Unique uncommon magic item

[Foxydono]

I'm going to play in the new Waterdeep adventure and our DM lets us start with 'any' uncommon magic item.

I first made a priest/sorcerer investigator with the headband of intellect, but our DM wisely banned stat increasing items. So no gauntlets of ogre power either unfortunately.

The second item I came up with was a silly +2 spear that gives +2d6 temp hitpoints on a kill. It's a reward item from Stradh campaign. Who made this item uncommon must have been stoned :p

Anyway, there are plenty of other cool items. Like slippers of spider climbing, but I already use them on my shadow monk in another campaign. The cloak of the Manta Ray is nice too, but I use this item on my rogue/barbarian.

Other good picks are cloak of protection or a weapon +1, but that is too boring. Winged boots are nice if I make a melee char, but I'll probably make a caster of some sort, so it's less relevant.

I looked at all the uncommon magic items in the DMG, as well as all major printed adventures (STK, Stradh, LMoPD, EE, HoDQ, etc) and other books (Xanathar's, Volos, etc), but I haven't found something that got me excited.

So my question is whether anyone has come across a cool uncommon item from another 'semi-offical campaign. Perhaps an adventure from the Dungeon Master Guild, or from Dragon+ magazine. Or, if you have a cool character idea that can be linked to an uncommon magic item from a source I already listed I'm interested in that as well.

Basically, I want a very cool unique uncommon magic item around which I can build my character. Something along the lines of slippers of spider climbing and a shadow monk. Or something that fits a particular race. All idea's are welcome!

[Damon_Tor]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.

[nickl_2000]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.

I think this would be super fun as a rabbit familiar

[nickl_2000]

Go with something super odd. An immovable rod would be great. Also possibly a bag of tricks.

[Crgaston]

It might be worth playing a Bard just for a Fochlucan Bandore.

Otherwise Gloves of Missile Snaring would be quite useful on a caster, giving you a defensive use for your reaction that doesn’t take a spell slot. They do require attunement though.

The Ring of Water Walking doesn’t, and can give you some useful mobility depending on the environment. I haven’t looked at that adventure yet, but I’m guessing from the name Waterdeep it might come in handy a time or two.

[JackPhoenix]

What do you mean, Winged Boots are less relevant for casters? You can cast spells without worrying about melee enemies (i.e.most of what you'll face), while melee characters would still want to stay in melee, and could pack cheap ranged or throwing weapon for the occassional enemy that's flying or otherwise out of reach.

Though Broom of Flying beats Winged Boots. While it's got weight limit, it doesn't have time limited use, and it's generally faster.

[Helldin87]

Staff of Defense from the Phandelver Campaign is an awesome starter magic item for casters. Having shield and Mage armor castable without spell slots especially early on is super nice and the +1 AC synchronizes well. You feel powerful using reactions and it gives you confidence to get up front with the fighters and such.

Side Note: I actually added an encounter to our Dragon Heist campaign and gave the boss mob this item. Hoped it would be a fun encounter for my PC's... and then the pally smote him/Cleric Crit-cast Inflict Wounds. Still was cool narrating his use of the above spells. My Sorcerer PC loved the item and it has been super useful since!

Good Luck! Maybe I will let my PC's pick an item next campaign too.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Oathbreaker Paladin with the Nightcaller from Tales from the Yawning Portal. Being able to create undead a lot earlier could be fun.

[Foxydono]

Staff of Defense from the Phandelver Campaign is an awesome starter magic item for casters. Having shield and Mage armor castable without spell slots especially early on is super nice and the +1 AC synchronizes well. You feel powerful using reactions and it gives you confidence to get up front with the fighters and such.
Indeed it is! It works best on a warlock, but unfortunately the item was rated rare in sage advice (it didn't wasn't given a rarity in the campaign itself oddly enough), so I can't take it :(

[Foxydono]

Oathbreaker Paladin with the Nightcaller from Tales from the Yawning Portal. Being able to create undead a lot earlier could be fun.
I did look at this. But creating undead has never been my thing, although it is a pretty good item for a first level character.

[Foxydono]

What do you mean, Winged Boots are less relevant for casters? You can cast spells without worrying about melee enemies (i.e.most of what you'll face), while melee characters would still want to stay in melee, and could pack cheap ranged or throwing weapon for the occassional enemy that's flying or otherwise out of reach.

Though Broom of Flying beats Winged Boots. While it's got weight limit, it doesn't have time limited use, and it's generally faster.
Sure, but casters often have multiple means to escape enemy clutches and often stand behind anyway. On top of this they can cast fly themselves depending on the caster if needed. Of course flying is still nice to have regardless. But it's too vanilla for my taste. I wasn't trying to downgrade the item though.

[Foxydono]

Go with something super odd. An immovable rod would be great. Also possibly a bag of tricks.
I looked all items in DMG and printed adventures and I haven't found what I'm looking for. An immovable rod is pretty nice though. Very versatile and handy in lots of situations. Still I'm looking for something special. Maybe something printed in an adventure from the dungeon master guild.

[Foxydono]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.
That's a nice way to use a bag of holding. I didn't think of this, but I don't want to pick a bag of holding as my first item. I don't find it cool enough. I want an item most people haven't heard off. Something that got the wow factor. That people go like wtf, we're did you find that item?! Preferably an item with a bit of history to it.

