For Dungeons and Dragons players, coming across a new piece of loot during the course of their adventures can be one of the most exciting and satisfying parts of the game. Whether it be a new weapon, piece of armor, or another magical artifact, discovering a treasure's properties and using it in the game is always a fun moment for the player.

For the Dungeon Master, managing which items the players have access to can play a huge part in balancing the game. At higher levels, some of the items available become so strong that giving them out to the party can very well break the game. Fortunately, there are plenty of reasonable yet still quite powerful magic items for D&D players to come across.

Update on March 20th, 2023 by Jennifer Roy: Magical items are an integral part of many D&D campaigns, adding more fun and whimsy for players. However, they still can be a balancing act for Dungeon Masters. This list has been updated to fit CBR's current formatting guidelines.

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15 An Efreeti Chain Suit Provides Excellent Protection for D&D Players

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 167

Efreeti Chain is a powerful suit of chain mail armor that combines solid protection with some excellent extra features. It comes with a +3 addition to AC, making it on par with a suit of enchanted plate, but also grants the wearer immunity to fire damage as well, one of the more common elemental damage types in the game.

Efreeti Chain also provides a few extra bonuses such as the ability to speak the Primordial language as well as being able to walk on molten rock as though it were solid ground. This magic armor is undoubtedly powerful, but it just boosts a character's stats so that they are in line with monsters of a similar level.

14 Rod Of Lordly Might Can Transform to Fight Foes

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 196

The Rod of Lordly Might is a transforming mace from the dnd dungeon master's guide
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The Rod of Lordly Might is like the legendary version of the Swiss army knife. In its natural form, it functions as a magical mace with a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls, but the real wonder comes with its additional features.

The Rod of Lordly Might has six buttons, each of which can be pressed as a bonus action to transform the item into a new form such as a blade, a battering ram, or even an incredibly accurate compass. Not only that, but it has three extra abilities that allow the wielder to drain the life from their foes, paralyze, or terrify them once per day.

13 The Sword Of Answering Allows Reaction Attacks That Ignore Immunities

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 206

A dnd fighter wields a large sword and shield

These magic blades hail from the world of Greyhawk and are built to model the sword Fragarach, or "Final Word." Each Sword of Answering is practically identical, except that they are each attuned to a different alignment.

While the +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls is fairly standard for legendary weapons in D&D, the main feature of the Swords of Answering comes in the form of a Reaction that allows the wielder to attack any creature that has dealt damage to them. This probably wouldn't be that great, except that this special attack ignores any immunities or resistances the enemy might have.

12 The Ring Of Elemental Command Allows Players to Wield New Powers

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 190

The image shows two rings of elemental command from the dnd dungeon master's guide
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The Ring of Elemental Command is a powerful item that grants the user a strong connection to the powers associated with one particular elemental plane. It can take the form of fire, air, earth, or water and has several abilities and features associated with each.

As a base, the wearer is granted advantage on attack rolls against elementals of that plane, and they have disadvantage on attacking back. Each form also features a specific spell that can be used by expending charges. But the best part of the Rings comes when the wearer helps slay an elemental while wearing it, granting them some very thematic bonuses and extra spells.

11 Belt Of Storm Giant Strength Plays to Warriors' Abilities

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 155

Some characters just want to be the strongest there is. Fortunately, all they need to do is get their hands on a Belt of Storm Giant Strength. The wearer who ties this belt around their waist will receive a huge boost, increasing their strength to 29, equivalent to the strongest of giants and only slightly weaker than the most physically powerful creatures in Dungeons & Dragons.

Donning this magic item will grant the user an incredible boost in melee combat. Fortunately, that's just one aspect of a D&D campaign. A high-level party will have plenty of non-physical tasks set before them, which will prevent this item from completely breaking the game's balance.

10 The Cloak Of Invisibility Is Best for Stealthy Players

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 158

A character wears an Invisibility Cloak magic item in DnD

Much like the cloak of the same name in Harry Potter, the Cloak of Invisibility is an excellent magic item for D&D characters who need to go unseen while they go about their business. Perfect for thieves, wizards, or any other trouble-maker, this item will be sure to get plenty of use in D&D campaign.

Using this cloak is as simple as attuning to it and then raising the hood to render the wearer and anything they are carrying completely invisible. This can be maintained for a total of 2 hours, and the effect continues even if the creature attacks or casts spells.

9 Crystal Ball Of Telepathy Allows Instant Communication

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 159

A dnd dragon looks into crystal ball

The very rare Crystal Ball magic item comes with the ability to cast the Scrying spell for those attuned. However, there are a few more powerful versions that each have their own additional effects. One such is the Crystal Ball of Telepathy, which allows the user to communicate telepathically with any creature within 30 feet of the sensor created by the Scrying spell.

This magic item's user can even use the Suggestion spell upon their Scrying targets without the need to maintain concentration. This allows the wielder to control someone's actions even over vast distances.

8 The Ollamh Harp Is the Perfect Bard Instrument

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 176

The image shows the Ollamh Harp from the DnD dungeon Master's Guide
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There are seven different Instruments of the Bard, each with its own unique magical abilities. While most of these instruments come with a variety of useful spells for any musician, the Ollamh Harp is the only one that is considered a legendary item.

