Alternatives to +x weapons

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

I'm going to start running Tales from the Yawning Portal next week, and I don't really want to hand out +x types of weapons. This is partially because I believe they are boring and partially because every player is on track to have a 20 in their primary stat at level four. I'm starting out with Forges of fury which hands out a +2 and a +1.

What would you say would be an equivalent in power without throwing bounded accuracy out the window?

[Rfkannen]

Its not exactly the same, but a weapon that deals an extra 1d4 typed damage (like fire or thunder) is fairly balanced, you are slightly less likely to hit but deal a bit more damage. Also at least personally I think it is more fun!

[PhoenixPhyre]

I'm going to start running Tales from the Yawning Portal next week, and I don't really want to hand out +x types of weapons. This is partially because I believe they are boring and partially because every player is on track to have a 20 in their primary stat at level four. I'm starting out with Forges of fury which hands out a +2 and a +1.

What would you say would be an equivalent in power without throwing bounded accuracy out the window?

+X weapons are on the far side of the power curve precisely because they mess with bounded accuracy. +1 is rare, so a flame tongue blade is similar rarity, as is anything replicating a level 4 ish spell 1x/day. +2 is very rare, so a level 6 ish spell 1x/day.

By that I don't mean giving them a "casts x spell" item, but that's the power you're looking at.

[No brains]

I'm going to start running Tales from the Yawning Portal next week, and I don't really want to hand out +x types of weapons. This is partially because I believe they are boring and partially because every player is on track to have a 20 in their primary stat at level four. I'm starting out with Forges of fury which hands out a +2 and a +1.

What would you say would be an equivalent in power without throwing bounded accuracy out the window?

Likely any other enchantment of the same rarity would be on par with power.

Just make sure that whatever you give them fills the same role as a +1/+2 weapon. It should be something that helps the player every time they use their weapon. The thing you want to be especially careful of is that the adventure doesn't already account for the boost to accuracy. If there's a monster with 20 AC in there, you might want to leave the +1s in. That said, a weapon of warning is a nice generic security blanket. Players would be happy to never be surprised again, even if it doesn't happen.

[Phoenix042]

I don't hand out +x weapons in my games. Instead, each magic item is a story, a theme, and some features and powers that seem appropriate.

A barbarian in one of my games has a flail that lets her take damage to dish extra damage, or gain a bonus on intimidate checks.

A warlock in that same game has a scepter that can burn charges to empower an eldritch blast to deal bonus fire damage.

A Ranger in a different game has a bow that can burn away illusion magic and tag people so they can't hide in place of an attack once per long rest. That ranger also has a pair of boots that lets her follow creatures that teleport during her movement.

In another game, I play a fighter who's sword "Dawn's Reckoning" grants everyone an expendable d10 of bonus radiant damage whenever I action surge, and burns away darkness at the same time.

One of the paladins in one of our games carries a former vampire's sword called "Night's Redemption" that heals him when he smites with it.

We MASSIVELY prefer cool special effects over +x bonuses. I don't even really like always-on damage bonuses either; I prefer powers and features that don't boil down to simple numerical buffs.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I don't hand out +x weapons in my games. Instead, each magic item is a story, a theme, and some features and powers that seem appropriate.

A barbarian in one of my games has a flail that lets her take damage to dish extra damage, or gain a bonus on intimidate checks.

A warlock in that same game has a scepter that can burn charges to empower an eldritch blast to deal bonus fire damage.

A Ranger in a different game has a bow that can burn away illusion magic and tag people so they can't hide in place of an attack once per long rest. That ranger also has a pair of boots that lets her follow creatures that teleport during her movement.

In another game, I play a fighter who's sword "Dawn's Reckoning" grants everyone an expendable d10 of bonus radiant damage whenever I action surge, and burns away darkness at the same time.

One of the paladins in one of our games carries a former vampire's sword called "Night's Redemption" that heals him when he smites with it.

We MASSIVELY prefer cool special effects over +x bonuses. I don't even really like always-on damage bonuses either; I prefer powers and features that don't boil down to simple numerical buffs.

I generally prefer this as well, but it is another thing for players to track (or to forget about). Some players like that, some don't.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Its not exactly the same, but a weapon that deals an extra 1d4 typed damage (like fire or thunder) is fairly balanced, you are slightly less likely to hit but deal a bit more damage. Also at least personally I think it is more fun!

This is a good option and gives me an option add some kind of minor quirk to it as well.


