A minor magic item is something that just has a glimmer of magic on it. To make a minor magic item just take any item and roll once on the magic item quirk table. It’s typically worth 2-5x its normal price. If you want to make an item more interesting, roll two or even three times on the table. Minor magic items do not need to be attuned.
All magic items are created through mystical or otherwise supernatural means and no two are exactly the same. When you get a magic item or are creating one you can roll once on this chart or come up with a similar “quirk” it has. If a quirk doesn’t work for your magic item or is just boring, you can reroll it with your GM’s permission.
| 1d20 | Quirk | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talking | The item talks to its wielder. This is generally done via telepathy or flashes of emotions. The attitude and personality are up to the GM. | A magic-detection stone that whispers to your mind when things are magic rather than glowing. |
| 2 | Glowing | Upon the utterance of a certain phrase the item sheds light like a torch. | A suit of chainmail that glows brightly when the name of the smith who forged it is shouted. |
| 3 | Trail | When swung, the item leaves behind a trail. This could be a wisp trail of etheric light, smoke, ghostly music notes, etc. | A flaming spear that leaves a trail of mirage-like distortions when swung. |
| 4 | Collapsible | Upon the utterance of a certain phrase the item shrinks or transforms into a version of itself that can be stored in a pocket. Sometimes it takes on the shape of a different item. | A dagger that can collapse into a locket. |
| 5 | Lightweight | The item is crafted in such a way that it is way lighter than it would normally be. Reduce the item’s bulk, but not the handedness, by 1 (minimum of light). | A bane (vampire) spear that is hollow so it can drain the remaining blood from vampires. |
| 6 | Pristine | The item always looks immaculate; it resists stains, discoloration, minor tears, etc. This doesn't prevent the item from being forcefully damaged or supernaturally dirtied but it always restores itself to being clean eventually. | A mirror shield that cannot be stained thanks to a tiny magical barrier just above its surface. |
| 7 | Weirdness Magnet | The item calls to strange creatures and those who serve them. Pick a creature keyword (typically unholy, undead, or aberration) and such creatures can sense the presence of the magic item when it is within 1 mile of them. They find themselves drawn to it. | A warlock’s totem that always seems to attract those who hate your patron. |
| 8 | Handy | The item always seems close at hand; it’s at the top of your pack, the first thing you grab in your bag, and angled just right to draw out. This item is drawn as though it were a light weapon. | A bow that is always at the top of your bag. |
| 9 | Memorable | The item is exceptionally, even supernaturally, alluring. Those who lay eyes on it will remember it for the rest of their life. | A Banner of the Paladin that a murderer can never forget seeing. It haunts their dreams from time to time. |
| 10 | Clearly Magical | This item couldn’t be more obviously magical; it’s covered in runes, it’s glowing with a weird light, and you’re pretty sure it’s making a weird chanting noise at night… | A rune-covered set of leather armor that has 6 large charms tied to the belt and sometimes attracts little motes of lights like fireflies. |
| 11 | Trophy | The item is made of clearly organic parts (horns, shell, hoofs, feathers, bone, etc) from a creature. While this does not affect its material, it is clear what creature (or person) was used to make the item. This may have roleplaying implications. | A staff made from the bones of a devil with their horned skull serving as an ornament on top of it. |
| 12 | Unremarkable | This item has a dull, plain appearance, and is easily overlooked. You gain a Free Hero Dice on attempts to palm or conceal this item. | A dull wooden bardic instrument that looks like any other but has been handed down, master-to-student, for 600 years and is inhabited by a minor muse. |
| 13 | Alternate Form | The item doesn’t look like what it normally does. It looks like some other mundane object of no special value (of the same size category) but functions like the base item. | A sonic greatclub that looks like an exceptionally large tuning fork. |
| 14 | Living Eye | The item has animated eye(s) featured prominently on it, whose gaze darts about to track movement. Once per short rest you get a Free Hero Dice on a check made to spot something. | A bow bedecked with a number of eyes along its length. They always focus on your target before firing. |
| 15 | Gaudy | The item has an over-the-top, excessive appearance; it’s gilded, has an attached ribbon, and has just the most obnoxious mix of colors. | Warded full plate covered in prominent, mis-matched gemstones, and painted a bright orange and neon green. No matter what you do, the color always shows through. |
| 16 | Floating | If dropped, the item falls at half the normal speed. Once per short rest, it can hold up your weight worth of bulk in the air for 3 rounds. | A Elemental Ring of Power (wind) that is surrounded in a small tempest. When it falls it can support itself for a bit. |
| 17 | Iridescent | The item changes color in different lights. It does not shed light on its own but it can reflect bright light. | A clergy’s mantle with an almost metallic sheen. |
| 18 | Communicator | The item has a paired item. When you speak into the item the person with the other item can hear you. You may also select a creature and the item allows you to speak with that creature freely. | A holy longsword that allows you to speak with a specific angel that created the sword. |
| 19 | Paired | These items are always linked to another one, often with runic symbols of the other on each. As an action, you can hold the item and concentrate to learn the direction of the paired item and roughly for far away it is. | A bag of holding that is actually a tunnel to another bag of holding, creating a sort of “tunnel of holding”. |
| 20 | Transient | The item sometimes disappears, teleporting to a specific location when not in use. However, when a certain phrase is spoken it is teleported to your hand. | A pair of rogue’s gloves that conveniently are never on your person when you’re caught. You can call them back by swearing out loud that you’re up to mischief. |
Some items are just “magic”. The practicality of these items are very limited, hardly even raising them to the level of a minor magic item. These could be things like a tea kettle that warms up quicker, a pottery shard that glows a bit due to magical exposure, or a shirt that is suspiciously easy to clean. A GM should use these sorts of magic items to enhance the world in fun ways and weave a more interesting story.