How to Help Beginners With Magic in D&D

One of the greatest draws of Dungeons & Dragons is the magic system. Players can control great forces of nature and divine energy to harness effects that can change the world around them. But magic is one of the greatest learning challenges in D&D, and beginning players can struggle to figure out how to use their magical characters' abilities. You can help your beginners to master magic with a handful of tips in the guide below, and soon your players will be master mages. 

If you're a beginner, you may also find this guide useful to learning basic game concepts.

The first step in understanding magic is in grasping the concept behind it. The first detail to consider is the source of the magic. In D&D, magic is either arcane or divine; arcane magic uses natural forces to capture the energy required for spells, while divine magic appeals to the player character's god for use of magical energy. All spellcasting classes are divided into either arcane or divine magic. The arcane classes in D&D 5e are Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard; the divine classes are Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Ranger. 

Whether your character casts with arcane or divine magic, they have a distinct statistic that determines how powerful their spells are. This statistic is an ability score, such as Intelligence or Wisdom. The statistic that your class uses should be one of your highest ability scores. Let's touch on which classes use which spellcasting ability. Charisma is the base stat for Bards, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Warlocks. Wisdom is the score that fuels the Cleric's, Druid's, and Ranger's magic. The Wizard uses Intelligence for their magic. 

This ability score translates into what is called the Difficulty Class of your spells, which is how difficult to resist your spell is. Your Spell Save DC, as this statistic is known, is determined by combining your ability modifier (if your Wisdom is 16, your modifier is +3--look next to the larger number for the one with the plus) and your proficiency bonus, which is scaled to your character level, and then added to the number 8. That formula, when written out, looks like this: (8) + (ability modifier) + (proficiency bonus). If your character sheet was not written out by hand, you'll be able to find this number automatically calculated on the sheet with your spells. When you cast a spell on an enemy, they roll to resist, and the number they must beat is your Spell Save DC. 

The other vital number that shows up on this sheet is your Spell Attack Bonus. This is the number that you add to your rolls when you're trying to hit an enemy with a spell. This number is once again your ability modifier added to your proficiency bonus, but this time without the addition of the number 8. That means that your Spell Attack Bonus should usually be your Spell Save DC, minus 8. Look out for phrases like "ranged touch attack" or similar phrases about striking the enemy in your spell description--that means you're looking for your Spell Attack Bonus. 

Let's get into some other terminology used in spell descriptions. (It would be helpful to be looking at your character sheet for this part to follow along.) There's the spell's save--this is usually the Spell Save DC we already talked about, but some spells have their own unique Save DCs and will indicate it this way. Then there is the time it takes to cast a spell. In D&D 5e, you get one standard action, a move action, and a bonus action per turn, and the time it takes to cast the spell is almost always either one round or one action. If it's an action, it takes up your standard action for your turn. If it's a round, it takes up all your actions for the rest of the turn. The range of a spell tells you how far its effect reaches; this may be a distance that it affects or an area that it concentrates on, and the spell will clarify this in the description. The "Components" of a spell are also listed; these describe what it takes to cast the spell. The traditional three options for spellcasting are Verbal, Somatic, and Material. A Verbal component means that your character must speak aloud to cast the spell. A Somatic component indicates that the spell requires physical movement to cast. A Material component signifies that a special item is required to cast the spell. Many DMs don't follow the component rules very closely, so you should ask what will be required of you in this regard; nevertheless, it is good to know what these mysterious letters indicate on your character sheet. The duration of the spell indicates how long the spell lasts. It's worth noting here that a round of combat is six seconds long, so if the duration is given in rounds/units of time, you can use the 1:6 ratio to understand. Finally, a spell lists its page reference (where in the Player's Handbook the spell can be found for more information) and any further notes about the spell. This is a lot of information--look at how long this paragraph ended up being--but almost all of it will be useful at some point. Just don't be overwhelmed and don't be afraid to ask for help when you're unsure of things. 

So now you have the general gist of how magic works. But you almost certainly still have questions. Magic opens many doors to you, and it's difficult to process all the information at once. Let's address some details of the magic casting system to give you a better idea of what's going on. Each spell has a level, and this level describes both how powerful the spell is (the higher level, the more powerful the spell) and when your character gets access to it. This second detail is more complicated than it seems it might be at first glance. First, you have cantrips. These spells are considered level 0. Then, beginning at a set level (1 for the Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard, and later levels for the Bard, Druid, Ranger, and Paladin), the character gains access to 1st-level spells. The character, on their next level up, gets more spell slots (uses of a spell) in their existing spells. On their following level up, they get access to 2nd-level spells. This means that you only gain new levels of spells every other level up, which means that a 3rd-level Wizard has access to 2nd-level spells, and a 5th-level Wizard can cast 3rd-level spells, and a 7th-level Wizard is able to cast 4th-level spells, and so on. This staggered levelling system can confuse a lot of players; the easy way to think about it is that the level of spell you want is multiplied by 2, and then subtract 1. So a 6th level spell would be accessible to an 11th-level Wizard (6x2=12, 12-1=11). You won't need this information directly in the game very often, but this should help make sense of the strange levelling system. 

Another important idea in spellcasting is Concentration. In earlier editions of D&D, Concentration was a skill that spellcasters used to preserve a spell's effect in the face of great distraction (such as being attacked). In 5e, Concentration is translated into a different expression; instead, it represents the idea that a spell doesn't last a certain length of time automatically; rather, the spellcaster can extend the effect as long as they concentrate on it (though there is usually a limit placed on this as well, as in "Concentration, up to 1 minute," indicating that it lasts between one round and ten rounds, depending on the player's concentration). It's worth noting that you can't cast another spell that requires Concentration while you're already concentrating on another spell, but you can still cast spells which don't require Concentration. 