+X weapons are on the far side of the power curve precisely because they mess with bounded accuracy. +1 is rare, so a flame tongue blade is similar rarity, as is anything replicating a level 4 ish spell 1x/day. +2 is very rare, so a level 6 ish spell 1x/day.

By that I don't mean giving them a "casts x spell" item, but that's the power you're looking at.

Likely any other enchantment of the same rarity would be on par with power.

Just make sure that whatever you give them fills the same role as a +1/+2 weapon. It should be something that helps the player every time they use their weapon. The thing you want to be especially careful of is that the adventure doesn't already account for the boost to accuracy. If there's a monster with 20 AC in there, you might want to leave the +1s in. That said, a weapon of warning is a nice generic security blanket. Players would be happy to never be surprised again, even if it doesn't happen.

Thank you both, The role wasn't something I'd considered. There stats already broke bounded accuracy so I'm trying not to take it too far. Weapon of warning will be perfect to replace the +1.

I kind of like the idea of a permanent effect and a short rest effect for the +2 replacement. Would this be a decent replacement.
Name Pending Whip
You can speak a command word causing this whip to erupt into flames. These flames shed bright light in a 40' Radius and Dim light for an additional 40'. While it is ablaze it deals an extra 2d4 fire damage to any target it hits. The flames last until you command them to cease, or drop the weapon. While this weapon is active you can speak a command word as a bonus action. Until the end of your next turn the whip has a reach of 15'. You can use this effect 1/short rest.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I kind of like the idea of a permanent effect and a short rest effect for the +2 replacement. Would this be a decent replacement.
Name Pending Whip
You can speak a command word causing this whip to erupt into flames. These flames shed bright light in a 40' Radius and Dim light for an additional 40'. While it is ablaze it deals an extra 2d4 fire damage to any target it hits. The flames last until you command them to cease, or drop the weapon. While this weapon is active you can speak a command word as a bonus action. Until the end of your next turn the whip has a reach of 15'. You can use this effect 1/short rest.

Do you have someone who uses whips? If not...

This is weaker in raw combat power than flame tongue (which does 2d6 fire, although with less light), which is only rare (so +1 equivalent). The one-round extra reach isn't all that much, IMO. Plus it's on a much weaker chassis (whip instead of sword).

Remember that a +2 is on par with a level 6-7 spell 1/day, or about a level 3-4 spell 1/SR (3x/day), or about a level 1-2 spell at will.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Do you have someone who uses whips? If not...

This is weaker in raw combat power than flame tongue (which does 2d6 fire, although with less light), which is only rare (so +1 equivalent). The one-round extra reach isn't all that much, IMO. Plus it's on a much weaker chassis (whip instead of sword).

Remember that a +2 is on par with a level 6-7 spell 1/day, or about a level 3-4 spell 1/SR (3x/day), or about a level 1-2 spell at will.

I intentionally lowered the power a little as it is a free action to use rather then a BA though I'm doubting that's actually important.
I do have a whip user, He's a hexblade warlock who seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from the Balrog. I was originally thinking about essentially giving it thornwhip with fire damage do you think that would play more in line with the +2.

When activated this whip has a range of 30' and can pull a large or smaller creature 10' toward you once per turn.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I intentionally lowered the power a little as it is a free action to use rather then a BA though I'm doubting that's actually important.
I do have a whip user, He's a hexblade warlock who seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from the Balrog. I was originally thinking about essentially giving it thornwhip with fire damage do you think that would play more in line with the +2.

When activated this whip has a range of 30' and can pull a large or smaller creature 10' toward you once per turn.

Thornwhip is a cantrip. At that point he's doing 3d4 + CHA 2x/turn with a whip, range 10 feet. Compare this (in T3 since you shouldn't have a +2 weapon until then), to doing 1d10 + CHA 3x/turn at 120 feet (standard Agonizing EB), plus getting to add a bunch of other riders if you want (including pulling things closer by 10 feet, 30 if it stacks) using invocations.

So yeah, it's weak. I'm AFB, but look at the other very rare weapons out there and go based on that.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Maybe something like

Whip of Torment
whip, very rare
This magical whip is made of heavy, dark leather. When you use a bonus action to speak the command word in Infernal, it bursts into flames, shedding bright light for 20 feet and dim light for another 20 feet. While on fire, it deals an additional 2d6 fire damage on hit.
In addition, the touch of the whip can leave lasting scars that ignite when the target is further damaged. When you hit with the whip of torment, you can use a charge to cause the target to be affected as if by the hex spell. This effect cannot be transferred and lasts for one minute or until the target dies, but does not require your concentration. The damage dealt by this effect is fire damage. The whip has 3 charges and regains 1d4 charges every day at midnight.

