5e Grognard

Moved to my new blog here .

The Stone of Mysterious Sounds is another creation from Dragon Magazine #99's Treasure Trove II.  It is originally by Nick Kopsinis. It was a pretty easy conversion.  It had a minimum strength to make it stick when thrown, and required a "to hit" roll, but I just simplified it to a single Strength check.   I added the bit about wild sorcerers, inspired by the 2nd Edition AD&D's wild mage having a 50% chance to control wands of wonder and other random magic items.  It's something I think I'm going to add as a class ability.  I think 50% chance to control is a bit much, so I built off of the existing mechanic of the spell attack bonus to expand the range of the die roll and give a couple options to choose from. Stone of Mysterious Sounds Uncommon wondrous item This stone appears to be similar to any other magical stone, though it is malleable and can be easily grasped and reshaped by a human hand. The stone cannot be pulled apart in...

This next item from Dragon Magazine #99's Treasure Trove II is Ed Greenwood's Hand of Remote Action.  I nerfed it a bit from the Dragon Magazine write up, since it allowed attacks, choosing instead to copy over the effects of the mage hand cantrip. Hand of Remote Action Uncommon wondrous item This unusual creation is actually two devices: a gauntlet of steel which will change size to fit the hand of any wearer (halfling through human), and a “hand” of solid steel which is identical to the gauntlet in size and appearance. The two items are magically linked, so that the hand can be controlled like a mage hand , with a range of 30 feet. You can use your action to control the hand . You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it. The hand can’t attack, activate magic items, or carry ...

Next item from Dragon Magazine #99's Treasure Trove II is the Dust of Forgetfulness, originally by Richard Webb. Dust of Forgetfulness Wondrous item, uncommon Found in a small packet, this powder resembles very fine sand. There is enough of it for one use. When you use an action to throw the dust at a character or other living creature, the dust the victim must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or forget everything that has happened to him in the last hour (including having the dust tossed upon him). Enemies encountered during that time will be forgotten, paths explored will look unfamiliar, and newly made friends will be seen with suspicion. If a character’s immediate surroundings are similar to those the character was in an hour before, the character won’t even be aware of the difference without close examination (if any differences in environment exist). After one week, the lost memories will be restored, and no experience will be lost. Player characters, if sprinkle...

Here's another item from Dragon Magazine issue #99's Treasure Trove II.  Originally by Michael Persinger, I changed it up a bit from his write up.  His version allowed a parry attempt that gave a -4 to your AC.  I based it off of the Battle Master parry maneuver, giving it the same d8 as the superiority die, but only giving it 3 uses per long rest, as opposed to the 4 per short or long rest that a Battle Master gets. Bracers of Deflection Bracers by Alyssa Ravenwood Wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement While you wear these bracers, you have a +3 bonus to your AC while you wear no armor and use no shield. When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and reduce the damage by the number you roll on a d8 + your Dexterity modifier.  You can use this power up to three times per long rest.

Back with another magic item from Dragon Magazine #99's Treasure Trove II.  The Amulet of Psionic Reflection was originally created by Roger E. Moore. Amulet of Psionic Reflection photo by Jewelry Wire Wrap Rare wondrous item (requires attunement) The ancient githyanki-mind flayer wars have spawned a number of interesting psionic-related magical items and weapons. Among them is the githyanki amulet of psionic reflection , a small, ornate device that is pinned to a headband and placed so that it centers on the user’s forehead. You have resistance to psychic damage when you wear this amulet. This device is generally used by githyanki scouts who operate alone on missions into mind flayer lairs. Wearing such an amulet is considered a great honor, and githyanki will go to great lengths to recover lost amulets from their new owners. Mind flayers will be equally enraged to see such an amulet if they recognize it as such.

The next item from Dragon Magazine issue #99's Treasure Trove II is the Catstaff, originally by Ed Greenwood. Catstaff Uncommon magical staff, requires attunement This item is a black, 7-foot-long staff of stout wood topped with a sculpted knob resembling a cat. When carried on or strapped to one’s person, you gain Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks as well as on Strength (Athletics) checks that have to do with jumping or climbing.  Your climb speed is also the same as your normal speed.  You also gain darkvision to a range of 60’. You can also create a globe of semi-darkness centered on the staff with a 15’ radius.  This gloom does not block darkvision, and is negated by a light source within its confines. It can be dispelled by magical (but not normal) light which touches its periphery, and unless dispelled or cancelled by you, it remains in effect for up to 1 minute. The shadow does not allow normal vision into or through its area of effect, and as ...

I'm in the process of making up spell, magic item and ability cards for my kids to use in our game.  I've noticed that there are a lot of things getting forgotten about because they are just a line on a character sheet.  During this process, I found a new item that I got out of the Fantasy Hero game version of Keep on the Borderlands that one of the characters have that I don't have a 5e write up for.  Lylas the elven rouge in my Age of Worms  group has. Bracer of Bees Uncommon wondrous item, requires attunement This single gold and obsidian honeycomb bracer is in decorated with bees, that seem to subtly move about in and out of the honeycomb .  Using a standard action, you remove and throw the bracer with a range of 15/30.  While in the air the bracer transforms into a swarm of insects (MM pg. 338).  If the insect swarm is killed, the bracer is destroyed.   If you are attuned with the bracer, you can recall the swarm as a bonus...