Magic has a lot of rules, and not all of them are followed directly by every DM. The rules state that some spellcasting classes have to prepare their spells ahead of time, that other spellcasting classes can cast spontaneously but only know a few spells, that components are required for spells, and other considerations. As I've written before, not all details in the game are worth roleplaying, and your DM may be either a rules stickler or a loose cannon or somewhere in between. It's important to talk to them and get a sense of which of these rules you'll need to pay attention to. If you're feeling anxious about jumping in and learning magic, talk with your DM about it. They may be willing to waive certain details like components and spell preparation to make it easier for you to learn. Then again, they may add these details to what you need to monitor, and listen closely if that's the case: don't be discouraged. You'll figure it out in time. Just ask for patience and help, and soon you'll be casting spells with the best of them. 

I've addressed some big picture ideas and the details you need to understand the magic system. It's likely, though, that you still have concerns about learning and want a leg up. Fortunately, I have a few suggestions for that as well. Let's consider some tools that can make things a little easier. 

The Player's Handbook, as a standard physical book, has limitations. It's true that you can find most any information about the game that you need in it, but that doesn't means that finding all that information is easy. The layout of spells in D&D Player's Handbooks for several generations now displays short, detail-less lists of spells according to the spellcaster's class, which means you can view all your spells at once, but without the advantage of the necessary details. The part of the book that actually displays all of the details on spells is done in alphabetical order, not by class, so you would need to do a lot of searching to get that information (unless you can use the reference page listed on your character sheet, and even then, you're flipping through the book). Fortunately, I can recommend two strong alternatives to searching for spells than using the Player's Handbook. 

The first, the cheapest, and the most widely accessible is to use the many internet sites that have hyperlinked versions of the Player's Handbook information. For folks who want a hypertext version of the complete 5e spellbooks, categorizable by level, class, school, and much more, check out these three databases. With a computer or smartphone, you have access to an organized and highly useful list of spells you can cast. The only downside to using these databases is that some out there include homebrew spells from across the internet that are wildly unbalanced or which are removed from the canon of acceptable spellbooks. I recommend that you check with your DM before getting too set on a spell that you find online, as it may not be a balanced part of the game. 

A solution which is more useful and elegant, but yet which can cost a bit of money, is the official D&D spellbook cards. I addressed spellbook cards when I wrote about which gaming accessories to collect, and I still stand by my opinion. These handy little cards are decorated so that all the information I described above about a spell (like duration, range, and components) is clearly listed, along with designs that indicate what level and class a spell is. When you have the deck of spellbook cards that matches your class, you have the ability to easily flip through the deck for just the right spell, and you'll never be without the information you need. I can say that as a GM, I always have my beginners use spellbook cards, and when they are overwhelmed by searching for information on the card, they can simply hand it to me so I can help them find the important information. A well-organized deck of spellbook cards will give even the most lost newbie a chance to become a master spellcaster. 

While we're on the topic of helping beginners, let's have an aside for DMs. Whether you remember it or not, there was a time that you, too, were a beginner at D&D. There was a time that you couldn't make heads or tails or what a saving throw was or which spells do extra damage against undead or what have you. Don't let your players flounder! They want to learn, and if you take a bit of extra time here and there to help them, you'll soon have a player who can navigate magic on their own. 

Another note for DMs: a player doesn't have to struggle with casting spells in order for them to be struggling to learn the system. My mom, who plays in a family campaign that I run, controls Broomhilda the Cleric. In the game, Broomhilda is a menacing force who loves to threaten to light people on fire. But after a couple of sessions, I began to realize that Broomhilda wasn't casting spells at all. For a Cleric to avoid casting magic is like a Rogue avoiding using Sneak Attack; it's one of their main powerful abilities. Not using magic with a spellcasting class is a sign that the player doesn't necessarily get the rules for magic yet. I'm working with my mom to use spellbook cards and teach her about how and when to use spells, but there's a lot for her to learn, and it's a slow process. This is likely what you'll face as a DM--players who don't grasp the rules but still want to play, and who are perhaps nervous to admit that they're still figuring it all out. Be on the lookout for players ignoring their abilities, magical and otherwise, to diagnose struggling players. 

So with all of this in mind, I hope that magic doesn't seem too forbidding now. Once you've learned the rules presented here, you get to start on the fun part: familiarizing yourself with your spells and how they work. A good DM makes spells have different (yet mostly predictable) effects depending the situation, so there's lots of learning left to do, and this time, in a way that should be fun for you. After all, mastering magic is one of the most high-flying and satisfying parts of D&D. So get out there, jump in, and start casting. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: common sayings by D&D race, how to develop a historical event in your setting, and a list of ideas for Big Bad Evil Guys/Gals (BBEGs). Until next time, happy gaming!

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Custom Magic Item List: Artifacts with Drawbacks

Magic items are one of the most sought-after things in all of TRPGs. They stand to dramatically alter the course of any game, and they can make players feel that they have greater control over their time in the gameworld. There are hundreds of custom magic items to borrow from TRPG writers, many of which affect the way that combat runs. But magic items can affect the world of roleplaying as well, and I have created a list of magic items that will affect more than the way that combat functions--they each include caveats that balance the power of the items. Read on for the full list of 33 magic items. 

When you introduce a magic item to the game, it should be dramatic. You want your players to know that they have encountered something special. When you describe the item to them, you want to provide both the mundane and magical descriptions of the item. Then, as the players use the item, you want to describe its effects in clear and abundant detail so that they get a sense of what it does and how powerful it is. Once the players have clear understanding of the item, you should continue to offer colorful description of it so that it doesn't just become another static detail in the game. 

So here are the magic items. Feel free to roll a d100 and divide it by 3 to use this list as a table of random magic items (roll again on a 100), or pick and choose the items that fit your campaign. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that these magic items will change the way you GM, as these items will grant the players abilities that exceed their statistically-balanced abilities granted by the game. 