[JackPhoenix]

flame tongue, which is only rare (so +1 equivalent).

+1's are uncommon, not rare.

[ImproperJustice]

If it helps our GM has certain magic weapons provide a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus divided by 2, rounded down. That way the weapon grows with you.

We have also had a number of weapons that just have odd uses such as:
Lights up, or makes light only elves can see.
Spins on the ground to find north pr fresh water, etc

We had one that tells knock knock jokes once per day, on a mental command from the owner.

[PhoenixPhyre]

+1's are uncommon, not rare.

Are they? Oops.

Then yeah, the cantrip-equivalent whip (+X fire damage & extra reach) is not a bad idea for a +1, and tone down the +2 (if you like the additional hex-like effect, cut the bonus damage down to d4s instead or something like that).

[MrStabby]

I do find +X weapons do diminish the game somewhat. The game is pretty balanced around HP and AC - adding to hit benefits means that hard to hit enemies are relatively underpowered compared to high HP enemies.

I like to use magic items to flesh out my world - different creator races and traditions can build different enchantments, so had to just tie it in with your world and the backgrounds you use.

That said - I like to give items with charges and a few options for each - usually a strong theme if I can. Fire spells, water spells/effects and so on. A bit of utility is also good, spider climb effects, light sources, divination/detection effects.

[Louro]

A sword that shines when near undead.
A hammer that can deaf when hits.
A bow that allows CHA rerolls per day (attack rolls)
A shield that attract projectiles within 30 feet.
A shield that allows the bonus shove from the feat.
A "magically extensible" Morningstar that hits a 2nd enemy.
A halberd that negates disengage.
A whipp that can grapple.
An invisible dagger.
A crossbow that pushes away.
A spear that grants reaction riposte.
A shield that can blind attackers.
A small net witch enlarges to fit its target.
A staff that can maintain one concentration for you (care with this)
A focus wand that gives disadvantage on one save/day.
Two sabers that when used together grant the bonus DMG to the bonus attack.
A sling that turns stone into whatever the target is vulnerable to.
A greatsword that gives you cleave.
A big double axe that can be used as a mirror to deflect or turn magic projectiles.
A Warhammer that can shatter shields or armour.
A quarterstaff that can be crushed into the ground so the point emerges from below up to 30 feet to attack an enemy by surprise.
A whip that makes so much noise when hits that forces two concentration checks instead of just 1.

[Angelalex242]

For Paladins, I recommend Sun Blades and Holy Avengers. Sure, the Holy Avenger has a +3 on it, but it's the iconic Paladin weapon since 2E for a reason.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

If it helps our GM has certain magic weapons provide a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus divided by 2, rounded down. That way the weapon grows with you.

We have also had a number of weapons that just have odd uses such as:
Lights up, or makes light only elves can see.
Spins on the ground to find north pr fresh water, etc

We had one that tells knock knock jokes once per day, on a mental command from the owner.

I love minor quirks they are a ton of fun. That last one though, I would hate that thing as a DM.


Are they? Oops.

Then yeah, the cantrip-equivalent whip (+X fire damage & extra reach) is not a bad idea for a +1, and tone down the +2 (if you like the additional hex-like effect, cut the bonus damage down to d4s instead or something like that).
Cool I think I'll keep the whip, I like the hex effect but I'll probably switch it to more like a bleeding type of effect which will be more in character for the rest of the party.


I do find +X weapons do diminish the game somewhat. The game is pretty balanced around HP and AC - adding to hit benefits means that hard to hit enemies are relatively underpowered compared to high HP enemies.
I like to use magic items to flesh out my world - different creator races and traditions can build different enchantments, so had to just tie it in with your world and the backgrounds you use.
That said - I like to give items with charges and a few options for each - usually a strong theme if I can. Fire spells, water spells/effects and so on. A bit of utility is also good, spider climb effects, light sources, divination/detection effects.

This is what I would prefer to give out as well, I'm already having issues where the pc's don't miss often and monsters have a hard time hitting the pcs.


removed for post length

I like a lot of these thank you.


For Paladins, I recommend Sun Blades and Holy Avengers. Sure, the Holy Avenger has a +3 on it, but it's the iconic Paladin weapon since 2E for a reason.

I would actually consider giving out a holy avenger but when I do it will not have the +3 and it will happen when he regains his oaths.

