Last updated on February 10, 2023
Whether you're creating a young adventurer's first magical weapon or trying to forge a sword to kill gods and even end the world, this article will give you everything you need to know to start crafting your own.magic swordsas well as our top tips for turning them into fun, memorable, and powerful (but not too much) magic items that your players will remember for years to come.
table of Contents
How to create a magic sword inD&D 5e
If you want to reward one of your players with a unique homemade magic sword, you can either modify an existing magic item or create a magic sword from scratch.
Modify a magic itemCreating a magic sword is the easiest way to do this, and it can be done for a number of reasons, including making a more or less powerful weapon to match a PC's level, skills, and class matches, or just give the item a unique flavor. that fits your backstory, setting, and tone of the campaign.
take one for exampletridentof the command of the fishand just convert to onefish command stock, leaving the magic item's mechanics unchanged but changing its base form. You can also take the process a step further and slightly modify the function of the weapon to create a weapon suitable for the captain of a local Chapter.Kenkugentleman: theCrowguard stock.
rapier of ravens
Weapon (Skeletal), Uncommon (requires attunement)
This magical rapier is adorned with feather motifs. It has 3 charges. While using it, you can use an action and spend 1 charge to cast it.master beast(except DC 15) of this on a feathered beast with native flight speed. The rapier restores 1d3 expended charges per day at dawn.
Mastery of a rapier allows you to add your mastery bonus to the attack roll for each attack you make with it.
The other approach is to create a magic sword from scratch instead of modifying an existing item.
Creating a magical sword from scratchit's a bit more complicated, but once you have a clear idea of what the weapon looks like and what it can do, translate that into theD&D 5eThe rules are relatively simple.
Things to consider beforehand:
The basic concept, including an introduction to the history of the weapon, who made it, and why. All these details can help to know what the weapon is doing.
Who is this gun for?It doesn't make much sense to give a magic greatsword to a party consisting of a wizard, a bard, and a rogue. You don't have to perfectly tailor an item to a player character, but it's generally a good idea to make sure someone in the party can at least pick it up on the right end.
How powerful should it be?Giving a group of level 20 adventurers a +1 magic sword probably won't set anyone's world on fire, but giving a group of level 1 adventurers a legendary magical item or artifact might.literallyset the world on fire. Making sure magic items are tier-appropriate on PC will help players feel like their new item has value and ensure their game doesn't get completely unbalanced.
As a tip, I like to give PCs items that are too powerful for their tier. This makes them feel like they've really accomplished something great, but it doesn't unbalance the game too much. It's like buying children's shoes; Always go up a size because they grow on them before you know it.
item rarity
When you create a new item, you must set its rarity. This is a good way to tailor the power level of the weapon to the players who will be using it. If your weapon doesn't cast a spell but instead has a different effect, you can find a spell with a similar effect and use it to set the rarity.
I also find that when it comes to weapons that can cast multiple spells (or multiple spell-like effects) per day, add up the total to compare to your max caster level.
Three Tips for Making Better Magic Swords (With Examples)
There are many different ways to craft your own magical swords yourself.D&D 5egame, and a dungeon master will probably create dozens of them over the course of their time in the game. Whether you're just getting started as a dungeon master, are new to homebrewing your own magical items, or are just looking for inspiration for your next magical loot, here are three tips I try to keep in mind when designing a magical sword (with some samples from weapons I've used in my own games or keep in my notes ready for the next time my players break down the monsters' front door for loot).
Monster Inspired Swords
One of the best places to look for new ways to do great and terrible violence is in the natural world. The people of our world have been inspired by nature for centuries, not only in the way we make our weapons and armor, but also in the way we think about warfare.
Just think of the Roman Testudo (meaning "turtle") formation and how effective it was for Channing Tatum.
Or what about mail at scale? Or synthetic spider silk processed into bulletproof vests? Or berserker Vikings who stripped naked to become "one with the wolf" before going into battle?
Inspiration in the crafting of weapons, armor, and martial traditions is a big part of our world, and we don't even have fire-breathing lizards, ethereal contortionists with magical powers, or literal giants. So it makes sense that a long time ago, magical crafters looked to the monsters in the world around them and were inspired by their abilities.
So let me introduce you to a magical sword inspired by one of my (and my players') favorite swords.at leastFavorite) Monster: The Rust Monster.