1. Sword of Chain Lightning: This ornate longsword depicts leaping bolts of lightning up its menacing blade. This +1 longsword causes the player to roll a d100, and there is a 33% chance that the sword causes a bolt of lightning to leap between up to three enemies, dealing 3d8 damage to each one. Holds 2 charges per day. The wielder of the sword must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC 15 when the lightning strikes or take half of the 3d8 damage done by the lightning. 
2. Turban of Mind: This burgundy turban has a golden charm which hangs from its center, depicting an infinity symbol. The turban, when worn, grants the wearer +2 to Intelligence and the ability to decipher one unknown written language per day. The wearer must roll an Intelligence saving throw once daily (in the morning) DC 12 or forget one day from their life permanently. 
3. Rod of Punishment: This steel rod has a large leather grip and a grid of interlocking lines that form squares all across its surface. When used to strike someone, the Rod of Punishment deals 1d6 damage for every evil deed the targeted character has committed in the last week. When this effect takes place, the wielder of the Rod of Punishment must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw DC 14 or take 1d6 damage for each evil deed they have committed in the last week. 
4. Lyre of Suggestion: This ornately carved lyre has a bough of holly branches laid out in its woodwork. When played with a Performance check DC 14, the lyre's song creates the effect of the spell "Suggestion," its magic effect targeted on a specific character. That character gets a Wisdom saving throw DC 14 to ignore the effect; otherwise, it must obey the player's command. 
5. Great Hound Token: This silver coin is engraved with the design of a huge hound and glimmers in the light. When used (once per day), the coin transforms into a great hound which can understand and obey the holder of the coin. The hound will serve in combat and has a bonus to tracking (+5 Survival). After one hour, or the hound's going unconscious, the hound will return to coin form. 
6. Magical Library: This item appears as a small, unassuming book with no writing on its cover--simply a blue circle on a green cover. When opened, the book displays the contents of any book the player has read. Can function as a spellbook as well. The book requires an Intelligence check (DC 13) to add any new information to the book, but all books read previous to obtaining the Magical Library will automatically be transferred. 
7. Amulet of Flight: This bronze amulet has a spherical ruby set into it, and it seems lighter than it should be. Using the amulet (twice per day) allows the user to move as though the spell "Fly" had been cast on them. The effect lasts one minute, and the character can extend the spell's effect with an Arcana check DC 10 for each round they wish to extend the spell. If the player runs out of the effect mid-flight, they must take 1d6 damage per 10 feet they fall. 
8. Flagon of Variety: Each morning, the flagon is filled with a random liquid. Each liquid has a different boost and lasts half the day. Roll a d100: 1-15 Coffee (+2 Perception), 16-30 Mead (+2 Persuasion), 31-45 Clean Water (+2 Survival), 46-60 Apple Juice (+2 Medicine), 61-75 Dwarven Stout (+2 Constitution saving throws), 76-90 Mixed Animal Blood (+2 Intimidation), 91-100 Elixir of Life (+1 to all skills). The player may choose not to drink the contents of the Flagon of Variety, and if so, the liquid will be magically replaced at morning of the next day. The full contents of the Flagon must be consumed before the bonus applies.
9. Spyglass of True Sight: This brass spyglass has an open eye etched into its side. When used, it both magnifies distant objects and acts as though "Detect Magic" has been cast on the user, but over distance. An Arcana check DC 16 identifies the school of magic of the active magic the Spyglass can see. The user must succeed on a Perception check DC 13 in order to use the magical effects of the Spyglass of True Sight, or else the Spyglass shows only out-of-focus shapes. 
10. Expert's Bracer: This leather bracer has thin steel plates set into the leather and an open hand etched into the central steel plate. When worn, this bracer grants the wearer proficiency bonus in one additional skill of their choosing, and this choice can change every day (the wearer selects the skill at night before going to bed). When using this skill, a roll of a natural 1 negates the effect for the rest of the day. 
11. Boots of Reaction: These leather boots rise to nearly the knee and have straps fastening the boots together at the calf. When wearing these boots, the user becomes quicker to participate in battles. The user is granted a +2 to Initiative if they can succeed on an Athletics of Acrobatics check DC 12. If the user fails this check, they take a -2 to Initiative instead. 
12. Master's Map: This item appears at first as a blank sheet of paper. If picked up, the sheet of paper will magically depict the zone around the player who picked it up as a top-down map. As the holder of the paper moves, the drawing will resize and fill in details, creating an accurate map of the area that shows only details the player can see. Until another character holds the map, it will continue to provide a depiction of everywhere the character has been with the map. Grants a +2 to Nature and Survival checks when navigating and a +4 to Nature and Survival checks when investigating an area already mapped. 
13. Top Hat of Charisma: This fancy hat is tall and narrow, all black with a burgundy ribbon, and smells faintly of potpourri. When worn, this hat grants the wearer a +1 to all Charisma-based skills. When the player encounters NPCs, the NPC should be granted an Insight check DC 14; if they succeed, they proceed with the +1 bonus, but if they fail, the player is granted a +2 bonus to all Charisma-based skills for the duration of that conversation. 
14. Brutal Handwraps: These linen strips are heavily creased and stained with dirt and blood. When worn, the Brutal Handwraps increase the player's unarmed bonus by one die (for instance, the traditional 1+Strength modifier becomes 1d4+Strength; 1d4+Strength becomes 1d6+Strength, 1d6+Strength becomes 1d8+Strength, etc.). Should the Brutal Handwraps be used to kill an enemy rather than knocking them out, the bonus disappears until dawn the following day. 
15. Passive Spectacles: These wire-frame glasses appear to be simple bifocals, but the glasses themselves are noticeably unsmudged. When worn, these Spectacles raise the wearer's passive Perception by +4. However, they also lower the character's active Perception checks by -1. The wearer finds that they are more aware of things but have a hard time focusing. 
16. Dice of Uncertain Fate: This set of dice is carved from stone, and all the ones on the dice are indicated by a symbol of Boccob, god of magic. When rolled, the dice allow a character to see the result of a die roll before committing to a course of action (once per day). Essentially, the player rolls an action before doing it; they may choose to pick a different tactic if the roll is low or accept the result if it is high. The player must succeed on an Arcana check DC 14 to accurately read the dice; a failed check means that they cannot trust the outcome of the dice well enough to use it to decide on an action. 
17. Hair Shirt of Erethor: This ugly tunic is woven out of the hair of domesticated animals like horses and yaks, and it seems big enough to fit even the burliest adventurer (though it resizes magically for smaller characters). When worn, the Hair Shirt of Erethor allows the user to maximize their effect with limited effort; the wearer may cast one spell at +2 Caster Level twice per day. The caster must succeed on an Arcana check DC 13 to cast the spell at its improved level; a failure means the spell slot if expended with no effect. 
18. Stone Toad of Woe: This small stone carving of a toad is marked by a small golden fly which seems to have landed atop the toad's head. When the toad is invoked by a magic incantation, it transforms into a living toad which hops toward the nearest wounded humanoid and transforms back into a sculpture; it uses the magical energy required to transform to stabilize the humanoid. Can be used in battle to help an ally or find a wounded foe. 
19. Pebble of Reckoning: This small, smooth, perfectly spherical stone is a mixture of grey rock and spirals of obsidian. When thrown, this pebble transforms into a small bomb which deals 3d12 damage to anyone within 15 feet of the explosion. The holder of the Pebble of Reckoning must succeed on a ranged attack DC 13 followed by a Wisdom saving throw DC 13 to explode the pebble. If either rolls fails, the pebble does not explode. It can be found again only after battle has ended and the player can search for such a small object.