[No brains]

One more thing before you include a weapon of warning, you should make sure the addition of that won't ruin any encounters that uses surprise. Be certain that you can live with its effects before you swap it in. If the adventure has the characters constantly ambushed by AC 13 goblins, a weapon of warning may be more disruptive than a mostly redundant +1 to hit.

[avalkauskas]

Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok has a very interesting crafting system. In fact the world and powers were build with the crafting system as the foundation. There are schools of crafting and specializations like:
-Craft: maximizing raw numbers, damage, reach, parry, etc
-Infuse: infusing spells and powers into your creations
-Realm Ores: creating things with special ores found throughout the realms of Yggdrasil. For example shadow ore from the dark elves will make weapons and armour invisible.
-Creatre Reliquiary: take a dragon's heart and fuse it into an item to give it powers and make it "sentient"
- Dvergar Engineering: create things with attributes that defy the current world order. The Dvergar were master craftsmen and anything that falls outside the other schools can be created with this.

If interested, the book is called "Denizens from the North" and can be found over on DriveThruRPG

[Requilac]

I am not really a big fan of +X weapons either. They do interfere with BA, but my more major problem is how boring that they are when compared to more interesting features. Whenever I give my player’s a magic item I either homebrew it or edit a pre-existing magic item, always giving it the properties from that large table in the DMG around page 135. It contains a lot of details to make the item mundane items more interesting and might be of use to you. The minor properties in themselves can provide mechanical benefits.

When it comes to the more mechanical side of the weapon though, I am very likely to add in other properties. But this isn’t just the boring “you do an extra XdX damage”, it is something more dramatic that requires a charge. A wizard in a game I am DMing has a staff which allows the wizard to use an action to tap the staff on a ground and create a shockwave of thunder which knocks everyone in a 10 ft. radius back and deals thunder damage if they fail a save. The wizard doesn’t want to spam this property though, because they are included in the AoE and have advantage on saving throws. I also plan on giving another character in a different campaign an ability which basically gives them the paladin’s smite feature which expends charges instead of spell slots. There is also a chance for me to one day use a Staff of the Python which provides a really unconventional combat ability.

If your module is dependent on the inclusion of the +X property, I would recommend using the following house rule. A +1 weapon deals an extra 1d4 damage, a +2 weapons deals an extra 1d8 damaged and a +3 weapons deals an extra 1d12 damage. This extra damage should probably be of a damage type not identical to the weapons, like fire, cold or lightning. This extra damage roughly provide the same benefit because the average extra damage dealt is nearly equal to the total bonus received from the +X property (a +2 weapon has +2 to hit and a +2 to damage to a total bonus of +4, and a weapon with d8 extra damage deals an extra average damage of 4.5, so the benefits are roughly equal). I cannot guarantee how well this works, but for an aborted game of OotA I played in the DM implemented this and it seemed to work out well.

[Angelalex242]

I love minor quirks they are a ton of fun. That last one though, I would hate that thing as a DM.


Cool I think I'll keep the whip, I like the hex effect but I'll probably switch it to more like a bleeding type of effect which will be more in character for the rest of the party.



This is what I would prefer to give out as well, I'm already having issues where the pc's don't miss often and monsters have a hard time hitting the pcs.



I like a lot of these thank you.



I would actually consider giving out a holy avenger but when I do it will not have the +3 and it will happen when he regains his oaths.

That's fine. To make up for the lack of a +3 bonus...hmmm. I know. Any fiend or undead reduced to 0 HP by the Holy Avenger is permanently slain...regardless if that's normally the case or not.

To clarify, this means if the Holy Avenger reduces a vampire to 0 hp, the vampire doesn't become mist, he becomes dust. Fiends aren't sent back to the Abyss, they cease to exist. Liches don't go back to their phylactery, their phylactery explodes and their body becomes dust.

Needless to say, the user has advantage on all intimidation checks against such creatures.

Also, it adds 1d8 radiant damage to every attack, vs. everything.

[Louro]

Do all your players go around with magic weapons and armour?
5e is designed to not have much power from magic objects.
Giving the pally a holy sword seems fine, but not a +3 one... that's top tier.
Usually they get some random not very powerful stuff.

A sword that slains undead no matter what looks like the sword the Kelemvor's champion would wield. Situational but very powerful.

[JackPhoenix]

That's fine. To make up for the lack of a +3 bonus...hmmm. I know. Any fiend or undead reduced to 0 HP by the Holy Avenger is permanently slain...regardless if that's normally the case or not.

