The latest book for Dungeons and Dragons, Arcana Unleashed, has added plenty of new content for players to explore in the form of new subclasses, spells, stat blocks, and magic items. However, the magic items have layers to them beyond what many other D&D expansions have tried to do before, giving the fresh gear an interesting mechanic players can explore as their characters level up. In addition to items that provide strong benefits for your next character build, these magic items are made to last longer than any tools you’ve used before in other adventures.
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide is full of magic items that have been reworked for the 5.5e rules for D&D, with new expansions slowly but surely adding to the arsenal of powerful tools player characters can acquire. Arcana Unleashed‘s magic theme creates a number of magic items designed around spells and magical effects, similar to the new subclasses in the expansion. That being said, Arcana Unleashed also gives players ways to invent their own magic items, with new instructions for making homebrew tools that have grown from what was already in the DMG.
There are several new magic items in Arcana Unleashed, but the book’s biggest accomplishment with these tools is giving them the ability to “evolve.” This can also be interpreted as magic items having the capability to level up, much in the same way players do with their characters. For example, an Uncommon magic item can evolve into a Common magic item, increasing not only its rarity, but the number of abilities it has mechanically. The most common case of this could be a +1 Armor suddenly evolving into a +2 Armor, giving players a slight defensive stat boost.
This is to preserve a character’s favorite magic item as their character gets stronger, ensuring that some tools never stay too underpowered during an adventure. A Level 1 character might find a variety of uses for a +1 Longsword, but that same beloved weapon pales in comparison to a +3 Scimitar found during a campaign. Instead of abandoning the Longsword, players can choose to evolve it instead, making it a +3 weapon almost equal in strength to the Scimitar they would have used to replace it.
This attempts to solve the ever-present moral dilemma of item replacement that has plagued D&D games for years. While some players are fine with constantly changing equipment, others prefer to stick with their favorite weapons, armor, or other gear. For some games, a magic item could be tied to a character’s story, representing a family heirloom, cherished gift, or some other form of significance. Instead of making that item overpowered to justify keeping it, D&D players can now evolve it progressively to keep it relevant for narrative purposes.
The rules behind magic item evolutions in Arcana Unleashed are pretty loose, as players and Dungeon Masters must agree when a character’s progression also warrants an increase in their equipment’s power. Generally, a magic item evolves when a character levels up to a point where the item is no longer as useful, but this is somewhat dependent on the tier of play for an adventure. A good rule of thumb could be every five levels for one group for a Level 1-20 campaign, or perhaps every single level for a Level 5-10 adventure with a shorter length.
Some magic items have built up evolution upgrades, such as many of the ones in Arcana Unleashed. However, players can also build their own evolving magic items through the Simple Magic Item Evolution Table, a resource within the expansion. Simple evolutions are not complicated to apply, as many consist of turning a +1 bonus into a +2, a +2 into a +3, or the increase of a rarity stage (ex. Uncommon -> Rare). Complex evolutions can be applied to anything from the Dungeon Master’s Guide, but are somewhat limited to an Armor, Staff, Weapon, Rod, or Wand that requires attunement.
Creating your own magic item starts with picking one that fits the eligible rules, then determining its new Rarity a step above what it once was. Then, players can use the Magic Item Properties table and roll to determine which effect that evolved magic item will get. For example, a magic item that evolves into a Rare magic item rolls a 1d12 on the Rare Magic Item Properties table featured in Arcana Unleashed. Once the player gets a number, they apply that number’s assigned effect to the magic item, adding it to whatever benefits or effects it had before.
There are Rare, Very Rare, and Legendary Magic Item Properties that have a large array of effects, from giving a magic item the ability to cast Fireball to giving your character Truesight while attuned to it. Many of the abilities from these tables can be quite powerful, as demonstrated by the natural evolving traits of the magic items designed to grow in Arcana Unleashed. Here are some of the strongest Magic Item Properites I could find in the expansion:
Between new subclass archetypes and character background Feats in the expansion, these evolving magic item abilities are another great tool for player builds. Once your magic item evolves with new properties, you can rename it to match its stronger status, further personalizing a tool you didn’t want to get rid of. Although there are magic item crafting rules in Dungeons and Dragons already, Arcana Unleashed simplifies and expands upon that system, making it easier for players to customize their preferred equipment.