20. Quill of Secrets: This long raven's feather is stained at the end with black ink. When someone uses the Quill of Secrets to write, they can inscribe an obvious message but obscure a hidden meaning by using a Sleight of Hand check DC 14. If the roll succeeds, the hidden message becomes noticeable only via an Intelligence check DC 18. If the check fails, the obvious message remains, but no hidden message appears. 
21. Borgen's Razor: This straight razor has a smooth wooden handle and a keen steel blade. If the player with Borgen's Razor uses it as a tool, it grants a +2 bonus to success on the action, but there is a 10% chance that the razor will completely destroy what is being cut. If the player uses Borgen's Razor as a weapon, it deals 1d10 damage and allows the player to make an Intimidation check at +3; if the enemy fails this Intimidation check, it surrenders immediately. In either case (tool or weapon), the player must then roll a Wisdom saving throw DC 12 or lose a turn, forced to attack the nearest living thing by Borgen's twisted spirit. 
22. Racing Pocketwatch: This copper-plated pocketwatch has a long copper chain and revealed gears and cogs inside it. When a player presses the button on the top of the pocketwatch, time slows down. The player rolls a d4 and adds +1; the result is how many rounds they can take at once. In order to use this power, the player must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw DC 12 for each round they take. If a roll before the end fails, the rest of the rounds are forfeit. This power can be used twice per day. After the player has taken their actions, they are unable to act until the rest of the involved characters catch up. This can make them vulnerable to enemy retaliation. 
23. Everburning Lantern: This burnished steel lantern is hooded to create a more focused lit area, and it has a circular arrow etched into its hood. The light from this lantern is magical and can illuminate scenes as brightly as daylight. If used during the day, the lantern instead twists and turns in the player's hand, leading them to the nearest place where non-sunlight exists (caves, buildings, forests, all pulling more strongly the darker the place is). The lantern never requires fuel and never grows too hot to hold. 
24. Cantrip Wand: This wand is thick and gnarled, with a design carved into the side like the scales of a reptile. The wand can be used up to 5 times per day, and it can cast any cantrip from any class or school of magic. The player using it may select a specific spell from the available lists or choose to have the wand select a spell; if the wand chooses, you as GM should select a spell that is both helpful and unexpected. The player must succeed on an Arcana check DC 10 in order to get the selected spell to cast; a failed save uses the slot, but no spell effects occur. 
25. Speaking Scarf: This thin strip of woolen fabric is a collection of colors which seem different every time they are inspected. When worn, this scarf allows the wearer to perfectly replicate the voice of any living thing they have heard, humanoid or animal. The wearer rolls a Deception check DC 14, and on a success, they are able to replicate the chosen voice; on a failed check, they accidentally replicate the voice of someone else. If the person they are speaking to cannot see them, the wearer's voice is undetectably different from the chosen voice. 
26. Divine Chess Set: This wood-and-bone chess set depicts the gods and demigods as pieces, forces of evil versus forces of good. When a player sets out to use the chess set, they declare the name of a god they wish to challenge. The player rolls an Intelligence check DC 17; a success means they beat the god, and a failure means that they lose. If the player wins, they may ask the god for one favor that the god must assist in, though they will only help the player advance one step in the story. If the player loses, the god penalizes them with a -2 to all skill checks for 24 hours. A game takes one hour to play, and the board can only be used once every three days.
27. The Skull of Grax: This orc's skull is oversized, menacing, and carved with either a sunset or a sunrise. The skull does nothing until either sunrise or sunset (one or the other at random each day), at which point it begins to speak and poses to the players a riddle. (Check out this guide to writing riddles for help with that.) If the party can solve the skull's riddle, it grants a +1 to the skill of each player's choice until the skull's next riddle. If the party fails to answer the riddle, they each must take a -1 penalty to all saving throws until the next riddle. 
28. The Dragon Crown of Ishbeton: This jawbone of a dragon is fashioned into an imposing crown with rubies and garnets set into it. When worn, the crown makes the wearer more charismatic but also subjects the wearer to the greed of enemies. When worn, the Dragon Crown of Ishbeton grants the wearer a +2 to Charisma and grants the wearer use of "Charm Person" twice per day. However, all NPCs who encounter the Crown must roll a d100: 90-100 means that the NPC will become enraptured with the Crown and try at all costs to take it from the party. 
29. Faerie Home: This gnarled ball of tree branches creates a wooden orb approximately 4 inches around, and a faint glowing light emanates from the center. If a player has the Faerie Home, they can use it once per day to invite the help of Fae. If the player is able to succeed on a Persuasion check DC 16, then magical Fae effects help the party. This may be in the form of help in combat, helping the party to their next story moment, or convince an NPC of something. If the player fails on their invocation of the faeries, they hear tittering laughter and are instead cursed with a -2 to Nature checks until the following day. 
30. Showman's Mask: This plain light grey mask has no discernible features and looks eerily unlike any humanoid you have ever seen. When worn, the Showman's Mask transforms into the faces of anyone the wearer wishes, including faces which they are inventing for the use. The Mask requires a Performance check DC 15 to use; if it succeeds, the mask perfectly mimics the chosen faces for up to two hours, but if it fails, the mask causes the player to take a penalty of -2 to all Performance and Deception checks for two hours. 
31. Traveler's Sleeping Roll: This bundle of cloth and padding is in fine condition and very soft; its fabric is a velvety orange. A player with the Sleeping Roll can use it to create a small camp with bedding for up to five people; when deployed with an Arcana check DC 11, it divides into the requested number of fine sleeping rolls and remains that way until dispelled or one hour after sunrise. A failed check sends up a flare into the air, which attracts bandits and monsters alike, likely forcing the party to relocate before calling it a night. 
32. Scales of Appraising: This iron balance has mechanical devices attached at the crux of the machine to calibrate its workings; it is slightly oversized, and swings freely when nothing is placed on it. When a player uses the Scales of Appraising, they are able to place two of anything that will fit or be balanced onto each side, and the side which is worth more will appear heavier regardless of the physical properties of the weighed items. To use this, the player must succeed on an Insight check DC 10. On a success, the scales will emit light and show which side is worth more; on a failure, there will be no light effects, and the scales will show that they are equal in value. (Note: if the two items weighed are actually equal in value, the scale will swing back and forth rather than staying still.) 
33. Scouting Mirror: This small, circular mirror is made of steel and never seems to accumulate any smudging on the surface; on its back is a symbol of two identical figures. When used as an ordinary mirror, the item will function normally. But when used to peer around corners, the mirror gains a magical ability: it surrounds the outline of living things in a faint glowing light on the mirror's surface, including those who are obscured from direct view. This effect requires a success on an Investigation check DC 13; a success shows everything viewed through the mirror for the next hour, but a failure means that the mirror goes see-through for an hour and can't be used again until then. 

