The magic items in chapter 7 are but a few of the magic treasures that characters can discover during their adventures. You can modify these magic items or create new ones using the guidelines in this section.
Rules for characters crafting magic items are in chapter 7.
You can create a new magic item by tweaking one or more existing ones. Suggestions are provided in the sections that follow.
One capability can replace a similar one. For example, a Potion of Climbing could become a Potion of Swimming.
You can alter a magic item’s form while leaving its properties intact. For example, you can turn a Ring of the Ram into a wand or a Cloak of Protection into some other worn object (such as a circlet) without altering the item’s properties.
An item that deals damage of one type could instead deal damage of another type. For example, a Flame Tongue sword could deal Lightning damage instead of Fire damage.
You can merge the properties of two magic items of the same rarity into a single item, provided no more than one of them requires Attunement. For example, you could combine the properties of a Helm of Comprehending Languages with those of a Helm of Telepathy into a single helmet. This makes the item more powerful (and probably increases its rarity), but it won’t break your game.
Chapter 7 has rules for giving magic items interesting histories, minor properties, quirks, and sentience.
If modifying an item doesn’t quite fulfill the need, you can create one from scratch.
A magic item should either let a character do something they couldn’t do before or improve the character’s ability to do something they can do already. For example, a Ring of Jumping lets its wearer jump greater distances, thus augmenting what a character can already do. A Ring of the Ram, however, gives a character the ability to deal Force damage.
The simpler your approach, the easier it is for a character to use the item in play. Giving the item charges is fine, especially if it has several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day might be easier to manage.
If you make an item that lets a character kill whatever they hit with it, that item will likely unbalance your game. On the other hand, an item whose benefit rarely comes into play isn’t much of a reward.
Use the Magic Item Power by Rarity table as a guide to help you determine how powerful a magic item should be based on its rarity.
Maximum Spell Level. This column of the table indicates the highest-level spell effect the item should confer, in the form of a once-per-day or similarly limited property. For example, a Common magic item might confer the benefit of a level 1 spell once per day (or just once if it’s consumable). A Rare, Very Rare, or Legendary magic item might allow its possessor to cast a lower-level spell more frequently.
Maximum Bonus. If an item delivers a static bonus to AC, attack rolls, saving throws, or ability checks, this column suggests an appropriate bonus based on the item’s rarity.
Decide whether the item requires a character to be attuned to it to use its properties. Consider the following guidelines.
Limit Sharing. If having all the characters in a party pass an item around to gain its lasting benefits would be disruptive, the item should require Attunement.
Limit Stacking. If the item grants a bonus that other items also grant, it’s a good idea to require Attunement so characters don’t try to collect too many of those items.