To clarify, this means if the Holy Avenger reduces a vampire to 0 hp, the vampire doesn't become mist, he becomes dust. Fiends aren't sent back to the Abyss, they cease to exist. Liches don't go back to their phylactery, their phylactery explodes and their body becomes dust.

Needless to say, the user has advantage on all intimidation checks against such creatures.

Also, it adds 1d8 radiant damage to every attack, vs. everything.

Sounds similar to what I did, which was combining Holy Avenger and Mace of Disruption into one item.

[furby076]

so why cant a +# weapon have a cool story? Excalibur (aka defender sword) has a pretty cool story, and is the ultimate +# sword.

Give whatever floats your boat. If you gave too much power, then up the creatures ac by some number. Frankly, it's easier to mitigate the power advantage of a +# weapon then to deal with weapons that have funky powers.

Then give the sword a backstory

[Kane0]

Or tailor it to the player and/or character.
2d8HP would probably prefer a +2 sword on his champion fighter whereas Grod playing a battlemaster would be more likely to pick the hammer that stuns an enemy for a turn on a crit (with a save of course).

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

That's fine. To make up for the lack of a +3 bonus...hmmm. I know. Any fiend or undead reduced to 0 HP by the Holy Avenger is permanently slain...regardless if that's normally the case or not.
To clarify, this means if the Holy Avenger reduces a vampire to 0 hp, the vampire doesn't become mist, he becomes dust. Fiends aren't sent back to the Abyss, they cease to exist. Liches don't go back to their phylactery, their phylactery explodes and their body becomes dust.
Needless to say, the user has advantage on all intimidation checks against such creatures.
Also, it adds 1d8 radiant damage to every attack, vs. everything.

I can't tell if you read my PC's backstory or not because this would be one hell of a find. His primary motivation as a character is to kill a lich who thus far has been unkillable.


so why cant a +# weapon have a cool story? Excalibur (aka defender sword) has a pretty cool story, and is the ultimate +# sword.
Give whatever floats your boat. If you gave too much power, then up the creatures ac by some number. Frankly, it's easier to mitigate the power advantage of a +# weapon then to deal with weapons that have funky powers.
Then give the sword a backstory

I actually don't have a problem with the backstory part (though for the most part this is handled by the module). I would however much rather give out cool powers that are useful but not super unique then try to re-balance the module, especially since I still don't feel that confident balancing encounters in general.


Or tailor it to the player and/or character.
2d8HP would probably prefer a +2 sword on his champion fighter whereas Grod playing a battlemaster would be more likely to pick the hammer that stuns an enemy for a turn on a crit (with a save of course).

I absolutely agree, and that is a part of this as well. The good news is that I have 4-7 brand new player who've never touched a tabletop rpg in their lives. So I'm able to set their expectations for magic items.

[Kadesh]

In my experiexe, especially with a big party and new players, it is better to improve their abilities they have, rather than give then new abilities, and to have an ability that is based on an already existing mechanic they are using.

We have an Abjuration Wizard who has just recieved a Wand that deals Psychic damage to the caster of a spell that has had their spell Counter Spelled or dispelled equal to the Proficiency level of the Wand Wielder, plus the counter/dispelled spell level - it even got a kill session when it got a kill against a Teleporting enemy trying to escape.

There is a Paladin who likes to Smite, so can make a Religion check when he makes a Critical Hit, with a DC equal to 10+twice the spell level of the spell slot he wishes to use on the smite. On a success, it doesn't use a spell slot. Given he dumped intelligence, and didn't take Religion, and relies on a Crit, it's not OP, butbhas encouraged him to try and locate something that can boost it: his downtime is spent in churches praying and locating a divine purpose.

There is a Rogue Thrower, who gets a Dagger which returns to his hand on a hit or miss, but increases with a +1 bonus to hit and damage if he hits the same creature consecutively, with a maximum bonus equal to half proficiency bonus.

There is a Sorc/Bard who casts Quickened Blade Ward and Detect Thoughts a lot: Blade Ward now lasts for a number of turns equal to his prof bonus, and a creature failing a save against Detect Thoughts gives him advantage on attack rolls against that target while the spell is affecting them.

[Jophiel]

A good site for inspiration is the Weak Magic Item Generator (http://www.lordbyng.net/inspiration/)


Trusty Warpick of Bloodthirst
Weapon (Warpick), uncommon (requires attunement)

Treat this as a +1 weapon if the bearer has half their maximum hit points or less.
The bearer of this weapon spend a bonus action and a hit die to turn this weapon into a +1 magic weapon for 1d4 turns.