So there you have it: 33 magic items that do not appear on other lists, each of which turns having a magic item into a tactical decision rather than an unmitigated increase to the players' power. The goal here is to be able to reward your players with magic items that complicate and enrich the way they play, and by balancing each item with caveats, we can give many of these items to players even at lower levels. So use these items or some of your own design with these kinds of balanced powers, and you'll be able to use more magic items without worrying about players becoming too overpowered. And of course feel free to adjust the numbers involved in these items; I've gauged them for levels 4-10 or so, but some tweaks could scale them up or down. And of course you can get rid of the balancing effects and just grant your players exciting new powers.

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to balance your gameworld's economy, how to manage a boss fight, and how to design a custom TRPG from scratch. Until next time, happy gaming!

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Glyphs: My Custom Magic System

Magic is one of the greatest draws to TRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. Players long to have great effects on the world around them, and few moments in games are more exciting than when the right spell is used at the right time. But magic is also heavily regulated by the game's design, and spellcasters often find themselves in the situation of having to work creatively to get their spells to apply as desired. Perhaps, like me, you want to empower your spellcasters to make more meaningful decisions and have greater control over the effects of their spells. In that case, glyphs are perfect for your game. Read on for the way the system works and how you can implement it in your game. 

When I was running Listen Check years ago, we were at the forefront of a new technology and the beginning of the tabletop game boom of the 2010s. I was telling a story about a port city, full of criminals, and the designs of a vengeful god who wanted to see the city torn to the ground. The players were up against forces they struggled to understand let alone combat, and the group's spellcaster, Rupert, used his available spells as cleverly as possible to get by. But I wanted Rupert to have the tools to succeed against his foes so long as he was creative enough. So I dropped mention of a new magic system in a book Rupert had read (and which I had created in-game), and Rupert took to it immediately. I drafted the glyph system, and before long, Rupert was creatively solving all manner of problems with his experiments in magic. In the end, Rupert used a glyph spell to help defeat the vengeful god, so the system played a major role in the campaign--no way around it, these spells changed the trajectory of the game. 

Glyphs work simply. As I note in the instructions in my glyph resource, all you need to do is some quick subtraction. You take the level of the spell slot that will be expended, add two, and that's how many glyphs you can use to cast the spell. A cantrip allows for 2 glyphs, for instance, and a 3rd level spell allows for 5 glyphs. Spellcasters can reuse a glyph multiple times in a spell to emphasize it. From there, it is a matter of GM interpretation to determine the effect of the spell. 

The first set of glyphs; check out the link for all 13 pages of the symbols. 

A successful glyph spell includes considerations for each detail of the spell. The link above also leads you to the array of glyphs and their meanings. Combining glyphs takes the meaning of each symbol and combines them. Have your spellcasting character list the glyphs they use, in order (the order affects how predominant the effect of that individual glyph is), and then describe the intended effect of the spell. If you believe that the chosen glyphs align with the intention, the spell should largely succeed. If the glyphs are a bit off from how you think the spell should have been built, have it go wrong in some small way. Read on for examples of good and bad glyph spells. 

A traditional spell has a clear intention and definite limits. Glyph spells may or may not have either. Let's start with a more traditional spell, recreated with glyphs. "Enlarge/Reduce," a second-level spell, will work well. There are a number of ways to rebuild this spell with glyphs. A reliable start would include the direction the spell is supposed to work in: either "Limit/Restrict/Verge" or "Increase/Improve/Grow"  would be good indications of either enlarging or reducing. Similarly, "Calibrate/Adjust/Tune" could indicate that change is taking place, but a more specific glyph like the two above would be stronger indications of the intention. That gives us three more glyphs to work with. Let's say we're going for a general increase or decrease in size, which means we want to have a balanced growth/shrinking. We can cover several types of size with the following glyphs: "Fatness/Width/Abundance," "Height/Tallness/Altitude," and "Strong/Powerful/Potent" would all add up to proportional growth or shrinking. You might also use "Thinness/Spareness/Scarcity," "Smallness/Fragility/Fineness," or "Weak/Powerless/Stunted" if you're keen on shrinking rather than enlarging. These would be suitable and successful glyph spells. 