[8wGremlin]

Broom of flying... its super cool, and as you said, better than winged boots.
you can get more than one Gnome, halfling, or Kobold on one of them easy.

you could use a lance as well... air cavalry?

[JackPhoenix]

Indeed it is! It works best on a warlock, but unfortunately the item was rated rare in sage advice (it didn't wasn't given a rarity in the campaign itself oddly enough), so I can't take it :(

It doesn't really work on a warlock. The +1 AC does, but neither Mage Armor nor Shield is on the warlock's spell list, meaning he can't use them (Hexblade gets Shield, though)

[Damon_Tor]

That's a nice way to use a bag of holding. I didn't think of this, but I don't want to pick a bag of holding as my first item. I don't find it cool enough. I want an item most people haven't heard off. Something that got the wow factor. That people go like wtf, we're did you find that item?! Preferably an item with a bit of history to it.

That's why you make it a hat. Everyone's heard of a Bag of Holding, but nobody's heard of a Hat of Hiding. Don't tell your party it's a Hag of Holding, just let them be shocked and awed as you get inside your hat and zip away.

[Spectrulus]

Deck if illusions can cause all kinds of trouble for an uncommon item, and the cards are reusable if retrieved.

[Vogie]

If light homebrew is allowed, I'd find a rare item you like, and homebrew a worse version of it. Instead of a Instant Fortress, you have a Snowglobe that casts Tiny Hut 1x/day, or a just a Shrinking Cottage.


You could also tie a Cantrip to an item. Since you have a Rogue/Barbarian, something like a Glove/Bracer/Wand/Pouch of Stoning (Gives you access to the Magic Stone cantrip), for example, would give you a reliable ranged attack without being uber broken (you couldn't use it thrown with Sneak attack, but you can launch it with a sling to trigger sneak attack, per RAW...)

[Foxydono]

If light homebrew is allowed, I'd find a rare item you like, and homebrew a worse version of it. Instead of a Instant Fortress, you have a Snowglobe that casts Tiny Hut 1x/day, or a just a Shrinking Cottage.Hm, well, it has to be semi-legit I think. Not sure what you consider light homebrew :p

But I'd like something unique, like claws of the umberhulk for example. Doesn't have to be broken or uber powerful, just something you cannot randomly find in any given adventure (like the magic items listed in DMG). An item that can cast a spell that most casters can cast at a higher level is not the thing I'm looking for. Same with the Nightcaller, sure it's 'unique', but the effect isn't, if you catch my drift.

[Foxydono]

Noone got a cool item from AL adventure that hasn't been printed hardcover?

[Amdy_vill]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.

this is amazing and has giving me an idea for one of my games

[RSP]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.

You could probably get most PCs within the 2’ diameter opening (with squeezing), but how do you intend to keep that on your head; anything tight enough to not slide down and cover your eyes would be too small to get past the shoulders on a humanoid...

Otherwise, I do like the idea.

[Crgaston]

You could probably get most PCs within the 2’ diameter opening (with squeezing), but how do you intend to keep that on your head; anything tight enough to not slide down and cover your eyes would be too small to get past the shoulders on a humanoid...

Otherwise, I do like the idea.
A drawstring? It'd make for a funny looking hat, sure, but it'd work.

[Theodoric]

Bag of Holding + Familiar

Have the BoH be made to look like a hat. The familiar sits on the hat. Whenever you need to, you just pull yourself up inside the hat of holding and the familiar flies you wherever you want to go.

Works best with the improved familiars of a chain pact warlock.
At least until the familiar gets swollen by a wyvern, hat-shaped-bag-and-all. :smallcool:

[Foxydono]

The final item became Drake's eye:

"This is the eye of a Silver Dragon Wyrmling.

A ritual, similar to Gentle Repose, has preserved this eye and caused the dragon’s own natural ocular properties to temporarily lie dormant.

Should the eye be inserted into another’s eye socket successfully, over time the Drake’s Eye’s nerve endings will attach to it’s host, as the host will become permanently attuned to the Drake’s Eye. This attunement grants the host 15 ft blindsight, as well as 60 ft darkvision. Once per day the host can make use of the dragon’s legendary capabilities to automatically succeed on a perception check (to notice the subtlest shift in the air as the invisible monster makes for the exit; to spot the fine wire running at the base of the open doorway; etc.).

It is recommended to cover the Drake’s Eye with a cloth strip, or an eyepatch for a period of time after it has been inserted into the new host’s eye socket. This will cause problems with depth perception (eg. disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, as well as disadvantage on ranged attack rolls, etc.) however, should the host be exposed to a very bright light (eg. daylight spell) or an effect that would blind them before the Drake’s Eye has attached itself to the host, the Drake’s Eye could become permanently blinded."

Took me quite a while to find it!

[Damon_Tor]

You could probably get most PCs within the 2’ diameter opening (with squeezing), but how do you intend to keep that on your head; anything tight enough to not slide down and cover your eyes would be too small to get past the shoulders on a humanoid...

Otherwise, I do like the idea.

Plenty of hat types have a "belt" with a buckle on it.

[AHF]

In a similar situation with a caster that started as a Cleric, I went with a Sentinel Shield. Advantage on initiative and perception checks is really useful.