

Instead of magic weapons you can homebrew some "masterwork" weapons that grant more subtle benefits.


A longbow made of an exotic wood that adds 100ft to effective range
A halberd with a hook on the end that lets you attempt to trip an opponent on a roll of 19 or 20
A sword with an especially honed edge or serration can add +1 to damage roll but not attack rolls (so as not to mess with bounded accuracy)
A maul with a spike on one side that can deal either piercing or bludgeoning damage
A mace shaped like a sledgehammer that grants advantage on rolls to destroy objects


These are just a few ideas but this kind of item can be fun without making a huge difference in how the game plays. Just read through the mechanics in the PHB and you can find a ton of minor bonuses you could give items.These kind of "mundane" bonuses can add a lot of flavor. Sometimes you even get requests on these lines (My party rogue asked for a hand crossbow made with special wood - in character - as a reward. Not magic, but will have have some special add-ons (range or accuracy, most likely)

Description adds a lot to flavor. Players can find a pair of handaxes, or a pair of handaxes "of exceptional dwarven make," which may be more durable, and may help with social interactions with dwarves, but are otherwise axes. The EK is probably never going to upgrade his armor past half-plate, simply because this specific suit incorporates a lot of Nahrwal designs and motifs (which is a sort of sacred animal to his people). The party owns a pair of swords (short and long) with a dragonfly motif. They're simple +1s with a modified sentinel (the weapons "buzz" in the presence of undead), but they are memorable. Encountering a giant talking dragonfly statue may have something to do with that.


I personally ignore all of the weapons that have to be a certain weapon, for example, awarding a Holy Avenger Maul or Greataxe.Vorpal Greatclub. You know you want it.