The Most Hilarious Magic Items In D&D

Summary

• Magic items in D&D can lead to new strategies and fabulous disasters.
• Introduce magic items for comic relief in your campaign to keep players entertained and surprised.
• D&D is about having fun, so introduce funny magic items like the Tankard of Sobriety to light up the table.

Magic items in Dungeons & Dragons are often seen as powerful upgrades to a character’s abilities. Sometimes they are so powerful they open up an entirely new strategy to a character. However, browsing through the Dungeon Master’s Guide, as well as Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and other books, one will discover that there are many magic items within the pages of these dusty tomes that lend themselves to all kinds of hijinks.

Many of these are at the expense of the players. As anyone who’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for a while will tell you, the Deck of Many Things is chief among these disastrous devices. But there are also many not-so-menacing options. One thing is for certain: after introducing a few of these magic items into your campaign, your players won’t look at magic items the same way again.

Updated on January 8, 2025, by Alfredo Robelo: The release of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide came with changes to several items, as well as quite a few new ones. We’ve updated this article to include even more outlandish magic items, so that you and your group can have whimsical fun or turn the world to ashes with laughter.

26

Iron Flask

Gotta Catch Them All

The Iron Flask is a powerful magical item for many reasons, mainly due to its ability to trap any creature that fails a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. The added caveat is that the creature has to be from a different plane of existence than the one it is on, making players able to trap devils while in the material plane, with devils being able to trap players while in the Hells.

Not only is the item a containment unit, but it also forces the creature released to follow the commands of whoever released it for an hour, making it an incredibly fun and dangerous tool in the hands of any party. If you’re a Dungeon Master planning to include this wild item, be ready for players to try to push it to its absolute limit and interpret the rules in ways that benefit them.

25

Sphere Of Annihilation

A Hole In The Multiverse

Some magical items are so dangerous that they can’t even be carried around, and such is the case with the Sphere of Annihilation. This hole in reality is so destructive that anything that passes through it is destroyed, no save possible, although most artifacts are exempt from this.

Since even gracing the item is dangerous, the fun comes from it working as a hazard that the players have to work around, with high Intelligence characters moving it around to obliterate their foes, who will be trying to do the same. Don’t be surprised when players try to take the Sphere with them, but should they try to put it in a Bag of Holding, the combination of planar spaces might send them flying across the multiverse.

Summon Your Doom

Particularly chaotic players will love this item, even if it can be catastrophic to their well-being. Introduced in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, the Scroll of Titan Summoning does exactly what you expect, summoning a gargantuan creature that is hostile to everything surrounding it, including the one that reads the Scroll.

More often than not, an item such as the Scroll of Titan Summoning is something the players will want to prevent some evil faction from using it, although they can also use it to destroy any city they see fit. They can also summon something by accident, since simply reading the Scroll summons the creature, although it depends on what you interpret as reading it with a ‘magic’ action.

23

The Deck Of Many Things

Pick A Card, Any Card. Oops, Maybe Not That One

One of the most iconic items in D&D’s history, the Deck of Many Things is a deck of 22 cards that each have effects that vary greatly in quality.

While some cards in the deck have incredible effects, providing a character with anything from riches to power, other cards can provide disastrous effects, such as permanently reducing a character’s Intelligence or even killing a character outright. This makes the deck one of the most unpredictable and risky items in the entirety of D&D.

22

Shield Of Expression

Also Known As The Emoji Bulwark

Shields in D&D come in a variety of forms, offering varying levels of defenses, with some allowing for additional effects such as the ability to be wielded without occupying a character’s hands.

However, one of the most unnecessary magic shields in Dungeons & Dragons is undoubtedly the Shield of Expression. It’s simply a shield that takes on a face-like appearance, in addition to having the exact same functionality as a normal shield. As a bonus action, a creature holding the shield may alter the shield’s expression. That’s it.

