When it comes to homebrew, it's hard to find a better community for it than in Dungeons & Dragons. For those who don't know, homebrew is the name given to custom content made unofficially by players for the game. This can often be something as small as a house rule to as great as an entire campaign setting. In recent years, thanks to the internet, homebrew has skyrocketed in popularity with communities dedicated to playtesting and coming up with new spells, adventures, and more for Dungeons & Dragons.
A great and popular section of homebrew is items. Though this could count as things like rings, armour, and weapons, we mean wondrous items. As well as this, the best doesn't always mean the strongest. Everybody could make something that's powerful. But it takes real genius and good design to make something enjoyable and with that, here are some of the best homebrew items.
8 Thoughts And Prayers
Thoughts and Prayers is an item created by CheradaRenee that is as strong as it is creative. The item is actually a pair of brass knuckles, one labelled 'Thoughts' and the other called 'Prayers'. When making a melee attack, on a hit the attacker can either do an additional three psychic damage or additional radiant damage depending on which brass knuckle was used. It is noted, however, that this is ineffective on enemies that are using firearms.
Although it's a creative item and even has an interesting use of attunement (with certain classes able to short rest in order to attune to the item while other classes must long rest), the item isn't the best in its execution. For one, the item only adds some additional damage, and even then a plus three for a very rare item is pretty low. Not to mention that Thoughts and Prayers seems like it should be for monks, but they can't attune to it. All in all, it's a good idea with just some tweaking needed to turn this item from good to great.
7 All Or Nothing Coin
Some of the best homebrew comes from being clearly inspired by a piece of media. Sometimes it's a spell you saw from a Doctor Strange film, or maybe it's just some cool amulet modelled after some cool trinket in Skyrim. So what happens when you get a coin that reminds you of the famed Batman villain, Two-Face? Created by betacela, thankfully this isn't the type of coin that'll be menacing to your party members, though it just might be for your enemies.
The coin can be used twice per short rest and instead of rolling a d20 dice, the player can flip the coin. If it's heads, it's a critical success, but if it's tails then it's a critical fail. This means that an attack against an enemy could fall flat or become just the right hit you need in combat, a pretty simple yet inventive item.
6 Bracers Of The Assassin
From being inspired by one type of media to another, the Bracers of the Assassin by Stormknight seems like they've come right out of the Assassin's Creed series. The pair of bracers each contained a concealed dagger that can be extended or retracted with a bonus action. Plus, the daggers are replaceable, needing just five minutes to fit whatever dagger the user wants into the bracers.
This seems the perfect item for Rogues, especially since the daggers can't be seen when retracted unless someone passes a whopping DC 20 Investigation check. Not only is this a pretty cool item, but it's well-balanced and a fun item to add to your games.
5 Flask Of Perpetual Booze
An item created by famous Dungeon Master Matt Mercer is the Flask of Perpetual Booze, which sounds as entertaining as you think. The flask is enchanted to contain a gallon of dark whiskey that can be consumed within eight hours. If the whiskey isn't consumed in that time, it turns into brine. If empty, it takes an hour for the flask to refill.
Though the item isn't powerful or game-changing, it is fun and a great representation of what homebrew can be about. It isn't always about improving the game or making a much-needed item but instead just having fun little inventions and trinkets for your players to enjoy.
4 Belt Of Returning
This inventive belt by Joban is known as the Belt of Returning and is another cool item that seems perfect for any Rogues in the party. The belt is described as being made of fine leather and having three loops that can fit three one-handed weapons that are then attuned to the belt. When one of the weapons is thrown from the belt, it returns at the end of your turn.
Although this is a simple item in concept, it is still well-designed and avoids any of the pitfalls of homebrew such as having an item be abusable or too powerful. It's just a well-designed item that could fit into most games and be a big help for Rogues and other martial characters.
3 Bag Of Colding
Speaking of inventive items, the Bag of Colding by Greymist is a fun and great homebrew addition to any game by showing how magic can be used to replicate modern day technology. The item is similar to a bag of holding, however, it is cool to the touch and emits cold air while opened. It can contain 100 pounds of items, but the best part is that perishable items such as meat won't degrade while in the bag.
With magic, you basically have your own mini fridge that you can carry around anywhere. This is a great item that feels like it was made by a real-world artificer who saw Dungeons & Dragons and decided to have fun with it. It's useful, compact, and grounded with its own unique twist on a commonly loved item.
2 Mortal Soul Contract
Less of an item and more of a helpful aid for players and Dungeon Masters alike, the Mortal Soul Contract by Xanotoz seeks to make the helpful act of making a pact with otherworldly and nefarious entities much smoother with a pre-written contract. Though it isn't a belt with returning weapons or a flask that can provide whiskey, this is still a fantastic item for any DM to have in their arsenal.
The best kinds of homebrew fill a gap in Dungeons & Dragons, whether it's specifically your campaign or the game as a whole and the Mortal Soul Contract does all that. It is a helpful item that can be great for any games where players are making warlock pacts or deals with devils and because of it, it deserves a high rank just for its utility alone.
1 Book Of Misspells
When one thinks of homebrew, there's a lot that it has to accomplish. It has to be unique yet useful, and entertaining but not too light-hearted - unless it's just to be waved off as a joke item. The Book of Mispells by ArdisFoxx accomplishes all that and more. This is a clever item that is just as funny as it is genuinely useful, being a book of spells that have been misspelt, and so they accomplish different effects.
For example, instead of Ice Storm, it's now Ick Storm and rains down sludge that creates difficult terrain. Instead of Hold Person, it's Fold Person which bends someone over backwards to deal damage and potentially paralyse. Yet at the same time, there are fun spells like Speak with Dead, which is misspelt as Speak with Dad, letting players communicate telepathically with their father for a minute. It's a brilliant item that's only flaw is that there isn't more to enjoy and for that alone it's one of the best homebrew items.