But your players might not put together a strong glyph spell without practice. You'll need to know how to describe an unsuccessful spell as well. Let's try "Enlarge/Reduce" again, but with some issues in two different version of the spell. The first goes like this: "Flesh/Body/Visceral," "Height/Tallness/Altitude," "Mastery/Conquest/Rule," and "Control/Influence/Impose." The spellcaster is trying to increase the size of the body with careful control. But these glyphs might be interpreted in other ways. The spell may backfire, causing the spellcaster to become tall and thin with the ability to control the shape of their body for the duration of the spell. Not exactly what the player was looking for. And that's okay! Glyphs do create the opportunity for spell failure, but the greater customizability of spells balances it out. Your players won't mind having a spell fail every so often if their successes are all the more spectacular. 

But the player might try a different tactic. Rather than a one-to-one reproduction of the "Enlarge/Reduce" spell, a player may try to customize. They use "Increase/Improve/Grow" to signify making the target bigger and "Strong/Powerful/Potent" to indicate the way the growth should be characterized. Then the add a few glyphs to focus on keeping the target safe from damage: "Defend/Guard/Steward" and "Damage/Destruction/Ruin," the intention being to guard the growing character as able to resist damage. If the spellcaster's intention had been to recreate "Enlarge/Reduce," the spell would fail, growing the target but not matching the growth with the kind of strength needed to do extra damage; instead of a damage boost, that character receives a small bit of damage resistance until the spell ends. But if the intention was to buff a tank character, it would be very successful. That character would become larger and more powerful with significant damage resistance. Intention matters a lot; the glyphs themselves understand a spellcaster's intention and try to act accordingly, though within the limits of what each glyph stands for. A spell that aligns with the spellcaster's intention should be especially successful. 

Now let's consider a custom spell unlike recreating a traditional spell. In Listen Check, Rupert used some of the more specific and uncommon glyphs to interesting effects. At one point, trying to develop an alternate identity, Rupert cast a spell to create an enormous tattoo that covered his back--its design was to be a symbol of his deity, Wee Jas. Rupert picked his glyphs carefully: "Scar/Tattoo/Piercing," "Wee Jas/Death/Magic," "Flesh/Body/Visceral," "Complexity/Nuance/Faceted," "Imagination/Artistry/Fantasy," and "Magic/Glyphs/Energy." Specifically, Rupert was creating a tattoo of Wee Jas that had some of the god's magic in the tattoo; it affected his body, had fine levels of artistic detail, and was itself a magical effect. The result was a stunning work of art depicting Wee Jas staring directly at the viewer, waves of magical energy coming off the tattoo, and it helped Rupert stay in contact with his god as the adventure continued. 

A successful glyph spell should be similar to a natural 20 in that it should be memorable and celebrate the success of the caster. On the other hand, failures should be closer to success than outright failure because the spellcaster has intention guiding their spell. It is more dramatic and interesting to have a near-success than a complete failure, as it makes the glyph-using character(s) more like scientists experimenting than experts in an established field. Glyphs are meant to lend some excitement to spellcasting, so consider the ways you can interpret glyph spells in terms of where it will take the story. 

Rupert could have failed with his tattoo spell, however. He might have used "Wee Jas/Death/Magic," "Ink/Charcoal/Paint," "Symbol/Suggestion/Allegory," "Identity/Personal/Private,"  and "Pattern/Design/Symmetry". Here, the first emphasis is on Wee Jas rather than the tattoo, and the glyph selected for the art itself is ink rather than a tattoo itself. Partnered with the other factors in the spell--symbolism, identity, and patterns--this spell could have radically different effects depending the GM's interpretation. If the spellcaster's intention is muddled here, I would have the spell fail pretty wildly. Rather than a tattoo of Wee Jas, I would have a drawn image of Wee Jas appear on a nearby building or sheet of paper, an image which depicts the goddess as powerful and alone in distinctive, symmetrical patterns. But if the intention is clear, the spell might come closer to succeeding. They may get a small image of Wee Jas in charcoal on their body where they wanted the tattoo, or they may end up with an image that is closer to a comic strip depicting a Wee Jas allegory than a single image. It all depends, as I said, on the GM's interpretation. 

I mentioned above that glyphs can break the game if you're not careful. I especially recommend it to parties with lots of spellcasters, as it makes the act of breaking down the glyphs a collaborative game rather than an opportunity for one player to shine. But with a responsible player, glyphs will not break your game. In fact, the only way that they can break your game is if you let them. If you're concerned about the power level of a spell, look to a few traditional spells of the same class. Is what the player wants to do in the same order of effects as the traditional spells? This informal style of balance works just fine, and you shouldn't feel hesitant to take your time to preserve this balance. But even better still is developing your own sense of difficulty based on effect rather than input. By this I mean getting a sense of how your players use glyphs--are they using them for roleplaying effects, like helping NPCs? Even if you did grant extra power to the spellcaster through glyphs, you wouldn't be breaking the game because they're using the spells to advance story moments. Are your players using the glyph spells in combat? Now we need a closer eye on balance. Keep your approximate levels of spell powers handy and don't let the creativity of glyphs ruin combat for your non-spellcasters. 

