We’ve all seen videoes and articles about “the most powerful 5E magic items” or “the best magic items for wizards in 5E!” – and who doesn’t want to know what the most powerful magic items are?
That being said, there’s one thing that I, as a DM, think is just as important, and that is knowing which magic items are the most FUN magic items to give the player characters!
So that’s what we will be looking at in this article: the most fun 5E magic items that (probably) won’t break your game or create huge imbalances between the player characters!
What Is A Fun Magic Item?
First, let me explain what I mean by a fun magic item.
Any player would probably be happy to find a +1 magic weapon or magic armor, a wand that passively increases their spell save DC, or a cloak that increases their saving throws.
These types of items are undoubtedly good – but they’re not very fun. Once the bonus has been added to the sheet, it’s easy to forget that the item is even there – it just becomes a part of the character, a statistical increase.
For me, a fun magic item is an item that can be used in inventive – and even random! – ways to give characters more options in and out of combat. An item that’ll make the rest of the table smile and/or groan whenever it’s used!
Fun magic items don’t have to be powerful. In fact, it’s better when they’re not because these are the sort of magic items we want to give out often and early, without fear that it’ll make one character stronger than their peers.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at what I believe are 10 of the most fun magic items for 5E Dungeons & Dragons (in no particular order!)
1. Bag of Tricks
The Bag of Tricks is a classic. It’s uncommon and doesn’t require attunement, which is already awesome. Its function is quite simple – as an action, you can pull out a random creature from the bag, which is friendly to you. There are a hundred different ways to use a bag of tricks, ranging from getting an ally in combat to procuring a minesweeper, creating a diversion, and so on.
Because the bag of tricks is random, you never know whether you’ll get a dire wolf or a weasel, and that just makes it that much more fun. All told, the bag of tricks is a great magic item that any character would be happy to have.
2. Nemesis Weapon
The nemesis weapon is an uncommon weapon that requires attunement that we’ve designed ourselves from Wanderer’s Guide to Merchants & Magic. A nemesis weapon is fun because it allows a character who hits another creature with this weapon to curse them in various ways, but not without cursing themselves as well!
This helps balance the weapon while still allowing the character to access some fun options. It provides not only some great offensive options but also creates some tactical scenarios that can easily backfire on the weapon’s wielder!
3. Deck of Illusions
The deck of illusions is an uncommon item that doesn’t require attunement. A character can draw cards from it to create an illusion of a creature or group of creatures within 30 feet, which they can then control. The card is drawn randomly, which means you never know what you’ll get.
The deck of illusions can be used to create diversions, distractions, and just to cause general chaos and carnage. It’s not likely to ever be very powerful, but it’ll always make any situation it is used in more fun. An excellent item for low-level characters who can’t yet create elaborate illusions with spells!
4. Ring of Spellstoring
A rare item that requires attunement, the ring of spell storing is just an all-around awesome item. More powerful than most other items on this list, the ring of spell storing provides so much versatility and utility to any character.
Whether it’s worn by the fighter, so they can cast a haste spell that’s been stored in it by the party’s wizard, or used by a spellcaster to widen their repertoire of spells, the ring of storing always broadens a character’s options – and gives them entirely new ways to use spells in and out of combat. An awesomely fun item!
5. Portal Wand
The portal wand is a rare magic item that requires attunement – and another one of our own designs, from our recently published book Milando’s Guide to Magical Marvels. With this wand, a character can use a bonus action to open up two portals within 30 feet of themselves, that they and any other creature can jump through. You can even attack or cast spells through the portals, making for some very interesting tactics.
The character can also use their reaction to create an impromptu portal, which can be used to involuntarily teleport enemies or redirect their attacks to hit other targets. Both options are incredibly fun and can be used in a myriad of ways if the player is inventive enough!
6. Wand of Wonder
The wand of wonder is a rare magic item that requires attunement. A character can use it to create seven random magical effects per day, targeting a creature within 120 feet. Emphasis is placed on random, as there are more than 20 different effects the wand can create, ranging from casting fireballs to stunning yourself.
Players love rolling on random tables, and with the wand of wonder, they’re sure to always get a comical effect. Even though it’s a rare item, its randomness makes it so unpredictable that I’d have no qualms about giving it to a low-level character.
7. Mizzium Apparatus
Mizzium Apparatus is an uncommon magic item that requires attunement by a sorcerer, warlock, or wizard, and which was featured in Guildmasters of Ravnica. It’s also an incredibly fun item that allows a character to attempt to cast a spell that they don’t know but which is on their class’s spell list. It gets better – if they fail a check, they cast a different spell entirely, chosen at random!
All told, this item both makes its wearer more versatile and able to improvise – with an added twist of randomness that can create some really fun and chaotic scenarios. A lovely item all around!
8. Hat of Disguise
One of my favorite magic items, the hat of disguise, is an uncommon magic item that requires attunement. It’s deceptively simple (pun intended!) as all it does is allow its wearer to cast disguise self at will.
But that’s also enough – just allowing a character to disguise themselves as whatever they want is sure to come in handy often and lead to more fun and engaging social encounters. The best thing? Hat of Disguise does nothing at all to the character’s power in combat, meaning that it’s an item you can give out early and often!
9. Sword of the Paruns
The sword of the paruns is a very rare magic item from Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica – and is much more fun than an ordinary +1 sword!
The sword of the paruns gives its wielder the ability to inspire nearby allies to do additional stuff with their reactions, from making an attack, moving its speed, or taking the Dodge action.
This is basically just fun, dynamic, and an item that the whole team will cherish. It’s also one of the few martial items that are actually fun and exciting, without being extremely powerful.
10. Mythward Scepter & Ring
The mythward scepter and ring are very rare magic items that require attunement – and they’re from our new book, Milando’s Guide to Magical Marvels. It’s a set of items that can also be used individually. The ring allows its wielder to change the damage type of their spells at random and, in its more potent form, can let you cast two spells simultaneously, which can lead to some crazy effects.
The scepter can create an aura of wild magic, that’ll cause spells to produce wild magic effects and, in its awakened form, it can also be used to counter spells and replace them with Wild Magic Effects. Whether used separately or in combination, these are some powerful and immensely fun relics.
Conclusion
That’s it for my list of the most fun magic items in 5E D&D that (probably!) won’t break the balance of your game.
Again, these magic items may not be the most powerful there is, but they will certainly bring loads of fun to any 5E campaign – and, in the end, I think having fun is what D&D is all about.
If you’re also interested in the items that are most powerful mechanically speaking, you can check out top lists for the best legendary, very rare, rare, and uncommon items – but if you prefer the stuff that’ll bring fun twists to your table, you should check out Milando’s Guide to Magical Marvels!
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In any case, I hope you enjoyed this article!