Look around on any online platform and you'll find tons of min-maxing Dungeons & Dragons players complaining about the ineffectiveness of melee characters in comparison to ranged ones. According to them, this goes doubly so for melee characters in comparison to ranged spellcasters.
Melee characters may not be able to bend the world to their whims with magic, but they do serve as arguably the most important role in any functioning party: the front line. Without melee, there would be no one to protect those robe-wearing sissies from the terrors of the night they're too afraid to go toe-to-toe with. So, stand proud melee lovers — while you're at it, you might as well learn about some magic items that may just save your character's life.
10 Adamantine Armor
Starting off with items suitable for the first tier of play (levels 1-5), we have the Adamantine Armor. There's not many items that dungeon masters regret giving out more than this relatively cheap magical armor.
An applicable upgrade to any set of armor that's medium or heavy, making your armor adamantine provides your character with the benefit of turning any critical hit against them into a normal one. While this item doesn't require an attunement slot per the Dungeon Master's Guide, we recommend adding it to the list of attuned items — lest your players learn about it and make their entire party immune to critical hits.
9 Javelin Of Lightning
Yet another unattuned magic item, and a more reasonable one at that, is the Javelin of Lightning. This magic weapon provides an amazing one-time burst ranged attack for a melee character in need of ranged options.
Once per day as an action, you can speak the javelin's command word and hurl it through the air, transforming it into a five-feet wide lightning bolt that's 120 feet long. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 lightning damage. On a success, those affected still take half damage.
Lastly, you can aim the javelin at a single target in the line of the lightning bolt when it's used in this way. Make a ranged attack roll against the target. On a hit, the javelin deals its normal 1d6 plus Strength modifier magical piercing damage plus an additional 4d6 lightning. Zap!
8 Devotee's Censer
A relatively new magic item, the Devotee's Censer can be found in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and is the first item we'll look at that's appropriate for the second tier of play (levels 5-10). This magic flail adds an extra 1d8 radiant damage to any attack successfully made with it.
In addition, you can speak the Censer's command word once per day as a bonus action. This causes incense to radiate from it in a ten-foot area around you, for one minute. During this time, at the beginning of each of your turns all creatures within the incense are healed for 1d4 hit points. This adds a nice bit of padding onto your front line's hit points each turn, eventually healing for 10d4 damage over the course of a minute. Even better, creatures knocked out in range of the censer will be healed back to consciousness at the beginning of each of your turns. Get up and smell the incense!
7 Amulet of Health
Speaking of padding up the front line, it's hard to do better than the Amulet of Health when looking to increase a melee character's hit points. This amulet has the deliciously simple effect of changing an attuned character's Consitution score to 19.
Besides Barbarians, the vast majority of D&D characters will only ever reach 14 Constitution max. Consequently, this amulet reliably increases the hit points of any character who uses it by two points per their level at minimum. Additionally, the amulet also helps out quite a bit when it comes to Constitution saving throws. One of the most common and important of these throws is the concentration check, so this item is especially useful for any character trying to concentrate on spells while they wade through the front lines.
6 Flame Tongue
Defense is nice and all, but it's occasionally better to just kill the thing attacking you before it gets a chance to do its worst. The Flame Tongue is the perfect item for doing exactly that, especially when it's equipped on a fighter. As a bonus action, you can cause flames to erupt from the blade.
The flames remain until you use another bonus action to end them, or drop or sheathe the sword. While flaming, the sword deals an extra 2d6 fire damage on every attack. Seeing that a fighter using action surge can make four attacks at level five, and six attacks at level 11, you can see how your enemies might end up as barbecue.
5 Cloak Of Displacement
The Cloak of Displacement is an awesome magic item that is inspired by a classic D&D monster: the displacer beast. This cloak gives you the same powers as the beast, projecting an illusion of yourself nearby that gives all attacks made against you disadvantage.
If you're hit with an attack, the cloak's illusion ceases to function until your next turn. Furthermore, the cloak fails to work if you're unable to move.
4 Mantle Of Spell Resistance
There's nothing more annoying as a player character without spells than being disabled by a spellcaster. While there are ways to improve your chances thanks to saving throw proficiencies and the resilient feat (which you should definitely pick up at some point in your career), there's nothing really to do when you make an abysmally bad roll.
That is, until you purchase a Mantle of Spell Resistance. This simple yet effective magic item gives you advantage on all saving throws made against spells. Take that, you robe-wearing sissies.
3 Ring Of Spell Storing
You know what they say — if you can't beat them, join them. The Ring of Spell Storing allows melee characters devoid of spellcasting to do exactly that. The ring is capable of storing five levels worth of spells at a time. Any spellcaster who touches the ring and casts a spell sees their spell stored in the ring.
The wearer of the ring can then later on cast the spell with the same spell save DC, spell attack bonus, spell slot level, and spellcasting ability as the original caster. Some spells that really go the extra mile when it comes to this ring include Shield, Absorb Elements, Counterspell, Synaptic Static, Wall of Force, and Mass Cure Wounds.
2 Nine Lives Stealer
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The Nine Lives Stealer is a weapon that's appropriate for the third tier of play (levels 11-16). This magic sword gives +2 to attack and damage rolls made with it. However, the truly interesting bit lies in its ability. As its named, the Nine Lives Stealer has the ability to instantly steal up to nine lives.
When you land a critical hit with this weapon on a creature with less than 100 hit points, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or instantly be slain. The sword comes with up to nine charges, and each time this effect occurs a charge is expended. Once all charges are expended, it becomes a regular +2 weapon. However, one way you could spice up this weapon's flavor even further is to have the lives it steals modify the sword in some way. For example, a fire elemental whose life is stolen, now allows the sword to give its wielder fire resistance as well.
1 Vorpal Sword
Continuing with the crit theme, the Vorpal Sword is the be-all and end-all of melee weapons. It's fit for the fourth and final tier of play (levels 17-20), and attacks with this +3 weapon sever the head of your target any time you land a critical hit. If the creature needs the head to survive, as most creatures do, it instantly dies.
This is one weapon that can easily spell a villain's end, skyrocketing your group into their next campaign. Good night, sweet prince.