So perhaps you want to implement glyphs into your game--but how would you do so? It radically changes the way spellcasting works, and unless you implement it from the start, how would your spellcasters transition into glyphs? Well, it's actually not that bad. I implemented glyphs midway through Listen Check, and the transition was pretty seamless. In the show, I had an NPC named Tasselman who was something of a library scientist; when the party needed difficult-to-find information, they went to Tasselman, and he would dig up the information in question. Glyphs were mentioned in a book about magic use in the modern age, and Rupert sought more information on the mysterious symbols. I ended up writing the resource found in the linked glyph information as an introduction for Rupert, and soon he was casting all manner of custom spells with myriad effects. 

So to implement it in your game, all you need is a trip to the library or bookstore. Have your players find (or have recommended to them) Shadestepper's book and invite them to try the system out. Some players may find the range of choices overwhelming--it's important to not force them to use glyphs, as their fun is more important than trying out a new system. But if your players respond favorably to glyphs, there are practically no limitations on the adventures they can have. Familiarize yourself with the glyphs before using them so that you have a general sense of which symbols are best suited for which effects, and trust that your players will work to master the new system. Above all, have fun! Glyphs are meant to increase spellcaster agency, creativity, and novelty--the three things that form fun in a TRPG. So get out there, get casting, and have some fun with magic that's as wild as it gets. 

If your players really like the glyph system, you can let them lean even further in that direction with my custom class: the glyphist. With this class design, you can convert traditional magic to glyphs easily and provide your players with the challenge of collecting all of the symbols in their quest to master the dangerous art form. I wrote the rules based on the Wizard from D&D 3.5, but you can still use it for 5e games without much disruption, so long as you're consistent about how glyphs work. 

And of course you want to describe the effects of the glyph spell in an interesting way. Use this guide for describing magic, and especially use color associations with each glyph. If you do, each spell will be characterized by an array of colors and effects which can make glyphs even more dazzling. I like to run my game so that glyph casters cast by drawing the glyphs in the air in front of them, but you can choose whatever method of casting suits your campaign. The point is to make magic more fun, so go with whatever you think will be the most interesting to your players.

That's all for now. Coming soon: my expanded familiar table for every class, random events for traveling, and how to deal with party splits. Until next time, happy gaming!

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How to Describe Magic

I've discussed description before--how to describe critical rolls, how to describe combat, and how to describe narrative details. Description is perhaps your greatest tool as a GM, so it's important to use it to the fullest potential to create scenes for your players. And just as description is the key to GMing, magic is the key to a lively fantasy world. This means that your descriptions of magic will be especially important in painting a colorful picture of your gameworld. This guide will present some considerations to make when you describe magic so your players get a real sense of how magic functions in your world. 

The first question to ask yourself is whether you're going to use the magic rules of a game like D&D as presented or if you're going to approach it from the homebrew perspective. You can deviate from the rules as far as you would like. I created a custom magic system with room to separate from the game's mechanics, and it's surprisingly easy to do something like it. But for the sake of this guide, let's say that you're walking a middle path: you're using the D&D rules for magic and you're allowing mostly cosmetic changes to the way the spells work. This raises more questions for you to answer about how magic works. 

One of the most basic details of a spell is what it looks like. Some official D&D spells provide simple description of what a spell looks like--Magic Missile, for instance, reads, "You create three glowing darts of magical force. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several." We get some basic information here: the spell creates three glowing darts which strike their target(s) simultaneously. Other spells offer much less information. Inflict Wounds, as an example, simply reads, "Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 necrotic damage." This spell doesn't really tells us what it looks like at all. In my opinion, there aren't many spells at all that offer concrete details on what a spell looks like, and I believe that is so that you as the GM can offer those details on your own. 

So how can we spice up these descriptions? Let's start with Magic Missile. We have three glowing darts. But that's only three pieces of information: three, glowing, darts. We want to provide our players with more than that. So you could decide that all three darts are pale green in color and that their glowing light is faint. We can add that the darts are shaped like arrows or perhaps simply d4-like pyramids. We can describe the darts as moving slowly at first and then accelerating faster and faster into their targets; we could also describe them as flashing quickly through the air and exploding in dazzling bursts of light when they strike. The important thing is that the details make Magic Missile seem interesting and unique. And when a player casts Magic Missile again, you can return to your earlier description to keep things standard, or give it a different twist if it expresses how the situation has changed. 

Then we have the Inflict Wounds spell. We have very little to go off of here--all we really know is that the target takes necrotic damage. But that's still enough to go on. Imagine for a moment what this spell looks like in your mind. 3d10 necrotic damage averages to about 15 damage, which is a fair amount for early-level characters. And necrotic damage is especially brutal, as it directly removes life from the target. We can use these details to describe the spell more effectively. When the caster touches their target for the attack, there is a snapping sound and a burst of silver light from the place they touch their target. Then we can describe how the skin around the touched area quickly becomes dry and veiny. We can add that the target shouts in pain and grasps at the wounded area. We could even consider whether the target drops their weapon in pain and shock or decides to surrender rather than face such a blow again. The details give way to more details--this is how good narration functions. 

The visual details of a spell are important because they characterize spells which otherwise are simply rules. Whether you're in combat or not, it's a good idea to take a moment to describe what it all looks like. The easiest way to do this is to develop a sense of what colors different spells are represented by. You don't need to do a lot of work to accomplish this--just use your emotional associations with each color to associate effects with different hues. By way of example, I use green for vibrant energy like the Magic Missile spell above or anything that is nature-related. Light blue energy is for healing, reddish colors are for damaging spells, and white light is associated for me with spells that call on divine entities. You can and should think about how each color is related to an effect in your mind and use that as a key to what spells look like. 

A small note on using emotional associations for descriptions: you can do this for other effects as well. Magic is supposed to be otherworldly but still intuitive, and your associations are the perfect source for something that is both otherworldly (filtered through your subconscious) and intuitive (it fundamentally makes sense without thinking about it). And after all, this is really the place where GMing will come naturally to you--in the place that makes sense to you without working at it. Allow yourself into this place when you GM and you'll find that the results will reflect your vision for a gameworld better than you anticipate. 