21

Alchemy Jug

Become A Mayonnaise Salesman

On paper, the Alchemy Jug is an item that doesn’t seem too funny. It’s able to produce large quantities of useful liquids each given day, potentially producing things like acid, poison, or clean drinking water.

However, what lands this item on this list is its ability to effectively produce infinite amounts of substances such as mayonnaise, honey, and beer. This means that with an Alchemy Jug, a party can hypothetically utilize massive amounts of these substances however they may see fit, as long as they are able to collect the liquids each day.

20

Armor Of Gleaming

Look, Look With Your Beautiful Eyes

Perfect for characters who love to keep up appearances, Armor of Gleaming is a common type of magic armor that can come in various forms, each either of a type of heavy or medium armor.

Providing effectively no actual gameplay improvements over normal armor, Armor of Gleaming has the distinction of not being able to be dirtied, meaning a character wearing a suit of this armor will always be looking their best.

19

Tankard Of Sobriety

Drink Anyone Under The Table

Few downtime activities are as synonymous with D&D as a party hanging out in a tavern. Often resulting in several rounds of constitution saving throws, alcohol tends to be as potent in the game (if not moreso) than in reality.

However, for those looking for a way around this, a Tankard of Sobriety is a common wondrous item that exists entirely to negate all alcoholic effects of alcohol within it.

18

Bag Of Devouring

The Bag That Bites Back

While the most menacing magic item of all is undoubtedly the legendary Deck of Many Things, the Bag of Devouring comes in at a close second. Like the Deck, the bag of devouring is very capable of killing an unsuspecting party.

It takes the shape of a Bag of Holding, hiding its malicious nature like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But, once a player reaches into the bag, there is a 50 percent chance they are pulled inside. Any creature who starts their turn inside the bag is instantly and entirely devoured. Other players may attempt to pull people inside of the bag out, but first, they must avoid being pulled in themselves, and second, they must beat a DC 20 Strength check. Yummy adventurers.

17

Arcane Propulsion Arm

Regular Flesh Arms Are Boring Anyways

This magic item is the perfect salve for any player character who has lost a limb due to unforeseen adventuring circumstances. The Arcane Propulsion Arm replaces a lost limb with a robotic arm that deals 1d8 force damage when used to attack. Better yet, the wielder can fire their arm from their body like a missile.

The arm has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. After ‘throwing’ the arm in this manner, it immediately returns to its owner and reattaches to their body. Clever players might even be able to use this arm to try to shield their allies from attacks assuming a favorable dungeon master ruling. Most importantly, though, you can now slap your misbehaving opponents from a comfortable and safe distance.

16

Bag Of Tricks

I Choose You, Random Animal

This item is capable of providing a lot of fun, especially for any player who is fond of pets. It can be used three times per day to summon a Fey creature at random by rolling a d8. The creature is friendly to you and obeys your commands.

Players who develop relationships with their Fey-based friends, by giving them names or summoning them as if they were Pokemon, will find this item extremely entertaining. If they’re lucky, they’ll summon a giant goat into an enclosed space, or roll up a mouse when the party is fighting tigers.

15

Cloak Of Billowing

Capes Are Required Hero Fashion

If you’re going to be a hero, you’ve got to look the part. The way his cloak billows as if blown by hurricane-force winds, how dashing! This is a great item to give to the most vain member of your party.

It simultaneously gives a nod to the character’s oversized ego, providing a good laugh for the other players at the table and satisfying the player’s need to further inflate said ego. A win for all parties involved.

14

Hat Of Vermin

Please Not Frogs, Anything But Frogs

Pets that like you are cool and all, but what’s really all the rage are pets that despise you! The perfect gift for a wizard, druid, or barbarian character, the Hat of Vermin allows its owner to summon a bat, rat, or frog three times per day. Each of these vermin is a critter, so they won’t be much help in combat.