Rostklaue
Weapon (long sword), uncommon (requires attunement)
Though dull red and encrusted with rust, with flakes constantly falling to the ground, this magical blade always retains a razor-sharp edge. The weapon has 3 charges and recovers 1d3 charges. When you make a weapon attack against an enemy wearing metal armor or wielding a metal weapon, you can spend 1 charge to hit their equipment instead. Instead of dealing damage, choose one of the following effects:
- The target's AC is reduced by an amount equal to the damage dealt by the attack divided by 2 (minimum 1). If the target's AC is reduced by more than 5, it is destroyed.
- The target's weapon takes a damage penalty equal to the damage dealt by the attack divided by 2 (minimum 1). If the weapon's damage is reduced by more than 5, it will be destroyed.
Swords That Do More Than Damage
For the same reason I don't like it so easy+1 magic swords, magic weapons that only increase the damage the wielder can deal are not particularly exciting from a design perspective. They don't really give the player anything new to do, so they probably aren't all that exciting.
I'm not saying that each magic sword should have four different active abilities for the player to follow, but warrior characters often lack other things to do on their turn besides "move and hit", which gives them some new options.Ashitting them and what they can accomplish with a simple attack can make a new magic sword more interesting.
I'm particularly interested in magical swords that give combat characters new ways to control the battlefield or gain extra mobility. Here I also like to steal mechanics from video games, movies and TV.
Klinge viñafilada
Weapon (Rapier), Rare (requires attunement)
This magical rapier features a silver blade that grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.
The Rapier also has 3 charges. As a bonus action, you can spend a charge to briefly turn the weapon's blade into a tendril covered in razor-sharp thorns. The weapon gains the Range property (15 feet). If you hit a medium or small target with a weapon attack, it must succeed on a Strength check negated by your Strength (Athletics) or it will be pulled 10 feet towards you and knocked prone.
The Rapier recovers 1D3 charges at dawn.
More than just a pointed stick, make swords a part of your campaign's culture, history, and politics.
After all, this has more to do with world building and campaign setup than mechanical design, but I promise you that following this step will do wonders for your entire home campaign.
It's very easy to get caught up in creating a cool fantasy sword or something inspired by the latest anime you watched, only to find that it doesn't fit the tone, story, or cultural fabric of your players. to the world of your players at all.
A glowing purple sword that allows you to grow additional limbs out of swirling smoke and darkness as you draw it is undeniably awesome. In a murky, low-magic setting where wizards are being burned at the stake by fearful peasants, it'll stick out like a sore thumb.
You'll want to make sure that every time you create a new magic item, it fits (and hopefully reinforces) the tone and themes of the campaign you're running. A sword that expresses a creature's thoughts aloud as long as its blade is drenched in its blood would fit perfectly into a Ravenloft campaign, but it's definitely an inappropriate choice for a one-shot about teenage wizards heading off to college. .. Similarly, dragging a magical skateboard up Castle Ravenloft's grand staircase to do a cute kickflip over Strahd's head is factually cool, but could undermine the gothic-horror vibe.greasy.
The right magic weapon is not only a great way to amplify the tone of your campaign, but also a great opportunity to involve your players in the story of your campaign: its politics, culture, religion, etc. grant advantages or penalties.
Do you have a certain type of sword (maybe one that glows green or blue and looks cool?bbjwwwjjjmmmmmm-djjrrrrmmmmmmnoise when you shake it) Mark yourself for death in a fascist empire? Perhaps this type of weapon is known for slow killing, thus pleasing the followers of an evil goddess of pain. Perhaps these swords belonged to the champions of a conquering army and are therefore universally feared.
Maybe just being able to rip that hammer, I mean that sword, makes you "worthy", or pulling it out of a stone gives you the right to rule. You don't have to use every magical sword to help your players find the key to reviving a long-lost kingdom, but tying your magical swords to the politics and culture of your campaign world can be much more interesting than another suit. pointy it doesn't. +1d8 fire damage.
- About the Author
- Latest posts
harry menear
I played my first tabletop RPG (Boy Scouts 1e, specifically) at the university. With an unread rulebook and a human bard named Nick Jugger, I was late for the first session. It was a rocky start, but I had a lot of fun and now, almost a decade later, I play, write, and write about tabletop RPGs (mostly5e, but also PBtA, Forged in the Dark and OSR) games for a livingwild.