The level of a spell is important, too. It follows logically that a cantrip shouldn't seem as impressive as a 9th-level spell. So take the level into consideration when you describe a spell. D&D's spells are already rated on a scale of 1-10 (cantrip through 9th level), so just think of the spell's level as a rating of how powerful it should be. A cantrip should be impressive enough as a spell in the first place, especially for a beginning party, but you should be ready to bump up the level of detail as the spells and the player characters become more powerful. Let's look at a pair of examples to illustrate this point. 

Let's say you're running a game with some 8th-level characters. That means your spellcasters have access to 4th-level spells. So when the wizard in your party casts Magic Missile (a 1st-level spell), you want to use your sense of what a 2 out of 10 is (since a 1st-level spell is the second step toward the top). When the wizard casts the spell, you describe its power as being a bit below moderate. Now when those three green glowing darts fire through the air, you can tell the other players that their characters feel a rush of wind and the sensation of static electricity from the impact of the darts. But when that same wizard casts Banishment (a 4th-level spell), we're now working with a higher threshold of power. We can relate this to a 5 our of 10 (since a 4th-level spell is the fifth step towards the top) and up the impact of the spell's effects. Now when the same wizard casts Banishment, we say that a creature is enveloped by dark purple lights which swirl around them before enveloping them; after a crash of thunder, they are gone. The thunderclap evokes some of the higher power we're talking about, but we can add more. When the thunderclap sounds, a smell of sulphur and burning hair fills the area. Now the effect of magic are far greater, and you can describe the different spells in a consistent way. 

Another aspect of spellcasting involves whether or not a spell succeeds. Some spells like Magic Missile automatically hit, but most involve a roll on the target's part to avoid at least part of the effect of the spell. A successful hit with a spell should be described as outlined above, but a failed spell requires a different tactic. Let's use the Banishment spell as an example. A wizard casts Banishment on a foe, and the foe rolls high enough to avoid being banished. But the spell still happened, so we need to describe it failing. I like to have my failed spells function as intended up until the moment of effect. So our failed Banishment spell encloses the enemy with the dark purple light and a sound of thunder in the distance booms closer, but the thunderclap dissipates with a hissing sound as the foe stands against the spell. The dark purple light wavers in the air and collapses, the foe standing with a resolute look on their face. Details like this create a sense of the spell's functioning and its failure in a way that dramatizes the spell despite its failure. 

What I have described so far is how to deal with spells in combat. But many spells are cast outside of combat, particularly in roleplaying campaigns. Because the momentum of combat is quick-paced, we generally want to offer detailed but brief descriptions of magic. If a few players are controlling melee combatants who roll to hit and end their turns, it doesn't make sense to take several minutes to go into the details of a spell. You want to temper your description given the demands of combat's pace. But out of combat, there are no such limits. I recommend taking out-of-combat spells further and describing more details as they appear. Let's consider some examples. 

The spell Remove Curse is a 3rd-level spell which removes malignant effects from a cursed individual. Let's say one of the members of a party is cursed in combat, and after the enemy has been dealt with, the party wants to remove the curse. Now we have the time and space to really get into the effect of the spell. You will have already described the effect of the Curse spell, and we'll say for the sake of example that you have described it as a dark red cloud that hums around the target, a whining sound and a wave of heat emanating from the target. That red cloud remains after combat. When the party's wizard casts Remove Curse, we describe it as outlined above: a pale bluish light in a sparking ball moves slowly from the caster toward the cursed individual; it crackles with energy as it encounters the cursed person, getting louder and brighter as its aura collides with the red aura. After a few moments of crackling energy, the pale blue turns white, and a loud snapping sound marks the disappearance of the curse. The person who had been cursed feels physically exhausted for a time, but can feel the strength returning to them as the seconds pass. 

This description is a touch longer than the earlier spell descriptions. And it works well because the moment of a player becoming uncursed is an important moment, and it deserves to be observed in detail by the players. This makes the wizard who cast the spell a valuable asset to the team, and the description of how the spell functions lends power to the wizard. Let's look at an example that's totally removed from a combat application to see how it can enrich a narrative moment. 

We'll use the spell Fabricate for this example. Fabricate allows a user to create an item out of a selection of resources, such as a wooden bridge from a clump of trees. The wizard in our party wants to create several outfits of average clothing from a heap of linen. When they cast the spell, it's time to provide the details we can. So as the wizard casts while standing over the heap of linen, you describe a vibrant yellow light emerging from the wizard's fingertips, coalescing into a swirling cloud of energy over the heap of linen. Tendrils of the yellow energy reach down from the cloud and begin to manipulate the linen, folding and stretching each piece. The linens move faster and faster until a blast of orange light explodes; when the player characters blink away the burst of light, five sets of linen outfits are laid side-by-side on the ground where the heap was. The clothing is warm to the touch, and the area smells faintly of fresh cloth. 

This description takes the foundation of the spell and fills in details so that it will entertain the players. It creates an impression of the power the wizard holds. And it makes a narrative moment out of what could otherwise simply be the wizard obtaining a set of clothing. Your players will take note of your descriptions and try to cast spells in ways that make the most of the detailed spell descriptions you provide. 

A final note on describing magic: it's easy for a magic spell to seem more impressive than someone trying to strike an enemy with a sword. And you don't want your players who are melee specialists to feel as though they aren't as powerful or valuable as spellcasters. My advice is to offer the best descriptions you can of magic and try to match that intensity with your combat descriptions--there are plenty of ways to make a melee attack more exciting than simply rolling the dice. Once your players are receiving detailed descriptions of their actions in and even out of combat, they will be eager to best their previous actions in terms of excitement. Once you have communicated that magic is something to get excited about, your players will get into the spirit of it and have fun with their use of spells. And that's your goal as a GM: get your players invested in the process of playing and making decisions. 

That's all for now. Good luck turning magic descriptions into something that enriches your game.As always, if there's something I didn't cover here or you would like to see written about here, comment below! Look out for a guide to the accessories you need to play, a guide to building a strong party, and uses for my expanded Wild Surge Table. Until next time, happy gaming!

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