Forgotten Realms: Adventures In Faerûn provides plenty of new material for Dungeons & Dragons DMs, and that naturally includes a fresh assortment of magic items. While the list of seven items in the book’s Magic Items chapter isn’t extensive, the inclusions are interesting enough to make up for it.
From the Harper Pin seen in Baldur’s Gate 3 to Myrkul’s Crown of Horns, D&D‘s newest magic items focus on the lore and possibilities of Faerûn. Even so, they’re all flexible enough to fit into other settings, although the descriptions might require a little tweaking. That being said, involving the most powerful new items in any campaign could reshape the course of events, so DMs would be well-advised to tread cautiously.
Calimemnon Crystal
All The Genies You Ever Wanted
The land of Calimshan has a complex history, and the Calimemnon Crystal single-handedly houses a good chunk of it. An “immaculately cut sixty-sided diamond” would be valuable on its own, but the Calimemnon Crystal’s real value lies in the genies imprisoned inside. Viewing the crystal with Truesight will reveal over a hundred genies, including the once-powerful Calim and Memnon. These genies used to fight over control of Calimshan, and the time spent inside the Crystal probably hasn’t dulled their passions.
Attuning to this wondrous item will give the bearer a long list of abilities, ranging from flight to healing rays. It’s also impervious to damage, meaning that the only way to destroy it is for its bearer to cast wish and wish for its destruction. Doing so will release all the genies, which could have transformative effects for any campaign in Faerûn. Paladins using the new Oath of the Genies subclass from Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn may be especially interested in this one.
Crown Of Horns
A Very Deadly Curse
The Calimemnon Crystal can sometimes be dangerous, but the Crown of Horns always will be. Housing the essence of the dark god Myrkul, this crown seeks to corrupt its bearer and turn them into an undead agent of Myrkul’s will. Wearing this crown changes the bearer’s alignment to neutral evil and, at the end of a year, turns them into a Lich.
The year leading up to that point does come with some advantages, like an aura of fear and the use of power word kill. Nonetheless, any player interested in retaining control of their character should avoid this one at all costs. When the year is up, the Lich will be handed over to the DM as an NPC.
Only a wish spell or Myrkul himself can remove the crown’s curse, and getting one of the Dead Three to help you out is no easy task. The total destruction of the crown can only be achieved by Kelemvor, who needs to wear it while sitting on the Bone Castle’s throne.
Harper Pin
Fool Those Prying Eyes
After the effects of the Calimemnon Crystal and Crown of Horns, the relative simplicity of the Harper Pin should come as a relief. The Harper Pin allows its bearer to register as a specific Harper Persona, which will be picked up by any magic used to identify the bearer. This bears a resemblance to the Harp-Shaped Pin in Baldur’s Gate 3, but it has a few abilities that aren’t present in-game.
The Harper Pin comes in two variants: silver and gold. Silver Harper Pins can broadcast a pre-programmed line of thought that will be detected whenever another character uses an ability or spell like detect thoughts. Golden pins, meanwhile, allow the bearer to cast nondetection on themselves, which will apply so long as the pin is present and attuned. Either option helps Harpers fly under the radar, so the pin can be useful on any mission of subterfuge.
Mechanical Wonder
A Robot At Your Beck & Call
Mechanical Wonder is more of a category than a single magic item, and Forgotten Realms: Adventures In Faerûn comes with four specific examples. The Domestic Wonder is a bipedal assistant for household duties, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used in combat. While this isn’t a construct capable of slicing through foes, if you do take it into combat, it’s good at avoiding death. The Flying Wonder is a little more exciting, with increased carrying capacity and more battlefield maneuverability.
The Gyrocopter Wonder steps it up again, working as a single-rider vehicle that can move creatures and cargo through the air. Finally, the Mobility Wonder increases the speed of its bearer to 30 feet, which might be useful in some specific scenarios. These creations can be found in Calimport, the capital of Calimshan.
Orb Of Damara
Draconic Powers Are Within Reach
The closest thing to playing a dragon in D&D would usually be opting for the dragonborn species, but the Orb of Damara allows any species to gain some draconic advantages. Attuning to this wondrous item allows the user to gain dragon’s breath, an aura of fear that Frightens enemies, and a fly speed of 60 feet. Bearers can also cast the following spells using its daily charges:
- Disguise self
- Fire shield
- Hold person
- See invisibility
- Summon dragon (level nine version)
If all of that isn’t enough, swallowing the orb completes the transformation. Doing so will turn the user into an adult chromatic dragon, which will cede control to the DM. Like the other powerful artifacts in Forgotten Realms: Adventures In Faerûn, the process of destroying the orb is unusual — if an Ancient Gold Dragon willingly swallows it, the orb and dragon will both be destroyed.
Tome Of The Dragon
Please Don’t Summon A Dracolich
While the Orb of Damara’s draconic powers could be used for either good or evil, the Tome of the Dragon takes a naturally darker direction. This heavy tome is used to turn dragons — either living or dead — into undead dracolichs. Even with the tome, this isn’t an easy process, requiring a dragon, 80,000 GP of supplies, and up to 180 days of uninterruptedwork. The more people involved, the faster the process will be, so building a cult could be a helpful additional step.
At the end of the ritual, the tome will explode, potentially killing those who conducted the ritual. Finally, the target dragon will become a dracolich, which is the deadliest part of the whole affair. If the dragon was dead before the ritual, its body will be inhabited by an evil dragon spirit, and the dracolich bears “no obligation to its creators.” Long story short: don’t use this item.
Windskiff
Jack & Rose Can’t Both Fit
Personal vehicles are nice, but they can be difficult for adventurers to cart around when they have to travel on foot. The windskiff is the perfect solution. When not in use, the windskiff is simply a “small piece of jewelry,” but it holds three daily charges that allow it to transform. Using a magic action and a charge converts the windskiff into a sail-powered personal vehicle, which is “roughly the size and shape of a household door with a 10-foot sail.”
While the windskiff hovers rather than flies, it’s capable of gliding during descent, and riders won’t take any fall damage. As Buzz Lightyear once said, it’s falling with style.
Many of the new magic items in Forgotten Realms: Adventures In Faerûn are meant more for use in the setting and narrative than the party’s personal benefit, but they can all have an interesting impact on a campaign. Like many other features in the new Dungeons & Dragons books, these additions should make running games in Faerûn a little more flexible and fun.
- Original Release Date
-
1974
- Publisher
-
TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
-
E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
-
2-7 Players