All of these instruments come with the ability to cast several spells in common such as Fly and Invisibility, but the Ollamh Harp grants access to the most powerful additional spells. Using this instrument, a bard can cast Confusion, Control Weather, and Fire Storm once per day each, making this an item any bard would be eager to lay their hands upon.

7 The Apparatus Of Kwalish Opens Up New Terrain for Players

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 151

The apparatus of kwalish from dnd is a large crablike machine

In what can only be described as a combination of a steampunk tank and a submarine, the Apparatus of Kwalish is probably the most unique vehicle any adventuring party could ever come across. It features the ability to travel on land and in liquids to a depth of 900 feet, making it perfect for any campaign featuring this type of technology and an adventure that takes the players deep beneath the sea.

Inside, the pilot must manage a set of levers that control the vehicle, which could make for some hilarious moments of experimentation when the players first come across it. Giving a D&D party an item like the Apparatus of Kwalish simply opens up new environments for exploration, rather than letting them demolish or destroy obstacles in their path.

6 Ioun Stone Of Greater Absorption Provides Powerful Protection

Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 176

A spellcaster uses a ball of magical energy in DnD.
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There are over a dozen different types of Ioun Stones in Dungeons & Dragons, and several of them are powerful enough to achieve legendary status. The Ioun Stone of Greater Absorption is one such item. This lavender and green stone will hover above the user's head and absorb spells of up to 8th level with a reaction.

Once the Ioun Stone has absorbed up to 50 levels worth of spells, it loses its magic and falls to the ground, putting a reasonable limit on this powerful ability. Absorbing spells can be quite strong, but the fact that this item is limited use means it won't ruin a campaign for the rest of its runtime.

5 The Horn Of Valhalla Summons Powerful Allies

Basic Rules, pg. 175

Being able to summon creatures or substances from thin air is an easily abusable effect in Dungeons & Dragons, such as flooding a room with water to drown some enemies, or summoning a dragon. The horn of Valhalla, however, simply summons spectral Berserker warriors with ordinary stats.

This is helpful, but only works once per seven days. The horn of Valhalla also comes in several different varieties, with some summoning more Berserkers than others. Such Berserkers can help the party intimidate an NPC, for example, or serve as someone's bodyguard.

4 The Luxon Beacon Gives Possibilities in Critical Moments

Explorer's Guide To Wildemount, pg. 268

The image shows a luxon beacon in DND
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The Luxon Beacon is a 12-sided legendary artifact that allows anyone to hold it and concentrate for one minute. Then, the holder will get a Fragment of Possibility, a small mote of gray light that follows the creature around until that Fragment is spent.

That Fragment allows the creature to roll another d20 for a saving throw, attack, or skill check. If a hostile monster attacks, the Fragment's wielder can re-roll that attack too and choose which die to use. The main limit is that a certain creature can only get one Fragment of Possibility from the Luxon Beacon.

3 The Black Dragon Mask Can Add to a Player's Charisma and Resistance

Tyranny Of Dragons

A black mask approaches on Innistrad

As shown in Honor Among Thieves, black dragons are powerful creatures with obsidian-black scales and a deadly acid breath attack. Player characters can borrow those traits with a legendary black dragon mask, which grants them many bonuses, but nothing too game-breaking.

That mask's wearer can add their Charisma bonus to their AC for defense if they aren't wearing armor, and they will also resist acid damage. In addition, the black dragon mask allows its wearer to speak and understand Draconic, and gain one legendary resistance so they feel like a true boss monster.

2 The Bookmark Dagger Can Light the Way and Help with Quick Escapes

Tomb Of Annihilation, pg. 206

Krenko holds a dagger in MTG

Any crafty rogue player would love to get their hands on Bookmark, a legendary magical dagger with a variety of useful abilities. In combat, it serves as a +3 dagger, and the dagger can also emit a strong blue light from its hilt to illuminate a cave.

Bookmark also serves as a compass if held on a character's open hand, which is essential for navigation. Finally, Bookmark can cast spells such as Dimension Door and Compulsion once per day, with Compulsion only being usable on spiders.

1 The Defender Can Transform into Any Sword As It Protects the Player

Basic Rules, pg. 164

Defender is a legendary magical weapon that can take the form of any sword type in Dungeons & Dragons. Defender will have the properties of those sword types, but it also strikes a balance between boosting the holder's attacks and their AC.

Defender's holder will get a +3 to their attack, but they can shift some or all of those points toward their AC instead, with the effects lasting for the round. Defender's user can shift the numbers again as needed, and the only limitation to all this is that Defender's user must keep holding it to maintain the AC bonus.

A snapshot of the classic Dungeons and Dragons poster
Dungeons and Dragons

A fantasy roleplaying tabletop game designed for adventure-seekers, the original incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons was created by Gary Gygax in 1974.

Franchise
Dungeons & Dragons
Original Release Date
January 26, 1974
Publisher
Wizards of the Coast , TSR Inc.
Designer
E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson
Player Count
4-8 Players Recommended
Age Recommendation
12+
Length per Game
3 hours +
Expansions
Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition