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\n \t\t\tMy D&D player\u2019s cursed weapon keeps ruining combat encounters in the best way<\/p>\n<\/h5>\n
My D&D player had a chaotic idea for a weapon feature, and as the Dungeon Master, I let him run with it<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n
It\u2019s one of D&D\u2019s most persistent problems: Characters become more powerful, but most of the objects accompanying them do not. A sword might carry years of history, embody a relationship with a mentor, or represent a defining victory. Eventually, however, its wielder finds something with a larger bonus and better abilities. Sentiment gets shoved into the backpack.<\/p>\n
The latest D&D book, Arcana Unleashed<\/em>, offers an official solution. A new Evolving Magic Item system allows equipment to increase in rarity and unlock additional features as its wielder reaches important milestones, potentially transforming an uncommon, generic magic item into a legendary relic.<\/p>\n\n
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Image: Wizards of the Coast<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cDo you want to keep using your less-good item, or do you want a more powerful item, and you just keep your incredibly important-to-you heirloom in your backpack?\u201d Arcana Unleashed<\/em> lead designer Amanda Hamon asked Polygon in a video interview. \u201cThat\u2019s a decision that we don\u2019t necessarily want players to have to make. That\u2019s what this is solving.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n Magic items can level up with their heroes Evolving magic items aren\u2019t entirely new to D&D. A version of the idea first appeared in Weapons of Legacy<\/em> from 3.5e, in which mundane \u201clegacy items\u201d accrue experience points and level up with their owners. 5th Edition also has some previous, more specialized interpretations, as well. The Vestiges of Divergence from Critical Role\u2019s Explorer\u2019s Guide to Wildemount<\/em>, for example, awaken into progressively more powerful forms. The Dragon’s Wrath Weapons in Fizban\u2019s Treasury of Dragons<\/em> also gain strength but through prolonged exposure to a dragon\u2019s hoard.<\/p>\n\n
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Image: Wizards of the Coast<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The difference is that those objects are bound to particular settings, histories, circumstances, or a previous edition\u2019s ruleset. Arcana Unleashed<\/em> turns that idea into a flexible system that can be applied to virtually any campaign or object.<\/p>\n\u201cThis is a little bit more setting- and context-agnostic,\u201d Hamon said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t specifically have to be an item that\u2019s in a dragon hoard. It doesn\u2019t specifically have to be tied to a certain campaign or a certain storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n
The system emerged during an early brainstorming session about what kind of new rules Arcana Unleashed<\/em> could introduce. Designer Carl Sibley suggested evolving magic items, an idea that immediately caught Hamon\u2019s attention. The two developed the concept together, with Sibley drafting the rules and the book\u2019s ready-made evolving items before designer Makenzie De Armas reviewed an early version.<\/p>\nThe resulting framework accommodates different levels of complexity. Its simplest option formally codifies a trick that many DMs already use: Instead of replacing a character\u2019s cherished +1 longsword with an unrelated +2 longsword, the original weapon simply becomes +2.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany DMs have already been doing this, I think, for a long time,\u201d Hamon said. \u201cRather than going through the rigmarole of, \u2018You\u2019ve lost the sword, you found this other sword,\u2019 they just level up.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n Random progression or deliberate evolution Arcana Unleashed<\/em> provides a tidy progression system to take even simple magic items like a +1 sword and evolve it over time. Tables for Rare, Very Rare, and Legendary magic item properties are provided. DMs can roll on these tables or select specific properties to help shape the nature of the weapon. A low-level Paladin\u2019s generic sword might pick up \u201cCrusading\u201d and become rare, allowing them to cast Crusader\u2019s Mantle to infuse allies\u2019 attacks with radiant damage. At very rare, maybe it picks up Paralyzing, which grants access to Hold Monster. At legendary, the Heliacal property lets the user cast Sunburst, summoning a burst of radiant light that deals a great deal of damage.<\/p>\n\n
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Image: Wizards of the Coast<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Depending on the properties chosen, however, that same sword might instill fear in its foes, cast ice magic, and even reverse gravity. Making these selections randomly is definitely in the spirit of the game, but it strikes me as a more interesting option for the DM to select properties based on the specific actions of the player. Maybe if this same hypothetical Paladin slays a vampire, the sword itself gains the Withering property, allowing the wielder to cast Blight or Vampiric Touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that took the longest to fine-tune is to really present a balanced version of the way that those magic items would increase in rarity,\u201d Hamon said. The designers needed to create \u201cmechanically equivalent options that weren\u2019t just the same and actually had flavor potential to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
For anyone who doesn\u2019t want to construct an entire progression, Arcana Unleashed<\/em> also includes five ready-made evolving items: the Blossom Rod, Idol of Good Fortune, Keyholes Dagger, Staff of Skulls, and Waveswept Weapon. Each retains its underlying identity while growing more powerful over time \u2014 with flavorful upgrade names to boot.<\/p>\nThe Blossom Rod develops from \u201cBudding\u201d to \u201cFlowering\u201d and finally \u201cSomniferous,\u201d progressing from rejuvenating plants to summoning a plague of bumblebees and releasing sleep-inducing pollen.<\/p>\n
An evolving item can also help a player explore an aspect of their character that isn\u2019t necessarily represented by their class. Hamon offered the example of giving the Blossom Rod to a Paladin who loves the wilderness. Its progression can support something as simple as a hobby or interest, lead the character toward multiclassing into Druid or Ranger, or simply allow them to develop abilities that a conventional Paladin would never possess.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a really, really good way to support that exploration of the character during play,\u201d Hamon said, \u201cor lean into something that the player is interested in doing from the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another interesting ready-made weapon is the Staff of Skulls, which has some blatant necromancer vibes. But it doesn\u2019t suddenly give its wielder access to a wide variety of dark magic. It can definitely complement a Wizard build focused on necromancy, but just as easily, the party might defeat an actual necromancer. Then the Rogue or Monk might walk away with that staff. At first, they can use it to cast Chill Touch. Eventually, they can point it at an enemy and crush them from the inside with necrotic damage. No magical affinity needed.<\/p>\n
For any pirate-themed adventures on the open seas, a Waveswept Weapon seems ideal. At first, it just does the silly parlor trick of transforming fresh water into saltwater. But later forms allow its owner to breathe underwater, swim faster than normal, and eventually fly through the air on a salty sea breeze. That seems ideal for a young sailor who gradually evolves into a mighty pirate king.<\/p>\n
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\n A relic should grow with its hero\n
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Image: Wizards of the Coast<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Although Arcana Unleashed<\/em> loosely associates these upgrades with D&D\u2019s traditional character level-up system, evolving items aren\u2019t meant to collect experience points or automatically become stronger every few levels. Hamon recommends connecting each evolution to a significant development in the story.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen the characters unveil something, or when they defeat something, or when they learn something, or when they make a decision, those items would start to unlock their potential,\u201d Hamon said.<\/p>\n
That last possibility \u2014 a decision \u2014 may be the most interesting. A carefully designed evolution doesn\u2019t merely reward a player for completing an adventure. It asks them to define what the object, and perhaps their character, will become.<\/p>\n
In the current campaign I run, the characters have gradually recovered a collection of ancient objects called the Relics of Anur. One of them, the Arm of Daro, is a magical prosthetic wielded by a Ranger named Iona. (Yes, it\u2019s loosely inspired by the Eye and Hand of Vecna.) When the time came for the arm to evolve after the party completed a notable leg of the adventure, I offered Iona\u2019s player four possible Aspects based on the previous wielders of the Relic (an idea I lifted from the video game Hades<\/em>): Miroku, Khan, Elric, and Aran. I\u2019m not entirely sure the player understood every reference here, which I don\u2019t fault them for, but they selected Elric.<\/p>\n\n
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Image: Bones Inc.<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Inspired by Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist<\/em>, the Aspect of Elric allows the wielder to manifest an armblade that boosts AC and allows them to use their reaction to make a counterattack, but it also grants them access to several useful transmutation spells \u2014 along with Shatter at a range of touch to evoke the FMA <\/em>villain Scar\u2019s use of alchemy to deconstruct rather than create. Iona\u2019s player could have wound up with an overpowered vortex in their palm like the lecherous monk from Inuyasha<\/em>, the powers of Ms. Marvel, or Samus Aran\u2019s arm cannon. But they made their choice.<\/p>\nAs is the case with any Evolving Magic Item, there are no objectively correct upgrades. An element of randomness can be just enough to keep a player invested in whatever new direction this brings their character in. But it can just as easily play a meaningful part in the broader narrative of a campaign. That\u2019s the difference between an evolving item and a conventional piece of treasure. Finding a stronger sword changes a character\u2019s stats. Watching the same sword transform in response to a discovery, victory, or moral decision makes it part of that character\u2019s arc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe underlying concept of these evolving magic items is that they are actually very, very powerful,\u201d Hamon said. \u201cIt\u2019s just that the character isn\u2019t able to unlock their full potential until they continue to unveil some of those story elements or make some of those narrative achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Had these rules existed when I ran Dragon Heist<\/em>, Kellnor\u2019s sword might have survived its encounter with Azuredge. The player still would have faced a choice, but it would have been between two possible stories rather than a +2 and a +3 bonus. That\u2019s the promise of evolving magic items: A cool weapon no longer has to be discarded simply because the adventure has outgrown it. Instead, it can grow into the next adventure alongside the player.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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