Video Preview: Relics – Single-Use Magic Items for D&D

You see I have almost always had the opposite experience with these. I love making them as a DM but my players just don't use them so I stop handing them out. Why is it that players love to hoard such things.

Brilliant idea. I actually hadn't watched the full video but I used this in my home campaign last night -- single use Cure Wounds scrolls which cast at 3rd level. Knowing my party, they'll burn them within the next 2 sessions. But, to the point about giving powerful one-use items to lower-level parties is a great idea. It's like giving them the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch -- they know they have it and they're almost loathe to use it. The thing that DMs need to be sure of is this -- when they use the one-shot relic, it had better be worth it. Nothing will annoy a party more than having the magic item that they've been carrying with them for the last 6 months of gaming do little more than annoy the BBEG.

I just used the generator and one poped up that got me thinking. Old draconic cup that casts enlarge/reduce (Level 2, DC 13, spell attack +5, page 237). I love the idea that this jar used to be property of a dragon, and it filled everyday with things drinkable by a dragon, who used the Enlarge portion of the spell to make it big enough to drink from it. Now it still fills up with a different liquid drinkable by a dragon each day, but the enlarge redude has one single use, and if uses also suspends the fillup of the jar.....unless you can convince any dragon to power it up again with Draconic Magic, the thing that makes it work.

New Patreon here: this is my first bonus content and I love the idea. I'm just about to start a new campaign in a 3rd party setting (Fateforge / Eana) and I can tell you now that relics will feature - the patron for the group might even be a 'used relic collector' (collecting the item and the story that accompanies them when they were used...) Thanks for the insiration!

Awesome, so many possibilities with these. But did you just say your relics have never failed to disappoint (3:55)? 😅

Love these! I am still confused as to what “caster level” means when it comes to these. I don’t know why but I just can’t retain this aspect of them 😆 Thanks for another great video.