Magic Items

Attunement
Some magic items require a bond between wearer and item to unlock their full potential. Doing so gives great benefit to the wearer, but there are limits to the number of items one can effectively attune to at the same time.

A character may attune to a magic item that requires attunement during a short rest, during which time they practice, meditate, or otherwise become familiar with the workings of the item. They must spend the entire short rest attuning, and cannot do anything else during this period (including assessing the properties of the item) - if interrupted, they must start again!

A character may attune to a number of items equal to their proficiency bonus (i.e. two at 1st level, six at 20th).

Whether an item requires attunement depends on the specifics of the item itself, but in general, an item will require attunement if: An item will not require attunement if:
 * it alters, transforms or otherwise changes the wearer in some way, e.g. boosted characteristics, improved senses, improved movement speeds, etc.
 * it replicates the effects of a spell or spell-like ability cast upon the wearer, e.g. damage resistances and immunities, levitation, invisibility, etc.
 * it grants the wearer additional spells or spell slots
 * it requires a conscious activation by the wearer
 * it is a consumable or otherwise has strictly limited numbers of uses, e.g. potions, scrolls, etc.

Some items will still give benefits as standard, but have additional effects if attuned to the wearer. For example, a magical sword will still obviously act as a sword, and may give bonuses to hit and damage or count as magical for the purposes of damage resistance, but will have additional properties only when attuned.

Legacy items
Legacy items are a new classification of magic item. Designed to bond to a user and grow in power and utility as they perform great deeds, the legacy item can both mould and be moulded by the hero that claims it.

Legacy items have one or more conditional effects, indicated by a [ ]  . The phrase describes a deed the attuned character must have performed; for example,

[ ] When you slay an aberration:

or

[ ] When you swear fealty to the Queen of Masks:

If you have performed this deed, you may mark that you have done so, at which point the legacy item gains the benefit that follows, in addition to any other benefits it provides. You must be attuned to the item when you accomplish the deed (unless otherwise stated). You do not gain the benefit of these additional effects until you have completed each associated deed.

Many of the deeds associated with these legacy items are deliberately vague. In cases where you are unsure of the trigger for completing a deed, you should work with your dungeon master to ensure that you are both on the same page regarding what constitutes completion of these conditions.

DM tips for using Legacy items
Legacy items are a great way to add flavour and history to your world. They are designed to reflect that the heroic narrative in fantasy is both legendary and cyclical, where heroes of the present are both reflective of and beholden to the heroic deeds of the past. They are also a way to make a magic item feel unique and special in a way that players can engage with, rather than just a tool to facilitate more efficient dungeoneering. When a player has completed every deed associated with their Legacy item, it should feel like an accomplishment.

The Legacy item list presented here should not be considered an exhaustive list, but rather serve as inspiration for the kinds of Legacy items that might exist in your campaign world. When you introduce one of these items to your players, you are also introducing another window into the lore and background of your setting, and you should devote some time and thought into considering how these items fit into your world. They have usually been wielded by heroes from previous ages, and reflect the achievements and ideals of those heroes. Players will naturally be curious about the history of something called a Legacy item, so be prepared with something to reward their curiosity!

It should go without saying, therefore, that Legacy items should not be able to simply be created. The accumulated legend of great deeds performed by these items is the point. Therefore no rules for crafting Legacy items are presented here, and DMs are strongly cautioned against inventing any.

(However, if a PC takes an ordinary magic item and performs great and legendary deeds with it, that might serve as a great basis for a Legacy item to be dropped into future campaigns!)

Legacy items are designed to grow in power as your game progresses, and as such do not fall into the rough power scales laid out in the DMG. Legacy items may start on a par with uncommon items, and end up with abilities rivalling legendary or even artifact items. Therefore you should be prepared for the possibility that your players will want to drop everything and ‘fast-track’ their Legacy item to full power. This is not a flaw! Congratulations, your players now have personal goals and a stake in your world. Just remember that, as DM, you have final authority over what happens in your world, and you set the pace for when and how the opportunities to achieve the deeds arise. But, as a corollary, your players will feel frustrated if there is no practical way to achieve their goal, so DMs should be careful about making fair, non-arbitrary rulings. You should never provide the players with a Legacy item that there is no way to fully unlock the abilities of.

(Well, never say never. A legacy item with a deed to slay a kraken when, in your world, it is known that the last kraken died a thousand years ago would tell you a lot about the history of that item. You should still probably put that kraken in there somewhere though.)

Rules variant: Hidden destinies
Legacy items are mysterious and powerful. Though each of them is associated with legendary deeds of history, not all of them show that providence on the surface. Some may have been forgotten by history entirely. Yet their potential remains, waiting for an opportunity to be unleashed.

At the DMs discretion, when you introduce a Legacy item to your players, you may conceal what the benefit of completing one or more of the deeds is. In other words, the players will know what is required of them to unlock the features of their item, but not what that feature does. The only way to find out is to try it and see.

If you choose to use this variant, just remember that the benefit gained should be somewhat related to the deed required to unlock it. A deed related to slaying a particular creature should make the player better at slaying things, a deed related to earning favour with a faction should give a benefit thematically linked to that faction, and so on. This will avoid confusion and disappointment in your players.