Making Magic Items

Creating new magic items is easy. Would one of your players like something specific for their character? Do you just want to make something new and fun? Go for it. Magic items are an exercise in creativity more than anything else. Ignore balance and write something cool. (Seriously, don't waste time worrying about whether an item will be overpowered or game-breaking. That's not actually an issue and if you do run into a problem, talk to your friends and sort it out like adults.)

Magic items all have three basic parts: What it is, what it does, and a name.

What it is

The physical description of the item. The materials, quality and workmanship, design, decorative features, and what type of object it is (a hat, weapon, scepter, etc).

There are endless options here. Literally. The only limit on what form an item takes is your imagination.

A few considerations while writing:

• Do you want it to be flashy and ostentatious or misleadingly mundane-looking? Some magic items obviously look magic, ornate and impressive in a form of arcane aposematism, but simple enchanted items are a staple of folklore and fairy tales. A worn cloak, old boots, a simple wooden staff, or bone flute; things that don't look impressive but are powerful nonetheless.
• Do you want it to be thematically appropriate? Since the item can be made of any material and crafted in any shape, do you want it to have symbolic references to what it does worked into the design? Puns or ironic references too. Shoes of Waterwalking that are cement clogs would be hilarious and you know it.
• Do you want form to be related to function? What the item is doesn't have to reflect what it does at all. This is related to how much symbolism is in an item, but more prosaic. It's the choice between earrings that let you eavesdrop, a drinking glass that does the same thing when its mouth is pressed to a solid surface, or a silk shirt with a gaudy ear pattern that lets you hear better. They all technically do the same thing, and all have related symbolism, but are each increasingly removed from the actual ears they augment. This is magic, form doesn't have to follow function if you don't want it to.

The description is the most important of the three parts because it's what makes the item memorable. With the description to bring it to life it's a magical item of power. Without that description to highlight it in the player's minds it's just another line on the character sheet and might as well be a feat instead of a distinct object existing on its own.

What it does

The item's power and anything special it grants the user. Also curses.

Magic items have traditionally been a form of horizontal character advancement and growth. A way for characters to gain abilities that are unrelated to their classes, like a feat but transferable to whoever holds the item (unless it's cursed). Also a way for characters to get better at what they already do of course, but the weird abilities are more fun.

Some considerations:

• How strong is it? Is this the magical equivalent of a disposable lighter, useful in several small ways but mostly a convenience, or is it a significant and extremely potent object? This isn't a question of whether the item is overpowered, it's the decision of where it lies along the spectrum of "trinket" to "reality-ending folly."
• Are there any requirements or consequences to using it? You might want to make it consumable or only usable at certain times or under specific conditions. Maybe there's a terrible side effect or cumulative cost. If you add restrictions do it in a way that enhances the flavor of the item. That makes it feel more like a real, organic creation than if you only try to constrain it out of fear that it's OP.
• How closely does it interact with the rules of the game? Do you want the item to do something directly related to the rules like giving bonuses to rolls or extra attacks in combat, or do you want its powers to be more freeform and able to be used creatively. Where does it fall on the scale from a +1 sword (rule-affecting) to spiderclimb boots (freeform)?

A name

A distinctive name is almost as important as a good description. You want the magic item to be special and stand out from the character's mundane equipment, and a name that sparks the players' imaginations will do that. Your players don't need to know the name as soon as they find the item, but you should know it and they should find out eventually.

Some considerations:

• How much do you want the name to reveal about the item? You could choose a descriptive name like the classic [Item] of [Effect] formula that reveals its function or be more circumspect. Give a name that describes the physical properties of the item or is an oblique reference to what it does. What are Moonsilk Gloves? Who knows! Your players will want to find out though. (They let the wearer phase their hands through solid objects and are invisible except under moonlight. You don't want to meet the spiders the silk comes from or the witches who knit it.)
• How much does the name reveal about the game's world? Names referring to an item's place of origin, past owners, and notable events they were involved in (ex: dragonslaying) reveal as much about the setting as they do about the item itself.
• How much do you want to reference real-world mythology? Including items from or inspired by mythology is an RPG staple, but think carefully about how common you make them and how you present them. Are they the literal tools and gifts of the gods lying around in the mortal realm? Is it just a name that a mortal creator bestowed on the item because they were feeling inspired? A coincidence? There are plenty of ways to work mythology in. (I like the idea of an Excalibur that has nothing to do with kingship and whose only special ability is that it always cuts cheese into exactly equal portions.)

That's all there is to making magic items. Be creative, write something you think would be fun, and run with it. I believe in you.

Architectural Mimics

Everyone who's ever delved in a dungeon knows treasure chest mimics (Mendax arca). They're the most common and successful species of mimic in the dungeon ecosystem thanks to their highly effective bait, but the average dungeon is home to other, rarer species of mimic as well.