Winter Hatchet of the Maquis
Weapon (Handaxe), uncommon (requires attunement)

The weapon contains a reservoir of ice magic that can a freeze the ground for up to 30 seconds. The bearer may use an action to plant this weapon in the ground and release the ice magic within. While planted and undepleted, the ground in a 10 foot radius of this weapon becomes difficult terrain. A long rest restores 1d6 seconds of energy to the weapon's reservoir.
Once per short rest, when you crit with this weapon it casts Command on its target with the word "grovel", DC 12

[Tetrasodium]

I'm not a big fan of +x weapons & armor but do use it to some degree so I'll start there.

masterwork weapons are +1 to hit & cost 10x the base cost of the item (ie a 2gp dagger/20gp masterwork dagger), it does not require attunement

Masterwork armor for light armor is just +1, for medium armor it allows you to add +3 dex rather than +2 (ie free medium armor master perk1), for heavy it allows to to add (or forces you to subtract) +/-1 tp ac based on your dex. like weapons, masterwork costs 10x so a suit of 1,500gp plate in masterwork would be a suit of 15,000gp masterwork playe if made masterwork it does not require attunement

Magecrafted weapons & armor are the benefits of maasterwork plus the +1 missing from a magic version (so magecrafted plate would be ac19 +/-1. magecrafted weapons are +1 to hit and damage). Magecrafted stuff does not require atonement either & does not count as magic. Magecrafted stuff costs 100x the base price

After that comes special materials into play, I do them like so (https://twitter.com/JM13136849/status/1032568328152391680), every undead in my game is going to be resistant to all damage not made with flametouched iron weapons or cast using a flametouched iron focus item.. likewise with fiends, daelkyr creations (mostly aberrations & such) need byeshk. I'd also allow silvered stuff to be used when it's the normal bypass resistance thing, but silvered weapons can be done after they are created so just normal flat +100gp on top of the base. The special material cost is also multiplied by 10 & 100 when made masterwork/magecrafted though. Special material weapons/armor does not require attunement unless it is also magical


With the mundane stuff out of the way, that goes to magic stuff:

vicious weapons, a +0 vicious whatever is going to deal an extra 7 points of damage on a crit
shields that allow you to cast spells like bladeward as a reaction to getting hit but require you to roll a d6 when used & stop working until the next long rest if you roll a particular number (ie a 6) in order for the owber to restabilize the enchantment or whatever. It might sound very powerful & it truly is the sort of thing that can turn "oh bleep... it sounded like you said it hit me for X damage?" into "but my shield flares up to protect me enough to survive!", because there is a good chance in it breaking on any given use, it ensures a player with it will keep it as their ace in the hole to really save the day when they need to. Obviously this shield requires attunement, while it's still only +2 ac compared to the 1000gp +3 qac magecrafted shield, that reaction bladeward is a huge boon in many ways
armor that lets the wearer cast false life/armor of agathys/etc
+0 weapons that deal an extra d4 or d6 of elemental damage are wonderful to nearly any player
+0 weapons that grant things like "the fighter's 5th (or 11th) level extra attack ability wen used in one or more of those attacks", "You can used the barbarian's reckless attack ability when attacking with this $whatever", "poisons are kept fresh with an enchantment similar to gentle repose for 24 hours on this blade rather than the usual 1 minute. Poisons with durations other than 1 minute after being applied to a weapon last a duration decided by the gm", etc are enormous boons & require attunement. That rogue might have a magecrafted rapier, but is that really better than a +0 dagger that gives him the fighter's 5th level extra attack feature?... tough choice
I'm not a big fan of weapons of warning because they put extra work on the GM's plate to some degree
+0 dancing weapons can be great because they eat the bonus action to use
weapons with a number of per long/per long or short rest charges of spells like chilltouch (no healing/regen for 1 round!!), shocking grasp (no reaction for one round), thorn whip (get over here! 30' melee spell attack +some damage that you as gm can declare uses the same strength as the pike it's bound to) or damage spells if you are feeling super generous
this +0 dagger grants you advantage on attacks made with it when you and an ally of yours are flanking your target (just you, not your ally gets advantage)
this +0 scimitar/battle axe/etc lets you take a 5' step without provoking an AoO from an opponent you successfully hit with this weapon
so on & so forth.


