D&D 5e: Five Magic Spears (and a Magic Helmet)

In a recent G+ post, Jared Rascher noted the general lack of cool magic spears in 5e and asked after a DM’s Guild or OGL product that might amend this. What happened instead was that we talked for awhile about spears from real-world legends. I had a lot of time, shortly thereafter, to do nothing but think while trying to get my younger son to sleep, and this post started to form (specifically, that’s when I came up with Gungnir’s primary mechanic). Anyway, here’s a collection of four magic spears, one magic pike, and – because my wife insisted – a magic helmet.

Blackfeather

Spear, very rare (requires attunement)

While you hold this magic weapon, you can use your reaction to add your weapon damage die to any saving throw you roll against a spell that you see another creature cast.

This spear has 7 charges. You can spend them to cast spells up to 4th level that you know, spending charges equal to the spell slot level.

Blackfeather regains 1d4 charges at midnight, to its normal maximum of 7. You can perform a 1-minute ceremony over any creature that has died in the last minute. Blackfeather regains charges equal to the highest-level unexpended spell slot the creature had available when it died. This can overcharge the spear, allowing it to hold up to 14 charges.

Story: The head of this spear was fashioned from a wing-feather granted by the Raven Queen, to be wielded in her grim service by an Eldritch Knight (or more likely a Witch Knight). It sends the souls of her enemies to her, and replenishes the wielder’s strength thereby.

Meta-story: This is a non-canonical reference to a powerful cabal of sinister wizards in Dust to Dust.

Dreamer’s Thorn

Spear, very rare (requires attunement)

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Attuning this weapon requires eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

You have advantage on saving throws against spells of the illusion and enchantment schools while you hold this spear. Dreamer’s Thorn has 10 charges. As a reaction, you can spend 1 charge to dispel a spell of the illusion or enchantment schools that is affecting you. As a bonus action, you can spend 2 charges to dispel a spell of the illusion or enchantment schools that is affecting a creature that you touch. You can spend 4 charges to cast dream (in either of its forms). The save DC for this spell is 16.

Dreamer’s Thorn regains 2 charges when you complete a long rest.

Story: There came a wanderer from the trackless wastelands, bearing a spear whose haft was from no tree we had ever seen, and its head was a metal we had seen only in our dreams. He had fashioned it, he said, from the tree that flourishes only in moonlight, and from the iron that unmade the first fey. He made it so that magical guile might not hold dominion over all of humanity. “The pricking of this thorn wakens the deepest sleeper,” he said, and he gave it to a girl on the cusp of womanhood, whose hands were quick and whose wit was sharp. “Keep it from its fate as long as you may, for it is forever drawn to the One who must stay in dream’s shrouding.”

Meta-story: This is an unabashed ripoff of a character and item from Shattered Isles.

Gungnir

Spear, legendary (requires attunement)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. You can use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Strength modifier for this weapon’s attack and damage rolls.

While you wield or carry Gungnir, your current and maximum hit points increase by 20. When you make an attack roll with it and miss, your attack hits instead, and you lose hit points equal to the difference between your roll result and the target’s AC. When you roll a natural 1, you instead lose hit points equal to 5 + the difference between your roll result and the target’s AC.

Gungnir’s thrown range is 100/300, and attacks with it do not suffer disadvantage for being at long range.

When you roll initiative and have Gungnir in hand, you can throw Gungnir to any distance within its maximum range. This throw cannot attack a creature. All enemies in a cone of length equal to the distance that you throw the spear must roll a Wisdom saving throw (DC 18) or be frightened of you and up to five creatures you choose for 1 minute. No creature other than you can pick up Gungnir from where it lands, unless you are dead.

Story: Um. You know what, just Google it. If nothing else, Neil Gaiman does it more justice in his new Norse Mythology than I can here.

Scalesplitter

Spear, rare (requires attunement)

This spear’s head is very thin and strong, almost like an awl, so that it can slip between scales. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this magic weapon.

This spear has up to 6 charges. When this weapon deals damage to a dragon, a creature wearing scale mail or splint armor, or a creature described as scaly or squamous (such as most fish or serpents), you can spend 1 charge to roll an additional weapon damage die and add it to the total. The next attack made against the target before the end of your next turn has advantage if it would deal piercing damage.

The spear regains 1d6+1 charges at dawn.

Standard of the Abyssal Legion

Pike, very rare (requires attunement)

You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this magical weapon, and it deals an additional 1d8 poison damage to any target it hits. If the target is a celestial or devil, this extra damage increases to 2d8.

While you hold this pike, you gain resistance to fire and poison. As long as you are attuned to it, you can speak and write Abyssal. The pike holds up to 9 charges. As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet hits with a weapon attack, you can spend 1 charge to add 1d8 fire or poison damage to the damage dealt. When you hit with a weapon attack using the pike, you can spend any number of charges, dealing an additional 1d8 fire or poison damage per charge spent.

The pike regains 1d6+3 expended charges at midnight. If you expend the last charge, roll 1d20. On a roll of 5 or lower, the standard of the Abyssal legion vanishes in a sulfurous cloud. You and all creatures within 30 feet must roll a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, suffering 8d8 poison damage on a failed save, and half that amount on a success.

Meta-story: I’m not even trying to construct a story for this one, because I think the name explains itself – but all I’m doing here is riffing on the Black Company’s Lance of Passion.

Visage of Radiance

Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

Gain a +1 bonus to AC, Charisma saving throws, and Charisma ability checks while wearing this helm.

When you are wearing this helm, you can cast the sacred flame cantrip, using Charisma as your spellcasting ability. If you can already cast this cantrip, you instead add your Charisma modifier to damage you deal when you cast it. You can ignore the spell’s verbal component requirement while you wear the helm.

As a bonus action, you can cause the helm’s face mask to emit light equivalent to a bullseye lantern. You can spend another bonus action to make it stop glowing.

While you are wearing this helm, you can cause your voice to become three times as loud as normal. You can be heard clearly up to 500 feet away. Further, you can begin or end this effect at will. You can cast thunderwave as if you spent a 3rd-level spell slot. Once you do so, the helm regains this ability at dawn.

Brandes Stoddard

Harbinger of Doom