Architectural mimics inhabit dungeons alongside their flashier cousins and often go unnoticed due to their excellent camouflage. Their stealth and the wide variety in their hunting methods make them much more dangerous than sessile Chest Mimics. They're faster, more tenacious, and much more intelligent; often choosing specific targets instead of blindly attacking the first prey to wander close. Species in the architectural genus also regularly cooperate, living in mutualistic and commensal symbiosis with each other and other dungeon fauna and, in the case of Statue Mimics, hunting in packs.

While the odds of encountering one of these fascinating creatures is low, it's wise to keep a careful eye on your surroundings. Anything you see could be a mimic lying in wait.

All mimics require a:

DC 17 DEX save to avoid their initial ambush/getting grabbed
DC 16 STR check to break free once grabbed/entangled
DC 15 CON save to resist their venoms/toxins


1 Brick (Calumnia elidocaput)
Replace individual bricks and masonry elements in walls and ceilings. When prey passes below they leap down aiming for the head. Sometimes they live in floors and cause falls by shifting violently underfoot, but prefer a gravity-assisted ambush. Exactly as heavy as a brick. (1d12 damage)

2 Beams (Calumnia destructans)
Replace load-bearing structures like trusses and support pillars, then use their own weight as well as the collapsing rubble to crush prey. (3d12 damage)

3 Pillar (Calumnia incingodes)
Wraps itself around existing pillars in a thick skin that looks like carved stone. Occasionally have spots of faux cut gems and precious metals to make themselves even more alluring. When prey comes to examine the carvings it peels away from the column and falls, pinning the prey under a suffocating sheet of muscle. (1d8 damage/turn)

4 Arch (Calumnia fornixae)
Lines the inner surface of existing arches and exudes fine, nearly invisible threads coated with cnidocysts. Crawls down to devour paralyzed prey after they walk through its web. (1 CON damage, save or be paralyzed for 6 turns)

5 Door (Calumnia portico)
Embeds itself in walls leaving only its jaw-panel and lip-jambs visible. When prey opens its jaw it strikes with sets of inner pharengeal jaws to grab and draw them in. (3d6 damage/turn)

6 Trapdoor (Calumnia operculata)
Embeds itself mouth-up in the floor and waits for prey to investigate. The jaw looks like a concealed hatch and the first 10' of its esophagus resembles a stone shaft with a sturdy ladder. Snaps its mouth shut and starts chewing once prey is fully inside. (2d6 damage/turn)

7 Flooring (Calumnia tenax)
A communal species that replaces sections of planks, tiles, stones, and other joined floor materials. They secrete a sticky, numbing mucus that traps and slowly digests prey. (DEX save to not fall over, CON save to resist going numb, STR save to break free)

8 Mosaic (Confictura tessellatus)
Adheres to floors, walls, and ceilings. Lays dormant until it senses heat, then leaps off the surface it's on to engulf the prey and grind them to paste with its sharp radula-like tiles. (1d10 damage/round)

9 Stairs (Calumnia vorago)
Graft themselves between floors and hibernate until prey climbs on them. When they sense weight they open their mouths, retracting pseudo-step teeth to drop prey into their waiting stomach. They prefer large meals and rarely eat individual prey, targeting groups of two or three instead. The weight threshold needed to attract their attention is high. (2d12 damage/turn, STR save to climb out)

10 Railing (Calumnia cancelli)
Replaces banisters, safety rails, and low walls. They prefer locations near sheer drops, the more precipitous the better, but can be found anywhere. They lay dormant until prey leans on them. When they sense weight their either give way so the prey falls to their death, or entangle limbs and inject a paralytic venom depending on the subspecies. (Save or 1d20+5 fall damage) OR (Save or be paralyzed, 1d4 damage/turn)

11 Pipes (Calumnia fistulata)
Insinuate themselves in the plumbing of a building. They passively carry whatever the system transports until they sense prey, then spray their contents in a surprise attack. Capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, pressure, and corrosives. Occasionally replace sinks with mouths. (Save or be drenched in and damaged by pipe contents)

12 Gutter (Calumnia fistulata canalis)
Related to Pipe Mimics and sometimes thought to be a larval instar. They attach to the edges of roofs and embed near walkways, collecting runoff and mixing it with digestive juices to produce a rank slurry they spray on passing prey. (1d12 acid damage)

13 Sewer (Fictus cloacarius)
Giant wormlike mimics that burrow under cities. Their guts resemble spacious stone masonry tunnels and can actually function as sewers. They rely on the sewer ecosystem they host for sustenance and aren't particularly interested in individual adventurers. It's uncertain if they even notice a single humanoid's presence at all. When seriously irritated or injured they can contract their passages and crush everything inside. (Contracts if it takes 100 damage at once, 300 in an hour, 1000 in a day, or 3000 in a month.)

