Magical weapons, and magical items in general, for D&D 5e are a bit of an “anything goes” space. Giving out more generic magic items enhances your player characters. While making something more tailored allows players to access abilities beyond the scope of their race, class and background.
Players foam at the mouth for new magic items. But give out too many, and most will just get forgotten about. After all, most players will only ever have three attunement slots. I also find that players tend to pick out their pet weapons and magic items and use them as much as possible. Which can create a power creep issue. Give out something too powerful early in the game, and players won't ever want to try anything else unless there is a more powerful option on the table.
Here are fifteen magical weapons pulled from my own games that you can use in your campaign!
15. Guardians Montante
Longsword meets polearm with this weapon.
This greatsword is elegant in its simplicity. A round pommel, a narrow but comfortable grip about as long as a forearm, wrapped in black leather, with an upwards angling crossguard. All the metal is mirror finished and the weapon is far too long to be carried at the hip.
The montante was originally designed as a bodyguards weapon, long enough to parry away incoming attacks with ease.
Guardians Montante
+1 greatsword (reach), rare, attunement
The Guardians montante is a greatsword with the reach trait. It has +1 to attack and damage rolls, and is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. When a creature within 10ft of you is subject to a melee attack, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on that attack roll.
14. Peacemaker
Sometimes you have to make peace with the difficulties of life. One method is quiet contemplation. The other is unmitigated violence from 600ft away.
This heavy crossbow is a mix of hardwood and steel in its design, utilitarian in the cut of its jib.
It’s etched with runes that glow with a faint, white light.
This one is a little more complicated than your typical magic item, and may take some careful reading and guidance for your player to understand and use correctly.
Peacemaker
+2 Heavy Crossbow, very rare, attunement
This heavy crossbow is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances, and has a +2 to attack and damage rolls. A number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus you can choose to activate one of its abilities.
- Piercing shot- You must choose to make a piercing shot before you make your attack roll. On a hit, a piercing shot passes through its initial target and has the ability to hit another creature in a straight line up to 15 ft behind it. Roll a second attack against that target. This attack deals 1d6 + all of your usual damage modifiers instead of the usual 1d10 . If there is a third target 10ft behind the second, you can roll a third attack and attempt to damage that creature also. This third attack deals 1d4 damage + all of your usual damage modifiers.
- Anti-Material Shot- An anti-material shot can pass through cover, dealing the usual heavy crossbow damage to a creature up to 10ft behind it, and ignoring any benefits that cover might otherwise grant. An anti-material shot can pass through half a foot of common metal, one foot of stone or two feet of wood.
Using your Piercing Shot or Anti-Material Shot creates a thunderous sound audible from up to 120 ft away.
13. Nobles Croquet Mallet
This one is for those penny pinching players.
This croquet mallet is highly decorated, a polished ash handle and head with gold plating and inlay. No matter how hard you swing it at something, it doesn’t break or dent. Killing a creature with this weapon causes gold coins to spontaenously appear.
Have a player who just can’t get enough gold? This is great for them
Nobles Croquet Mallet
+1 warhammer, uncommon
This Warhammer has +1 to attack and damage rolls and is considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. Whenever a creature is killed by this mallet, a number of gold coins appear equal to 1d4+the creature's CR. If the creature has a CR of less than one, then one silver coin is dropped instead..
12. Duelists Sidearm
For those moments when taking your time becomes the fastest way to solve a problem.
This hand crossbow is elegantly designed. Silver embossed, with a swept basket hilt handguard and a set of flip up magnified sights enchanted with an arcane blue dot. This is obviously designed for careful aiming.
Duelists sidearm
+1 hand crossbow, rare, attunement
A number of times per long rest equal to either your intelligence or wisdom modifier (choose one when you attune) you can use a bonus action to aim carefully. The first shot you make on your next turn after you aim carefully is a critical hit on an 18-20.
11. Keeper’s Shovel
The Keeper's Shovel is only ever seen in the hands of horrible monsters when something very terrible has happened to the kindly but shy gravedigger.
