Note: You can now find the magic items in this article as a part of 50 New Magic Items, a Pay What You Want product on the DMs Guild.
I’ve created more than a few original magic items in various blog posts on this site. Starting today and over the course of the next few updates I’ll be bringing the finalized versions into the fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons rules. So if you’ve been following the blog some of these will be familiar and others will be entirely new! Once I’m finished with these magic items, I’ll post them on the Free Game Resources section of this site as a PDF so you’ll always know where to find them.
Talk about your legendary items!
But First A Word About Magic Items in Exploration Age
Some of you may already know this, but permanent magic items in Exploration Age require gems to hold the item’s magic. The more expensive the gem, the more magic it can hold.
Variant Exploration Age Magic Item Creation
If a DM allows players to craft permanent magic items in their down time, at least half the cost of creating the item must be paid in gems, which are incorporated into final form of the item.
Now onto that good stuff!
The Good Stuff
Since I love wondrous items I thought I’d share a few of those with all of you now. Some are original and others are taken from my Magic Items, I Made These For You, and A Few (Magic) Things posts. Apparently I really love magic belts.
How’d I Do?
What do you think of these items? Would you use any of them in your game? What might you modify? Sound off in the comments below!
If you like what you’re reading, please check out my podcasts on The Tome Show, follow me on Twitter, tell your friends and share this blog post, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!
World Builder Blog 
Just a few questions of clarification, comrade.
“As part of an attack, you can draw a hidden +1 dagger from the belt of hidden knives. If the dagger leaves your hands it ceases to exist at the end of your turn.”
– Does this work with a fighter’s multiple attacks per Attack action? That is, can you draw multiple daggers in a round?
“While wearing the belt of the scorpion you can make a scorpion-like mithril tail grow from the back of the belt.”
– Is there an action cost associated with this? How long / how many times a day can you use it?
“The tail is a light, finesse weapon which deals 1d6 piercing damage and has a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls.”
– So no proficiency bonus on it? What about with the feat that gives you proficiency with improvised weapons?
“While it is activated you control the fly’s 30 feet of movement and see and hear through the item for up to one hour.”
– Does this take an action?
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For the Belt of knives it’s part of an attack action so for every attack a dagger can be drawn.
No action cost on the tail and you can do it as many times per day as you like.
Indeed. I should add martial to the descriptor of the weapon to make things clear. Nice catch!
In the case of the fly, it takes an action to activate and speak the item’s command word.
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another question about the spy fly. Does it have a range? Does it have to be on the same plane as the wielder even?
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Ooo good clarifications. I should add that!
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These are great, James 🙂 And I agree, making magical items is always fun. Some of the more memorable quest-driven ones can really become part of the party and generally rooted in the world at large too if the item’s backstory is good. I’m thinking of things like The One Ring here. I still remember an intelligent hat I made for a particular quest, some time ago. I believe the party always meant to go and do that quest too, but it ended up at the bottom of the priority list when greater dangers made themselves known. The hat had a low ego score so it only had minor powers and not much chance of taking over anyone’s actions, but its advice and information were invaluable at times, so the party eventually got to the point where they would trust the hat – sometimes more than each other – and have conversations with it (through the wearer, who was the only person who could hear it). It was like the NPC helper you have when you don’t really have an NPC helper. Not bad really, considering it began as a thrown-together quest item for a quest that didn’t get done.
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My sentient items are always helping the players out. It’s a way for me to hint that an idea they have could get them killed. Which is really helpful!
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I think subconsciously sentient items are another backstory I get to have fun writing. But yes, they have practical uses too 😉
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They’re the best. I love giving them saucy personalities.
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I had this idea for a PC whose personality was that of an item it carried, which had managed to take control of the person due to its high ego. The item itself wasn’t a weapon or anything useful – I’d made it a pretty ordinary bit of stone tablet. It didn’t have any magical power other than its ego, so it wasn’t any better off than any other PC, and if anything would actually be at a disadvantage if for some reason the tablet was lost. You can imagine the confusion that would ensue if the hapless country bumpkin’s personality suddenly came back into control, and possibly if the item took control of the ambushing bandit who stole it. I can already hear the party dialogue…
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Whoa!!!! I love that idea. A tablet takes control of the user….
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The belt of the scorpion is a legendary item, but the attack is stuck at +2 and the poison is only once per day. Seems very weak.
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It’s a good beef to have. I figured since its essentially a second weapon you can wield with a shield or a third weapon that’s a pretty friggin cool ability. Still, maybe it needs a bump down to very rare or a +3 bonus….
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For the tracking compass I would include the ability to find a specific person or creature as well. That might make it too powerful, but it would fit the name better (to me).
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Not a bad thought, but that would up the rarity for sure! Certainly something to think on. Thanks for all this great feedback!
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