14 Fountain (Fictus immergo)
Plants itself near a source of running water to fill its basin. It's an opportunistic feeder and mostly relies on the insects, birds, and small animals that are drawn by an open pool of water, but will eagerly snare and drown larger prey. (Save to break free or drown in 6 rounds)

15 Window (Calumnia prospectans)
Embed themselves in walls and display high-resolution decoy images of an outside world using a sophisticated combination of chromatophores and bioluminescence. When prey tries to look through or open them they spring off the wall and engulf it in a sticky, membranous digestive sac. (Save to break free or suffocate in 3 rounds)

16 Mirror (Confictura indico)
Adhere to walls and doors. They can attack by flinging shards of crystalline exoskeleton but rarely break cover. They hunt cooperatively with other monsters, distracting prey with a false reflection of their surroundings that edits out any threats. Once the other monsters have finished they crawl down to scavenge the remains. (-2 to detecting ambushes and hidden creatures)

17 Light fixture (Confictura lucerae)
Come in a wide variety of forms from grand chandeliers to freestanding floor lamps to tiny sconces and table lamps. They're entirely peaceful decomposers that don't hunt. Easily startled and shy, they light up in alarm when creatures move nearby and flash blindingly when frightened. The can be calmed back to darkness with food. (Roll 3x as many encounters while lit)

18 Wallpaper (Confictura ornata)
Coats the walls of a room in a thin, tough layer of opaque tissue. The skin is porous, providing a habitat for symbiotic molds to grow inside, which produces a distinctive musty smell. When prey comes near it ripples, releasing clouds of toxic spores from its symbionts. (1 WIS damage, save or hallucinate for 6 turns)

19 Soft furnishings (Confictura stragula)
A communal species of threadlike individuals intertwined in soft nest-sheets. Their flexible multicolored bodies let them convincingly reproduce all kinds of textiles, from rugs to curtains to tapestries. When prey touches the nest it unfurls, individuals spooling out to entangle and garrote them. (1d6 damage/turn, save to break free or suffocate in 6 turns)

20 Statue (Confictura effigus)
The most mobile and energetic species of mimic. They hide inside their ornate sculptural exoskeletons and wait for prey to pass by, then begin actively stalking. They're stealthy and prefer to attack from ambush but will run down prey in a high-speed chase if necessary.
Often confused with Living Statues, statue mimics are flesh and blood creatures in shells, not awakened art.
(4HD, 17 AC, 60', 3 attacks/turn (1d10/1d10/1d12+4))


Extra rare!

Treasure (Confictura preciosa)
These small mimics look like individual artifacts and pieces of treasure. They hibernate until they sense heat, then become active and emerge from their shells. Usually the "treasure" portion of their body is an elaborate exoskeleton, but you'll occasionally find them living inside an actual hollow artifact like a hermit crab. They're curious, relatively gentle, and can be interesting pets if fed and cared for properly.

1d12 Petty Curses

1 Stubbed toe. If there's something on the ground you'll accidentally kick it. Hard. (Can't run. DEX save if you try, trip on a fail.)

2 Rocks in your shoe. Tiny pebbles and sharp chips always find their way in, even when there aren't rocks around. (Travel at half speed. Stop often to empty your boots.)

3 Splinters. Wood, plastic, metal, glass, any material that can make brittle stabbing shards does as soon as you touch it. (CON save against infection every day. 1d6 CON damage per day on a fail.)

4 Something in your eye. Dust, lint, a stray eyelash, it'll get in there and itch, always. (Disadvantage on all rolls to see things.)

5 Always feel like you're just about to sneeze. Any minute now. (Can't concentrate.)

6 Hiccups. Now. Tomorrow. Constantly. Forever. (Can't sneak, hide, or ambush.)

7 Lose your keys. You just had them in your hand, what the hell. (All doors are locked.)

8 Itchy. Everywhere, no matter what you do. (Can't focus. WIS save when doing delicate or complex tasks.)

9 Always have words on the tip of your tongue. They're right there, but you can't find them. (Disadvantage on rolls to persuade or lie.)

10 Stuffy nose. It's entirely blocked, can't smell anything and it makes it hard to sleep. Drips. (Only get half benefit from sleeping. Unaffected by smells.)

11 Drop everything. Always fumble objects. If it's in your hand, it'll end up on the floor. (Disadvantage on attacks and DEX-related tasks. 2-in-6 chance of breaking delicate objects you touch.)

12 Food and drink always goes down the wrong pipe. Every time, never fails. You're always coughing over a meal. (CON save whenever you eat. On a success only get half benefit from potions and rations. On a fail, no benefit.)