Furthermore, the creatures summoned from this hat behave as normal and are not under the summoner’s control. On the contrary, they try to get away from you as fast as possible! You could even have vermin spill out of the hat by dungeon master decision, plaguing one of your players with an endless curse of critters.

13

Weapon Of Warning (Sentient)

Your Worst Best Friend

The Weapon of Warning is an incredibly strong magic item that will prevent your players from ever suffering a surprise round again. However, with an added twist of sentience, this item can also become a fun and memorable companion.

Have the weapon warn the players by screaming a cry for help, repeatedly shouting of incoming danger, or speaking a memorable catchphrase such as ‘This time, you’ll die for sure!’ Whatever the weapon says, give it a quirky voice that turns its warnings into a moment of amusement.

12

Wand Of Smiles

Let’s Put A Smile On That Face

Speaking of amusement, the Wand of Smiles will amuse you, your players, and the characters in your game to no end. The charges stowed in this wand can be used to force a character to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, they forcibly smile for the next minute.

It’s perfect for playing a prank on the campaign’s dark and foreboding big bad evil guy, or bringing some levity into an otherwise gloomy situation. There’s also a version of the wand that comes in scowls, if smiles don’t fit into your party’s dynamic. That sounds like a boring party, though.

11

Card Sharp’s Deck

Gambit Lovers Rejoice

Any player who loves the Gambit character from X-Men or is otherwise enamored by playing cards will love seeing this item make an appearance. The Card Sharp’s Deck is a magical weapon that allows you to deal a card as an action and make a ranged spell attack against a target within 120 feet. A creature hit by this attack takes 1d8 force damage.

Once per long rest, you can also cast the spell Spray of Cards from the deck at third level with a spell save DC of 15. Funnily enough, low-level ranged characters might find this deck more useful than their regular weapon when facing an enemy with resistance to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage. Beyond that, bringing 52 pickup to your D&D adventures is a more than welcome prank.

10

Pipes Of The Sewers

Gather Your Rat Army

Turn your game’s bard into the pied piper. The Pipes of the Sewers allow a character proficient in wind instruments to summon and control a horde of rats.

These pipes could be used in mundane situations such as clearing the rats from the lower holds of a ship for some coin, or more grisly ones like using your three swarms of rats to torture information out of someone. If nothing else, it makes coming up with the party’s dinner a simpler task.

9

Sovereign Glue

Beware: Sticky

Talk about a sticky situation. If allowed to set for a duration of one minute, Sovereign Glue sticks anything together. The only way to undo said sticking is through the use of some other magic items. They are called Universal Solvents and Oils of Slipperiness.

The only other way to unstick the items is by using a ninth-level wish spell. Having a character unknowingly discover this glue only to become stuck to something is a comical opening to a quest about finding some way of resolving the issue.

8

Dust Of Sneezing And Choking

A Coughing Attack In A Bottle

If you’re a dungeon master with an especially cruel streak, here’s an item that will have you licking your lips. The Dust of Sneezing and Choking appears to be the Dust of Invisibility. Even the use of an identify spell will mark the item as such.

In reality, it’s something entirely different. When this dust is thrown into the air, each creature within 30 feet must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become unable to breathe and be inflicted with the Incapacitated condition, meaning they lose their actions and bonus actions on their turn. Thus, if used in the midst of combat, the Dust of Sneezing and Choking can be brutally punishing. When your players never trust a word out of your mouth again, don’t say we didn’t warn you of the consequences.

7

Amulet Of The Drunkard

I’ll Have Another

The Amulet of the Drunkard is a small necklace with an image of wheat grains hammered into it. Anyone bearing this amulet can regain a significant amount of health when drinking certain alcoholic beverages. Once used in this manner, the amulet cannot be used this way again until the following day.

There’s no doubt that each gaming table has a player character who would take full advantage of this amulet’s benefits. After all, drinking and Dungeons & Dragons often mix quite well together. This is the perfect item for the resident Dwarf at your table. Did we say Dwarf? We meant drunkard, but who really knows the difference.