IMO the important part is that a lot of these things are transformative and give a benefit you could not easily obtain through normal means. Face it, the fighter's 5th level extra attack is a great thing, but 5 levels is a huge investment. The other thing that is important to some of these IMO is that they not be on the "best"/highest damage weapon of that type, a +0 dagger that grants an awesome benefit is a difficult choice etween a flametouched iron masterwork/magecrafted rapier, but if that dagger were a rapier too then the calculation becomes a simple "do I need flametouhed iron right now?". That often suboptimal weapon choice means that when your players find/upgrade/make a truly magical thing like a flametouched iron +1 $optimalWeapon with whatever effect it's truly worthy of jawdropping awe & that much better/more exciting to pgrade to.

[KorvinStarmast]

masterwork weapons Are from a different edition.

For the OP: the nice thing about a +1 weapon is that it meets the KISS principle. A player only has to add 1. For a lot of players, your concern is a case of worrying about the wrong stuff! (This isn't a video game).

But some players will prefer to go beyond the KISS principle and really like fiddly bits.

For that audience, I suggest that you add some "once per short rest magical effect" to the magical weapon, in lieu of the +1, and make sure that the magical effect does something level appropriate. This will be more fun for your more advanced players.

Example: Once per short rest a divine smite like damage burst: number of damage dice based on proficiency.

Example 1: the battle master has a longsword sword he calls Blue Nova. Once per short rest, he releases that energy and does 2d6 lightning damage on a hit. The rest of the time it is a +0 magical blade. +3d6 at Tier two, etc.

Example 2: the rogue assassin has a dagger called Green Plague. Once per short rest, it inflicts 2d4 poison damage on a hit; poisoned condition if DC 12 Con save isn't met. Up the (DC by 1 per tier of play if you like). 2d4 at Tier 2, DC 13, and so on. (This is potentially a lot more powerful than Blue Nova, due to disadvantage/adv from poison condition, but the Con saves are some of the easiest for monsters to make).

Example 3: Ranger has a longbow called Applebane. Once per short rest, advantage on one attack roll. Twice per short rest at Tier 2, etc.

Example 4: Barbarian has a maul called Bludgeoneer. Once per short rest, he will knock an opponent prone on a hit. Twice per short rest at Tier 2 ... (and you can limit size if you like).

And so on. None of this is complicated. The charges are tied to same mechanic as hit dice/recovery, all weapons hit magical opponents with resistances, etc ... effects are easy to adjudicate in combat.

For Extra Credit. (and here you might want to require attunement)

When the player arrives at Tier 2, the weapon becomes sentient. With sentience come some kind of improved sensory benefit, better chance to overcome fear or mind control, something)

When player arrives at Tier 3, add another power (in lieu of added charges. ) Something like cures 3d6 HP, provides sight in magical darkness, applies radiant damage, allows one use of levitate ... per long rest, whatever).
Player arrives at Tier 4: Another augment suitable to the character.

What I'd caution against is over complication.

[Tetrasodium]

Are from a different edition.

For the OP: the nice thing about a +1 weapon is that it meets the KISS principle. A player only has to add 1. For a lot of players, your concern is a case of worrying about the wrong stuff! (This isn't a video game).

But some players will prefer to go beyond the KISS principle and really like fiddly bits.

For that audience, I suggest that you add some "once per short rest magical effect" to the magical weapon, in lieu of the +1, and make sure that the magical effect does something level appropriate. This will be more fun for your more advanced players.

Example: Once per short rest a divine smite like damage burst: number of damage dice based on proficiency.

Example 1: the battle master has a longsword sword he calls Blue Nova. Once per short rest, he releases that energy and does 2d6 lightning damage on a hit. The rest of the time it is a +0 magical blade. +3d6 at Tier two, etc.

Example 2: the rogue assassin has a dagger called Green Plague. Once per short rest, it inflicts 2d4 poison damage on a hit; poisoned condition if DC 12 Con save isn't met. Up the (DC by 1 per tier of play if you like). 2d4 at Tier 2, DC 13, and so on. (This is potentially a lot more powerful than Blue Nova, due to disadvantage/adv from poison condition, but the Con saves are some of the easiest for monsters to make).

Example 3: Ranger has a longbow called Applebane. Once per short rest, advantage on one attack roll. Twice per short rest at Tier 2, etc.

Example 4: Barbarian has a maul called Bludgeoneer. Once per short rest, he will knock an opponent prone on a hit. Twice per short rest at Tier 2 ... (and you can limit size if you like).

And so on. None of this is complicated. The charges are tied to same mechanic as hit dice/recovery, all weapons hit magical opponents with resistances, etc ... effects are easy to adjudicate in combat.

