For those who play a tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragonsthe allure of a fantasy magic item can be exciting. There are specific items that get the player out of sticky situations, ones that unlock new ways to solve a situation, or grant the player or party additional powers or abilities. But they can also be a quick way to completely derail a hard-fought campaign.
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Players may need a quick fix, Hello, or maybe they just want to create chaos and watch the world burn. Whatever the motivation, using magical items can have significant drawbacks, and there are a few in particular that are notoriously problematic. Thanks to DM Oskar for his further insight into the chaos unleashed by the misguided use of these magical items.
A bundle of many other things
Pick a card, any card
The Deck of Many Things was introduced in 1975 alongside Greyhawk supplementary materials. It has been present in every iteration Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) and became a staple item in D&D commonwealth. The Deck of Many Things is a subject that scares many DMs and experienced players. This is due to the ease with which its use leads to the end of the campaign. There are 3 main causes of death in The Deck of Many Things.
There are cards that, when drawn, can: trap the player's soul, kill them outright, or lead to a solo fight against the Grim Reaper himself. The expanded pack of many other things has more dangerous surprises hidden in it, in addition to some nice perks that almost make it worth the risk. The unpredictability of the deck can lead to all of the Dungeon Masters' and players' plans being thrown out the window.
While many parties often delegate the item to the person who finds it, the wisest option is to hand it over to whoever has the highest proficiency in Arcana skills. So maybe the next time your party comes across a deck of many other things, delegate the card draw to a warlock or warlock as they are more likely to know its risks and effects.
The Bag of Holding
Get into the bag
The Bag of Holding may be the most iconic magic item in Dungeons & Dragons. It was originally part of the Greyhawk expansion of Dungeons & Dragons original materials from 1975. The Bag of Holding gained notoriety in the wider TTRPG world for its simple, unique abilities and visual design. Space Manipulation Magic, also known as Compression Magic, is underestimated by most novices as dangerous or chaotic. However, interactions between two iterations of compression spells can be disastrous. Exposing the Bag of Holding to another compression spell can cause many anomalies. A popular anomaly among DMs is the formation of a black hole.
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Even if the unwitting holder of the pouch manages to survive the initial fallout from the compression magic mixture, they are not necessarily out of danger. The player can attract the Bagman's attention at any time while they have a bag. The bagman may be considered an urban myth by many in Faerun, but it poses a very real threat to players. The Bagger moves between Bags of Holding and appears depending on what he chooses. It was rumored that he drags unfortunate adventurers with him into the Bags and transports them to unknown places.
Most parties will allocate a Bag of Holding based on the use of the bag. The party that mainly stores weapons in the bag can give them to the player in the front line. Whereas if the bag is used to store important or fragile items, it would be wise for a spellcaster such as a cleric, druid, or wizard to carry it.
A bag of beans
Reap what you sow
Those who remember Jack and the Giant Beanstalk will be rightly suspicious of this magical object. But unlike the grains of fairy-tale glory, the Cloud Giant's castle is only one potential destination for crazy travelers. Players can find themselves in the tombs of ancient mummy lords, in front of an angry Bulette, or in a nest of power-up eggs. These are all potential targets for this strange and very undemanding magical item.
There are twelve results for planting one bean. Four enemy encounters will appear, and the other four results are chances for poisonous or explosive food. There are also creatures that can be hostile or benign based on a die roll. This means that due to the unpredictability of this item, it often doesn't matter that much who carries the item after it is first discovered. However, it may be safest to entrust the beanbag to a ranger or rogue with sufficient stealth or stealth skills, as they could use it to sabotage enemy camps with the beanbag or as a diversion.
Name the game
Start
Easy (15s) Medium (10s) Hard (5s)
This bag has been causing chaos between parties since its first mention in 1991. It was officially released in the Dungeon Masters Guide in 2014 and 2024 in its modern form. This entry details a refined list of effects. Be glad that there are only twelve results, rather than the original “101 Bean Bag Surprises” quoted in the original source material.
Eye of Vecna
Terrible business
Like everyone who watched Stranger Things I will tell you that nothing good will come of saying Vecna's name, and there is absolutely no advantage to being in his physical presence. The Eye of Vecna is the literal corporeal eye and hand of Vecna. That's not a metaphor. The traitors of Vecna cut out their eye and cut off their hand centuries ago. Those who seek power foolishly seek these objects. The Eye requires a bloody sacrifice to be reconciled with; removing the player character's own eye, placing Vecna's eye in the newly freed hole. From there, Vecna's eye merges seamlessly with the new host's body, as if it had always been there. It resembles a cat's eye with a golden slit. If the eye is removed in any way, the host dies.
While The Eye provides many abilities, such as innate spellcasting and the ability to see through walls, it has significant drawbacks. Additionally, there is a base 5% chance of things going wrong whenever the host casts a spell; The DM can cast Vecna to rip your soul out of your body, eat it, and then use your corpse as a puppet for the NPCs to manipulate.
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The Eye of Vecna and Hand of Vecna were introduced in 1996, v Dungeons third material supplement, Eldritch Wizardry. Since then, parties have been searching for these eerie relics of the past. While anyone can attune to these items, the spellcaster who has less to lose by angering the deity can benefit from these items. A spellcaster associated with the undead, such as a sorcerer, undead warlock, or necromancer, would also benefit from these items, as it gives an already powerful spellcaster an enviable amount of power. But at what cost?
Staff of Vonindod
In Rod We Trust
The Rod of the Vonindod is the newest entry on this list and was released alongside Stormking's Thunder in 2016. It was part of an expansion that brought with it the ancient war machine, Vonindod himself, also known as the Titan of Death. The Rod of the Vonindod itself is not a threat, but the attention players will draw from the local fire giants is a serious danger. The fire giants endlessly search the material plane for fragments of the once mighty war machine known as The Vonindod. Vonindod was designed and engineered to fight and slay dragons.
Fragmented adamantine rods have the unique ability to allow the wielder to sense adamantine up to ten miles away and pinpoint the exact whereabouts of the material within a ten mile radius. This means that it is easy for a particularly crafty fire giant to stalk someone from a considerable distance without being spotted before striking while the party rests.
The Rods are sought after by any Fire Giant who may wish to join the quest for The Vonindod, meaning many will fight to the bitter end to claim one for themselves. While any player can attune to this item, due to the attention it attracts, it's best held by someone who can take a beating, such as a tank character who can fend off determined giants.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original release date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