This is a heavy, hard wearing piece of grave digging equipment. In fact, it’s a little unwieldy. A hardwood handle polished smooth from years of use, and a broad steel blade, sharp along the edges. All of it is a little dented, but nothing is rusting.
Keeper’s Shovel
Shovel, uncommon
This shovel is a martial melee weapon using strength for the attack and damage rolls. It has the versatile property (1d8/1d10) and can do either bludgeoning or slashing damage, decided when the attack roll is made.
An undead creature dropped to 0hp with the Keeper’s Shovel cannot use its Undead Fortitude ability.
10. Dagger of Ticks
This one is just gross. But might be an excellent weapon for a horror themed campaign.
This dagger looks like a long piece of humanoid bone filed to a wickedly sharp point, and drilled with small, evenly spaced holes. No matter how light is outside, you can’t see in. But holding the dagger to your ear, you can hear a faint scratching noise. The handle is a simple leather wrap, the material of an unknown origin.
Dagger of Ticks
Dagger, uncommon
This dagger has up to five charges, and regenerates 1d4-1 charges each dawn. As an action, you can use a charge and force a creature you can see within 60ft to make a DC14 wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature finds its mouth is filled with ticks. That creature takes 2d4 piercing damage, and is unable to speak or cast spells with a verbal component. The creature takes an additional 2d4 piercing damage at the start of its turn, and can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts one minute.
If the target succeeds its initial saving throw, the wielder must make a DC14 wisdom saving throw or have their mouth filled with ticks suffering the same effects. The ticks have to eat somehow, and you’ve invited them here.
9. Magebreaker Whip
Need that spell caster to stop concentrating on something? Here’s your weapon.
This whip is surprisingly heavy. A handle that feels like it’s made out of lead, and a long, black leather thong that seems thicker than most, ending in a small bundle of razor blades.
When activated, sections of the thong unravel revealing arcane symbols patterned along the inside, as it splits into as many as nine damage dealing sections.
Magebreaker Whip
+1 whip, rare
This whip has +1 to attack and damage rolls, and is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. Once per day, when a character attacks with the Magebreaker, they can roll a D8 and make that many extra attacks. Once a day the Magebreaker can be used to cast dispel magic or counterspell at 3rd level. This ability recharges at dawn.
8. Quickdraw Hand Crossbow
Ever had a player who really wanted to play a cowboy, but firearms don't fit the setting? Hand crossbows make excellent stand-ins!
This hand crossbow is very slick. Polished wood, folding steel limbs, no sharp edges, and comes with a snazzy drop-leg holster. People who have carried this weapon describe feeling sharper, caffeinated, and with an itchy trigger finger.
A great magic item for a low level hand-crossbow wielder.
Quickdraw Crossbow
Hand crossbow, uncommon, attunement
A number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus, you can add 1d6 to your initiative roll. You also cannot be surprised while conscious when you’re attuned to this weapon.
7. Harvest Sickle
Weapons and magic items that allow players to recover hit points are fairly uncommon in D&D 5e because they would be very powerful. Change HP for temporary hit points, and you have a winner.
This sickle is very old, with a rusty blade. It looks like it was found in the back of a farmers tool shed. But spend enough time with it, and legend has that it’ll whisper to you. It’s thirsty.
Harvest Sickle
Sickle, rare, attunement
When you kill a creature with the harvest sickle, you gain temporary hit points equal to double your proficiency bonus. The creature must have a CR of at least ¼, and the temporary hit points last until your next long or short rest.
6. The Handy Halberd
Rules as written, small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. This is a great weapon for a halfling barbarian if you ignore that rule at your table.
This halberd is surprisingly complex. While still sturdy and hefty, it has a combination of metal and wood parts all down the haftManipulating it in just the right way has you fighting against spring tension to collapse it down into a smaller weapon. Something easier to use in close quarters.
The Handy Halberd
+1 handaxe/halberd, rare, attunement
This weapon is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances, and has +1 to attack and damage rolls. This halberd is designed to collapse down into a smaller weapon.. As a bonus action on your turn you can either collapse or extend this weapon. In its collapsed state it has the stats of a handaxe, in its extended state it has the stats of a halberd.