For Extra Credit. (and here you might want to require attunement)

When the player arrives at Tier 2, the weapon becomes sentient. With sentience come some kind of improved sensory benefit, better chance to overcome fear or mind control, something)

When player arrives at Tier 3, add another power (in lieu of added charges. ) Something like cures 3d6 HP, provides sight in magical darkness, applies radiant damage, allows one use of levitate ... per long rest, whatever).
Player arrives at Tier 4: Another augment suitable to the character.

What I'd caution against is over complication.

Masterwork weapons aren't "complicated" or "overly complicated". Most likely we will see official rules for them by september/octoberish in Morgraves miscellany or something though.

[Arial Black]

If we look at the DMG in search of uncommon magic weapons, we get:-

* Trident of Fish Command
* Javelin of Lightning
* Weapon of Warning
* Weapon +1

So, if you don't want to get stuck with a trident or a javelin as your main weapon (and few of us do), it's a Weapon of Warning or +1. Not a lot of choice.

The Special Features tables help, but aren't actually used much.

However, as a guideline for creating our own uncommon magic weapons, the four we do have show a pattern:-

* they all count as magic weapons (important for bypassing resistance/immunity)
* they have EITHER +1 to attack and damage OR they don't have any bonus to attack and/or damage, and have a special ability instead

So, our homebrewed weapons count as magic weapons, do not have any bonuses to attack or damage, and have a special ability. But our special ability cannot be TOO good, or it would bump up the rarity to rare or higher.

For example, if you wanted a +0 weapon that dealt +2d6 lightning damage per hit, that's too close in power to a Flame Tongue, so too powerful for an uncommon weapon.

The powers of the uncommon weapons from the book are: turn into a lightning bolt when thrown, 1/day; dominate beast (with swimming speed only) 3/day; advantage on initiative checks and you and the whole party are immune to surprise.

With those guidelines in mind, and trying to create a weapon that is as bland as possible in order to make it easy to drop into any campaign without having to ignore loads of someone else's fluff, and keeping it a bit familiar to long time D&D players, I give you:-

Keen Weapon
Weapon (any that deals piercing or slashing damage), uncommon
This magic weapon scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20

That's it! Enjoy!

Boring? Intentionally so. This means that any DM can either leave it as it is, or modify it to suit his campaign.

For example, a DM might want to call these Elf Blades, restrict them to being longswords or rapiers, say they are all made of mithral, or....whatever. Of course, that idea space may already be filled with uncommon magical longswords with the special ability of having the finesse quality, but hey, it's your campaign!

How I'm going to use it is to use the Special Features tables in the DMG:-

* who created it? Fey
* detail from its history? Ornament
* minor property? Guardian
* quirk? Metamorphic

So, in my world there is a mysterious weaponsmith who is known as Faberge (with an acute accent over the final e which I can't make my keyboard do). Inspired by real world Faberge Eggs, this swordsmith (Fey? Dragon? We don't know for sure) crafts beautiful swords as both astonishing works of art and - importantly for the swordsmith - fully-functional weapons. Each blade is unique and is named, but collectively they are known as Faberge Blades (with the accent!)

So this particular blade was made for a bladesinger master of the Wildcat style, which uses the rapier in a seemingly chaotic but actually very precise way so that the practitioner is always where the opponents blows are not. This Faberge Blade is simply called 'Wildcat', has a mithral and silver blade who's surface pattern resembles a striking feline, and who's delicately complex mithral and golden hilt resembles a wildcat with emerald eyes emerging from the forest. The blade glows with a pale radiance in moonlight, and the wildcat periodically and randomly changes its appearance in slight ways, usually seeming to change its expression to subtly pass comment on things that just happened and the conduct of its wielder, although that may just be in your imagination. More usefully, the cat hisses when danger is near, giving you the standard Guardian initiative bonus.

If I had presented 'Wildcat' as the magic weapon for anyone to use, it is rather limited without serious DM redisign. This is why I offered the far simpler and usable 'Keen Weapon'. Of course, if you want to use Faberge Blades in general or 'Wildcat' in particular, the Role-Playing Police are not going to break down your door or anything. :smallsmile::smallsmile:

[MagneticKitty]

Roll once or twice on this table and apply it to a weapon.

http://www.lordbyng.net/inspiration/tables.php

These are fun

[bionicleFanatic]

Nerzugal's original GM Toolkit had some fantastic tables for item enhancements, from minor stuff to major effects that could become the entire basis for a magic item. I'd recommend giving it a look, it's free on the DMs Guild.