Just Thinking... Improving Boring Magical Items..
Sometimes as a DM, you plan adventures or maybe just run modules and you want to give your group a magical item or two. So you do what most DM’s do and roll them up on the table from the book. You end up with a bunch of generic +1 weapons or items.. Yeah that’s kind of boring.
Yeah, I realize magic items are tricky. They can ruin a campaign if they’re too generous or too safe.
I picture a +1 sword. Basic. Clean. The fighter swings it around and feels good. But after a few sessions, it’s just math. Players want more. So I think, what if every improvement comes with teeth?
What can we do to improve things? Well, let’s take a look at something I gave my group in my Basic Fantasy game. They are all about 4th level.
They had an adventure this past weekend where they had to go into a cave full of spiders to find out what happened to Father Reynolds. He had been missing for a week after hunting down a possible artifact for the deity of the campaign.
+1 Mace, “Gravebreaker”
- +1 to attack and damage
- Deals +2 extra damage vs undead
- Once per day, if damage is done, the damage is "Holy Light" damage, doing an extra 1d4.
+1 Bow, “Hawkeye Bow”
- +1 to attack and damage
- Ignores up to 2 points of cover penalty
- Once per day, declare a shot before rolling, if it hits, double damage.Steps I take
What I love to do is give the item a name, because well know when finding magical weapons in D&D (or any fantasy game) a nickname magical item automatically make it cool and special.
Next I like to give it a bonus to hit and damage. This all depends on the level of the characters.
Throw in a little special bonus but with stipulations. like +2 extra damage to (monster type). Players LOVE this.
Throw in a once per day ability that seems powerful or can be used in a clutch situation. (nothing better then facing the big bad and having that ability to do double damage because you saved it up!)
And that’s it. It’s simple and basic system that I have used for a long time. Hope it helps you in your games.
I would also suggest upgradable magic items, sentient or otherwise, that develop as the party does, or that a mage or armor can quickly and cheaply buff up. Alternately, I would steal, lose, or destroy magic items and replace them with other ones so the party never gets into a rut tactically or thematically. One can also give powerful items and quietly buff the competition, though too much of that risks an escalation spiral.