Minor Elemental Magic Items

[Gradine]

Hi, I've been putting together a list of magic items for my party which an allied artificer will be able to create by affixing crystals with bound elemental spirits into them (Khyber Dragonshards, for those of you who speak Eberron). These will create fairly minor (but hopefully useful!) magic items. I came up with a list; I admit to not having the greatest head for balance, but my players are not in any way powergamers (in fact half of them are brand new), so I'm not overly concerned if one item is slightly better than the other based on MM damage types or what have you. I tried to stick with magic items in or around the uncommon item power range, with the exception of the armor/weapons, because frankly those are the most boring options.

I'm mostly worried about red flags. I have a feeling I know where those might be, and hopefully they can be tempered. If you also have any other suggestions, let me know!

PS: I also know that I use some language/mechanics that are outdated for 5e, but as I said I have mostly new players, and 3 times per day is much simpler to grok than the convoluted charges scheme 5e employs and makes little difference besides.

small khyber shard (air) (all items require attunement):

• Booming or Shocking Weapon: +1 to hit, +1d4 thunder or lightning damage.
• Repelling Shield: If a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spend your Reaction to push the creature 10 ft.
• Storm Armor: Resistance to thunder or lightning damage, and your movement speed increases by 10 ft.
• Feather Token: Can cast feather fall once per day.
• Ring of the Bighorn: Three times per day, use an action to attack (+5 to hit, 1d8 thunder damage, push 10 ft) or attempt to destroy an object (+4 Str bonus).
• Spell Focus of Thunder or Lightning: This focus (a wand, instrument, druidic focus or holy symbol) grants a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls, and the caster can ignore half-cover. Once per day can cast thunderwave or witch bolt as per a 1st level slot.
• Gravity Boots: Allows wearer to “double jump” (doubles vertical and horizontal leaping).

small khyber shard (fire) (all items require attunement):

• Flaming Weapon: +1 to hit, +1d4 fire damage.
• Flameburst Shield: If a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spend your Reaction to deal 1d8 fire damage to that creature (Dexterity save DC 13 for half damage).
• Shinespark Armor: Resistance to fire damage, and if a creature successfully hits you with a melee attack, they have disadvantage on all attacks made against you until the end of their next turn. Creatures with blindsense are immune to this effect.
• Eversmoking Amulet: Once per day, you may cast produce a cloud of fog, per the first level spell, which spills from your amulet to the target location (Range of only 60 ft). Rather than fog, the amulet produces a dark smoke that not only obscures vision but suffocates those in range that do not hold their breath.
• Flashy Belt: 3 times per day, you can speak a command word and release a flash of blinding light for your belt buckle. All creatures in a 15 ft’ cone in front of you are blinded for 2 rounds (DC 13 Dexterity save negates) .
• Spell Focus of Fire: This focus (a wand, instrument, druidic focus or holy symbol) grants a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls, and the caster can ignore half-cover. Once per day can cast burning hands as per a 1st level slot.
• Boots of Fire-Walking: You have immunity to any fire damage created by terrain, and can withstand extreme hot temperatures.

small khyber shard (water) (all items require attunement):

• Freezing Weapon: +1 to hit, +1d4 cold damage.
• Chilling Shield: If a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spend your Reaction to chill that creature until the end of their next turn. Chilled creatures cannot take Reactions, and their movement speed is halved (flying speed is reduced to zero; and any creature currently flying lands on the ground).
• Fluid Armor: Resistance to cold damage, and you have advantage on all saving throws to resist being restrained or grappled, as well as all ability checks made to escape a grapple.
• Amulet of Endless Water: Three times per day, you may speak a command word to create water from your amulet. “Stream” creates 1 gallon of water, “Fountain” creates 5 gallons of water, and “Geyser” creates a geyser 1 foot wide and 30 foot long. As a bonus action you can aim the geyser at a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and falls prone (DC 13 Strength save negates).
• Cloak of the Manta Ray: While this cloak’s hood is up, you can breath underwater and have a swimming speed of 60 ft. Pulling the hood up or down in combat requires an action.
• Spell Focus of Ice: This focus (a wand, instrument, druidic focus or holy symbol) grants a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls, and the caster can ignore half-cover. Once per day can cast ice knife as per a 1st level slot.
• Boots of the Winter: You ignore difficult terrain created by ice or snow, and can withstand extreme cold temperatures.

