Three leveling items (PEACH)

[PhoenixPhyre]

These items are all marked "Tarnished" or "weakened". As the players gain strength, they'll find out how to first untarnish, then augment the items, increasing their powers.

----------------
Tarnished Howling Blade
Greatsword, *, requires attunement.

This magical greatsword was created by storm giants and runic writing covers its too-long and too-wide blade. Time has diminished it; some of the runes do not glow properly and thus the effects it can produce are diminished.
Despite its size, an attuned wielder can wield it as if it were a normal greatsword. In addition, when the attuned wielder hits with an attack using this sword, the attack deals an additional 1d6 lightning damage.
The blade also has 3 charges. As an action, the attuned wielder can expend a charge to blast all creatures in a 5’-wide, 40’-long line with a blade-shaped burst of focused air. Targets in the line must make a Constitution saving throw (against a DC of 8 + the wielder’s Strength modifier + the wielder’s proficiency bonus). On a failed save, targets take 2d6 thunder damage and are staggered until the end of their next turn. On a successful save, targets take half damage and are not staggered. Staggered creatures can either move or take an action, but not both. If they use their action to attack, they can only make one attack. The sword regains all expended charges at the end of a long rest.
------------------
Tarnished Light’s Justice
Longsword, *, requires attunement by a paladin
This elegant magical longsword was once a Holy Avenger, the ultimate symbol of authority and law for an order of paladins. It still radiates a strong aura of light which repels fiends and those bent on evil.
When the attuned wielder hits with a melee attack using this weapon, the attack deals an extra 1d4 radiant damage, increasing to 1d8 against fiends and undead. It also radiates bright light (counting as sunlight) for 20 feet when unsheathed.
Additionally, the sword has 3 charges. As an action, the wielder can expend a charge to create a stationary, 10’-diameter bubble of light that lasts for one minute or until the wielder loses concentration. Friendly creatures within this bubble have advantage on all saving throws and gain 5 temporary hit points at the beginning of each of their turns. Undead and fiends that enter the bubble or start their turns there must make a Wisdom saving throw against the wielders’s spell DC or take 2d8 radiant damage and are blinded. On a successful save they take half damage and are not blinded. All charges are recovered at the end of a long rest.

-------------
Book Bound in Pale Leather (Weakened)
Wondrous Item, *, requires attunement by a wizard
This damaged book is bound in pale, thin leather that appears to be of a humanoid creature. It has been scorched as if by fire, and many of the pages are unreadable. Those that remain are full of arcane knowledge, however. Only the attuned wielder can open the book and use its contents.
The wielder automatically understands the spells and information written in the book and can write spells he already knows into it without spending gold or time--they simply appear, written in an elegant hand. In addition, there are 3 first level and 2 second level spells already written in the book.
The book whispers hidden secrets to the wielder, secrets the wielder can use to turn the tide of battle or reveal lost knowledge. It has 3 charges. When the wielder makes an ability check or saving throw involving Wisdom or Charisma, they can expend a charge to instead use Intelligence for that check or saving throw. Alternatively, they can expend a charge to automatically succeed on an Intelligence check. All charges are recovered at the end of a long rest.

[Rusvul]

I like the core idea here! Having a really cool, plot-significant item that grows in power with you can be cool. Kind of like Weapons of Legacy in 3.5--if you have access and haven't read it already, I'd skim it for ideas.

A few critiques (mostly on phrasing, I'm not an expert on magic item balance):