When you extend the halberd, you can make a shove check against a medium or smaller creature within 10ft of you, knocking them back 10ft or knocking the prone on a success.
Alternatively, extending the Halberd can add an additional 10ft to a long or high jump if you pass DC14 acrobatics check.
5. Vampyr Crossbow
This weapon is undeniably powerful, and can be a real wrench in the works of your campaign if you give it to a clever player.
The Vampyr Crossbow is made out of dark wood with steel finishing made to look like a snarling bats head, from the mouth of which protrudes the crossbow bolt. It’s abilities are powered through the use of blood magic
Vampyr Crossbow
+1 Heavy Crossbow, rare, attunement
This crossbow has +1 to attack and damage rolls and is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. As a reaction, when a creature you can see within 60ft of you dies, you can magically extract some of its essence and grant the Vampyr Crossbow 1 charge. The Vampyr Crossbow can hold a maximum of three charges. When you hit a creature with the Vampyr Crossbow, you can expend a charge and cause one of the following effects. If the effect requires a saving throw the DC is 8 + Proficiency bonus + dexterity modifier.
Marionette- The creature is forced to make a constitution saving throw. On a failure the creature is moved 15ft in a direction of your choice. If the creature moves at least ten feet before striking an object, they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage. This movement can be vertical.
Cripple- The creature is forced to make a constitution saving throw or is knocked prone.
Trauma- The target takes additional necrotic damage equal to 1d6+your constitution modifier.
4. Radiant Truncheon
For the party cleric who really should be playing a paladin.
This mace looks like a solid gold rod with a handguard and a light steel chain for a wrist loop, and is perfect for a cleric hoping to eke out some extra damage.
Radiant Truncheon
+1 mace, rare, attunement
This mace has +1 to attack and damage rolls and is considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance. Speaking the command word the Radiant Truncheon creates a 30ft radius of bright light and an additional 30ft radius of dim light. When you land a critical hit with the Radiant Truncheon, you can use your reaction to attempt another attack.
3. Poisoners Rapier
Not all magical weapons were built by wizards. Some were built by master craftsmen like clockmakers and silversmiths. Others by mad scientists.
For the venomous duelist, who's fighting not to win, but to kill their opponent. A long straight blade meets with a complicated handguard stylised to look like a many headed snake, the mouths pointing down onto the blade. There’s a mechanical complexity here, with a kind of trigger in the grip.
Poisoners Rapier
Rare, uncommon
This rapier is fitted with six chambers that can be filled with liquid, typically poison of some sort. Filling each chamber takes an action. The liquid remains until it is removed as an action or activated. As a bonus action, you can activate one of the chambers and coat the blade with the liquid held within.
2. Seeker Scythe
Remember, any spell that allows you to summon a familiar can be a blessing or a curse. Maybe the player finds a useful ally. Maybe they get stuck with "Rodger the Talking Raven," who will only work for peanuts and is a nervous talker (he's always nervous.)
This halberd is all black in construction, and designed to look like a scythe. The handle is wrapped in leather, and the blade elegantly engraved with designs that look like feathers. The weapon is ice cold to the touch, and never grows warm, no matter how much it’s handled.
Seeker Scythe
+1 halberd, very rare, requires attunement
This halberd has +1 to attack and damage rolls, and is magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.
- Corvid Blessing- A number of times per day equal to your charisma modifier, when you take the dash action you also gain a fly speed until the end of your turn.
- Familiar- While attuned to this weapon, you can cast “find familiar” as a ritual once per long rest. The familiar summoned is always a raven.
1. Byrobi Dagger
One of my earliest homebrew magic items.
This dagger has some serious heft. A circular handle, and a long spiraling blade like a massive drill bit. It appears to be impact activated, and ramming it into something with force causes the blade to spin wildly. You imagine it would be incredibly painful. A great weapon for a low level rogue, but requires someone with mechanical expertise to build.
Byrobi Dagger
Dagger, uncommon
When an attack roll with the Byrobi defeats an enemy AC by 5 or more, they can use their reaction to cause the blade to spin, dealing an additional 1d6 piercing damage.