small khyber shard (earth) (all items require attunement):

• Venomous Weapon: +1 to hit, +1d4 poison or acid damage
• Poisonous Shield: If a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spen.d your Reaction to attempt to poison that creature (Constitution save DC 13 to negate) for 1d4 rounds. A poisoned creature has disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks.
• Rock Armor: Resistance to poison or acid damage, and you have advantage on all Strength saving throws to avoid forced movement or to be knocked prone.
• Amulet of Proof against Poisons: You are immune to the poisoned condition, as well as any ingested poisons or any other ill effects from impure or rotted food or drink.
• Gauntlets of Earthy Grasp: 3 times per day, you can pull a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see into the earth. The target must be standing on a dirt or stone surface (including worked stone). The creature is restrained for 2 rounds (DC 13 Strength save negates) .
• Spell Focus of Nausea or Tremors: This focus (a wand, instrument, druidic focus or holy symbol) grants a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls, and the caster can ignore half-cover. Once per day can cast ray of sickness or earth tremors as per a 1st level slot.
• Boots of the Earth: You ignore difficult terrain created by mud and rocks, and you can choose to ignore being knocked prone by any effect.

 

[Eltab]

Non-combat stuff:
(not even in rules language, more like 'concept mode')
- Flame elemental in a lantern = always-on light. Hooded or bullseye lanterns also possible
- Least flame elemental bound to a candle = dim flashlight
- Lightning elemental (mephit?) in a candle = normal flashlight
- Greater flame elemental bound in a lantern = Daylight, one time only - then it's loose and splits the scene. Zap some Out of the Abyss drow gear with this one.
- Air elemental in a container can make Gust of Wind container (similar to Decanter of Endless Water)
- Least air elemental in a container can make a stiff breeze that breaks up Fog Cloud &c effects.
- Co-binding a water elemental and a fire elemental in that amulet you mentioned above gets a Geyser of HOT Water ... and maybe some steam.
- Add an earth elemental to the amulet and you can get the 'rotten eggs' smell - sulphur - of Mammoth Springs too (inspired by Yellowstone National Park). This might be a fashionable, most rare, and highly coveted version.
- Air elemental in a magic trinket lets you Fly but this wipes out the elemental and the magic item becomes non-magical. You can have somebody put another elemental into it later.
- Water plus anti-fire equals Ice. Unleashing a zone of ice might work like Grease with new fluff.

 

[Leatherhead]

What do you consider a "red flag"? Because most of these are way too powerful to be considered Uncommon.

 

[Gradine]

What do you consider a "red flag"? Because most of these are way too powerful to be considered Uncommon.

Then anything that seems excessively overpowered compared to the rest? I tend towards Monty Haul with my new players, and I’m not that concerned about screwing up the overall power curve.

 

[SkidAce]

I like this stuff a lot.

However, for those of us using the old (original) ENworld style, this is what your post looks like.



From what I understand, its because of cutting and pasting which brings styles with it. Paste as text only would let the forum change the color to white automatically, like the text of your post.

 

[Gradine]

I like this stuff a lot.

However, for those of us using the old (original) ENworld style, this is what your post looks like.

From what I understand, its because of cutting and pasting which brings styles with it. Paste as text only would let the forum change the color to white automatically, like the text of your post.

Thanks for the feedback! Hopefully my latest edit corrects this problem.

 

[Gradine]

In case folks were wondering, I went with the list with no tweaks. My party came into possession of a sack of Khyber Dragonshards with different elementals bound to them, and their artificer friend set them up with some equipment:

Tiefling Feylock: Gravity Boots
Elven Monk: Lightning Weapon (as a brooch that empowered his unarmed strikes)
Dragonborn Rogue: Flashy Belt
Aasimar Life Cleric: Spell Focus of Fire
Half-Orc Undying Warlock: Spell Focus of Ice
Gnome Shepherd Druid: Spell Focus of Tremors
Halfling Bard: Gauntlets of Earthy Grasp (which already came in pretty useful!)