I would personally avoid "tarnished" as your descriptor. Usually something made of steel is referred to as being rusty, not tarnished. Either way, I'd suggest avoiding the "Broken/Reliable/Excellent <name of magic item>" pattern--to me, that feels a little video-gamey. In Diablo, where weapons are randomly generated, names like that make sense. But in D&D, you can have your sword be named "Cigir's Last Breath" or "Noonday's Glare," which is, IMO, much cooler. If any weapon is deserving of a name, it's the sword you find at low level that progresses with you until it's a legendary artifact. I would just change the stats of the item without changing the name--that, or maybe the players don't find out the weapon's name until later? So it might start out as a "rusty greatsword" but once they perform a ritual they find out it's actually called Cigir's Last Breath or something.
The Light's Justice bubble might be better phrased as a sphere--that's the precedent with Tiny Hut, and "bubble," to me, implies popping. Either way, the effect is very strong: it gives allies advantage on saves, gives allies temp HP every round, damages enemies, and blinds enemies. It feels kind of all over the place: you might think about what exactly the bubble is thematically (ie: a ward to keep unholy beasts out; a bulwark to protect and inspire your allies, etc) and then remove the effects that don't correspond to that theme.
I actually really like the name "The Book Bound in Pale Leather." Like, that's a "spooky artifact so old its real name has been forgotten" tier name. I like the effects, too: it makes gold even less important, but as long as you're okay with that, that's fine. What I would change is the "automatically succeed on an Intelligence check" piece: as far as I'm aware, there's no precedent for "automatically succeed on an ability check," and one possible reading of that is "I roll Intelligence (Arcana) to know all the secrets of the multiverse, and then automatically succeed." Safer to have it give advantage on an intelligence check, or a +5 or +10, IMO.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I like the core idea here! Having a really cool, plot-significant item that grows in power with you can be cool. Kind of like Weapons of Legacy in 3.5--if you have access and haven't read it already, I'd skim it for ideas.

A few critiques (mostly on phrasing, I'm not an expert on magic item balance):

1) I would personally avoid "tarnished" as your descriptor. Usually something made of steel is referred to as being rusty, not tarnished. Either way, I'd suggest avoiding the "Broken/Reliable/Excellent <name of magic item>" pattern--to me, that feels a little video-gamey. In Diablo, where weapons are randomly generated, names like that make sense. But in D&D, you can have your sword be named "Cigir's Last Breath" or "Noonday's Glare," which is, IMO, much cooler. If any weapon is deserving of a name, it's the sword you find at low level that progresses with you until it's a legendary artifact. I would just change the stats of the item without changing the name--that, or maybe the players don't find out the weapon's name until later? So it might start out as a "rusty greatsword" but once they perform a ritual they find out it's actually called Cigir's Last Breath or something.
2) The Light's Justice bubble might be better phrased as a sphere--that's the precedent with Tiny Hut, and "bubble," to me, implies popping. Either way, the effect is very strong: it gives allies advantage on saves, gives allies temp HP every round, damages enemies, and blinds enemies. It feels kind of all over the place: you might think about what exactly the bubble is thematically (ie: a ward to keep unholy beasts out; a bulwark to protect and inspire your allies, etc) and then remove the effects that don't correspond to that theme.
3) I actually really like the name "The Book Bound in Pale Leather." Like, that's a "spooky artifact so old its real name has been forgotten" tier name. I like the effects, too: it makes gold even less important, but as long as you're okay with that, that's fine. What I would change is the "automatically succeed on an Intelligence check" piece: as far as I'm aware, there's no precedent for "automatically succeed on an ability check," and one possible reading of that is "I roll Intelligence (Arcana) to know all the secrets of the multiverse, and then automatically succeed." Safer to have it give advantage on an intelligence check, or a +5 or +10, IMO.


1) I'm using tarnished in a more colloquial sense, meaning "diminished". It's more a state marker than part of the name. Maybe I'll change it to "weakened" or "diminished" or "damaged" across the board.
2) I want it to be a defensive ability, a bulwark against evil. It certainly is doing too much here...needs to be reduced.
3) I actually stole that name and description from somewhere else :smallbiggrin: This campaign isn't going to see much in the way of uses for treasure, but the "free copy" effect is only for the ones he knows already (so it doesn't cost him anything to switch to it), not ones he writes in the future. The main effects are the free spells and the check/save abilities. Since I don't let the players call for checks (they describe actions, I set the resolution mechanics, and "no check, auto fail" isn't an Intelligence check, they can't use that to break things too much. They have to be specific enough to something at hand. Purely DM fiat, but...I may change that to "instead of rolling an Intelligence check, spend a charge to have the roll count as a 20 instead" (thus meeting the same "can succeed on anything that would otherwise be possible" intent without the dangerous wording.

Thanks!